Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End:
*I take absolutely no very little joy in D Magazine's Inside Corner sports blog going belly up any second now. Evan Grant is a solid baseball Xs and Os writer and I'll follow his work back to Dallas' Only Daily. But the combo of Grant's departure, the arrival of ESPN Dallas and an expiring Dr Pepper sponsorship proved fatal. Says former Inside Corner contributor and Ticket Noon-3 host Bob Sturm: "It is dead. D Mag didn't get to where they are by subsidizing blogs that don't pay for themselves."
*In a related story, The Sportatorium hit an all-time high for pageviews last week. I know in here I joke around and you guys poke me back, but I sincerely appreciate your continued patronage. To show my appreciation, a bonus ...
*Hot.
*I thought I was going crazy. I'm not. Or am I? Remember back in the good ol' days when Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Troy Aikman would bark out an audible at the line of scrimmage and every single time it seemed to start with "Blue Eighty!" Well, don't look listen now, but the last couple of Fox broadcasts I coulda swore I heard Tony Romo yelling "One Eighty!" Close. "It's White Eighty," says tight end Jason Witten. "It has to do with the snap count, but I guess it's just a color and a number he likes." I also hear Romo command "Omaha!" every now and then. I'm also pretty sure I'm more confused than when I started this paragraph.
*When the Phillies' Cliff Lee spun his web around the Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series, I was reminded how long the baseball season is. Seems like years ago your Texas Rangers opened 2009 by pounding a certain pitcher named - I'll be damned - Cliff Lee.
*Speaking of the Rangers, I don't know who would make the best hitting coach between Gerald Perry, Thad Bosley, Carney Lansford, Clint Hurdle and Rusty Greer, but I'm certain I'd like the final decision to be manager Ron Washington's. Next year the Rangers will contend and the manager should be equipped/surrounded by as many of his guys as possible.
*One of these three men will be the next owner of the Rangers: Dennis Gilbert. Jim Crane. Chuck Greenberg. As long as it's not Tom Hicks, honestly, do we care?
*Andre Agassi's revelation that he used crystal meth wasn't as shocking as his not-so-subtle endorsement of the drug: "Euphoria."
*Cowboys 34, Seahawks 20. Sound about right?
*Hot.
*Not.
*I'm a short, pale dork born 'n bred in Duncanville and raised on chicken fried streak, but lately I've come to love Indian food (Kebab N Kurry) and Middle Eastern music (104.9 FM). Any explanations?
*I'd break down the World Series, but the numbers say you don't give a damn. Dallas/Fort Worth ranked dead last among the 56 metered markets entering the fall classic, behind even Greenville, S.C. and Grand Rapids, Mich.
*President Obama last week went to Dover Air Force Base at Midnight to watch the caskets of our dead soldiers from Afghanistan be removed from a transport plane. Deep down, I wonder if he was thinking A) "Freedom isn't free." B) "What the hell are we doing?"
*Saw a band called MuteMath last night at The Palladium. A little too jam bandy at times, but not bad at all. Cool to see a drummer front and center instead tucked in the back. And any group that employs antique lamps sans shades is quirky enough by me.
*On a programming note, I consider The Sportatorium to be a buffet. I lay out the items and you moochers decide what you pig out on and what you leave sitting untouched like some rancid macaroni-n-pea salad. Correct me if I'm wrong, but You Betcha ain't cutting it. If so, I'll politely trash it and replace it with something more appetizing. But what? Ask for it around here and you'll usually get it. Right, UFC fans?
*Spring forward, Fall ... back! Nice. With Halloween parties Saturday night, Cowboys fans will need the extra hour Sunday to prepare for the Noon kickoff against the Seahawks in Arlington. God willing, I'll be partying Saturday night in Lewisville and talking Cowboys pre-game show on 105.3 The Fan at 9 a.m. the next morning on the west plaza. Don't be a stranger.
