First of all this is an very asinine rant, but these are a series of things thats been on my mind lately. First of all, let's start with a joke. What's tackier that a fat girl exposing her stretch mark ridden pounch to the masses? A sports venue with a corportate name on it.

I know it's a reality in today's sports, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. Once upon a time, I used to know the names of all of the venues in the four major sports. Even hockey, and I don't even watch hockey. If I heard the Boston Garden, I knew that Celtics were playing somebody at home, the same held true for the Bulls, 9ers, White Sox, Eagles, and other teams. The name of your building adds mystique and pride to the team that plays there. Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds wouldn't have the same character and charm and be revered by baseball fans all over the world if the names of the buildings was constantly being changed.

Then it's the names that the owners pick. Nike Field, Reebok Park, Spaulding Arena, Rawlings Garden, or Louisville Slugger Stadium would be bad enough, but at there's some sort of relationship to the game. BUT PETCO FIELD!!!! MINUTEMAID PARK!!! MACAFEE______(I REFUSE to say Colisuem after Macfee. I won't even say it myself when reading articles in the paper.)

Really though, who doesn't already know what Tropicana, Fleet Banking, and Gillette is? Are ChiSox fans flocking in droves to get US Cellular phones? Is Safeco really selling that more insurance, are die hard Bulls fans flying exclusively with United? I don't so. As a matter of fact I'm inclined to buy Norton anti-virus software just because Macfee has it's name on the Coliseum. This avarice in the worst way an is totally disrepsectful to the fans and a team's traditional. I have to give props to the Busch family, Steinbrenner, and the few other owners that actually have the courage to retain names on their teams buildings.

And is the hyprocrisy of it all. Hugh Heffner couldn't buy the naming rights to a venue. I take that back, he might. Playboy is so mainstream now that a venue could actually be called Playboy Stadium or Playboy Arena. Larry Flint or the guys who own Vivid Video couldn't buy the naming rights to a venue. For some reason Selig and Stern would have a problem with Hustler Park or Vivid Video Forum. I'm serious, if I have the dough I would buy the naming rights to an sports venue and call it Dildo Field.

The irony to it all, that one thing take should have a corporate sponsor doesn't, The All-Star Game. I'm sorry, but I have a real problem with home field advantage possibly coming down to the a reserve from the Devil-Rays and the Marlins.

If the A's grind out 100 plus wins, small balling guys, getting walk-offs, pulling out come from behind victories, the A's have earned the privilege of having home field advantage through out the post season. How much did Commissioner Selig drink and how much crank did he do before deciding that winning league of the All-Star gets home field advantage in the World Series.

You want to make the All-Star Game interesting? You want to get the players excited about it? Whore out a sposnorship to it. Have the Major League Baseball All-Star brought to you by Chevorlet. Have Chey put up say 25 million dollars. The 25 million to be divided among the players of the winning team. Or divide it acording to on the field accomplishments. A million dollars for hitting a homerun. $ 250,000 per strikeout. This would get the players incentive and have them playing hard, plus pique fan interest.

I'm going to get killed on this one, but so be it. I want a game used baseball. I would prefer to catch a homerun. If not a foulball will do. Or have the ball boy just give me one. I shouldn't have to be under 12 yrs old to get the ball boy to give me a ball. OK, I'll concede giving the ball to the kid right behind me. But searching out a kid who's 11 seats down and 20 rows back is absurd. I know the following is an hyberpole, but I have seen ballboys go out there way to give kids baseballs. Just give it to the person nearest to you.

I would talk about how organizations rape us at the conessions stand, but that's another subject for another day.

Green N Gold Forever.

nicely said...lol nothing happens with out passion.

Five star rant. Well done.

Little disappointed that you didn't spend a bit more time on the fat girl- mid driff part.

Yea! Those bastards at Wrigley Co. completely ruined it for everyone else.

Amen Brother! They just changed Bank One Ballpark to Chase Field this year. I'm not used to it... nor do I desire to get used to it. Why not name it after something to do with the Diamondbacks and stick with it?!

Hey man...big bottoms drive me out my mind. How could I leave this behind?

The bigger the cushion, the better the pushin'...or so I have heard.

