Articles for September, 2010
New York Times Magazine Has a Look at Nolan Ryan and Your Texas Rangers
A FrontBurnervian with his glove on points us to this coming Sunday’s NYT Magazine and a story about the Texas Rangers. Says writer Jonathan Mahler:
Ryan purchased the Rangers this past summer, putting an end to one of the more feckless ownership stints in the history of the game. As a business story, the tale of the franchise under Tom Hicks, who bought the Rangers from Bush and his partners in 1998, is a familiar one: billionaire private-equity manager with no sense of his own limitations moves aggressively into an industry that he knows nothing about, leverages his new company to the hilt and goes belly up.
That’s what you call a brushback.
A Tip for TX/OU Weekend
Your old college buddies are in town. You’re all going to the game. Afterward, because you’re a tosspot, you’ll be carousing all over the city (and taking a cab, because you’re a responsible tosspot (which is a great band name)). And, at some point, you’ll say: “Where should we go next? Is there someplace to eat around here? Someplace where a coupon might save us a few shekels?” Well, sir (or madam), we have what you need. Download the D Recommends app now. It knows where you are. It knows where you should eat and drink.
Catch Up On FrontRow
Speaking of FrontRow, some recent highlights you may have missed:
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Have you heard the no nonsense rockers The Phuss? You should.
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At the Nasher, James Magee, “is not deviating very far in these recent works from those ideas that were rattling around in the art world thirty to fifty years ago, and formally, there is little to testify to decades of art waves and ideas having passed.”
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TV’s Lone Star is eulogized.
- Despite Blockbuster’s troubles, Premiere Video isn’t going anywhere.
- Donald Judd is amazing, even if you don’t know what it means.
- Trenton Doyle Hancock makes humourous paintings.
- Vernon Fisher’s paintings play with memory and history, engaging the viewer in an enjoyable game of connect the dots.
- And we’re helping to put on the first ever film screening in the newly dedicated Artist Square.
The Annette Strauss Artist Square Is Officially Dedicated
Check out FrontRow for some notes and a picture of Ross Perot in a funny hat.
Things to Do in Dallas Tonight: Sept. 30
Thursday: The sun is shining brightly, the weather is crisp and beautiful, and Dallas is crackling with activity. Also, I have had four cups of coffee in the last hour.
Here’s something a little different for your evening: Get Your Toes Wet, an improvisational art show at ThirdSpace. I’ll be frank with you. When I first heard the phrase “improvisational art,” I gagged a little. It turns out that was an inappropriate response. This inaugural event for the Dallas Public Arts Project features five artists who’ll take turns drawing a piece, adding on elements as they see fit in a round-robin format. I’m curious to see how these people think, and draw, on their feet.
Woot Buyers Had No Time for Fossil Watches
Even Woot, the coolly irreverent Internet retailer that pioneered the flash-sale concept, screws up every now and then. Asked yesterday about woot.com’s worst “daily deal” ever, founder/CEO Matt Rutledge recalled the sale of $150 Dick Tracy wristwatches from Richardson-based Fossil. Woot! tried to hawk the watches for about $99 apiece.
“We sold about 15 of them,” said Rutledge (pictured). “Then we went, ‘Oh yeah; nobody wants to wear a Dick Tracy wristwatch. Guess we should have thought of that.’ Luckily our wholesale distribution [division] cleaned up the mess.”
Spectacular failure is rare at six-year-old, Carrollton-based Woot, which was just snapped up by Amazon.com for a (reported) $110 million in cash. Rutledge and Woot CFO Derek Chapin made a rare appearance last night at a meeting of the DFW chapter of TeXchange, a technology entrepreneurs’ group.
Money Missing From Collin County Court
The Collin County DA and the Plano Police are conducting a criminal investigation concerning about 2 grand missing from a Justice of the Peace Court in Plano. Looks like an employee helped themselves on at least 3 occasions.
As has been reported before, the DA is also investigating the case of the six District Clerk employees who falsified time sheets to repay campaign workers.
