Sunday, August 10, 2014

Two for One Sale, and No Sales Tax: Speculation AND a Rant!


First of all, I'm sympathetic to the viewpoint that what a prominent person does in his or her personal life, up to a point, is his or her own business.  Where that point is depends on why the person is prominent, the particular private action involved, when it took place, whether it compromises the person's public activities, and other contextual variables.  This site generally avoids broadcasting stuff about the hosts that may come its way that is not in the public record.

The very different reactions of The Hardline and The Musers on the Jerry Jones photos is notable.  I'm referring here to the first segments done by those shows on the subject.  If they've gone into it more deeply since -- that is anything other than passing mentions -- I didn't hear it.

The Hardline crew was unanimously dismissive.  Their points:

       --  Jerry's philandering and alcohol-fueled carousing are well-known.  Actually, I hadn't known it, but a little scouting on the Internets suggests that it may indeed be the case that Jerry's a too-often-drunken poon hound, or at least has some history of it.

       --  Many men have arrangements with their wives that permits extramarital adventures; the wife "signs on," as it were, to this circumstance in return for whatever benefits she gets from the marriage.

       --  Nothing will come of this.  Nothing should come of it.

All of those points may be correct.  I am mildly skeptical, but only mildly.  I'll get to that in a moment.

The Musers mused a little more deeply on the matter.

       --  They noted that, at that point, not a single major media outlet had given the publication of the photos any play at all.

       --  They wondered what Roger Goodell thought of this.  I believe they made reference to Roger Goodell's dithering over what, if anything, to do about Jim Irsay.  (Nothing, yet, but he has commented on it.)

       --   They made passing reference, if I'm recalling correctly, to the possible effect on the Jones family.

As I said, the Hardline may be right that nothing will come of this.

But I think there is at least the possibility that something will.  I'm wondering if we'll hear from women's groups.  I'll bet Roger Goodell has at least made a phone call to Jerry.

But what I'm really wondering about is Gene.

True it may be that she knows what Jerry does when he goes out at night and travels to faraway places.  And true it may be that she's made the bargain the Hardline ascribes to women like her.

But the women who make those kinds of deals do so with the understanding that the tomcatting itself will remain private.  They do not sign on to be publicly humiliated, and that is what is happening to Gene Jones.

Which takes me back to those contextual circumstances I mentioned above.  What if Gene decided she'd had enough?    Independently prominent spouses like Hilary Clinton and Huma Abedin have hung on for their own craven political reasons (hell, Hillary told Huma to divorce the pathetic Anthony Weiner), but Silda Spitzer divorced Eliot's sorry hosebarge ass and got millions; on the Republican side, there's Ahhnold, quickly sent on his way by Maria Shriver.  Sports example?  Elin Nordegren Woods.

Texas is a community property state.   Property acquired by a spouse after marriage is, generally speaking, the property of both spouses.   I was speaking to a long-time well-informed observer of the Cowboys, and expressed the thought that surely Jerry had some kind of post-nuptial agreement with Gene that partitions their property in a way that would designate Cowboy-related assets as Jerry's separate property (i.e., his in the event of a divorce).  This guy said he doubted it (although he was in no way privy to the Joneses' estate planning).

So I speculate -- of course! -- on a possible course of events should the mortifying photos not go away and Gene's society buddies (who may themselves be Cowboy fans as disgusted at Jerry's incompetent management as by his injurious behavior) tell her to make her move.



My point:  While we're very uninformed about Jerry's financial planning and Gene's disposition, those photos do have the potential to influence the ownership of the Cowboys.  Even if Jerry has the Cowboys tied up, a divorce nevertheless might influence the team's operations.  Consider:  Jerry's net worth is estimated to be in the $3.1-3.2 billion range.  That includes the value of the Cowboys, which is estimated at $2.3 billion.  Would Gene have made a deal after all those years of marriage that didn't give her halvsies, even if it didn't include the Cowboys (purchased at the time for a measly $0.14 billion)?  (I have considered the possibility that these numbers are apples and oranges, as the net worth figure includes aggregate indebtedness but the Cowboys value figure may not.)  Is it possible that a divorce would have a negative impact on Jerry's ability to invest in the Cowboys?  If Gene walked off with the oil and gas, would the franchise throw off enough cash for Jerry to continue to flirt with the salary cap?

I have two answers for that:  (1) Probably, and (2) I have no idea.  And, of course, they may have a post-nuptial/partition agreement that would give Jean much, much less than half in the event of a divorce.

OK, I'm way off in cloud-cuckoo land, big surprise.  All I'm saying is that those pictures have the potential to do something that no mortal ever dreamed possible, and that is to shake up the management, if not the ownership, of this franchise.  Has this not even occurred to people in the sport reporting biz?  While I concede I'm speculating, are these scenarios so remote that they don't bear the slightest consideration?

