I Missed Mad Men for This?

Last week, Mad Men left us wanting more. Peggy and Don pulled an “all-nighter,” where we learned several sordid details about the partners of Sterling-Cooper, relived the 1964 Cassius Clay-Sonny  Liston fight, and even featured a dash of the paranormal. It continued a fascinating season of the greatest show currently on television and loyal viewers could not wait for last night to see what the next episode might bring.

Unfortunately, my allegiance to the Dallas Cowboys runs so deep that I refuse to miss their games for anything, even Mad Men, and I chose to record Mad Men and watch the Cowboys/Redskins game live.

The Dallas Cowboys exist as a collection of moderately talented NFL players. They lack the leadership, discipline and cohesiveness to be considered a true “team.” From the uninspired play calling, to the costly mental mistakes, the Cowboys played with an intense lack of focus and general apathy towards winning.

Games like last night,  remind us why former Cowboys greats continue to disparage this team. Sure, we saw flashes of what might be–the potential threat of three running backs, a stingy defense, the emergence of a wide-receiver that might be worthy of #88 someday, even Roy Williams almost redeemed himself–but the Cowboys remain a collection of individuals desperately seeking a leader.

My devotion to the star borders on something obsessive. I realize that my emotional connection with the team prevents me from rationally evaluating the team. As such, I have taken a vow of silence in regards to the Cowboys for the upcoming season. However, last night, I had the opportunity to engage in something smart, sophisticated and witty. Instead, I chose to watch a hackneyed act of futility. At the end of the night, all I could think was, “I missed Mad Men for this?”

The Continuing Story of Dugout Ron

The theater of the absurd surrounding the Ron Washington’s ride on the “white horse,” continues to evolve into one of the strangest, most wheels-off sports story, in the history of Dallas, which considering the Dallas Cowboys, says a lot.

Randy Galloway, a favorite target of Geoausch.Com, wrote a piece for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram this morning alleging a blackmail scheme, on the part of a disgruntled Rangers’ employee, brought this festering pustule to a head. While I may not agree with everything Galloway writes, I do acknowledge that of all the Dallas/Fort Worth media members, his connections in the Rangers’ organization are the deepest.  I tend to believe what I read in his column and have no doubt that the Rangers would have never spoken a word of this incident had Sports Illustrated not obtained the leaked information.

According to Galloway, some of this former employee’s demands were met; however, the officials inside the organization refused to write the employee in question a letter of recommendation.  In other words, team officials were afraid their integrity would be tarnished if they fudged on a letter extolling this guy’s (or gal’s) worth as employee, but didn’t think twice about the reputation of the club being ran by a junkie manager.

Yes, I called the man a junkie, because Ron Washington’s drug history goes far beyond this one little bump.  Anthony Andro, writing for the Rangers blog on the Dallas Morning News’ website, reports that Washington admitted to using “amphetamines” and “marijuana” during his playing days. It was the 1970′s and everyone was using “bennies” and smoking grass, but it makes Washington’s statement yesterday-that he only used coke once-even that much more unbelievable.

While I’ve never had the desire to snort anything up my nose, I have been around cocaine and have had several friends fall victim to the drug’s addictive agents.  One thing I know about the drug is that you don’t do it just once and you certainly don’t try it for the first time when you’re 57-years old. While cocaine may not spawn daily cravings–users can go months or years without using–the taste for the drug never leaves your system. Let’s hope Washington is lying about his past cocaine use, because if he really did try coke out on a whim at the age of 57, his problems are much deeper than they appear on the surface. First of all, does that type of person have the maturity necessary for leading a professional sports team?

This story is just beginning to sprout. I firmly believe that as we near the start of the season (and the official sale of the franchise) more information will come to light regarding this situation and Washington’s past use of illegal substances. Based on Washington’s own statements, we can construct a history that leads us to believe that this type of behavior will repeat itself. Whether or not the Rangers will be open with their fans when such an event occurs is open for debate.

One thing is for sure, I bet the Dallas Morning News is regretting cutting the Rangers’ beat writer position.

Are Pro Athletes Too Friendly With One Another?

The New York Knicks defeated my beloved Mavericks 128-94 tonight. A 34-point loss is probably one of the more curious ways to end a 13 game winning, but after we handed the Knicks their worst loss ever at Madison Square Garden in January, I knew they would be looking for a revenge. Streaks are made to be broken and I knew that eventually the Mavs’ streak would end, but for it to come in such an embarrassing fashion makes it that much worse. There were moments in tonight’s game where I couldn’t tell if the Mavs wanted to be at Paquiao/Clottey fight instead, spent too much time at the Lower Greenville St. Patrick’s Day Parade or if they just wanted to play down to John Hollinger’s expectations. Whatever the case, this was one of those games in an 82 game season a NBA time is going to have.

