Whether you're at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt's End:
*Because the NFL is serious about safety, the Cowboys tomorrow will wear their road blue jerseys at home for the first time since 1964. Teams can wear throwback uniforms, but they must use their regular - "broken in " - helmets. When the Packers and Bears wore their oldies-but-goodies earlier this year they simply stripped the logos off their existing helmets. The Cowboys' traditional Thanksgiving throwbacks featured a white helmet. No go. Last time the Cowboys wore their road blues at home, I was 1 and the game was played at the Cotton Bowl.
*The Lakers are just flat-out stupid to overpay Kobe Bryant. And the Hall of Famer is selfish for taking it. Every Republican should go out today and buy a Kobe Fathead poster, because he's cemented his legacy as me-over-team. Would he sign a cheaper contract in order to help his fellow man, otherwise known as his teammates? Negatory. The Lakers took their financial freedom from the departure of Dwight Howard and dumped it all on Kobe, as a reward for past performance. He's 35. He's coming off an Achilles injury. He's eating up 40% of their payroll. Think about it. At 36 Tim Duncan signed a three-year extension for $30 million. Kobe just signed for two years and ... $48 million. Who in their right mind would accept a lower salary in order to help his team sign better players to put around him? Duncan, Tom Brady, Dirk Nowitzki and, yes, even LeBron James, who could've made more money to stay in Cleveland. Kobe is a Laker for life. But it's going to a crappy, mediocre life.
*I'm saying last Sunday's victory over the Giants was one of Jason Garrett's Top 5 road wins. Is it No. 1? I rank 'em over at
NBC 5's Blue Star Blog.
*If I had a Heisman Trophy vote, I'd cast it for Northern Illinois' quarterback Jordan Lynch. He rushed for 321 yards and three touchdowns in the snow last night, giving him the milestone 20/20 season. 20 scores via arm and 20 more via legs. He's the best, most valuable player in college football. He's got more rushing yards than Alabama running back Mark Ingram had when he won the Heisman in '09. Other recent players to have 20/20 seasons all won the award - Cam Newton, Tim Tebow and Johnny Manziel. But no, sadly, I don't think he has a legit shot because Heisman voters are traditionally a stuffy, narrow-minded lot afraid to t think outside the box.
*Bora Bora in six weeks sounds delightful, but I also dream one day of standing on the north pole. Temperatures in the spring hover around minus-40 and there is nothing - no, not even polar bears - that can live in the desolate climate. The reward? When standing at the "pole" every step you take, regardless of direction, is south. And if you walk in a 5-foot circle, you've traveled through every time zone on Earth. How many folks can put that on their resume?
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*I hate to be a stickler for, well,
facts, but everyone's going gaga over John Wall's "360!" dunk last night. Nope, sorry. To be a true "360" dunk, at his launch his feet have to be parallel and his chest must be directly facing the basket. He cheats a little upon launch. Check his feet. And look at his shoulder turn. In fact, by the time his feet actually leave the ground his back is to the hoop. Impressive? Absolutely. A 360 dunk? Nope. Let's credit him with a 290.
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Mavs in general and Samuel Dalembert in specific sleepwalked during their loss to Nuggets. was it a wake-up call? We'll see tonight vs. the most exciting young team in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors.
*White Truck Wednesday: Saw another police chase on TV last night, perfectly crafted for the 6 o'clock news. Of course, despite driving through yards and hopping medians and evading cops for an hour with a series of U-turns and dangerous driving,
22-year-old Charles Ziebolz didn't get away. They never get away. Don't they have TVs? In a sorta-related story, man hits and kills a woman, then drives away in a ...
White Truck.
*People are jumping on DeMarco Murray for running out of bounds last week rather than taking on a tackler and gaining an extra yard or two. Given his injury history, I don't blame him. Durability has to be a part of a running back's skill set. Murray will play tomorrow vs. the Raiders. In other words, his strategy worked. And folks like to conveniently forget this, but another Cowboys' back who consistently ran out of bounds to avoid unnecessary contact was a guy named ... Emmitt Smith. Worked out for him okay I'd say.
