Whether you’re at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt’s End …
*One of Luka Doncic’s best, most important achievements as a rookie? He’s made us all forget about the once-prominent theme of the Mavericks’ toxic, sexually inappropriate work environment. The focus is now firmly on the court, and that’s always a good thing. The Mavs are no longer the front office that sexually harassed female employees. They are the front office that traded for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year.
*Dallas Cowboys. Nothing really going on, but there can’t be a Whitt’s End without some mention, right? Next big event on the Cowboys’ radar comes March 5, leading into March 14. The latter is the beginning of NFL free agency; the previous the date they could use the franchise tag on DeMarcus Lawrence. He’s only 26, and the best traditional pass-rusher available in free agency. Considering how important he is to the defense – and the disappointing development of former top pick Taco Charlton – the Cowboys must retain Lawrence’s services. Either a long-term deal, or a second consecutive franchise tag equipped with a hefty raise from last year’s $17 million salary to more than $20 million.
*Lots of feedback on my “Who Wore It Best?” column from earlier this week. Some good debates, and one serious oops. Thank you to several readers that correctly pointed out my inexcusable No. 45 choice of Derek Holland when, clearly, it should belong to TCU’s Sammy Baugh. Slingin’ Sammy, who graduated from Fort Worth in ’36 retired from the NFL in ’52, was a smidge before my time. I always envision him in No. 33 for the Redskins. But, sure enough, 45 for the Frogs. My apologies. Roster amended. With a project this big, it indeed takes a village.
*Texas has Oklahoma. For its must-see-TV rival, Texas A&M has … LSU? No one? The bitter in-state foes played football every year from 1915 to 2011 until the Aggies left the Big 12 for a life of irrelevance and failure in the SEC. These days A&M is a .500 team in conference play, never sniffing a division title much less a spot in the championship game or the national spotlight. Playing Texas again would help, but apparently that ain’t happening. UT president Greg Fenves says he’s open to yanking the rivalry out of hibernation, but A&M counterpart Michael Young wrote in a recent email to alumni, “We have no plans to renew the rivalry game at this time, for very practical reasons.” For now, A&M is content with the embarrassment of having an Aggie War Hymn based on a rival – “Goodbye to Texas University … So long to the orange the white …” – that it chooses to no longer engage in battle.
*Finding yourself in a rut? Bored by the same ol’ same ol’. Ask yourself this: When’s the last time you did something for the first time? For most of us, it takes some real pondering to come up with the answer. Solutions can be as simple as trying a different restaurant. This week Sybil and I – at the urging of friends – went to Shinsei in Dallas for a “modern Asian dining experience”. Final score: Going home hungry 1, New experiences 0. But hey, at least I now have an answer for the question handy.
*Not that it’s a precursor to a season most of us expect will accumulate 90+ losses, but the Rangers’ first full-squad workout of 2019 in Surprise, Arizona was interrupted by a hail storm.
*As if there was ever any doubt, former Mavs coach Don Nelson has been having fun in retirement. Lives in Maui. Runs an Internet coffee shop. Hosts visiting celebs to late-night poker games in the back. Nellie’s overview of his post-coaching achievements? “I’ve smoked a lot of pot.”
*Terrell Owens. Keyshawn Johnson. Antonio Bryant. Dez Bryant. Terrance Williams. Cowboys fans know all too well about the egos and eccentricities of wide receivers. Rules prevent them from being hit or, at times, even touched. And they desperately want the ball, every damn play. When they score, it’s a look-at-me, individual celebration. When they throw a greed-fueled temper tantrum, they want us to believe it’s merely their passion. Yeah, right. But Antonio Brown has taken the reputation of sports’ biggest group of positional divas to a new low. It wasn’t the horrifying grammar in Brown’s social media post in the wake of his impending split from the Steelers – “I ain’t even gonna play myself no more for this NFL. … I think I done everything.” It was his declaration to fans and media. He no longer wants to be called “AB” but rather … wait for it … “Mr. Big Chest.” Brown is 5-foot-10, 180 pounds. You can see burlier men with larger pecs any time down at Fred’s Café. It would make more sense if Brown wanted to be called “Mr. Big Checks.” That too, however, would qualify as one of the dumbest nicknames since Ron Artest morphed into “World Metta Peace” and Garth Brooks trotted out “Chris Gaines.”
*Trump was right. Walls work. Noise-abating walls, anyway. As part of the $1.6 billion LBJ East project, the Texas Department of Transportation is erecting nine sections of gray, ugly, 15-foot tall walls along the busy freeway in north Dallas. They’re hideous but, according to nearby residents, they reduce the nasty roar of traffic to a subtle purr.
*USA hockey’s “Miracle on Ice” over Russia happened 39 years ago today. So long ago that it wasn’t broadcast live. I found out while practicing baseball in the afternoon at Duncanville High School and didn’t get to watch it – on tape delay – until later that night.
*The moon is 400 times smaller than the sun. But because it’s also 400 times closer to Earth, the moon and sun’s spheres appear to be the identical size to our eyes. I’m not a big believer in intelligent design, but that’s too weird to be an accident.
*In 2011 we opened The 105.3 Fan Sports Lounge. Big ribbon-cutting. Good food. Decent prices. Lots of TVs. In-house studio. Great location, only a lob wedge from American Airlines Center. Turned out the place did fantastic on game nights, but deteriorated into a ghost town otherwise. Was on a bike ride the other day and looked up to see how the place was doing. It’s doing okay – as a 7-Eleven.
*This weekend? Saturday night it’s the “Krewe to Cure Arthritis” Mardi Gras Ball at Dallas’ iconic Statler Hotel. Sunday morning I’ll do some radio with ol’ pal Mark Elfenbein around 8:10 on ESPN 103.3 FM. As always, don’t be a stranger.