Up, Up and Awaaaaaaay ...

                  
   By the time you're reading this I'll be - with any luck - climbing 12 miles up Humboldt Peak in the Rocky Mountains of southern Colorado.
   Here's hoping no one rolls a wheel of cheese down the mountain and all Hell breaks loose.
   Stayed last night in the old, charming town of Westcliffe at the foothills. Turns out it ...
 

   

   Has old, tiny hotels.

   Really knows how to party.

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    Implements gigantic cats as security guards.

 

   And offers breathtaking views. See you on here tomorrow. Pray for me.

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Adrian Peterson is Great and All, but No Way He's Catching Emmitt Smith

   Adrian Peterson is a badass. Best running back in football. The NFL's reigning MVP. No. 1 overall on most Fantasy Football draft boards.
   But, sorry, he's no Emmitt Smith.
   Furthermore,  he ain't breaking No. 22's record.
   Not like Peterson came out and pro-actively boasted about someday eclipsing Smith's all-time NFL rushing record. But he also didn't shy away from the lofty goal when pushed about details.
   "Man. Oh boy," Peterson told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "I have to do some calculations. I've been in the league seven years. I'm already right around 9,000. Calculate it out ... Let's think. Maybe get a couple 2,000-yard seasons. ... I've got ... Hmm ... 2017."
   Alright big talker, we want details What week in 2017?

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   "Man, I better go late," he continued. "I'm already getting too far in front of myself. I'll say Week 16. There it is. Week 16 in 2017. Whoo. That's pushing it,  huh? But hey, pushing it is the only way to do it. You know it."
   A year after tearing his ACL, the Minnesota Vikings' star came within nine yards of Eric Dickerson's single-season record. And he's already on record in predicting a 2,500-yard season in 2013. But he has no shot at Emmitt.
   Why?
   Because at already age 28, Peterson's not yet even halfway (8,849) to Smith's 18,355.
   At his current pace, he wouldn't break the record until Week 4 of 2019. To accelerate the pace, fulfill his prediction and actually threaten Emmitt, he'd have to gain 9,506 yards in his next 79 games.
   That's 120.3 yards per game for five seasons after age 28. And that, folks, is impossible.
   Rest easy Emmitt. You're safe.

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Peak-a-Boo: If You Need Me the Next Two Days, I'll Be on a Mountain.

   For those of you who've long wanted me to go jump off a cliff, you're about to get your wish.
   Sorta.
   If DFWSportatorium is a little thin the next couple days it's because I don't think there's hi-speed Internet at the tops of 14,000+-foot mountains. I'm flying this morning to Denver, Colorado with an old high-school buddy who'll join me journeying into the heart of the Rocky Mountains.
   By Wednesday morning around 4 a.m. we'll begin our ascent up Humbolt Peak, elevation 14,064 feet.
   Always wanted to climb a mountain. But first I think I'll just hike up one.

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   Nothing too technical on this trip, just an approximate 8-hour round trip up and down the mountain. That's what I'm saying now, at least.
   Veteran climbers who have summited all 53 of Colorado's 14ers warn me of loose footing, severe and sudden weather changes, and only about 50% of the oxygen in the air at 14,000 feet than you get at sea level. For my virginal voyage, they forecast headaches, nausea and dizziness.
   Can't wait.
   Humboldt, evidenced by an experienced climber's death in '07, is not all fun 'n games. It's part of the Sangre de Cristo Range, located in the San Isabel National Forest in southern Colorado. If I'm not back on here with photos and tales by Thursday, send a search party.
   Happy trails!

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Josh Hamilton Having a Devil of a Time as an Angel. Ain't it Grand?

   Sometimes, things work out. Life seems fair. Karma wins.
   And Josh Hamilton sucks.
   Last night's lucky squib single down the third-base line that plated two runs in the Rangers' 4-3 rally victory notwithstanding, Hamilton and his 5-year, $125 contract are having a dreadfully forgettable year.
   Which is absolutely delicious.
   When Hamilton bolted the Rangers last winter he took a couple shots at the organization and continued doing so in Spring Training when he infamously claimed Arlington/Dallas/Fort Worth wasn't a "baseball town."
   What did we wish upon the smug, ungrateful, fraudulent brat? That his season would underwhelm. That he wouldn't make the Angels better. That he'd miss some games due to injury. And that, in general, his departure from the Rangers would be an epic fail.
   Throw in that Hamilton would be upstaged by Geovany Soto's walk-off homer in his second return to Arlington and it's mission accomplished. Yes, already.
   There are 39 players in the Majors with more homers than Hamilton's 15. Last year with the Rangers he hit four in one game and had 18 by mid-May. With his two hits last night he raised his average to a harmless .223. He's missed seven games with various injuries, and recently whined about "equilibrium" problems. Last month he became the first player since 1916 to go hitless in a game while striking out twice and grounding into three double plays. His team is 48-56, now eight games behind the Rangers and a whopping 13.5 behind the first-place A's.
   Oh, and did I mention that the non-baseball town fans in Arlington are averaging 2,000 more in attendance per night than the Angels?
   If nothing else, Josh Hamilton gave us an early-game distraction from just how hapless the Rangers' bats had become. That is, until A.J. Pierzynski and Soto bombed Ernesto Frieri in the bottom of the 9th.
   Dare I say, fitting?

