NERDS AROUND TOWN
The Nerd Report: Drag show, Esports, Aquaman and more
Apr 19, 2019, 9:31 am
ART BY JESUS RODRIGUEZ
Born with a comic book in one hand and a remote control in the other, Cory DLG is the talent of Conroe's very own Nerd Thug Radio, Sports and Wrestling. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!
Hey Nerds!
Well another week in the dust, best of luck to everyone on surviving the weekend and having a great one!
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
It's going to be a fun show, so get out there and support the Spring Charity Drag Show. It's a themed drag show within Houston's nerd community and will feature pop culture, gaming and nerd icons as well as prominent drag queens in the "Gaymer" community. The proceeds go towards this group which all year long put on events for their community and give those people a place to go and be accepted.
BOY DID I GET THAT WRONG
Just Wednesday I told you guys about the DC Streaming service. For anyone who follows me and listens to Nerd Thug Radio, they know I hadn't been a fan of the service at all. The price felt a little high for when they launched considering they launched in November with a new animated movie and a large but incomplete library of old content and some comic books and that was it. Titan's launched in January and while I didn't love it, some people were saying nice things and then Young Justice's first half of their season came out and I loved that and it was the first great thing that was exclusive to the network. There was also another animated movie but it wasn't exclusive to the network. Doom Patrol debuted after Young Justice and honestly I haven't watched a single episode but it was getting great buzz, then DC announced all of their entire comics catalog will be available for the app and that they were getting on Xbox One and in the meantime they've brought in most of their old catalog under one roof. So they had basically settled my three biggest complaints, they were getting on the major consoles (the most convenient way to use the app on TV), they were getting their old catalog of TV shows and movies in order and they were finally releasing the entire library of comics onto the app (why buy a service from a comic company if they aren't going to let you read all their comics?), so finally I say something nice. Then suddenly the parent company Warner Bros ends production on Swamp Thing three episodes early and in that same press release it's revealed they were spending $85 million for the thirteen episode season, what the heck!? First of all, that's crazy money for a TV show, secondly, that's an even worse investment when you say it's for Swamp Thing and thirdly, now the future of the service itself is in question. Just after they got me to say something nice about it. Are you paying attention Disney?
WHILE YOU ARE OUT
So this week while you are running around don't forget to stop by your local comic shop and check out some of the cool stuff coming out this week. From DC Comic's Aquaman #47 is out and it wraps up a storyline where Aquaman was battling against the lost gods of the ocean in an effort to save all life on earth. Aquaman has been on a pretty epic run and his rise to fame started in the comic books, so check it out. Marvel is right in the middle of their crazy huge War of the Realms and the second issue of the story comes out this week. War of the Realms #2 is the second part in what they are promising is a huge storyline, that anyone who has seen the movies will be at least familiar with the characters at play. Also out this week that's a big deal is BPRD: The Devil You Know #15. This is the final issue of the story of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, introduced in Hellboy they've long continued their own series of adventures and this wraps that incredible series and story up. So reach in your wallet and get out them dollar bills and spend them at your local comic shop.
THIS WEEK IN ESPORTS
This week the FIFA eNations Cup tournament happened, it's a two day international affair where 20 countries from 6 different confederations qualified to play in this thing and they come to London for a battle to see who is the greatest. In the end France won the 1v1 tournament and congrats go out to "Maestro" and "DaXe". For those who don't quite understand what this all means, this was an officially sanctioned match with the participation of the member nations hosted and organized by FIFA, which means the players wore the official jerseys of their countries and stood for their respective anthems. FIFA has a few more months of various tournaments to go before their grand finale in August 2019. Also this weekend, Overwatch play continues with The Outlaws finally having two matches after only having one match over the last two weeks. They play tonight at 7:45pm and Sunday at 3:45pm and that match will be televised on Disney XD.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
We are one week away from Avenger's Endgame and this will be bittersweet for me. My dad passed away Nov. 4th last year and one of the things we really enjoyed together were going to the movies. I remember him taking me to see Robocop 2 when it came out and movies were just always something we would go see and talk about. In the past few years his vision wasn't great and things weren't going well for him but movies were always something we loved talking about and when we would speak these would be fun, light conversations instead of talking about some of the harder times and things that he was going through. This completes a story he'll never see the end of and one he was genuinely curious about and for that part I'm genuinely sad to see this story come to an end, it's one less connection between the now and my Dad that I'll have.
I'm going to jump out and wish you guys a great weekend and remind everyone to be kind to each other and try a little harder to have a great day! I'm coming back Monday and we'll be bringing more good times your way. Feel free to check out my digital short story The Wilson House or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where every shirt is now under $20 or listen to Nerd Thug Radio or support our Patreon Page. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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