*Somewhere I'll never set foot in: The new Frisco Gun Club. 36 handgun lanes. 4 100-yard rifle lanes. But it's not the guns that'll keep me out, it's the green. VIP initiation: $7,500. Ouch. For that amount last year I helped a local kid get his dream-come-true through Make-a-Wish. But, whatever,
shoot suit yourself.
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*This is why it's still not safe to trust Dez Bryant, and why I still refer to him as "immature." Last year he was taken off punt returns because of his lack of ball security. Last week he was chided by his head coach and his owner for again being careless with the ball and fumbling after a catch against the Giants. His response? "I think my ball security, in my honest opinion, has been fine," Bryant said at Valley Ranch Tuesday. "It was just that kind of game to where you have to be a little bit more prepared focusing on what kind of difficulties it will be in the cold weather handling the ball." What. The. What?! Did he just blame the cold for his fumble? In 54 games, Dez has 12 fumbles. In 102 games, Calvin Johnson has 13. No, Dez, your ball security is not "fine."
*Sybil is a freak for NBC's
The Voice, which means, of course, from time to time I find myself watching NBC's
The Voice. It's a decent show with some real talent, but when they bring out all 8 finalists for a group number the singers' individual greatness gets diluted, if not altogether muted. Nothing you can't see and hear every Sunday morning at Grapevine's Fellowship Church.
*I've said it before, and echo it today: Winning in sports is more a product of luck and randomness than we'll ever dare admit. Case in point: Joe Flacco. The Ravens entered last year's playoffs having lost four of five games. Then, out of nowhere, the quarterback throws 11 touchdowns, 0 interceptions and wins a Super Bowl. Just like that, he's elite. He's a clutch performer. He's rewarded with a huge contract. But did he really permanently elevate himself over quarterbacks like Tony Romo? Or did he merely have a good streak at a great time? This season points to the latter, as Flacco has thrown as many interceptions as touchdowns (14) and is the 50th-rated passer in the NFL. Flacco had an elite run and is a permanent member of an elite club. But Flacco is not an elite quarterback. With one game with my life on the line, give me Romo over Flacco. You?
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I'm No. 1 514! At least, according to Twitter followers in Dallas/Fort Worth. Man, five years rambling on Twitter has flown past.
*What am I thankful for? Healthy family. Fantastic fiancee. Multiple jobs. And, of course, loyal readers. Thank you guys!
*Today? Launching myself in the middle of holiday traffic as I head to Johnson County for a little pre-Thanksgiving turkey with the family. Don't be a stranger.
So you really care about how many tweeter followers you have and where you rank in DFW?????? Talk about an inflated ego. Well congrats I guess.
ReplyDeleteUmmmmm.....Sorry to break this to you but I really believe Richie had is tongue firmly implanted in his cheek here.
DeleteYes, thanks MD, of course I did. Who would really crow about being ranked 514th in anything?
DeleteJust because Dez Bryant is prone to fumbling the ball, doesn't mean he's immature. Having some flaw in your game, does not equate to being a bad person. What short-sighted and lazy analysis.
ReplyDeleteIt's not the flaw in his game. It's the refusal to concede the flaw in his game.
DeleteWhat does he have to concede? I'm sure nobody, including Jason Garrett feels worse or angrier about a miscue than he does. It's a matter of trying to improve, and be better, as cliche as that may seem.
DeleteAsk his mother if he's immature... if Dez isn't around. Wouldn't want to be an accessory to domestic abuse.
DeleteYes his mother who has been documented to have a drug problem going back a number of years. Guess what happens when people have addictions...their tend to be explosive confrontations. And while Dez has had mishaps, it may have to do to his difficult upbringing an/or his age. The dude is barely 25.
DeleteAnd again fumbling the ball is not a character flaw as Richie "Lazy Analysis" Whitt points out.
Nope, fumbling is not a character flaw. But as a couple who get it have pointed out, a refusal to admit to fumbling or even address fumbling is a sign of immaturity. Furthermore, I'd counter that "Dez is a beast!" is a tad lazy.
Delete"I think my ball security, in my honest opinion, has been fine," Dez Bryant.