Final Member of RAGE Officially Leaving 105.3 The Fan

   And then there were none.
   As in, members of RAGE left on 105.3 The Fan after Armen Williams put in his two weeks' notice last Friday.
   Can't tell you where "Guns Up!" Armen is headed until mid-August, but I can tell you he is the only member of RAGE to leave The Fan on his own terms. Yours truly, Greggo and Sybil Summers were fired April 15, with Sybil catching on recently with 103.7 KVIL.
   The email sent from program director Gavin Spittle to his Fan staff:

Huge congratulations to Armen Williams, producer at the Fan who has accepted a management job for a radio station outside of Texas. Armen has been with us since 2009 and has been the ultimate team player. Always tough losing great teammates like Armen but at the same time, I’m so excited for him to take on this new opportunity managing a radio station, something that he has strived to do.Armen will be here until August 9th so join me in congratulating him.  Huge congrats Armen!!

   I met Armen, who for the last couple months has been a producer of the Elf & Slater Show, when I first started working weekends on The Fan in January 2009. He was one of my first board ops and, truth be told, I paid him to burn those tapes.
   Since then I'm been lucky to call him a co-worker and a friend, even though I dubbed his daughter "Weezie" and my backyard stole his Texas Tech class ring.
    Radio's a slimy business, but he's one of the good peeps.

In the End, Kidd Kraddick's Heart Was Too Big

   Kidd Kraddick is the guy we all listened to.
   And, in the end, the victim we all cringe hearing about.
   The wildly popular radio host - a vibrant 53-going-on-23 - was in New Orleans last weekend for a charity golf tournament benefiting his beloved Kidd's Kids. On Friday night, according to co-workers, he went to the casino, played Craps and later goofed off on Bourbon Street, pretending to be the slump-shouldered guy unable to have fun despite being in the middle of one of the world's most festive streets. On Saturday morning he rode in a limousine to nearby Timberlane Country Club in Gretna, and proceeded to the practice range for a warm-up.
   Almost immediately he told folks he wasn't feeling well. Nauseous. Headache. Sweating profusely. Just feeling crappy. After hitting one last good shot - he always had to end on a high - he got in his cart and drove back to the limo to hydrate and cool off and ...
   He was dead 15 minutes later.
   Kraddick, a nationally syndicated host and Dallas/Fort Worth radio icon alongside Ron Chapman, Tom Joyner, Terry Dorsey and Norm Hitzges, apparently died of a sudden and massive heart attack, the result of an enlarged heart and cardiac disease. Yep, he literally dropped dead.
   "We're beyond devastated," said long-time Kidd Kraddick in the Morning sidekick Kellie Rasberry on a surreal show this morning on 106.1 KISS FM. "But there's comfort in knowing he didn't suffer."
   Added co-host Big Al Mack, "The doctors said he didn't feel any pain."
   The guy with one of the biggest hearts in the Metroplex dies of an enlarged heart? In other words, shit happens.
   While you contemplate whether dying of a heart attack is "better" than battling a deadly disease for years, the bouquets of social-media flowers for Kraddick continue to pour in. His energy, his compassion and his show truly made him a personality that transcended radio.

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  In a fiercely competitive DFW radio market, Kraddick competitors dropped their swords long enough to Tweet condolences. Among those were Jody Dean (KLUV), Jagger (NOW), Gordon Keith (Ticket), Hawkeye (KSCS), Mark Davis (660 AM), K104, 99.5 The Wolf and 95.9 The Ranch. TV personalities Gloria Campos (WFAA), Mike Doocy (Fox4), Gina Miller (CBS11) and Newy Scruggs (NBC 5) also offered their sympathy.
   Kraddick's popularity was also evidenced by the cross-section of support he received via Twitter from the worlds of sports (Mark Cuban, Dirk Nowitzki, Mike Modano and Nancy Lieberman), entertainment (Kelly Clarkson, Jay Pharoah, Joe Jonas, Khloe Kardashian, Dr. Phil, Ryan Seacrest, Wayne Brady and Harry Styles) and in national news stories posted outlets from CNN to USA Today to People.
   In the wake of Kraddick's death, co-worker Billy The Kid went on the air and - on a show that was painful yet impossible to turn off - remembered his fallen friend. And this morning his remaining cast wondered aloud what was next for the future of the show. It's unclear when the show will return or if it will return at all.
   Obviously, filling Kraddick's shoes at KISS would be akin to trying replace Troy Aikman under center for the Cowboys.
   "I knew what it felt like to be divorced," Rasberry said through the tears. "And now I feel like I know what it's like to be a widow."
   While there remains an amount of mystery surrounding Kraddick's death - official cause won't be determined until toxicology reports are finalized - there apparently was little misery. And, unfortunately, little he could have done to prevent it.
   The best you can do is to attempt to be 1/10th as noble as Kraddick. Live to the fullest. Help others. And, as much as possible, do what you want with whom you love.
   In that sense, Kidd Kraddick ended on the ultimate high.

   Keep looking up, 'cuz that's where it all is.

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Yeah, About Floyd Mayweather Showing Up in Rockwall ...

