Whether you're at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt's End
*The Government Shutdown is nothing compared to the Rangers' offensive collapse. Can't blame Ron Washington for this game. Or this season. Sure he yanked Martin Perez a tad early in last night's season-ending loss to the Rays. But it didn't matter. If you're not gonna score, you're not gonna win. And in consecutive elimination losses to Baltimore (5-1) and Tampa (5-2) in Arlington in '12 and '13, the Rangers managed only 3 runs, 3 extra-base hits and 0 home runs. Nelson Cruz returned but went 0-for-4 as Texas continued its two-year plague of punchless offense in the clutch.
*Unless the Cowboys stay afloat long enough to win the NFC Least, we're headed for our first playoff-less sports year since 1989. Neither the Stars, Mavs nor Rangers have made the post-season in 2013. We've enjoyed at least one team in the playoffs the last 23 years, which is a pretty decent run. In '89 the Cowboys were 1-15, the Mavs finished 38-44, the Rangers went 83-79 and Stars were still in Minnesota.
*Same ol' Cowboys? Damn skippy. Numbers tell us - via TV ratings, radio response, this blog's pageviews, etc. - that in our Metroplex the Cowboys are about four times more popular than the Rangers. But with the Rangers playing a do-or-die Game 162 against Josh Hamilton and the Angels at the same time the Cowboys played Game 4 against the ho-hum Chargers, last Sunday afternoon's TV battle figured to be much closer. Nope. Cowboys drew a 26.8; Rangers 5.9. About 4.5-1.
*Perez exceeded expectations for a 22-year-old rookie starting an elimination game. The two-run homer to Evan Longoria was a good pitch walloped by a good hitter. Although Perez battled gallantly, watching David Price perform like a true ace made me long for a different Rangers' No. 33 on the mound. A guy named Cliff Lee. In the end, last night was Cy Young over (Sigh) Young.
*He cost the Rangers the 2011 World Series with his Game 6 misplay in right field. He severely damaged the Rangers' 2013 season by taking a banned substance and getting suspended 50 games. And last night, Cruz returned to the lineup to a ... 20-second standing ovation? Just shows that, in sports, we like comebacks as much as consistency. And we're very forgiving, when it's
our guy.
*
Maybe the baseball Gods were simply making up for this.
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Hot.
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Not.
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*Went to Mavs' Media Day Monday at American Airlines Center. Got kinda excited envisioning the athletic, play-making backcourt of Jose Calderon and Monta Ellis. Also got a giggle out of Dirk Nowitzki. The Giant German became a dad in July, with wife Jessica giving birth to daughter Malaika. Asked if she was yet a Daddy's girl, Dirk joked "Well, I don't have boobs so I can't really help her that much."
*
Breaking Bad's series finale was a little too tidy wasn't it? Everybody died except Jesse, and Walter White was literally (oscillating machine gun) and figuratively (cooking meth) killed by his own inventions. I still think
The Sopranos' finale was the greatest of all time. Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" has never been more intense.
Tony looks up at something and ...
*Congrats, extremist House Republicans. Shutting down the government means that the Statue of Liberty will be closed today, but the implementation of Obamacare continues full-speed ahead. Nice work. Can't believe your pouting over what is already law - what has already been upheld by the Supreme Court - has escalated into a shutdown of the world's most powerful government.
*
Mavs owner Mark Cuban wasn't at Media Day because he's back in court in Dallas for the start of his trial vs. the Securities & Exchange Commission. The SEC says he used insider trading to save himself $750,000 back in 2004. Cuban could have settled. But he's a man of principles. And deep pockets. On his defense team are seven lawyers from five different firms. I'm interested.
*No. 1-ranked Alabama allowed 628 yards and 42 points to Johnny Goofball and Texas A&M. In their other three games? A combined 692 yards and 16 points.