DeleteI would call that failing to concede, and it doesn't sound like he's as torn up about his problem as Jason Garrett is.
First of all, a little thanksgiving is due. Thanks for your work in print and in radio all these years, Richie. That doesn't mean I like you though.
ReplyDeleteAgreed on DeMarco Murray running out of bounds. The guy has established himself as a hard runner. We don't need to see him slam into every defender for an extra yard. That's how Marion Barber III ended up out of the league after a very short peak.
I also agree about Kobe Bryant, one of the most selfish players I've ever seen. A lot of people seem to forget the year he tanked a playoff series against the Phoenix Suns after being up 3-1, just to prove that his teammates needed him. Or that he couldn't get along with Shaquille O'Neal well enough to win more championships together.
Richie, you may not be enough of a music nerd for this, but you should give The Sing Off a try. For me, it's a much more fulfilling show than The Voice or American Idol. The a cappella community isn't very large, and these folks have real talent. The show has almost no manufactured drama. This season starts December 9th on NBC. I'm familiar with a couple of groups this year: Home Free and Voiceplay. The winner from the previous season, Pentatonix, is from the Arlington area and has nearly stepped outside the genre into the mainstream.
Later. Enjoy hanging out at your Thanksgiving party with other Christian swingers.
Weirdest Thanksgiving salutation I've ever received. But thanks!
DeleteI'm thankful that my girlfriend is finally over food poisoning and home from the hospital after eating Pizza Buzz last week.
ReplyDeletePizza Buzz = explosive diarrhea
DeleteRiiiiiiiiiight......and I'm sure you have all the proper documentation to back this up, right?
DeleteI had a clogged up American Standard with shit spray all over it as well as a current plumbers bill. So yes you could say I have documentation.
DeleteLooks like someone got to use mom's computer again. What troll alias are you using on Twitter today?
DeleteBoom! Rosted!
DeleteTotally believable, because - like anyone would - I'm sure you called Pizza Buzz to 1) Complain; 2) Notify us of what got you sick to prevent others from following suit. Wait, you didn't? Well that's weird.
DeleteYou'll be hearing from my attorney soon. That won't be weird.
DeleteStill waiting for the November Radio Ratings comments RW...
ReplyDeleteHe posts the ratings the first week of every month.
DeleteSome Anon is paying attention.
DeleteGot it.
ReplyDeleteKobe = Evil Republican
Duncan = Virtuous Democrat.
Richie, I think I am with you. Except, to be a real world Democrat, Duncan would have taken Kobe-type money and made every other teammate and management give up compensation for the greater good. There, now things are set up the way real life works in America.
Good to see you buy into and believe false stereotypes.
DeleteKobe/Republicans - may very well be the silliest thing I've seen you write.
ReplyDeleteNorth Pole - good luck with all that, dawg. Let me know how it was. I'm a warm weather boy myself.
Frisco Gun Club - for the amount you spent at the fetish ball, I helped the local SPCA. I'm not a gun guy, but everyone has their hobbies and charities dude. Just because you have a different preference, doesn't make yours any more righteous than theirs.
So is there any comparison to be made between Kobe's contract and Romo's? And might Romo's be worse, as the NFL has a hard cap? Of course, better to blame the GM/owner for offering those contracts in the first place.
ReplyDeleteSpecifically, what's wrong with Romo's contract?
DeleteLet's get off the notion the just because a person can sing or has a good voice, that they have talent. I could go to any baptist church in the metroplex on a Sunday morning and find anywhere from 1 to 5 young people aged 17-24 who have amazing voices.
ReplyDeleteThese stupid shows like the Sing Off or The Voice or American Idol are just sad. They are targeted at this "participation trophy" generation, who SO longs for affirmation and acceptance.
Real musical talent is the ability to "create". That is the ability to compose lyrics and music together into something that can move the soul, or challenge the mind.
Look at some of the most famous and accomplished musicians. Most of them had what we might call "terrible" voices at best. Mick Jagger, Robert Plant, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham are just some examples.
Chris Martin of Coldplay doesn't have a very strong voice, yet whether you like them or not, he and his band write their own music and lyrics. Their music is original and fresh at least.