   So how'd Floyd Mayweather's boxing camp go in Rockwall over the weekend?
   It didn't, of course. Canceled.
   File this one in the folder labeled "If It Sounds To Good To Be True ..." Because remember, as I warned you a couple weeks ago, it smelled fishy from the start.
   The hype promised members of Mayweather's camp - and possibly the undefeated boxer himself - would conduct a two-day camp at the Rockwall Elite Boxing Club. Cool idea. But I wasn't buying what the gym was selling. From this here blog on July:

   ... the thought of Money Mayweather conducting a two-day clinic in, of all places, Rockwall, Texas just seems a tad preposterous.

   Sure enough last Wednesday, just two days before the scheduled camp, it was canceled. Because of "scheduling conflicts." The press release promises the camp will be re-scheduled after Mayweather's title fight against Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 14.
   And, yep, there's another hint about "Money" himself attending.
   Again, I think it's a good gym with great intentions. But ... we'll believe it when we see it.

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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Rangers' Reaction to Massive Slump: Trade Joe Nathan?

   The Rangers are mired in a massive, season-staining offensive drought. They're scoring less than Johnny Manziel at a UT frat party.
   It's bad. Real bad. And it's caused the Rangers to get mad, call meetings and ... consider trading their best player.
   As the Rangers return home tonight to face the Anaheim Angels - with a .220-hitting Josh Hamilton and without injured Albert Pujols - they'll drag with them one of their worst slumps in franchise history. Their offense has dried up worse than Betty White's uterus.
   The listless bats bottomed-out in Cleveland over the weekend. Back-to-back shutouts. No runs in 21 innings. Only eight hits in their last 68 at-bats. They're 2-8 since the All-Star break, punctuated by Mitch Moreland's 2-for-36 funk.
   Add it all up and the Rangers are suddenly as close to third place as they are to first, trailing the Oakland A's by six games.

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   After the game manager Ron Washington had seen enough of nothing, calling a closed-door team meeting for almost an hour. "Sleep-walking," he said of his team.
   Last time this happened, it worked. A similar meeting on June 16 resulted in Texas winning nine of 11. But this time, more drastic measures may be needed. Bringing in Matt Garza is one thing, but without any offense the Rangers won't sniff the post-season, much less catch the A's.
   As the trade deadline inches within three days, one of the moves the Rangers are reportedly pondering is to trade closer Joe Nathan. If you believe Joakim Soria can close or if you believe Neftali Feliz will be effective when he returns in mid-August then it makes sense to trade your 38-year-old arm for a bat that will serve as paddles resurrecting the offense's failing heart.
   On the surface trading Nathan sounds kooky, but not nearly as unfathomable as reliever Tanner Scheppers' weekend in Cleveland. While he said he was "sucker punched," witnesses tell a tale of him simply "losing a bar fight."
   Whether it's meetings, or changes of scenery, or bar fights, or trading players or simply facing the best offensive player in franchise history, the Rangers need to snap out of it in July or else they will prematurely ruin September.

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RIP, Kidd Kraddick

     
   UPDATE: Video has been removed but here is the audio from Kidd's self-eulogy from last week. Chilling.

   Shocking news tonight out of New Orleans: David "Kidd" Kraddick has died.
   Details aren't yet confirmed, but multiple media types close to Kraddick and/or his show are telling me that the iconic Dallas radio host passed away Saturday of either a brain aneurysm or a heart attack while attending a charity golf tournament in New Orleans. Kidd was playing golf for his beloved Kidd's Kids Charity when he began feeling ill. After retreating to his limousine, his condition immediately and intensely worsened and attempts to revive him on the scene were unsuccessful.
   Because of his immense popularity, charitable heart and unyielding enthusiasm, Kraddick belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Metroplex radio alongside the likes of Ron Chapman and Norm Hitzges.
   A chilling side note: Just last week Kraddick and his Kidd Kraddick in the Morning show did their on-air "Deathbed Confessions." Kraddick started his obit by joking, "Today, I'm the one dying." The video (since removed) was posted July 22.
   Kraddick was born in Ohio and raised in Florida, attending the University of Miami before arriving in Texas in 1984 as a host on 97.1 The Eagle. Some of us old-timers who grew up listening to Kidd will remember classic bits like "Burn Your Buns." Anyone who met him - even those of us with marginal radio talent - always felt better about our careers after chatting with the effervescent, always-supportive Kidd.
   And here's to his signature sign-off:
   "Keep looking up, because that’s where it all is!"
   After moving to 106.1 KISS FM Kraddick's persona - and show - took off, blossoming into Dallas/Fort Worth's highest-rated listen. In 2001 his show became syndicated, airing in 75 markets including the Armed Forces Radio Network around the globe.
   His popularity and legend multiplied when he launched his own charity, Kidd's Kids in '91 and later when he became co-host of the popular TV show, Dish Nation.
   Kraddick's shocking, sudden death is yet another reminder that life - and death - ain't fair. Bad things happen to really good people.
   Kidd Kraddick was 53.

   Official statement from YEA Networks:

   All of us with YEA Networks and the Kidd Kraddick in the Morning crew are heartbroken over the loss of our dear friend and leader.  Kidd devoted his life to making people smile every morning, and for 21 years his foundation has been dedicated to bringing joy to thousands of chronically and terminally ill children.   Kidd passed away today in New Orleans at a golf tournament organized to raise money for his beloved Kidd's Kids charity.  He died doing what he loved, and his final day was spent selflessly focused on those special children that meant the world to him.We ask that you respect the privacy of his family and his colleagues.  At the appropriate time, we will release more information about the cause of death.

