Whether you're at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt's End
*Rangers' manager Ron Washington is taking a lot of heat for another September swoon, but he gets credit for picking the right pinch-hitter Thursday night. Needing a runner to start a rally in a must-win game to cling to hope in the AL Wild Card, Wash inserted Jurickson Profar over Lance Berkman. It was the right call, and probably also an easy one. Berkman hasn't had a hit since July 3. And Profar rewarded his manager with a dramatic homer. Profar, by the way, is only the second player in baseball history with a pinch-hit, walk-off home run before turning 21. The other? Jimmie Foxx back in 19 and 28. Needing to make up one game with three to play, the Rangers are embarking on a fun weekend.
*The rarest of all jerseys in the NFL are the Cowboys' blue roadies. They'll wear them Sunday in San Diego for the only time this year. They've worn them only seven times in the past five seasons. Probably a good thing, because in their 54-year history the Cowboys have only one - that's one, singular - playoff win in blue. Is there really a jinx? I detail the myth over at
NBC 5's Blue Star Blog.
*Took a lot of grief in comments Thursday for being happy about $2.99 gas in Fort Worth and saying that the ominous predictions of President Obama's incompetency pushing gas to $5 were simply wrong. I got called a "flaming liberal" and warned that - as a small business owner starting up Pizza Buzz - Obamacare was going to doom me and my dream. Fine, y'all be Old Man Potter in
It's A Wonderful Life. I'm content as George Bailey. If I'm ever lucky enough to have 50+ employees I'll gladly provide health insurance for my peeps. To me that would be a privilege, not a burden. Because when I sit in a rocking chair on the porch of my golden years, I'm going to reflect not on how many dollars I saved but rather how many lives I touched. You go ahead and protect your money. That's your right and I'll never criticize you for it. But me? I'll continue to donate my time and assets to
Make-A-Wish and
DFWRescueMe and
the fight against Alzheimer's. In fact, I'm walking Saturday morning in Allen at Celebration Park for my good buddy Trey Lee, whose father is fighting the horrible disease. See you - or at least your money - there?
*In a game we thought we were destined to remember for the epic four-error inning, the RangErs instead erased the mistakes with a fourth consecutive walk-off homer against the Angels and Josh Hamilton's beard. Going back to late July, that's back-to-back-to-back-to-back walk-off homers at home for the Rangers over Anaheim. Gotta be some kind of record. I'd look it up, but it's gorgeous outside today and it's been a long week. Let me know what you find out.
*Not trying to mist on your parade plans, but the Cowboys' two wins are against teams with a combined record of 1-6. And if you watched Frank Gore shred the Rams' defense for 153 yards last night you're a little less impressed by DeMarco Murray's 175 from last Sunday. On the other hand, Dallas' only loss is by one point, on the road, to an undefeated team. So maybe your glass is more than half-full?
*Yeah, I get it. Mariano Rivera is baseball's all-time saves leader and a class guy. His retirement is noteworthy, but to me - a life-long Yankees' hater - not the least bit sad. I'll be about as "sad" when Tim Duncan retires. But, seriously now, has any player in the history of baseball had a more out-of-whack send-off? For a player who was on the field only a half-inning per game and never appeared on more than three consecutive days, didn't his farewell go a tad overboard? And you get the feeling we'll get more of it over the weekend when New York travels to Houston.
*
Hot.
*
Not.
(continued from page 1)
*The State Fair of Texas opens today in Fair Park. It's always a weird day. It signals Fall, but it's also usually still - like today - 90-plus degrees. I wasn't one of those who got emotional about Big Tex's accidental burning at the stake last year, but I dig the big guy's new look. Or is it a different big guy altogether? Either way, let's meet at Big Tex for a Fletcher's corn dog, shall we?
*Cowboys haven't lost in San Diego in 30 years. Last regular-season loss to the Chargers in southern California was Nov. 13, 1983. Dallas has won its last three trips, but that day some quarterback named Ed Luther torched it for 340 yards passing as the 3-7 Chargers upset the 9-1 Cowboys. I'm sure I watched that game, but have zero recollection. A result of either old age or a good filter.
*Hey gun nuts, I found the kind of weapon I'll actually endorse.
The kind that won't fire. Folks at the McDonald's in Fort Worth are calling the would-be assassin's gun malfunction a "divine intervention" and a "miracle from God." Which, of course, begs the question: If God miraculously stopped this mass shooting, why did he/she/it allow the one at the Navy Yard? Selective miracling has always been a difficult practice for me to grasp.
*Speaking of guns, in Iowa you can now acquire and carry one even if you're ...
blind. I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say this is a terrible idea. Unless, that is, the gun owners let their guide dogs
pull paw the trigger.
*Cowboys' defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli has dubbed tackle Nick Hayden with a nickname: "
Golden Cock." And, yes, it has to do with Hayden's angle and, um, position.
*TCU 31, SMU 17. Iron Skillet has to be the worst "trophy" in all of college football.
*Seriously, who does this? I've never ever never not flushed the toilet after, ya know,
using the bathroom. The thought never even crossed my mind. If I'm sitting on the throne and the building catches on fire, I'd probably flush, then escape. But yesterday at Panera Bread on Highway 377 I walked in on a full, polluted bowl. And then last night at Cheddar's at Greenville/635 Sybil suffered the same trauma. As she put it, "There's ones
and twos in there!" Other than a plumbing malfunction, there can't possibly be a legitimate excuse for this obscene inaction.
*
Happy Birthday, KXAS. The old station (and my relatively new employer) turns a ripe old 65 today. I grew up mesmerized by weatherman Harold Taft and his cutting-edge gauges. In JoCoMoFo, his forecasts were gospel.
(continued from page 2)
*In 1992 I walked into the Supercuts at Frankford/Tollway. I walked out with a haircut and a friend for life. For 21 years Lisa Santos has been there, offering advice, cooking food, managing my Facebook, jumping off my roof as her bikini top "accidentally" flew off, always injecting passion into life. We've laughed and cried and drank and danced and supported each other through everything from divorce and death. She's always been the freakin' Puerto Rican, yet our relationship has never been anything more than platonic. She still cuts my hair. And Saturday she turns 40. Happy Birthday to Santos, and her butt!
*
So the chairman of Barilla Group - the world's largest pasta producer - says his company would never feature gay families in advertisements for his product because he likes the "traditional" family. If someone disagrees, he says they can "eat another brand of pasta." Two of the biggest roadblocks to progress in this world: Tradition and Fear. Barilla is about learn its lesson about expression: Sure it's free, but it also comes with consequences.
*Cowboys 24, Chargers 20. Brian Waters starts. Manti Te'o debuts.
*
Linkin Park's new song = Awesome.
*Okay, the daily Whitt's End experiment has gone on for two weeks. Whatdya think? Honestly, I've been pleasantly surprised by the response. Unique visitors, pageviews and comments are up. But I'm a slave to customer feedback. So I welcome your assessment.
*I've said recently that I'm a bad judge of character, but professionally I align myself with some great peeps. Two of this blog's advertisers just won awards in the
Dallas Observer's "Best Of" issue:
Bob Lovell of HMS and
Baby Dolls Dallas. Congrats, partners.
*This weekend? Got the Alzheimer's walk Saturday morning and the birthday party Saturday night. Sunday is Cowboys-Chargers. Monday I'll be at Mavs' Media Day down at the AAC. Don't be a stranger.
GAMBLING MAN
