Monday, March 31, 2008
Cheap Trick in the heartland
Out where the west was won... well, ok, not nearly that far west... but west of the big shouldered metropolis, out where the the corn is not even planted much less ready to rise in muddy fields, there arose Cheap Trick. I saw them Saturday at the NIU Convocation Center (that being a place where people convoke) and they put on a rockin' good show.
To see Cheap Trick is to see bits and pieces of the last thirty years or so of my musical life. When I first saw an ad for their first record some time in 1977 I didn't know what to make of them. The ad was split up into four sections spread out over four separate pages. Each section gave a brief biography of a band member and I distinctly remember thinking the bit about Bun E. Carlos being from Venezuela, or some such place, was a bit of hooey. "Carlos" looked goofy, as did the ball cap wearing Rick Nielsen. The other two guys were pretty, with hair like Stevie Nicks. They seemed a little cartoonish, a little jokey. I was amused and intrigued. And the music itself was in my wheelhouse, power pop songs, driven by guitar, with melodies evoking the Who and the Beatles, and chords (especially in a song like "He's a Whore") that sounded punk. Suicide was mentioned in "Downed" from the second album. All these elements seemed to matter to the teen boy I was.
But whatever. Who cares about sentimentality now in the 21st-century? Their music, at least some of it, has stood the test of time, and they're still making Cd's with good rocking power pop. Just listen to their last CD "Rockford" and you'll understand that.
They put on a good show, loud, almost too loud and distorted (are they trying to cover up some weaknesses?), distractedly entertaining the crowd of townies and city slickers (you know, the people from the big city of Rockford).
Nielsen, wearing a lumpy black suit with a black bow tie and looking like a gas station attendant from 1950, prowls around the stage, jumping, posing like a geeky guitar god or just acting the goof. He's the heart and soul of the band and just looking at him puts a smile on my face. He is a sight to behold, a rock and roll entertainer of the sort that hardly exists amongst younger acts.
Robin Zander still is in good voice after all these years and, physically speaking, can still get away with wearing tight leather pants and a sleeveless t-shirt. Very rock n roll, Robin. Tom Peterson is a good bassist and kind of fun to watch as he seems a little spacey. He has a smile and a far away look in his eye through most of the show. Maybe he's just happy. The aforementioned Bun E. Carlos is what he always was, a steady, unflashy drummer.
I don't know that these guys have been given their rightful due in the rock music world. Granted, there were some bad musical decisions along the way; too much radio friendly pop in the '80s and they seemed to fall off the edge of the earth through most of the '90s. But even in the down times there was occasional greatness. 1983's "Next Position Please," produced by Todd Rundgren, is an underrated classic. All along, they were road warriors, and when they did the theme song for "That '70s Show, " Cheap Trick came a little more into the light again.
The Trick as a live act can be a little frustrating as they can seem distracted at moments. But all in all they are a great live band. They have fun on stage and the audience has fun too. Opening act Joan Jett joined them on stage during the encore to sing back up on "Surrender." She looked like she was having fun. Cheap Trick do not take themselves too seriously. They get it. It's rock n roll, not nuclear science.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts opened up for Cheap Trick. She is another road warrior, maybe just a warrior in general. She's been around for at least thirty years now, something I don't think most people realize. Jett looks pretty damn good for someone who's been in this profession for so long (take a long look at Keith Richards as an example of someone who doesn't look so good).
Jett and her band (all men, some quite young) rocked the house with newer songs like "A.C.D.C." and old classics of hers like "I Love Rock and Roll" as well a classic that wasn't hers originally, "Crimson and Clover." Jett's version is better than the original. She owns it now. She also puts a really cool spin on the theme from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."
Jett's music has a great punk rock sensibility and she herself seems to have an undefeatable spirit that shines brightly in her onstage presence. She's a joy to watch and made me feel younger, but for a moment or two.
In case you want to celebrate in some way, April 1st is Cheap Trick Day in Illinois. No, really, it is. This year and for ever more. Maybe you can honor the day by putting on "Surrender" and jumping around your living room and singing along. Just make sure nobody's watching.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Still the Best Game in the World
"To understand America, you have to understand baseball"
-Alexis de Toqueville
"Baseball was, is and always will be to me the best game in the world."
-Babe Ruth
"What does a momma bear on the pill have in common with the World Series? No cubs."
-Harry Caray
I always said, and it is probably not an original thought of mine, that baseball is like life. Life can be moving along at a normal, sometimes even dull, pace and then, wham! All of a sudden, something exciting happens, your heart quickens, your eyes are wide and you feel more alive than ever! You are happy and cheerful, as is everyone around you. Or, depending on what happened, you are sad and despondent, as is everyone around you. Or really angry at the authority figures who have very obviously made a grievous mistake with a horrible result. Then things gradually return to a normal pace. Or sometimes exciting things happen one, two, three or more times in a row. And then back to normal. Like life, like baseball.
Baseball is like a picnic in a stadium. Baseball is a day in the sun with a cold beer, and there is nothing better than that first sip of cold beer on a hot afternoon. Baseball is hot dogs or brats with "stadium sauce" or a bag of peanuts.
"A hot dog at a ball game beats roast beef at the Ritz."
-Humphrey Bogart
The advent of baseball at the beginning of April (or end of March in these modern times) means the arrival of spring and spring means summer is around the corner. And summer means you can take a day or an evening (and a small loan to buy tickets to a game) and spend a leisurely few hours in the ballpark of your choice. A baseball game provides respite from the troubles of your day. They are gone for a few hours, replaced by men on the field playing a child's game.
"You gotta be a man to play baseball for a living, but you gotta have a lot of little boy in you, too"
-Roy Campanella
And that field! That grass, the wide expanse of lawn they call an outfield, the dirt of the pitchers mound, the batters box. The aroma of grass and food and beer and the sounds of the people and the music and the players. It is all beautiful, be it under God's sun or a thousand man-made suns.
The arrival of baseball is the arrival of hope. Hope that your team will do well, or at least not embarrass itself. It is hope that we all feel for ourselves and our loved ones: try to do well, but at the very least, don't embarrass yourself.
