WHITT'S END: 2.25.14

      Whether you're at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt's End:

   *It's better to be lucky than great ...

   *Our sports world changed forever 25 years ago today ...

   *Apparently it's okay for teachers to sext with students as long as ...

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WHITT'S END: 2.21.14

      Whether you're at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt's End:

   *Don't look now, but in January The Ticket's lead in DFW sports-talk radio ratings ...

   *The player that people love but I'd hate the Cowboys to draft ...

   *Don't cry over spilled gold ...

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WHITT'S END: 11.25.13

      Whether you're at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt's End:

   *Score one for Jason Garrett. The Giants did all the talking entering Sunday's game. Antrelle Rolle called it the Giants' Super Bowl. Jason Pierre-Paul promised New York was going to "put it on 'em" and that "blood will be spilled." And cornerback Terrell Thomas guaranteed a victory. Then in pre-game warm-ups the Giants altered their routine, even to the point of having the MetLife Stadium speakers blare dramatic music on cue as they attempted to intimidate the Cowboys at midfield. What did the Cowboys do? They shrugged. They executed. They played better football. And they won. That's why I don't get into identities or want-to or emotion when it comes to sports in general or football in specific. It's about execution. Garrett is calm and collected, and Sunday his team was the better team because of it. And boy does it feel good to shut up folks spewing false bravado.

   *Cowboys 24, Giants 21: My Top 10 Whitty Comments are over at NBC 5's Blue Star Blog.

   *Just as I feared, this "Arctic Blast!" followed perfectly our weatherfolks' blueprint for Overhype 101. They started talking about it a week ago, building interest - if not fear - in an attempt to create TV ratings. Then came the proverbial push-back, the "well, this front is moving slower than we expected." Meaning? The Apocalypse we predicted would arrive on Friday might not get here until Monday, so stay tuned all weekend! Then, of course, comes the Monday morning punch line: Reporters live by highways crowing about "ice forming on these signs!" as cars in the background whiz past at 70 mph. You shouldn't be surprised, but yet another dangerous, epic, newsworthy weather event was, in fact, just a couple days of cold rain.

   *On Sunday I officially became a Tweediot. That is, a person whose desire to talk outweighs the desires of others to hear him. Translation: I've now got more Tweets than Twitter followers. That should be the rule. As soon as you have a Twitter imbalance your account should vaporize. I know we've created this fake environment where we're convinced our every thought and meal and action is of international importance. But, no. If you have 10,742 Tweets but only 137 followers, give it up. No one cares.

   *The Packers and Vikings finished with the same number of points. They say ties are like kissing your sister. Unless your sister is Kate Upton. Then ties are much, much worse than kissing your sister.

   *Sybil mused Saturday night that - because of the cold - she was going to put an extra pair of pants but not an extra pair of shirts. Why are pants plural and a shirt singular, when they both cover two legs and two arms? These days on the bottom we're wearing sweatpants, but on top merely a sweatshirt? At our house these are the conversations that construct pillow talk.

   *Hot.

   *Not.

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   *In the wake of the Cowboys' win last night we heard clickclickclickclickclick ... quiet. It came from Tony Romo critics, first deleting their "Romo is a choker!" Tweets and blogs and then pouting silently in the corner with zilch to say. In Dallas' last two victories over the Vikings and Giants, Romo has led two game-winning drives in the final minutes. His combined stats on those drives? 12 of 17 for 157 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 field goal. Oh, and 2 wins.

   *Johnny Football, meet Johnny Humbled. After the demoralizing loss at LSU, the Aggies are just a 3-loss team and Manziel is a guy who was once in the Heisman Trophy race.

   *C'mon. Finding Bigfoot is a real TV show? And people actually watch it believing it's real?

   *Anyone else really, really enjoy the first quarter of the Cowboys game? That's because there were zero commercials in the game's first 15 minutes. Not sure how that happened, but I liked it.

   *Hunger Games > Delivery Man. Somehow, Sybil and I fought through the blizzard to see 'em both over the weekend. Vince Vaughn trying to be serious just doesn't work.

   *In the past couple weeks I've told you on here that Orlando Scandrick was the Cowboys' best defensive back, that Romo was playing at a Pro Bowl level, that the Giants' winning streak was a mirage and that the Cowboys would target Dez Bryant at least a dozen times vs. New York. You know what they say about blind squirrels ...

