Cardsmasochist
Full Throttle!!
[QUOTE='08 Cubs]First off, I don't want you to think this is just hate-filled post, hatin' on Arizona. It's not. It's actually a post of EXTREME frustration.
My wife and I moved from Chicago to the Valley four years ago, and we've been enjoying the weather ever since. That's the reason we moved, and sadly there's not too many more positives to be found. It's funny, 'cause Arizona seems to be like a stubborn child, determined to make the same dumb mistakes the rest of the country has made in the past, rather than NOT making them and learning from others' mistakes.
One example of this is sports. Often, my wife and I wonder if the Valley really, truly WANTS to be a "major league city" and do what it takes to earn that status. It's getting old listening to people bitch about the price of tickets (which on average are considerably less than that of other cities) or the financing of the new Nest (financed by tourists and usage taxes). Ugh. Anyway, I won't get into that. I want to focus on the location selected for stadia as per the thread.
A little history lesson-- many of the rest of the country's sports teams fled their respective downtown areas in the 1960s for cookie cutter multi-purpose stadia and the "space" of the suburbs. This turned out to be a huge mistake. Nothing could replace being in the center of the city (resturants, clubs, additional entertainment, access, etc.) Well, a generation or two later, the exodus has reversed with nearly all the teams planting roots in the CITY. But not our beloved teams. http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/images/smilies/confused.gif No, they are out in the middle of nowhere. Yippee! And worse yet, they are on the wrong side of town. Yeah, yeah, I know, the West Side is changing. Sure. Seriously, on average, which side has the disposable income to afford attending multiple contests? The East, clearly. So what does the mayor of Tempe, Scottsdale, the TSA, the Yotes, and Red Birds do? Move as far away from their financial base as possible. Hell, Glendale is a nice 70 minute FLIGHT from the Chandler-Gilbert area, which incidentally, is the fastest growing area in the COUNTRY (and there's money there)! Yep, the West SUBURBS now have pro football, the NHL, the Tostitos Bowl, the bloody SUPER BOWL!, final fours, you name it!!!
It makes absolutely no sense! Then again neither does building ELEVATED highways, tearing down homes in Ahwatukee, kicking out the Donald, or financing a "light rail system" that no one will use and will be lapped by buses, but hey, the weather rocks!
Spring training is just 2 months away!
Happy New Year to all!
http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/images/smilies/iamwithstupid.gif[/QUOTE]
Let me guess. You live in Gilbert?
You're right. Owners do things that will make you scratch your head sometimes.
For example, didn't the McCasky's get the tax payers to pay something like $600MM to renovate Soldier Field? How did that turn out? It looks awful. And that was a renovation, not a new, state-of-the-art stadium.
Didn't Jerry Krause blow up the Bulls after Jordan helped the team win their 6th championship? That was pretty stupid. But Krause wanted to prove to everyone that he was the mastermind behind the dynasty, not Jordan, Jackson, Pippen, et al.
Then there was the Dontrelle Wills trade by the Cubs....
For the record, the Bidwill's BEGGED the tax payers to build a stadium in Mesa, and, when that fell through, ANYWHERE on the east side. Just like when the Coyotes tried to build an arena in Scottsdale, the east siders banded together to keep this from happening. Again, if the Bidwills had a choice, they would have preferred to stay on the east side. If you want to blame someone for the location, blame the voters on the east side that repeatedly chanted NOT IN MY BACK YARD!!
As for disposable income, there is a lot of it in ALL parts of the valley. You would be surprised at how much money there is on the west side. Are there lower income areas, too? Of course! Just like there are on the east side (Guadalupe and parts of Mesa come to mind). If you truly are a fan, then you will drive the 45 minutes on a Sunday to watch the Cardinals play. How long did it take to get to Soldier Field or Wrigly field from your home in the Chicago suburbs?
The only thing that will put butts in seats is winning. Period.
My wife and I moved from Chicago to the Valley four years ago, and we've been enjoying the weather ever since. That's the reason we moved, and sadly there's not too many more positives to be found. It's funny, 'cause Arizona seems to be like a stubborn child, determined to make the same dumb mistakes the rest of the country has made in the past, rather than NOT making them and learning from others' mistakes.
One example of this is sports. Often, my wife and I wonder if the Valley really, truly WANTS to be a "major league city" and do what it takes to earn that status. It's getting old listening to people bitch about the price of tickets (which on average are considerably less than that of other cities) or the financing of the new Nest (financed by tourists and usage taxes). Ugh. Anyway, I won't get into that. I want to focus on the location selected for stadia as per the thread.
A little history lesson-- many of the rest of the country's sports teams fled their respective downtown areas in the 1960s for cookie cutter multi-purpose stadia and the "space" of the suburbs. This turned out to be a huge mistake. Nothing could replace being in the center of the city (resturants, clubs, additional entertainment, access, etc.) Well, a generation or two later, the exodus has reversed with nearly all the teams planting roots in the CITY. But not our beloved teams. http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/images/smilies/confused.gif No, they are out in the middle of nowhere. Yippee! And worse yet, they are on the wrong side of town. Yeah, yeah, I know, the West Side is changing. Sure. Seriously, on average, which side has the disposable income to afford attending multiple contests? The East, clearly. So what does the mayor of Tempe, Scottsdale, the TSA, the Yotes, and Red Birds do? Move as far away from their financial base as possible. Hell, Glendale is a nice 70 minute FLIGHT from the Chandler-Gilbert area, which incidentally, is the fastest growing area in the COUNTRY (and there's money there)! Yep, the West SUBURBS now have pro football, the NHL, the Tostitos Bowl, the bloody SUPER BOWL!, final fours, you name it!!!
It makes absolutely no sense! Then again neither does building ELEVATED highways, tearing down homes in Ahwatukee, kicking out the Donald, or financing a "light rail system" that no one will use and will be lapped by buses, but hey, the weather rocks!
Spring training is just 2 months away!
Happy New Year to all!
http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/images/smilies/iamwithstupid.gif[/QUOTE]
Let me guess. You live in Gilbert?
You're right. Owners do things that will make you scratch your head sometimes.
For example, didn't the McCasky's get the tax payers to pay something like $600MM to renovate Soldier Field? How did that turn out? It looks awful. And that was a renovation, not a new, state-of-the-art stadium.
Didn't Jerry Krause blow up the Bulls after Jordan helped the team win their 6th championship? That was pretty stupid. But Krause wanted to prove to everyone that he was the mastermind behind the dynasty, not Jordan, Jackson, Pippen, et al.
Then there was the Dontrelle Wills trade by the Cubs....
For the record, the Bidwill's BEGGED the tax payers to build a stadium in Mesa, and, when that fell through, ANYWHERE on the east side. Just like when the Coyotes tried to build an arena in Scottsdale, the east siders banded together to keep this from happening. Again, if the Bidwills had a choice, they would have preferred to stay on the east side. If you want to blame someone for the location, blame the voters on the east side that repeatedly chanted NOT IN MY BACK YARD!!
As for disposable income, there is a lot of it in ALL parts of the valley. You would be surprised at how much money there is on the west side. Are there lower income areas, too? Of course! Just like there are on the east side (Guadalupe and parts of Mesa come to mind). If you truly are a fan, then you will drive the 45 minutes on a Sunday to watch the Cardinals play. How long did it take to get to Soldier Field or Wrigly field from your home in the Chicago suburbs?
The only thing that will put butts in seats is winning. Period.
