Tuesday, June 17, 2008
U.S. Open Review
Go check out my main man Joe Posnanski's blog post about yesterday's events and what was one riveting golf tournament. If you have never visited that site or aren't familiar with Mr. Posnanski, you're welcome. Maybe it was the best major ever, maybe it wasn't, I don't know enough about golf to bestow such platitudes upon it.
What I can say with absolute certainty is that I have never seen another golf tournament with such enthralling storylines as this particular U.S. Open. To recap:
Thursday: Tiger vs. Phil, knee injuries, opening round on a course they both love
Friday: Journeyman atop the leaderboard, Tiger lurking with bum knee
Saturday: Tiger's back nine, as documented by The Deuce
Sunday: Tiger vs. Rocco, part one ends in tie
Monday: Tiger vs. Rocco, part two ends in tie, then ends in sudden death
I can also say that NPGage and I passed up the chance to attend the LSU-UNC CWS game that we were pretty excited about to sit (actually stand) at the church bar, drink Coors Lights out of plastic bottles and watch the tournament. No regrets at all. It was a 10 out of 10.
What I can say with absolute certainty is that I have never seen another golf tournament with such enthralling storylines as this particular U.S. Open. To recap:
Thursday: Tiger vs. Phil, knee injuries, opening round on a course they both love
Friday: Journeyman atop the leaderboard, Tiger lurking with bum knee
Saturday: Tiger's back nine, as documented by The Deuce
Sunday: Tiger vs. Rocco, part one ends in tie
Monday: Tiger vs. Rocco, part two ends in tie, then ends in sudden death
I can also say that NPGage and I passed up the chance to attend the LSU-UNC CWS game that we were pretty excited about to sit (actually stand) at the church bar, drink Coors Lights out of plastic bottles and watch the tournament. No regrets at all. It was a 10 out of 10.
Labels: church bar, College World Series, Excitement, Joe Posnanski, U.S. Open
Friday, June 13, 2008
It's College World Series Time!
Yes, that's right kids! The College World Series has descended its glory down to us in Omaha once again.
To celebrate, npgage, EZT, and myself will be tailgating it up all day Saturday. Join us for bags, washers, lemonade and vodka, and beer.
npgage has a parking pass, so we will be in a lot. Give us a call if you want to meet up.
(By the way, EZT--I'm expecting a CWS preview out of you today.)
Cheers!
Labels: College World Series, Kickin Ass Takin Names, Tailgating
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Sunday Night Links Are Back!
That's right, my peoples. Sunday Night Links is a running feature on Heavy Soul, if "running" means "once or twice." Without further ado...
--First of all, everyone at Heavy Soul hopes that everyone was alright after last night's EF-2 tornado here in Omaha. I know that Hales and I were right below a funnel cloud here in the Dundee/Country Club area, but thank God it never touched down. People in Millard, unfortunately, were not so lucky. Here's to a quick response from your insurance company and a speedy recovery.
--Am I the only person around here needing a late pass in regards to the movie "The Rocker?" Coming out in August, it's a movie about a former '80's rock drummer who gets a second shot at stardom with his nephew's band (A.D.D.). It stars Rainn Wilson and Demitri Martin, which is an absolute home run combo. Not to mention Emma Stone who is, in a word, hot.
--Speaking of home run comedians, Todd Barry is playing The Slowdown! July 9th--tickets are only $12! Seriously, if you enjoy stand-up comedy whatsoever, you need to be there. Barry is absolutely hilarious, and his new material on his new album From Heaven is great.
--An interesting quick read on Charles Barkley and his ability to do whatever he wants and never deal with the repercussions that most people in the public eye suffer. I guess it's pretty obvious--be honest, don't rely on ridiculous PR people--but you'd think that more people in the public spotlight would take his lead.
--Another great piece from last week's Sports Illustrated (why don't I subscribe to this magazine again?) on the Texas Rangers' Josh Hamilton. Pretty incredible story; here's to hoping the guy stays on the straight and narrow. Between Dusty Baker and the Reds letting Hamilton go for nothing, I'm guessing Cincinnati fans are feeling pretty good about life these days.
--I can't remember where I saw this, so you may have seen it already, but here's a link to a story about the new adidas KG Commander KG NBA Finals Sneaker. It's all yours...if you can find it at retail, and if you can pony up the $1,017 to buy them. They are only producing 8 pairs per game of the Finals. I'm a big sneaker dork (which is kind of funny, considering I never buy them--I'm a big browser), but this shit is getting crazy.
--Here's an early, er, "review" of The Hold Steady's Stay Positive from Stereogum. I'm holding off on my review because, well, I just haven't had time to do it yet. This guy is probably a bit rough on it, although it sounds similar to pete's first impressions. Personally, the more I have listened to it, the more I love it. The one place we totally agree on: the first track ("Constructive Summer") is absolutely the best track on the album. That song hits you right in the proverbial nuts, but unlike when it happens in real life, you feel pretty good about it.
--Here is an incredible story about Dov Charney, American Apparel's CEO and Founder. It goes into detail about how this creep forces female employees to masturbate and do other unsavory things in order to keep their job (not to mention the obnoxious drug culture that is involved there). Reading the stories about this guy, it is officially "uncool" to buy their shit t-shirts. I hope.
--It's College World Series time! Here's a nice article on Georgia's coach David Perno, who has been involved in 4 of 5 of Georgia's 6 CWS experiences. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes he could end up being one of the best coaches in college baseball of all time.
