Is Norm Hitzges an asshole? II

Several months ago, I took on a very hot topic: is Dallas radio legend and current Ticket host Norm Hitzges an asshole or is he just hold?

This should be revisited as another piece of evidence has come forward that should be considered.

A few points before I go on:

1. Hitzges has forgotten more about sports than I will ever know.

2. I'm sure he's a sweet, clean-living, God-fearing capitalist.

3. It's clear he takes his job very seriously.

All of these accusations that somehow the legend Hitzges is an asshole came about after another Dallas Cowboys post-game show when Hitzges erupted, with little provocation, on a caller who had an opinion that he didn't agree with.

This is just one of probably dozens over his career -- a caller has some half-assed opinion and instead of just hanging up or ignoring the caller, he screams and slams phones down. He can get mad at whoever he wants, but I don't want to hear it on air. It's tacky and makes him look like a woman.

After 30 years of experience, shouldn't Hitzges be used to the moron callers and take it tactfully and with grace? Apparently not.

Part of Hitzges' problem is that he's seemingly unaware or generally disrespectful of others -- he functions in his own little world whether it affects the world at large or not.

Yesterday, in light of Green Bay Packer great Brett Favre's retirement, had Packer great Bart Starr on his program. The point: to talk about Favre's retirement.

For one, Starr isn't overly involved with the Packers. Not like Roger Staubach is still involved in the Cowboys or even Rusty Greer in the Rangers organization. I don't know if there's a dispute between the two, but it's not like Starr's a giant Packer guy.

Two, Bart Starr's son, Bret, is dead.

Events as they took place in this sequence:

1. Hitzges notes that Starr has two sons, Bart Jr., with whom Hitzges is a close friend, and Bret.

2. Bret, for all those oblivious to the fact, is the same name as the currently retiring Packers quarterback, which is coincidental because both Starr and Favre played for the same team and both were quarterback legends.

3. Starr notes that his son's name was spelled with only one "t" and that he is dead, been as such for 19 years.

4. Without missing a beat, a split second after Starr reveals this piece of information, Hitzges rails on for another 15 seconds about what an amazing coincidence it is that both the son and the retiring quarterback are named Bret. Just a fantastic turn of events.

5. Starr gives a very, very tense chuckle: he, he, he, he. And seems generally unimpressed.

OK, obviously Hitzges had no intentions on reminding Starr that his son was dead. He didn't know. The sad part: Bret died of an accidental cocaine overdose in the late-1980s was his body was so decomposed that they could not identify him.

However, at that moment that Hitzges learns about the dead son, the typical response would include an apology and a dramatic shift away from that subject.

Hitzges does neither. He almost seems put off that Starr tried to poo-poo on his amazing connection, which isn't a very good connection at all. In fact, it sucks.

So, there you go. Another piece of the puzzle is in and the picture is beginning to look a lot clearer.

Norm Hitzges, quite possibly, could be an asshole.