   *Today? May I suggest free pizza? It's Pizza Buzz's "CowBuzz" Special. Every day after a Cowboys' win it's buy a large pizza, get one free. Enjoy. And don't be a stranger.

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WHITT'S END: 10.21.13

      Whether you're at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt's End

   *With Brandon Carr, Sean Lee and Barry Church making up for the absence of DeMarcus Ware, the Cowboys held an opponent without a touchdown on the road for the first time since Dec. 27, 2009 when they shut out the Redskins en route to their last playoff appearance. My Top 10 Whitty Comments are over at NBC 5's Blue Star Blog.

   *Nice, classy welcome back home for Peyton Manning from Colts' fans. But we didn't expect anything less, right? Manning's return would be like Dirk Nowitzki coming back to play the Mavs in an opposing uniform. And it was similar to Mike Modano's return to the AAC as a Red Wing.

   *I wasn't listening, but folks on Twitter buzzing this morning about The Ticket's "huge announcement." The move from 104.1 to 96.7 FM. For AM nerds, they'll still be on 1310 as well. Good for them. Stronger signal will only bolster their empire. But it was hardly trumpet-worthy news. Some dork wrote about it two weeks ago.

   *Uglier over the weekend: The Clippers' baby-blue T-shirt jerseys? Or Oregon's pink helmets?

   *Yes, Johnny Goofball got horse-collared on third down of A&M's final, fatal drive against Auburn. And on 4th down he got calf-roped and steer-wrestled into a game-ending sack. Auburn played a fantastic game, but inexplicably hurrying up to score on its last possession almost cost them the upset. Giving the ball back to Manziel with time and timeouts was inexcusable. I'm consistently amazed at the horrible game/clock management by head coaches at every level of football.

   *Hot.

   *Not.

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   *If you're not busy Tuesday, Oct. 29th may I suggest a trip out to Grand Prairie's Verizon Center? For the low, low price - far as I can tell - of $4.95, you can spend the day at a Lead & Succeed seminar highlighted by Rudy Giuliani, Larry King, Steve Forbes, Rick Carlisle and Tony Romo. The Mavs' head coach will speak about teamwork while Romo is scheduled to school us on "competitiveness." Never understood how these things make money for organizers. Headline speakers - "Live & In Person" - must charge a minimum of around $10,000, right? What's the catch? And don't say it's a rip-off because you're getting advice on winning from a habitual choker.

   *Last time the Cowboys won a game without Ware on the field - Dec. 26, 2004 - their quarterback was Vinny Testaverde. Yeah, it's been a minute.

   *Saw The Fifth Estate over the weekend. Story of Julian Assange and Wiki Leaks and the embarrassing revelation of the U.S.' private business. I thought it was okay, and interesting. Probably better as a documentary. But apparently, Americans aren't ready to pay to see a movie that paints America in a bad light. Worst big-movie opening-weekend of 2013.

   *Are there actually Cowboys' fans panicking in the streets over their doom-'n-gloom salary-cap situation for 2014? Congratulations on two fronts. 1. Your team is in first place in the NFC East. 2. You clearly don't have enough to worry about. Same folks who birdie No. 8, but don't take time to enjoy it because that looming Par 4 16th is such a booger-bear.

   *Passed my TABC certification test over the weekend to be compliant since Pizza Buzz will deliver beer and all. Learned a couple things: Coffee doesn't, despite the popular myth, speed up sobriety after intoxication. (Only time will do the trick.) Texas law doesn't mandate that alcohol seller-servers check potential customers' IDs. (Establishments only do this voluntarily to protect themselves.) And to be given a citation for Public Intoxication, a person must be judged to be "a danger to himself or others." (So technically it's legal to pass out in a lonely corner of a bar. Go ahead and try out, let me know how it works out.)

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   *Sad about the passing over the weekend of Oail Andrew "Bum" Phillips. He almost made me an Oilers' fan in the '70s. And when his son, Wade, coached the Cowboys he'd show up daily at San Antonio's Alamodome during training camp, saunter over to our 105.3 The Fan broadcast booth and politely ask for an updated roster. "Gotta keep up with all these critters," he'd joke. On one hand Bum was a one-of-a-kind. On the other hand, he reminded me of half my kinfolk down in Johnson County.