What made tonight’s loss extremely disappointing is what happened on the court following the game.  Not that it was anything new or unusual, but rather a disturbing trend I’ve seen play out in sports more and more often. As the clock ran out, I saw several Mavericks’ players laughing and carrying on with several of the Knicks’ players. Let me be clear, I have nothing against a friendly handshake at the end of a game as a show of sportsmanship. What bothers me is when professional athletes buddy up with their opponents after a game, especially after a thrashing like tonight.

Rush Limbaugh caught a lot of heat last year when he said he hoped Barack Obama’s policies failed. Whether you agree with Limbaugh or not, his philosophy–to see your opponent defeated–should be one adopted by all professional athletes. When I see athletes goofing around with their opponents, before or after a competition, I immediately begin to question whether or not they truly desire to be the best at what they do. If I were to take such a half-hearted approach at my job–not caring that my competition was destroying me–I would surely be fired.

Not to sound like the “old man,” but when I was a kid, athletes weren’t like this. When I watched Randy White (the Cowboys Hall of Famer, not the Mavericks spare), I knew he wanted to destroy his competition. I didn’t see “The Manster” discussing dinner plans with John Riggins. Likewise, when I saw Nolan Ryan pitch, I saw a man burning with a desire to win. I never saw him fraternizing with opposing batters.

What do you guys think? Do you think professional athletes are too friendly with each other?

The Real Reason for the Cowboys’ Struggles

Cowboys fans, including myself, expect “greatness.”

Over the years, we have been spoiled by one of the most successful sports franchises. We are not accustomed to being mediocre and we have a hard time accepting it when that may really be the case. So, we look for excuses.

The coach sucks. The quarterback isn’t serious enough. The owner’s ego gets in the way. We run too much. We throw too much. Etc.

Some of those statements may be true, but none of them address the team’s real issue–talent.  Simply put, the Cowboys are what their record indicates, a slightly better than .500 team.

Depending on how you look at it, this team is in the bottom portion of the top quarter of teams in the league or the top of the second quarter of teams in the league. To expect “greatness” out of this team, as presently constructed, is foolish.

Could another coach get more out of this team? Perhaps, but not much. Even Coach Landry or Jimmy Johnson would have struggled to win 10 or 11 games with this unit and as much as I love those two coaches, neither of them would have won a Super Bowl with this roster.

Even in the watered down version of today’s NFL, depth is vital to a title run. While the starting 11 on both sides of the ball match-up well with the top tier teams, it’s the lack of depth that brings this roster down. No where was this more evident than when DeMarcus Ware suffered his injury and was forced to leave the game. It’s impossible to fully replace Ware, but the gap between starter & backup at outside backer is so extreme on this team that it’s almost impossible to make any sustainable compensation for the loss.

We see this disparity at almost every defensive position. Without a doubt, the biggest difference between the Cowboys and the serious contenders is this disparity.

The good news is that the Cowboys are close enough to the contenders that they can enter the conversation with one good off-season. This begins with compiling a list of your core players to keep and a list of expendable parts and suitable replacements.

Let’s end the debate right now, Tony Romo is a legitimate championship caliber quarterback and Miles Austin and Roy Williams are your #1 & #2 receivers respectfully. It would be nice to add another great receiver through free agency. All is well on the tight end in front, Jason Witten is the best in the league and I’m convinced that Marty B will continue to develop.

On the offensive line, Flozell Adams’ skills as a lineman no longer outweigh the liability of his mental issues–he needs to go. I would recommend turning to free agency to find a suitable replacement and use our first round draft pick to add some depth behind the rest of the line.

In the backfield, I like what Marion Barber and Tashard Choice bring to the table, but I don’t believe either one can handle the load on their own. In spite of his ability to make “big plays,” I have not been that impressed with Felix Jones. Sure, he is fast, but the “big plays” have been few and far between. I think that his stock around the league is still high enough that you could snag a third or fourth round pick away from some unsuspecting team for his services and turn that draft pick into more offensive line depth.

