Articles for January 31st, 2013
Texas Ranger Nelson Cruz Denies Performance-Enhancing Drugs Allegations
In a short statement to the Associated Press, from Nelson Cruz’s attorneys:
“We are aware of certain allegations and inferences. To the extent these allegations and inferences refer to Nelson, they are denied.”
Evan Grant noted that the attorneys, from Pittsburgh-based Farrell & Reisinger, do not include Cruz’s agent. Jay K. Reisinger and Thomas J. Farrell also represented New York Yankee Andy Pettite and slugger Sammy Sosa during various U.S. House of Representative performance-enhancing drug inquiries.
A Report From the X Games on Caleb Moore’s Ill-Fated Snowmobile Jump
Caleb Moore at the Aspen X Games, on a practice jump the day of his crash. Photo by John Bowden
With two local kids participating in the X Games, we sent photographer John Bowden to Aspen to document Caleb and Colton Moore’s snowmobiling. Both brothers were badly injured on the same jump. Colton broke his pelvis. Caleb didn’t survive his injuries. Here is John’s report:
I’d been at the snowmobile competition facility, which was located at the base of Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, all afternoon. From, say 2:30 to 6:30. The competition started at 7. The snowmobile crowd is more like a NASCAR crowd, a very different scene than the ski and snowboarding scene. The pit area was loud, like the pits at a dirt track. You don’t get that on television. You also can’t appreciate the height of the jumps, or the length. The 100-foot gap was huge. These are heavily modified machines. Rocket ships. I was tense the whole time I watched. Everyone was. The whole crowd sighed a sigh of relief every time sometime landed safely. We all knew that if something bad happened, it was gonna be real bad.
When the competition started, I was moving to the Moore brothers’ trailer in the pits. I was going to meet their publicist, Chelsea Lawson, about my interview with Caleb and Colton the next morning. Caleb was the first rider on the course. I heard everyone say, “Oh, oh, oh.” People were standing on the tops of trailers, watching. Everyone had their hands on their heads. It got really quiet. Snowmobile riders are like bull riders; they’re supposed to pop up. And Caleb did. He crashed on one of the smaller jumps. Colton crashed on the same jump. It was tricky. All throughout the day, people had been having trouble with their speed. It was second in a series of three jumps. It was apparently very difficult to get the speed right. Riders either under- or over-rotated. It was the only jump on the course that you had to hit very quickly after landing the previous jump.
After Caleb got up and walked off, we all thought he was okay. It was Colton who we thought was really injured. We all know now that that was not the case.
Brek Shea Actually, Really Leaves FC Dallas
And here’s one of the first people to congratulate him:
Happy for my man @breksheaCongrats. Do your thing over there. Will be watchin.
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) January 31, 2013
If you’re a Stoke fan and you’ve stumbled upon this, ESPN wrote a quick guide to Shea.
Robert Jeffress’ Position on Homosexuality Hasn’t Changed, So Stop Writing That it Has
Robert Jeffress                                                                   Photo: Elizabeth Lavin
Today, in a piece by the Associated Press on evangelicals and their shifting views on homosexuality, First Baptist Church’s Robert Jeffress is quoted as saying he now preaches about homosexuality in “a bigger context of God’s plan for sex between one man and one woman in a lifetime relationship called marriage… It would be the height of hypocrisy to condemn homosexuality and not adultery or unbiblical divorce.”
The AP and other sources picked this up and ran with it, splaying the headline “Evangelical Churches Refine Message On Gay Issues” above the piece. Problem is, what Jeffress is saying isn’t new. From our own Michael J. Mooney’s story on Jeffress, printed in January 2012:
I mentioned to him that I had spoken with Mel White, the man who wrote Dr. Criswell’s autobiography. (He did the same for Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and Billy Graham.) In 1994, White announced to the world that he is gay. Jeffress said he’d heard of White, but that they’d never met or spoken. I told Jeffress that White says that when pastors like Jeffress tell people that gay is not okay, it fuels discrimination and can drive some gay kids into dangerous depressions. Jeffress reminded me that his, Jeffress’, is the message of hope–that homosexuals can change through the power of Christ. He generally equates being gay with alcoholism or a genetic proclivity toward violence. He always points out that no one sin is any worse than the others.
