Whitt's End: DFW Sports Radio Ratings, Dirk's Cards & Mavs Odds

Whether you’re at the end of your coffee, your day, your week or even your rope, welcome to Whitt’s End 4.17.20 ...

*The NBA Playoffs should be starting tomorrow. They’re not, but doesn’t mean you can’t bet on them when – or if – they take place. Under current matchups, the Mavs would face the Clippers in the first round. Dallas is a 3-1 underdog to win that series, 25-1 to win the West and a 50-1 longshot to take the NBA Finals. With wins this season over the Clippers, Nuggets, Lakers and Bucks, seems like a decent investment.

*Not gonna pretend to know who the Dallas Cowboys will select with the 17 overall pick in next week’s NFL Draft. Why? Yes, I know the gang at CowboysSI.com is working hard to gather intel and nailing this down, but ...

Why my position? Because there is not a more unpredictable team in one of sports’ most fickle events. In their 61 years the Cowboys have drafted 732 players, including a basketball player (Pat Riley in ’67), a baseball player (Merv Rettemund in ’65) and a sprinter (Carl Lewis in ’84) that never set foot on a football field. In ’09 they botched an entire 12-pick draft. In ’64, they recovered from a top-pick gaffe to nab three Hall of Famers. Recently they’ve been good (Leighton Vander Esch in ’18) and horrible (Taco Charlton in ’17). Since it’s much easier to look back with hindsight rather than ahead with foresight, my Top 10 best/worst all-time Cowboys’ picks:

BEST

10. Bob Hayes – Hall-of-Fame personnel director Gil Brandt drafted him in the 7th round in ’64 purely for his speed out of Florida A&M, and wound up with a receiver that revolutionized the forward pass and sprinted all the way to Canton.

9. Jason Witten – Third-rounder in ’03 made 11 Pro Bowls, owns franchise records for games played, receptions and receiving yards, and is destined for Hall of Fame after his Oakland detour.

8. Tony Dorsett – You better be right when you trade up to the No. 2 pick and in ’77 the Cowboys certainly were, landing the Rookie of the Year, Super Bowl champ and eventual Hall of Fame running back.

7. Larry Allen – Drafted 46th overall in ’94 out of Division II Sonoma State, he blossomed into one of the one of the most dominating offensive linemen of his era with a Super Bowl, 11 Pro Bowls and a bust in Canton.

6. Zack Martin – It’s not merely that the offensive lineman has made the Pro Bowl in each of his six seasons since being drafted 16th overall in 2014, it’s also that he isn’t Johnny Manziel.

5. Troy Aikman – Seemingly a no-brainer, but several draftniks including ESPN’s Mel Kiper touted Tony Mandarich as No. 1 in ’89.

4. Rayfield Wright – Hall-of-Fame offensive lineman was nabbed in the 7th round (182nd overall) in ’67.

3. Emmitt Smith – Jimmy Johnson desired Baylor linebacker James Francis in ’90, but instead drafted the NFL’s all-time leading rusher 15 spots behind another running back, Blair Thomas.

2. Larry Brown – 12th-round afterthought (320 overall) in ’91 won three Super Bowl rings and was MVP of Super Bowl XXX.

1. Roger Staubach – While Captain America’s four-year Navy commitment scared off most teams in ’64, Dallas gambled, waited and eventually won with a 10th-round pick (129th overall) that begat a Hall of Fame quarterback and the franchise’s first two Super Bowl victories.

WORST

10. David LaFleur – Hand-picked by Troy Aikman to replace Jay Novacek, the 22nd pick in ’97 flopped with only 85 catches in 60 career games.

9. Bobby Carpenter – Drafted 18th overall by Bill Parcells in ’06, he never became a starter in Dallas and was eventually cut.

8. Felix Jones – 22nd overall pick in ’08 scored on a kickoff return in his first game, but never rushed for more than 800 yards in a season.

7. Shante Carver – Defensive end was selected 23rd overall in ’94 (ahead of Larry Allen), but started only 26 games over four seasons.

6. Tody Smith – Southern Cal defensive end was drafted 25th overall in ’71, but produced 0 sacks in 69 games with Cowboys.

5. Bill Thomas – The Boston College runner was taken ahead of Robert Newhouse in ’72, but never scored an NFL touchdown.

4. Morris Claiborne – They traded up to take him at No. 6 in ’12 because of his playmaking skills, which produced only four interceptions in five underwhelming seasons.

3. Kevin Brooks – Forgettable defensive lineman was picked 17th overall in ’85, one spot behind some guy named Jerry Rice.

