(From the Janesville Messenger, 3-29-09)
Play ball!
That’s what I hope local officials will do with the latest proposal for re-use of the vacant General Motors facility in Janesville.
A plan announced last week would convert the plant into a multi-purpose entertainment facility that includes an indoor stadium for the Beloit Snappers, an indoor hockey rink, and a new home for the Rock County Fairgrounds.
There is much to like about this proposal. The Snappers and the Rock County Fair have both been coveting a more convenient location. And while this isn’t right next to Interstate 90 as either might prefer, it is certainly accessible thanks to the construction of the Reuther Way access road a few years ago.
The proposed name for the stadium and grounds is General Motors Field. Rather than selling naming rights to the facility, it will carry the GM name because the corporation – admittedly eager to stop paying taxes on the property – is donating the entire parcel and all of its buildings to the city of Janesville. And frankly, it just seems right that a ballpark there would be named for GM.
For the Snappers, this could be a dream come true. The proposed General Motors Field would have plenty of parking space, and they would be getting a facility that guarantees baseball rain or shine. The current plan is for a permanent roofed stadium with artificial turf, much like the Metrodome in Minneapolis, home of the Snappers’ parent organization, the Minnesota Twins. In fact, with the Twins preparing to move to a new stadium of their own in 2010, cost savings will be realized by re-using materials salvaged from the Metrodome. General Motors Field could easily re-use the Metrodome’s turf, seats, inflatable dome and even the blue outfield walls. If enough funding could be secured, however, a retractable roof and real grass is not out of the question.
Of course, the move to Janesville would require some tinkering with the team name. One suggestion – the Suburban Snappers – would be a tip of the hat to both GM and the two-city support of the team, while retaining the Snapper name as a tribute to Beloit. It’s a similar concept used by the NBA’s New Orleans Jazz when they kept their team name after moving to Utah.
The indoor facility would also open up many more possibilities for the Rock County 4-H Fair. For one thing, never again would inclement weather spoil the musical entertainment. There would also be a lot more room available to house animals and exhibits.
Of course, you can’t have an entire county fair indoors – in Wisconsin, one must smell the dairy air – so an outdoor midway would be adjacent to the indoor music venue and barns. And of course, the biggest benefit would be finally moving the fair out of a residential neighborhood that relies on street parking.
This facility would also put to rest the debate about what to do with the Janesville Ice Arena. Refrigeration equipment and bleachers still sitting at the GM plant could be recycled and re-used to form a rink that would satisfy the needs of everyone from Junior A League players to figure skaters and curlers.
Though nothing concrete has been determined, the new General Motors Field could potentially be used for many other events – Rock County Gladiators football, Janesville high school graduation ceremonies, and the Forward Janesville Business and Marketing Expo are just a few. Don’t count out political rallies, either. What presidential candidate wouldn’t love the opportunity to make a statement by campaigning at General Motors Field?
General Motors Field will need the support of the government and the public to become a reality. I would highly recommend that you contact state and local officials to voice your opinion on this issue. Give them a call at 1-800-APRIL-FOOL.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
When Mascots Go Bad
(From the Janesville Messenger, 3-15-09)
Later this week, the Wisconsin State Legislature is scheduled to hold a hearing on a bill that would lead to the removal of Indian mascots at public schools. This isn’t the first time that statewide action has been considered.
On a related note, I was recently invited to join an Internet group called “Proud To Be A Milton Redman.” I wanted to write back that I’d rather join the group, “Proud To Have A Life and Have Moved On.”
I am
a 1980 graduate of Milton High School, when our team name was indeed the Redmen. If you lived in the north Rock County area a decade ago, you know the trouble and strife that was stirred up when the school board finally made the decision to retire the name and mascot in favor of “Red Hawks.”
Putting aside the debate about racial offensiveness for a moment, let’s first look at aesthetics. Our Redmen logo was nicknamed “Smokin’ Joe,” and he was quite possibly the most hideous mascot in Wisconsin high school history. Smokin’ Joe was a riled-up savage waving a tomahawk, with one angry eye and a disproportionately large nose the size of a three-car garage. Twenty-nine years removed from high school, that’s not something I want to declare to the world that I’m proud of. Not that I’m part of the politically correct set, but sometimes change just makes sense.
At any rate, with the passage of time I thought this was now a non-issue. It certainly is for the current students. But some parents are still honked about losing Smokin’ Joe and his honker.
For those who think “Red Hawks” is for the birds, at least it’s better than Marquette University’s new moniker, the Golden Eagles. What’s unfortunate about that change is that the school probably could have kept their former name, the Warriors, had they replaced their mascot’s headdress and tomahawk with a Roman helmet and a sword. For example, UW-Whitewater kept “Warhawks” and simply changed their mascot from an Indian to a hawk.