I agre 99%! You forgot to mention who pays to build these huge stadiums. the local residents! A few years ago we got a football stadium, paid for by higher taxes. 5 years of a higher tax rate and then the tax would go away. Yeah, that didn't happen. The name was the "Hoosier Dome", we paid for it didn't we. As soon as it was built, the name was sold to RCA and it became the "RCA dome". Now we are paying for the new stadium to be built, and it will be called the "Lucas Oil Stadium". Kinda rolls off the tounge.
I love the team and enjoy seeing them play, but when you get there and have to fork over$50 bucks for two sh!++y hotdogs and a couple of beers. There was even a story about how the designers were reducing the number of drinking fountins to increase sales in the concesions. Pretty low guys.
As for Vance, absolutly I never understood why some guys would want to be with someone that could pass for your kid brother in the dark. Got to have some junk...

lol..i liked it

quote:

Originally posted by Chicago:
Yea! Those bastards at Wrigley Co. completely ruined it for everyone else.

Like I told my Herd brethren on the A's site. Wrigley Field wasn't named after the gum company. Charles Wrigley named the ballpark after himself. Don't quote me on this be I think he owned the Cubs before he started the gum company.

quote:

Originally posted by Indymark:
I agre 99%! You forgot to mention who pays to build these huge stadiums. the local residents! A few years ago we got a football stadium, paid for by higher taxes. 5 years of a higher tax rate and then the tax would go away. Yeah, that didn't happen. The name was the "Hoosier Dome", we paid for it didn't we. As soon as it was built, the name was sold to RCA and it became the "RCA dome". Now we are paying for the new stadium to be built, and it will be called the "Lucas Oil Stadium". Kinda rolls off the tounge.
I love the team and enjoy seeing them play, but when you get there and have to fork over$50 bucks for two sh!++y hotdogs and a couple of beers. There was even a story about how the designers were reducing the number of drinking fountins to increase sales in the concesions. Pretty low guys.

I'm ambivalent towards publicly financed sports venues. I'm a die hard A's fan. Cut me open and I bleed green and gold. I could careless what cap he has on in Cooperstown, what team he's affiliated with, and what he did in the '78 Series. Reginald Martinez Jackson is an Athletic. That's how passionate I am about this team. After family and friends, The Athletics are the thing I love most.

Anybody that watches baseball knows we play in a dump deguised as a football field. We don't need a new facility for a new facilities sake. We need a new building simply because The Oakland Coliseum isn't suitable for baseball.

The City of Oakland kissed Al Davis'ass and built that monstrousity where bleachers used to be. They City gutted the inside of the arena to bascially give Golden State a new building, but the City of Oakland decides it can't put up any money for it's most storied and successful sports franchise. As a fan, I have a problem with that. Oakland is in competition with S.F. and San Jose. The A's are a business and considering that Oakland does have an image problem, it needs to try and hold on to any business it has and keep that tax revenue.

Then there's the libertarian in me that says the government shouldn't be subsisdizing business'and building venues for cheap billionaire owners.

As far as conessions, I haven't bought any sodas, beers, popcorn, cracker jack or nachos at any sporting event or concert in years. Why? Because I refuse to be anally violated. I'm personally insulted buy the price of food and beverages at the ball yard. Okay, I understand that I'm in your building and you have to make money. I'm willing to pay any where from $4 to $5 dollars for a beer, but $6.50!!! Kiss my A$$!! If I'm going to paid $6.50 for a beer, there better be some nudity involved. The same holds true for cigars. If I'm going to pay $20 for a cigar, it better be contraband.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Omnipotens Maximus Rex,

That...and Catalina Island.

I just want to know how much money they screwed out of Hubert H. Humphrey when he bought the naming rights to the ghastly Metrodome.

I'm joking, of course. But maybe the Humphreys should have thought twice about that letting them put their name on that eyesore.

He paid a lot for that little airport, too, LMAO!

I hate to break it to you, but YOU are the reason parks get named the way they do now. YOU consume the products, YOU buy the tickets, YOU watch the games on television. If you are as upset as you seem, why don't YOU boycott the games?

If no one went to the parks and no one bought tickets and no one watched the televised games, guess what? NO ADVERTISING.

Why do hot dogs cost $8? BECAUSE YOU BASEBALL/FOOTBALL/HOCKEY WHORES PAY IT!

"Man, these hot dogs and beers are a rip-off," he said as he pulled the money out of his wallet and handed it to the person working behind the cash register. "I'm so tired of it."

Not tired enough!

You're part of the beast whether you like it or not. Sorry! Go take a class on economics. I believe the term is "supply and demand."