And even his 2008 “Gay is not OK” sermon featured lines of compassion. From Mooney’s piece:
In 2008, when he gave his two-part “Gay Is Not OK” sermon, he told his church: “What they [homosexuals] do is filthy. It is so degrading that it is beyond description. And it is their filthy behavior that explains why they are so much more prone to disease.” But seconds later he reminded the flock to “demonstrate compassion,” noting that “cutting off your children is the biggest mistake you will ever make. You don’t have to approve of what they’re doing. You don’t have to invite their homosexual lover into your home. But let your son or daughter always know that you love them.”
Jeffress’ position may have shifted slightly – “He said he is open to the possibility that sexual orientation has a genetic basis that cannot be cured or prayed away,” the AP story reads – but to say that he’s changed his belief is disingenuous.
Only 13 Percent of Texans Have a Favorable Opinion of Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones
Photo: Algorithm Labs
Twenty years ago, Jerry Jones might have been the most popular owner in sports. His Cowboys had just won the first of three Super Bowls, and public opinion was sky-high. Now, not so much. In a report released today by Public Policy Polling, researchers found that only 13 percent of Texans have a positive opinion on Jones, while 50 percent have a negative one. Fifty-two percent of Cowboys fans think the team would be better off with another owner, compared to only 14 percent who think the franchise would be worse off.
Bright spot:
Jones isn’t the most unpopular athletic figure in Texas though. That ‘honor’ would go to Lance Armstrong who in spite of his native son status in the state is seen positively by only 16% of voters compared to 59% with a negative opinion, numbers that aren’t a whole lot better than what we found for him on recent Minnesota and Maine polls.
(There’s also some unimportant mumbo-jumbo in the report about Hillary Clinton possibly winning the state in the 2016 presidential election, and some words about how much Texans don’t want Rick Perry to run for president again. You know, unimportant stuff. The full report’s here.)
Bishop Arts Gateway Project Might Not Be a Slam Dunk, One Business Owner Says
Key, according to David Spence, owner of Good Space: Green = Core of Bishop Arts, Purple = Becoming-Bishop Arts, Yellow = Tomorrow’s becoming-Bishop Arts, X = Future streetcar stop, Red = What? Source: Facebook
Last week, Roy Appleton reported that a stalled deal to purchase an old transmission shop at Davis Street and Zang Boulevard in North Oak Cliff was seemingly heading toward resolution. The city had been trying to purchase the property from Roy Smith, for use as a gateway park, welcoming folks into the burgeoning Bishop Arts District. Smith currently owns a transmission shop on the plot, which he bought in 1994.
David Spence, who owns commercial and residential property throughout North Oak Cliff, objected to the proposal last night, via Facebook:
GOOD SPACE OBJECTS, IN THE STRONGEST TERMS, to city hall’s misguided plan to create a “Bishop Arts Gateway” at Zang & Davis, future location of a stop on the new streetcar line. The only failed component of Bishop Arts’ streetscape project of 2000 is the district’s graffitied, trash-strewn, abandoned “pocket park.” We can guarantee the same result in this even more remote location: a “public space” which, in fact, belongs to and is maintained by no one. If the city has right-of-way it doesn’t need and money to purchase and remediate an old filling station, then COMBINE THEM and entrust the new development site to private investors to create something swell to greet tourists disembarking from the streetcar. Mini-plazas produce weeds, not excitement or taxes.
Bryan Garner Is Not Happy With the Dallas Morning News
Bryan Garner is the leading English lexicographer working today. His Garner’s Modern American Usage sits on a desk between me and Krista. If you care about words and how they’re used, you need to buy a copy. While you’re waiting for Amazon to deliver it, read this profile of Garner that we published awhile back.
Garner’s most recent book is Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts, which he co-wrote with Justice Antonin Scalia. To promote the book, the two gave a talk on January 28 to 1,700 people at SMU’s McFarlin Auditorium. To say that Garner did not enjoy the coverage he and Scalia received in the paper would be an understatement. He has written an open letter to the paper. A taste:
Tasha Tsiaperas seriously misreported the gist of the joint presentation at SMU. She quotes me as saying, “I will tell you that my political beliefs are different from those of Justice Scalia” and reports that “Garner supports gay marriage and favors stricter gun control laws.” But she fails to follow up with the only reason that mentioning these issues or the authors’ political differences is relevant: Justice Scalia and I worked through 700 cases while writing our 600-page book and have not found a single case on which we disagree about legal interpretation. The point is that judicial textualism leads to consistent results, regardless of political bent.
