WHITT'S END: 1.8.14

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

   *Why expanding the NFL playoffs is a horrible idea ...

   *Jason Garrett is getting off-season tips from ...

   *Johnny Goofball ain't coming to ...

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WHITT'S END: 1.3.14

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

   *Turns out DFW sports fans are tougher than Packers fans, because ...

   *The truth behind why Jason Garrett wasn't fired ...

   *The Arlington restaurant that sucked, and why it will get my business again ...

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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: 12.19.13

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

   *Sifting through the rubble of the Cowboys' collapse, I dug up some good news. Under Jason Garrett they've suffered 15 what I'd consider "heart-break" losses along the lines of Sunday's 37-36 defeat to the Packers. And in the game following those losses the Cowboys are ...

   *I wondered how fantastic Cumulus chief Jeff Catlin would run ESPN and The Ticket, seeing as he's program director over both stations. And the answer seems to be ...

   *You Betcha Week 17: If you've mirrored my picks all season you're up $5,985. This week ...

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WHITT'S END: 11.11.13

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

   *Back in August I predicted this to be an 8-8 Cowboys team. My expectations - unlike a lot of fans - don't wildly vacillate with each outcome from every weekend in an NFL founded in parity. The Cowboys are 5-5. They are in first place in the NFC East. They have displayed both the ability to take the undefeated Chiefs and 1-loss Broncos to the wire, and to be blown out on the road by the NFC's second-best team. The Saints were 7-point favorites. They are undefeated at home. If you expected the Cowboys to win last night or you thought they'd be 7-3 at the Bye, may I suggest you've been delusional all along? You're the guy who buys a Smart Car and gets pissed when it doesn't have the giddyup of a Porsche. Like it or not, the Cowboys are not underachieving. Sadly, they are right on track.

   *Saints 49, Cowboys 17: My Top 10 Whitty Comments are over at NBC 5's Blue Star Blog.

   *Happy Veterans Day to all those who protect this country and give dorks like me the freedom to spout individual opinions. I was reading Novak Djokovic's autobiography Serve to Win over the weekend and it details growing up in Communist Yugoslavia. For the first 10 years of his life, he was told how to think, what to believe, when to eat and even what sport to play. His family's house was "allowed" electricity for only six hours a day, because the government didn't want its people getting too comfortable and uppity. Again, whine all you want. But don't forget to hug a veteran who provided you the freedom to do so.

   *Enjoy today, it's going to be 70ish, sunny and gorgeous. Tomorrow? First cold front of the season arrives. High Tuesday 48 and by Wednesday morning we'll be in the 20s. Gross. But, that is good pizza-eatin' weather, right? Hintyhinthint.

   *Bad as you feel this morning about the Cowboys' "devastating" loss, take a second to consider what's going on in The Philippines. Their version of a hurricane - Typhoon Haiyan - has killed at least 10,000 people. Ten thousand. Our biggest local weather killer are tornadoes. Deadliest tornado in Texas history killed 114.

   *Hot.

   *Not.

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   *So last night I'm crawling out of the recliner. I reach back with my foot and kick the foot rest back into place. But when I reach down to untangle my computer cord from the contraption - blammo! - the foot rest disengages and flies violently back out. Edge of it hits me square in the shin. I made up several cuss words. Bashing your shin into furniture is inevitable. Happens a couple times a year. And it's always a maddening combo of bruise and blood and 'barrassment. Not even my soft, oversized golf shoes could make the situation tolerable.

   *You want some Rangers' off-season plans to distract you from the Cowboys' 32-point loss? Let me direct you over to my buddy Rowdy, who breathes baseball 365 days a year.

   *We all know Sean Lee is a badass. One of the best middle linebackers in the NFL. Without him last night the Cowboys' defense looked like a naked Monte Kiffin without his Viagra. But we've got to be a tad worried about his propensity for weird injuries. It was a dislocated wrist in '11, torn toe ligaments in '12 and now a hamstring that might keep him out a month. His last two injuries occurred in the open field, away from a violent collision. To be truly elite, he's got to stay on the field. Without him, the mediocre Cowboys have zero chance. Of anything.

