WHITT'S END: 12.31.13

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

   *The fitting tribute to Mack Brown included this ... ?

   *The NBA office admits an officiating mistake in favor of ...

   *Thought my house was cleansed of ghosts, until this morning when ...

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WHITT'S END: 12.16.13

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

   *Been watching/attending Cowboys' games since 1969 and I can't believe what I saw yesterday. The Cowboys had a 23-point halftime lead, a 350-yard passer, a 150-yard receiver, 130-yard rusher and ...

   *Remember when I loaned my "friend" $6,500 over the summer? Well ...

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WHITT'S END: 12.11.13

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

   *Source of mine in Austin texted me on November 12. He's tight with a state congressman who's on Texas' Board of Regents, and his message was that Mack Brown was done as head coach of the Longhorns. The decision had been made. He was right. And so have been all the rumors we've been hearing for a month.

   *Now the source tells me that at the top of Texas' coaching wish list are ...

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WHITT'S END: 10.14.13

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

   *Cowboys 31, Redskins 16: My Top 10 Whitty Comments are over at NBC 5's Blue Star Blog.

   *Like most of you guys, I was happily floored by Texas'  performance Saturday in the Cotton Bowl. Their 36-20 dismantling of previously unbeaten OU is a shocking season-saver and allows Mack Brown to tell his critics to (at least for one more week) put a sock in it. But the end was a tad embarrassing. The Gatorade dump on the head coach, for an October win? I know OU is the rival now and Texas' seniors finally beat the Sooners, but not long ago the 'Horns raised National Championship banners.

   *Good for Boston. With the Marathon bombing and Aaron Hernandez and the (relatively unimportant) break-up of the Celtics, it's been a rough year in Beantown. But Sunday was one for the ages. Tom Brady by day; David Ortiz by night. Magical. Closest thing I can remember for the Metroplex is Oct. 23, 2011. On that Sunday we were treated to a doubleheader of amazing individual performances by 20-somethings. In the afternoon DeMarco Murray rushed for a Cowboys'-record 253 yards in a win over the Rams, and at night - just across the street - Derek Holland threw 8 1/3 innings of two-hit baseball as the Rangers shut out the Cardinals in Game 4 of the World Series.

   *Love me some Chris Arnold. Great guy, and a better teammate. In fact, I helped him get his gig at 105.3 The Fan. But there's no defending his blatant, cut-and-paste plagiarism of a Tony Romo article that he claimed as his own "next level analysis" piece over at CBSDFW.com. Knowing that the CBS suits in New York have already fired a Houston station employee this year for merely asking whether an Oklahoma City Thunder cheerleader was fat, I fear for Chris' job. He wasn't part of GBag Nation's Texas-OU preview show Saturday morning and I'm told that the ultimate decision will be made by corporate, not The Fan. You guys know how I feel about credit attribution, and Chris - like the rest of of us - learned in high school that stealing someone else's work is a no-no. I will offer this as Chris' only defense: He's not a writer. The Fan has recently mandated - for no more pay, I might add - that its on-air hosts contribute to its web site in the form of blogs. But that's like gathering all your plumbers together on the job site and decrying that they also need to run the electrical wiring. This just in: Not everyone can write. Playing people out of position is a dangerous strategy, and it's backfired on The Fan. Granted, it's not a strong defense for Chris. But looks like it's his only defense.

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   *Being my own boss has its perks. Asked for a little help last week with some home repairs, in exchange for free advertising on this her website. And got a lot of offers. Inbox filled. The wheels are in motion. Thanks to all who responded.

   *Today? Sorry for today's smaller-than-usual portion, but I got home at 1 a.m. after TV on NBC late last night and I've got lots of Pizza Buzzin' to do this morning in Fort Worth starting at 8:30. We'll return you to your regularly scheduled menu on Tuesday. Don't be a stranger.