But more disturbingly, she ends her short piece quoting Justice Scalia as saying of the Constitution: “It’s not a living document. It’s dead, dead, dead.” End of piece. That may make an eye-catching headline (as in your online edition), but it’s a serious distortion. Here is what he actually said:
“I used to say that the Constitution is not a living document. It’s dead, dead, dead. But I’ve gotten better. I no longer say that. The truth is that the Constitution is not one that morphs. It’s an enduring Constitution, not a changing Constitution. That is what I’ve meant when I’ve said that the Constitution is dead.”
Krum Snowmobiler Caleb Moore Dies Following Winter X Games Snowmobile Crash
Denton County resident Caleb Moore has died of injuries sustained during a snowmobile accident at the Winter X Games last week., multiple sources are reporting. A Give Forward campaign has raised $26,000 for his medical bills.
Moore’s brother Colten, who was also injured during last week’s X Games, left this message on his Facebook wall:
This morning Caleb Moore passed away. He will be truly missed and never forgotten.
The family wishes to express their deep gratitude for all the prayers and support they have received from all the fans, friends and family around the world that Caleb has inspired.
They would also like to thank the physicians and medical staff at both Aspen Valley Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital, Grand Junction for their care and dedication.
At this time, the family will not be making any other public statements. They continue to decline interviews. Thank you for continuing to respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.
Arrangements for a celebration of life are being made and an announcement will be made in the coming days.
The Krum resident was 25.
Twenty Years Ago Today, the Dallas Cowboys Destroyed the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII
If the pains of the past three seasons are still too much, don’t continue reading. Just skip ahead to watching Michael Jackson’s Halftime Spectacuganza. I’m watching it with fresh eyes – I was eight when it first aired – and it’s glorious. Multiple Michaels, a lightshow during daylight, James Earl Jones, everything.
As for the game, a few reminders:
-Â 52-17
- Troy Aikman was 22 of 30, for 273 yards and four touchdowns
- Emmitt Smith ran for 108 yards and a touchdown
- Michael Irvin caught six passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns
Dry your eyes, mates.
D Magazine to Open Falcon Hut at Klyde Warren Park
Ever since Klyde Warren Park opened with its Dallas Morning News-sponsored reading room, jealousy has fueled my search for a similar D Magazine joint. What could we do at the park that would feel “on brand”? A hookah lounge? No, the park is a no-smoking zone. A firing range? No, we couldn’t get the necessary permits from the city. A cat park, where cats could lick themselves and roam off leash? No, that’s too FD Luxe. On and on it went, hours of brainstorming sessions, and we couldn’t come up with the perfect idea — until now.
Picture a pushcart situation, like the ones at the mall where they sell various beads that can be strung together to make bracelets and necklaces and such, only instead of beads, we’ll have falcons. We’ll probably start with just two or three falcons and see if that number meets the demand, but the pushcart will accommodate up to a dozen falcons. They will perch in the falcon hut, wearing their hoods and bells and jesses, waiting for a park visitor to come along and borrow a gauntlet. The pushcart will be stocked with gauntlets of all sizes so that children and adults alike can easily work with the falcons. Windy Meadows Farm has agreed to provide the live grass-fed gerbils that will be shot high into the air with a t-shirt cannon so that the majestic raptors can swoop down and snatch them with their sharp talons as lunchtime park-goers cheer with delight.
That’s the plan, anyway. There are still a few bugs to work out, but look for the D Magazine falcon hut this spring in Klyde Warren Park.
Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Jan. 31
Just an excuse to post this.
There are at least two other people in this office who will back me up on this, but Drumline is a fantastic movie. A great movie. One of the best, perhaps.