WHITT'S END: 7.26.13

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

   *The scintillating debut of pitcher Matt Garza notwithstanding, the Rangers are going nowhere fast with this offense. We knew it'd be difficult to replace the bats of Josh Hamilton, Michael Young and Mike Napoli, but this is ridiculously anemic. Texas scored only 10 runs in splitting a four-game series with the Yankees' junior varsity. Rangers are now averaging 4.2 runs, their worst output of the millennium. Last club to score less was the 1990 outfit that won 83 games. Help? Lance Berkman and his bothersome hip/knee is pondering retirement and Manny Ramirez ain't lighting it up at AAA. Now imagine if Nelson Cruz gets suspended. Yikes.

   *Amused at all the uproar over Jerry Jones striking a deal to take "Cowboys" off his stadium in exchange for $20 million a year. I'd name my child "AT&T" for that, wouldn't you? Besides, most fans will still call it Cowboys Stadium. Not the media, but the fans. If you missed Thursday's dramatic video unveiling, I gotcha covered right here.

   *Radio waves: With the long-term direction of 97.1 The Eagle being murky (station management is currently pondering a format flip), Russ Martin and his crew are working these days on month-to-month contracts. ... I hear rumblings about yet another local sports station launching this Fall, supposedly on a 50,000-watt AM station. Stay tuned. ... Can't say who or why (yet), but 105.3 The Fan is about to lose a voice that's been at the station since early 2009. ... Also hear The Fan is attempting to attract a former Cowboys player to a regular appearance on the air. But if it ain't a Roger Staubach-Troy Aikman-Jimmy Johnson show, don't bother. ... For all it's b.s., what makes radio an appealing industry is the fame and fortune. At The Ticket recently George Dunham took his family to Hawaii, Craig Miller went to France, Donovan Lewis to Greece and some dude named Jake Kemp went on a multi-country trip through Europe. ... As we documented a couple weeks ago, The Fan's ratings have never been lower since it hatched in 2008. So the addition of Dallas' Only Daily columnist Tim Cowlishaw Fridays 4-6 p.m. alongside Ben and Skin can't hurt, right? ... Internet show I stumbled on that isn't half-bad: The 101 Radio Show on DeepEllumOnAir, Thursdays 6:30-8:30 p.m. It's got something. Not exactly sure what, but something.

   *Trading in my tennis shoes for some hiking boots. One - and, trust me, there are several - of the silver linings to getting fired from a 5-hour radio show is the time I now have to be selfish. I've done more for myself in the last three months than I did in the previous three years. Hosted a pool party. Played lotsa golf. Last week took a trip with Sybil to New Braunfels which included John Newcombe's Tennis Ranch. Planned my wedding/honeymoon to Tahiti/ Bora Bora/ New Zealand/ Australia/ Fiji. And, on Tuesday, I'm crossing off another item on my bucket list - climb a mountain. Going with a an old high-school buddy to hike up the 14,064-foot Humboldt Peak in Colorado. With any luck - pray for me - I will be blogging from the air way up there.

   *Remember my infamous "Dez Bryant to IR" Tweet from December 2012? Of course you do. Y'all never let me forget it. When I Tweeted the info I had two sources telling me the Cowboys had decided to end the receiver's season in the wake of his broken finger. And this week in Oxnard Cowboys' head coach Jason Garrett kinda corroborated my story, saying the team fully intended to put Dez on IR until "his will finally convinced us to give him a chance to play." Sorta softens the blow of me being wrong? Nope. Not even close. I still blew it. Close or not.

   *After the greatest year in A&M football  history, it's been a rough summer for the Aggies. We all know about Johnny Goofball's exploits. Now Von Miller is facing NFL suspension for drug use and rookie receiver Ryan Swope will never play a professional snap because of concussions. Take heart, Aggies, you can always giggle at former Longhorn Vince Young having to auction off his athletic assets to pay off debt. Young's first NFL contract, by the way, guaranteed him $26 million.

   *Hot.

   *Not.

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   *We all remember Ed "Too Tall" Jones right? Dominant defensive end for the Cowboys' in the '70s-'80s. Made three Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl ring in '77. Some forget, however, that the 6-foot-9 monster also was a badass boxer. He took a one-year sabbatical from the NFL in '79 to box, going 6-0 as a heavyweight with five knockouts before re-joining the Cowboys. These days he likes talking boxing as much as football, evidenced by his visit Thursday with the kids at the legendary Montoya Boxing Gym in far east Dallas.

   *Speaking of boxing, remember the sorta-scheduled appearance of Floyd Mayweather at the Rockwall Elite Boxing Club I skeptically wrote about? Supposed to be this weekend. Stay tuned Monday for what went actually went down. Or didn't.

   *When I'm not filling this blog with information and entertainment crap, I'm moonlighting as a small-business owner. I'm one of three founders of Pizza Buzz, a restaurant that will deliver pizza - and, yes, beer! - to northeast Fort Worth beginning in August. We're to the point where we're hiring. Managers. Cooks. Drivers. Counter. The works. Store is located at Basswood/Highway 377. Contact my partner Cliff@PizzaBuzz.com if interested.

   *Most of us live check-to-check, and day-to-day. Thankfully, via long-term contracts and upcoming events, sports constantly reminds us that there will indeed be a future. Hence, this week Oklahoma extended the contract of head coach Bob Stoops through ... 2020.

