Articles for December 10th, 2012
Hostess’ Ding Dong: ‘Everybody Forgot About Me’
When the news of Irving-based Hostess going out of business broke last month, most of the media attention was focused on whether junk food junkies would be denied their beloved Twinkies.
But what about Ding Dongs? To my mind, they are clearly the finest of the Hostess products, and yet our own Bradford Pearson left them off his laughable list of the company’s finest offerings. (Orange cupcakes? Huh? Never heard of them.)
Well, over the weekend, in the only decent bit on Saturday Night Live, Mr. Ding Dong broke his silence. His back-up plan if Hostess products do indeed disappear from the Earth? Â He’s going back to the rap game.
Keeping Our New ‘All Cowboys, All the Time’ Policy in Mind, Here’s the Front Page of ESPN Right Now
For those counting, that’s three negative Cowboys stories, plus the news that Robert Griffin III’s injury could be so minor that he might play against the Browns on Sunday.
Here are each of the individual links, especially this one about Jay Ratliff screaming at Jerry Jones.
Dez Bryant Could Be Out For the Season, or Maybe He’ll Play. Who Knows.
Confirmed: #Cowboys‘ receiver Dez Bryant has torn ligaments in his finger and will have season-ending surgery, be placed on IR.
— Richie Whitt (@richiewhitt) December 10, 2012
Dez Bryant is out for the year with torn ligaments in his finger. Brutal.
— Christopher Harris (@CHarrisESPN) December 10, 2012
Just talked to Jason Garrett… he said its 50-50.. Said Bryant is going to see hand specialist right now. My gut tells me he won’t be on IR
— Nick Eatman (@nickeatman) December 10, 2012
Who Will Win the NFC East?
Remaining schedules, as of today. The Eagles have been excluded for humane purposes:
Cowboys: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Giants: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Redskins:
7-6, 3-2 in division        8-5, 2-3 in division       7-6, 3-1 in division
Pittsburgh (7-6) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Atlanta (11-2) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Cleveland (5-8)
New Orleans (5-8) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Baltimore (9-4) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Philadelphia (4-9)
Washington (7-6) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Philadelphia (4-9) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Dallas (7-6)
Here’s how it shakes out. Cowboys lose to Pittsburgh, beat New Orleans, lose to Washington. That puts them at 9-7 8-8, 3-3 in division. Giants lose to Atlanta, beat Baltimore, then, when they need to win to make the playoffs, choke in Philadelphia. 9-7, 2-4 in division.
The Skins are the toughest to call. Maybe they lose next week in Cleveland, then RG III comes back and they beat Philly and Dallas. 9-7, with a 5-1 divisional record.
That leaves all three two teams at 9-7, with wildly different divisional records. Washington (improbably, unbelievably) wins the division in a landslide, actually, from a divisional-record standpoint, and if the Cowboys win one of the two games I have them losing, they could slip in with the second wild card spot, provided Chicago continues its slide.
Current odds to make the playoffs:
Giants- 63 percent chance
Redskins- 49 percent chance
Cowboys- 36 percent chance
Fun.
Update: I am indeed terrible with the math.
New Details Emerge About Josh Brent’s Car Crash
Melissa Repko at the DMN has talked to an eyewitness who arrived on the scene shortly after Josh Brent crashed his car. The unidentified woman says that Brent didn’t try to help Jerry Brown, Brent’s friend and teammate, who died in the crash. From the News:
“Jerry was alive. He was hurt. He was calling out and his own friend walked away,” she recalled in a phone call on Monday. … “I jumped out and ran out toward the wreck and Josh Brent was standing to the side in the grass. And I yelled to him, ‘Are you ok? Are you ok?’ And he told me he was fine. I was relieved because I thought it’s just a single car accident, nobody’s hurt. And then fire sparked up from the car and got bigger and I started to hear screams. … He did nothing. He didn’t say come on, hang in there, hold his hand. That’s what upsets me the most at this point. He abandoned him.”
Very troubling. Also troubling is the response to these claims from Brent’s lawyer, George Milner. He told the News:
“That is absolutely false. That’s not even consistent with what the police said when they came up on the scene. What I’ve been told is that Jerry Brown was never conscious after the accident. She’s a nut and she better be careful with this one.”
I’m not sure you can slander someone who hasn’t been identified. But whoa. Couldn’t he have given his statement without calling the woman a nut? This thing just gets more depressing as we learn more about it.
What’s Going to Happen During the 2013 Texas Legislature Session?
I don’t know. But people smarter/more informed than me do, and the Texas Tribune invited them to Austin to talk about it. The discussion was filmed a day after the election (Nov. 8), but touches on the 2013 legislative session, and the 2014 elections. The 2014 talk – Will Perry run again? Will Dewhurst? – starts at the 53 minute mark.