Well, here's my chance to embarrass myself. Predictions on who's going to finish where:
National League Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. Houston Astros
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Cincinnati Reds
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
National League East
1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Washington Nationals
5. Florida Marlins
National League West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Diego Padres
3. Colorado Rockies
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. San Francisco Giants
American League Central
1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Kansas City Royals
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Minnesota Twins
American League East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles
American League West
1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Seattle Mariners
3. Texas Rangers
4. Oakland Athletics
The Yankees will be a threat under new manager Joe Girardi, but at some point in August, the team will have a losing streak and Hank Steinbrenner will fire Girardi, only to rehire him the next day. Distractions will sink the Yankees and the Red Sox are just too strong and good a team not to return to the Fall Classic.
The White Sox will unfortunately prove that 2005 was a fluke, Kenny Williams is not a genius and that signing Ozzie Guillen through 2012 was the dumbest thing owner Jerry Reinsdorf has done since forcing out Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson after winning six NBA championships.
The Dodgers will have a good year under former Yankee skipper Joe Torre and will just barely edge out the Padres and Greg Maddux in their division.
My World Series prediction: Cubs in seven games and countless heart attacks amongst fans, over the Red Sox.
Yes, there I said it, I meant it. All horrific things must come to end. The century of futility will come to a close and a new century of hope will begin with the Cubs winning the World Series. They have the horses, and the right jockey in Lou Pinella. If not this year, then never. And no, I don't believe I've jinxed the Cubs by predicting a World Series win. It's time for Cubs fans everywhere, and they are indeed everywhere, to stop talking like fools about jinxes and curses and all that other crap. The time has come to act like winners, and once the Cubs take the Series we will all be forced to figure out how to do that, because we're just not used to it.
-Alexis de Toqueville
"Baseball was, is and always will be to me the best game in the world."
-Babe Ruth
"What does a momma bear on the pill have in common with the World Series? No cubs."
-Harry Caray
I always said, and it is probably not an original thought of mine, that baseball is like life. Life can be moving along at a normal, sometimes even dull, pace and then, wham! All of a sudden, something exciting happens, your heart quickens, your eyes are wide and you feel more alive than ever! You are happy and cheerful, as is everyone around you. Or, depending on what happened, you are sad and despondent, as is everyone around you. Or really angry at the authority figures who have very obviously made a grievous mistake with a horrible result. Then things gradually return to a normal pace. Or sometimes exciting things happen one, two, three or more times in a row. And then back to normal. Like life, like baseball.
Baseball is like a picnic in a stadium. Baseball is a day in the sun with a cold beer, and there is nothing better than that first sip of cold beer on a hot afternoon. Baseball is hot dogs or brats with "stadium sauce" or a bag of peanuts.
"A hot dog at a ball game beats roast beef at the Ritz."
-Humphrey Bogart
The advent of baseball at the beginning of April (or end of March in these modern times) means the arrival of spring and spring means summer is around the corner. And summer means you can take a day or an evening (and a small loan to buy tickets to a game) and spend a leisurely few hours in the ballpark of your choice. A baseball game provides respite from the troubles of your day. They are gone for a few hours, replaced by men on the field playing a child's game.
"You gotta be a man to play baseball for a living, but you gotta have a lot of little boy in you, too"
-Roy Campanella
And that field! That grass, the wide expanse of lawn they call an outfield, the dirt of the pitchers mound, the batters box. The aroma of grass and food and beer and the sounds of the people and the music and the players. It is all beautiful, be it under God's sun or a thousand man-made suns.
The arrival of baseball is the arrival of hope. Hope that your team will do well, or at least not embarrass itself. It is hope that we all feel for ourselves and our loved ones: try to do well, but at the very least, don't embarrass yourself.
Well, here's my chance to embarrass myself. Predictions on who's going to finish where:
National League Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. Houston Astros
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Cincinnati Reds
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
National League East
1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Washington Nationals
5. Florida Marlins
National League West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Diego Padres
3. Colorado Rockies
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. San Francisco Giants
American League Central
1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Kansas City Royals
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Minnesota Twins
American League East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles
American League West
1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Seattle Mariners
3. Texas Rangers
4. Oakland Athletics
The Yankees will be a threat under new manager Joe Girardi, but at some point in August, the team will have a losing streak and Hank Steinbrenner will fire Girardi, only to rehire him the next day. Distractions will sink the Yankees and the Red Sox are just too strong and good a team not to return to the Fall Classic.
The White Sox will unfortunately prove that 2005 was a fluke, Kenny Williams is not a genius and that signing Ozzie Guillen through 2012 was the dumbest thing owner Jerry Reinsdorf has done since forcing out Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson after winning six NBA championships.
The Dodgers will have a good year under former Yankee skipper Joe Torre and will just barely edge out the Padres and Greg Maddux in their division.
My World Series prediction: Cubs in seven games and countless heart attacks amongst fans, over the Red Sox.
Yes, there I said it, I meant it. All horrific things must come to end. The century of futility will come to a close and a new century of hope will begin with the Cubs winning the World Series. They have the horses, and the right jockey in Lou Pinella. If not this year, then never. And no, I don't believe I've jinxed the Cubs by predicting a World Series win. It's time for Cubs fans everywhere, and they are indeed everywhere, to stop talking like fools about jinxes and curses and all that other crap. The time has come to act like winners, and once the Cubs take the Series we will all be forced to figure out how to do that, because we're just not used to it.
Monday, March 24, 2008
I'm goin' in...
What better way to celebrate the day after Easter than a 30 year old clip of the best thing to come out of Australia, AC/DC, singing about "Sin City"...I remember seeing this the first time round, on an actual TV, not on a computer (which shows you how old I am), and not really knowing what I was looking at: a hard rock band, a punk band, a cartoon band like the Archies but with an edge? All of the above? I didn't know what it was, but I liked it, cuz this, my friends, was rock n roll.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
I Sit Corrected
I am getting my Hollywood Golden Era musicals a tad mixed up.
In an earlier posting I wrote that "Easter Parade" was a Bing Crosby movie. On the contrary, the 1948 film "Easter Parade" starred Fred Astaire and Judy Garland but most assuredly not Der Bing, and it is Ms. Garland who sings the title song, along with Mr. Astaire, and you can find that on this blogs accompanying playlist.
My confusion came from the fact that the song "Easter Parade" did indeed appear in a Bing Crosby movie, "Holiday Inn" from 1942, which also starred the aforementioned Fred Astaire. "Holiday Inn" also introduced audiences to the now standard Christmas classic, "White Christmas."
Glad I could get things straightened out. Now, if only I did research before I wrote the blog postings...
In an earlier posting I wrote that "Easter Parade" was a Bing Crosby movie. On the contrary, the 1948 film "Easter Parade" starred Fred Astaire and Judy Garland but most assuredly not Der Bing, and it is Ms. Garland who sings the title song, along with Mr. Astaire, and you can find that on this blogs accompanying playlist.