WHITT'S END: 10.11.13

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

   *Have two brothers ever had more disparate seasons in sports? Peyton Manning is on pace for 64 touchdowns. Eli Manning is on pace for 40 interceptions. The latter threw three more in last night's loss to the Bears, which deliciously dropped the Giants to 0-6. Peyton has one pick all year; Eli has eight in the 4th quarter alone. Eli is the first quarterback with 15 INTs through six games since Dan Fouts in '86. He has more pics than a teen-aged girls' Instagram. Just barely off the pace (42 in '62) of record-holder George Blanda, who played so long ago he doubled as his team's kicker. Perhaps Eli should enroll at that famous passing academy that helps quarterbacks? As for separate siblings, only ones that compare to what Peyton/Eli are experiencing are Serena/Venus Williams. While Serena is 73-4 with 10 championships including the French and U.S. Opens, Venus is only 16-10 in '13 with nary a title to her name.

   *Is there anything more deflating in sports than your team being shut out? Last time I checked you have to score to have a chance of winning. But last night - in a decisive Game 5 in their own park - the Oakland A's died sans even a whimper to the Tigers. 3 hits. 0 runs. Zero chance against Justin Verlander, who smothered them out of the playoffs for the second consecutive October. Yu Darvish might be an ace. Justin Verlander is an ace.

   *Rivalry weekend in the Metroplex, one early Saturday morning and one late Sunday night. Give me OU 45, Texas 20 (Art Briles ain't arriving in time) and Cowboys 27, Redskins 24 (No way they lose on Jerry Jones' 71st birthday). If you need to get in the mood, my Top 10 all-time Cowboys-Redskins games are over at NBC 5's Blue Star Blog.

   *Always liked Craig Robinson. His door man "You old, she pregnant" line in Knocked Up remains a laugh-out-loud classic. Now he gets arrested in The Bahamas with pot and 18 ecstasy pills. Always pegged him for a partier. Makes him funnier somehow.

   *House Republicans starting to cave. What a shocker. They've had zero leverage from the start. And I don't say that to poke Republicans. Ignorance knows no political boundaries.

   *Troy Aikman understands the irrational criticism of Tony Romo better than anyone. "I won three Super Bowls and was booed out of Texas Stadium my last year." I was sitting by Aikman at a Mavs' game at Reunion Arena in 2000 when fans booed his image on the scoreboard. He hasn't completed a single pass since then. But if they showed him on JumboJerry Sunday afternoon he'd receive a standing ovation.

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   *So we're at Pizza Buzz yesterday experimenting with pizzas, wings, etc. when right in front of our door a guy pulls up, jumps out and frantically enters the store. "Hey, y'all need delivery drivers?!" he says, as our manager hands him an application. White truck. Typical cocky, horrible parking. No front license plate. No registration or inspection stickers (at least not in their proper windshield placement). And, swear, he left the truck running while he scribbled his info. Should I hire him?

   *Broncos favored by an NFL-record 27 points (down from 28) at home Sunday over the Jaguars. Gaudy? Yes. Tempting? Very.

   *It could be worse: The Toronto Raptors' mascot tore his Achilles in the preseason. At some school appearance. One guess what the Raptors' mascot's name is? "The Raptor." Lamey lame-o. Guess "The Human Inside A Raptors' Costume" was taken.

   *Was perusing Facebook this morning and I noticed a trend of folks of two categories: 1. Posting about how great their kids are; 2. Posting about their kids leaving, allowing them peace and quiet in an empty house.

   *Not only does Texas-OU get shoved to the back burner known as 11 a.m., Mack Brown's exclusive sit-down interview is with ... Andy Roddick? Yep, the former tennis underachiever will "grill" Texas' coach on Fox Sports 1, a network I haven't watched since its debut last month.

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   *Here I go, mentioning my former radio partner again. So outta the blue Greggo sends me a letter via old-school snail mail. A nice note, accompanied by a dozen Dallas Mavericks' trading cards, circa 1988. Nothing like Roy Tarpley being an olive branch. Cool gesture.

   *Is there anything less exciting than watching ESPN's Top 10 Plays and hearing the host say "Let's go to the WNBA ..." Whatever the "play" is, you've done it yourself on the court a million times.