On the defensive side of the ball, the most glaring weakness is at linebacker. When the Cowboys turn in their helmets and shoulder pads at the end of this season, I pray to God we don’t ever see Bobby Carpenter in a Cowboys uniform again. I have yet to hear anyone who covers this team justify his existence on the roster. In an ideal world, I would love to see us use our first round draft pick and get Alabama’s Rolando McClain. However, I doubt he will be around when the Cowboys pick and that’s why I recommended going for offensive line depth. I’m convinced that either in free agency or in the draft, we can find a more capable back-up and nickle backer than Carpenter. I think Brooking, Spencer, James and Ware are more than capable of being part of a championship caliber defense. The same goes for the front three.

In the secondary, depth is the biggest concern. Orlando Scandrick has taken a step back this year and Alan Ball, God love him, just doesn’t have what it takes to play the position at a high level in this league. This is another area I would focus on in the off season.

Finally, Wade Phillips has done about all he can do here. It’s time Jerry showed him to the door and thanked him for his service. On the way walking Phillips out of Valley Ranch, Jerry needs to stop by Jason Garrett’s office and hand him his walking papers as well. He is not the coach this team needs.

If you really want to find a common thread between the recent Cowboys teams that have struggled during the month of December look at the system. The Dallas Cowboys have NEVER won a playoff game playing a 3-4 defense. The fact that this team still uses it is blasphemous. Until they win a playoff game with the 3-4 defense, the possibility of a “3-4 curse” must be considered legitimate. Though it might set the franchise back another year in building towards a legitimate championship threat, I really do think Jerry Jones should consider courting a 4-3 coach and return this franchise to its defensive roots.

Be prepared to be beaten down by the sports media in this town continuing to talk about the “December swoon.” Be prepared to listen to them pour all the blame on Wade Phillips and question the toughness of this team. Be prepared to answer back with, “you know what, this team is playing just about the way they should.”

Who does Steve Dennis think he is?

At Monday’s Wade Phillips’ press conference, CBS 11 sports reporter Steve Dennis asked the Cowboys’ coach if he considered his team “winners.” By virtue of owning a winning record, this Cowboys team is, by definition, a “winner.” Of course, “winning” can mean a lot of different things. Dennis posed this question to Wade Phillips to drive home a tired Dallas media talking point–the dreaded “December swoon.” While the Cowboys have enjoyed success September through November under Phillips’ watch, they have not performed well when the season really matters–December and beyond.

In and of itself, this is fine. The Dallas market is flooded with sports media personalities, some good and some bad. If a member of the media wants to talk about the same generic talking points, he has the right to do so, but it makes for very boring radio, TV or print. However, what makes Dennis’ question different is the pattern he has established for himself.

In the summer, he made our “Bottom 5 Dallas Sports Media Personalities,” where we described him as “loud, obnoxious, and pompous,” descriptions we stand by to this day. As part of the best TV sports team in the market, it appears that Dennis feels threatened by his compatriots and seeks to stand out anyway possible. He does this by making himself part of the story, which is exactly what happened with this one.

In addition to his duties at CBS 11, Dennis also hosts “The Keith Brooking Show” on Sunday mornings on their sister station KTXA 21. Somehow, footage of the taping for the upcoming episode was leaked to the media. In the opening, an upset Keith Brooking (Cowboys linebacker) confronts Dennis about his questioning of Wade at the Monday press conference. Evidently, Brooking and other members of the Cowboys team felt that Dennis’ question implied that their team was full of losers. Dennis handles himself very well and seeks to explain his question more thoroughly, but the entire clip I heard was extremely tense.

Tonight, I tuned into the 10 PM news on CBS 11 and when it was time for sports who do I see prancing around the Cowboys locker room but Steve Dennis. They framed it as a segment showing how the Cowboys team is rallying around their coach and using the media as motivation for a successful December, but again it appeared that Dennis was trying to make the story about himself.

I do not know Steve Dennis personally. He may be a great guy for all I know. I only know the Steve Dennis I see on TV and hear on the radio and when I see or hear that Steve Dennis, I scratch my head and ask, “who does Steve Dennis think he is?”  If I could pass along any advice to him, it would be this:

When people tune into a Wade Phillips press conference, they do so to hear Wade Phillips talk about the Cowboys, not to hear Steve Dennis.  When people tune into watch sports on the local news, they do so to catch the latest on their local teams, not to see the local reporter injecting himself into the center of a story. If Mr. Dennis wants to be the center of a program, get your own radio show or start your own blog. Until then, report the news and stay out of it.

Thank you Cowboys fans!

