Whether you've reached the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End:
*Derek Holland looked unusually sharp from the first pitch last night. Seattle's woeful offensively. I had a feeling, so I Tweetcalled for a no-hitter in the bottom of the 1st. Holland took his no-no into the 6th and wound up with a five-hit shutout. Not a bad prediction, just a little short. Story of my life.
*Talked to Dez Bryant and he says his card-show liaison will be "taken care of." Good. Hope so. I still contend Dez is a good guy. Never been arrested or involved with drugs or violence. Just a little immature and makes some bad decisions. As a Cowboys fan, I'm thrilled he's on my team.
*Happy for Dirk Nowitzki for winning an ESPY. How's it, though, that Derrick Rose is NBA MVP but Dirk is ESPN's NBA Player of the Year?
*Remember this column about SMU assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Adrian Klemm? The guy is the real deal. He nabbed another stud commitment out of Los Angeles yesterday, the first 4-star offensive recruit of the June Jones era. The Mustangs just aren't supposed to be able to steal receivers like Venice High School's Gabriel Marks. The kid, ranked as the nation's 25th-best receiver, had an offer from UCLA.
*Is it just me or do the Rangers look, feel and play like a better team when Elvis Andrus is focused and scampering around the bases?
*I'm sure you guys will have fun spinning with/shitting upon them anyway, so I'll just present the June Arbitron PPM numbers and let you have your fun. PM Drive Men 25-54: The Ticket (8.6), The Fan (5.2), ESPN (4.5). A year ago this month The Fan's afternoon number was 2.0. CBS bosses see progress, but I'm sure y'all somehow see ...
*Hot.
*Not.
*You may not embrace despise my White Truck Theory that states the drivers of the pale pickup are the most dangerous, reckless and aggressive on our local highways, but you can't deny they are the most prevalent. On my way from McKinney to Dallas down 75 Wednesday I counted 207 of 'em. Swear.
*Nolan Ryan told us Thursday on RAGE that throwing out the first pitch before the Angels game next week was no biggie. When we joked about him not putting on an Angels' cap to accept his induction in the franchise's Hall of Fame, he didn't dismiss the idea and reminded us that he wore the cap for eight seasons. Yikes.
*Genghis Grill = Underrated.
*UTA to the WAC? Good for my alma mater and all, but how hurtin' is that conference these days? Last year they begged for Texas State and UT-San Antonio. Still, with a conference affiliation can the re-kindling of football be far behind? Nope, it can't be. Stay tuned.
*I'm not about to criticize Shannon Stone. The Brownwood firefighter was a better, more courageous person than I'll ever be. He should be hailed as a loyal public servant and good father. But ... he died because of a bad decision. No way around that. We'll have donation jars set up at our Old vs. New 105.3 The Fan Softball Turf War next Friday at Big League Dreams in Mansfield. Proceeds will go to the memorial fund set up for Stone's family. Hope every little bit helps.
*If you're into futures, buy this band of talented high schoolers from Sachse: Crel. Heard 16-year-old lead singer Morgan Daniels belt out "Sweet Child O' Mine" last weekend. Awesometown. They won a Battle of the Bands with this song and on July 27 will be playing at Duke's in Plano. At 16 my only talent was picking boogers and I was convinced girls had cooties.
*Best news I wrote all week was Chuck Greenberg's interest in buying the Stars. It's a better sports world when the Stars are good, and Greenberg won't let them be bad.
*Song I could live without the rest of my existence: Daft Punk's Around the World/Around the World/Around the World/Around the World/Around the World/Around the World/Around the World.
*I got a buddy who used to be high-school football coach. Gave that up last summer to be a guy who harvests and sells bull semen. Says he's never been happier. Or wealthier. Not sure exactly what that says about our society but pretty certain it's not a positive reflection on the teaching profession.
*That "Bring Baseball to Dallas!" billboard on I-30 is the biggest waste of money since that "Where's the Birth Certificate" billboard on 75. There is baseball in Arlington, Grand Prairie, Frisco and Fort Worth. Sorry, we're saturated.
*On my list of things I really like but make me sound really un-manly: A full moon.
*Roger Clemens' prosecuting attorneys were paid off, right? Nobody is that stupid and/or incompetent.
*I almost forgot, in Las Vegas a stripper ate my earring. Bitch.
*If you don't watch Tosh.O you're missing one of the best shows on TV.
*ESPN reached a new low with the suspension of college football writer Bruce Feldman, the guy who blew the whistle on the network's slimy dealings with Craig James that helped get Mike Leach fired. From the ESPYs to LeBron's The Decision to keeping Woody Plaige on the air, the network is all about style over substance. Sad.
*This weekend? Tonight let's convene at The Lodge for the "Headlights and Hounds" kickoff dinner. Saturday it's a little golf and a lot of lake. Sunday is for British Open in the morning and women's World Cup final in the afternoon. Don't be a stranger.