That might be about it. Hiding out in the basement at 3am this morning and staying up until about 5am watching the storms come in and out of the neighborhood pretty much killed me today, and I'm not even sure how the hell I'm awake.
Hope everyone has a neat-o Monday!
--First of all, everyone at Heavy Soul hopes that everyone was alright after last night's EF-2 tornado here in Omaha. I know that Hales and I were right below a funnel cloud here in the Dundee/Country Club area, but thank God it never touched down. People in Millard, unfortunately, were not so lucky. Here's to a quick response from your insurance company and a speedy recovery.
--Am I the only person around here needing a late pass in regards to the movie "The Rocker?" Coming out in August, it's a movie about a former '80's rock drummer who gets a second shot at stardom with his nephew's band (A.D.D.). It stars Rainn Wilson and Demitri Martin, which is an absolute home run combo. Not to mention Emma Stone who is, in a word, hot.
--Speaking of home run comedians, Todd Barry is playing The Slowdown! July 9th--tickets are only $12! Seriously, if you enjoy stand-up comedy whatsoever, you need to be there. Barry is absolutely hilarious, and his new material on his new album From Heaven is great.
--An interesting quick read on Charles Barkley and his ability to do whatever he wants and never deal with the repercussions that most people in the public eye suffer. I guess it's pretty obvious--be honest, don't rely on ridiculous PR people--but you'd think that more people in the public spotlight would take his lead.
--Another great piece from last week's Sports Illustrated (why don't I subscribe to this magazine again?) on the Texas Rangers' Josh Hamilton. Pretty incredible story; here's to hoping the guy stays on the straight and narrow. Between Dusty Baker and the Reds letting Hamilton go for nothing, I'm guessing Cincinnati fans are feeling pretty good about life these days.
--I can't remember where I saw this, so you may have seen it already, but here's a link to a story about the new adidas KG Commander KG NBA Finals Sneaker. It's all yours...if you can find it at retail, and if you can pony up the $1,017 to buy them. They are only producing 8 pairs per game of the Finals. I'm a big sneaker dork (which is kind of funny, considering I never buy them--I'm a big browser), but this shit is getting crazy.
--Here's an early, er, "review" of The Hold Steady's Stay Positive from Stereogum. I'm holding off on my review because, well, I just haven't had time to do it yet. This guy is probably a bit rough on it, although it sounds similar to pete's first impressions. Personally, the more I have listened to it, the more I love it. The one place we totally agree on: the first track ("Constructive Summer") is absolutely the best track on the album. That song hits you right in the proverbial nuts, but unlike when it happens in real life, you feel pretty good about it.
--Here is an incredible story about Dov Charney, American Apparel's CEO and Founder. It goes into detail about how this creep forces female employees to masturbate and do other unsavory things in order to keep their job (not to mention the obnoxious drug culture that is involved there). Reading the stories about this guy, it is officially "uncool" to buy their shit t-shirts. I hope.
--It's College World Series time! Here's a nice article on Georgia's coach David Perno, who has been involved in 4 of 5 of Georgia's 6 CWS experiences. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes he could end up being one of the best coaches in college baseball of all time.
That might be about it. Hiding out in the basement at 3am this morning and staying up until about 5am watching the storms come in and out of the neighborhood pretty much killed me today, and I'm not even sure how the hell I'm awake.
Hope everyone has a neat-o Monday!
Labels: American Apparel, Charles Barkley, College World Series, Demitri Martin, Josh Hamilton, MLB, Omaha, Rainn Wilson, Sunday Links, The Hold Steady, The Rocker, The Slowdown, Todd Barry
Friday, March 14, 2008
Save The CWS / Omaha Councilman Jim Suttle's Response
So B at Exit 177 sent along a e-mail yesterday regarding the Omaha College World Series stadium issue.
B--like myself and several Heavy Soul contributors--is in favor of building the new stadium. So he sent along a link to a website called "Build It Omaha," and the contact info for every Omaha City Council member. As a public service, I'll post these at the end of the post.
Anyways, although I hate everything that has been involved with the stadium issue and how it has been handled, I do support the new stadium being built. I think it is going to completely suck-ify the CWS into the Corporate World Series. I think a new stadium will kill a lot of the charm of the CWS.
That said, everything above does not trump the simple fact that anything is better than no College World Series whatsoever. And the way that King Fahey has gone about this--apparently using "Negotiating and Public Office for Dummies" as a guide--has left us in a spot where it's his way or the highway. So I wrote into my Councilman, Mr. Jim Suttle. Here's what I wrote:
Here is the response I got from him:
That's great and all, Mr. Suttle, but did you not READ my e-mail?? What a jackass this guy (along with the rest of our Council) is. He may as well have written "I assume you hate the idea of a new stadium as I do, so I went ahead and skipped reading your e-mail and formulated this ridiculous response that makes me sound like I'm out on the front lines, fighting the good fight for my constituency!" It's not that the questions he asks are not legitimate. But the tone and the fact that it does not in any way address anything that I said is ridiculous. I mean, it's not like I sent this e-mail to the White House. In fact, I've sent e-mails to U.S. Senator Ben Nelson before and I have a direct response from him or a staffer within 24 hours, and it's not some stupid canned Word document. I'm guessing that a U.S. Senator has a few more notes and commitments passed along to him in a day than a Omaha City Councilman does in 2 years.