It’s long, but worth it.
The 10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas Party Was, Well, Beautiful
We celebrated the winners of the 10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas 2012 contest with an exclusive party at the W Hotel on Thursday, and I’d say it was a great success. Pink Patrón cocktails, a killer DJ, and multiple photo booths is a recipe for a good time. A seriously attractive crowd doesn’t hurt either. But you can be the judge of that. Take a look at our photos here and this video below from our new television partner, KTXD.
Texas’ State Fruit — the Grapefruit — Is Under Fire
Photo: Rachelle King
When I first moved to Texas two years ago, I ate so much grapefruit that my now-wife had to force me to stop. I was getting sick, but I couldn’t get over how cheap the fruits were (four for $1 last week at Sprouts). Even the grapefruit juice was cheap, defying all of Ocean Spray’s supply-chain economics. I would eat a grapefruit for breakfast, and wash it down with a glass of grapefruit juice. Scurvy didn’t stand a chance in that apartment.
I’d send photos of grapefruit prices to my dad with pithy comments like, “Bet you wish it was this cheap in New York!” and he’d text back something like “You really need to get a life.” I defended grapefruit to everyone, and loaded my cart with them every week.
Now Slate seems to think they’re the worst fruits ever harvested, a scourge on our stomachs and stockings. From their completely off-base piece this morning:
This killjoy has already invaded our breakfast routines. Its baleful pink, white, or red flesh shines from thousands of tables. Its pulp gets stuck in our teeth. Its juice stains our clothes. And now, we are asked to inflict the scourge on our relatives, shipping it off in packages of 12 or more in order to demonstrate our love?
No. Grapefruit is unwieldy, disgusting, and in some cases dangerous to eat. It is indisputably the worst fruit anyone has ever put on a plate.
No, you’re unwieldy, disgusting, and in some cases dangerous to eat, Katy Waldman. (I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that. Truly. You’re probably lovely. I’ve resorted to playground tactics.) She goes on to explain that the compounds in grapefruit inhibit the proper processing of some medications, meaning grapefruit is literally killing you. This, no. The same warning is on the side of every bottle of pills I’ve ever seen, and it’s never stopped me from washing down an antibiotic with a beer.
She also mentions grapefruit tastes disgusting and is impossible to eat. Erroneous! Erroneous on both counts! The truth is, when properly ripened, grapefruit is delicious, and, with two minutes of time, easy to eat. Get it together, Waldman!
Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Dec. 10
Photo by Trevor Paulhus.
In case you hadn’t noticed, my wonderful coworkers have been working double time coming up with excellent gift ideas, but I think Ryan Connor just posted my favorite over on the D Home blog: a set of two beautiful copper Moscow mule mugs. Hint, hint.
If you’re lucky enough not to have to work today and you just happen to visit the new Perot Museum, the new downtown location of Meso Maya is open at last. Alternatives to the Wolfgang Puck monopoly are a must, so I’m pleased about this development. Otherwise, the Turtle Creek Chorale offers the second performance of their concert of traditional Christmas music, Comfort & Joy, at the Meyerson Symphony Center. If you missed it last week, this is your last chance to hear the 250 harmonious voices before the TCC veers more naughty than nice. And for obvious reason, cold weather makes me want spicy curries. I want to try Sakhuu, the new Thai place over on Bryan Street, but alas this will have to wait for a day that’s not a Monday. Mai’s is my pre-Arts District show cold-weather stalwart, as you know, since it’s quick and comfortingly delicious.
And speaking of holiday shopping, Oil & Cotton offers yet another opportunity to get things done with Mom’s Shop-O-Rama tonight. There will be wine and cheese (these are the magic words for me), plus handmade toys, art supplies, creativity kits, and more. Basically, everything you could possibly want for your little urchin, plus free gift wrapping. One of our best new bars of 2012, The Foundry, is perfect for eating and drinking, with or without the whole family.
For more to do this evening, go here.
The NFL Has a Drinking and Driving Problem
The NFL has many, many problems (concussions, players getting paid for knocking other players out of games, and gun-ownership rates all come to mind), but the easiest to fix is its drinking and driving issue. On the heels of Jerry Brown’s death and Josh Brent’s arrest, the senselessness of the act we’ve almost all been guilty of has come front and center.
The drinking problem is beyond comprehension especially because pro athletes have more than enough means to avoid getting behind the wheel with an illegal blood-alcohol content. They can pay for cabs or private drivers, and the league offers free rides in major cities for players who have had one too many. For Brent to allegedly be operating a car with any booze in his system after pleading guilty to drunken driving in June 2009 defies all logic. At the very least, repeat offenders should face long-term suspensions.
