The French Disconnection

Though I’m always skeptical when a head coach drafts a player 24th overall and then contends he “pin-pointed” the kid all along – see: Jimmy Johnson on 7th-rounder Leon Lett, circa 1991 – I’m willing to forge into the Rodrigue Beaubois Era with an open mind. Well, I lied. I won’t…

Tashard’s Tour

While watching this tour of Cowboys Stadium, keep reminding yourself that Tashard Choice is third string. Third. The video, shot after a recent OTA, includes cameos by Marion Barber III, Roy Williams, Jerry Jones and the Jonas Brothers. And it’s hosted by the chattiest of Cowboys, who apparently owns a…

Mavs Trade Down, Try Not to Fall Asleep

Like the Dallas Cowboys did a couple months ago, the Dallas Mavericks have made the decision to fortify their roster via quantity, not quality. But in an NBA Draft that features Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet, James Harden and a bunch of extras, that might not be such a bad idea. Unwilling…

Lights Out!

Over on The Ticket, Mike Rhyner (aka “Baseball Jesus”, the cockiest nickname in the history of sports, by the way) is quick to identify the “catastrophic moment.” The play/incident/injury/whatever that signals the beginning of the end each Texas Rangers’ season. Over the past 37 years it’s usually been multiple choice…

All My Excess Lives in Texas

So I’m watching the Channel 8 news Monday night at 6:29 and after a sparkling fill-in sportscast by Ted Madden he alerts viewers that: ” … in the game, Texas already trails, 1-0.” To which anchor Gloria Campos valiantly responds, “Aw, but they’ll come back.” Adds John McCaa, “Let’s hope…

The Top 10 Best Things About Summer

In case today’s triple-digit heat hadn’t reminded you yet, summer officially began this week. Y-a-w-n. No football. No basketball. No hockey. No frost bite. No worries. With plenty of time to kill, thought I spend today pondering my favorite heat-beatin’ time-killers. Otherwise known as The Top 10 Best Things About…

Unbreaking News: Dirk Done with Gold-Digger

Dirk got duped. He went for an elaborate head fake and embarrassingly got caught in the air with nowhere to land. It could have been worse. Hpefully now that he’s talking about his ordeal with ex-fiancee Cristal Taylor in Germany it won’t be front-page news in Dallas. “I had some…

BREAKING NEWS: Oscillating Fan

News today that 105.3 The Fan has said goodbye to weekday 9 a.m.-Noon hosts Kevin Scott and Greg Hill. More changes could be in the offing. Developing …..

Paging Mr. Jaramillo … Mr. Rudy Jaramillo.

This is a cruel joke. Texas Rangers fans who for decades have yearned for pitching are finally getting it, only to see their woody go limp when they finally need it. Something I thought I’d never type: The Rangers can’t pitch hit. Spent Father’s Day plopped on the couch not believing my…

Whitt’s End: 6.19.09

Whether you’re at the end of you’re rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt’s End: *If you saw the abortion that was Joe Buck Live on HBO Monday night, know this: It could have been much worse. How’s that? Guess who Buck begged and pleaded to…

The Man Who Can Read Your Mind

Call him the Dallas Wowboy. In my years as a sportswriter I’ve come to appreciate lots of athletes. For the most part, I could comprehend and sorta explain their greatness. Troy Aikman’s mechanically flawless accuracy. Jason Kidd’s uncanny peripheral vision. Josh Hamilton’s forearm-powered bat speed. But for David Magee, I…

Media Minutiae: Greggo, Irvin and the Dynasty

*May’s PPM radio ratings show The Ticket maintaining its dynasty as the No. 1 station among Men 25-54. ESPN Radio and The Fan treaded water, placing 9th and 20th respectively. Status quo. *You could read about the Mavs and ESPN Radio reaching a four-year extension here on June 17, or you could’ve read…

Dallas Cowboys: Three Dots and a Cloud of Dust

Quick takes from a Wednesday’s minicamp workout at Carrollton’s Standridge Stadium: *Tony Romo says the story that appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about him being told to lose weight is total bullshit. “That never happened,” Romo said with a smile. “It just didn’t.” … *From what I could tell,…

SMU Basketball Leads the Nation … in Tweets?

Matt Doherty hasn’t done much to put SMU back on the college basketball map. He is, however, powering the Ponies to the top of the Twitterverse. SMU urges its coaches to connect to its community. Events. Fund-raisers. Handshakes. Blogs. But you get the feeling Doherty Tweets not because he has…

What’s In My Closet: Rodent-Free Edition

Gonna trek out to Carrollton this morning for some Cowboys’ minicamp, so I’ll leave you with a feel-good story. $13,000 my ass. In the end, getting rid of the furry, friggin’ squirrel tresspassers in my attic and walls cost a whopping $275. That’s $70 for two giant mousetraps, $5 for…

The Top 10 All-Time Texas Rangers in the History of Ever

Very cool moment last night: The greatest player in Texas Rangers history – now a Houston Astro – smacks a 5th-inning homer and receives a standing ovation. Stay classy, Arlington. On a day when Toby Harrah and Ruben Sierra were elected into the Rangers’ Hall of Fame, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez…

Shooting Star

So I’m gone a week and two major coaching deals? Ron Washington: In. Dave Tippett: Out. How can that be? I’ll get to Wash later this week, but I’m still trying to figure out new Stars’ GM Joe Nieuwendyk’s decision to replace the likeable Tippett with the long ago expired…

Vacation Scorecard: Dallas v. Seattle

Spent the first half of my vacation in the Pacific northwest. Seattle, to be exact. I’d been there several times, covering Cowboys-Seahawks and Mavericks-Sonics after my initial trip in 1987 for, would you believe, Dallas Sidekicks-Tacoma Stars. But this time I really did Seattle. Some days I wanted to ride my…

So, Which Are They: Real or Fake?

Two weeks ago I said that on June 15 – hello! – we’d know if the 2009 Texas Rangers were authentic or artificial. A pinch here. A jiggle there. Couple of healthy squeezes. And, of course, the taste test of a 5-7 stretch against some of of baseball’s best teams and the…

D.J. Mbenga 1, Dirk Nowitzki 0

Watching the Lakers party in Orlando last night – I was wrong about L.A. in 4, but just barely -was a reminder how cruel sports can be. While former Mavericks D.J. Mbenga and Josh Powell hugged and kissed the NBA’s Larry O’Brien championship trophy, current Maverick Dirk Nowitzki is left with remorse about…

Your Weekend Planner: Vacation Edition 6.5.09

Hey, if Dale Hansen thinks it’s a good time to skeedaddle, who am I to quarrel? Let’s see, last summer I went to a river and a waterfall. This year … Seattle. Yeah, that sounds about right. Temperatures in the 70s. Fish to eat. Coffee to smell (but not drink). A…