Inside The Rangers

Who's Up First: Will Rangers' Fast Start Lead To Strong Finish?

Rangers' first pitch, Cowboys' End of Elliott, Mavs' sweet spot, and beating cancer, again, all in this week's DFW sports notebook.

Richie Whitt

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WHITT'S END 2.24.23:

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

*Friday afternoon around 2:05 the Texas Rangers – courtesy of Glenn Otto – will throw the first pitch of the Major League Baseball “season” in their spring training opener against the Royals in Surprise, Arizona. Chances that they’ll throw the last pitch of the World Series in early November?

Zilch.

Or, to be fair, 50-to-1 according to the Las Vegas wise guys. The defending champion Astros are the favorites at 6.5-1.

*The end is never easy. Often it’s messy. Even revolting.

None of the three running backs to start the Cowboys’ five Super Bowl victories – Duane Thomas, Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith – finished their careers in Dallas. Thomas’ final carry in the NFL was with Washington. Dorsett was traded to the Broncos. And 20 years ago – Feb. 26, 2003 – the Cowboys had the audacity to cut the league’s all-time rusher, Smith.

In other words: Prepare to cringe – and pack – Ezekiel Elliott.

By any statistical metric, Zeke is the third-best running back in the history of the Cowboys. He has more rushing titles than Dorsett (2-0) and a better yards-per-carry average than Emmitt (4.4-4.2). But history suggests that when it comes to running backs the prevailing rule isn’t “what have you done for me lately” but more so “what can you do for me in the future.”

Tony Pollard is a better, more productive runner than Elliott. This season and next. The Cowboys are saying all the right things about keeping Zeke and Pollard.

“You always want Zeke,” says vice president Stephen Jones. “But do the numbers work?”

It’s always something. With Elliott, who turns 28 this offseason, it’s the salary-cap math and his $10.9 million in 2023. The Cowboys could cut him, and then re-sign him. With Dorsett and Smith it was a tad more complicated.

Irritated that newcomer Herschel Walker was both cutting his workload and receiving a bigger salary, Dorsett demanded a trade in 1987.

“I’m unhappy,” Dorsett said at the time. “I don’t want to be here being second fiddle to any running back in Dallas.”

At 34, the future Hall of Famer was traded to Denver for a fifth-round draft choice. While Walker amassed 2,000 combined yards and went to the Pro Bowl in 1988, Dorsett played one mediocre season (703 rushing yards) in Denver before suffering a career-ending knee injury in training camp in 1989.

Smith also left the Cowboys at 34 and in the twilight of his career.

In 2003 new head coach Bill Parcells desired younger players, so Dallas cut Emmitt to make room for … Troy Hambrick. I kid you not.

“In my mind, I think I’m a 1,300-yard back,” Smith said at an awkward press conference alongside owner Jerry Jones, better known as the man who fired Landry and cut Emmitt. “And I will be out to prove that.”

Said Jones, “As an organization we have got to start thinking about life without Emmitt at running back.”

While Hambrick led a 10-6 playoff team with 942 rushing yards, Smith signed with Arizona and ran for a combined 1,193 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final two seasons of football.

Dorsett and Smith wound up in Canton. For now, Elliott should merely prepare to be an ex-Cowboy.

*Welcome to the Dallas Mavericks’ favorite time of the year. In a perfect world it would be early June, but late February will have to do. They whipped the hapless Spurs Thursday night, improving their NBA-best record since 2003 in home games coming out of the All-Star break to an uncanny 18-3. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving now have time to gel in the nurturing bosom of the league’s easiest schedule down the stretch. Of Dallas’ final 21 games, 11 are against teams under .500. In 2021 the Mavs won 10 of 15 after the break. Last season they went 8-2. Another long homestand against sub-par competition and the Mavs will likely build momentum for a strong finish and improved playoff seeding.

*Former Cowboys receiver Sam Hurd has been released from federal prison after serving a 15-year sentence for drug trafficking. Now 37, Hurd played five years for Dallas as a receiver and special teams standout. He signed with the Bears and was playing in Chicago when arrested at a steakhouse in 2011. My ranking of the Top 5 Cowboys criminals:

5. Sam Hurd, Drug Conspiracy – The big-smiling, feel-good former Cowboy from San Antonio was in 2013 sentenced to 15 years in prison after being busted for attempting to set up a vast drug operation that spanned three states. Though the jury believed Hurd when he said he had never used or sold cocaine, they found him guilty for making grand plans to distribute through a carefully crafted network.

4. Thomas Henderson, Drug Possession/Assault – In 1983 the linebacker formerly known as “Hollywood” was arrested for smoking crack with two under-aged girls, asking them for sex and threatening them with a gun. One of the girls was described in the police report as a “paraplegic minor.” He spent two months in rehab, and then two years in prison.

3. Larry Bethea, Theft – There are more heinous crimes in Cowboys’ history (like Harvey Martin and his multiple domestic abuse arrests), more ridiculous mistakes (Nate Newton getting arrested twice for transporting a truck full of marijuana) and certainly more infamous transgressions, but nothing compares to the audacity of stealing from your own mother. Which is exactly what the defensive lineman was convicted of in 1987. Shortly after the legal system found him guilty of stealing his mom’s $64,000 life savings, Bethea committed suicide.

