Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End:
*Best news for your Texas Rangers is that they're not only successful, but extremely popular. Thursday night's Cliff Lee-pitched loss to the New York Yankees was not only a sellout, but also the highest-rated game ever on Fox Sports Southwest. The previous mark was a 2002 Mavericks-Lakers game. Bottom line: This is not a sports town, but a winners' town. And the bandwagon is filling up fast. It's time.
*I know it's early, but I think I trust David Buehler. 3-of-3 in Thursday night's 17-9 loss to the Oakland Raiders and now 6-of-7 this pre-season. He's just the perfect combination of cocky and kooky to be a good kicker for a long time.
*The Dallas Stars will hardly be recognizable next season. No Modano. No Turco. And now, no president Jeff Cogen. He's a marketing genius, but off to Nashville ahead of the culture change. No matter who the new owners are, they're buying a joint with bare cupboards. On the ice and in the front office.
*After a long summer of major discontent, SMU football coach June Jones met with his staff this week and told them he was committed to staying in Dallas for the term on his contract. I'm told this news was met with a lukewarm embrace.
*Hot.
*Not.
*Women and football just don't mix. Overheard in a suite at Thursday night's Cowboys game: Woman No. 1: "Whoa, I don't think he's wearing any undies." Woman No. 2: "What?!" Woman No. 1: "No. 18. Didn't you see him on the screen? I think I saw the outline." Woman No. 2: "Outline?" Woman No. 1: "Yeah, of it." Woman No. 2: "Ewww."
*On a scale of 1-10, I'm worried about the Cowboys' pre-season red-zone offense about a 1. Maybe a 2. When Jason Witten catches his first 7-yard touchdown pass in September we'll never remember what happened in mid-August.
*If I'm a soldier who spent a year or two in Iraq searching for weapons of mass destruction that were never there and fighting for freedoms people never really wanted, the last person I'd want to see when I got off the plane back in the U.S. would be George Dubya.
*Let's give Rich Harden one more chance, shall we? One more. But if he walks five in 2.1 innings next Tuesday, time to call for Derek Holland.
*I'm about convinced that people are just plain stoopid. At last night's Cowboys game up on JumboJerry, there kept appearing one of those "applause-o-meters." And, swear, every single time about half the stadium - adults I tell ya, adults - erupted in cheers and yells. Seriously? Do they actually think their noise moves that meter? I shake my head slowly in digust.
*Bonus Hot. Just because.
*Speaking of yowza's, Greggo and I had Fox 4 weathergirl Fiona Gorostiza in studio Thursday afternoon. Much better looking in person. Incredible. Outgoing. Frisky. Single. And nice. I'll be damned if she didn't bake us personalized pans of rum cake.
*Phil Mickelson has turned vegetarian. Even to be the world's best golfer I'm not sure if I could do it. I mean, I only eat red meat about once a month. But chicken? Fish? I'd go craaaazy. You?
*Funny guy that Tony Romo. After the game he's approached at his locker by a female Asian reporter. She hands him a magazine. "Cool," Romo says. "But, look, you put me on the wrong side." Because, ya know, Asians read right to left and, in our terms, back to front. Toldja, funny guy that Tony Romo. Pretty sure she got the joke. Pretty sure.
*Shoutout to Albert Haynesworth. Yes, Albert.
*This weekend? With no Cowboys game on the agenda, I think I'll head out to Starplex this afternoon for some head-banging with one of my favorite bands - Korn. If I run into you in the mosh pit, don't be a stranger.