Which leads me to my final point, which is:   The Musers started to make an excellent point when they noted how the MSM were running from the story like MSNBC from the IRS scandal.  The Hardline is going to be exactly right if this story dies, either because the Niffle does nothing, or news media do nothing.

I say:   Roger Goodell, you're terrific at bullying players.  Whatcha going to do about titgrabbing, crotchoffering, possible extortion target, so-drunk-he-allowed-himself-to-be-photographed Jerry Jones (and Jim Irsay, for that matter)?  I quote the Commish, speaking after fining Detroit Lions owner Tom Lewand $100,000 and suspending him for 30 days in 2010:  "You occupy a special position of responsibility and trust.  [T]hose who occupy leadership positions are held to a higher standard of conduct that exceeds what is ordinarily expected of players or member of the general public."  What's changed since 2010?

I also say:  Dale Hansen, how about showing some real courage, yes, courage even greater than required to support a gay player that the country is already largely rooting for?  How about calling out your pal Jonesy, who has mortified your city, disgusted Cowboy fans, and is in the process of revealing your own profession as a willing handmaiden to the AlDavisization of a once-great franchise.

So yeah: There's a real story here -- the corruption of the major sports media.   There's another one lurking:  a Jones family shakeup.   (We haven't yet considered the effects on future Cowboy ownership of a Stephen Jones divorce.)

You know, though:  The Hard Ones are probably right.  This story is going to die, and with it, any likelihood that Gene will kick Jerry's wizened glutes to the curb.  I'd just like to see someone do some digging, and think it through.

At least The Ticket is talking about it.  Here's your assignment:  Let us know what The Fan ("the station of YOUR Dallas Cowboys") had to say about this story.  [Also, please advise on Norm's and BaD's reaction.]

I'm FOS?  Sure, happens.  But my hypothetical isn't crazy, and The Musers share my bafflement, if not my disgust, at the supine sports media.  Those pictures are a disgrace, and I'd like to see someone claiming to be a reporter do some, you know, reporting.

I'll conclude by thanking you for shopping at My Ticket Confession, and remembering that comments are moderated.  (I've gotten some amusingly bilious ones lately.)

*     *     *

CORRECTION:  Earliest editions of this post misspelled Mrs. Jones's name as "Jean."  Thanks to Confessor Anonymous for correcting my error.

34 comments:

  1. While I like the way you think, Plainsman, I don't think anything wil come of this. Jean will remain the silent, unseen spouse, Jerry won't suffer any punishment, and the story will disappear.

    I do agree that the possibility of an ownership/management shakeup is worthy of some air time. Plenty of segments are burned on Cowboy related topics that are much less interesting.

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  2. It's Gene Jones. Don't know the story of why she spells it that way.

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  3. You are very naive about how some marriages work. It's not all Ward and June Cleaver. What you may consider bizarre, others consider normal.

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  4. You are incredibly naive about the way some marriages work. This world is not composed of Ward and June Cleavers.

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  5. You have a point Plainsman about the agreed upon stature of being able to cheat and also not agreeing to the non private humiliation that Gene is probably enduring. I, myself, don't think anything will come of this, or especially, Stephen's divorce. Those are typically a dime a dozen now a days and we don't here anything about any of them. If he was always in the news and was an A celebrity then it would be different.

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  6. Since Goodell serves the interests of the owners I doubt he has any desire to reprimand Jerry. He wants Irsay to get a driver and Jerry to act more like Jeter and confiscate any and all phones that might be used against him.

    I don't think there is any chance Jean/Gene didn't know about this five years or fifty years ago. This appears to me to be the evidence of a long term philanderer. They don't work for Perot who would fire them for such offenses. There is no one who can touch them except the women they have wronged and I see no indications that is forthcoming. If 8-8 or 5-11 or any of the other less than desirable seasons have done nothing to diminish his bank account why would this have an impact? I'll continue to be dismissive about this event until I see Jean/Gene sitting next to Allred.

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  7. When the Musers were talking about it, one of them (Duh Joonze, I think) made the comment that no woman in the Metroplex has more "I'm sorry" diamonds than Gene. I think he'll continue to keep the Diamond Doctor in business for many years to come.

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  8. @934/936
    It might have been this very subject, if not, then it was something akin to it….but Dan was making the same sort of point as you and Bob had a very good response. Bob said to the effect: "No, that may be the way you and those with your particular worldview think, but I assure you that most people don't see it that way. Very few people behave/have lives like (fill in the situation/person), and so for most folks it's not normal, it's not acceptable. Whether they're right or not about it being OK is another issue. But to say "everyone's" fine or accepting of X just isn't true."

