Winners
Rougned Odor
We like to think of our society as an advanced civilization, and our nation-state as a place governed by law and order, where disputes between aggrieved parties can be settled by sitting down for a reasoned discussion. We justifiably celebrate peace-makers. But — holy cow — did you see that punch? The Texas Rangers second baseman clocked Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista good, leading to an eighth-inning brawl between the teams on Sunday at the Globe. That’ll teach Bautista (I guess?) not to drop his bat with flourish after smacking a home run. It was an objectively awesome sight. Yeah, yeah, make the sure the kids don’t try this at home, but I mean, come on:
[d-embed]
This sums up it up pic.twitter.com/XONy4UMyus
— MLB Memes (@MLBMeme) May 16, 2016
[/d-embed]
The Internet hasn’t let us down with its celebrations:
[d-embed][/d-embed]
Odor got an eight-game suspension for the incident from Major League Baseball, but who cares when the Double-A Rangers affiliate Frisco RoughRiders are serving a special punch (get it? get it?) in his honor, and a joint in Fort Worth has offered him free barbecue for life. +20 million
Arlington’s Bragging Rights
Reports indicate that “the Paris of I-30” has secured the tenancy of the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball Club well into the future by agreeing to split the bill on the construction of a $900-million (or so) new ballpark with a retractable roof. Guess we’ve got no more excuses for drafting clickbait posts speculating on the possibility of a downtown Dallas stadium. +30
Mark Cuban
When the idea was first being bandied about, it didn’t seem any more serious than the Dallas billionaire’s turn as commander-in-chief in Sharknado 3. But now we learn that some serious, disaffected Republicans tried to recruit him for an independent bid for the presidency this year, hoping to stop Donald Trump? And he didn’t say he wasn’t interested in the office. He said there isn’t enough time left to make a legitimate bid. +2,024
John Nolley
The 42-year-old man, convicted and sentenced to life in prison 19 years ago for a 1996 Bedford murder, walked out of a Tarrant County courtroom to freedom on Tuesday. The Innocence Project had spent 10 years digging into the case, and advanced scientific tests showed that a bloody palm print and blood on a knife didn’t come from Nolley. +50
Suburbs
New U.S. Census data show that Frisco was among the 10 fastest-growing cities in the United States between July 2014 and July 2015, seeing a population jump of 6.3 percent. Meanwhile Dallas proper grew by only 1.5 percent, less than the state of Texas as a whole. +154,407
Losers
Arlington Taxpayers
Despite overwhelming evidence that the public financing of stadiums is a boondoggle that accomplishes nothing other than further lining the pockets of multi-billion-dollar sports team owners, I suspect an appeal to civic pride will convince Arlington voters to pony up the money to help the Texas Rangers build a new ballpark. -450 million
Oil and Gas Business
Thanks to a new SMU/University of Texas study, it’s getting even harder for the industry to deny its culpability in the state’s earthquake surge during the past decade. -162
Dallas Police
The department has had to cancel its last two academy classes — and may need to cancel a third — because it hasn’t been able to attract enough recruits. The $45,000 starting pay for officers likely has a lot to do with it, since nearby cities offer $10,000 to $15,000 more immediately. -15
Farmers Branch
A confrontation between police and protestors broke out after Farmers Branch Mayor Bob Phelps declined to speak with a group of about 200 who’d appeared at a city council meeting on Tuesday to draw attention to the killing of 16-year-old Jose Cruz by an off-duty Farmers Branch police officer in March. The mayor was ushered into a police vehicle to escape the scene. -327
[d-embed]
#BREAKING Protesters run after Mayor being escorted to car. Now doing sit-in in parking lot @wfaachannel8 pic.twitter.com/I1rSg2Io1D
— Jobin Panicker (@jobinpnews) May 18, 2016
[/d-embed]
Scooter
It turns out one of last week’s big winners, a 30-year-old cat from Mansfield, never lived to see his longevity celebrated by Guinness. RIP. -270