Take Rihanna. Yes, she's smoking hot. Yes, she's got a great voice. But she is nothing more than a slick, packaged record company creation. She has an army of writers and producers behind her that actually churn out her hits. She is just a face. A damn good one at that, but just a face.
What's happened to music in this country? It is a sad joke. It's all about who can act like the biggest whore, and get the most buzz on twitter. Pathetic.
The Sing Off? Isn't that the show that Andy Bernard tried out for at the end of The Office?
ReplyDeletesince it's Thanksgiving again I would like to say thanks to Richie for the Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins ticket last year. at the time it sucked that the Cowboys lost but in retrospect it seems that I witnessed probably the greatest nfl game rg3 will ever play. Thanks again RW. Happy Turkey Day to you & sexy sidekick Sybil! R.I.P RAGE!
ReplyDeleteDaniel
I've actually enjoyed reading your blog, but this constant R vs. D and gun bullshit has this reader at the max. Your arrogance proclaiming the Democratic party to be the end-all-be-all is vomitous. And I'm sure FGC members can breathe easy now knowing you won't be "gracing" their doorstep with his eminence. Some ego dude.
ReplyDeleteRest assured the bookmark is gone. Can't wait to show all the FGC members who supports your political hogwash. Should increase sales for everyone here. I'll let them know you own Pizza Buzz too. Should go over swimmingly.
Enjoy your polorization. That should make for a broad readership...much like a radio show huh?
HOW DARE SOMEBODY HAVE AN OPINION THAT DIFFERS FROM YOURS.
DeleteOh, it's polarization.
Have to agree with 6:47 here.....RW's continued adolescent and totally misinformed political bullshit and continued insults have worn thin. It's one thing to make a sane rational argument from an informed perspective, but quite another to log on and have your intelligence insulted by a 50 year old political neophyte with an earring, fake tan, a serious case of the small-man complex and hair plugs. And rest assured that there are plenty of conservatives, Republicans, hunters, gun owners, 2nd Amendment defenders and otherwise "right-wingers" who live in the delivery area of the new pizza joint who are well aware of Richie's political rants as well as his affiliation with the new pizza startup. They won't be ordering and the word is spreading.
DeleteFirst rule of business......don't insult the clientele. It's bad for business. Your partner should kick your ass.
I would place RW's political opinions right in the Time Magazine spectrum. Like Time, RW opines with a certain "stage 1" thinking, unreflective, filled with misconceptions and prejudices. He opines with immaturity of a high school freshman. He lacks intellectual humility, intellectual integrity, and intellectual perseverance, No big deal there is a market for that writing and opinion. It is not a giant leap to equate RW's political observations with those of Time Magazine readers. And look at whom they, the readers, of Time Magazine are selecting for "Person of the Year" ....Miley Cyrus.
DeleteAs for your comment about Kobe . . so now it's somehow wrong for someone to try to maximize their income for themselves and their families? And if someone does that, it somehow makes him a Republican? What the hell kind of logic is that?? And unless you have access to all of Kobe's financial records, how do you know how much of his money he shares with others, with charities, etc? The mind and logic of the political liberal never ceases to amaze me.
ReplyDeleteHot = Sybil in her undies putting a turkey in the oven....you owe it to your fans to give us that pic you bleeding heart libtard lol
ReplyDeleteThe day I find a altruistic and charitable politician, Democrat or Republican, is the day I'll flap my arms and fly to the moon accompanied by The Tooth Fairy. It ain't gonna happen. If they do something for charity rest assured they don't pull from their pockets but expect the citizens of this country to fund it.
ReplyDeleteRichie proving, once again, that liberals are the most judgmental people on Earth. To be sure, Social Conservatives aren't far behind.
ReplyDeleteAnd in case you're wondering, I'm a "Live and let live" libertarian who also believes government should get out of the business of marriage and let loving couples marry who they want to marry.
I also don't have any issues with how people like to spend their own money. If you want to donate it, or your time, to an animal shelter, good for you. But don't act all damn high and mighty over somebody else who wants to spur the economy by spending it on a VIP membership at a gun club...that also employs people.