*Now wait just a cotton-pickin' second. I'm paying my car registration online. Saves paper. Saves stamps. Saves time. Saves trees. Saves, in theory, money. Right? But I swear on my final bill these fees appear: Automation Fee $1.00. Mail-In Fee $1.00. Electronic Processing Fee $2.00. How's there a "Mail-In Fee" when I'm not mailing anything? And what's the diff between "Automation" and "Electronic Processing"? Pretty sure I'm being ripped off. Pretty sure I'm being fandangoed right in my fee receptacle. But it ain't just me. Think about it. That's $4 in fake fees per car, and there are 22.6 million cars registered in this state. I'm not real good at math but that's ...
a lot of moolah like $90 million. Don't Mess With Texas.
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*Six umps - each of them as arrogant as they are stubborn - missed Leonys Martin clearly trapping Delmon Young's
flyout single to center. How is that possible? Baseball replays can't get here fast enough. To get the calls the right. And to humble the umpires.
*Calderon will wear No. 8. Ellis No. 11. Easy to make a sorta comparison between Ellis and the best Mav to ever wear No. 11, J.J. Barea. But what about No. 8? Hmm. He's only gotta be better than Antoine Walker.
*Mo Claiborne is struggling.
I detail his lack of play-making over at NBC 5's Blue Star Blog.
*With the dawn of a new month, feels like a good day to throw some love to a few of the folks who make this little endeavor profitable, if not altogether possible: My sponsors. Next time you move call
Apple. Next time you're buying/selling a house call
Home Marketing Services. And next time you have a few extra bucks, invest them with
LS Wealth Strategies. Thank you.
*I used to be athletic. I'm still generally coordinated. But I can't explain how ridiculously lame my lack of body control was Saturday night. Got home from a birthday party and - after only two drinks - climbed into bed. As I do every night, I reached over and plugged my iPhone in and laid it on the night stand for charging. For some reason I lost my balance and begin slowly falling out of bed toward the floor. No problem, I'll just extend my arm to stop my momentum and with a gentle push I'll ... whoawhatthewhat?! Night stand began rocking, setting in motion the lamp, which eventually fell off and violently crashed into a gazillion pieces on the floor. Never in my life have I felt so old. It's definitely in Top 10 most unathletic moments of my life.
*Today? Headed out to Pizza Buzz. Oven is fired up. We're testing pizzas. (And beer). Finishing touches now. And not a second too soon. Don't be a stranger.
Cruz - why we expected a guy who hasn't touched major league pitching in 50 games to do anything other than go o'fer against David Price is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteCowboys - will go 8-8 and make the playoffs because our division is horrible. Jerry will declare the team a winner even though they'll get bounced in the first playoff game they play.
Blaming one side and not the other (Dems or GOP) for the shut down is just silly. They're both to blame for the state of our government, the amount of debt we have, and lack of compromise. There is no elected official in Washington without blood on their hands.
Fees - All the government programs you want have to be funded somehow. There are no free lunches in life. The next time you're cheering for "insert government program here", remember it had to be funded with the fees you're crying about. The "money fairy" does not drop down out of the sky to fund them. You pull your wallet out and fund them.
Old age - Welcome. We've been waiting for you.
Obama is loving the shutdown....after all, he is trying to destroy America as we know, or better yet, knew it. Obamacare will eventually fail...and Obama's main claim to fail will no longer be the president who passed a universal healthcare law, but just as a guy who got elected because he was black. (God knows he wasn't qualified)
ReplyDeleteThe Rangers have reached the end of their rope....and next year they will need to shore up the offense and pitching staff with some free agents....think Hunter Pence and maybe Bronson Arroyo.
The Cowboys are just fucked...from the TOP down. They will continue bumbling, fumbling, and stumbling their way through mediocrity....and I am pretty sure Peyton Manning has already thrown for 3 touchtowns and its only Tuesday....
Dave
Pence has already signed with the Giants dude but thanks for playing.
DeleteYou'll have to excuse Dave. He's still having issues with a black man being President.