You’ll recall that last week I urged all Dallas Cowboys fans to rush over to the website for the Fox affiliate in Shreveport to vote in a poll asking which NFL game they should show on Sunday. As mentioned, the Shreveport media market contains parts of Northeast Texas and Southwest Arkansas, which is solid Cowboys country. There was the thought the  Saints fans might be able to cast enough votes to get their game shown instead.

I’m happy to announce that the Cowboys game won and now our East Texas, Southwest Arkansas and Northwest Louisiana fan bases will get to the Cowboys/Redskins game on Sunday.

Just another reminder of the greatness of our fan base! Thanks to all the Cowboys fans who went to the website and voted.

Calling all Dallas Cowboys fans…

As a lifelong Cowboys fan, I like to think of our fan base as one big family. As such, we come together to help our family members out, especially when it involves watching and rooting on our beloved Cowboys. I’ve been given a message from a loyal Cowboys fan in East Texas that a part of our family may be denied that opportunity. Now East Texas is strong Cowboys country; however, this portion of East Texas is actually in the Shreveport media market.

The Shreveport Fox station, KMSS, is running a poll to see which NFL game they should show at noon on November 22, 2009. Of course, we play the Redskins, but the Saints play Tampa Bay during that same time slot. As part of the Cowboys fan base, we need to do everything possible to make sure our “family” in East Texas, Southwest Arkansas and Northwest Louisiana get to watch this game on their local television station. Please visit the station’s website and click on the icon on the right to get to the voting screen. You’ll have to register for a free account, but it’s worth it to help out fellow Cowboys fans.

As you might imagine, the Shreveport area has a strong Saints fan base as well and the Shreveport Fox station (and CBS back in the day) have been known to show Saints games over Cowboys games from time to time.Whenever this happens, there is an uproar from the Cowboys fan base. It seems like it would happen at least once a year when I was a kid and it was always a disappointing week. I live in Dallas now, so we’re not doing this for me. I’ll get to see the game.

Do it for the kids, the 4 or 5 year old kid who loves the Dallas Cowboys and wants to watch them with his daddy. Do it for the elderly grandmother in East Texas who only turns her TV on to watch the evening news and the Cowboys. Most of all, do it for our family.

Remember, this is Louisiana we’re dealing, a land famous for rigged elections. If we want the Cowboys to win this vote, we’re going to have to play by ACORN rules.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the New York Yankees

I hate(d) the Yankees, beginning with their corners, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, two self absorbed cancers, linked by a common agent, Scott Boras, and committed only to him and their bank accounts. My hatred doesn’t stop there. This is an organization that has won 26 World Series, put over 30 players into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and has millions of fans worldwide. Of course, there’s also my beloved Texas Rangers and their three first round playoff losses–their only playoff appearances–to the Yankees.

Over the past few seasons, I’ve enjoyed watching the Yankees’ post-season futility, but realize that the streak is probably about to end. The Yankees currently hold a 3-2 game lead in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) and need only one win to advance to the World Series. I thought about boycotting the World Series entirely if the Yankees advance, but then I had an epiphany. I hated the Yankees for the same reason so many people hate the Dallas Cowboys–success. The New York Yankees franchise is the best franchise in their business. Instead of hating the Yankees, I should be in love with the Yankees. Indeed, the Yankees are free market capitalism at its best.

At a time when capitalism faces daily attacks from the Federal government, the media, the entertainment industry and disillusioned Millennials across the nation, the Yankees stand as a monument to the beauty of capitalism. Compared to other leagues, Major League Baseball is very loosely regulated. No salary cap and a very weak revenue sharing policy, allow owners to spend as much money as they want to improve their product–their team. The system engenders a sense of personal responsibility among owners, rewarding the franchises willing to spend and the franchises with the best front offices and punishing those with frugal owners or those who make bad business decisions.

Throughout his career, George Steinbrenner has experienced success. He’s made a ton of money, a lot of sound investments and has spent that money wisely to add to the Yankee legacy. The Yankees spend almost $60 million more on payroll than any other team in the Majors. Alex Rodriguez’s salary alone is more than the entire payroll for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Every year, the Yankees go out, find the best talent and offer that talent more money than anyone else.  Every year, the Yankees field one of the most competitive teams in the League. Their success generates more revenue, which the front office uses to improve their product/team. This is capitalism in its purest form.

Other teams complain about the unfair advantages caused by the discrepancies in capital between the Yankees and the rest of the league, just as other nations complain about the “unfair advantages” the American economy created during the 20th Century.  Instead of complaining, these teams should learn from the Yankees, take their capital and create greatness. The system rewards hard work and creativity.

