Weekend reading: Sept. 9-11, 2005
Already think America's drug laws are hypocritical? You won't be surprised by this. It turns out Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist was hopped up on a prescription narcotic for nearly a decade. To Rehnquist's personal credit, he dissented in June when the court ruled that doctors can be blocked from prescribing marijuana for their patients.---
There's one factor you don't hear discussed in the media regarding why many New Orleans residents failed to leave the city before Katrina: The fact that local television meteorologists had probably overhyped the last ten hurricanes that approached the coastline. Perspective is always the first casualty of the ratings war.
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Cubs great Ron Santo says he's going to miss Busch Stadium.
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But I have no idea what this is all about. Read it, then check back.
First of all, "garish red seats" could not have "represented all that went wrong with sports in the 1960s." The seats weren't painted red until the mid '80s. Likewise, the artificial surface wasn't installed until the early '70s.
Secondly, media space might be at a premium during the World Series, but Wrigley Field is hardly reknown for its large and accomodating media workspace, either. Of course, it's even less reknown for its World Series games.
Thirdly, I wouldn't put Wrigley Field high on my list of great ballparks. To venture there, I have to double my budget and travel time, brace myself for imclement weather (outside the middle two months of the baseball season,) don knee pads to squeeze into the seats, and a hard hat to get through the concourse.
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Trivia question of the day: Now that Jerry Rice has retired, which NFL receiver has the most career receiving yards? Answer below.
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I forgot to mention that I caught "The Aristocrats" on Labor Day. Incredibly funny. I thought about providing a litany about which comics score big in the movie, and which don't. But the movie is not about the punchline. It is, as advertised, a dissection of the joke. Some comics who appear, such as George Carlin and Paul Reiser, are cast really as narrators. Some are given the privilege of appearing only once, but delivering a big laugh. Director Paul Provenza held each comic's fate in his hands. I will say, though, that almost all of the women nailed their auditions.
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I watched a Fox Sports Net countdown show this morning, highlighting the top 10 dynasties in sports history. The Steel Curtain Pittsburgh Steelers came in at number 8. Curiously though, the show included no mention of the team's reported steroid abuse. I'm still waiting for that Congressional inquiry.
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Today on the radio, I heard both a sports guy and a weather guy refer to the Iowa State/Iowa football game as "The Super Bowl of Iowa." I don't like it. Let's work together to kill that expression before it catches on.
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Trivia answer: The Rams' Isaac Bruce, with 11,753 receiving yards.
posted by CM @ 8:44 PM
2 Comments:
I hate the Cardinals (and enjoy doing so) but I have fond memories of Busch and since they put the natural grass back in, I think no stadium looks better on television. Obviously there's some lacking aesthetics in the 'cookie cutter' ballparks, but those old Wrigley Field arguments are the most outdated, tired stories in the realm of sports dialogue.
I see three things in Wrigley's favor - it's old, the ivy is charming (sort of), and it's old.
Beyond that, the lights are terrible, it's insanely expensive, fans get killed outside the stadium and nearly crushed by falling concrete inside, parking is a mess and the product on the field is terrible. I often refer to a great quote from a guy at the hysterical TheHeckler.com website run by Cub fans. To paraphrase- "With all the drunken frat boys, fake boobs, and overpriced food and drinks, why don't they just tear it down, put up a Hooters, and be done with it?"
The thing that comes with "old" ballparks is history. One of the great things about Wrigley is you can sit in the seat and look at the field and think of the all-time greats who have played there like Babe Ruth, Hank Greenberg, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, and any natinal leaguer since 1916. The only historic moments at Great American Ballpark are the times when Griffey gets hurt (which I'm glad to say I was able to witness once). And starting next year, there will be no historic moments to remember at the new Busch Stadium.
No, Wrigley is not the cleanest, most comfortable, or least expensive ballpark out there, but people enjoy going there because of the history. Anybody who respects and admires the game of baseball, gets a certain feeling as they first emerge from the tunnel to see the green grass at Wrigley. It is a feeling they just can't get by going to any of the new ballparks.
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