Ace in the Hole: Rangers Out of West Cellar
WHITT’S END: 5.27.22
Whether you’re at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt’s End …
*Good News: Your Texas Rangers are out of the cellar in the AL West, moving ahead of the Seattle Mariners and Oakland A’s after a decent stretch of baseball powered by the hitting Mitch Garver and Kole Calhoun and the Cy Young-esque pitching of Martin Perez.
Bad news: No, second baseman Marcus Semien still hasn’t homered. That’s zero home runs through 42 games and 182 plate appearances.
Again, dude hit 45 last year. Forty. Five.
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*In the end, the Dallas Mavericks were great. But not good enough. No shame in losing to the Golden State Warriors, who are headed to their sixth NBA Finals in eight years. During their overachieving playoff run, the Mavs won in Salt Lake City for the first time in 11 years and broke a nine-game losing streak in Phoenix. They couldn't, however, win one game in San Francisco.
“In our past,” coach Jason Kidd said, “we'd be on our second vacation by now.” Amen. This season was a smashing success.
*Without Amari COOper or Daryl “MOOse” Johnston, what are (lazy) Cowboys fans to do about their confusing passion for making that simpleton “ooooo” sound? Only possibilities: COOper Rush or Ben DiNOOci? Rookie tight end Jake Ferguson doesn’t fit, but he is going to wear Moose’s old number.
*I cannot wait for robot umpires.
*Deebo and Dak spotted at a Mavs-Warriors playoff game, but is Samuel to the Cowboys a real thing? Nah. At least for now.
*Dallas police officers. A Walmart in El Paso. A church in Sutherland Springs. And, this week, an elementary school in Uvalde. In the wake of another mass shooting carried out by an AR-15 assault weapon, I’m dumbfounded and disgusted by the stubborn “Don’t Mess With Texas” gun advocates who are against any and all legislation at merely making these events less likely.
Should we take away all guns? No. Of course not. Even with savvy gun reform, will bad people still do bad things? Yup. But it just feels criminal – inhumane – to continue to do nothing but grow numb to innocent Texans being slaughtered by bevy of bullets.
The AR-15 is the No. 1 weapon of choice for mass murderers. Making them more difficult to obtain just feels like a small step in the right direction.
Saw Gov. Greg Abbott respond to the shooting by saying “now is the not the time for new laws.”
If not now, when?
In 1996 a gunman entered Dunblane Primary School in Scotland and killed 16 children and a teacher. The U.K. government immediately responded with stringent gun laws including a detailed application that includes multiple hurdles to clear before legally owning a gun. The result: In the last 26 years there have been zero school shootings in the U.K., and London police don’t even carry guns. Including Uvalde, there have been 19 school shootings in the U.S. … this year. Because of guns, America’s “hopes and dreams” have deteriorated into “thoughts and prayers.”
Here’s hoping we’re smart enough – desperate enough – to find common ground on a problem that affects all Americans, and Texans.
*Hot.
*Not.
*Wanna feel like you’ve been inside The Star at Cowboys OTAs all week? Here’s 20 tidbits that will impress friends and influence family.
*Two developments I did NOT see coming: Former Mavs center DeSagana Diop being a head coach (in the G League for the New York Knicks) or former Longhorns Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams changing his name (to “Errick Miron”). Here’s hoping the name switch works out better than “Chris Gaines” did for Garth Brooks.
*Once upon a time in a marriage, I used to wear Crocs before Sybil shamed me. But now the ultra-comfy and functional shoes are in style, with a vengeance. So cool that when I picked up my Big Brothers Big Sisters lil bro’ Ja from high school last week he was wearing them. Red ones, no less.
*Want to drown your Mavs sorrows by piggin’ out on the food of choice of Luka Doncic and Boban Marjanovic? Head to Eddie’s EuroMart in northeast Dallas. I hear their Balkan “Bananica” is to die for.
*Friendly reminder for when you kick off Summer this weekend: Memorial Day is a federal holiday mourning U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the armed forces. As opposed to Veterans Day – celebrated this year on November 11 – which honors all those who have served or are serving in the military.
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*This Weekend? Friday let’s spend the day with Dad at Colonial. Saturday let’s play some tennis before hanging by the pool. Sunday let’s take a bike ride around White Rock Lake and up to Flagpole Hill. Monday Memorial Day let’s do the Murph (1-mile run, 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, 1-mile run). Tuesday let’s rest, shall we?
As always, don’t be a stranger.
