D-Rated.

Good Sports Make Up For The Bad Sports.

Welcome to D-Rated, in which we try to determine if the quality of life in Dallas and its surrounding areas is moving up or down by arbitrarily awarding and subtracting point values to our living situation based on current events.

HP BFD: There's nothing quite like some anonymous racist, fear-mongering emails to angry up the blood, eh? Well, that's what some jerks in Highland Park are doing in an attempt to persuade voters to nix a proposed bond package. They claim that building new schools could mean building new apartments. And building new apartments could mean that immigrants and poor people could be living there! Someone think of the property values! It's such ugly nonsense that one Dallas Morning News columnist thinks we should reconsider independent school districts altogether since they encourage segregation. Minus 2.

Take a Book, Leave a Complaint: One of Dallas Public Library's greatest initiatives was partnering with the Little Free Library, which places little stands around town where passersby are encouraged to “Take a Book, Leave a Book.” It's a neat idea and lets avid and merely curious readers discover new literature. But some people just have to take a dump on everything that's good. Stacy Holmes, a Lake Highlands resident, has been told to take her Little Free Library down pronto. That's because the City of Dallas has received three complaints — possibly from three different neighbors, but probably just one — that it violates code compliance. (This despite the fact that no other Little Free Libraries have been asked to come down anywhere else in Dallas.) She doesn't really have a choice, since the city said it'd take the post down if Holmes didn't. So, cowardly neighbor, whoever you are, why don't you pick up a book? I've got a suggestion for you. Minus 1.

The Cycle Has Ended: As Roxette once sang, “It must have been love, but it's over now.” How do I mean? Well, the Dallas-based sports promotion company SCA settled its lawsuit against disgraced cycling champion Lance Armstrong. They sought $10 million after discovering, like everyone else, that Armstrong was both a cheater and a liar. Terms were not disclosed, but in a statement from Armstrong's spokesman, they were said to be “mutually acceptable to all parties.” Now we can go back to trying to ignore that knife wound in our back that Armstrong left. Plus 1.

Pony Baloney: SMU broke an NCAA record this week, just not the good kind. Their basketball team, coached by the supremely talented but possibly shady Larry Brown, has been suspended from the post-season and Brown himself will miss nine games. All this because of violations stemming from star Keith Frazier's eligibility, and that an administrative assistant for the team may have done some of his coursework. This is the third Brown-coached college team that's faced sanctions, and the 10th violation for SMU. Win at all costs! Am I right, guys? Minus 2.

Money, Money, Money, Money… MUH-NAY! Thanks to his victory at the PGA Tour Championship, living legend Jordan Spieth is once again the No. 1 golfer in the world, with 2015 winnings topping $22 million. That's $12 million in winnings plus a $10 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup. Dude is pretty much unstoppable. He's had a couple minor ups and downs, but this is simply a phenomenal season, especially for someone so young. A reminder: Guy's only 22. I'm older and I've never even come close to seeing 1/22nd of what this guy made this year. Plus 2.

Romancing the Rangers: As the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported, attendance is way down at — what is it called these days? — Globe Life Park. Part of that is to blame because of the Rangers' slump last year. But even though they're in first place right now, there were large swaths of the stadium that sat empty this week. Since this is the internet, , let's wildly speculate! Maybe the owners want to move their home field once their lease is up in 2024. If so, I would wholeheartedly endorse them moving to Dallas. Most cities with baseball teams have their stadiums downtown. This makes all the sense in the world for many reasons, including the fact that it is way easier to get downtown than it is to get to Arlington. So let's take this mild sign of trouble and run with it. Come to Dallas, boys! Do you know how many more people would show up to a weeknight game if it was just a train stop away? I know I would! Sure, it might not solve all the team's attendance woes, especially if their surge is only temporary, but it definitely seems like an option with very few downsides. Plus 3.

This Week's Total: Plus 1.
Last Week's Running Total: Minus 6.
This Week's Running Total: Minus 5.