201010. Mike Leach's Departure
He put the wrong kid in the broom closet. Instead of picking some no-name kid, he put Craig James' kid in the no-no closet at Texas Tech. And somehow allowed him in with a cell phone camera. Tech higher ups didn't like Leach anyway, so shitting on Craig James' kid was the final straw and after much legal mumbo jumbo and assorted crap, Leach was fired. The saddest day, by far, in Dallas-Fort Worth sports in 2010.
9. The Texas Rangers Go Bankrupt!
Probably a bit more significant than I'm letting on, but since no one can really explain the happenings of the last 12 months concerning Tom Hicks, his group, his creditors, his debt and the auction that took place in early August, then it gets bumped down.
8. The Destruction Of Texas Stadium
Outside of the Cotton Bowl and that field the Fort Worth Cats play on, Texas Stadium was our own connection to the past. It was the house that Danny White built. Seeing it go for good was significant.
7. The Fall Of Longhorn Football
College programs ebb and flow. It wasn't that long ago that Texas and Oklahoma weren't very good. A decade of utter domination and success spoils even us outsiders. The Longhorns didn't just hit a rough patch and stumble to eight wins. They slid off the road and their car fucking exploded on impact after a 200-foot drop off a cliff. There's talk of internal accountability. Change has already taken place in the coaching staff as the Orange Blood faithful's foundation was rocked to its core.
6. The NBA All-Star Game Arrives
It's the Black Super Bowl. A weekend unparalleled for its parties, elite and awesome African Americaness. And it fucking snowed the entire time. Welcome to Dallas!
5. Cliff Lee
No singular player changed the sports landscape in our city like Cliff Lee. The whirlwind day in July when Lee was all set to go to the New York Yankees only to have the deal fall apart and have the Rangers swoop in and add Justin Smoak to the deal was mind blowing. It didn't make sense because we'd never seen anything like it. It was foreign and disturbing no matter how glorious it was. The feeling that other baseball cities get to enjoy all the time was not taken for granted here. Lee was like the circus. Mammoth crowds tuned in and showed up to watch Lee pitch as if he were the yak woman or the tallest man on Earth. Besides all that, Lee, as a pitcher, was beyond anything we knew. It's like a hitter coming in and teaching us how to swing a bat. Suddenly, pitching of the highest order was on display, and we could not get enough.
4. Mike Modano Leaves
It was evident from the end of the 2009-10 season that the Dallas Stars did not necessarily want Mike Modano back. He wanted to keep playing. So he left. Going to the Detroit Red Wings. Imagine Dirk Nowitzki or Roger Staubach leaving. Then imagine them going to the San Antonio Spurs and Washington Redskins, respectively. Modano's departure got all too little play in the press.
3. Ron Washington's Coke Use
As legend has it, during the All-Star break in 2009, Ron Washington returned home and did a few lines with old friends. He took a pee test and, knowing it was going to be positive, told the Texas Rangers and, thus, Major League Baseball. It was swept under the rug until last winter when it became public. The Rangers and MLB did nothing. The outcry was deafening. Most couldn't understand keeping on a guy who did drugs (!!). Some didn't see the big deal. Others just wanted to forgive and forget. Trust me, by August and September (and especially October) there was a lot of forgetting.
2. The Near Collapse Of The Big XII
Last spring, it almost all came crumbling down. Rumors swirled over the winter of Texas talking to the likes of the Big Ten or Pac 10. Rumors spread and blossomed. It all came to a head in the spring when it seemed Texas was due to leave and others (Texas A&M, Oklahoma) were looking at their options elsewhere. The saga contined for days on end. It was high drama. All the while, Texas was playing the media to get their own TV networking and a big chunk of cash. It kept the party going, but Nebraska and Colorado left and put the Big XII ... err, X on notice.
1. The Texas Rangers
I probably could've done a top 10 of top Texas Rangers moments. What do you say here? Josh Hamilton. Cliff Lee. Neftali Feliz. C.J. Wilson. Mike Young, Darren O'Day. Darren Oliver. Ian Kinsler. Mitch Moreland. Nellie Cruz. Julio Borbon. David Murphy. Alexi Ogando. Matt Treanor. Bengie Molina. Colby Lewis. Derek Holland. Tommy Hunter. They all happened. And it was beautiful.
Honorable Mentions: Caron Butler Trade, Wade Phillips Firing, TCU Football, Josh Howard,