My confusion came from the fact that the song "Easter Parade" did indeed appear in a Bing Crosby movie, "Holiday Inn" from 1942, which also starred the aforementioned Fred Astaire. "Holiday Inn" also introduced audiences to the now standard Christmas classic, "White Christmas."
Glad I could get things straightened out. Now, if only I did research before I wrote the blog postings...
Jesus and the Easter Bunny
"London Calling" by the Clash is not an Easter song.
I heard it in the car on the way to Easter dinner earlier today. While I love the song, it doesn't exactly put me in an Easter state of mind. But then I thought, what song would? Musically speaking, Easter does not have the treasure trove of musical selections that Christmas has. Christmas music covers all genres from classical to rock and every artist, even ones you would not expect, like say, Twisted Sister, has recorded at least one Christmas song, if not a whole CD.
Christmas has a lot more characters to sing about: Jesus, Santa, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, etc, etc. And let's not get into the commercialism that surrounds Christmas and how that affects our feeling towards holidays...that's be another blog. Maybe.
As for holiday characters, Easter has Jesus and the Easter Bunny. As for Easter music, there's that Peter Cottontail song, and I think there's a song by the name of "Easter Parade," taken from the Bing Crosby movie. Why is this the case? Does Easter not inspire the same musical spirit in composers? Does the average person not have the same sentimentality about Easter as he does toward Christmas?
I'll admit, Easter does not give me the same warm fuzzies I get about Christmas. Christmas is about warmth in the dead of winter, a gathering of family to celebrate a birth of something new and unknown, full of hope for the future, something untarnished by the cuts and wounds of a life already lived.
Easter is a different animal entirely. While it celebrates re-birth and a new chance at everlasting life, there is also the pall of death after a painful life on Earth. But I think it is the season in which Easter falls that makes the difference in the way people feel when they get together to celebrate. The long winter is over and, if you're in Chicago, there's still snow on the ground but it is melting under the rays of an increasingly warm sun. The countdown to baseball is eight days. That means summer is right around the corner, what with its cold beers on hot days and retreats from the humidity into the air conditioning. Easter is just a different vibe from Christmas, man.
What was my original point, though? Oh yeah, Easter songs. Does anybody know the words to "Peter Cottontail"?
"Here comes Peter Cottontail, hoppin' down the bunny trail, flippity floppety floopity floop, Easters' on it's way." I don't think that's quite it...
I heard it in the car on the way to Easter dinner earlier today. While I love the song, it doesn't exactly put me in an Easter state of mind. But then I thought, what song would? Musically speaking, Easter does not have the treasure trove of musical selections that Christmas has. Christmas music covers all genres from classical to rock and every artist, even ones you would not expect, like say, Twisted Sister, has recorded at least one Christmas song, if not a whole CD.
Christmas has a lot more characters to sing about: Jesus, Santa, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, etc, etc. And let's not get into the commercialism that surrounds Christmas and how that affects our feeling towards holidays...that's be another blog. Maybe.
As for holiday characters, Easter has Jesus and the Easter Bunny. As for Easter music, there's that Peter Cottontail song, and I think there's a song by the name of "Easter Parade," taken from the Bing Crosby movie. Why is this the case? Does Easter not inspire the same musical spirit in composers? Does the average person not have the same sentimentality about Easter as he does toward Christmas?
I'll admit, Easter does not give me the same warm fuzzies I get about Christmas. Christmas is about warmth in the dead of winter, a gathering of family to celebrate a birth of something new and unknown, full of hope for the future, something untarnished by the cuts and wounds of a life already lived.
Easter is a different animal entirely. While it celebrates re-birth and a new chance at everlasting life, there is also the pall of death after a painful life on Earth. But I think it is the season in which Easter falls that makes the difference in the way people feel when they get together to celebrate. The long winter is over and, if you're in Chicago, there's still snow on the ground but it is melting under the rays of an increasingly warm sun. The countdown to baseball is eight days. That means summer is right around the corner, what with its cold beers on hot days and retreats from the humidity into the air conditioning. Easter is just a different vibe from Christmas, man.
What was my original point, though? Oh yeah, Easter songs. Does anybody know the words to "Peter Cottontail"?
"Here comes Peter Cottontail, hoppin' down the bunny trail, flippity floppety floopity floop, Easters' on it's way." I don't think that's quite it...
Friday, March 21, 2008
So lighten up already!
Ok, so I've been a little serious lately, what with the whole impeach everybody now and let's talk about guns and death culture and all that...so I needed to lighten up a bit...but staying political, this clip does have political pundit (whatever that means) Chris Matthews...
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Right Decision?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!!?
As they used to say, back in my day, "Fuck you, pal."
"The Right Decision" my ass.
Going to war without Congressional approval is never the right decision.
Going to war based on faulty evidence of WMD that even you, Mr. President, didn't entirely trust is never the right decision.
Having, at best, a mediocre plan for invasion of a country is never the right decision.
Having no plan as to how to occupy a country you've invaded is never the right decision.
Having absolutely no plan as to what to do when and if things go wrong is never the right decision.
Staying the course when the course is wasting American lives is never the right decision.
Flying a jet onto an aircraft carrier and declaring "Mission Accomplished" when it very clearly isn't is never the right decision.
I could go on, but let's just say that in all the years of your administration, Mr. President, you have not once made the right decision.
Mr. President, you cannot possibly have a conscience. No man with a conscience could do what you have done and still live with himself.
"The Right Decision" my ass.
Going to war without Congressional approval is never the right decision.
Going to war based on faulty evidence of WMD that even you, Mr. President, didn't entirely trust is never the right decision.
Having, at best, a mediocre plan for invasion of a country is never the right decision.
Having no plan as to how to occupy a country you've invaded is never the right decision.
Having absolutely no plan as to what to do when and if things go wrong is never the right decision.
Staying the course when the course is wasting American lives is never the right decision.
Flying a jet onto an aircraft carrier and declaring "Mission Accomplished" when it very clearly isn't is never the right decision.
I could go on, but let's just say that in all the years of your administration, Mr. President, you have not once made the right decision.
Mr. President, you cannot possibly have a conscience. No man with a conscience could do what you have done and still live with himself.