   *Ray Lewis is an embarrassment on ESPN. Yesterday I swear I heard him try to say formula, but it came out foe-mah-luh. At least I think he was attempting formula. One really can't be sure. And, of course, not a week goes by with an obligatory "axe" when he means ask. But then again, Terry Bradshaw makes a living communicating football as well.

   *Wanna drive your Longhorn buddies nuts? Remind them that yesterday the Texans' Case Keenum was the 10th quarterback from a Texas high school to start a game in the NFL this season. And exactly zero of them attended the University of Texas. Drew Brees and Nick Foles (Austin Westlake). Andy Dalton (Katy). Matt Flynn (Tyler Lee). Robert Griffin III (Copperas Cove). Case Keenum (Abilene Wylie). Andrew Luck (Houston Stratford). Christian Ponder (Colleyville Heritage). Matthew Stafford (Highland Park). Ryan Tannehill (Big Spring). Burnt Orange, indeed.

   *Thanks for all the inquiries, but I hired my new sales girl last week.

   *Today? Putting the final touches on Pizza Buzz before this week's opening, then making it home in time to watch the Giants get their first win of the season. Don't be a stranger.

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Week 3/ 9.12.13: You Betcha

   I'm starting with a mythical bankroll of $10,000, courtesy of my friends at Bodog sports online casino. First of all, because their site is easy to navigate. More importantly, because they're based in Costa Rica and have had minimal success tracking me down in the past.
   I'll analyze games/wagers each weekend and make a pick every Thursday. With any luck, by Christmas it'll be new iPhone 6s for everyone!

   The sports gambling Gods taketh away, and sometimes they giveth back.
   Had no business winning last week's bet - the 49ers minus-4.5 over the Packers. San Francisco was up three points with under two minutes remaining and was driving in Green Bay territory. One more first down and the Niners would've run out the clock. Instead, on a third-down scramble Colin Kaepernick just fell down, setting up a fourth down as the clock tick-tick-ticked.
   Jim Harbaugh's decision? Field goal. Final: 49ers 34, Packers 28. Whew.
   Let's call it even, because in Week 1 I was hosed by a late special-team gaffe.
   I could quit while I'm ahead or ...
   Alabama is gonna roll A&M.
   The Crimson Tide has lost one football game in the past 680 days. 'Bama has won 18 of its last 19 over three seasons.
   The bump in the road: Texas A&M. Nick Saban can downplay revenge all he wants, but the fact that he immediately began playing A&M's 29-24 upset on continuous loop on the TVs in his team's training room after his team beat Notre Dame for the 2012 national title says otherwise.
   Alabama will be ready. And Alabama is clearly the better team.
   The Tide has three new starters along its offensive line, but with running back T.J. Yeldon it will be able to control the ball, the clock and the game. No doubt that Johnny Goofball will be the best player on the field Saturday in College Station, so Alabama's plan will be to keep him off of it.
   The Aggies' defense is more than vulnerable. I know they were missing three suspended starters, but their first two games have been alarming. A&M surrendered 509 yards to Rice, 390 to Sam Houston State and a combined 59 points to those awful outfits.
   It may be the biggest game in A&M history with record-high ticket prices, but to Saban it's just another loss to avenge. And he's pretty damn good at that. His teams at 'Bama and LSU are 15-2 when facing a team the next time after losing to them. At Alabama he's 7-1 in revenge games, winning by an average of 33-12.
   Alabama will win, and easily cover the 8.

STARTING BANKROLL: $10,000.
CURRENT BANKROLL: $10,400.
SEASON RECORD: 1-1.
LAST WEEK: 1-0.
THIS WEEK: Alabam minus-8 over Texas A&M, $750.

The Sighs of Texas Are ... Squarely Upon Mack Brown

   Don't Do Mess With Texas.
   I know I have a lot of fun with the Aggies and Johnny Goofball. But go ahead and enjoy this Texas A&M, because suddenly the University of Texas is the state's biggest football joke.
   While CBS prepares a "Johnny Cam" to train solely on Manziel during Saturday's mondo-anticipated showdown against Alabama in College Station, the Longhorns are reeling in the wake of a humiliating loss to BYU. Mack Brown's Band-Aid: Fire Manny Diaz. Hire ... Greg Robinson?
   What. The. What?!
   The same school that botched the recruiting of Robert Griffin III, Manziel and Florida State emerging star "Famous" Jameis Winston is now so panicked about its defense that it's turning to a guy in Robinson who went 10-37 as head coach at Syracuse, coached Michigan's defense to consecutive rankings of 82nd and 110th, and this year has merely served as a TV analyst for the Longhorn Network.
   Yep, when you're overpowered and embarrassed by a bunch of Mormons heads must roll.

