The Post-Crescent has been employing a point-counterpoint columns for the past year or so (I guess I just answered my own question from the title of the post.)
Today's columns are titled thusly:
Cory Jennerjohn point column: Timber Rattlers a fun experience
Brad Zimanek counterpoint column: Blizzard a better vaule for fans
I can do without these pieces. They aren't that interesting. But, they have caught several eyes here at the stadium this morning.
What is the point in this exercise? To see who can come up with the most cutting remark?
Jennerjohn:
At Fox Cities Stadium, everything is big. From the home runs to the mid-inning birthday wishes, the Rattlers make every game like an event. However, the Blizzard plays with mini-sized field goal posts, a smaller field and fewer players on the field than that other pro football team in town.Zimanek:
I attend at least five Timber Rattlers games each year, but the product the last few years is getting stale.The atmosphere and the yeoman's work the team's staff does with its promotions can only carry you so far.
The team on the field — the baseball — is horrible.
Mission Accomplished. Congratulations, I guess.
Pre-game is in about 25 minutes and I still have to fill in my scorebook. I might have more on this later today.
But, I'm curious to see if any of the five readers I have in Northeast Wisconsin have any thoughts. Leave a comment below, but make sure you go and read both pieces first.
If they were looking for traffic on this, you may as well give it to them today.
3 comments:
In my humble opinion neither article/point is very well written and just exactly what is the (or their) point? It’s apples to oranges. Would it not have made more sense to compare baseball fans dollars to dollars in “counter-pointing “ the Bull Frogs to the Rattlers?
I love Saturday’s and Sunday’s in fall/winter as much as the next football fan. But when it comes to spring/summer there is no comparison between the Rattlers and the Blizzard. Even with the less than conducive weather we normally get the first month (or two…) of the season, I’d just as soon bundle up and watch baseball out doors than file into an area for indoor football.
Even when real (NCAA, NFL) football is in full swing, it does not compare to a weekday 12:05 first pitch when you should be at work but are instead under the sun with cold beverage (I’m still bitter about Sprecher Rattler Brau being gone, but Leinie’s Rally Ale is growing on me…) in hand enjoying the crack of the bat.
Sure the overall talent level hasn’t been there for the Rattlers the last two seasons. But it was just two short seasons ago that we (yes, I’m invested enough emotionally, time & money-wise to say we…) made it to game seven of the league championship. A rare season in which the team stayed primarily intact because most times it’s the nature of the beast in minor league baseball that you’re going to lose talent during the season. Who’s to say how much better the Rattlers could have been last year if Tillman and Triunfel hadn’t done so well as to merit calls ups? And how much better would our start this year be had Dickey and Carroll not spent time on the DL already?
What make’s Zimanek think the Rattlers would be any better off if they were a Brewers farm club? In case he hasn’t noticed, all that talent the Brewers farm system has boasted for years is now IN Milwaukee. Oh, and the West Virginia Power are tearing it up this year (second worst in the SAL at 14-21) as well.
I got a little sidetracked (it tends to happen when you’re ranting…) because this isn’t about the Rattlers staying a Mariner farm club or jumping to the Brewers…it’s about Rattlers and Blizzard. So I’ll throw one more “counter-point” for the Rattlers (or minor league baseball in general). You can follow this kids until they hopefully make it to the majors.
When time/schedule permits, I make an effort on mlb.tv to see Clement & Balentien take their cuts for the Mariners or Adam Jones with the Orioles. I check the box scores to see how Mike (Little Papi) Wilson and Michael Saunders and Carolos Triunfel and The Marshall Hubbard Band and Kuo Hui Lo and of course Tui are doing. Rattler baseball is so much more far reaching than Blizzard football is. What really does anybody on the Blizzard roster have to aspire to…Area League One?
Granted I am biased (I live in the Valley and have attended more Rattler games this week than I have Blizzard games in my life, but I have been to a couple), but there’s just no comparison between minor league baseball and Arena League (1 or 2…) football.
All right, I’m done now…but my therapist says this is good for me…so thanks for listening.
I agree with you, Chris...the pieces aren't that interesting and I don't see much point in the paper running them them. Also, Brad Z's know-it-all tone grates on my nerves no matter the occasion.
Thank you for the comments today. They are appreciated.
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