    I think Bob is correct in saying that. Yes there are those who see things differently from the hoi polloi. And no the world isn't full of Cleaveresque marriages, quite the opposite. (Actually, such marriages are NOT the norm. Very few marriages are -one could say, almost creepily- perfect.) However the world isn't full of wink-wink arrangement type marriages, either. Both types are outliers. Most people view the Cleaver type with suspicion, the (supposed) Jones sort with disgust and/or pity. That's not naivety, it's merely basing one's view of X on what is judged to be "normal" X. And like Bob said, whether that's right or wrong is another issue.

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  9. I suspect you won't see it from Dale, not because he is afraid to go after Jerry, but isn't there a very similar reputation about him in the public. Seems as though I remember hearing some incriminating stories where Dale was concerned.

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  10. Mm, good point.

    Time for Doocy to step up.

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  11. There seems to be a lot of naivetee here on the subject. That's not a bad thing but I think a lot of people assume they know the ins and outs of other people's marriages when they really don't. There's even some local sports talk radio hosts who had/have certain mutually agreed upon arrangements with their spouses. So that might inform their opinions on the matter.

    I work in a very wealthy, Old Money Good Ol' Boys field. I sometimes end up talking with the wives of my colleagues at social functions. Let me assure you that tales of apology jewelry/cars/houses are NOT uncommon. And dropped as casually as some wives tell stories about getting flowers after a fight.

    When the Donald Sterling thing came up at a social function, one of the older wives told me that it was obvious why Shelly Sterling had to take action. This woman told me that she would have too because, to paraphrase, "He can bring her (V. "The Juice" Stiviano) to games and sit front row with her and pay her rent but the moment he said something that would cause her (Shelly) to be dis-invited from her charity functions and lower her social standing/embarrass amongst her charity-minded ladies who lunch set, she had to save herself from the mess."

    It's still a weird thing to hear talked about and see in practice but I can assure you that money + lots of travel for work or fun = these kind of arrangements. If you, like me, really have your heart set on new Cowboys ownership let's hope that Jerry pulls a Michael Richards on tape some time in the near future. Other than that, Gene and the Commish laughed this off long ago.

    1518

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  12. I "love it" when people claim to run in certain circles and possess certain knowledge about "how things really are, how the real world works." Good stuff, 1518 (whatever that means).

    Anywho. I just heard something on THL, said by Corby, that made me think "hmmm, I think he might have a point." Right before Mike's Mind, the boys were discussing the "one hundo" drop; it comes from some K104 DJ. The remark was made that it sounded a lot like Greggo. Immediately a GW drop was fired off. Whereupon Corby said something like "We're about to the point where no one knows what we're referring to," meaning, obviously, Greggo. That really struck me. It's been 7 years since he was fired. In the radio game, I have to think that's like going through 3 generations of listeners (any of you out there radio biz savvy, please correct/amend/confirm this notion). Even if I'm wrong, surely there has been at least one major turnover of listeners in 7 years. Whatever the case, I would think there is a generation or more of listeners who really have no idea about GW, and the ones that do might only think of him as some dude who used to be on THL but means nothing more to them than a drop or 2 (which are played less and less each passing year--ditto GW mentions and references).

    So, is Corby right? Or, has that time already come? It would be interesting to hear what you younger and/or newer listener have to say. Seven years in the radio and tv game is a long time. Damn near dog years. Is it possible that the subject matter that 1st spurred our Pman to Ticket commenting (Dallas Observer), starting this blog, and that has so often times over the years been the meat and potatoes, go-to topic lightening-rod of a personality for both Pman and us MTCers….is it possible that he's all but forgotten? That he's merely a footnote, a hazy memory? Or at least heading that way, fast? I think it might be so. What say you all?

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  13. @4:07

    Cooobie is right. I caught the tail end of the Greggo years and I couldn't care less about him, aside from fake Greggo and enjoying snide comments from Rhynes.

    I listen to "vintage" Ticket when Rhyner and The Hammer were supposedly in lockstep - the years everyone says were better than today - and I think it's pretty weak. Williams is just not compelling to me. Probably because I didn't have the daily rapport that older listeners did.

    Good riddance. As far as I'm concerned, this si the Golden Age of The Ticket.

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  14. Hard to believe it's been seven years. Seems like just yesterday I had to wait until getting out of class and getting home before I could turn on the laptop, get online and see if anything new with the where's greggo saga had gone down, as opposed to being able to check anything on my phone in two seconds. How times have changed.

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  15. CONFIDENTIAL TO CELERY: If you will omit the sentence following the sentence that ends "question)," I'll approve your latest comment. Nothing that wrong with the sentence and I agree with it to a degree, I just don't want to take this thread in that direction.

    I tried to edit it myself, but Blogger would not let me edit the comment or cut/paste the text into a word processor.

