Whether you’re at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt’s End …
• I get it when the Cowboys shrug at the offseason contracts signed by Ben Roethlisberger and Russell Wilson. Those quarterbacks have Super Bowl rings and, therefore, aren’t a rational “comp” to Dak Prescott. But now they have one: Carson Wentz. The Eagles recently signed their ring-less leader to a four-year, $128 million deal. Multiple warts be damned, Dak deserves a similar, if not superior, deal. Why? Because in their three-year careers, Prescott has won more games (32-23), more division titles (2-1), more awards (2, Pro Bowl and Rookie of the Year, versus Wentz’s 1 Pro Bowl), and has been more durable than Wentz (0 missed games/8 games missed). That’s why. Ranking Wentz ahead of Prescott via any other criteria is utter nonsense. Prescott’s agent, Todd France, is seeking a deal worth $34 million per season. And now he has the validation to ask for it, and get it.
• Shame on the U.S. Women’s soccer team for its classless, 13-0 romp over Thailand at the World Cup. I realize that goal differential is a factor in advancing in Group Play, but c’mon, you don’t think a nine-goal pad is going to be enough for the world’s No. 1-ranked team? The Americans not only scored in Injury Time, they wildly celebrated each goal as if it had won the Cup. Star player Alex Morgan scored her fifth goal of the game and 106th of her U.S. career in the 87th minute to make it 12-0. I cringed when the Dream Team won by 50 points per game in the Olympics, but at least they didn’t high-five and do choreographed celebrations after each dunk. Perspective? Ol’ friend and long-time soccer nut Brad Sham once told me to think of soccer goals as football touchdowns. Fine. Then what the U.S. did was the equivalent of the Cowboys having a 77-0 lead on the Browns, and getting the ball to Ezekiel Elliott for a touchdown inside the two-minute warning. Horrible look.
• Congrats to the Raptors. They are NBA champs. But, undeniably, their title is adorned with a question: Should there be one * (the absence of Kevin Durant) or two ** (the absences of Durant and Klay Thompson)? There are undeniable similarities between the singular star Raptors of 2019 (Kawhi Leonard) and the Mavs of 2011 (Dirk Nowitzki), but the huge difference is that the Mavs beat a full-strength Heat dynasty featuring LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
• The St. Louis Blues’ Stanley Cup championship Wednesday night further validated the season of the Stars. Nobody pushed the Blues farther than Dallas, which held a 3-2 series lead, hosted Game 6 back on May 5 and then went into double overtime in Game 7. The Blues’ ascension proves yet again the quirkiness of hockey. Playoff hero goalie Jordan Binnington began the season fourth on the organization’s goalie depth chart, buried in the minors in the hockey hotbed known as San Antonio. And on Jan. 3 the Blues had the worst record in the NHL.
• One of my Dad’s golf buddies passed away this week, less than a month after playing one of his best rounds of the year. It made both of us feel … something. But does the reality of mortality make us: A) Put down the cheeseburger and get into the gym, hoping to extend the years of our life? B) Ditch exercise and add a second patty and a cold beer, hoping to merely add life to our years? A study of 1,000 people that lived “Healthy After 100” provides the shared tenants:
Radical diet, void of red meat
Follow your intuition
Use herbs and organic supplements rather than traditional medicine
Release suppressed emotions
Increase positivity
Embrace social support from friends and family
Deepen your spiritual connection
Identify/develop a central reason for living
• The Rangers are already exceeding expectations, but if – and that’s a big if – they’re contending late into Summer we’ll grimace at the thought of Wednesday’s loss. The defeat in Boston came via walk-off walk, first one they’ve coughed up since Rich Rodriguez walked Ichiro back in 2002. Ouch.
• Hot.
• Not.
• The most overrated edge in sports is “home.” Especially when we get to the championship series. Home teams in the Stanley Cup Finals were 2-5. In the NBA Finals? 1-5. A combined 3-10.
• Equipment or evolution? When he won the U.S. Open in 2000, Tiger Woods’ average driving distance was 298 yards. In 2019, he’s still smacking it off the tee 298. Same distance, big difference. In 2000 he ranked 2nd. In 2019, he ranks 63rd.
• This isn’t political perspective, but merely a guffaw at a grammar gaffe: Saw on Twitter today where a grown man – a very confident one, at that – wrote about the “Prince of Whales.” I would call this person out, regardless. That it happens to be our President just makes it a smidge funnier, and sadder?
• Speaking of a rare occurrence in a Rangers game, don’t think I’ve ever seen an easier inside-the-park home run than the one Hunter Pence produced in Boston. As he crossed home plate standing up, the ball was still lonely on the warning track. With some hustle, he might have earned six bases.
• Remember the woman who shot a black giraffe in South Africa and then posted a proud, boastful photo of the kill in 2018? Tess Talley said in an interview last week that she has no regrets about killing the animal because she turned it into a gun case, pillows and multiple meals. “Oh,” Talley said, “she tasted wonderful.” If there is a God and He/She/It actually created all living things, then at the next level that giraffe is armed with the ammo and Talley is the prey. Can I get an “Amen”?
• Friend of mine bought a new Tesla. It’s amazing. It’s electric. Its cockpit is one big computer screen. The “key” is an app on your phone. “It’s soooo fast!” she gloats. I’m officially old, because driving fast has zero allure.
• Sports, for the win. Again. Of the top 100 most-watched TV shows in 2018, 89 were live sporting events. NFL games were the top seven.
• If you do one thing this week, watch every magnificent, mesmerizing second of Jon Stewart’s spot-on admonishment of Congress.
This weekend? A little tennis Saturday and, on Sunday, grillin’ and golf-watchin’ with Dear Ol’ Dad. As always, don’t be a stranger.
