There’s Nothing Wrong With Yankee Stadium

What do the New York Yankees, Mets, Jets, Giants, Rangers, Knicks, Islanders, and New Jersey Nets all have in common? 

Each of these eight professional sport franchises plan on playing their home games inside state-of-the-art stadiums within the next four to five years.

When all is said and done, billions of dollars will be spent on the projects, with a nice healthy chunk coming courtesy of the state and city taxpayer. And this is with a war on.

Thanks to the NFL’s revenue sharing agreement, the Giants and Jets will privately finance their billion dollar baby in the Meadowlands.  The other franchises will all rely on public funds.

The New Jersey Nets would move back to Brooklyn as part of a $3.5 billion commercial development project.  When the Nets open the stadium in Brooklyn, where the original A.B.A. franchise began, Staten Island will be the only borough in New York City without a major professional sports franchise. 

The Yankees, Mets, Knicks, Rangers and Islanders would all have new homes built on or around their current sites, with a large portion of the funds going to commercial and community development around the new stadiums.

But what the billionaire owners and their puppet politicians fail to admit is that there is nothing wrong with these current venues. 

There is nothing wrong with Yankee Stadium.

Last time I checked, the Coliseum still stands in Rome.

Opened in 1923, and built by the bat of Babe Ruth, Yankee Stadium has held more fans than any other stadium, not only in America but the world.  Last year alone, the Yankees had an average attendance of more than 50,000 in their 81 regular season home games.  By the time the Yanks were eliminated in the postseason by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, nearly 5,000,000 fans had watched a game in the
Bronx during the 2005 season.  Only McDonald’s can compete with those numbers.

In this fan’s opinion, unless parts of the stadium are collapsing and fans are falling to their demise, the current Yankee Stadium should continue to be the home of the New York Yankees.

But that’s just it.

It is no longer the opinion of the fan that matters anymore, it is the power of the almighty dollar that now decides the future home of a franchise.  When the Yankees do eventually move down the block to their new digs, it won’t even be Yankee Stadium anymore – it’ll be Highest Bidder Ballpark.  And what a shame that will be.

In exchange for the naming rights to the new ballpark, some corporate entity will shell out tens of millions of dollars to emblazon their logo on the side of the old-fashioned, new stadium façade.  Then maybe, just maybe, that company will go and lay off tens of thousands of workers in order to foot the tab just like Ford Motor Company did in Detroit this past year.

This is the future of sports and the end of sports as we know it.

 

Tornados in Iowa

        A series of tornadoes turned deadly in eastern Iowa on Friday morning, killing at least one and injuring dozens.  Students at the University of Iowa were enjoying spring break until they got a rude awakening. 

     Throughout Iowa City, sororities, fraternities, dorms and apartments were torn apart by high winds and flying debris.  Most had to seek shelter in the basements of their buildings until the tornadoes had dissipated.  The destruction will undoubtedly leave students in a tough spot as midterms and finals approach.  It will be especially hard on those who had their homes, computers, and books destroyed. 

     "We don't have any reports of serious injuries, which is short of miraculous considering what some of the damage appears to be," University of Iowa spokesman Steve Parrot said.

      Not everybody was so lucky.  A woman who has yet to be identified, was killed when the tornado struck her mobile home in the suburb of Nichols, Iowa.  In Nichols there is a path of destruction "that's four to five miles long," said Maj. Dave White of the Muscatine County sheriff's office.  

     The search for new housing is already underway for some students whose homes were destroyed.  For now it appears that Iowa City residents will spend this Easter weekend cleaning up and recovering from the disaster instead of relaxing and enjoying the holiday with family and friends. 

 

Les Miserables: Part Deux

              Millions of protestors and rioters filled the streets of Paris on Tuesday in response to a new labor contract recently put into motion by the French government.  The First Job Contract (CPE) is deliberately designed to remove job security from workers under the age of 26 during their first two years of employment.  In that time frame, employers can fire young workers without reason or motive, without fear of reprisal.

              As far as the French government is concerned this clause will increase competition in the job-market for a demographic in which 23% are unemployed nationally.  In some immigrant communities unemployment can run as high as 40%.  Though the CPE has yet to be put into law, critics see the contract as a step backward in labor relations. 

              The current labor-agreement, the Contract of Indeterminate Duration (CDI) is designed to give employers a six-month trial period in which to determine an employee’s ability – after which the employer must provide sufficient grounds for giving someone the boot.  There is an obvious cause for concern among French youth when that trial period is extended by eighteen months and they no longer have the right to appeal termination. 

              This problem with security does not only belong to the French youth.  Similar problems can be found right here, what with Social Security crumbling before our very American eyes and tens of thousands of workers being laid off in our very American cities.  I don't have the answer but I do know that tear gas and water cannons will not solve this problem and neither will the riot police aiming and firing them.

