"Big Vinny" Today's SF Chronicle On-Line Blog
Another week, another dollar, already in the middle of March and April staring us right in the eye. "March Madness?" I'm a pretty big sports guy, but have never warmed to this huge event, second only to the Super Bowl, in terms of mass interest, most of which emanates from Las Vegas which is a huge surprise, because I thought everyone was broke these days.
The Stock Market had a mild rally and the bank guys suddenly found a temporary common ground, but all of that good news was tempered by revelations that our bailout boys doled out some pretty hefty bonuses on our dime. Surprise. Why doesn't this annoy me? Easy. What else is new? Are you really shocked? Is there anything left out there in this crazy, Rubik's cube of a world that hasn't been tainted? Nothing's sacred. Hell, one day I'm going to hear that Walter Cronkite is coming out of a NY strip club and Ted Koppel's doing the Jerry Springer show.
** Much was made of Jon Stewart making mincemeat of CNBC's shallow head Jim Cramer, but I've seen better. And it wasn't as if Stewart needed any help; Cramer looked more gullible and sheepish than OJ at his sentencing trial. I'm beginning to think it was all a set-up by the Comedy Central folks who somehow convinced an ex-Wall St. hedge-fund gazillionaire to go on national TV and make an utter fool of himself.
Cramer, CNBC, 401K, the Dow, "Mad Money", Bear-Stearns, Morgan-Stanley, AIG, Bernie Madoff, Enron; they all sort of just roll off the tongue, don't they. As one local Chuck Schwabb employee told me, what's frightening is not all the chicanery we know about, but what we DON'T know about, and what we don't know about, when it all comes out, won't we all be too focused on who's going to be the next American Idol and the semi-finals of Dancing with the Stars? But of course.
** I don't mind nor care that Willie Brown got a street named after him, (3rd street) I'm just surprised Willie didn't insist on First instead of 3rd.
** Poor Lew Wolff. Poor Bay Area media. As I noted in my blog, the A's aren't going anywhere despite what you have read, heard, will hear in the future, today, tomorrow, next week, and beyond. Wolff had a public hussy with Oakland pols, saying in effect that he wants nothing to do with Oakland as a future home of his Athletics, only Wolff lacks a certain key entity in his blunt hatred of the 510 throngand that is leverage.
The timing of Wolff's press-release 'disgust manifesto, coinciding with the A's great amount of positive ink ruined what otherwise has been a winter of supreme optimism by the Hegenberger boys, what with a Jason Giambi-Matt Holliday combo, and Nomar Garciaparra in the mix. Add to that a 50,000-watt radio station that people can hear, and you have a bona-fide baseball bonanza that's taken the Bay Area by storm and essentially blunted out the Lincecum garlic-fryers across the bay.
Wolff has a virtual Mr. Magoo of obstacles if he truly has is sights set on, oh, say, San Jose, not the least of which involves, A. the Giants and their territorial rights with MLB, B. the economy, C. the Giants and their yearly $20 million mortgage payment on AT&T Park, D. the economy, E. the state of California's finances, and F. the economy. I could go on and on--despite Merc -News writer Mark Purdy's and San Jose Mayor's Chuck Reed assertion that the A's are on the radar screen, I'd only point it's apparent that not ONE new stadium has been built in California for the past forty years; this is a tough place to build anything, and yes, the Giants built their own palace on their dime, and it took three ballot propositions to get it done. And 2009 ain't 1997.
** Latest trendy city pick for A's eventual home: Sacramento. Yes, the same city that's broke; the same city that can't even keep it's NBA's King's, owned by the Maloof family that wants desperately out of Sacto and is looking at Anaheim, Vegas, and yes, San Jose.
BOTTOM LINE: If they broke ground tomorrow anywhere, and they're not breaking ground anywhere, the A's will still be in Oakland for at least the next five years, unless of course Wolff swallows his pride and builds a new park right smack dab next to the old one, but that would require sense of which no one, including me, has any more left of.
** ENOUGH OF DEPT: the Octomom. Go see an Angelina Jolie movie and get lost. God bless the health to your latest kids. Enough, see you later. Goodbye.
MEDIA: KGO Radio got a station of the year award from Radio and Records...If you dig the dreamy tones of Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich, Pete Fountain, tune to KCSM-FM, (91.1) a station that somehow manages to sooth the mind and ears on a stormy night, with a great blend of jazz, big-band, and a strong signal, from studious at the College of San Mateo; I don't know how KCSM does it day in and day out, 24-7 this day and age of economic dire straits, but if it requires a donation, I'm all eyes...Great, just what the doctor ordered: Ex-KSFO righty-hostess and a brunette version of Ann Coulter, Melanie Morgan, returned to the station, briefly, thank goodness, filling in for traffic guy "Officer Vic". The only good news upon hearing Morgan's temporary mouth was that it muted out Lee Rodgers and Brian Sussman, still trying in vein to become the local version of Rush Limbaugh.
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Actress Natasha Richardson is not "brain dead", as reports the NY Post; she remains in critical condition following a skiing accident earlier today.
OK, I'm done. Enjoy your burger and tell CNN's Kiren Chetry that I'd love to mow her lawn.
RICH LIEBERMAN CAN BE HEARD DAILY ON KTRB, THE NEW AM 860, AND NW HOME TO THE OAKLAND A'S.
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