   *Special shoutout to Fort Worth's Gary Patterson. No, not the TCU football coach, the retired 67-year-old golf nut. Who he? At Pizza Buzz yesterday we were in the middle of our final inspection when the inspector says he needs to get on our roof to check somethingorother. Now. If he can't get on the roof pronto we'll have to re-schedule and that could be another 7-10 days. Alas, appearing as though manna from Heaven, in the parking lot is a pickup with a tall ladder in the bed. But it is driven by our Gary Patterson, who just left the dentist next door and a three-hour root canal. Out of options and desperate, I ask him if I can borrow his ladder for 15 minutes because ... "Sure," he said. "I've always got 15 minutes to help someone out." I was equal parts elated and baffled. While the inspector climbed off the roof and green-lighted us for opening, for 11 minutes Gary Patterson and I talked. About playing Colonial. About Randy Galloway. About what happened to me after I left the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He's my new hero. Because - even in the wake of a root canal - shouldn't we all have 15 minutes to help our fellow man? Free pizza for life, Gary Patterson.

   *Had a guy berating me on Twitter for coloring my hair and wearing an earring and having a younger girlfriend and going to concerts and "being 50 but trying to act 20." Still can't figure out why that's a crime? But, yeah, guilty. I'm not suddenly having a mid-life crisis. I've been living one since I was, oh, 16.

   *This weekend? Tennis Saturday morning, followed by Texas-OU at some joint in Addison. Saturday night me 'n Sybil will go looking for trouble with some old friends in Dallas. Sunday night is Cowboys-Redskins, which I'll discuss afterward on NBC 5 with Newy Scruggs, Drew Pearson and Pat Doney. Don't be a stranger.

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WHITT'S END: 10.4.13

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

   *So - according to Shan and Choppy on my old station - the night after the Rangers get eliminated by the Rays, their brass has a meeting in Arlington. At some point Nolan Ryan and Jon Daniels start discussing Jackie Moore's role. Then debating, then arguing and next thing you know Ron Washington has to step in to keep it from escalating into a physical confrontation. Proving that JD has the ultimate power, Moore was fired. While I disagree that Moore doesn't have a valuable place on Wash's bench, I've said it before and I'll say it again: Ownership - and fans - should covet the GM and let Big Tex mosey out of town. Besides, really? At age 66 Nolan still thinks the best way to resolve disputes is to put people in a headlock? Embarrassing.

   *Tony Romo has thrown one interception in 151 passes. Last year at this time he'd thrown eight interceptions in 152 passes. If you wanna continue blaming him for the Cowboys' mediocrity go ahead. But I tell you why you're wrong to do so over at NBC 5's Blue Star Blog.

   *Hook, um? Texas needed a couple lucky breaks to beat Iowa State by one point last night. First, the Hail Mary for a touchdown to end the first half. Then the bad call at the goal line in the final minute. Jonathan Gray's knee wasn't down when he had the ball stripped from him by the Cyclones' linebacker. Should've been a fumble. Should've been ball game, and an Iowa State win. While ISU coach Paul Rhoads was fittingly fuming, Mack Brown was somehow giddy about his team: "I'm so damn  happy tonight. I'm really excited about moving forward." UT, 2-0 in the Big 12, moves forward to Saturday's annual battle against OU in the Cotton Bowl. Where it will get demolished. Speaking of Texas, it really bothers me that the rounded numbers on their helmets don't match the numbers with angled corners on their jerseys. Anyone else?

   *After offering details of Randy Galloway's dwindling radio career, I realized 103.3 FM ESPN has afternoon baseball today. That means he's down to one final show: Monday 3-6. That's assuming the station will bump baseball to one of its sister stations to make room for one last Cowboys' overreaction Monday of the icon's career. I'm told that the new afternoon show on ESPN will be Matt Mosley, paired with a partner who is an in-town guy and a "familiar voice" to Metroplex radio listeners.