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   A week after being held to 16 points by a mediocre Virginia defense that subsequently allowed 59 to Oregon, BYU rolled Texas to the tune of 40 points and a school-record 550 rushing yards. Five. Fifty! Over and over again BYU quarterback Taysom Hill - not to be confused with Vince Young - kept the ball and simply ran, often untouched, for 259 yards and three touchdowns, one of them a 68-yarder.
   Hours after watching their defense get physically dominated and repeatedly gashed, a group of influential UT boosters - alums, politicians and the like - held an emergency late-night bitch session at Barton Creek Resort. I'm not suggesting who runs the show in Austin, but less than 12 hours later Brown announced the firing his defensive coordinator.
   "Our performance on defense last night was unacceptable, and we need to change that," Brown said in a statement.
   We all know Brown is the problem. A master recruiter once upon a time, he's now lost his grip and influence on a program poisoned by talented underachievers. And in a year in which the Big 12 is down and it appeared UT actually had a chance to stay on the field with OU in the Cotton Bowl next month, nope. Notsamuch.
   Brown is signed through 2020, but there is a buyout of his contract at around only $3 million. So it's not impossible he leaves. But I don't think the solution is Nick Saban. At least not now, as in right now.
   My old 105.3 The Fan radio buddy Arnie Spanier used to float this rumor about once a month. The one about the Alabama coach owning hunting property near Austin and always having his private jet landing in Austin and eventually replacing Brown at Texas. It'll be rearing its ugly noggin' again now I fear.
   Unless, of course, somehow Robinson regains the magic touch he possessed in 2004 when his defense - with an assist or two from Young - helped Texas win the National Championship. Until then we'll roll our eyes at Brown's program spiraling out of control. We'll wait until the big-whig Cardinals of Austin convene to name a new Pope.
   And we'll bemoan the long lost glory days of college football. Because last weekend Texas, Florida, Notre Dame and Southern Cal lost together on the same Saturday for the first time since 1976.

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Johnny Goofball: Where is Being a Punk Included in the Aggie Code of Honor?

   Midnight Yell Practice. Don't walk on the grass. Senior boots. Saw 'em off!
   And above all the other traditions followed religiously in College Station ... the sacred Aggie Code of Honor.

   An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do.

   It'd be a better planet if we all followed those rules all the time. Of course, our culture would also improve dramatically if we amended "An Aggie does not act like a punk ..." into Texas A&M's moral constitution.
   According to the school, the Aggie Code of Honor is "an effort to unify the aims of Texas A&M men and women toward a high code of ethics and personal dignity." For more on this tradition of high standards let's go down to Kyle Field and Johnny Goofball.
   *Making an "autograph" gesture, mocking the very rules he violated to be suspended by the NCAA.
   *Taunting opponents by pointing at the scoreboard of a lopsided game.
   *Rubbing his fingers together after a touchdown pass, as if to indicate each team achievement will bestow individual reward into his professional bank account.
   *More trash-talking, resulting in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
   And, finally ...

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   ... getting bumped into, chewed out and benched by his head coach.
   Honor. Ethics. Dignity.
   Yeah, Aggies, Johnny Manziel must make you and your precious code so extremely proud.
   Said former Chicago Bears' linebacker Brian Urlacher of the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, "He acted like a punk."
   As for lying and/ or cheating, I still don't believe Johnny Goofball signed more than 4,000 autographs for zero compensation. But then again, we all predicted the involvement of his personal assistant, Nathan Fitch.
   Before the NCAA investigation Uncle Nate Tweeted at least once every six days. Since the NCAA investigation he's been silent for a month.
   Toldja.

