I have never talked about sports before on this blog but have been a long time fan myself. This rant is based on a recent column by Jerry Sullivan of the Buffalo News.

Jerry Sullivan
Updated: 06/24/08 7:06 AM

A few days ago, I was listening to an update on sports radio and heard a reference to Citizens Bank Park. I searched my brain for a few seconds and came to a stunning realization. I had no idea who played there.

The White Sox? No, that’s U. S. Cellular Field. Reds? They play in Great American Ball Park. Pirates? PNC Park. Or is it PETCO? No, that’s the Padres. How about the Diamondbacks? Didn’t they change it from Bank One Ballpark? Yeah, but it’s Chase Field now.

Read the rest of “Corporations play games with names” at the Buffalo News

I always have hated the constant name changes of sports stadiums. I am with Jerry on trying to remember all the new stadium names. When I was a kid could rattle off the stadium names of most of the pro sports teams. Today? Forget it… I was shocked to learn even Wrigley Field has it’s naming rights up for sale now. The Cubs fans need to revolt or the Wrigley Company somehow or someway needs to secure the name again. I am not sure what would do if my beloved Boston Red Sox sold the name of Fenway Park to the highest bidder.

What Jerry Sullivan did not address in his column is what we can do about this? I think the solution is very simple. The only reason naming rights have value is because of the exposure they cause. Why does everyone including you and I, sports reporters like Jerry, or the media seem to be compelled to use the corporate name of any sports venue? Why can’t we all just adopt a common used alternative name for any corporate named stadium for our use?

In Buffalo here, the Sabres play at HSBC Arena but why not just refer to it as the original working name of the Crossroads Arena? The Buffalo Bisons baseball team has played at Pilot Field, North AmeriCare Park, and Dunn Tire Park. Come on now… Why can’t the local media just refer to it as the Downtown Park like most people do already and be done with it? No worries with the Buffalo Bills since the owner, Ralph Wilson just names it after himself.

It’s time we stop being held hostage to the lastest naming rights change of our favorite sports team’s home. If the people and media stopped using the corporate name then the naming rights would have no value anymore. The teams themselves really don’t need the revenue from naming rights or else they would just get players salaries under control. Just a idea…

I must be in a mood because feel like being offensive today. I seen this image on the Human Rights of America blog the other day and feel like sharing…

On the blog a image with the words “Keep Your Religion Out Of My Bedroom” was just above it but I am speaking about this in broader terms here.

Now first off I am not really saying Jesus is a Nazi but that the radical Christian Conservative movement in this country very much is “fascist like” when they try to inject their religious beliefs into our political system. What ever happened to the concept of separation of church and state? I get real worried when I read comments on other blogs were someone states we should make laws based on or follow “a Bible value system”. I guess we would have to pick and choose what values since many in the Bible are part of nobodies value system. I also always found it odd that Jesus lived in a time and place where slavery was a part of life but he never specify condemned it. OK, enough of the Bible nonsense…

Last year I read the excellent book “Kingdom Coming” by Buffalo native Michelle Goldberg which really opened my eyes on the Christian Nationalism movement. She actually traveled across the country meeting the people of this movement and going to their churches. I highly recommend her book. Sure people have the right to believe what they wish but a real concern is when they indoctrinate their children with this garbage. Watch the documentary Jesus Camp and it will make you sick. When your church starts using the words “we are fighting a war” and you are “a army of soldiers” be afraid.

Of course religion has infected the current Presidential race. John McCain, in breaking news finally has rejected the endorsement of Pastor John Hagee (video of this wacko on a previous post of mine) and also now his “spiritual adviser” Pastor Rod Parsley who recently called Islam a “conspiracy of spiritual evil”. The media is acting like these kind of comments from Mr. Parsley are something new. Sigh…

Earlier in the campaign a comment from Mitt Romney really disturbed me in which he said -”Freedom requires religion, just as religion requires freedom…”. While religion does require freedom the opposite certainly is not true. I am no less free because I bow to no man made religion but thanks.

What I am really trying to say here is can religious people keep their faith in their bedroom, please?

I hope the author of the Human Rights of America blog comments here and lets me know where he found the above image or if he designed it himself.

While I encourage discussion from all sides, any Christians who decide they want to comment with less then “Christian words” on this post keep in mind this blog is not a free for all. Please refer to my About page and read the rules of conduct for this blog.

WordPress.com Political Blogger Alliance

The downtown Buffalo Library today will have a presentation by Art Spiegelman who is a counterculture icon, American comics artist, editor, and advocate for the medium of comics, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel memoir, Maus. This is part of the Get Graphic program (blog) and is entitled “Comix 101″.

Buffalo Rising has more information on this presentation.

From the Art Spiegelman Wikipedia entry…

…Spiegelman worked for The New Yorker for ten years but resigned a few months after the September 11 terrorist attacks. The cover created by Spiegelman and Mouly for the September 24 issue of The New Yorker received wide acclaim. At first it appears to be totally black, but upon close examination it reveals the silhouettes of the World Trade Center towers in a slightly darker shade of black. Spiegelman states that his resignation from The New Yorker was to protest the “widespread conformism” in the United States media. Spiegelman is a sharp critic of the administration of President George W. Bush and claims that the American media has become “conservative and timid.

Mr. Spiegelman started out as a major figure in the underground comics movement of the 1960s and 1970s and much of his comic art is very political and controversial in nature. I have come across a PowerPoint presentation which features dozens of slides of his unique comic art for those interested. Enjoy…

“Click” to download the comic art of Art Spiegelman presentation…

If you do not have Microsoft Office or PowerPoint installed on your computer to view the presentation then download the free PowerPoint Viewer 2007 program here.

WordPress.com Political Blogger Alliance

I am excited to announce that I will be a co-host on the new online talk show Shadow Democracy Radio with Matthew J. Podoba. The newest addition to the WNY Media Network lineup starting this Tuesday 3/27 in the 1:00pm to 2:00pm slot. We are on a try out basis and hoping to create an audience that will allow us to expand from weekly to daily weekday show.

Online talk radio is the perfect extension to my blogging efforts to allow common men like myself a chance to bring an alternative to mainstream media. The more voices that are heard, the more empowered we all become. We would like to cover news in serious but entertaining way, and will mostly be stuff under reported or not at all in traditional sources. The show will have a left to center political slant but my job will be to add a more progressive and controversial edge to the talk. Can a career change be at hand?

Well hope you will be listening…

In my quest to become more personally involved in community activism I went to the Iraq War Anniversary Vigil held at the corner of Elmwood and West Ferry at 6:00pm today. This was organized by MoveOn.org of which I am on their mailing list and was part of the 1000’s of nationwide vigils held today for the war. Turn out was small, which was about 40 strong but could be expected because of the weather. While there was much support by cars passing by heard from the frequent horn blowing, the vigil never really got off the ground. Much of the problem was because the vigil was only scheduled to be half hour which seemed to short. But as it turns out the real event was inside the Unitarian Church at that corner.

Read the rest of this entry »