Omaha's city leadership is honest to God embarrassing. I've never seen such a group of self-serving people all serving in public office at the same time (well, at a local level). They don't listen to anyone other than themselves, and they always assume that what they want is what the people want.
If I'm working at the NCAA and watching all of this from a distance, I would at first chuckle, then be bummed out. Bummed out because I know that I'm going to have to start taking bids from cities all over the country that want to host the College World Series. Because if Omaha even remotely had their stuff together, I would have another 10 years of 20 hour work weeks, because I wouldn't have to worry about all this crap. Instead, Omaha's city "leadership" is making this way too hard to justify letting them continue to host this event.
It is stunning to me that you can screw up a process as badly as Mr. Fahey and the Council have. You take something that is a source of enormous civic pride that virtually everyone in your city loves and somehow completely divide the same group of people into two angry mobs where compromise is no longer even a reality.
Well done, City of Omaha. When is the next city election again?
**EDIT** Whoops, forgot to paste in those Council contacts. Here you go--don't say Heavy Soul never did anything for you!
District 1
Jim Suttle
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, NE 68183
Work: (402) 444-5527
Email: jsuttle@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 1: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District1.pdf
District 2
Frank Brown
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, NE 68183
Work: (402) 444-5524
Email: fbrown@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 2: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District2.pdf
District 3
Jim Vokal
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, Nebraska 68183
Work: (402) 444-5525
Email: jvokal@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 3: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District3.pdf
District 4
Garry Gernandt
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, Nebraska 68183
Work: (402) 444-5522
Email: ggernandt@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 4: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District4.pdf
District 5
Dan Welch
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, Nebraska 68183
Work: (402) 444-5528
Email: dwelch@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 5: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District5.pdf
District 6
Franklin Thompson
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, Nebraska 68183
Work: (402) 444-5523
Email: fthompson@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 6: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District6.pdf
District 7
Chuck Sigerson, Jr.
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, Nebraska 68183
Work: (402) 444-5526
Email: csigerson@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 7: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District7.pdf
B--like myself and several Heavy Soul contributors--is in favor of building the new stadium. So he sent along a link to a website called "Build It Omaha," and the contact info for every Omaha City Council member. As a public service, I'll post these at the end of the post.
Anyways, although I hate everything that has been involved with the stadium issue and how it has been handled, I do support the new stadium being built. I think it is going to completely suck-ify the CWS into the Corporate World Series. I think a new stadium will kill a lot of the charm of the CWS.
That said, everything above does not trump the simple fact that anything is better than no College World Series whatsoever. And the way that King Fahey has gone about this--apparently using "Negotiating and Public Office for Dummies" as a guide--has left us in a spot where it's his way or the highway. So I wrote into my Councilman, Mr. Jim Suttle. Here's what I wrote:
Mr. Suttle,
Just wanted to send along some support towards the city building the new stadium.
While I do believe that with the new stadium comes a "new" CWS, which is not a good thing. I'm very afraid that the fun and innocence of the CWS is going to go away with Rosenblatt, and be replaced by a new stadium and a new corporate sensibility, which is unfortunate.
That said, I would take a corporate-ized CWS over no CWS. I hope that you, the rest of the Council, and the people of Omaha keep that in mind. Omaha without the CWS is unimaginable, and it would be an incredibly sad day to see it go away.
Thank you.
Here is the response I got from him:
FROM OMAHA CITY COUNCILMAN JIM SUTTLE
Thanks for sending your note. I appreciate having your thoughts.
After the initial Baseball Committee press conference 3 weeks ago, I said that I would go back on the “listening mode” with the public and with businesses. I wanted to verify my position of supporting Rosenblatt as our baseball facility.
To date, my verbal conversations, telephone calls, letters and e-mails have fluctuated, but now seem steady again at 80% ‘no’ on the Downtown Stadium. The order of the reasons has shifted to 1) uncomfortable with the financing burden on the City; 2) serious traffic and parking concerns; 3) nostalgia for the Old Stadium. Comments are from City wide sources. Throughout the summer, fall and winter, the count was 80% for Rosenblatt.
I just had a briefing by the financial consultants. I asked for a sensitivity analysis. That is, if the numbers changed, does their conclusion on the Downtown Stadium change? For example:
• The City has assets but little cash without going into debt or foregoing services in order to do this Stadium. Can’t the City have a cash credit for the fair market value of Lots C/ E and for the 47 acres at Rosenblatt? (My guess is $ 20m each site)?
• How can the City get out of issuing bonds and providing its credit guarantee? Thus, no extra hotel nor rental car tax. This would let the City hold these options for more pressing problems (e.g. Qwest principle payment; higher national tourism advertising; etc.).
• Where is the ante from Creighton and the Royals into the capital pool for this new stadium?
• Where are these missing costs for the Downtown Stadium proposal:
$16m for parking garages next to stadium per the NoDo Plan?
$10m environmental mitigation at Lots C & E?
$5m for a traffic control center for the Stadium/Qwest traffic /parking flow management?
$4m for trams and jitneys to shuttle to and from all parking lots?
I was criticized again recently by a rep from the Committee for asking these questions. I replied “If a Plan is that good, then it should hold up to the scrutiny of all questions”. I firmly believe that whether it is my idea or someone else’s, asking questions IS a good thing. I will continue to ask my tough questions.