Baseball is coming, Part 2
Joe Girardi, the new manager of the New York Yankees, has already thrown a temper tantrum and shown a tendency to overreact, as when he had his team retaliate against the Tampa Rays for a perceived hard slide. And this is only spring training. Between the anger mismanagement of Girardi and the fact that you know Hank Steinbrenner will interfere in a huge way with the Yanks on a daily basis (Hank is just as crazy as dear old dad George was back in the day), and you have to figure this is going to be an interesting season. They may not win the World Series but the Bronx will definitely be burning in 2008.
Baseball is coming, Part 1
Kerry Wood is injured again. Is there a reason, other than perhaps nostalgia, that the Cubs signed this guy for another season?
Erykah Badu - Honey ( Official Video)
I came late to the Erykah Badu party but I am now at the party and I am loving it. Aside from being a captivating creature, Badu can lay down an addictive beat accompanied by a melody no less. This video shows she's been paying attention to music for a long time, with album covers referencing everything from "Let It Be" to the Ohio Players to Alicia Keys (where in the world can she be?), and throwing in an updated version of the famous Rolling Stone magazine cover of John and Yoko. Is this all a subtle, yet respectful, parody of music culture? Uhhmmm, could be, but I think for the most part Badu is paying homage to what came before and after her giving birth to the New Soul. Badu knows the sounds of yesterday and today. She takes the sounds, mixes it 'em all up, stirs it real good, makes her own sound, and drenches it in "Honey".
I came late to the Erykah Badu party but I am now at the party and I am loving it. Aside from being a captivating creature, Badu can lay down an addictive beat accompanied by a melody no less. This video shows she's been paying attention to music for a long time, with album covers referencing everything from "Let It Be" to the Ohio Players to Alicia Keys (where in the world can she be?), and throwing in an updated version of the famous Rolling Stone magazine cover of John and Yoko. Is this all a subtle, yet respectful, parody of music culture? Uhhmmm, could be, but I think for the most part Badu is paying homage to what came before and after her giving birth to the New Soul. Badu knows the sounds of yesterday and today. She takes the sounds, mixes it 'em all up, stirs it real good, makes her own sound, and drenches it in "Honey".
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Guns and the American Culture of Death
Twenty students of the Chicago Public School system have been murdered this school year, eighteen of them shot to death. And the school year is not nearly over.
That's an awful lot of kids getting gunned down. But other than Mayor Daley and a few others, I'm not seeing much outrage.
Children get slaughtered in the street and there's not a lot of commotion? That seems odd to me. There seems to be a resignation on the part of many, a feeling that this is just the way life is.
The way of America is the way of the gun. That's just a fact, not a positive or negative judgment. Guns, from the Pilgrim musket to whatever the heck they're using in Iraq, have always and constantly played a role in the history of this nation. The matter of the Washington, DC gun ban now before the Supreme Court will most likely be resolved by striking down that particular ban. The US constitution pretty much guarantees the individual right to keep and bear arms, and even if the constitution doesn't spell that out clearly enough for some, there is precedent going back to the time of Plymouth Rock and Jamestown of individual gun ownership. That's a whole lot of precedent. Individual gun ownership will never go away in the US. It's never going to change. Americans will always and forever have the right to have a gun. Mayor Daley and other advocates of gun control need to accept that fact and change course.
Washington, DC has a gun ban. It has not stopped gun violence. The city of Chicago has a similar gun ban , and it has not worked either. Gun ban or no gun ban, unless guns are no longer manufactured anywhere in the world and all existing guns are melted down to make swing sets for playgrounds, criminals will find a way to get guns. And so will otherwise law abiding citizens.
It would be good to have a nationwide discussion of gun violence. Or at least it would be if people didn't become so overheated on the topic, reducing their arguments to screaming irrationality.
More to the point than a discussion of gun violence, a discussion that would produce even more heat than the gun conversation, would be a discussion about the American culture of death. There is obviously a gun culture in the United States, but beyond that there is a death culture, or perhaps a sub-culture if you will. Many of these children shooting children on the streets of Chicago have no fear of their own death, much less incarceration in prison. Why is that?
That's what we need to talk about. Why is there a sub-culture of American society that thinks it is ok to kill? Further, why do the members of this sub-culture think that it's alright to die themselves? We in this country rightly accuse fundamentalist Islam of being a death culture, bent on bringing horrific death to as many as possible while the individual Islamist terrorist commits suicide. But we Americans need to turn the spotlight on ourselves. We need to ask why there are so many amongst us bent on killing.
Now that's going to be a tough discussion for this nation to have, so tough it may never happen. It is a discussion that will be bogged down by side issues of racial oppression, economic oppression and a whole host of other things. It would be a wrenching discussion, bringing age old animosities and fears to light, in a way that we can't even imagine.
I think, however, it's a discussion that needs be had. Children trying to get to or from school but instead being gunned down like rabid dogs in the street is an abomination. It is an horrific blemish on the soul of humanity. But taking away all guns won't change the minds of killers intent on killing, it would merely take away the easiest and most dispassionate dispenser of death. We need to find why killers, who are quite often no more than teen-agers or young adults, think it is acceptable to kill.
Bear in mind, I have no ready answers. I am barely smart enough to string together words to make sentences to clump together in paragraphs. I am, however, smart enough to know that something needs to change. If all Americans don't at least try to do something, than all Americans should consider themselves part of the death culture.
That's an awful lot of kids getting gunned down. But other than Mayor Daley and a few others, I'm not seeing much outrage.
Children get slaughtered in the street and there's not a lot of commotion? That seems odd to me. There seems to be a resignation on the part of many, a feeling that this is just the way life is.
The way of America is the way of the gun. That's just a fact, not a positive or negative judgment. Guns, from the Pilgrim musket to whatever the heck they're using in Iraq, have always and constantly played a role in the history of this nation. The matter of the Washington, DC gun ban now before the Supreme Court will most likely be resolved by striking down that particular ban. The US constitution pretty much guarantees the individual right to keep and bear arms, and even if the constitution doesn't spell that out clearly enough for some, there is precedent going back to the time of Plymouth Rock and Jamestown of individual gun ownership. That's a whole lot of precedent. Individual gun ownership will never go away in the US. It's never going to change. Americans will always and forever have the right to have a gun. Mayor Daley and other advocates of gun control need to accept that fact and change course.
Washington, DC has a gun ban. It has not stopped gun violence. The city of Chicago has a similar gun ban , and it has not worked either. Gun ban or no gun ban, unless guns are no longer manufactured anywhere in the world and all existing guns are melted down to make swing sets for playgrounds, criminals will find a way to get guns. And so will otherwise law abiding citizens.