DeleteNot at all.... I would have voted for Herman Cain if he had been nominated.....and not because he was black but because he was QUALIFIED....you fucking idoit.
DeleteDave
I will take anyone for President if they can balance a check book and concentrate more on whats best for this country instead of creating his/her legacy. Take care of America first once we solve our money problems hunger problems unemployment problems then we start to solve the rest of the worlds problems. We cant fix are own damn problems yet we continue to attempt to fix things around the world what kind of hypocrites are we.
DeleteShelley
Shelley is right...sounds like Dave approved of the white incompetent George Bush
DeleteIn the future, for some of us still trying to catch up on Breaking Bad, can you preface your recap of a show by saying "Spoiler Alert?" So far I've avoided anyone on the radio and social media giving up the end of something I'm halfway through. I pulled my eyeballs off the screen just in time, this time.
ReplyDeleteWalt dies. Jessie lives. Thanks!
DeleteSo, because you are three years behind the rest of the world we have to preface every conversation with "Spoiler Alert"? Did you hear the government shut down?
DeleteLast Friday you more or less said money was not important to you, yet bitch about paying $4 in mystery fees? But you don't give a shit about how much people will have to get screwed monetarily over the new health care laws? True it is law...currently...Bad laws get repealed all the time! And in time this one will be. Ritchie...I love your sports...that's what I come here to read...leave your politics out of your columns! It exposes your ignorance to the common people! And yes, I am a gun owner...but no white truck!
ReplyDeleteRichie is liberal. I am conservative. I dont care if he spills his opinion on here. Thats what this place is all about...his opinion. Frankly, RW doesnt care whether or not we get really angry about his political opinion and tell him we dont want to see it here. Why?
ReplyDelete1. Richie pretty much posts whatever the hell he wants. He always has.
2. Controversy is good for page views and good for his wallet.
We all like to kick RW in the balls. It is fun to do and he plays the pinata role very well. However, we need to kick him with the realization that he isn't going to quit posting liberal rhetoric and we aren't going to change his mind about it. So, lets all agree to fight with RW about the content of the blog but not about the fact that he can and will go all political with us from time to time.
Does any of this make any sense? I couldnt sleep last night after the Rangers lost. I have fuzzhead.
Here is a weird question. Is it sad for a 39 year old man to be so mad about men losing while playing a kids game that he couldnt sleep last night? I kinda feel pathetic but I am hoping for some validation.
Sorry buddy, it's pathetic.
DeleteCool....Kinda what I was afraid of....
DeleteJust remember Obamacare is only a law for the people. The politicians are exempt. Disgusting
ReplyDeleteI don't blame Republicans or Dems; that is like blaming rattlesnakes for biting you. I put the blame squarely on the media. They have failed to put out accurate information with any perspective at all. Have you read that the government has shut down 17 times since 1976? Of course not, they act as if it is a major debacle we never faced before. By the way 6 times each for Carter and Reagan lasting from a single day to two and a half weeks. Did the world collapse? Was there permanent harm done? Of course not.
DeleteIf the Media had done its job on Obamacare, there might have been a good clean program to support the people it was sold to help, the uninsurable with preconditions and the uninsured. But they media failed in their basic duty as journalists, they never asked basic freaking questions, or challenged the idea of having a program of 2300 pages!!!!!!!!! Nope like RW never questioned , just being a Proletariat Guard of this administration. The legacy of this media will be destroyed by history. Failed in their duty, failed to protect the amendment created for them.
Amen anonymous. Well written.
DeleteRW...glad you didn't like the ending of Breaking Bad. It only reinforces to the rest of us that we are right in LOVING it. To compare the finale of the Sopranos to BB is silly. Most of America thought that they had lost their satellite or cable signal when the screen went black. The finale diminished the Sopranos greatly. By the way, your problem isn't that you're getting old, you just continue to drink too much. Time to start acting your age and not your shoe size.
ReplyDeleteDallas Sidekicks went to the playoffs in '89, at least we had that.
ReplyDelete