   *Once upon a time in 1998 Donnie Nelson was hand-picked by his Hall-of-Fame father, Don, to be the next head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. Now? Stripped of power via this week's hiring of Houston Rockets' VP Gersson Rosas to be the team's new general manager. Love Donnie, but the move is warranted. Flat out, teams like the Spurs have done more with their crappy draft picks than the Mavericks have with theirs. Mavs re-signed Brandan Wright and traded guard Nick Calathes this week, but still don't see anything to convince me they are a legit threat for more than an 8th seed in 2014.

   *Twitter and social media be damned, the English royals announced this week's baby arrival via Town Crier reading aloud from a scroll and ringing a bell. There's tradition. And there's stubborn stupidity.

   *Speaking of Donnie, he was this town's forgotten GM. I see Jerry everywhere with endorsements and this week there was Rangers' GM Jon Daniels doing a (horribly awkward) commercial for James Wood Chevrolet. Donnie is great, but most of his work is done out of sight.

   *What's Rangers' stranger: Reliever Jason Frasor's follow-through high-kick? Or the fact that Berkman has the same number of stolen bases - 0 - as Jurickson Profar?

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   *For  my money, Fox 4's Fiona Gorostiza is one of the hottest, bestest reporters on local TV. Animated. Energetic. Informative. And did I mention extremely banana-ish?

   *You'd think a movie featuring Bruce Willis, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Zeta-Jones, sports gambling and Laura Prepon's boobs would be great. You'd be wrong. Sybil tricked me into Lay The Favorite last night. Awful. Not surprised it cost $20 million and only earned $20,000.

   *Swear this happened at Big 12 Media Day this week: Baylor stud safety Ahmad Dixon was asked if the Bears could really win the conference. His answer: "Can God save a hooker?" I smell T-shirts!

   *I think we're just trained to complain. Walked into Tom Thumb this week and got the obligatory "Hot enough for ya?" from a cart-gatherer. Honestly, no. It was 94 degrees. Born and raised in Texas, I'm accustomed to the heat. Love the heat. In fact, the hotter the better. (Conversely, I'm a wimp when it comes to winter.) But this is by no means a hot summer. Only one day in the 100s so far and twice this week I've awakened to morning rain. Relatively speaking, this summer is mild. So far.

   *Garrett was this week asked if he was a boring person. Expect to hear that during Super Bowl Media Day, but not during the early days of training camp. Only the Cowboys. By the way, I believe it was the Star-Telegram's Mac Engel who authored the query.

   *Speaking of Garrett, I got no problem with the Cowboys agreeing to allow Sports Illustrated/NBC's Peter King to tape and broadcast his pre-camp speech to players. If Garrett signed off on it, that is. And I know what you're thinking, this was Jerry telling Garrett to allow it. If that's the case, horrible idea.

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   *Last week's death at Six Flags reminded me of the woman who died on the old Roaring Rapids water ride back in 1999. If you had to choose, you taking a 75-foot plunge off a roller coaster or drowning in three feet of water trapped under a giant raft?

   *Chris Davis since the All-Star break: 7 games, .214, 0 homers, 13 strikeouts. The fact that his slump coincides with Ryan Braun's suspension will do nothing to mute the skeptics crowing that the former Ranger's rise is steroid-fueled.

   *I'm retro-actively pissed at Noah. Why didn't he do us all a big favor and just slap those two mosquitoes instead of welcoming them aboard?

   *Aaron Hernandez is a pretty big dude at 6-foot-1 and 245 pounds. But have you seen the bailiff that escorts him in and out of the Boston courtroom? Dwarfs the NFL player. Gotta be 6-5 and about 275. And the fact that he wears a buzzcut and black horn-rimmed glasses makes his look even more menacing.

   *Take your work seriously. But not yourself.

   *Dwight Howard this week took a photo with the great centers in Houston Rockets' history: Elvin Hayes, Ralph Sampson, Hakeem Olajuwon and Yao Ming. Wondered what that Mavs' photo would look like: James Donaldson, standing beside Tyson Chandler. That's it.

   *Circle Saturday night, Sept. 7 on your (smartphone) calendars. I'm hosting a DFWSportatorium Launch Party at Baby Dolls in Dallas. I'll handle the cover, the suite and toss out some T-shirts and caps and goodies, you guys take care of your liquor and your lap dances. Should be lots of college football on the TVs and some decent "entertainment" in our suite. See you there.

   *This weekend? For the first time in a long time ... nada. Just sit back and relax and ... Oops, take that back. Tennis Saturday morning and a grudge-match golf outing with long-time family 'n friends at Eldorado Country Club Sunday afternoon. Other than that, rest and Pizza Buzzin'. Don't be a stranger.