 

Emissions Omissions

     Outside of the Valvoline on the corner of Fuller Road and Central Avenue there is a large sign which reads New York State Official Inspection Center.  Well, don’t believe everything you read.   

 
     I took my Buick to Valvoline for an inspection and an oil change but was only able to get the oil changed.  Why?  Because apparently there is a considerable difference between the emission standards held for upstate New Yorkers and downstate New Yorkers.  So much so that the service station was unable to provide the service I needed most.  The sign should read Official Inspection Center for Upstaters Only.
 

     In November of 2005, Governor George Pataki and the New York State Environmental Board approved regulations that require significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles.  These measures are being taken in an attempt to reduce New York State’s light and medium-duty vehicle greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 14,855,500 CO2 equivalent tons per year in 2020 and by 26,280,000 CO2 equivalent tons per year in 2030.  How these figures are figured is beyond me.
 

     But the statewide measures, too, are misleading in that most of the reductions are taking place south of Westchester County.  Since my car is not registered in upstate New York but on Long Island, it is held to a higher standard of lower emissions.  It is now March 2006 and the technology needed to meet these new statewide standards has yet to reach the Capital Region.  How ironic.  So instead of continuing my internship this weekend I’m forced to take time off to drive home to Long Island, all for a car inspection.  I wonder how much pollution will be created in my six to eight hour round trip.  Figure that one out, Pataki.   
 

 http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/press/pressrel/2005/2005131.html
 

 

Photo Galleries

This photo gallery is a collection of images taken from the Hubble space telescope.  Launched in 1990 the Hubble has enabled scientists to see further into space than ever before.  I first came across galleries like this one on CNN.com and found them very interesting. This webpage can be quite time-consuming as there are over 800 pictures in the collection. 

 

These pictures are from the annual Burning Man Festival held out in the middle of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.  According to the festival’s official website “Trying to explain what Burning Man is to someone who has never been to the event is a bit like trying to explain what a particular color looks like to someone who is blind.”  After viewing these images you’ll agree.  Please be patient with this website, it does work, sometimes after the 1st try, sometimes after the first few tries.

 

This is a gallery of Salvador Dali’s paintings, taken from a New York Times website.  I have always been a big fan of Dali’s and of Surrealism in general. Two years ago I was fortunate enough to visit Dali’s permanent exhibit while studying abroad in London.  His work is even more impressive in person.

 

 

Revenge of the Birds

     The other night when class was over I stepped out of the Humanities Building and into the cold dark night.  As I walked toward my car I noticed a campus security guard in a SUV creeping along slowly.  His upper torso hung from the driver’s side window and he appeared to be holding something in his left hand.  It was a flashlight, but he didn’t seem to be checking for parking permits.  What the hell is he doing, I wondered.

     When his light suddenly shone upward I could see them, hundreds of crows in the trees surrounding the Special Permit spots.  All of a sudden there was a thunderous sound made by the flapping of hundreds if not thousands of black wings in flight.  It was at that moment I realized I was caught directly beneath an avian shit-storm.  So I booked, books in hand as fast as I could for the faculty parking lot on Dutch Quad.  As I ran I heard the cracking of branches and the cackle of birds, the slapping sound of birdshit hitting the pavement all around me.  Rainlike.

     How I escaped unscathed is still a mystery.  But I’m glad that I did.  I wish I could say the same for my car, and practically every car parked on Dutch.  Naturally, I had my car washed that very afternoon before class.  What a waste.  For those cars parked directly underneath the trees, an ice scraper serves another purpose now.  Albany has to be the crow capital of the world. 

     Since that night I have switched lots and changed my walking route, but still I hear those same sounds, and still I see those same cars covered in fecal matter.  Perhaps this is an awful form of retribution for the destruction of natural habitats.  Just how many trees were cleared in order to build our concrete campus, the Nanotech Building, and Crossgates Mall?  Maybe mother nature is voicing her displeasure through the bowels of black crows in the Capital Region.  Who knows? 

   Is there even a solution to this problem?  Will there be a crow hunt in the city of Albany similar to the recent bear hunt in the state of New Jersey?  Somehow I doubt it.  But I must say I have a newfound respect for those birds which congregate in the boughs between Dutch and Freedom and the old Jewish cemetery on Fuller Road.  Until something changes, they’ll always have the upper hand. 

 

Are You Not Entertained?

There’s been a lot of talk among newspaper, television and radio personalities about the current ratings tug of war, or lack thereof, between Fox’s American Idol and NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics.  In all honesty, I can’t bring myself to watch either. 
            Maybe it’s just me, but do people really relate to sports like the biathlon, skeleton, or the two-man luge?  How many Americans are pumped for those curling finals?  How are we to cheer for a sport like figure skating, or any sport in which most can’t even understand the scoring system? 

