Ken Tremendous of FireJoeMorgan.com put it pretty well, discussing another Reilly column, which was about athletes going bankrupt:
It's not just NBA players who have the fiscal sense of the Taco Bell Chihuahua.Reilly as a writer, as lauded as himself, never seems to offer any real insight. He just wants to make a cheap joke, or a cheap allusion, and be done with it. Let's compare this to Joe Posnanski, who also recently discussed the impending end of Yankee Stadium. Talking about time he had spent there during Game 4 of the 2001 World Series:
Some questions.
1. Why the Taco Bell Chihuahua? Did the Taco Bell Chihuahua famously live large? Did he make it rain in Chihuahua nightclubs? Are beagles famously more thrifty, or something?
2. The Taco Bell Chihuahua hasn't even been used in Taco Bell commercials since the year 2000. Why drag him out of reference retirement now...in the context of people who spend a lot of money?
3. How much are they paying Reilly, again?
I take something from that. I have been to Yankee Stadium once. It was a meaningless (by comparison) game midsummer against the Angels. And it is just an extraordinary place to watch a baseball game. The crowd really gets into it. The vantage points are spectacular, and even far away (I was in the bleachers), you can really see the game. I am sad to see Yankee Stadium, I understand it is time, but its a baseball landmark you just wish could stay up forever. I can understand why Posnanski is sad to see it go. I cannot under if Reilly is sad to see it go. Oh wait, he is sad to see it go, because the new Stadium is going to have a *GASP* HD video screen:
I looked around the stadium and noticed that no one was leaving. Instead, everyone in Yankee Stadium was standing, and they were all singing “New York, New York“ with Frank Sinatra. And when the record ended, it started up again, and still nobody left, still everyone stood at their seats and sang with Ol’ Blue Eyes, these little town blues, are melting away, and it was probably the most emotional thing I’ve ever been a part of as a sportswriter. It was all there — New York at midnight, Ground Zero still on our minds, a home run in the 10th inning, Sinatra singing, ”I want to be a part of it.“
He's going to play in the opener of that new Yankee Stadium next year, with its 50 soulless luxury boxes and its 416 "party suites" and all the quiet they'll bring, and he's going to see a Hard Rock Cafe and a pair of electronic hands on the new high-def scoreboard telling fans to "CLAP!!!" And he'll go home after that game, weep softly, and hug what he stole very, very tightly.Okay, Rick, so you have explained-well, you put words in Jeter's mouth- and told your readers why he is sad to see Yankee Stadium go. And you are sad to see Yankee Stadium go because its going to fancier, glitzier, in the 2000s. I am always put off by sportswriters and commentators who bemoan how the game will never be like it once was. Yeah, it won't be, it'll never be again. Let's celebrate the game as it now. And, if you can't do that, why are you a sportswriter? How can you be a sportswriter if you aren't a fan? Oh I missed it! Reilly, like Posnanski, explained why he'll be sad to see Yankee Stadium go. I cannot believe I missed it:
Where do you start in a place that has more history than Barbara Walters' closet? This is the joint that saw three popes serve Mass, heard the "Win one for the Gipper!" speech, watched the first sudden death NFL game ever played.Oh boy! You summed up why you'll miss Yankee Stadium by referencing Barbara Walters. And the other moments? Rick, you weren't fucking there! For the most part, none of us were! You didn't give me a single reason that makes Yankee Stadium that I couldn't find on Yankee Stadiums' wikipedia page! Joe Posnanski's column isn't better because he has a better story to tell. It is better because he is sharing his story. I doubt very much that Reilly is as good a writer as Poz anyway. But he could have at least given himself a fighting chance if he wasn't more concerned with recyclable quotes from Jeter and Barbara Walters and Giambi's thong jokes.
-The Sixers moved some contracts to clear the room to sign Elton Brand to a 5 year/82 million dollar deal. The Sixers' starting lineup now looks like this: Andre Miller, Andre Igoudala,
Thaddeus Young, Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert. Wow. They need to beef up the bench little bit, but this could be the third best team in the Eastern Conference if Detroit dismantles and Cleveland stands pat. Brand reneges on his word to the Clippers, which leaves a sour taste in my mouth. But, this is a dog-eat-dog world, and to me, its really just another day in the world of professional sports these days. Suddenly, the Baron Davis signing is a lot less significant.
The Warriors panicked after losing out on Davis and Brand, and offered an over-sized contract to Corey Maggette. I cannot blame Maggette for taking the money. It was not exactly a small difference in money: 10 bills from the Warriors, 5 and change from the Spurs and Celtics. I always thought in the back of my head that Maggette was too young (28) to take a discount to win a championship.
-The Cubs countered quickly after the Brewers' move for Sabathia, acquiring Rich Harden. Harden was the best starting pitcher available. Harden only has 26 starts in the past 3 seasons, and has only topped 30 once in his career. It is a mammoth risk for the Cubs, especially since they gave up Sean Gallagher, a starting pitcher who was not far from contributing. But, the Cubs are looking to win this year, and GM Jim Hendry had to make the deal to get in Harden, a starting pitcher who can contribute now.
The Cardinals are probably in third place for good now, unless they can make their own huge move. And they probably can't. The Brewers and the Cubs play ten more times this season, including a three-game series in Milwaukee to close out the season. Assuming Harden and Sheets stay healthy, this could be really exciting. And, if you look around the league, at all six divisions, the NL Central divisional race has the best chance to stay exciting through the final week of the season.
-If Brett Favre wants to play Monday September 8th at Green Bay, he should have to do it for the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers' brass seems to be saying all the right things. Favre does not, I hope, have a place there. Aaron Rodgers has earned the starting job there. But, then again, Favre probably gives the Packers the best chance to compete for the Super Bowl this coming season. If Favre plays for the Pack this season, and they win the Super Bowl, in my book, it will be a black mark on his Hall of Fame career. He will have selfishly walked back into Green Bay, a place where he was already King, and will take back what is not his anymore in the starting quarterback job.
-The AL East has tightened over the last few days. The Yankees swept the Rays, and the Red Sox swept the Twins. The Yankees still need to demonstrate more consistency in order to get back into the discussion: 27-22 at home, 22-20 on the road, 19-17 against the AL East. The Red Sox and the Rays have demonstrated this season, time and time again, the ability to bounce back after losing a few games in a road. The Yankees seem to match every four-game winning streak with a three-game losing streak.
They just plugged the Reilly column on Sportscenter. I hate that fucking guy. I am tired anyway, but let's blame Reilly for me needing to wrap this up.
Miscellaneous Video of the Day:
Don't Go in the No Zone
I passed Drivers Ed. I never got my license. We watched this video. It was really hip and funky. And I know better to drive near trucks.
Old School Rap Video of the Day:
Big Daddy Kane- Ain't No Half-Steppin'
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