Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Let's Go To Work
BOTTOM 1ST
I found out I can watch away broadcasts, but not through MLB Mosaic. OK, so I open the video stream in Firefox and I can see exactly the bottom half of the screen. So now I'm on Safari! Oh how I've missed you, built-in Apple browser. Except not really.
But to be honest, I don't really feel like talking too much about the baseball game.
Because Target Field.
Target Field?!
Somebody might have to set me straight here, but I was under the impression that it was the taxpayers of (especially) Hennepin county who footed the bill for this new stadium. All of a sudden target swoops in and probably gives some extra money to put a retractable roof on, build a plaza and places to buy ice cream, and voila.
TOP 2ND, TWINS UP 1
I guess it's inevitable, the corporatization of sports teams is nothing new, but there's something interesting about Target. Sure, it's a Minneapolis based corporation, and yeah, they do community stuff I guess, but in the press release, and I'm paraphrasing here, Target was really the only corporation entertained for naming and promotional rights. Target already owns 90% of Minneapolis and St. Paul. This is an exaggeration.
BOTTOM 2ND, SAME
But the real point is that I want to be spared this good corporate citizen stuff. The corporation, no matter what the law says, is not an individual. It's not a citizen. It has its own ethos and telos. It just wants to sell stuff. Which would be OK If they actually paid for where they want to tattoo the target. But they didn't. So people in MSP are going to be paying taxes for years to a ballpark associated with a shopping center. Good work, everybody.
Wouldn't it be nice if a playing facility were associated with the team that plays there? What if Target goes under? Or is bought and becomes something else? The embarrassments of the park names in San Francisco, San Diego, and Arlington should be warning enough (I wonder how long the Diamondbacks' ballpark will keep its current name what with all the financial institutions collapsing under the bloated mortgages and all) and you could ask, "Where do the Twins play?" and answer "Why, Twins stadium, of course!" or "The New Met! Let's take the light rail and recycle!" I dunno.
Could you imagine Yankee Stadium being called anything other than Yankee Stadium? Or Fenway in Boston? Wrigley takes all the wind out of this example, but I'll be happy to eat my shoe if in a hundred years the Twins still play at Target Field
TOP 3RD, MIN 1 CLE 4
They should just call this team the Minnesota Targets. Change the TC to the bullseye and work on a great synergistic ad campaign (Justin Morneau is a slob, Joe Mauer is a neat-freak; and yet they get along thanks to the great offerings at Target!)
Don't get me wrong, I'm not writing a HHH Metrodome panegyric here. That is an ugly facility that had no business housing a baseball team. And I'm sure the new park will look great. It'd just be nice if they didn't pander to corporate interests and name it after the people who paid for and will support the team that plays there.
Anyway, the game, huh?
The young team is probably showing signs that they're not accustomed to the grueling major league schedule, especially the pitchers, and this ride could get interesting.
Even in the face of RAGNAROK, I think we need to be aware of the unlikelihood of a postseason berth.
BOTTOM 3RD, SAME
Hm, never has the phrase "A Comedy of Errors" been so appropriate.
This is just some inspired baseblah, huh? Do you see? Do you see what I did there?
EMH, you're right; but take it even a step further and let's just rename MSP "Target City" Then you can go to Target Field in Target Park in Target City.
"This has been one of the more unsightly innings of the year." Poetry, Dick. Poetry.
Oh sweet mercy.
TOP 4TH, CLEVELANDIA UP A MILLION
Oh for the love of... I have a book to read
ON STRIKE
I found out I can watch away broadcasts, but not through MLB Mosaic. OK, so I open the video stream in Firefox and I can see exactly the bottom half of the screen. So now I'm on Safari! Oh how I've missed you, built-in Apple browser. Except not really.
But to be honest, I don't really feel like talking too much about the baseball game.
Because Target Field.
Target Field?!
Somebody might have to set me straight here, but I was under the impression that it was the taxpayers of (especially) Hennepin county who footed the bill for this new stadium. All of a sudden target swoops in and probably gives some extra money to put a retractable roof on, build a plaza and places to buy ice cream, and voila.
TOP 2ND, TWINS UP 1
I guess it's inevitable, the corporatization of sports teams is nothing new, but there's something interesting about Target. Sure, it's a Minneapolis based corporation, and yeah, they do community stuff I guess, but in the press release, and I'm paraphrasing here, Target was really the only corporation entertained for naming and promotional rights. Target already owns 90% of Minneapolis and St. Paul. This is an exaggeration.
BOTTOM 2ND, SAME
But the real point is that I want to be spared this good corporate citizen stuff. The corporation, no matter what the law says, is not an individual. It's not a citizen. It has its own ethos and telos. It just wants to sell stuff. Which would be OK If they actually paid for where they want to tattoo the target. But they didn't. So people in MSP are going to be paying taxes for years to a ballpark associated with a shopping center. Good work, everybody.
Wouldn't it be nice if a playing facility were associated with the team that plays there? What if Target goes under? Or is bought and becomes something else? The embarrassments of the park names in San Francisco, San Diego, and Arlington should be warning enough (I wonder how long the Diamondbacks' ballpark will keep its current name what with all the financial institutions collapsing under the bloated mortgages and all) and you could ask, "Where do the Twins play?" and answer "Why, Twins stadium, of course!" or "The New Met! Let's take the light rail and recycle!" I dunno.
Could you imagine Yankee Stadium being called anything other than Yankee Stadium? Or Fenway in Boston? Wrigley takes all the wind out of this example, but I'll be happy to eat my shoe if in a hundred years the Twins still play at Target Field
TOP 3RD, MIN 1 CLE 4
They should just call this team the Minnesota Targets. Change the TC to the bullseye and work on a great synergistic ad campaign (Justin Morneau is a slob, Joe Mauer is a neat-freak; and yet they get along thanks to the great offerings at Target!)
Don't get me wrong, I'm not writing a HHH Metrodome panegyric here. That is an ugly facility that had no business housing a baseball team. And I'm sure the new park will look great. It'd just be nice if they didn't pander to corporate interests and name it after the people who paid for and will support the team that plays there.
Anyway, the game, huh?
The young team is probably showing signs that they're not accustomed to the grueling major league schedule, especially the pitchers, and this ride could get interesting.
Even in the face of RAGNAROK, I think we need to be aware of the unlikelihood of a postseason berth.
BOTTOM 3RD, SAME
Hm, never has the phrase "A Comedy of Errors" been so appropriate.
This is just some inspired baseblah, huh? Do you see? Do you see what I did there?
EMH, you're right; but take it even a step further and let's just rename MSP "Target City" Then you can go to Target Field in Target Park in Target City.
"This has been one of the more unsightly innings of the year." Poetry, Dick. Poetry.
Oh sweet mercy.
TOP 4TH, CLEVELANDIA UP A MILLION
Oh for the love of... I have a book to read
ON STRIKE
# posted by RK @ 7:15 PM 
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A comment that my brother made was that it would be interesting to have Target Field next to the Target Center. And I decided that they should just through in the other shoe and have it be Target Field at Tarket Park.
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