If the Chinese figure skater gets thrown into next week by her pairs-partner, that’s bad, I get that.  But besides the metal of the medal, what’s really the difference between scores of 5.7 and 5.8?  And if one of the judges is French are the results official?   Do you see how many questions are brought about by these Olympic Games?     

It’s no wonder American Idol has consistently beaten the Games in the ratings week in and week out.  American audiences don’t want to ask or even have questions while they’re watching television.  Well, maybe one…like who’s going to be the next American Idol?  Americans want answers.  So they watch, and they call, and they vote.  It’s democracy at its finest.    

But with exception to William Hung, I’ve never understood this country’s fascination with the American Idol series.  What I have learned, however, is just how insane and disillusioned some of America’s youth have become in their fruitless pursuit of fame and fortune.  I’ve also learned that any contestant’s televised humiliation and despair can bring immediate and heartfelt joy and laughter to the idle Idol viewer.  Don’t believe me?  Then why has William Hung put out two albums already? 

Seriously, when did Paula Abdul become a logical person to turn to for career advice?  Wasn’t she all washed up about ten years before Katrina hit?  How on Earth is she still a judge after sleeping with former contestant Corey Clark?  Maybe American Idol leaves me with questions after all.    

What Fox and NBC both undeniably understand is how to rope in their viewers like cattle.  While Fox leads its promotions campaigns with clips of past winners like Kelly Clarkson, and losers like Hung crooning “She Bangs, She Bangs!” NBC counters with its feature stories on Bode Miller and the rest of the delinquents and harassers on America’s Team. 

It’s as if two circus sideshows are competing in the same town over the local yokels.  I’m entertained and I’m not even watching.                   
           

 

Big Purple Growl

           Prior to this year’s Big Purple Growl on February 5, the RACC had never been sold-out for any athletic event in its 14 year history.  More than 4,500 students, alumni and local residents packed the RACC to its maximum capacity to witness a 71-60 UAlbany victory over the Terriers of Boston University. 

After dropping 6 of the first 8 games this season, the Great Danes have won 14 of their last 16 and are in first place in the America East Conference.  Should they win the conference tournament, the team would make their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.  The UAlbany men’s basketball team is that good. 

So why did it take almost three months before a crowd turnout like the one we saw on Saturday?  Why did it take until the 11^th of 12 home games for an extra 2,500 people to come out and show their support for a team about to make history?  How does this even happen at a top-notch party school with more than 15,000 undergrads?  By 7pm we can’t all be that tipsy, can we?  Regardless, those 4,500+ who did attend the Big Purple Growl could not have left disappointed, not after seeing University President Kermit Hall attempt to shoot free throws, and certainly not after Head Coach Will Brown had to get on the horn to calm down a section of students.  “Please cheer, but don’t get crazy,” pleaded Brown. 

The Great Danes return for their last home game of the regular season on Monday, February 20 against Vermont. Without the food, giveaways, and contests like a shot at free tuition, it will be interesting to see who turns out and if they bring the noise.  “The atmosphere was tremendous and hopefully for our last home game against Vermont a lot of these people will come back and support us,” Brown said.
 

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=447362&category=SPORTS&BCCode=HOME&newsdate=2/5/2006&TextPage=2
 

http://www.americaeast.com/mbasketball/2006/albany.htm

 

Barry Bonds: Scum of the Earth

    Barry Bonds recently turned down the opportunity to represent his country in the first-ever World Baseball Classic.  Bonds remains concerned about his health as he enters what could very well be his final season in the Major Leagues.  Bonds, who has 708 career home runs, can pass Babe Ruth (714) and Hank Aaron (755) to become the All-Time Home Run King.  But on those days and nights when he is chasing history and defiling the most honored record in American sports, I for one will not be watching.

    Bonds is a disgraceful player from a disgraceful era in baseball, and he is not alone.  But despite the League’s many Sosas, Palmeiros, McGuires, and Giambis of past and present, Bonds remains public enemy number one.  And for good reason. 

        In 2000, when Bonds hit a career high 49 home runs and held a .688 slugging percentage, Bonds was 36 years old.  Those were his career best, and his highest totals in seven years, (1993: 46HR .677)  Yet the next year, at age 37 Bonds exploded for 73 home runs and had a mindblowing .863 slugging percentage.  Reaching these numbers at an age where it is unheard of for such physical and statistical improvement only strengthens the case which has been made against Bonds and the aforementioned sluggers of his era:  That this era will be known as The Steroid Era, and its star players will be remembered as cheaters.               
(Stats from espn.com)