Although other area schools have avoided mascot controversies, that doesn’t mean that their team names shouldn’t come under review. While the Milton Red Hawk mascot is big, muscle-bound and tough - a fierce bird designed to strike fear in the hearts of our opponents - nobody shakes in their boots when they see the Whitewater High
School Whippets and their cartoonish mascot of a meek little dog. If Whitewater wants to convey toughness, they should use the photo of the battle-scarred mutt on those child-scaring “Report Dogfighting” billboards. Or they could go the opposite direction, change the spelling to “Whip-Its” and have the cheerleaders wear Devo hats.
Now that a real live cougar was actually spotted in Rock County, the team names of both the Janesville Craig Cougars and Clinton Cougars seem to have new credibility. However, the term “cougar” is also slang for older women who go to bars to pick up younger men. Since it’s likely there are considerably more than one of those in Rock County, one wonders if the schools will change their mascot to a sleazily dressed 50-year-old woman with too much rouge.
Speaking of rouge, I’ve never quite been able to figure out the Edgerton “Crimson Tide.” I assume a “crimson tide” is supposed to be a big red wave of water. If you look it up, however, you’ll discover that it’s actually either a huge accumulation of harmful algae, or a vodka and juice cocktail. To me, however, the name conjures up a box of red detergent granules. The Crimson Tide – tough on stains, tough on opponents.
Regardless, I’d rather say my school name stood for clean laundry instead of an offensive caricature. It will be interesting to see if the current legislative bill has legs or not. If it actually does get signed into law, it might finally put the Indian mascot issue to rest in this state once and for all. Whether you agree with it or not, one has to think that there are much more important issues to waste time and effort worrying about.
Later this week, the Wisconsin State Legislature is scheduled to hold a hearing on a bill that would lead to the removal of Indian mascots at public schools. This isn’t the first time that statewide action has been considered.
On a related note, I was recently invited to join an Internet group called “Proud To Be A Milton Redman.” I wanted to write back that I’d rather join the group, “Proud To Have A Life and Have Moved On.”
I am
a 1980 graduate of Milton High School, when our team name was indeed the Redmen. If you lived in the north Rock County area a decade ago, you know the trouble and strife that was stirred up when the school board finally made the decision to retire the name and mascot in favor of “Red Hawks.”Putting aside the debate about racial offensiveness for a moment, let’s first look at aesthetics. Our Redmen logo was nicknamed “Smokin’ Joe,” and he was quite possibly the most hideous mascot in Wisconsin high school history. Smokin’ Joe was a riled-up savage waving a tomahawk, with one angry eye and a disproportionately large nose the size of a three-car garage. Twenty-nine years removed from high school, that’s not something I want to declare to the world that I’m proud of. Not that I’m part of the politically correct set, but sometimes change just makes sense.
At any rate, with the passage of time I thought this was now a non-issue. It certainly is for the current students. But some parents are still honked about losing Smokin’ Joe and his honker.
For those who think “Red Hawks” is for the birds, at least it’s better than Marquette University’s new moniker, the Golden Eagles. What’s unfortunate about that change is that the school probably could have kept their former name, the Warriors, had they replaced their mascot’s headdress and tomahawk with a Roman helmet and a sword. For example, UW-Whitewater kept “Warhawks” and simply changed their mascot from an Indian to a hawk.
Although other area schools have avoided mascot controversies, that doesn’t mean that their team names shouldn’t come under review. While the Milton Red Hawk mascot is big, muscle-bound and tough - a fierce bird designed to strike fear in the hearts of our opponents - nobody shakes in their boots when they see the Whitewater High
School Whippets and their cartoonish mascot of a meek little dog. If Whitewater wants to convey toughness, they should use the photo of the battle-scarred mutt on those child-scaring “Report Dogfighting” billboards. Or they could go the opposite direction, change the spelling to “Whip-Its” and have the cheerleaders wear Devo hats.Now that a real live cougar was actually spotted in Rock County, the team names of both the Janesville Craig Cougars and Clinton Cougars seem to have new credibility. However, the term “cougar” is also slang for older women who go to bars to pick up younger men. Since it’s likely there are considerably more than one of those in Rock County, one wonders if the schools will change their mascot to a sleazily dressed 50-year-old woman with too much rouge.
Speaking of rouge, I’ve never quite been able to figure out the Edgerton “Crimson Tide.” I assume a “crimson tide” is supposed to be a big red wave of water. If you look it up, however, you’ll discover that it’s actually either a huge accumulation of harmful algae, or a vodka and juice cocktail. To me, however, the name conjures up a box of red detergent granules. The Crimson Tide – tough on stains, tough on opponents.
Regardless, I’d rather say my school name stood for clean laundry instead of an offensive caricature. It will be interesting to see if the current legislative bill has legs or not. If it actually does get signed into law, it might finally put the Indian mascot issue to rest in this state once and for all. Whether you agree with it or not, one has to think that there are much more important issues to waste time and effort worrying about.
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