Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End:
*Jerry Jones is desperate to break the Super Bowl attendance record, set at the Rose Bowl back in 1980. To do so, he needs to pack 104,000 into Cowboys Stadium. Or around it? He wants to sell ticket to fans who would clear security but only watch on the large video screens outside on Cowboys Stadium's plazas. Looks like the NFL is going to agree to count those fans in the attendance. Lame? For the record, the NBA All-Star Game drew 108,713 last February.
*Hang your head in shame, Cowboys fans. At last night's license plate auction, a 25-year lease on the personalized plate "COWBOYS" went for $11,500 while "FERRARI" sold for $15,000. And, in a shocker, "FT WORTH" ($5,000) drew more than "DALLAS" ($1,500). So much for Cowtown being a grounded, substance-over-style lil' ol' town.
*On my list of the worst humans on the planet, these hatemongers are near the top. Supposedly in the name of God and Bible, they regularly picket the funerals of soldiers and this week were in Arizona to intensify the sadness over the shooting of a 9-year-old girl. To call themselves Baptists is criminal. This is a cult, plain and simple. If I was in charge their compound in Kansas would be raided by sundown.
*If you wanted the Texas Rangers to sign a proven closer and move Neftali Feliz into the starting rotation sorry, because Rafael Soriano has signed with the New York Yankees.
*Ray Horton has my vote for Cowboys' defensive coordinator. I covered him when he was a safety for the team in the early '90s, and I can tell you he doesn't put up with a lot of shit. Typical conversation: I'd ask him for a 10-minute interview and he'd bring a stopwatch. After 10 minutes, end of interview. Polite, just no nonsense. And with Greg Manusky (Chargers) apparently off the market, the Cowboys are also considering the Browns' Rob Ryan.
*Hot.
*Hottest.
*As expected, Dirk Nowitzki's absence from the Mavericks is just as devastating as when Tony Romo left the Cowboys. After tonight's loss in San Antonio, Dallas will be 2-7 without its star.
*The SEC. Don Nelson. Ross Perot Jr. And now the United Football League. Anybody involved in more lawsuits than Mark Cuban?
*Hello, $3 gas. I'll never forget around Christmas 2008 when, with a boost from my Tom Thumb Reward card, I filled up at $1.09 per gallon. Swear. Filled up my 15.5-gallon tank for $17.10. (Got the picture to prove it.) Next week, even with the same TT help, that purchase is going to run closer to $43. Ouch.
*Look, I like ripping Sarah Palin as much as anyone. Quitting as governor of Alaska mid-term and then hinting at being President? Yep. Not being able to name any of our founding fathers or any news sources that she reads daily? Double yep. But I don't get the outrage over her using "blood libel" the other day when deflecting indirect responsibility for the Arizona shootings. I've never even heard the term. Probably because I'm not Jewish.
*Does the NFL really think the prohibiting of businesses using the term "Super Bowl" helps it in any way? A sports bar is throwing a "Big Game" party or an electronics store is selling cheap TVs as part of its "Big Game" special. Do you not go or buy just because it doesn't say "Super Bowl" or can you figure it out? Thought so.
*Odds to win the 2012 BCS National Championship are up: Oklahoma is the favorite at 3.5/1, followed by Alabama at 7.5/1. TCU (20), Texas (20), Texas A&M (35) and Texas Tech (125) are long shots.
*My Top 5 Dumbest Characters in the history of TV: 5. Wile E. Coyote (Road Runner); 4. Kramer (Seinfeld); 3. Gilligan (Gilligan's Island); 2. Peter Griffin (Family Guy); 1. Kelly Bundy (Married With Children).
*Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo = Overrated.
*If there's indeed justice in the afterlife, people who alter handicap parking space placards will have a reserved seat especially close to Hell's space heater.
*The Dallas Stars are better than any of us expected. And what's this, Jamie Langenbrunner is back? Can Neal Broten be far behind?
*Re: the Arizona shootings, I've heard this one a lot this week: Guns don't kill people, people do. Maybe it's just me, but I think the guns help. A lot.
*This weekend? I'll be at this place Saturday night. And, of course, watching some NFL football both Saturday and Sunday. Don't be a stranger.