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  16. The Hardline stream went down about 4:15 and has not come back up. However, the commercials will stream.

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  17. Celery? maybe...

    That's an interesting question. The Greggo Postulate.

    I have a live experiment to see. My daughter is going into 7th. One of her friends is going into 8th and is a P1. If I say Bottom. He knows. I have my doubts if he knows the reference. He couldn't have been more than 6 or 7 during the campout where that drop originated. But when he hears a Greggo drop what connection is there?

    I'll report back with my findings.

    Is anybody else getting an ad for the bot check? Same one last few times. Camiocam. Hey, at least I can read the damn thing.

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  18. August 13, 2014 at 4:07 PM,

    I think you're right, but I also think the standard turnover time for listeners is significantly longer for KTCK than your typical radio station. They not only have the numbers, KTCK has the loyalty others envy.

    DOOK

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  19. Does anyone know what was up with the extended instrumental interludes today? Could they not sell that ad time or something?

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  20. So my initial comment was about the Muser's conversation about Prime Prep earlier in the week. Essentially, I thought they gave him a pass. George made the claim that Deion's heart was in the right place. I understand that sports talk pros can also be fans of individuals, but I cannot understand giving a pass to a man who has made his post-football one riddled with questionable interactions (biggest example-Dez Bryant and his subsequent punishment). Prime Prep appears to be built upon an athletics centered focus (see latest NYT article). Tonight, the DMN has posted that Deion is announcing a God sent gift. Maybe it is. But when a school is engaging in unscrupulous practices when it comes to state funding, I think local media should do a little more than claim Deion's heart is in the right place. Public education gets whipped for right and wrong reasons-perhaps charter schools should receive the same treatment. I would not place my children in the care of a school run by this tobacco road salesman. Then again, I am not counting on athletics as their path to success.

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  21. I have a feeling what I'm about to say MIGHT fall along the lines, at least in some way, of the sentence/thought that Plainsman asked Celery to edit. Thus I might be censored for it. If so, so be it.

    I too feel The Musers give/gave Deion a pass. Just like they give Councilman Caraway a pass. And just like, 6+ years into his administration, Gordo (Mr. Mimic) has not once attempted to imitate our President. There's a pattern here. The pattern seems to be: poke fun of African-American stereotypes as long as the character is just that, a character (a caricature of a character is more like it), but never take aim at a public figure. Well, unless it's some poor homeless and-or mentally unstable African-American; then that appears to be perfectly peachy. Personally I think it's lame and pathetic and insulting to ALL their listeners-regardless of race, creed, color, etc.

    If they treated all public figures as such, fine. They don't. Let's see how Governor Perry is treated by them (specially Gordo) come Monday morning. ***Please, I'm not trying to start a Perry is a dumbass, Perry is great battle. I'm only talking about their treatment of him (for the record, I'm of the former opinion of our Guv).

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  22. You must not listen that often. Gordon mimics Obama fairly often. Not in a flattering way.

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  23. I don't think Gordo has ever done Obama as an 8:40 bit, but he does Obama in the same way he does Rush - in brief drive-bys.

    And don't forget - Gordo does the Mayor of Dallas as a mafia thug.

    The fact of the matter is that Dwaine Caraway is radio gold and the Musers don't want to alienate him. That's a win for the listener.

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  24. 2:23:

    Not only does Gordon often do an impersination of Obama, it is very much a "reduction."

    Also, if you don't pick up on the subtelty of the mocking tone they (especially Gordon) take with Caraway, you don't understand Gordon..

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  25. Not doubting you all, at all. But if anyone can point toward a certain bit and or date where Gordo imitated President Obama, I'd be very thankful. I have listened to darn near every DnM show since 1994, which obviously predates President Obama's tenure, and I have yet to hear the claimed often presented and in what could be deemed as cruel (per the few comments responding to my comment) imitation of our president by Gordo. Any help here would be most appreciated.

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  26. I don't have any dates or times handy. But when he does it, he is ripping him for his rushed/garbled vocal style and his long pauses. He also usually comments something along the lines of, "What happened to this guy? Didn't he get elected because he was such an eloquent speaker?"

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  27. Does anyone know why Dan was suspended?

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  28. He let the dog eat the napkin.

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  29. Whoa dan was suspended? I tuned in today and thought maybe he had a family emergency since DN is filling in.

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  30. Too many Hitler jokes.

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  31. Yeah, Cat instructed them not to talk about it beyond that.

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  32. Does Bob's Tweet about the MoronDog dying have anything to do with Dan being absent?

    https://twitter.com/SportsSturm/status/500453594320359424

    9338

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  33. Didn't Dan say last week that they were going to have the dog put down?

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  34. Dan is on vacation, not suspended.

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