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Welcome to AT&T Stadium

   Today's great unveiling of AT&T Cowboys Stadium came not from under a curtain, but on the giant screen of Jumbo Jerry.
   Cue narrator Brad Sham and a smidge of grandiose, superfluous theatrics in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

      

The Dallas Cowboys Now Play in a Building Without Cowboys in its Name

   ARLINGTON - Great, now the Dallas Cowboys play in a stadium that's home to both Ma Bell and Papa John.
   Couple of surprises from today's expected announcement in Arlington. First and foremost, Cowboys Stadium is now AT&T Stadium. Whoa.
   I was betting on AT&T Cowboys Stadium, and I'm also betting a lot of football faithful are going to have a problem with their team's name being redacted from their own stadium.
   Joked owner Jerry Jones about "Cowboys" no longer being in the title, "I'm more worried that 'Jerry's World' is gonna be forgotten."
   I get that the $1.2 billion stadium will host major events outside the NFL like, for example, the inaugural college football national championship game in January 2015. But still, to hear Jerry succumb to anything other than promoting his team is weird, if not a little disturbing.
   "This place goes beyond Cowboys' games," Jerry said.
   Though initially jarring, I'm sure Cowboys fans will learn to deal with a corporate sponsor for the first time in the team's 53-year history and the lack of "Cowboys." After all, the franchise won five Super Bowls playing in stadiums - Cotton Bowl and Texas Stadium - without the nickname attached to the structures.

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   As I wrote Monday, the name change begins immediately and in time for the 2013 NFL season. Alongside Jones on the podium were AT&T officials, who promised that part of the deal would be a doubling of the stadium's wi-fi capacity. Other changes/developments: Legends Way that runs alongside the east of the stadium will be re-named AT&T Way, and the City of Arlington will get 5% of the naming rights moolah.
   Details of the deal weren't disclosed at the press conference, but I'm told the annual check to Jones will be just under $20 million. That might, in turn, help pay for the team's new headquarters in Frisco. Jones did admit, however, that the deal wasn't the richest in sports for naming rights, which comes as another surprise.
   The marriage of America's Team and America's Telecom will only push the prominence of the stadium. And, according to Jones, the goal is unfathomably high.
   Boasted Jerry, "I'd like this stadium to be more familiar than The White House."
   We're assuming he means the one the President hangs out in, not the one in Valley Ranch where in the '90s Cowboys' players entertained "hired help."
   For now, can we just call it the world's biggest phone booth?

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Canine Corner: Wally Schirra

  After much success with our RAGE Rescue program, we've decided to continue helping local pups find homes by featuring more dogs from DFW Rescue Me. We'll call this blog item "Canine Corner", and we'll post an available dog each week. (Last week's entry was Sparty.)

  Meet Wally Schirra! Wally comes from a litter of puppies who were living alone on the streets after their mom was hit by a car. They were rescued by DFWRM and are now ready to find forever families! Wally is 10 weeks old, and he gets along with other dogs and cats. 
  You may remember our first "Canine Corner" featuring Kate. She was rescued a few weeks ago, and she had nine pups the very next night! She also had babies prior to that, one of whom was Wally's mama. So, Wally is Kate's grandpup. Since Kate is a Lab/Basset mix, we know Wally has some Labrador in him. Plus, he loves to swim!
  Wally is up-to-date on all his shots, and he will be fixed as soon as he's old enough. (That's included when you adopt him, all you have to do is provide him love and aftercare!) He's also a fast learner, and he's already housebroken! If you would like to meet Wally or find out more about him, please click here.

E-Skydiver

      

   Score it an E-S. As in error on the skydiver.
   Happened north of St. Louis this week at a wooden-bat prospects league for college baseball players. Pre-game skydivers parachuting and then - bang - 20-year-old shorstop Mattingly Romanin out for the year with a concussion.
   Enjoy. Especially if you think you're having a bad week.

Cowboys Connecting with AT&T, and Other Stuff We've Learned During the First Week of Training Camp

   I'll be at Cowboys Stadium today at Noon for the official unveiling of the news I told you about on Monday: AT&T Cowboys Stadium.
   I won't make it out to Cowboys' training camp in Oxnard, California for another two weeks, but have been able to glean some info by talking to those who have seen every snap from one vantage point (scouts) or another (players) during this first week.
   As the Cowboys hit their first off day, this is what we think we know:

   10. No shocker, but Dez Bryant is again stealing the show. Physically dominating cornerbacks and catching everything thrown his way. And he's even talking to the media, which is an encouraging sign of maturity and growth.
   9. Because he's one of several players nursing a hamstring injury, Jeremy Parnell so far is doing nothing to push Doug Free at right tackle.
   8. Coaches like new outside linebacker Justin Durant's athleticism so much that he's on the field in Nickel packages as well.
   7. Among the draft picks, safety J.J. Wilcox is already turning heads and making an impact with ball-hawking aggressiveness. Cornerback B.W. Webb has been a flop.
   6. Tony Romo's full of extra pounds and full of hyperbole. He told Sirius XM's Gil Brandt this week that this was the "most complete team" he's been on as a Cowboy. The '07 team won 13 games and featured 13 Pro Bowl players. Let's all just chill.

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   5. Most pleasant surprise of camp? Undrafted rookie receiver Eric Rogers (Cal Lutheran). Uses his big body (6-3) to shield defenders and makes catches in traffic as well as anyone on the field.
   4. Even after his minor surgery, coaches are worried about the long-term condition of defensive end Anthony Spencer's knee. Should be ready for the season opener. Should.
   3. No secret to when new/old defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is pissed. Several times already he's thrown his cap to the field in disgust.
   2. Biggest concern so far is the lack of depth at defensive tackle, where the temporary loss of Jay Ratliff is exposing the position. Ben Bass looks like a legit contributor, however.
   1. Cowboys have called a "major business-related  press conference" for Noon today at Cowboys Stadium. If you've been paying attention in here you already know what it. AT&T ring a bell?