I would appreciate having your thoughts on the above.
Regards.
That's great and all, Mr. Suttle, but did you not READ my e-mail?? What a jackass this guy (along with the rest of our Council) is. He may as well have written "I assume you hate the idea of a new stadium as I do, so I went ahead and skipped reading your e-mail and formulated this ridiculous response that makes me sound like I'm out on the front lines, fighting the good fight for my constituency!" It's not that the questions he asks are not legitimate. But the tone and the fact that it does not in any way address anything that I said is ridiculous. I mean, it's not like I sent this e-mail to the White House. In fact, I've sent e-mails to U.S. Senator Ben Nelson before and I have a direct response from him or a staffer within 24 hours, and it's not some stupid canned Word document. I'm guessing that a U.S. Senator has a few more notes and commitments passed along to him in a day than a Omaha City Councilman does in 2 years.
Omaha's city leadership is honest to God embarrassing. I've never seen such a group of self-serving people all serving in public office at the same time (well, at a local level). They don't listen to anyone other than themselves, and they always assume that what they want is what the people want.
If I'm working at the NCAA and watching all of this from a distance, I would at first chuckle, then be bummed out. Bummed out because I know that I'm going to have to start taking bids from cities all over the country that want to host the College World Series. Because if Omaha even remotely had their stuff together, I would have another 10 years of 20 hour work weeks, because I wouldn't have to worry about all this crap. Instead, Omaha's city "leadership" is making this way too hard to justify letting them continue to host this event.
It is stunning to me that you can screw up a process as badly as Mr. Fahey and the Council have. You take something that is a source of enormous civic pride that virtually everyone in your city loves and somehow completely divide the same group of people into two angry mobs where compromise is no longer even a reality.
Well done, City of Omaha. When is the next city election again?
**EDIT** Whoops, forgot to paste in those Council contacts. Here you go--don't say Heavy Soul never did anything for you!
District 1
Jim Suttle
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, NE 68183
Work: (402) 444-5527
Email: jsuttle@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 1: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District1.pdf
District 2
Frank Brown
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, NE 68183
Work: (402) 444-5524
Email: fbrown@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 2: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District2.pdf
District 3
Jim Vokal
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, Nebraska 68183
Work: (402) 444-5525
Email: jvokal@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 3: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District3.pdf
District 4
Garry Gernandt
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, Nebraska 68183
Work: (402) 444-5522
Email: ggernandt@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 4: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District4.pdf
District 5
Dan Welch
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, Nebraska 68183
Work: (402) 444-5528
Email: dwelch@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 5: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District5.pdf
District 6
Franklin Thompson
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, Nebraska 68183
Work: (402) 444-5523
Email: fthompson@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 6: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District6.pdf
District 7
Chuck Sigerson, Jr.
1819 Farnam Street, LC-1
Omaha, Nebraska 68183
Work: (402) 444-5526
Email: csigerson@ci.omaha.ne.us
Map of District 7: http://www.ci.omaha.ne.us/departments/city_council/district%20maps/District7.pdf
Labels: College World Series, Embarrassment, Exactly How Not To Get Public Consensus, How Not To Run A City, Omaha
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Alright, David Albright...
...I'm not taking your ridiculous column on ESPN.com ("College World Series should hit the road," 6/22/07) sitting down, you douche. Rather, I am going to take it on Ken Tremendous-style and debunk your entire non-argument, pathetic little paragraph by pathetic little paragraph.
Change of venue could broaden College World Series' appeal
By David Albright
ESPN.com
Updated: June 22, 2007
The time has come for the College World Series to leave Omaha.
GA: Sweet opening paragraph. When did it become trendy for sports columnists (I'm looking at you, Tom Shattel!) to use one-sentence paragraphs all the time, again?
There, it needed to be said.
GA: Two in a row? Dave, buddy--we've got to work on your creativity. I mean, your total bad-ass, "I'm a rebel, and am going to say outrageous things to grab the readers' attention!" intro is probably necessary to get anyone to read this garbage, but come on man...you sound like you should be on "Around The Horn" or something (by the way, not a compliment. I'm sure you understand.).
And I did so at the risk of never again being able to show my face at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, or take a stroll through the Old Market, or drink in the slice of Americana that is Zesto's.
GA: Um, yep. Pretty much.
And I also did so at the risk of seriously offending some of my ESPN brethren who (to put it kindly) wax poetic about the prospect of spending nearly two weeks in Nebraska every year.
But seriously, why should Omaha have a stranglehold on one of the premier college sports championship events?
Some would argue that it is -- or has become -- a top-tier event because of everything that Omaha brings to the table each June. And they would be right. Seemingly everyone associated with this event is as welcoming and hospitable as the chamber of commerce ads would lead you to believe.
GA: Alright, Dave, you're losing me a bit here: you're making the argument for keeping the CWS in Omaha. I thought this was about moving the CWS out of Omaha. Let's see what you've got waiting for me in the next paragraph.
But that doesn't mean another community couldn't take all of the great things that already exist about the CWS and put its own stamp on the annual festival.
GA: Totally. Except for Omaha having the perfect-sized stadium whose empty seats (12,000 to 18,000 a game) are filled with people from Omaha. Like, the only people on the planet that care to watch as many college baseball games as possible in a two-week period. Oh, and except for the fact that Omaha built this event, and NOT the other way around.