2. Rod Hill – 25th overall pick in ’82 wasn’t even good enough to flop, never starting a game in a Cowboys uniform.

1. Scott Appleton – University of Texas Outland Trophy winner was taken 4th overall in ’64 and simultaneously traded to the Steelers for receiver Buddy Dial, who scored only two TDs for Cowboys. Appleton signed with the AFL’s Houston Oilers.

*Not surprisingly, COVID-19 pulling the plug on sports has put a dent in DFW sports talk radio. In March’s ratings, The Ticket maintained its slim lead on The Fan, albeit with smaller numbers for both across the board.

March’s ratings period (Feb. 27-March 25) featured two weeks sans sports. Fewer games to talk about; Less listeners tuning in. Makes sense. The effect? In March M-F 6a-7p, The Ticket beat The Fan, 3.8-3.6. In February, its lead was 4.9-4.8. Losing a full rating point in radio is monstrous.

Where are the sports listeners going? For one, back to the ’80s. Over at 98.7 KLUV, my ol’ friend Sybil Summers is spinnin’ REO Speedwagon and Bryan Adams and … swamping the sports talkers. Her afternoon rating: 4.7, a full point more than The Ticket and The Fan.

MARCH RATINGS

Overall: Ticket 3.8, Fan 3.6

Mornings: Ticket 3.5, Fan 3.3

Middays: Fan 4.0, Ticket 3.7

Afternoons: Ticket 3.7, Fan 3.3

*Day 37 without sports … Caddyshack II. Police Academy 7. Dumb and Dumberer. Jason Witten 2.0. You know, sequels suck. But we’ve fallen down the stairs into a new basement with Tiger King: Episode 8.

They should call the episode “No Exotic.” No Joe. No Carole. Just Andy Cohen (played by Joel McHale) doing a bunch of social-distance interviews with the supporting cast. Hard pass. It’s like watching a Cowboys-Steelers Super Bowl – without quarterbacks.

*Good news: Dallas Mavericks owner and leading pandemic response thought leader Mark Cuban is part of America’s blue-ribbon panel planning ways to re-open the country and its sports. Bad news: There still isn’t a road map on when we’ll see his – or any other – basketball team.

“No clue,” Cuban told a Chicago radio station Wednesday when asked about the NBA’s return. “And the dumbest thing you can do is put a date on it. Because you just don’t know.”

Cuban’s takeaway from the committee’s introductory call? That when the games do resume, they’ll be played without fans.

“The science is going to have to lead the way,” he said. “When we do re-open as a society, I think we’ll be a lot more understanding. I think we’ll be much more compassionate.”

Shortly after President Trump named Cuban to his "Re-Open America'' panel, the Mavs owner visited and reacted with our Mike Fisher. That story is here.

*The Burning Man festival that takes place in the middle of a Nevada desert each August is canceled in 2020 because organizers reason that “grouping 80,000 people together at this time seems irresponsible and dangerous.” Reiterates that we’re being irrationally optimistic at sold out sports stadiums any time soon.

*Just when we thought Tony Romo and Jason Witten were being irresponsible for going to Cabo during their 2007 playoff bye week, Dak Prescott hosted some sort of party at his Frisco home during a global pandemic quarantine. Dak spun out a statement and Cowboys’ COO Stephen Jones said “you won’t be seeing that anymore,” but no doubt the quarterback’s previously pristine image is absorbing a PR hit this offseason.

Not signing the Cowboys’ offer to make him the highest-paid player in franchise history. Potentially skipping the team’s virtual off-season program. And ignoring obvious health risks to himself and countless others by hosting folks at his house. Already a polarizing figure among Cowboys fans, Dak’s digging the lines even deeper.

*Day 38 without sports … If this is our new reality, we should’ve taken the blue pill. Right, Morpheus?

*Don’t look now, but we’ve survived a calendar year without Dirk Nowitzki. So what is the 41-year-old icon doing during lockdown? Playing UNO, of course. As part of something called the Logged In Festival, Dirk will attempt to get rid of his cards in Dallas with childhood friends and former German basketball teammates spread around the world – Robert Garrett (Hawaii), Demond Greene (Munich, Germany) and Marvin Willoughby (Lower Saxony, Germany).

“This sure feels like a trip to the past,” Dirk says. “In the late 90s, Robert, Marvin, Demond and I were the wild ones in Würzburg. Twenty years later we’re connecting to play cards.”

*Day 39 without sports … One way to solve America’s school shooting problem? Close schools. March was our first month without one since December of 2002.

*Curious that the AT&T Byron Nelson is moving north to TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney. I guess I assumed the event would nestle in at the new PGA Frisco development at the Tollway/380. If that course is good enough for future PGA Championships and a Ryder Cup, why not the Byron?