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The Fresh Prince of England and The Top 10 Dumbest Things We Spend Too Much Time Worrying About

   Don't sweat the small stuff.
   Especially if it's an 8-pound, 6-ounce bundle of someone else's joy. In fact, the new fresh Prince of Cambridge is only third in line to the throne of England. Or something.
   Really, who cares?
   It's England. Pretty sure we bailed on those blokes and then fought a revolutionary war to keep our independence from the stuffy saps. Now, for some reason, we're concerned - even consumed - by a new twig on their outdated Monarchy form of government's family tree?
   Andy Murray winning Wimbledon? Yes. Phil Mickelson rallying to win The British Open? Interested. Last summer's London Olympics? Riveting.
   But Prince William and Duchess Kate presenting their nameless baby for our entertainment? No thanks. Seriously, I'd rather watch the Kansas City Royals than the English royals.
   But I think I know what this is. Remember those extremely-overweight-and-irrationally-romantic women who dreamed of being scooped up into a life of luxury in Officer and a Gentlemen and who spend all day keeping up with The Kardashians because at least their lives are a smidge interesting? Yeah, those same females are at work here, again misplacing their fascination.
   Of course, men aren't immune to wasting time on frivolous interests. Take it from a guy who last week participated in a fantasy golf draft. I know.
   Combine our silly sexes and it's easy to come up with 10 really dumb things we worry about way too much ...

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   10. The Joneses - Not Jerry and Stephen and the Cowboys' Monarchy. But rather the ones you try to keep up with, whether it's your neighbor or family or rival. We often are so wrapped up in what we need to get that we forget to enjoy what we already have.
   9. Abortion - It's not your body, your baby or your situation. Worry about your own stuff.

   8. Hair - If we took every dollar spent on hair care (shampoo, coloring, styling, wigs, transplants) in America in just 2012 ($21 billion) we could end world hunger. Today. But then we wouldn't look as pretty, so nooo way.
   7. NFL Draft - Most over-hyped sporting non-event annually transfixes us for a month, then delivers as many busts as bangs. Right, JaMarcus Russell?
   6. Money - Life shouldn't be about who makes the most, but rather who has the most fun spending their pile.

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  5. Royal Family - Should it really matter who might control England's weird-ass Monarchy in 50 years?
   4. Fantasy Sports - Please stop telling us who's on your team. Nobody cares.
   3. Fashion - Can't believe how many of us dress not the way we want, but so our peers will approve. If you wanna wear white shorts after Labor Day or long sleeves in August, do it. Fashion police be damned.
   2. Mars - Don't care if there might be water up there. I'm more concerned with our lake levels down here.
   1. JFK Assassination - He's dead. And he ain't coming back.

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White Truck Wednesday: 7.24.13

   My theory, as most do, began simply as an observation, sparked by an annoyance.

   Driving Metroplex freeways - mainly 75 south from Collin County toward Dallas - I began noticing more and more a certain type of vehicle causing me the most anxiety. The white pickup.

   White trucks riding cars' bumpers, the drivers regularly pounding on their steering wheels for traffic to part for their apparently more important path. White trucks dangerously swerving in and out of congestion, often illegally using the shoulder as their personal passing lane. And white trucks, manned by a single driver, arrogantly and unlawfully using the HOV lane.

   Consider this my weekly ode to white trucks, the most aggressive, dangerous and soulless vehicles on our roadways ...
   Traffic sucks. But you know what's worse than traffic? Traffic caused by construction.
   At this point, I've forgotten what it's like to leave my house in McKinney and hop onto Highway 75 without first navigating closed entrance ramps and detours and rock piles and orange barrels and winding, temporary ramps lined by concrete barriers and littered with potholes left by two-ton construction trucks.

   Since January 2012 I haven't been able to leave or enter my neighborhood without taking a detour.
   This story in Dallas' Only Daily from more than a year ago promised relief by January. January of 2012, that is. Nope. It's now July 2013, and there still is no Eldorado access from the 121/75 interchange and the exit off 75 detours you through the Albertson's parking lot.
   Seriously, it's criminal.
   Frustrated as I get, I feel for businesses along Eldorado. Where I once frequented a Smoothie King, I now steer clear of the construction-congested area.
   But there is good news. The $106 million project is supposed to be completed in July ... of 2015.
   On to this week's White Truck madness ...

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   After being shot at by a man in the vehicle, woman climbs into his ... White Truck.
   8-year-old saves younger sister from abduction by a ... White Truck.
   Man runs over and kills a mother and her 6-year-old girl, then leaves scene in his ... White Truck.
   Man is followed and then stabbed by another driving a ... White Truck.
   Police looking for suspicious couple in a ... White Truck.

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April: Umps Giveth to Joe Nathan; July: Umps Taketh Away From Joe Nathan

 

   Joe Nathan slipped. And the Rangers fell.
   Weird night at the Ballpark.
   Seeing the Rangers' almost-automatic closer (31 of 32 save opportunities entering the game) fall and fail was as rare as Dirk Nowitzki missing consecutive free throws (87% career) or Dan Bailey missing an extra point (76 of 76 in career).
   Just doesn't happen.
   But it did.
   And, because of it, the Rangers lost a 5-4 game to an underwhelming, unrecognizable New York Yankees' lineup featuring guys named Melky Mesa, Eduardo Nunez, Brent Lillibridge and Austin Romine. You expect to see them wearing numbers in the 60s during Spring Training exhibitions, not producing key at-bats against an All-Star reliever in late July.
   Problems started in the 9th when Nathan got squeezed by home-plate umpire Kerwin Danley.