The Perversion of Football

The word “football” invokes many powerful images.  Think back to watching NFL films, the voice of John Facenda narrating the action—breathing life into the games of old.  The “voice of god” set to images of big burly men with dirt stained, tattered uniforms crashing into each other as the diminutive backs would cut in and out seeking breathing room, while the trenches filled up with blood and sweat.  On numerous occasions Facenda would make references and allusions to the gladiators of ancient Rome.  These images helped foster an appreciation for the game of football and engendered an affinity for the sport in my life that has not wavered, but recently it felt something had changed.

Recently, a new trend has set upon the football world—the spread offense.  This disease first took hold on the high school and collegiate levels, as a means for less athletic teams to compete with teams with more speed, size and strength. Now even athletic teams like Michigan and Florida have abandoned their proud football past and caved into the latest fad.

The spread offense annoys me. In effect, it transforms the game into a glorified version of seven-on-seven, awarding finesse over athleticism.

The spread brand of football is void of physicality.  In essence, the team that runs the spread says via their actions that they don’t have the athletes to match-up man-to-man so they must resort to “spreading” men out in order to find a hole.  Think back to the “great teams” of yesteryear.  They lined up with the mentality “you know what we are going to do, now try and stop us.”

Isn’t that what makes football great?  The battle in the trenches, running backs fighting for yardage, and quick, aggressive defenses swarming to the ball.

This doesn’t even take into account the limitations the spread place on your play calling ability.  The spread works fine within the 20’s, but deep inside the red zone or deep inside your own territory, where a power running game is beneficial, the spread is actually a liability. Nothing irks me more than to see a team drive the ball to their opponent’s 3 yard line, only to line up in a shot gun formation. Some college quarterbacks play their entire career without ever taken a snap from under center and then wonder why NFL teams skip over them in spite of gaudy statistics.

A pure form of football features a sort of fluidity that is not found with the spread attack.  Players awkwardly stand in formation as the coach signals in the play.  The quarterback anxiously reads the defense trying to spot some weakness to exploit.  The ball is moved horizontally and instead of harmony, dissonance radiates.

Perhaps John Facenda is best remembered for his description of the 1967 “Ice Bowl” at the “frozen tundra of Lambeau Field,” which makes one wonder could a “spread attack” have accomplished the comeback Bart Starr engineered?  Even as a die-hard Cowboy’s fan born 11 years after it was played, I acknowledge that the “Ice Bowl” embodies everything that is great and pure about our game of football and sadly I fear that game has been taken over by the disease we now know as the “spread offense”, destroying all the images that made this game great.

What’s your problem with Jerry?

First, I’d like to apologize to my loyal readers. I’m using August as a vacation of sorts, to regroup and reset my blog. I’ll have some very exciting news to share regarding a new blog I’m launching within the next few weeks, so stayed tune.

Until then, football season is upon us and we need to talk some football. A couple of quick questions I thought about over my lunch break:

1.) I’m a life long Dallas Cowboys fan. I was 11 years old when Jerry Jones bought this team and fired my childhood hero, Tom Landry. During the past 20 years, I’ve experienced the highest highs and lowest lows with my team. Through it all, I’ve remembered not to give Jerry too much credit for the glory days and not to throw too much blame his way for the lean years.

I realize that Jerry’s personality rubs some people the wrong way, but I also realize that many of those same personality traits are traits necessary to building a winner. Jerry wants to win and will spare no cost in the attempt to reach his ultimate goal.

Why then do so many Cowboys fans despise Jerry so much? Do they not realize that the Cowboys owner wants to win more than any other owner in the NFL?

Does he make some bone headed decisions? Yes, but we all make mistakes.

2.) There is a small, but vocal, contingency of Rangers fans out there who complain about the amount of attention being placed on the Rangers wild card chase compared to Cowboys preseason action. They seem to be offended that more people want to watch a Cowboys preseason game than a Rangers regular season game.  At this point, ”baseball hubris” kicks in.

“Baseball hubris” is a trait possessed by some hardcore baseball fans who feel that baseball is the only true sports and all others should be ignored. They’ll berate the other leagues and belittle the fans of sports.  

I love baseball, but I don’t get “baseball hubris”. I think football, basketball and golf all have something to offer as well.  In the professional ranks, my love for the Cowboys has never caused me to hate the Rangers or Mavericks. In fact, I find that my love for these teams compliment one another.

Why is it that some Rangers fans HATE the Cowboys (and the NFL) so much?