   *Three gigs I believe we waaaay overrate: Tap-dancing, DJing and orchestra conducting. In tap-dancing, the wildly animated foot movements never quite match the sound, and I think the swinging arms are merely designed to distract us from the lack of synchronicity. If you think about, DJs aren't really creating anything unique. They're just taking others' music and morphing them together. It'd be like a "master chef" who simply serves two restaurants' signature dishes ... on the same plate. And do we really need a conductor giving direct, demonstrative cues to a professional orchestra? If you're at that level as a, say, violinist, you've played Beethoven's 5th a gabillion times. You pretty much know the song. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, for example, needs a conductor about as much as I need an editor hovering over my keyboard and pointing his cocky wand to the C as I begin to type Cowboys.

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   *Behind Dirk Nowitzki, my favorite NBA player is Derrick Rose. Love his attacking style. Love his no-nonsense demeanor. He's back on the court for the Chicago Bulls this preseason. It's been a minute hasn't it? Because of his torn ACL, last time I got to watch Rose play (April 28, 2012), Johnny Manziel was still playing quarterback for Kerrville Tivy High School.

   *Looks like our 100-degree days are Dead & Gone for 2013. In fact, how about a high Saturday of 70 and lows over the weekend in the 40s? Sounds like perfect weather for an open roof for Broncos-Cowboys. I admit the cooler weather feels like a temporary respite, but as a guy who loves the summer heat it's always sad to sense the commencing of us putting on more clothes and more pounds for the approaching winter.

   *Is it possible to have a chronic, even terminal hamstring? Miles Austin might be a medical miracle.

   *Just because you don't agree with me on a particular point doesn't mean I'm "trolling." Just means we disagree on a particular point. And, while we're at it, telling me to "stick to sports" on my own blog is a bigger waste of time than telling Jerry Jones the owner to fire Jerry Jones the general manager. Not happening. You wouldn't voluntarily walk into McDonald's, peruse their diverse menu, and yell "stick to burgers!" Or, I dunno, maybe you would.

   *Found a vehicle on our roads almost as useless as the White Truck. The street sweeper. Saw a couple of them on 121 Thursday moving at about 2 mph, sending dust flying from under them. I just don't get the concept and purpose. Is the street sweeper's job to make sure the shoulders of America's highways are spotless? Because, if so, that's preposterous. It's like a guy with two broken ankles blowing off rehab to spend time spit-shining his shoes. (Wait, I went out late with Sybil last night and woke up early, did that make any sense at all?)

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   *Broncos 34, Cowboys 24. Dallas' pass defense has surrendered an NFL-high 10 touchdown passes. Guaranteed that number climbs Sunday in Arlington.

   *I'm barely technically savvy enough to keep this blog running, but I have a great idea: Tape-measure App for a smartphone. Out at Pizza Buzz this week I've needed one three times. Anybody know if this one works?

   *Stumbled across an old friend on Twitter. Some of you old-timers might remember the name Susie Woodhams? She wrote for the Dallas Times Herald in the '80s and '90s, pairing with Mickey Spagnola on the newspaper's Cowboys beat opposite Ed Werder/Tim Cowlishaw at the Morning News and Me/Mike Fisher at the Star-Telegram. She then moved onto an eight-year career on Channel 8 as one of Dale Hansen's reporters. These days she's an expat writing books in France. Very cool.

   *If you're a little drowsy today like me - partying with Sybil at Plano's Blue Martini is my excuse - this diddy (yep, by a DJ) will put a pep in your step: Showtek's "Booyah".

   *This weekend? Saturday morning is tennis, followed by something I do about once a year but always enjoy it: Bowling. Sunday is Cowboys-Broncos. Look for smiling face Sunday on NBC 5. Don't be a stranger.

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WHITT'S END: 9.16.13

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

   *Chiefs 17, Cowboys 16. My Top 10 Whitty Observations.