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Looks Like Johnny Goofball's Strange Signings Started Right Here in Dallas Back in 2012

   

While ESPN and the NCAA dig into the numerous - and possibly illegal - pay-for-sign events involving reigning Heisman Trophy winner and Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, we've uncovered some evidence that the suspicious saga might have commenced right here in Dallas.
   In November 2012.
   After A&M's epic upset of Alabama.
   That's right, during the Aggies' season.
   Let me begin by saying I don't think Johnny Goofball will be suspended. Short of a video or paper trail directly tracking cash changing hands, he's got an alibi. And it's name is Nathan Fitch, or "Uncle Nate." My best guess is that Uncle Nate, Manziel's 20-year-old personal assistant, will take the bullet for his buddy. He'll tell NCAA investigators - who lack subpoena power - that he acted alone, went rogue and betrayed, deceived and exploited Manziel by having the quarterback sign items for "charity", then going behind Manziel's back and personally profiting off the sales. The NCAA will find that Manziel was an oblivious victim, guilty of nothing more than being both naive and duped. Manziel will feign hurt. At least publicly - wink - he'll sever ties with Fitch. And we'll all be treated to another season of his riveting on-field entertainment starting Aug. 31 against Rice.
   I also have reason to believe it's the biggest college football scam since Manti Teo fell in love with a ghost.

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   Dallas-based Heritage Auctions has in 2013 sold 19 Manziel-autographed items for almost $10,000, highlighted by a pair of signed, game-worn cleats from the Alabama game that certainly pre-date the scope of the current, known investigation.
   As of its latest story, ESPN's Outside The Lines alleges Manziel engaged in six signings for three brokers in three states in less than a month, starting with a South Florida session in early January while attending the Alabama-Notre Dame BCS National Championship Game. ESPN estimates Manziel signed over 4,400 items.
   The NCAA, of course, is investigating whether Manziel was paid for any of the autographs, which would be a violation of Bylaws and would subject the quarterback to possible suspension.
   But turns out the red flags go back to November 10, in the wake of Manziel's stunning, spectacular performance in which he propelled himself into the Heisman race with 350 total yards and two touchdowns in the 29-24 upset of the No. 1 Crimson Tide. In this Sports Illustrated article, Manziel details an incident he says happened the night before the 'Bama game at the Birmingham Hilton Hotel. He claims a broker forced himself into the room as he and roommate Ryan Swope checked in, and asked the quarterback to sign a backpack full of memorabilia.
   The broker later sent ESPN a photo of the unpaid, impromptu signing, but added that he was told by Uncle Nate that he would have to pay Manziel for future sessions.
   That was supposedly before the 'Bama game.
   But what happened after?

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   Think of Heritage Auctions as a rich man's eBay.
   The company has approximately 850,000 members and over the past 12 months has generated over $900 million from auctions and sales. One of the perks of being on the company's exclusive mailing list is periodically being sent a catalog in advance of primo auctions. Those books, of course, take time to produce. Photographs of items. Authentication of items. Detailed write-ups of items. Categorizing items. All sometimes spread over 300 high-quality, higher-gloss pages.
   That exhausting process is where Johnny Football comes in.
   Heritage Director of Sports Auctions Chris Ivy hasn't returned our calls but in talking to an autograph broker and a couple more folks who know the auction business, it's clear that the Johnny Goofball cleats in question were somehow - by someone - fast-tracked from field to for-sale.
   The normal turnaround time for an autographed item to be signed and eventually go to auction is about three months. Hence, in step with ESPN's reporting of multiple January signings by Manziel were items sold by Heritage in April, May and some as recently as June 16. (There are currently no Manziel items on Heritage's web site, but a history of 19 items - including photographs, footballs, baseballs and helmets - sold for a total of $9,979.35.) Manziel often accessorized his signature with "#2", "Johnny Football", "Heisman '12", and "Gig 'Em" "#2".
   The item that doesn't fit into ESPN's mold are the autographed cleats, which Manziel wore against Alabama on Nov. 10.