*Day 40 without sports … Go in your house, close the door and don’t come out for a month. No human contact. No paycheck. Difficult as this is, imagine if the world didn’t stop on March 11 but rather … December 11. No holiday parties. No Christmas shopping. No Christmas. No New Year’s Eve. No family. And too cold for even a stress-relieving walk in the park.

See, it could indeed be worse.

*Hot.

*Not.

*Mavs coach Rick Carlisle is spending his involuntary downtime watching old playoff games and brushing up on his legit piano skills. His unique take on COVID-19’s effect: “In some ways, maybe it's the best thing that could've happened to us as a league and as a country,'' Carlisle said this week on 105.3 The Fan. “Things got very real very quickly. That night (March 11 after his team beat the Nuggets), Adam Silver took the lead and suspended our season indefinitely. Had we continued to play another game or two, the way this thing ended up, the world could be pointed in a different place right now. So, some things maybe turn out to be a blessing.”

*It was seven years ago this week – April 15, 2013 – that RAGE was fired from 105.3 The Fan. Time flies when you’re … having fun? For the record, I blame this ridiculous TV ad for our demise.

*Day 41 without sports … I own nine pairs of shoes. During shelter-in-place, I’ve worn only one. The other eight are likely convinced I’ve died.

*I miss my man Eddie Gossage. Can’t say the same, however, for NASCAR. The Texas Motor Speedway president surely cringed this week when driver Kyle Larson used the N-word – yep, that one – during a virtual racing event. The 27-year-old was first appropriately dropped by sponsors McDonald’s and Credit One Bank, then fired by his team. When racing resumes, somewhere in a campground draped with Confederates flags there will be NASCAR fans vehemently supporting Larson.

*Where do I get my passion for writing about sports? Let’s go back to Sept. 6, 1966. On that day, Dad’s letter was featured in a column by the legendary Blackie Sherrod in the old Dallas Times Herald. He whined about the officiating in a recent Cowboys’ loss to the Eagles, but also was rational enough to get Blackie to admit, “guilty.”

In 1966, the legendary Blackie Sherrod featured Dad’s letter about @dallascowboys⁩ in the old Dallas Times Herald. I was only 2, but no doubt writing about sports was in my DNA. pic.twitter.com/UvFRpnvigq
— Richie Whitt (@richiewhitt) April 15, 2020

I was only 2 – and professionally Dad was half-banker, half-artist – but my DNA was nonetheless set in motion. So please, direct all complaints and criticism Dad’s way.

*Day 42 without sports … I appreciate the low, low, ridiculously low gas prices. But isn’t it time to round up and stop charging us $1.44 for 9/10 of a gallon? I’m sure it has something to do with taxes back in the day, but it’s just silly.

*Main fallout from the XFL ceasing operations and filing for bankruptcy: What now of Globe Life Park? Sounds like it will host soccer, high school football and Six Flags employees. But so much for that $10 million renovation to host the XFL’s Renegades.

*Day 43 without sports … On February 11 I could barely breathe. I mean, every inhale was a shallow panic and each exhale a wheezy struggle. After a sleepless night I went to the doctor and, sure enough, “flu,” she said. No fever. No aches. But breathing machine treatments and inhalers and pills, the works. For the last month, girlfriend has teased me, “You were patient zero!” Naw … or she is on to something?

*This happened too quietly, but kudos to Texas Rangers’ executives for taking a 20-percent pay cut to blunt the possibility of layoffs within their organization. Every little bit helps.

*The media’s version of chicken-or-egg is credibility-or-competence. Doesn’t matter which comes first, but you’ve got to have them both.

*Someday, COVID-19 will become Smallpox. As in, nothing more than an ugly, distant memory. Lotta talk about re-opening our economy and our country and our cities, but when will it actually be safe to resume “normal”? When there is a vaccine for COVID-19, that’s when.

With our lockdown measures, we’re merely hiding from the disease. With a vaccine, we can confront it and even eradicate it. Like we did with Smallpox. With an alarming mortality rate of 30 percent (COVID-19’s is less than 5 percent) Smallpox killed 400,000 people per year in the 18th century. With a vaccine developed in 1796, it was eventually wiped off the face of the Earth in 1980. So, a little patience, folks. Maybe a lot.

*Day 44 without sports … Sports shut down on March 11. Every day since feels like March 12.

*My greatest DFW sports team ever: One of the Cowboys’ Super Bowl champs? 2011 Mavs? 1999 Stars? SMU’s 1982 “Pony Express”? Or – spoiler alert – a high-school surprise?

*This Weekend? Hell if I know. Really itchin’ to find a tennis court and hit some but … rules are rules. As always, don’t be a stranger.