It would be good to have a nationwide discussion of gun violence. Or at least it would be if people didn't become so overheated on the topic, reducing their arguments to screaming irrationality.
More to the point than a discussion of gun violence, a discussion that would produce even more heat than the gun conversation, would be a discussion about the American culture of death. There is obviously a gun culture in the United States, but beyond that there is a death culture, or perhaps a sub-culture if you will. Many of these children shooting children on the streets of Chicago have no fear of their own death, much less incarceration in prison. Why is that?
That's what we need to talk about. Why is there a sub-culture of American society that thinks it is ok to kill? Further, why do the members of this sub-culture think that it's alright to die themselves? We in this country rightly accuse fundamentalist Islam of being a death culture, bent on bringing horrific death to as many as possible while the individual Islamist terrorist commits suicide. But we Americans need to turn the spotlight on ourselves. We need to ask why there are so many amongst us bent on killing.
Now that's going to be a tough discussion for this nation to have, so tough it may never happen. It is a discussion that will be bogged down by side issues of racial oppression, economic oppression and a whole host of other things. It would be a wrenching discussion, bringing age old animosities and fears to light, in a way that we can't even imagine.
I think, however, it's a discussion that needs be had. Children trying to get to or from school but instead being gunned down like rabid dogs in the street is an abomination. It is an horrific blemish on the soul of humanity. But taking away all guns won't change the minds of killers intent on killing, it would merely take away the easiest and most dispassionate dispenser of death. We need to find why killers, who are quite often no more than teen-agers or young adults, think it is acceptable to kill.
Bear in mind, I have no ready answers. I am barely smart enough to string together words to make sentences to clump together in paragraphs. I am, however, smart enough to know that something needs to change. If all Americans don't at least try to do something, than all Americans should consider themselves part of the death culture.
Fleeing Thought: The Allure of Power
The newly sworn in governor of New York admitted to numerous marital infidelities, as did his wife. Is there anyone in New York politics who can keep his or her pants on? And just how is there time to get any work done there?
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Spitzer Fallout: The "Victimless Crime", or Why Alan Dershowitz is a Dickhead
Last week it was revealed that Eliot Spitzer (by the way, wouldn't "Spitzer Fallout" be a great name for a band?), the now former New York governor, was alleged to be a customer of a prostitution ring.
Upon hearing this, many talking heads assembled on many news channels. In a discussion on CNN about what punishment should be meted out to Mr. Spitzer, I had the misfortune, or perhaps the good fortune, to hear Harvard professor (someone who should know better) Alan Dershowitz refer to prostitution as a "victimless crime," a statement no one else on the panel of talking heads chose to contest.
"Victimless crime." Interesting.
Depending on whose numbers you may want to believe, anywhere between 400,000 and 1.7 million women and children are "trafficked" each year, meaning they are forced into labor, quite often in the sex trades, and quite often in a country other than their home.
If a person is forced into labor of any sort, I think that person could be considered a "victim." I would hope that someone as allegedly intelligent as a Harvard professor would understand that point.
I don't know what motivated the young lady implicated in the Spitzer scandal to be a prostitute, but by her own admission, she came from an abusive background. Escaping abuse but landing in a world of prostitution is a familiar story. Whatever her motivation, prostitution is hardly a "victimless crime." Just ask Eliot Spitzer's wife and children. It seems to me he victimized them, too.
I can only hope that the thinking exemplified by Dershowitz will someday come to an end. Perhaps we can use the idiocy of a statement like "victimless crime" to begin a a national discussion on the tragedy of human trafficking.
Upon hearing this, many talking heads assembled on many news channels. In a discussion on CNN about what punishment should be meted out to Mr. Spitzer, I had the misfortune, or perhaps the good fortune, to hear Harvard professor (someone who should know better) Alan Dershowitz refer to prostitution as a "victimless crime," a statement no one else on the panel of talking heads chose to contest.
"Victimless crime." Interesting.
Depending on whose numbers you may want to believe, anywhere between 400,000 and 1.7 million women and children are "trafficked" each year, meaning they are forced into labor, quite often in the sex trades, and quite often in a country other than their home.
If a person is forced into labor of any sort, I think that person could be considered a "victim." I would hope that someone as allegedly intelligent as a Harvard professor would understand that point.
I don't know what motivated the young lady implicated in the Spitzer scandal to be a prostitute, but by her own admission, she came from an abusive background. Escaping abuse but landing in a world of prostitution is a familiar story. Whatever her motivation, prostitution is hardly a "victimless crime." Just ask Eliot Spitzer's wife and children. It seems to me he victimized them, too.
I can only hope that the thinking exemplified by Dershowitz will someday come to an end. Perhaps we can use the idiocy of a statement like "victimless crime" to begin a a national discussion on the tragedy of human trafficking.
The Race Issue: Defending Geraldine, or "Say It Loud, I'm Multi-Racial and I'm Proud!"
Geraldine Ferraro said this (blame Mother Jones magazine if the quote is incorrect):
"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
Some of this does sound a tad racist coming out of an older white woman's mouth. But she does bring up a valid point about the country being caught up in the "concept" of who Barack Obama is, and God bless her for sticking to her pistols and not apologizing or backing down and getting all politically correct on us. She did resign from being an unpaid advisor to Hillary Clinton, but I don't think that's a big loss for Ferraro.
I don't necessarily agree that if Obama were a white man he wouldn't be in the position, that of Democratic presidential front runner. American political history has examples of white men who were eloquent but had little political experience to brag about, John Kennedy being the most obvious. So if Barack Obama were Barry O'Bama instead, he might still be where he is now.
But the United States of America is indeed caught up in the concept of who Barack Obama is, and that includes the issue of race, but not necessarily in a racist way though. Talking about race, mentioning one's race, and being racist are two different things, and I don't Geraldine Ferraro was making a racist comment, I don't think Obama is a racist when he mentions his background and I don't think America is racist when it looks with fascination at Obama.
Obama is who he is and there's nothing wrong with being who he is, nor is there anything wrong with Obama pointing out his personal history. His personal story is a story of race to a certain extent. He is obviously muti-racial. But Obama popularity is not as a story of racism, or the concept voting for or against someone based on race. Obama is popular, or at least of interest to many (including a fawning media) because of who Obama is at this point in time in America. Obama looks a lot like what America, or more to the point, Americans, look like now, and what we as a people will continue to look like more and more in the future. Obama's personal history includes a black father, a white mother, and an Indonesian step-father. Obama is multi-racial, multi-cultural and had a multi-continental upbringing.
