WHITTS END: 10.22.21*Texas Rangers lost 100 games this season. Make it 101. , they've jumped into hot water. The organization earned its most embarra sing L of 2021 Thursday when it blatantly went off-script from Major League Baseballs social media participation in #SpiritDay, an international campaign to bring awarene s and hopefully stop bullying of teens in the LGBTQ+ community.Oh, the Rangers sent out a tweet alright. But unlike other teams they conveniently left out the #LGBTQ+ hashtag. Also mi sing: The link to the s Spirt Day website. Id like to give them the benefit of the doubt but, nope, this strategic move merely continues a nauseating, disgusting pattern impo sible to ignore: The Rangers refuse to acknowledge the LGBTQ community, much le s Deven Marrero Jersey lift a social media finger to help it.More proof: There is only one MLB team yet to host a Pride Night. Venture a gue s? Yep, same team that hosts theme nights for colleges, faith, police, military and even dogs. The same franchise that boasts #straightupTX as its official hashtag (insert sarcasm).But why should this matter? Allow me.Spirit Day was created in 2010 after an alarming uptick of teen suicides among LGBTQs. Research suggests bullying of non-traditional teens leads to depre sion and a suicide rate that is three times higher than heterosexuals. But instead of a small act that could make a big impact, the Rangers are going out of their way publicly to distance from their MLB partners and ignore LGBTQ bullying.This isnt even lip service. Its an undeniable looking the other way.I know a couple Rangers employees who, privately, are humiliated by their teams actionable indifference. And I can only imagine how this front-office roundtable decision landed: Yeah, but if we include #LGBTQ+ well offend the core of our fan base.Theyre not wrong. But theyve never been more wrong.*As someone who habitually buys green bananas, I admit to keeping an eye on the near future. But Dallas Cowboys fans are inexplicably obse sed not with whats , but whats . Case in point: Theres just as much focus on what will happen with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore in 2022 as the teams sparkling 5-1 record in 2021.But, after further review, I might understand the source of their angst. Goes by the name Sean Payton. In 2003-05, Payton was the hotshot offensive mind diagramming plays and inventing ways to help the Cowboys and quarterbacks such as Quincy Carter and Drew Bledsoe win 10 games and make the playoffs. Head coach Bill Parcells got the big money and the bigger media attention, but Payton drew interest from around the league as a rising, innovative, offensive genius. In 2005, owner Jerry Jones stiff-armed the Oakland Raiders flirtation with Payton by doubling Sean's Jarlin Garcia Jersey salary to $1 million and adding a sistant head coach to his title.But in 2006, the New Orleans Saints knocked even harder at Paytons door and Jones was forced to make a difficult decision: Stick with his 64-year-old, future Hall-of-Fame coach, or fire Parcells and promote Payton. Andre Dawson Jersey Hindsight a sures us that Jones made the catastrophic wrong move. Parcells quit only a year later after Tony Romos bobbled snap ended the 2006 season. Payton went to New Orleans and immediately won NFL Coach of the Year, leading the Saints to the NFC Championship Game in his first season and a win in Super Bowl XLIV in his fourth. Still the man in New Orleans 16 years after bolting Dallas, Payton has guided the Saints to the playoffs nine times. In his post-Payton era, Jones has employed as many head coaches and he has enjoyed playoff wins: three. Which brings us to all this Cowboys consternation during what should be a celebratory bye week. Kellen Moore is Sean Payton 2.0. Under a grizzled head coach (Mike McCarthy) with a Super Bowl resume, the young offensive mind has created the NFLs most productive offense. Led by Dak Prescott and Moores creativity which has featured a receiver (CeeDee Lamb) taking a hand-off in the backfield, a receiver (Cedrick Wilson) throwing a pa s and a running back (Ezekiel Elliott) both pitching the ball on an option and catching a pa s after a fake option pitch, the Cowboys lead the NFL in scoring at 34.1 points per game and are on pace to be the highest-scoring offense in franchise history. Those gaudy numbers, mind you, are without production from starters Michael Gallup and Lael Collins. Listen weekly to TV analysts like Troy Aikman and Tony Romo, and its a foregone conclusion that Moore will be a head coach in Bryan Holaday Jersey 2022. But where? He received interest but not an official offer from his alma mater, Boise State, last offseason. Who knows, he could get a sniff for the imminent opening at LSU (not for nothing, the Tigers next star quarterback is four-star recruit Garrett Nu smeier, son of Cowboys quarterbacks coach, Doug.) And at the Cowboys current torrid pace, Moore will likely have multiple suitors in the NFL. , You always want to keep guys that are helping you have succe s. At the same time, thats part of this busine s. Hopefully you have some great coaches on staff who are ready to step up if someone leaves. If Moore stays in Dallas, Jerry will likely have to pull the trigger he didnt 15 years ago. To keep one of the brightest, young offensive minds in the league, will the Cowboys owner have the guts to part with a head coach that has him team 5-1? I gue s it depends on how the 79-year-old feels about green bananas.*Jason Kidds third debut with the Dallas Mavericks opened Thursday night with a resounding air ball. Yikes. Under their former-point-guard-turned-new-head-coach, the Mavs were flat and flawed, smothered by the more energetic Atlanta Hawks. (Familiar echo: What do the Mavs see in Dwight Powell that I've never seen?) Luka Doncic was uncharacteristically inept, producing more turnovers (five) than baskets (four) through three quarters as Dallas tripped into a 22-point hole. As first impre sions go, Kidd did not look like a coach able to take Luka's game to the next level. Only three times last season did Doncic play more than 30 minutes and score fewer than 20 points. Against the Hawks: 18 points in 35 minutes. At this rate, Luka will play his way off the NBA's future 100-Year Anniversary Team. Kidd fell to 1-2 in his Mavs lid-lifters: beating the Nets as a rookie in 1994 and losing to the Rockets in his 2008 return before last nights debacle.*Seeking a silver lining? is only their second-worst on opening night in franchise history. The 1992 team lost by 41 (140-99) to the Spurs en route to a 22-60 season. Sandy Alcantara Jersey Feel better?*Behind only Tom Landry, hes the second-longest tenured head coach in DFW sports history. And hes the last team leader to lift a championship trophy. So why doe