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   A couple of close pitches walked Vernon Wells, but then Nathan threw consecutive sliders that - according to the computerized Fox Box - nipped the bottom of the strike zone. Nope, not good enough for Danley. Nathan dug out of 2-0 back to 2-2 when, inexplicably, his plant foot landed awkwardly and he slipped.
   While he fell on the mound, the ball bounced about 50 feet for a wild pitch. Nunez ripped the ensuing 3-2 fastball for a triple, and Lillibridge - hitting a robust .088 - then served a single to left for the game-winning RBI.
   Instead of  Nathan's 32nd save, Mariano Rivera closed out the 9th for his 32nd. And he did it, by the way, by striking out Leonys Martin on three called strikes that - again, according to the computer - weren't in the strike zone.
   Nathan got squeezed, slipped and, let's face it, sucked. But when your closer goes two months between blown saves - his other came May 26 against the Mariners - you can't really complain.
   The Rangers were 51-0 when leading after 8 innings. I said were.
   Said Rangers' manager Ron Washington after the game, "That was weird the way it happened."
   You can blame Danley all you want. I still think there'll be a day when a computer calls balls and strikes and we don't have to suffer through arrogant umpires' personally customized strike zones.
   But before you bitch and moan too loud or long, remember that time in April when the umps awarded Nathan his 300th career save on (low) silver platter?
   Call it even?
      

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Ryan Braun and The Top 10 Worst Liars in the History of Sports

   Ryan Braun is an asshole.
   Not because he used performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), lots of baseball players have and probably still do that. But because of his arrogant denials to the charges, even going so far as to "bet my life" he was innocent while criticizing a urine-sample collector's actions as "fatally flawed."
   Baseball's 2011 MVP and five-time All-Star doped, lied and, in the end, got caught. He accepted a 65-game suspension Monday, ending his season and reserving his spot alongside Pete Rose as one of the sport's all-time liars. He'll lose $20,070 in salary every day for the rest of 2013.
   And really, considering his brash denials, it isn't nearly enough.
   "We won," Braun chortled last February after winning an appeal on a technicality. "Because the truth is on my side. The truth is always relevant, and at the end of the day, the truth prevailed."
   A short pause while we all vomit. ... And then giggle.
   Since Braun's punishment stems from his dealings with the Biogenesis Clinic in Miami, who's next? Alex Rodriguez? Or perhaps Rangers' All-Star outfielder Nelson Cruz?
   While we wait for Braun's buddy Aaron Rodgers to pay off on his bold wager of a year's salary if the Brewers' outfielder wasn't telling the truth, let's try to put the latest lies into some historical perspective.
   Since my old truth-twisting partner isn't eligible, who then is the boldest liar in the history of sports?

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   10. Rosie Ruiz - The unknown "won" the 1980 Boston Marathon, but later admitted under intense scrutiny that she, in fact, jumped out of the crowd and only ran the final mile of the race.

   9. Floyd Landis/Tyler Hamilton - The American cyclists provided two of the most ridiculous excuses for their positive drug tests. In 2008 Landis blamed his on whiskey; Hamilton, in 2005, on a "vanishing twin" who supposedly left traces of PEDs in his mom's uterus before dying in utero. He finally confessed five years later.

   8. Nick Saban - Late in the Miami Dolphins' 2006 season he was asked about the coaching vacancy at Alabama. "Let me repeat this for those of you can't seem to understand," Saban said sternly at a press conference in December, "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach." Three weeks later he left Miami ... for Alabama.

   7. Danny Almonte - The 12-year-old New Yorker dominated the Little League World Series in 2001 ... because he was actually 14. Using an altered birth certificate to play against younger, smaller, weaker opponents, he pitched a perfect game and hurled 75-mph fastballs before tournament officials caught him and his father in the elaborate lie.

   6. Rafael Palmeiro - His repeated finger-wagging denials - "I have never used steroids. Period!" - to Congress in 2005 makes him the poster boy for not telling the truth. Even under oath.

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  5. Ryan Braun - His arrogance and calling out of an honest sample-collector makes his lies all the more disgusting. "I truly believe in my heart and I would bet my life that this substance never entered my body at any point," he said last year. His life ain't over. But his career should be.

   4. Bobby Petrino - A world-class liar on two fronts, he first promised the Atlanta Falcons he wasn't leaving as their head coach before bolting to Arkansas. Then as a Razorback he lied to administrators about the details of his 2012 motorcycle crash, conveniently leaving out the bits about the girl on the back being his mistress, whom he had hired a week earlier to be a football staff assistant.

   3. Marion Jones - One of the most dominant sprinters in Olympic history, the American returned five medals and had her name wiped from the record books in 2007 when she confessed to doping and lying to federal agents after a decade of vehement denials.

   2. Pete Rose - Steadfastly denied ever betting on baseball until 2004 when he confessed ahead of the release of his new book. His lies have permanently banned him from the Hall of Fame.

   1. Lance Armstrong - Lance Liestrong's transcendent web of fibs covered 7 Tours de France, ruined the careers of numerous cyclists - even some teammates - and misled millions of cancer patients into believing he was an authentic hero.

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