I haven't any scientific data in front of me, but I don't need any. I have eyes to see. The US is more and more a place where marriage occurs between people not just of different ethnic groups or different religions, but between people of different races and cultures. White marries black, Hispanic marries Asian, etc, etc. This is a good thing and when Obama talks about race it is to point out his background, one he is proud of, but also to possibly make a politically advantageous point that he looks like you, America. It is not racism, it's just a fact. When Ferraro made her comments, she was not speaking from a racist viewpoint, but from a viewpoint that reflected some truth: Here is a guy without a whole lot of experience, but is well spoken and intelligent and if he were anything other than who he is, he wouldn't be here because America is very taken by what the multi-racial, multi-cultural candidate he is stands for right now. There's simply some truth to that, and that doesn't make anyone racist to think that.
Obama made his speech today about "the race issue" and I think it was a darn good one. He brought up a lot of good points. He spoke of black anger that still brews, but also mentioned the anger and fear the white middle class has, and how people of all races can and should unite to fight the things that could destroy all Americans, regardless of race, or else we will remain divided, by race and ethnicity and class, and thus never move forward, continually distracted by issues left unsolved, or worse, unspoken of.
"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
Some of this does sound a tad racist coming out of an older white woman's mouth. But she does bring up a valid point about the country being caught up in the "concept" of who Barack Obama is, and God bless her for sticking to her pistols and not apologizing or backing down and getting all politically correct on us. She did resign from being an unpaid advisor to Hillary Clinton, but I don't think that's a big loss for Ferraro.
I don't necessarily agree that if Obama were a white man he wouldn't be in the position, that of Democratic presidential front runner. American political history has examples of white men who were eloquent but had little political experience to brag about, John Kennedy being the most obvious. So if Barack Obama were Barry O'Bama instead, he might still be where he is now.
But the United States of America is indeed caught up in the concept of who Barack Obama is, and that includes the issue of race, but not necessarily in a racist way though. Talking about race, mentioning one's race, and being racist are two different things, and I don't Geraldine Ferraro was making a racist comment, I don't think Obama is a racist when he mentions his background and I don't think America is racist when it looks with fascination at Obama.
Obama is who he is and there's nothing wrong with being who he is, nor is there anything wrong with Obama pointing out his personal history. His personal story is a story of race to a certain extent. He is obviously muti-racial. But Obama popularity is not as a story of racism, or the concept voting for or against someone based on race. Obama is popular, or at least of interest to many (including a fawning media) because of who Obama is at this point in time in America. Obama looks a lot like what America, or more to the point, Americans, look like now, and what we as a people will continue to look like more and more in the future. Obama's personal history includes a black father, a white mother, and an Indonesian step-father. Obama is multi-racial, multi-cultural and had a multi-continental upbringing.
I haven't any scientific data in front of me, but I don't need any. I have eyes to see. The US is more and more a place where marriage occurs between people not just of different ethnic groups or different religions, but between people of different races and cultures. White marries black, Hispanic marries Asian, etc, etc. This is a good thing and when Obama talks about race it is to point out his background, one he is proud of, but also to possibly make a politically advantageous point that he looks like you, America. It is not racism, it's just a fact. When Ferraro made her comments, she was not speaking from a racist viewpoint, but from a viewpoint that reflected some truth: Here is a guy without a whole lot of experience, but is well spoken and intelligent and if he were anything other than who he is, he wouldn't be here because America is very taken by what the multi-racial, multi-cultural candidate he is stands for right now. There's simply some truth to that, and that doesn't make anyone racist to think that.
Obama made his speech today about "the race issue" and I think it was a darn good one. He brought up a lot of good points. He spoke of black anger that still brews, but also mentioned the anger and fear the white middle class has, and how people of all races can and should unite to fight the things that could destroy all Americans, regardless of race, or else we will remain divided, by race and ethnicity and class, and thus never move forward, continually distracted by issues left unsolved, or worse, unspoken of.
Friday, March 14, 2008
I Still Want a Riot of My Own
So, John, why all the Clash songs on your music play list? Well, ok, fine, I'll tell you.
The other night the good beggars at PBS aired a special on the Clash called "The Clash Rocks" or "Here's the Clash" or something like that. "Revolution Rock"! Yeah, that's it. Whatever. I recorded it and watched it tonight so I could zip through the begging breaks the way I zip through commercials when I record Letterman.
Anyhoo....I'd forgotten how much I loved the Clash. From the time I first heard them somewhere round 1977 or '78 I wanted to be them, I wanted to be whip thin with pasty white skin and bad teeth, I wanted to have funny hair styles and turn the collar of my shirt up and sing in a raspy Joe Strummer sort of way. Well, I did eventually turn the collar on my shirt up. I had that going for me. Kept my teeth in good shape though. All you kids out there, take care of your teeth and they'll take care of you!
But the music...the music was great to a young lad, and to the middle-aged lad I am now it's still great. Every word of every song seemed to have urgency and deep meaning, the way they looked and played, it was all something that mattered and was so different from everything around me, the words and music had sinew and fiber and were tough and could not be broken, just as Strummer and Jones and Simonon and Headon looked tough and sinewy and fibrous like a rope on a ship in the Queens Navy, like a rope that would bend and curl and wrap itself around you but would not be broken.
The greatness lasted for five albums with some singles and EPs thrown in for good measure. They were a wonderful band, got to see them live once at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, don't really remember it too well though. I'm sure it was a rockin' good time. And it was a rockin' good time to see them again tonight as they were and be reminded that fury can be power.
The other night the good beggars at PBS aired a special on the Clash called "The Clash Rocks" or "Here's the Clash" or something like that. "Revolution Rock"! Yeah, that's it. Whatever. I recorded it and watched it tonight so I could zip through the begging breaks the way I zip through commercials when I record Letterman.
Anyhoo....I'd forgotten how much I loved the Clash. From the time I first heard them somewhere round 1977 or '78 I wanted to be them, I wanted to be whip thin with pasty white skin and bad teeth, I wanted to have funny hair styles and turn the collar of my shirt up and sing in a raspy Joe Strummer sort of way. Well, I did eventually turn the collar on my shirt up. I had that going for me. Kept my teeth in good shape though. All you kids out there, take care of your teeth and they'll take care of you!