UC Irvine's extra-inning heroics would be a great story in any town in America. So, too, would Oregon State's run from nowhere to last year's national title.
GA: Yeah, that's why it's on ESPN.
It's no different than George Mason's historic run to the 2006 Final Four in Indianapolis.
Ah, Indy.
It's home base for the NCAA and it's constantly striving to be the "Amateur Sports Capital of the World" -- making it no surprise that the nonprofit Indiana Sports Corporation would love an opportunity to have a piece of the great story that the CWS has become.
Indianapolis also has Victory Field.
GA: Daaaaave--I thought we talked about the one sentence guys earlier, didn't we? I guess you're right, they really pound that point home. "Indianapolis also has Victory Field." Fuck me. You really woke me up in the middle of all this drivel. I forgot Indy had Victory Field. It is awesome. So awesome, I've never heard of it, along with 99.987% of Americans, and 97.89% of baseball fans*. Well, hopefully you'll give me some third-party opinions that hold up this ever-shakier argument of yours.
Opened in 1996 in a section of downtown that rivals everything Omaha has to offer, it is "the best of everything in one ballpark," according to Baseball America. And Sports Illustrated called it "the best minor league ballpark in America."
GA: Here's the hard-hitting, meat-of-the-argument stuff I was looking for! Indianapolis has a sweet minor league ballpark! Sweet Christ, how has the NCAA not thought of this! I mean, hello!!! The NCAA home offices are in Indy! What are they doing there? They have to have enough time after a long day of making college athletics as hard on college athletes as possible to realize that Victory Field kicks ass, don't they?
Dave, here's the bummer of the deal. There are a lot of sweet ballparks in America. In fact, Baseball America named Hawks Field in Lincoln the fourth-best college ballpark in America. It looks exactly like a mini-Victory Field. But guess what? There is no one in America--including anyone in Lincoln--trying to argue that because they have a sweet college baseball stadium, it should be the home of the College World Series.
And specifically for your argument and Victory Field...have you ever even researched this park? It's capacity is 15,500 (only 12,500 of which being permanent seats) and there is no parking, except random parking lots and peoples' yards. Sounds exactly like...Rosenblatt! Unless they decide to expand the field of teams participating in the CWS, it is looking like the NCAA would be bringing in 53% of paying fans into the games. And that is if they completely sell out every game, which flat-out would not happen. It doesn't even happen in Omaha. So, in other words...Indy is out. Sorry.
I don't care if the CWS moves to Indy. I really don't.
GA: Damn it, Dave...oh well, I guess you are showing you're impartial. You just need to see some change!
There are plenty of other great minor league parks that could host this event. There's AT&T Bricktown Ballpark (Oklahoma City), AutoZone Park (Memphis), Dell Diamond (Round Rock, Texas), Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Louisville Slugger Field and Zephyr Field (New Orleans).
GA: Really? Round Rock, Texas. Really. And New Orleans...well, I'll tell you what: when New Orleans can boast a population of Omaha's again, then we can talk. As for the others:
Bricktown. Great place, by all accounts. That's about it. It seats 13,066 (you can fit more than two of these guys in Rosenblatt), and more importantly, cannot even sell out Big XII Championship games. If they can't fill the place up to see the title game of Texas A&M and Baylor, why the hell would one think that they would go to see Cal-Irvine? There were 5,713 people there for the Big XII title game. I'll repeat that. There were 5,713 people there for the TITLE GAME. In Omaha, there were 17,000 people at a game on a Tuesday that started at 1:07 PM.
AutoZone. Besides the fact it is called AutoZone Park? I guess since it is in America's hotbed of baseball, Memphis. But, again, it holds 14,320 people. And, again, you can fit more than two of these into Rosenblatt.
Dell Diamond. Well, again: Round Rock, Texas? Really? I'm not even going to research the capacity, because it is not even worth it. In fact, I'm not even going to investigate the rest of your stupid locations, Dave, because it is a waste of time. There is--literally--no possible way to continue these incredible attendance records that are being set in Omaha at any of your "alternates." It is starting to sound like you're writing a column simply to be controversial and because you think the CWS should be played in other venues...offering not a single compelling argument to back up your opinion.
Let the record show that Rosenblatt Stadium, home to the Omaha Royals, is also a minor league park. And while it wouldn't be fair to call it a fixer-upper, the old ballyard on 13th Street clearly needs some fixing up.
GA: Something we can probably all agree on. Well done.
Rosenblatt has undergone nearly $35 million in renovations over the past two decades, with another $25 million proposed if College World Series of Omaha Inc. can get a commitment from the NCAA to host the Division I baseball championships beyond the current agreement that expires in 2010.
GA: Remind me again: is this column supposed to support the opinion of moving the CWS out of Omaha, or the other way around? My head is spinning at this point.
There's also been talk of putting the $25 million toward building a new ballpark in downtown Omaha, but the city politics and the prospect of leaving Rosenblatt may derail that idea before it ever really gets off the ground.
GA: Also true. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out. Now this is what I'm talking about, Dave! You're talking about issues that are actually plausible to write about! What is going to happen to The Johnny? How will this political theatre play out? How would all this money best be spent? You're starting to bring out some good stuff, Dave! Keep it up! Let's explore this some more!
For a radical idea, how about Chicago?
GA: Oh boy.
It's unlikely that an MLB ballpark would be available for the entire CWS run, but two stadiums could work. Play the elimination games on the South Side at U.S. Cellular Field and then move the championship series to Wrigley Field.
