Whitt's End: 5.4.12
Whether you've reached the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End:
*Thanks for throwing a party, Mavs. A celebration of Stinko de Mayo.
*Since Jason Terry proclaimed "Game 3 is Game 7" I'll say this for him: "It's over."
*I boldly predicted the Mavs would come out for Thursday night's Game 3 with desperation and energy and efficiency and a 10-plus-point win. Wow, was I ever wrong. That was a complete obliteration. Had a courtside seat and, at times, it looked like the Varsity just smothering and toying with the JV.
*I, like a lot of Mavs fans, spent most of the season in denial. Thinking, hoping, praying the veteran Mavs would merely survive the weird regular season and then flip the switch for a wonderful playoff run. But, to be honest – evidenced by this column -- I knew back in December this season was doomed. And so did you.
*Could be worse I guess. You could live in New York. Those fans this week have lost a star basketball player (Amare Stoudemire) to a fire extinguisher and now a Hall-of-Fame baseball closer (Mariano Rivera) to a freak injury chasing a fly ball in batting practice. Ouch.
*Dirk Nowitzki: "I don't think we took a step forward this year. We took a step back."
*For my money, Super Friends > Avengers
*HOT
*NOT
*Tony Romo must be making "football" fans happy by declining to try to qualify for the Byron Nelson or the U.S. Open golf tournaments this spring. Still, gotta wonder how he and wife Candice Crawford got invited to The White House correspondent's dinner?
*Last spring/summer the Mavs kept us entertained until mid-June. Now? When – not if – they're eliminated in the first round by the Thunder it'll be a loooong summer of nothing but Rangers' box scores until the Cowboys report for training camp in late July. Actually the Cowboys have a rookie minicamp at Valley Ranch this weekend, but first-round pick Mo Claiborne isn't participating because of wrist surgery.
*Couple of sad sights last night at American Airlines Center: Dirk and Terry screaming at each other to get out and cover Kevin Durant. And Brendan Haywood. Just … everything. Dallas' biggest waste of seven feet since Erick Dampier. Or maybe even Shawn Bradley.
*Wondering if the Junior Seau suicide – shot in the chest – is the problem, or yet another symptom of a bigger problem? With all these concussions and studies and links and lawsuits about the possible fatal effects of football on the human brain – chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes with a history of repetitive brain trauma – may we look back some day on the sport as a barbaric event that got outlawed because of its obvious, undeniable danger? Might there one day be a world without full-contact football? And, for that matter, boxing?
*Boobs are overrated. Give me a girl with cut abs and a firm booty. You can't buy those at a plastic surgeon's office.
*Faces in the crowd last night at AAC included Cowboys' vice president Stephen Jones and Mavericks' inaugural general manager Norm Sonju. Not in the crowd: Failure Jesus. It's apparent our prayers for an unsuccessful Russell Westbrook have gone unheard. Yep, this time Failure Jesus is a, well, failure.
*While the Mavs were getting humiliated, Lamar Odom was apparently Tweeting. being the best basketball player i can possibly be will allow 2 become the next P.Diddy . i know whats fly! Dis the Year . ThecomeBackKid! I have zero idea what that means, but somehow it sickens me.
*Example No. 103 as to how baseball players are the most pampered peeps on the planet. Rangers' third baseman Adrian Beltre got an unscheduled day off Tuesday in Toronto for, I'm not making this up, "general soreness." And that was two days in advance of Thursday which was, of course, a scheduled day off. Lame.
*To me, the Mavs' season officially ended with 2:30 left in the third quarter. Down 70-57 and already clinging for life, the Mavs produced a folly of a possession that included laughably bad mishandles by Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion before Vince Carter literally, accidentally kicked the ball for a turnover. I've coached a team of 6-year-olds with a better clue.
*I love full moons. And this weekend Earth gets treated to "biggest" moon of 2012. Enjoy.
*Deion Sanders is a horrible husband. Deion Sanders is a bad parent. Deion Sanders is a fraud. Deion Sanders is a scam artist. If you like him, simple … we can't be friends.
*If I didn't know better, I'd think Yu Darvish was throwing in a Wiffle Ball league. The movement on his pitches is unrealistic at times.
*Couldn't help but think how a motivated, circa 2011 Odom would've helped the Mavs in this series. Long and athletic, he could've checked Durant, allowing Shawn Marion to shadow Russell Westbrook. Not blaming him for the whole season's implosion. But when you begin to blame owner Mark Cuban for "gutting the defending champs," just remember that a big part of his 2012 stop-gap plan was No. 7.
*And, yes, make no mistake, what's happening these last two weeks will make Cuban even more motivated to go sign free-agent point guard Deron Williams. At this point, that's the only consolation prize in an otherwise dreadful year.
*The Mavs handed out 20,000 blue "All In!" t-shirts at AAC tonight. Bet you don't see any of them scattered around the Metroplex today. I know mine won't be worn. And, ironic isn't it, because, in retrospect, Cuban didn't go "all in" in attempting to retain his championship roster.
*This weekend? Tomorrow I'll be at Vandergriff Honda in Arlington 2-4 before boogieing over to Cowboys' lineman's Tyron Smith's Cinco de Mayo soiree. Saturday night we'll watch what will likely be a Mavs' funeral. Don't be a stranger.
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