But the music...the music was great to a young lad, and to the middle-aged lad I am now it's still great. Every word of every song seemed to have urgency and deep meaning, the way they looked and played, it was all something that mattered and was so different from everything around me, the words and music had sinew and fiber and were tough and could not be broken, just as Strummer and Jones and Simonon and Headon looked tough and sinewy and fibrous like a rope on a ship in the Queens Navy, like a rope that would bend and curl and wrap itself around you but would not be broken.
The greatness lasted for five albums with some singles and EPs thrown in for good measure. They were a wonderful band, got to see them live once at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, don't really remember it too well though. I'm sure it was a rockin' good time. And it was a rockin' good time to see them again tonight as they were and be reminded that fury can be power.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
In the news: Client Number 9, Number 9
Eliot Spitzer was, oh, I'm sorry, still is (as of this blogging), governor of New York. He was allegedly involved, as a customer, with a prostitution ring; he was taped on a wiretapped phone ordering up a honey for a trip to Washington, DC.
He was the alpha malest amongst the alpha males while New York state Attorney General. He pursued crime on Wall Street and, in a bit of foreshadowing, prostitution rings, and referred to the criminals as betrayers of the public trust.
Well, now, he is the betrayer, and it's not just a personal matter immoral behavior, like that of a husband getting caught with his pants down and someone other than his wife with a lip lock on his love muscle, a la Slick Willy, the former President who was a hard dog to keep on the porch, as they said way back in Arkansas.
Prostitution is a crime, albeit a misdemeanor in New York from what I hear on CNN yesterday, but the business Spitzer frequented may have been involved in money laundering, and that's a federal crime, as is trying to conceal movements of money, and that puts the former "Untouchable" (if only he really didn't want to be touched, he wouldn't have the problems he has now) in a world of legal crap, equal only to the world of marital/personal crap he has entered into now with his wife, Silda. Odds are Sptizer will try to stay in office as long as possible. If he resigns he will have nothing to do but stay home with Silda, an unpleasant thought for him now at best. Of course, she might be out of the house a lot, filling up her personal schedule with divorce attorneys. I wonder if the missus will want to run for the US Senate from New York now.
What the governor of New York does with his Little Gov is of meager interest to me. What is interesting is why he did it, and why he was the way he was? What created the bulldog who was a white horse riding attorney general, pontificating about criminals and their betrayals of public trust? Is this just another example of hypocrisy in a politician? Of hubris? Was he so arrogant that he thought he could what he put others on trial for? Was he self-destructive? Filled with a self-hate because he did things he knew were really, really wrong and just wanted to get caught and bring his darkness to light and his career to an end? There is a definite psychological element when people go on crusades and many times, as in the case of a preacher who sermonizes on the evils of homosexuality only to be caught in a tryst with another man, the crusader reveals himself to be his own target.
He was the alpha malest amongst the alpha males while New York state Attorney General. He pursued crime on Wall Street and, in a bit of foreshadowing, prostitution rings, and referred to the criminals as betrayers of the public trust.
Well, now, he is the betrayer, and it's not just a personal matter immoral behavior, like that of a husband getting caught with his pants down and someone other than his wife with a lip lock on his love muscle, a la Slick Willy, the former President who was a hard dog to keep on the porch, as they said way back in Arkansas.
Prostitution is a crime, albeit a misdemeanor in New York from what I hear on CNN yesterday, but the business Spitzer frequented may have been involved in money laundering, and that's a federal crime, as is trying to conceal movements of money, and that puts the former "Untouchable" (if only he really didn't want to be touched, he wouldn't have the problems he has now) in a world of legal crap, equal only to the world of marital/personal crap he has entered into now with his wife, Silda. Odds are Sptizer will try to stay in office as long as possible. If he resigns he will have nothing to do but stay home with Silda, an unpleasant thought for him now at best. Of course, she might be out of the house a lot, filling up her personal schedule with divorce attorneys. I wonder if the missus will want to run for the US Senate from New York now.
What the governor of New York does with his Little Gov is of meager interest to me. What is interesting is why he did it, and why he was the way he was? What created the bulldog who was a white horse riding attorney general, pontificating about criminals and their betrayals of public trust? Is this just another example of hypocrisy in a politician? Of hubris? Was he so arrogant that he thought he could what he put others on trial for? Was he self-destructive? Filled with a self-hate because he did things he knew were really, really wrong and just wanted to get caught and bring his darkness to light and his career to an end? There is a definite psychological element when people go on crusades and many times, as in the case of a preacher who sermonizes on the evils of homosexuality only to be caught in a tryst with another man, the crusader reveals himself to be his own target.
Monday, March 10, 2008
The Bad Humor Man
How can a guy who sells ice cream be so unlikeable?
Jim Oberweis, he of the Oberweis chain of ice cream shops, lost his fourth election in six years. He has run twice for the US Senate from Illinois and lost, has run for governor of Illinois and lost and now has lost a special election to fill Dennis Hastert's unexpired term in Congress. What's next, running for dog catcher and losing that? How long does it take the average millionaire to figure out that people simply don't like you?
Oberweis is just not a political creature, no matter how strongly he may wish himself to be. His conservative views seem to sound more radical than they really are when they come of his mouth. This is a personality issue. Oberweis is the kind of person who can shake your hand, smile and laugh and still look angry. He always looks a minute or two from a melt down.
Oberweis has spent an awful lot of his own money to attain office. He really should hang on to it and stick to making dairy products. Just don't work the front counter at any of your shops, Jim. You'll frighten away the small children.
Jim Oberweis, he of the Oberweis chain of ice cream shops, lost his fourth election in six years. He has run twice for the US Senate from Illinois and lost, has run for governor of Illinois and lost and now has lost a special election to fill Dennis Hastert's unexpired term in Congress. What's next, running for dog catcher and losing that? How long does it take the average millionaire to figure out that people simply don't like you?
Oberweis is just not a political creature, no matter how strongly he may wish himself to be. His conservative views seem to sound more radical than they really are when they come of his mouth. This is a personality issue. Oberweis is the kind of person who can shake your hand, smile and laugh and still look angry. He always looks a minute or two from a melt down.
Oberweis has spent an awful lot of his own money to attain office. He really should hang on to it and stick to making dairy products. Just don't work the front counter at any of your shops, Jim. You'll frighten away the small children.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
But did he think of John Maddens needs?
Say it ain't so, Brett!
Brett Favre retiring on the heels of a frigid Green Bay loss in the playoffs? This is hard to accept.
