Sure, this year they’ve let the Los Angeles California Angels of Orange County Anaheim stay uncomfortably close to them in the standings, but Jonah Keri at Grantland argues that the Rangers’ mega-TV contract, signed last year with Fox Sports Southwest and going into effect in 2014, could make it possible for the team to remain among the elite teams of Major League Baseball for many years to come. They don’t need a downtown stadium or a full ballpark every night to compete. The $1.6 billion they’ll get for 20 years of television broadcast rights will do just fine, Keri writes:
As any Mets or Dodgers fan of recent vintage can tell you, money doesn’t guarantee success. But it sure as hell helps. If the Rangers are still being run by [general manager Jon] Daniels and his staff of bright lieutenants, if their coaches and instructors are still ballsy and creative enough to try new things such as rethinking how we train pitchers, if Jurickson Profar and a next wave of blue-chippers crashes the big league roster in style … and they have an extra $80 million a year to play with? We might have to pencil the Rangers into the playoffs nearly every season, the same way we do for the Yankees and Red Sox.
Keri notes that there’s “a catch” to this, but to my mind that catch undermines any excitement Rangers fans might feel in reading that their team could soon be pulling in more local TV revenue than any MLB team except the Evil Empire and Boston.
The catch is that the Rangers might just be the first of many teams to leverage their way to much more revenue through the mere suggestion that they might want to launch their own regional sports network. So — just like Billy Beane’s Moneyball A’s have lost the edge they gained a decade ago because now nearly every team realizes that on-base percentage is sexier than a high RBI total — if everyone’s doing it, there’s no advantage at all.
After what I can only assume is months of intense investigation, ABCNews.com is reporting that Jessica Simpson will not be having her breasts reduced in anticipation of her upcoming wedding. This comes just one day after the publication of the Sun’s intense investigation saying Simpson will have the surgery.
The new president of Dallas-based Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Radha Arora, assumed his duties yesterday, about a month after being named the replacement for former Rosewood CEO John Scott. According to this profile of Arora that appeared last month in a magazine aimed at South Asian women, Rosewood’s new head is a “sexy and successful gentleman” who’s hobnobbed with Hollywood A-listers, knew Princess Diana, and likes to drink wine–”lots of it!”
Here’s the deal. Tomorrow is Fashion’s Night Out, otherwise known as an extremely bespoke excuse for females to toddle around on five inch heels (I finally own a pair, and I swear, life looks different that high off the ground) and drink and buy pretty things. Dudes, you can get in on this too if you promise no square-toed black leather slip-ons masquerading as dress shoes. Those are the worst. Anyway, if you’re up for this madness, you should probably map out your route in advance, which is why I’m mentioning it now.
But tonight, you should just take a load off. And you can do that at the Prophet Bar, home to a great weekly Wednesday evening hip hop/jazz/R&B jam. It’s just a teensy, tiny bit more exciting, what with Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and Booker T. alum Erykah Badu (AKA DJ Low Down Loretta Brown) making appearances. Ten bucks is the usual cover, but tonight it’s $15 before 11 PM. Do I even need to tell you that this is still a great deal? Kweli and Mos Def are coming from their show at the House of Blues, which you can still get tickets to as well, making the Prophet Bar the official after party locale.
And if you just can’t wait for tomorrow’s FNO frenzy, Lure Salon, in their infinite wisdom, hosts a kick off event this evening complete with discounted products, beauty tips, and free appetizers and drinks.
For more to do this tonight, go here.
Big Bob mentioned yesterday the news that former Morning News editorial writer Rod Dreher (he of Crunchy Con fame) has left his gig with the Templeton Foundation to take up with an magazine called The American Conservative. Rod explains here why he’s pumped to have the new job. Anyway, what Bob didn’t mention is that The American Conservative is a Wick Allison joint. He’s the CEO of The American Ideas Institute, the nonprofit publisher of the magazine. My understanding is that Rod now reports directly to me, in a sort of more or less weak dotted line way. Couldn’t be happier.
Teacher Arrested for Solicitation in Ennis. Joshua Jaggears allegedly sent about 20 current and former students inappropriate texts. One father, whose son was sent a text, said the message asked for naked pictures. Jaggears resigned after he was arrested. But the police weren’t told of the allegations until four days after the school found out. So the town is up in arms, but a meeting is set for Thursday to “clear the air.”
Cook Children’s Debuts New NICU. About 40 babies moved into Cook Children’s new NICU yesterday. It took less than 2 hours to make the transition. With the new area, parents can stay bedside and help in their kids’ care. The hospital says it’s the “first all-private room NICU in the state and the largest in the nation.”
Dallas Is America’s Second Most Sex-Happy City. Sure. This may be a little inappropriate. But considering the rest of the news of the week centers on devastating wildfires, conference shakeups, and no job growth, I thought we could all use a little cheering up. So here’s a list ranking the most sex-happy cities, and their condom sales, STD rates, and birth rates. Austin, who seems to top every list, beat us. But that’s okay. We have a lower STD rate.