   *Exhilarating win Saturday night for Texas. McCoy-to-Shipley saves their ass on 4th down and they win 47-40 in overtime at West Virginia. But it came at a cost. Both defensive tackle Chris Whaley (knee) and running back Johnathan Gray (Achilles) suffered season-ending injuries. Ouch.

   *Justin Bieber can do a pull-up. One. Barely.

   *In honoring our military on Veterans Day, customers with military IDs - active or retired - will receive one free pizza all day at Pizza Buzz.

   *Today? Thinking of spending the night with old friends Mark Elfenbein, Jasmine Sadry and Gina Miller at the Verizon event down in Dallas' Omni Hotel. Oh yeah, DeMarco Murray will be there, too. 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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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.

   *Hot.

   *Not.

   *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: 9.20.13

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

   *Wait, so a radio station whose mantra is "Breaking sports news first, guaranteed!" but never actually breaks sports news wins a Marconi Award for "Sports Station of the Year" last night in Orlando? While aural journalism hangs its head in shame, I'll congratulate The Ticket. Maybe it's just me, but I want my sports radio to be both entertaining and informative. An award-winning comedian has to tell fresh jokes. A blue-ribbon chef comes up with new recipes. And an elite "sports station" needs to go to practices and games and talk to coaches and players and air an intimate, unique knowledge of the teams it yaps about. But what do I know? I've been on radio and in radio for years and I fully admit, I do not understand radio.

   *Cowboys' most pleasant surprise of the season is ... over at NBC 5's Blue Star Blog.

   *See what happens when the Rangers hit three homers in an inning and score eight runs behind Yu Darvish? They win. What a concept. September Swoon and Wednesday night's excruciating extra-inning loss be damned, these final 10 games are gonna be fun. Three at the Royals this weekend, followed by three against the Astros and four vs. the Angels. Last year Texas limped to a 3-7 finish and missed the playoffs. Another 3-7 and they'll miss again. 7-3 and they're in. Anything in between is a crap-shoot.

   *Songs I've heard 1,000 times and hope I never have to suffer through hearing again: 10. "Margaritaville", Jimmy Buffet; 9. "Beautiful", James Blunt; 8. "Free Fallin'", Tom Petty; 7. "Sweet Caroline", Neil Diamond; 6. "Umbrella", Rihanna; 5. "American Pie", Don McLean; 4. "Centerfield", John Fogerty ; 3. "Blackbird", The Beatles; 2. Anything by Weird Al Yankovic; 1. "Old Time Rock-and-Roll", Bob Seger.

   *Thanks to Andy Reid beating his old Eagles' team last night, the Cowboys woke up this morning with the only non-losing record in the NFC East. And suddenly, a one-point loss on the road to a 3-0 Chiefs team doesn't look so bad eh?

   *Lots of you think Breaking Bad is the greatest show in the history of TV. But are you buying that Jesse Pinkman can really tell the sex of a dog just by petting it? Meh, Will McAvoy can tell just via an interview.

   *Hot.

   *Not.

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   *Nick Saban's agent took a call last winter from a Texas regent about the Longhorns' job. But, nooooo, the Alabama coach would never leave for Austin. "Quite frankly, I'm just too damn old to start over somewhere else," Saban said last night. And he would never lie about leaving a football team, right Miami Dolphins?
 
   *I guess when it comes to women in sports radio around these parts, it's Title IX Nein. As in, no thanks. Not a good week/year for gorgeous women on local radio. Jasmine Sadry, Sybil Summers and Jane Slater out at the The Fan. And yesterday - as part of the expected Cumulus-based cuts at 103.3 FM ESPN - long-time (9.5 years) personality Kelly Webster got the boot.

   *Was watching Rangers-Rays and Chiefs-Eagles last night when - poof - rain, lightning, power outage. Needed the rain, and am equipped with backup computer power. But sitting in the dark with no TV and no A/C is way overrated. Makes you ponder what nights were really like before electricity. Charades by the fire? Every single night?

   *One last thing on guns (until the inevitable next mass shooting committed via guns): Supporters are now spewing the NRA rhetoric that "mental illness" is the cause/common denominator in these murders. Maybe, but so are guns. I'll take my chances against a mentally ill person armed with a knife or a slingshot or a broom or a stick of butter, rather than a mentally ill person armed with a gun. You?

