Aldermanic egos bursting at the seams
Some think they should not have to undergo security scan
Before I was allowed to park my car in a Soldier Field lot last Sunday, a security guard with a mirror device checked under the vehicle and then asked me to pop the trunk so he could check the contents.
Moments later, as I entered the gate, a young security guy asked me to raise my arms, and he gave me a quick patdown.
"Thank you sir, enjoy the game," he said, and I was on my way.
OK. When I was growing up, the only individuals subjected to such searches were criminal suspects -- or Michael Corleone when he meets with Sollozzo and McCluskey in "The Godfather."
But here's a news bulletin: Times change. You're in line at the the airport, you're already thinking about taking out the laptop and removing your shoes. You're going to a concert or a ballgame, there are restrictions on what you can bring in. You enter most office buildings, you have to sign in and get a pass. You enter a government building, you're gonna have to pass through a metal detector and submit to other security rituals.
It's a nuisance, but it's life.
But as you may have heard, some aldermen are pissed because they're being treated like mere commoners when they enter the city's headquarters for administrative hearings. A few said they want special treatment, with Budget Committee Chair Carrie Austin (34th) going so far as to say to the director of Administrative Hearings, "[We] . . . set your budget. [M]aybe we'll take an adjustment."
Even for a Chicago alderman, that's a breathtaking level of hubris.
They don't hit World Series home runs in the sunshine any more.
Whether it's Babe Ruth's called shot against the Cubs in 1932, Mickey Mantle going deep against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956, Bill Mazeroski's game-winner against the Yankees in 1960 or Tommie Agee hitting a homer for the Amazin' Mets in 1969, the old highlight reels have one thing in common.
Daylight.
The first World Series night game was in 1971, in Pittsburgh. The last time a World Series contest had a daytime start was in 1987 -- Game Six between the Cardinals and the Twins at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. (So even though it was a day game, it was under the lights.)
An entire generation has grown up without seeing a World Series game in daylight. The start time for games was moved up a half-hour this year, but still, the Phillies-Yankees games are starting at 8 p.m. East Coast time -- so if you're in New York or Philly and your young son or daughter is a baseball fan, you're looking at a bedtime past 11 p.m. (And that's if there isn't a weather delay.) If you're lucky enough to have tickets for the game, you're getting home after midnight.
The reason for the prime time starts, of course, is TV. Fox and Major League Baseball have a deal that runs through 2013, and Fox isn't shelling out kabillions of dollars for games to run in the "Divorce Court" and "Judge Joe Brown" time slots. (And they don't want to go up against college and/or pro football on the weekend.)
Ratings for the 2009 World Series are up from last year -- but then again, 2008 was the lowest-rated World Series since 1968. Not to mention that you've got the Yankees instead of the Tampa Rays representing the American League this year.
As always, it's all about the money. But it'd be kinda cool if Major League Baseball and Fox took the retro route for just one game and scheduled the first pitch at a time when the autumn sun might actually be shining.
They're saying Michael Jackson's "This Is It" is already the highest-grossing concert film ever, with a worldwide box office take of more than $100 million.
The previous record-holder? "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour."
Nothing against little Miley, but Good Lord, that she held the record for even a short time is startling. It'd be akin to "Saved by the Bell" winding up with higher overall ratings than "Seinfeld."
But here's the thing. The usual estimate for the total box office grosses for the various theatrical releases of "Woodstock" is around $50 million. If even $25 million of that was realized in the early 1970s, that would translate to about $140 million in 2009 dollars.
It's safe to say more people have seen "Woodstock" in theaters than have seen "This Is It," at least to date.
Then again, if you were to list the all-time box office champs adjusted for inflation, "Gone With the Wind" still blows away "The Dark Knight," "Star Wars" trumps "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" and "The Sound of Music" easily bests "Spider-Man."