GA: Alright, you've hit a sensitive spot here, Dave. Everything is better at Wrigley Field. EVERYTHING. As has been said by many people before, you could open Wrigley Field up for lunch--with no game being played--and a solid 10,000 people would probably show up to eat.
That said, let's explore this a bit more. First of all, you completely took away my "there's no way any MLB team would willingly go on the road for over 2 weeks for a college tournament" argument--which deflates your entire point here--but we can go on. You're right, a championship game, along with winners' bracket games, would be fantastic at Wrigley. The players would love it, the coaches would love it, the fans would love it. But then you bring up...The Cell. Ah, The Cell. I am totally sure that South Siders would just cram that baby full and set off a few old-fashioned tire fires in celebration of having NCAA baseball loser-bracket games in South Chicago. Give me a break.
There's just no way this can happen. It is logistically impossible.
Go ahead and try to convince anyone that college baseball players wouldn't approach a shot at playing in front of the ivy-covered walls with the same fervor and zeal that they currently do in Omaha.
GA: Yeah, we get it. Wrigley Field is cooler than Rosenblatt. Holy shit, a revelation. Dave, hear this loud and clear: Wrigley Field is cooler than ANY ballpark ANYWHERE in America.
For its part, the NCAA has been relatively silent on the matter. Dennis Poppe, the managing director for baseball, told ESPN.com, "I guess when you have a commitment and a good relationship, it's kind of like a good marriage. Why would you look for another one?"
GA: Shocking. The only person injecting any sort of common sense into this argument is a man that makes a living working for the NCAA. Thanks, Dennis. Well said. It is a good marriage. In fact, I would argue it is a great marriage. It is a marriage that the couple worked really hard for many years to make work, and continue to work hard to make it work. And now, at the end of the day, things are perfect. The couple doesn't have to work as hard, have plenty of money, and now can concentrate on visiting the grandkids and taking cruises. Why ditch the old lady, marry a crazy 28-year-old chick who is just going to give you a STD and take all your money when everything is perfect as is? You don't. You enjoy what you have.
Rotating venues seems to work OK for the Final Fours and the Frozen Four, and those events are perennial sellouts. So why wouldn't it work for baseball?
GA: Because no one outside of Omaha gives two rat craps about college baseball. I thought we talked about this, Dave?
For the people who can imagine this event being played only in Omaha, the list of reasons could fill a book.
GA: What is the point of this column again?
Ultimately, the decision lies with the NCAA. And given the agendas, bureaucracy and conflicts involved, it's too early to tell how this will play out.
GA: This is kind of funny. Kind of like the JoeChats from Fire Joe Morgan, in which Joe answers every question with things like "I don't know, I haven't watched the Blue Jays enough this year to answer the question 'is Vernon Wells good?'."
Although it does bring out a white-knuckle fear of mine, knowing that things are left up to the NCAA to decide. SCARY!
The best of both worlds might be to institute a rotation that includes Omaha as a permanent fixture every two or three years.
GA: *looking around, confused*
That would open up the College World Series to some other great venues and cities while still keeping a renovated Rosenblatt and Omaha in the mix.
GA: *Stunned, glazed look, stumbling around the room* I thought the whole point of this retarded article was that the CWS needs to leave Omaha? Now you've decided that was completely retarded, so you need to retract a bit? "Well, I guess since I have debunked every argument I have brought up in the schizo column myself, I had probably back up and somehow include Omaha in my grand plan." Dave, you've left me speechless.
After all, there's only one Zesto's.
GA: You're right, and everyone at Zesto's hates you.
David Albright is the senior coordinator for college sports at ESPN.com and can be reached at david.albright@espn3.com.
*Not official polling data. As in, the author totally made up these numbers. But I'm guessing they're not far off.
Change of venue could broaden College World Series' appeal
By David Albright
ESPN.com
Updated: June 22, 2007
The time has come for the College World Series to leave Omaha.
GA: Sweet opening paragraph. When did it become trendy for sports columnists (I'm looking at you, Tom Shattel!) to use one-sentence paragraphs all the time, again?
There, it needed to be said.
GA: Two in a row? Dave, buddy--we've got to work on your creativity. I mean, your total bad-ass, "I'm a rebel, and am going to say outrageous things to grab the readers' attention!" intro is probably necessary to get anyone to read this garbage, but come on man...you sound like you should be on "Around The Horn" or something (by the way, not a compliment. I'm sure you understand.).
And I did so at the risk of never again being able to show my face at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, or take a stroll through the Old Market, or drink in the slice of Americana that is Zesto's.
GA: Um, yep. Pretty much.
And I also did so at the risk of seriously offending some of my ESPN brethren who (to put it kindly) wax poetic about the prospect of spending nearly two weeks in Nebraska every year.
But seriously, why should Omaha have a stranglehold on one of the premier college sports championship events?
Some would argue that it is -- or has become -- a top-tier event because of everything that Omaha brings to the table each June. And they would be right. Seemingly everyone associated with this event is as welcoming and hospitable as the chamber of commerce ads would lead you to believe.
GA: Alright, Dave, you're losing me a bit here: you're making the argument for keeping the CWS in Omaha. I thought this was about moving the CWS out of Omaha. Let's see what you've got waiting for me in the next paragraph.