   *Baseball's season of over-celebrating has commenced. The Dodgers, 41-18 since the All-Star break, clinched the NL West last night and celebrated by diving into the Arizona Diamondbacks' swimming pool in right field. It's a division. Remind me the last time an NBA or NFL team partied - or even noticed - after winning a division.

   *This Red Bull Flugtag thing in Irving Saturday morning looks fascinating and potentially entertaining, but also brings up a couple questions. Isn't that an awful lot of foreplay for a quick splash of a payoff? And, what/where the hell is Lake Carolyn?

   *My commute to Pizza Buzz in northeast Fort Worth is about 60 miles straight through the belly of the beast, better known as 121 and Loop 820. I only go about twice a week, but it takes anywhere between one hour and $%#@**&^! Two things make the drive tolerable: 1. Prospect of revenue; 2. XM 42 The Joint. I find it dang near impossible to be pissed while listening to Reggae, mon.

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   *'Bama quarterback A.J. McCarron has broken up with girlfriend Katherine Webb. As Brent Musburger weeps, we have one last reason to post her pic.

   *Last night I got more excited about the rain than the Rangers. Can't decide if that makes me wise? Or just old?

   *Went to a matinee showing of Elysium yesterday with Sybil. Decent, different flick. Cost of tickets: $7. Cost of snacks: $23. Truth.

   *Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to Tim Tebow? And while remember how much I loved reading Blackie Sherrod.

   *Feeling sad today for Mark Elfenbein and Jane Slater. They're handling their firing from 105.3 The Fan with more class than I did, but I know what it's like to wake up feeling like your best ain't good enough. And it sucks. Big time. They're both talented people who will find their way back into media in some form. Here's hoping the good, hard-working veterans still at The Fan - like Shan Shariff, R.J. Choppy, Roy White, Gavin Dawson, Chris Arnold, Mike Bacsik and Jeff Cavanaugh - can somehow outlast their bumbling boss.

   *Cowboys 27, Rams 17.

   *This weekend? Off to Pizza Buzz, mon. Then a couple drinks with buddies from junior high and - sssshhh - crashing Sybil's girls'-night party at our house. Saturday morning is tennis, followed by Wags 'n Waves out at NRH20. Sunday of course is Cowboys-Rams in Arlington, and at some point an appearance on NBC 5 with Pat, Newy and the gang. 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.

   *Hot.

   *Not.

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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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At This Point Aggies Fans, Johnny Football Smells Like Benedict Arnold

                     

   Imagine if Tony Romo finally led the Cowboys to a Super Bowl, and then showed up for the parade wearing a Washington Redskins' jersey. What if Dirk Nowitzki won another title, and then celebrated by getting the San Antonio Spurs' logo tattooed on his bicep. Or fathom our American President turning out to be a Muslim.
   That slimy, turncoat feeling of betrayal is how Aggies fans must feel these days when they read the latest headline involving Johnny Manziel.
   As we've previously documented Johnny Football has deteriorated into Johnny Goofball, tarnishing what he did on the football field in 2012 with an off-season of missteps that is desecrating the fabled lore and tradition of Aggieland.
   The latest: The face of A&M football showed up a University of Texas fraternity party in Austin last weekend, and was unceremoniously kicked out. (That's him in the video, wearing the pink Polo.)

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   I'm sure publicly Aggies fans will defend their man. But, privately, this has to be rotting their soul. I've got a buddy who's an A&M alum and he told me this about Manziel.
   "It's love-hate," he said, admitting he's conflicted and irritated by Manziel. "If he didn't do what he did on the field, he'd be one of the most despised Aggies of all time."
   Or, would we even notice?
   If the Aggies had their usual 7-5 season in 2012 Manziel could get a Longhorns tattoo and flash Hook 'Em at a concert in Austin without anyone caring, or noticing. But he's the defending Heisman Trophy winner. And one of the most prominent Aggies in A&M history.
   For Aggies fans Manziel's cajoling of the 'Horns and public love for the burnt orange must be nauseating. (He grew up in Tyler, a fan of Earl Campbell and Texas, though the Longhorns recruited him only mildly out of Kerrville Tivy High School as a defensive back.) And Aug. 31 can't arrive  fast enough.

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