Whether you're at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt's End:
*Because the NFL is serious about safety, the Cowboys tomorrow will wear their road blue jerseys at home for the first time since 1964. Teams can wear throwback uniforms, but they must use their regular - "broken in " - helmets. When the Packers and Bears wore their oldies-but-goodies earlier this year they simply stripped the logos off their existing helmets. The Cowboys' traditional Thanksgiving throwbacks featured a white helmet. No go. Last time the Cowboys wore their road blues at home, I was 1 and the game was played at the Cotton Bowl.
*The Lakers are just flat-out stupid to overpay Kobe Bryant. And the Hall of Famer is selfish for taking it. Every Republican should go out today and buy a Kobe Fathead poster, because he's cemented his legacy as me-over-team. Would he sign a cheaper contract in order to help his fellow man, otherwise known as his teammates? Negatory. The Lakers took their financial freedom from the departure of Dwight Howard and dumped it all on Kobe, as a reward for past performance. He's 35. He's coming off an Achilles injury. He's eating up 40% of their payroll. Think about it. At 36 Tim Duncan signed a three-year extension for $30 million. Kobe just signed for two years and ... $48 million. Who in their right mind would accept a lower salary in order to help his team sign better players to put around him? Duncan, Tom Brady, Dirk Nowitzki and, yes, even LeBron James, who could've made more money to stay in Cleveland. Kobe is a Laker for life. But it's going to a crappy, mediocre life.
*I'm saying last Sunday's victory over the Giants was one of Jason Garrett's Top 5 road wins. Is it No. 1? I rank 'em over at
NBC 5's Blue Star Blog.
*If I had a Heisman Trophy vote, I'd cast it for Northern Illinois' quarterback Jordan Lynch. He rushed for 321 yards and three touchdowns in the snow last night, giving him the milestone 20/20 season. 20 scores via arm and 20 more via legs. He's the best, most valuable player in college football. He's got more rushing yards than Alabama running back Mark Ingram had when he won the Heisman in '09. Other recent players to have 20/20 seasons all won the award - Cam Newton, Tim Tebow and Johnny Manziel. But no, sadly, I don't think he has a legit shot because Heisman voters are traditionally a stuffy, narrow-minded lot afraid to t think outside the box.
*Bora Bora in six weeks sounds delightful, but I also dream one day of standing on the north pole. Temperatures in the spring hover around minus-40 and there is nothing - no, not even polar bears - that can live in the desolate climate. The reward? When standing at the "pole" every step you take, regardless of direction, is south. And if you walk in a 5-foot circle, you've traveled through every time zone on Earth. How many folks can put that on their resume?
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*I hate to be a stickler for, well,
facts, but everyone's going gaga over John Wall's "360!" dunk last night. Nope, sorry. To be a true "360" dunk, at his launch his feet have to be parallel and his chest must be directly facing the basket. He cheats a little upon launch. Check his feet. And look at his shoulder turn. In fact, by the time his feet actually leave the ground his back is to the hoop. Impressive? Absolutely. A 360 dunk? Nope. Let's credit him with a 290.
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Mavs in general and Samuel Dalembert in specific sleepwalked during their loss to Nuggets. was it a wake-up call? We'll see tonight vs. the most exciting young team in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors.
*White Truck Wednesday: Saw another police chase on TV last night, perfectly crafted for the 6 o'clock news. Of course, despite driving through yards and hopping medians and evading cops for an hour with a series of U-turns and dangerous driving,
22-year-old Charles Ziebolz didn't get away. They never get away. Don't they have TVs? In a sorta-related story, man hits and kills a woman, then drives away in a ...
White Truck.
*People are jumping on DeMarco Murray for running out of bounds last week rather than taking on a tackler and gaining an extra yard or two. Given his injury history, I don't blame him. Durability has to be a part of a running back's skill set. Murray will play tomorrow vs. the Raiders. In other words, his strategy worked. And folks like to conveniently forget this, but another Cowboys' back who consistently ran out of bounds to avoid unnecessary contact was a guy named ... Emmitt Smith. Worked out for him okay I'd say.
*Somewhere I'll never set foot in: The new Frisco Gun Club. 36 handgun lanes. 4 100-yard rifle lanes. But it's not the guns that'll keep me out, it's the green. VIP initiation: $7,500. Ouch. For that amount last year I helped a local kid get his dream-come-true through Make-a-Wish. But, whatever,
shoot suit yourself.
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*This is why it's still not safe to trust Dez Bryant, and why I still refer to him as "immature." Last year he was taken off punt returns because of his lack of ball security. Last week he was chided by his head coach and his owner for again being careless with the ball and fumbling after a catch against the Giants. His response? "I think my ball security, in my honest opinion, has been fine," Bryant said at Valley Ranch Tuesday. "It was just that kind of game to where you have to be a little bit more prepared focusing on what kind of difficulties it will be in the cold weather handling the ball." What. The. What?! Did he just blame the cold for his fumble? In 54 games, Dez has 12 fumbles. In 102 games, Calvin Johnson has 13. No, Dez, your ball security is not "fine."
*Sybil is a freak for NBC's
The Voice, which means, of course, from time to time I find myself watching NBC's
The Voice. It's a decent show with some real talent, but when they bring out all 8 finalists for a group number the singers' individual greatness gets diluted, if not altogether muted. Nothing you can't see and hear every Sunday morning at Grapevine's Fellowship Church.
*I've said it before, and echo it today: Winning in sports is more a product of luck and randomness than we'll ever dare admit. Case in point: Joe Flacco. The Ravens entered last year's playoffs having lost four of five games. Then, out of nowhere, the quarterback throws 11 touchdowns, 0 interceptions and wins a Super Bowl. Just like that, he's elite. He's a clutch performer. He's rewarded with a huge contract. But did he really permanently elevate himself over quarterbacks like Tony Romo? Or did he merely have a good streak at a great time? This season points to the latter, as Flacco has thrown as many interceptions as touchdowns (14) and is the 50th-rated passer in the NFL. Flacco had an elite run and is a permanent member of an elite club. But Flacco is not an elite quarterback. With one game with my life on the line, give me Romo over Flacco. You?
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I'm No. 1 514! At least, according to Twitter followers in Dallas/Fort Worth. Man, five years rambling on Twitter has flown past.
*What am I thankful for? Healthy family. Fantastic fiancee. Multiple jobs. And, of course, loyal readers. Thank you guys!
*Today? Launching myself in the middle of holiday traffic as I head to Johnson County for a little pre-Thanksgiving turkey with the family. Don't be a stranger.