It is also truly the end of an era in the NFL. There are good quarterbacks around, but there is no Brett Favre, no Troy Aikman, no Montana or Marino or Elway. For a football fan in passing such as me, football just became a little less fun.
Brett Favre retiring on the heels of a frigid Green Bay loss in the playoffs? This is hard to accept.
It is also truly the end of an era in the NFL. There are good quarterbacks around, but there is no Brett Favre, no Troy Aikman, no Montana or Marino or Elway. For a football fan in passing such as me, football just became a little less fun.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Sports: The Zellionaire and other things
-So Sam Zell might sell the naming rights to Wrigley Field. I like to think of myself as a traditionalist so you would think Wrigley Field by any other name would bother me. For some reason, it doesn't. Well, perhaps a little, but only from an aesthetic standpoint. When Comiskey Park became Cellular Field, I didn't like the change. Cellular Field doesn't exactly roll off the tongue and the name Comiskey hearkens back to the early days of 20th-century baseball. Unfortunately, early 20-century baseball included the Black Sox scandal, caused partially by the Old Romans cheapness. Comiskey didn't like to pay his players what they were worth. He didn't even like to pay to have their uniforms cleaned on a regular basis. Thus, Shoeless Joe and the others were open minded toward alternate revenue streams for themselves. So, a name with tradition isn't always what it's cracked up to be.
The Wrigley family, owners for many, many years of the Cubs, named the ball park to advertise their chewy product. Nothing wrong with that. The company makes great gum but they fashioned a lousy tradition of World Series win free baseball on the North Side. A century of failure, most of it while the Field was Wrigley, is nothing to be sentimental about. Changing the names of Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park would seem to be more sacrilegious to me. Perhaps it might do the Cubs good to get a new name for their ballpark for a new era. Doesn't matter what it's called really, people from far and wide will flock there. Heck, you could even name it truthfully and call it The Hole of False Hope and people would still show up to drink cold beer on a hot day or occasional night. Fans could then say,"Hey, let's go to the Hole and see a game." Probably won't happen though and if the name does change it will be in glorification of some corporate entity, but I say we call it the Hole anyway.
-Rex Grossman is back with the Bears, at least for one year. Now you might think general manager Jerry Angelo should perhaps pursue a quarterback who could, say, actually quarterback well. It wouldn't matter if the Bears had drafted Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, they traditionally do not know how to nurture a quarterback to greatness. Jim McMahon was a Bears Super Bowl winner but McMahon was fully formed as a quarterback when he signed on as a Bear. He was what he was and what he was ever going to be from the first day of his first Bears training camp. McMahon needed no nurturing, molding, or forming.
Beyond a quarterback, an offensive line and a few other things what the Bears really need to become winners is to be sold. The Bears are nothing more than a cash cow for the McCaskey family. Winning is secondary to profits, and lots of them. Until they sell, which I really thought they would have done already since the remodeling of Soldier Field made the teams worth skyrocket, the Bears will never have a win at all costs mentality. So you will always see mediocrities like Rex Grossman and Cedric Benson, with the occasional stars like Brian Urlacher and Devin Hester thrown in to keep fans hopes and interest up and their money flowing.
Early prediction for next season is they go 8-8 and get blown out in the wild card round of the playoffs.
-Speaking of Brian Urlacher, please allow me to be a heretic and state that rather than restructuring his contract to be more favorable to him to keep him here and happy, let's find out his worth on the market. Can he fetch the Bears some valuable young players? Or would other teams be too smart to bite at an unfortunately fading star with an arthritic back who just had neck surgery?
-I read in the Sunday Daily Herald that Jason Marquis is demanding the Cubs assure that he'll be a starter rather than a reliever. Marquis was 12-9 last year with a 4.60 ERA, over 6.00 in the month of September. When Sweet Lou heard this, he said Marquis "could go somewhere else right now if he wants." I think Marquis would look good in a Reds uniform. He and Dusty Baker, always a players friend, deserve each other.
The Wrigley family, owners for many, many years of the Cubs, named the ball park to advertise their chewy product. Nothing wrong with that. The company makes great gum but they fashioned a lousy tradition of World Series win free baseball on the North Side. A century of failure, most of it while the Field was Wrigley, is nothing to be sentimental about. Changing the names of Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park would seem to be more sacrilegious to me. Perhaps it might do the Cubs good to get a new name for their ballpark for a new era. Doesn't matter what it's called really, people from far and wide will flock there. Heck, you could even name it truthfully and call it The Hole of False Hope and people would still show up to drink cold beer on a hot day or occasional night. Fans could then say,"Hey, let's go to the Hole and see a game." Probably won't happen though and if the name does change it will be in glorification of some corporate entity, but I say we call it the Hole anyway.
-Rex Grossman is back with the Bears, at least for one year. Now you might think general manager Jerry Angelo should perhaps pursue a quarterback who could, say, actually quarterback well. It wouldn't matter if the Bears had drafted Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, they traditionally do not know how to nurture a quarterback to greatness. Jim McMahon was a Bears Super Bowl winner but McMahon was fully formed as a quarterback when he signed on as a Bear. He was what he was and what he was ever going to be from the first day of his first Bears training camp. McMahon needed no nurturing, molding, or forming.
Beyond a quarterback, an offensive line and a few other things what the Bears really need to become winners is to be sold. The Bears are nothing more than a cash cow for the McCaskey family. Winning is secondary to profits, and lots of them. Until they sell, which I really thought they would have done already since the remodeling of Soldier Field made the teams worth skyrocket, the Bears will never have a win at all costs mentality. So you will always see mediocrities like Rex Grossman and Cedric Benson, with the occasional stars like Brian Urlacher and Devin Hester thrown in to keep fans hopes and interest up and their money flowing.
Early prediction for next season is they go 8-8 and get blown out in the wild card round of the playoffs.
-Speaking of Brian Urlacher, please allow me to be a heretic and state that rather than restructuring his contract to be more favorable to him to keep him here and happy, let's find out his worth on the market. Can he fetch the Bears some valuable young players? Or would other teams be too smart to bite at an unfortunately fading star with an arthritic back who just had neck surgery?
-I read in the Sunday Daily Herald that Jason Marquis is demanding the Cubs assure that he'll be a starter rather than a reliever. Marquis was 12-9 last year with a 4.60 ERA, over 6.00 in the month of September. When Sweet Lou heard this, he said Marquis "could go somewhere else right now if he wants." I think Marquis would look good in a Reds uniform. He and Dusty Baker, always a players friend, deserve each other.
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