And the Collin DA has recused himself from the investigation of a District Judge. That recusal hasn’t stopped Judge Wooten from appointing her own Special Prosecutor to investigate the DA.
Collin County is only 1/3 the size of Dallas, and our John Roach is no Craig Watkins…. but we’re growing up fast!
Rick Perry A Shoo-In, Says FiveThirtyEight
The excellent prognostication site, now owned by the New York Times, says that Perry has an 85.5 percent chance of being re-elected. The numbers are here.
I Sat Next to Miles Austin at Dinner Last Night!
There I was at Eddie V’s Prime Seafood on Oak Lawn, enjoying dinner and conversation with my pals Tim Loecker and Ken Maxwell. Jerry Jones had just been there and left. We notice this handsome, buff young guy dining at the table right next to us in a cute hat: MILES AUSTIN! No Kim K. in sight. Several very attractive women stop by his table to say hi. I’m such a dang groupie, I wait until he has finished his dinner, grab my card, go over to him, and scoot real close. Introduce myself.
(Poor guy, I’m thinking, I would totally hate me.)
Turns out he is so nice, so polite, really one of the most gracious celebs I’ve ever met. Mrs. Austin, may I suggest you write a book about raising successful kids because you did everything right!
We chat about a few things, including where he went to college (Monmouth University), the restaurant, Sunday’s game, what position my son played when he played football, did he ever get to meet Kalen Thornton, and I meet his dining partner, a handsome man from New Jersey who later tells me he really loves Dallas.
And then I cannot keep it in any longer. I ask him what every woman wants to ask Miles Austin — when can I come over and do a story on your HOME?
Leading Off (9/30/10)
1. As Jeanne mentioned, Hinojosa did not get the job in Las Vegas. And now things are just awkward. He’s all, “It’s not you, it’s me. We can still make this work. I wasn’t going to leave for real.” Do you really believe that, DISD? Really?
2. There’s nothing more heart warming than a story about a man and his wife and her lover and the man’s lover all living together in the same apartment unit with one couple plotting to kill the other. The only thing that makes this story better is the payment promised to the hitman: cash and a TV.
3. I honestly have no idea what this story is about. I believe this quote from the story, however, sums it up perfectly: “I was pretty scared at first,” said sophomore Lizzy Michan. “I didn’t know what was happening because I didn’t know what it was about.”
4. I promised myself I wouldn’t be go overboard and be all, “OU/TX is awesome! Sooners are awesome! Yay, Red River Rivalry!” And, for the most part, I’ve kept that promise. But in preparation for this weekend, I have just one thing to say: Boomer!
Abraham Salum is Opening Komali Next Door to Salum
DMN’s Leslie Brenner reports that chef Abraham Salum is going to open Komali, a contemporary Mexican-styled restaurant. Totally on board with that report. Abraham had hoped to open his newest restaurant this summer but due to bureaucratic conditions beyond anyone’s control it looks like a December opening is on the drawing board.
Leslie says it’s going to be in Uptown. Well, yeah, sorta. Know that gym that’s next door to Salum? Instead of hot bodies think hot sauce.
DSID Superintendent Michael Hinojosa to Stay Put
Bethany, you can rest easy. It appears that Michael Hinojosa didn’t make the grade for the opening according to the Clark County School District (6-1 vote).
Will AOL Kill FrontBurner?
We and the FrontBurnervian Nation kinda poked fun at AOL’s latest effort to re-enter Dallas. Mel Taylor, writing over at Business Insider, thinks we’re about to get steamrolled. Or, to be more accurate, he thinks “journalistic purist types” (which certainly doesn’t include us, does it? – I mean, pure?) will get steamrolled. Mike Orren, the indefatigable founder of Pegasus News, was at the Chicago conference that got Mel worked up. Hey, Mike, tell it to us straight — do we stand a chance?
“A Mistake Was Made” — State Rep. Joe Driver, Ctd.
Let’s tie two posts together in one package. Craig Murphy, the political consultant who helped with this, well, he also helped with this. And this.
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