So here’s to hoping the NFL office — and the NFL Players Association, for that matter — is in full-scale crisis mode today. Don’t give us moments of silence, somber press releases or predictable words about how sad a week this has been. Give us something that is tangible, something that can help these players avoid future disasters.
Give us the one thing that has been missing in the first place: a serious plan of action.
Mexican-American Pop Star Jenni Rivera Feared Dead Following Plane Crash
Jenni Rivera, the multi-talented pop star/reality TV star/entrepreneur, is believed to have died in a plane crash in Mexico yesterday, 100 miles southeast of Monterrey. There are, of course, the insane Tupac-style rumors, which just come off as sad.
The star performed in Dallas as recently as September, at East Dallas’ Far West club:
She was also one of a bevy of performers who entertained guests before the 2011 Super Bowl in Arlington:
Jump for local fan reactions.
New York Times Calls Ben Fountain’s Book a ‘Legitimate Masterpiece’
Darin Strauss writes in the New York Times that this year he has read three masterpieces — and then, to drive the point home, he qualifies them as “legitimate masterpieces” (his ital). One of those books is Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, written by Ben Fountain. (The other two books are Zadie Smith’s NW and Michael Chabon’s Telegraph Avenue.) If you haven’t read the book yet, you ought to. Here’s Zac’s profile of Fountain from our May issue.
Rick Perry Talks Healthcare With Forbes
Governor Rick Perry sat down with Forbes contributor Avik Roy last week, chatting about tort reform, Obamacare, and what Republicans need to push — healthcare-wise – in 2016. Roy was a Romney advisor, so take the questions and answers with a grain of salt:
On tort reform:
But good, courageous people have stayed hitched, if you will, to the concept [of innovation]. And they paid great dividends. So whether it was passing tort reform, putting tax policy, regulatory policy in place, that sent a predictable, stable message to innovators and job creators, that this was a state where you could come and risk your capital and have a good chance to have a return on your investment.
I think that is the underlying foundation that you must have in your state. Innovators are entrepreneurs. And if you don’t first give them clear messages of predictability and stability, then they may not stay in your state. So we first had to create the environment where innovators knew that they would get support from the state, that the state had “skin in the game,” so to speak.
On Obamacare, and its implementation in Texas:
So on its face, Obamacare may fail because they don’t have the expertise nor the money. And they’re trying to push this off on the states. And I think wise governors and wise legislatures will say, “No, thank you.” Medicaid is a broken system. And the idea that we would expand and put more money and more people into a broken system is not unlike putting another 1,000 people on the Titanic. You know how this is going to turn out. And it’s going to be a disaster.
John Petty of Lewisville Has an Indulgent Wife
So, there’s this comic-book blog I read called Robot 6. It has a recurring feature called “Shelf Porn,” which is not what it sounds like. Nerds with impressive collections of comics, toys, and original art take pictures of their well-organized and meticulously arranged shelves, and the rest of us fanboys look at them the way many people look at porn, i.e. wishing we could have been in the room when the pictures were taken.
The latest edition of “Shelf Porn” was submitted by John Petty of Lewisville, whose collection exceeds that label. Thanks to his understanding wife, his photo set is more like “house porn.” You’ll be astounded long before you see the inside of his man cave.
Leading Off (12/10/12)
Golf Courses Are the Ultimate Cure-All For Urban Poverty: Here’s another article (paywall) that talks about how Mayor Mike Rawlings is really jazzed about how great that golf course is going to be for South Dallas. But you don’t need to click through. You already know how huge this deal is going to be. Just think about what a major boom Dallas National has been for Cockrell Hill. I mean, can you think of a more affluent and booming neighborhood in North Texas than the island city of Cockrell Hill? It’s like a second Highland Park, which also has a golf course in it. Coincidence? I think not.
Man Tries to Steal $269 Worth of Meat: In order to really appreciate this story about Rodney Johnson’s attempt to make off from a Kroger with $269 worth of meat shoved up under his coat, you have to try and picture just what $269 worth of meat looks like. Then read how he was first tackled by police and then struck in the back of the head before officers finally managed to arrest the hungry thief.
Michael Young Is No Longer a Texas Ranger: Drop your head to your chest, raise your right arm, extend your fingers, and drop a final claw on Michael Young as he heads out the door to Philadelphia. “If there was crying in baseball, I guess I’d cry,” Wash said. But we all know Wash cried.
Cowboys Win Game, Josh Brent Just Loses: What do you say about Josh Brent? Over the weekend he lost his best friend, he lost his career, and he quite possibly lost his freedom for up to the next 20 years (the maximum sentence for intoxication manslaughter). He was released from jail after posting bail that was $10,000 more than his $490,000 2012 salary. “It’s not a good moment for anyone right now,” Brent’s attorney said. I guess that’s all you really can say.
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