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.
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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.
Totally off subject, but something to ponder....Noticed during last weeks Cowboys-Skins game that RG III was the ONLY player wearing anything pink (breast cancer awareness) during the game. During the Cowboys-Eagles game, noticed several players wearing the gloves, shoes, towels etc. Last night during the Broncos-Colts game, again noticed NONE of the players wearing anything pink. The only thing in common? Games broadcast by NBC. Does the peacock network hate breast cancer awareness? Just wondering
ReplyDeleteQuit ending sentences with ",right?" it's really, really annoying.
ReplyDeleteI know, right?
DeleteSay what you want, but the Cowboys' salary cap situation IS a big deal and will severely hamper this teams chances going forward. It also makes the decision to cut Ratliff all the more puzzling. You're paying him anyway.....why not keep him and hope you can at least get something from him on the field eventually or something in trade, even if it's a late round pick. As it stands, Dallas is pretty much must view this as Super Bowl or bust this year because starting next season they are in trouble.
ReplyDeleteThe salary cap disaster is just another reflection on the worst general manager in the history of the NFL......and that includes Al Davis.
Amen to that one.... Jones is a great owner, but easily the worst GM in the NFL....and that is what is so maddening to Cowboys fans. The ower will not fire the GM...and because of that dynamic, it screws up the Cowboys from the top down.
DeleteDave
Possible Jerry views this as a wash to 10M cap hit from Roy Williams that expires this year. Jerry and co should be blasted for the contracts he offers and not for ridding himself of a malcontent.
DeleteRead Mike Fisher's column and relax. You so called fans would be dead from coronaries if you lived in Jacksonville.
Deletehttp://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/10/21/is-alleged-cowboys-2014-cap-is-going-to-be-a-train-wreck/
Lol. The worst in NFL history ? He has THREE SUPER BOWL wins !!! He should fire himself for sure. But the WORST ? No sir !! 90 % of all NFL gms would take his record. Even the current 18 years drought.
DeleteHis 3 wins had more to with Jimmy Johnson PERIOD. Jimmy Johnson assembled the team that won 3 SB's not Jerry Jones....all he has done since then is fumble and stumble his way through unmerited contracts and ill-advised trades and draft picks. And if you think otherwise, you don't know shit.
DeleteDave
I think the offense is doing fine without Garrett as the play caller...he has yet to make a clock management error as well...so maybe him not calling plays allows him to focus on game and clock management.
DeleteAs for Romo, I think he is just fine. The defense has been a little inconsistent, but considering who they have been throwing out there, I say they are over-achieving. Let's just hope nothing happens to Sean Lee.
We will see next week as the defense goes up against Matt Stafford and his favorite target Megatron.....(hopefully Romo has fogotten about the last time they played Detroit).....
Dave
Come on Richie. You and Brad Barton do a political show....Please....Pretty Please.
ReplyDeleteRichie, your comment about The Fifth Estate might fit your preconceived notions of how America works, but it hardly reflects reality. Americans didn't flock to The Fifth Estate because it's not good. The critical reviews were largely negative, and Julian Assange himself didn't support the film.
ReplyDeleteMichael Moore's films tend to take a negative view of America, and yet his documentaries are among the highest grossing of all time. That sort of messes up your theory. That same theory would also have a hard time explaining how George Clooney's film in its third week thrashed Arnold Schwarzenegger's film in its first week. I think we know where the average American ranks Arnold and Clooney on their list of real Americans (yes, there is some irony there).
The Fifth Estate was poorly reviewed. And if you, someone with poor taste in movies, thought it was average, then it must be horrible.
ReplyDeleteAlso The Salary cap stuff happens every season, I'm sure Romo, Carr, Ware, etc will take pay cuts, and once they are past their prime will be tossed to the curb.
Do you guys really think Jerry is worried about the salary cap???
ReplyDeleteC'mon mediocrity has made Jerry millions (billions?)!!!! He has no financial incentive to put a SB team together.
I agree that Jerry is not motivated by money....his ego however is motivated by attention....and the Cowboys winning a SB is the ultimate attention. Unfortunately for Jerry's ego, Jerry the GM keeps making stupid contract and draft decisions that keep thwarting what his ego so desires.
DeleteDave
I’ve heard Jerry give this quote by the late great Tex Schramm multiple times –
ReplyDeleteThe Tex quote goes something like – “the NFL would be great if we didn’t have to play games”.
I’m afraid Jerry has bought into this and his ego only pushes him to make more money!
I assume that you were referring to Larry King as the habitual choker :)
ReplyDeleteIf your sales gal does not produce I gurantee you that Sybil could kill it in sales. Just a thought...
ReplyDeleteI am waiting for the one analyst that predicted that Peyton Manning would devastate the Colts after Jim Irsay's tweets to stand up and say "damn I'm an idiot." Maybe Irsay was correct.
ReplyDeleteThe Ticket moving to 96.7 may just indeed put the final nail in the Fan's coffin. I never listened to the Ticket in my car b/c I could never pick up the signal, so I would listen to the Fan. Today, I never even turned it away to the Fan. Even changed my number 1 preset to 96.7. Sorry Fan, thanks for playing.
ReplyDeleteP.S. New School really is a good show and I think more people would listen if it didn't go head to head against the Musers. It's unfortunate.
Anon 2:52, Jerry was not the GM that assembled that team of the early/mid '90s, Jimmy was. Since GM Jerry has been in charge....well, you know the story. Worst. GM. Ever. Period.
ReplyDeleteAnon 6:20 I believe fans of the Detroit Lions would think Matt Millen was much, much worse.
DeleteMaybe.....however Millen was fired after half a dozen seasons or so. Jerry is going on 20 years and is still running the good ship medicrity. See my point?
DeleteBring back Galloway! Hardline sucks!
ReplyDeleteThe next time I go to one of those big name seminars that isn't an ass-whipping it will be the first. The only reason I have ever attended one is because some pencil pusher/pixel whacker decided 'we' needed it. Despise them with every fiber in my being. I don't mind seminars on some subjects, like the great Juniper Symposium of 97, but get a bunch of big name blowhards up there telling the hostages how to lead and succeed and I am looking for the first opportunity to high tail it.
ReplyDeleteSince my hopes and expectations for the Cowboys hover around mediocre maybe salary cap hell will mean they, meaning Jerry, will have to strip it down to the bare bones and maybe just maybe we get a high draft pick because we stink horribly for a year. Dollar says he figures out how to kick the can down the road again though.
I heard an apocryphal tale that while serving in WW2 Bum charged on the beach, somewhere in the Pacific, with a guitar on his back along with the rest of the requisite gear. It might not be true but it added to the legend of the man in my mind. I have no idea if it has any credibility at all.