2. Dwayne Goodrich, Vehicular Manslaughter – The former second-round draft pick was behind the wheel of one of the most famous and tragic hit-and-run accidents in DFW history, speeding through a fiery wreck on I-35 in 2003 and killing two good Samaritans trying to pull a man from a burning car. He spent nine years in prison in West Texas before being released in 2011.

1. Rafael Septien, Indecency With A Child – In 1987 the kicker was arrested on charges of aggravated child molestation, pled down to indecency and was punished only by a $2,000 fine and probation. He was released by the Cowboys and never kicked in the NFL again.

*In 2020 my Dad spent 77 days in the hospital fighting Leukemia. This time it was 54 days. Again, he’s “winning” his battle against cancer. Thanks for your support.

*No, our story doesn’t predict the Cowboys are going to trade Dak Prescott in order to draft Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. It also doesn’t suggest the Cowboys like Stroud more than Prescott. What our story does say is that Stroud is high atop the Cowboys’ draft board. And that makes it a story.

*Hot.

*Not.

*CeeDee Lamb got a Kobe Bryant tattoo across his back and the thing is a splendid work of art. Funny, though, none of the detailed work includes any hints of the fact that Bryant – during his career – was criticized for being one of the NBA’s dirtiest players. Or that little thingy about his sexual assault case in Colorado. Death – especially sudden, tragic death – has a way of whitewashing resumes.

*The buzzkills that got their panties in a wad at Tiger Woods last week jokingly handing Justin Thomas a tampon for hitting a short drive do realize that every golf course has a set of women’s tees because they inherently hit short drives. Right?

*Bill Belichick can’t win without Tom Brady and clearly Gregg Popovich isn’t the same without Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli. The Spurs long-time coach has five championship rings and a reservation in the Hall of Fame. But his drastic demise is yet another reminder that pro sports are – according to my math – 75 percent players, 15 percent GMs and only 10 percent coaching. It’s a different game and Pop certainly hasn’t different players, but this is insane: In the 1999 NBA Finals the Spurs held the Knicks to final point totals of 77, 67, 89, 89 and 77. Thursday night the Mavs scored 74 in the first half, on their way to a whopping 142. Since Duncan’s retirement in 2016, Pop is 269-262 in the regular season and without a single playoff victory in six years.

*Speaking of coaches needing players, remember that popular theory in DFW that Jerry ruined the Cowboys by running off Jimmy Johnson? People conveniently forget that while Barry Switzer won a Super Bowl in Dallas, Johnson went to Miami for four years and was only 36-28 (2-3 in the playoffs) with the Dolphins.

*Sometimes DWIs can feel like just statistics. But when captured on video – along with the chaotic aftermath – they are chilling. Here’s what it looks like when a guy drinks eight Red Bull-&-Vodka doubles, gets behind the wheel and causes a wreck that kills an off-duty DFW policeman.

*The Rangers are done seeing red. In accordance with MLB new uniform policy, teams can have only four main options plus a new “city connect” collection to debut this season. Bottom line: Their powder blues were more popular than their red. And on the field last year Texas was 4-1 in powder blue and only 3-8 in all red.

*Fake news, indeed. Fox “news” last week was caught red-handed – via texts and emails – lying about the 2020 election being stolen. Hosts didn’t believe it, yet continued to say on-air that they did. They knowingly lied and misled their viewers, all for ratings and, in turn, dollars. Ironic that the crowd that loves to hurl “fake news!” insults at mainstream media was led to believe a lie that tore apart families and landed some lie-enraged Jan. 6 insurrectionists in prison. Wonder if the viewers now realize the truth about Fox’s lying? Also wondering if they even care?

*As a kid, All-Star games were like Christmas. Before cable TV and the Internet, we got to see mostly one national game per week. With limited access to games, it was a mesmerizing treat to watch Jeff Burroughs hit against Phil Niekro, Cornell Green tackling O.J. Simpson or Rolando Blackman dueling Michael Jordan. Alas, with today’s saturation we’re just a click away from seeing any matchup we desire. Home runs. Slam Dunks. 80-yard touchdowns. Yawn. We’ve grown numb to what should enthrall us. I don’t have a solution for the demise of All-Star games in all sports. But with nothing at stake and everything at our fingertips, it’s not surprising that the NBA’s event last weekend endured its worst TV ratings ever. Seems impossible to make a basketball game between the 24 best players on the planet boring, but here we are. You can see more intensity – and defense – on any given night at the local YMCA.

*Crazy, gorgeous, fire-orange sunsets this week. And just afterward, in the southwest sky, the waxing crescent moon was seemingly escorted by two bright dots. Those are Venus (131 million miles from Earth) and Jupiter (385). Think about a mile. Now think about how far it seems to travel around the world (25,000 miles). Now, again, ponder 131 million miles. How about 385 million?! The fact that we can see objects that far away with the naked eye is … enough to make me feel small, insignificant and wholly magnificent.

*Programming Note: No Whitt’s End next week, as I’ll be in Scottsdale, Arizona for our annual boys trip of golf, spring training baseball and assorted shenanigans. Yes, we are 58 going on 18.

*This Weekend? Friday let’s spend some time on the driving range. Saturday let’s spend some time with Dad in rehab. Sunday let’s spend some time on the tennis court. As always, don’t be a stranger.

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Richie Whitt
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