But that doesn't mean another community couldn't take all of the great things that already exist about the CWS and put its own stamp on the annual festival.
GA: Totally. Except for Omaha having the perfect-sized stadium whose empty seats (12,000 to 18,000 a game) are filled with people from Omaha. Like, the only people on the planet that care to watch as many college baseball games as possible in a two-week period. Oh, and except for the fact that Omaha built this event, and NOT the other way around.
UC Irvine's extra-inning heroics would be a great story in any town in America. So, too, would Oregon State's run from nowhere to last year's national title.
GA: Yeah, that's why it's on ESPN.
It's no different than George Mason's historic run to the 2006 Final Four in Indianapolis.
Ah, Indy.
It's home base for the NCAA and it's constantly striving to be the "Amateur Sports Capital of the World" -- making it no surprise that the nonprofit Indiana Sports Corporation would love an opportunity to have a piece of the great story that the CWS has become.
Indianapolis also has Victory Field.
GA: Daaaaave--I thought we talked about the one sentence guys earlier, didn't we? I guess you're right, they really pound that point home. "Indianapolis also has Victory Field." Fuck me. You really woke me up in the middle of all this drivel. I forgot Indy had Victory Field. It is awesome. So awesome, I've never heard of it, along with 99.987% of Americans, and 97.89% of baseball fans*. Well, hopefully you'll give me some third-party opinions that hold up this ever-shakier argument of yours.
Opened in 1996 in a section of downtown that rivals everything Omaha has to offer, it is "the best of everything in one ballpark," according to Baseball America. And Sports Illustrated called it "the best minor league ballpark in America."
GA: Here's the hard-hitting, meat-of-the-argument stuff I was looking for! Indianapolis has a sweet minor league ballpark! Sweet Christ, how has the NCAA not thought of this! I mean, hello!!! The NCAA home offices are in Indy! What are they doing there? They have to have enough time after a long day of making college athletics as hard on college athletes as possible to realize that Victory Field kicks ass, don't they?
Dave, here's the bummer of the deal. There are a lot of sweet ballparks in America. In fact, Baseball America named Hawks Field in Lincoln the fourth-best college ballpark in America. It looks exactly like a mini-Victory Field. But guess what? There is no one in America--including anyone in Lincoln--trying to argue that because they have a sweet college baseball stadium, it should be the home of the College World Series.
And specifically for your argument and Victory Field...have you ever even researched this park? It's capacity is 15,500 (only 12,500 of which being permanent seats) and there is no parking, except random parking lots and peoples' yards. Sounds exactly like...Rosenblatt! Unless they decide to expand the field of teams participating in the CWS, it is looking like the NCAA would be bringing in 53% of paying fans into the games. And that is if they completely sell out every game, which flat-out would not happen. It doesn't even happen in Omaha. So, in other words...Indy is out. Sorry.
I don't care if the CWS moves to Indy. I really don't.
GA: Damn it, Dave...oh well, I guess you are showing you're impartial. You just need to see some change!
There are plenty of other great minor league parks that could host this event. There's AT&T Bricktown Ballpark (Oklahoma City), AutoZone Park (Memphis), Dell Diamond (Round Rock, Texas), Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Louisville Slugger Field and Zephyr Field (New Orleans).
GA: Really? Round Rock, Texas. Really. And New Orleans...well, I'll tell you what: when New Orleans can boast a population of Omaha's again, then we can talk. As for the others:
Bricktown. Great place, by all accounts. That's about it. It seats 13,066 (you can fit more than two of these guys in Rosenblatt), and more importantly, cannot even sell out Big XII Championship games. If they can't fill the place up to see the title game of Texas A&M and Baylor, why the hell would one think that they would go to see Cal-Irvine? There were 5,713 people there for the Big XII title game. I'll repeat that. There were 5,713 people there for the TITLE GAME. In Omaha, there were 17,000 people at a game on a Tuesday that started at 1:07 PM.
AutoZone. Besides the fact it is called AutoZone Park? I guess since it is in America's hotbed of baseball, Memphis. But, again, it holds 14,320 people. And, again, you can fit more than two of these into Rosenblatt.
Dell Diamond. Well, again: Round Rock, Texas? Really? I'm not even going to research the capacity, because it is not even worth it. In fact, I'm not even going to investigate the rest of your stupid locations, Dave, because it is a waste of time. There is--literally--no possible way to continue these incredible attendance records that are being set in Omaha at any of your "alternates." It is starting to sound like you're writing a column simply to be controversial and because you think the CWS should be played in other venues...offering not a single compelling argument to back up your opinion.
Let the record show that Rosenblatt Stadium, home to the Omaha Royals, is also a minor league park. And while it wouldn't be fair to call it a fixer-upper, the old ballyard on 13th Street clearly needs some fixing up.
GA: Something we can probably all agree on. Well done.
Rosenblatt has undergone nearly $35 million in renovations over the past two decades, with another $25 million proposed if College World Series of Omaha Inc. can get a commitment from the NCAA to host the Division I baseball championships beyond the current agreement that expires in 2010.
GA: Remind me again: is this column supposed to support the opinion of moving the CWS out of Omaha, or the other way around? My head is spinning at this point.
There's also been talk of putting the $25 million toward building a new ballpark in downtown Omaha, but the city politics and the prospect of leaving Rosenblatt may derail that idea before it ever really gets off the ground.