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   They, along with a No. 15 jersey Manziel was issued as a true freshman in 2011, were included in Heritage's "Platinum Night" auction Feb. 23-24 in New York that featured multiple keepsakes from former U.S. Olympic hockey hero Mike Eruzione. The item - #80086 - also made it into the pre-auction catalog, which was mailed to customers in early January. According to a person familiar with the auction catalog production timeline, for the item to have been authenticated, photographed, written up and included in the layout, it would have had to have been in Heritage's hands the week of Dec. 3-10.
   An almot impossible turnaround, in other words, for a broker. Then ... who?
   I think we both know the answer. It rhymes with Uncle Nate, the guy who allegedly a month earlier told a broker in Alabama that he'd have to pay for future Manziel signings.
   The math is a little tricky, but it does indeed add up.
   The cleats were sold Feb. 23 at the Ukranian Institute of America at The Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion in New York auction for $7,767.50. After a "Buyer Premium" of around 15%, the sale netted the seller a cool $6,600.
   According to Heritage's web site, the item's owner is "proactively entertaining offers."
   Who is the owner? And where exactly did those proceeds go? And does Manziel's thorny family tree have anything to do with anything? We may never know.
   While Cowboys' receiver Dez Bryant is pulling against - or is it for? - Manziel, ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit says Manziel might be historically dumb and Florida State coins "Manziel disease," we are sure of a couple things:
   The earliest piece of Manziel memorabilia was sold right under our noses.
   And this might be the wackiest, unlikeliest mad scramble out of trouble in the career of Johnny Goofball.

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Illegally Getting Paid For Autographs is a Superhero Power? Who Knew?

   You can read Deadspin's digging on Johnny Manziel.
   Peruse my latest take on how Johnny got to be such a Goofball.
   Or, you can close your eyes, be blind to the truth, and pretend he's a ... Superhero?
   If you squint just a little you can see this Texas Monthly cover a tad differently ...

Johnny Goofball: Just a Ripple in the Manziel's Murky Family Pond

   So I'm playing in a golf tournament at Lake Ray Hubbard last weekend. We're in the clubhouse on Saturday afternoon, talking golf and life and Tiger Woods and women and, suddenly ... Johnny Manziel.
   Turns out one of my competitors recognizes me, and has a story I should dig into:
   "Ya know," he whispers, "all this shit ain't Johnny's fault. He was raised that way. Check out his family. They're all dirty. They've all been in jail. All the way back to the mafia."
   This guy was born and raised in Tyler, claimed to be a frequent customer at Loggins Restaurant (owned and operated by Manziel's grandfather, Jerry Loggins) and seems to be on to something. At the very least, I'm intrigued.
   I make some calls. Spend a couple hours digging on the Internet. Sure enough, the Manziels aren't your average, ordinary family.
   Warns one source, "Be careful. This is real. And it's real dangerous. The Manziels are bad cats."

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    I read ESPN The Magazine's cover story on Manziel a couple weeks ago and was left with one big question mark: If the Manziels were indeed heirs to a Texas oil fortune, why was Johnny's father, Paul, always moving around and changing jobs? Why was the family so quick to attempt to trademark - and, thereby, profit on - "Johnny Football." And why the dickens would Johnny Goofball knowingly, illegally try to make money off his signature in exchange for putting his career, his teammates and his school in jeopardy?
   Almost immediately I learned the answer: It's in his DNA. The Manziels are, by trade, hustlers.
   Paul was selling cars at Town East Ford in Mesquite as recently as a year ago. In other words, there is no oil fortune. Money isn't tight, but neither is it endless.
   Turns out I didn't know half the story. But - evidenced by its gripping tale - Deadspin does.
   Cockfighting. Match-fixing. Cocaine-trafficking. Mafia ties. Even murder. Yep, it's all in Johnny Goofball's bloodlines.

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   His great-great grandfather, Joe, was at the center of a mineral rights scam.
   His great grandfather, Bobby Joe, was a friend of former boxing champ Jack Dempsey that was a legendary cockfighter and "chronic violator" of Texas oil laws.
   His great uncle, Bobby Joe Jr., spent time in jail on charges of counterfeiting, conspiracy and cocaine trafficking and was linked by witnesses in a Tyler courtroom to having ties to the Louisiana-based "Dixie Mafia."
   Bobby Joe Jr.'s son, Bobby Joe III, has been arrested 13 times and has spent 20 years in prison or on probation.
   Truth is Johnny Manziel comes from a lineage of crooks and con-men. He was raised by a dad who overlooks his son's underage drinking, and who thinks it's a riot to surprise his buddies with a punch to the nuts and then double-over in laughter while they double-over in pain.
   Johnny signed over 4,000 autographs for memorabilia brokers and - c'mon - he didn't do it for free, as favors to strangers. His actions are his own.
   But his Goofball instincts? That may have been one thing that was passed to him.

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