We all received the AT&T Performing Arts Center calendar months ago, so I’ve been pretty excited for tonight’s event for awhile. Pretty excited is probably an understatement. Drumline Live offers all the excitement of a college halftime show without the actual football game. (This is good news for some people, obviously, definitely not me.) For those worried about keeping canon with the original Cannon (boom), the folks behind this national tour are the same people behind the movie, and the stage show features the best of marching band traditions from historically black colleges and universities across the United States. There’s even a pair of orchestra seats left, and if you hop over to FrontRow, we’ve got a last minute pair of tickets to give away.
Also this evening, since the Sound City documentary screening at the Magnolia is sadly sold out, may I recommend Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo over at Theatre Three? Playwright Rajiv Joseph is having quite the year here, what with this production of his play and a commission from the Dallas Theater Center set to debut later in the season. This is exciting, but surely nothing can be more exciting than the idea of a wild beast stalking the streets of a newly invaded Baghdad. In Joseph’s darkly funny play (a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize), the tiger, played by comedian Robin Williams on Broadway, searches for the meaning of life amid the rubble and corruption. Bonus: this play was the subject of our Broducers column over on FrontRow, and our guest bro reviewer, Paul Ramon, is hilarious. Thanks, Paul. My go to for dinner over there in the Quadrangle is Dream Cafe, because plenty of the servers are actors and they do brisk pre-theater service.
For more to do tonight, go here.
Survival of the Cutest: Juno vs. Bear in a Contest Between Small Dogs. Vote Now.
Bear (left) and Juno are giving you that look. You know the one. How can you resist that look?
Only two days of voting left in our Survival of the Cutest round of the Adorable 8.
Both Juno, a energetic (watch her video) creature, is facing off against the older Bear, the dachshund who likes to go to work with his owners.
They need your votes, today and tomorrow. Only one of them will reach the Furry 4.
Willard Spiegelman Talks With Gil Roth on The Virtual Memories Show
You know Willard Spiegelman as an author, SMU professor, and sometime D Magazine contributor. You probably don’t know Gil Roth, but he does a podcast called The Virtual Memories Show. In this episode, Gil talks with Willard about “his wonderful book (go read it!), his addiction to ballroom dancing, how to find joy in the day-to-day world, why he hates book clubs, what Dallas, TX, is like for a secular Philadelphia Jew, how he turned me on to one of my favorite novels, who his Desert Island Poets are, how he writes about the visual arts, why the world’s great novels are lost on the young, and what it was like to attend his 50th high school reunion.” If you’ve got an hour or so, it’s worth a listen.
Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Shot and Killed Outside Courthouse
According to CBS-DFW:
An assistant district attorney with the Kaufman County District Attorney’s Office has been shot and killed. The shooting happened around 8:50 a.m. Officials with the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department have confirmed to CBS 11 News that the man was shot in the parking lot of the department of motor vehicles, which is across the street from the county courthouse.
The shooting victim was transported to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Kaufman. It has been confirmed that the man has died.
Police are searching for two men who fled in a silver Ford Taurus. The victim’s name has not yet been released, but the Morning News is reporting he was certified as a peace officer in 1988. Streaming video above is from NBC.
Okay, So We Have Bike Lanes. But What if Cars Just Drive Over Them?
A demo-project bike lane on Sylvan Avenue in West Dallas. Source: the terrible camera in my phone
The blurry photo you see above is a new bike lane, a demo-project one, on Sylvan Avenue, between I-30 and Fort Worth Avenue. It was installed a few weeks ago, and I drive past it every day on my way to work. The problem is that while I drive past it, most people drive through it. It’s a matter of location – the I-30 service road dumps vehicles right onto it; there’s a bottleneck heading north on Sylvan, too – but also a matter of education.
I called Max Kalhammer, the city of Dallas’ bike plan guru, to ask him what the city could do to make sure cars use car lanes, and bikes use bike lanes.
“We’re hoping to improve and increase our outreach about these tyes of facilities, and we’re still ramping up to do that,” he said. “Personally I’ve observed a vast majority of motorists are doing it correctly.”
And maybe that’s true – he mentioned a bike lane on Fort Worth Avenue which has 97 to 98 percent compliance, but that’s a wider road, with better-defined lanes – but the city still needs to do something. Signs are coming, he said, as is a media campaign. And the city applied for an almost $750,000 STEP grant from the Texas Department of Transportation to help finance this campaign; the awards are granted in July.
Until then, here’s a plea: stick to your own lanes.
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