GA: Also true. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out. Now this is what I'm talking about, Dave! You're talking about issues that are actually plausible to write about! What is going to happen to The Johnny? How will this political theatre play out? How would all this money best be spent? You're starting to bring out some good stuff, Dave! Keep it up! Let's explore this some more!
For a radical idea, how about Chicago?
GA: Oh boy.
It's unlikely that an MLB ballpark would be available for the entire CWS run, but two stadiums could work. Play the elimination games on the South Side at U.S. Cellular Field and then move the championship series to Wrigley Field.
GA: Alright, you've hit a sensitive spot here, Dave. Everything is better at Wrigley Field. EVERYTHING. As has been said by many people before, you could open Wrigley Field up for lunch--with no game being played--and a solid 10,000 people would probably show up to eat.
That said, let's explore this a bit more. First of all, you completely took away my "there's no way any MLB team would willingly go on the road for over 2 weeks for a college tournament" argument--which deflates your entire point here--but we can go on. You're right, a championship game, along with winners' bracket games, would be fantastic at Wrigley. The players would love it, the coaches would love it, the fans would love it. But then you bring up...The Cell. Ah, The Cell. I am totally sure that South Siders would just cram that baby full and set off a few old-fashioned tire fires in celebration of having NCAA baseball loser-bracket games in South Chicago. Give me a break.
There's just no way this can happen. It is logistically impossible.
Go ahead and try to convince anyone that college baseball players wouldn't approach a shot at playing in front of the ivy-covered walls with the same fervor and zeal that they currently do in Omaha.
GA: Yeah, we get it. Wrigley Field is cooler than Rosenblatt. Holy shit, a revelation. Dave, hear this loud and clear: Wrigley Field is cooler than ANY ballpark ANYWHERE in America.
For its part, the NCAA has been relatively silent on the matter. Dennis Poppe, the managing director for baseball, told ESPN.com, "I guess when you have a commitment and a good relationship, it's kind of like a good marriage. Why would you look for another one?"
GA: Shocking. The only person injecting any sort of common sense into this argument is a man that makes a living working for the NCAA. Thanks, Dennis. Well said. It is a good marriage. In fact, I would argue it is a great marriage. It is a marriage that the couple worked really hard for many years to make work, and continue to work hard to make it work. And now, at the end of the day, things are perfect. The couple doesn't have to work as hard, have plenty of money, and now can concentrate on visiting the grandkids and taking cruises. Why ditch the old lady, marry a crazy 28-year-old chick who is just going to give you a STD and take all your money when everything is perfect as is? You don't. You enjoy what you have.
Rotating venues seems to work OK for the Final Fours and the Frozen Four, and those events are perennial sellouts. So why wouldn't it work for baseball?
GA: Because no one outside of Omaha gives two rat craps about college baseball. I thought we talked about this, Dave?
For the people who can imagine this event being played only in Omaha, the list of reasons could fill a book.
GA: What is the point of this column again?
Ultimately, the decision lies with the NCAA. And given the agendas, bureaucracy and conflicts involved, it's too early to tell how this will play out.
GA: This is kind of funny. Kind of like the JoeChats from Fire Joe Morgan, in which Joe answers every question with things like "I don't know, I haven't watched the Blue Jays enough this year to answer the question 'is Vernon Wells good?'."
Although it does bring out a white-knuckle fear of mine, knowing that things are left up to the NCAA to decide. SCARY!
The best of both worlds might be to institute a rotation that includes Omaha as a permanent fixture every two or three years.
GA: *looking around, confused*
That would open up the College World Series to some other great venues and cities while still keeping a renovated Rosenblatt and Omaha in the mix.
GA: *Stunned, glazed look, stumbling around the room* I thought the whole point of this retarded article was that the CWS needs to leave Omaha? Now you've decided that was completely retarded, so you need to retract a bit? "Well, I guess since I have debunked every argument I have brought up in the schizo column myself, I had probably back up and somehow include Omaha in my grand plan." Dave, you've left me speechless.
After all, there's only one Zesto's.
GA: You're right, and everyone at Zesto's hates you.
David Albright is the senior coordinator for college sports at ESPN.com and can be reached at david.albright@espn3.com.
*Not official polling data. As in, the author totally made up these numbers. But I'm guessing they're not far off.
Labels: College World Series, David Albright, ESPN, ESPN sucks, Omaha
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Rip 'Em, Eaters!
Just got back from The Blatt...what an incredible game. UC-Irvine--those lovable Anteaters--rallied big time to completely stun everyone at the game; most importantly stunning Arizona State.
Down four runs in the 8th inning, the Eaters scored eight--and if it were not for their completely retarded third base coach, should have scored five--held on with clutch pitching, pushed it into extras to set the stage for little Ollie Linton (all 5' 8" of him, and a total crowd favorite before the last at-bat) to push a single into right field to win the game.
UC-Irvine becomes the first team in CWS history to win two straight extra-innings CWS games (the first being their record 5-hour long game the other night), and have firmly set themselves up as the overwhelming Omaha bandwagon darlings. And guess what? I'm driving the bastard. What a fun team that never gives up.
It's going to take a miracle for them to win two games against defending National Champs Oregon State, but I say bring them on! This is a team of history, by God!
Great stuff tonight, people. Games like that are precisely what college sports--and specifically the College World Series--is all about.
Labels: Arizona State, College World Series, Omaha, Rosenblatt, UC-I, University of California-Irvine
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