   *Worst kick-to-the-crotch homestand in Rangers' history? Gotta be close. Jockeying with the A's for the AL West lead when the week started, Texas went 0-6 against the Pirates and Oakland. Rangers didn't lead at any time in the six games. And they didn't hit a single homer, the longest dinger drought ever at Rangers Ballpark. Starting with a four-game series against the Rays tonight, the Wild Card - the playoffs - are suddenly in serious jeopardy.

   *Wait, did I miss CBS's "Johnny Cam"? Or, like Alabama's defense, could the network's solo camera simply not keep up with A&M's frenetic, fantastic quarterback?

   *Saw Toadies play an acoustic set Friday night in Fort Worth at a place called Panther Island on the banks of the Trinity River. Very cool. There's a big, grassy hillside or you can hop in the water on a tube, all with a gorgeous view of downtown. But why Panther Island? Turns out Fort Worth is sometimes called the Panther City. Worked at the Star-Telegram for 18 years and never heard that one.

   *I know it's early, but we may have already witnessed college football's Game of the Year. And I know it's a long shot, but after watching A&M 29, Alabama 24 last year and Alabama 49, Texas A&M 42 last weekend, I wouldn't mind seeing Round 3 in this year's BCS title game.

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   *Feels so wrong to yawn at 45-0, but that's the brilliance of Floyd Mayweather. His personality is all flash and cash, but inside the ring he's a glitzy rope-a-dope master. No quick, dramatic knockouts. Just superior technical boxing, iced with impenetrable defense. Boring? He's the trash-talking football team that wins all its games 13-3.

   *Including Saturday vs. Oakland, Yu Darvish has lost four 1-0 games this season. Four. Nelson Cruz, all is forgiven.

   *That thud you heard Saturday night wasn't Canelo Alvarez in Vegas, but Texas' football program hitting rock bottom in Austin. In a week in which defensive coordinator Manny Diaz was fired and DeLoss Dodds will reportedly step down after the season, the Longhorns were outscored 27-0 in the second half of another embarrassing loss, this one to Ole Miss. Said Mack Brown, "We can win the Big 12 championship and be excited about that. At this point that's all we got left." Yikes.

   *Reigning Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco's wife gave birth to the couple's second child Sunday morning. The quarterback was informed as he warmed-up for Baltimore's game against the Browns. As I've said before, it's totally the right call. I took a lot of heat when I first broached this subject during Colby Lewis' paternity leave in 2011, but I think y'all are starting to come around on it now. We pay money to see great quarterbacks, not good Dads.

   *Bar. Car. Far. Gar. Jar. Mar. Par. Tar. In the English language we pronounce them all the same. As it should be. But then there's War. Totally different. Completely illogical. Instead of like the other members of its consonant-preceding-ar family, why the heck does w-a-r rhyme with o-a-r?

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   *A sign of things to come in Fort Worth. We're still hiring drivers at Pizza Buzz. Come on in. Or just say hello. Won't be delivering pizza and beer for another two weeks, but we're shaking hands and making friends daily at 5418 Basswood in Fort Worth.

   *After his blocked field goal in Kansas City Sunday, let's update the tote board of Orlando Scandrick's positive plays as a Cowboy. That's ... 1.

   *'Bama-Aggies drew a 9.0 on CBS, the networks's biggest college football audience since Miami-Notre Dame in 1990. Though they lost after leading 14-0, A&M earned a ton of respect. The Tide rolled into College Station and didn't feel comfortable about winning until their 49th point.

   *Why Whitt's End on a Monday? And tomorrow, on a Tuesday? It's like this. We've been in business here for three months now and in surveying my customers' habits, it's clear you guys gobble up my Friday wrap-up. If DFWSportatorium is a buffet, it's by far the No. 1 seller under the sneeze guard. I asked the boss in the mirror if we could experiment with the idea of a daily Whitt's End, so let's give it a try.

   *Today: I'm headed out to Pizza Buzz for some (more) last-minute tweaking. Sybil will be in Dallas tonight at House of Blues for the taping of Inside the Huddle with Jason Hatcher. Don't be a stranger.

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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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