Wednesday, September 26, 2007
News / Clout City Losers
Posted by Mick Dumke on 09.26.07 at 02:34 PM
As a fourth-generation Cubs fan, I fully understand how thrilling and downright bizarre it is to wake up on a lovely morning in late September and realize we're still in first place.
Like most other serious Cub people I know, I find that these rare periods of playoff contention occur on an almost theological plane. Cub fandom is fundamentally about hoping for possibilities not seen, such as a glimpse of our team playing when the ivy on the walls at Wrigley has turned to the brown and gold of fall; or the thought that someone besides the Tribune Company really will own and run this operation soon; or the vision of a lineup that doesn't get shut down in big games by karma, in the form of opposing pitchers who once were in the Cubs organization. Of course it's also about the persistence of human fallibility (Leon Durham, 1984; Brant Brown, 1998; Alex Gonzalez, 2003), the reality of evil (the New York Mets, 1969; the New York Mets, 2004), and the inability of our lowly human minds to understand acts of God--not that we don't try. As I walked out of Wrigley after witnessing the Bartman debacle four years ago, I overheard the thick-necked fan in front of me weighing the deeper meaning, the moral and ethical consequences, before sighing. In a tone revealing both repentance and rage, he said, "He oughta do the honorable thing and kill his self."
If the Cubs blow it this week, I'll be crushed, and I'll blame it on the hubris of the City Council.
As the Sun-Times reported today, quite a few aldermen are more than happy to accept an offer of rights to playoff tickets from the Cubs organization. If you and I want to go to a playoff game, we get to wait vainly in line with all the other unconnected mopes out there, or we could try paying exorbitant prices to a scalper, such as Wrigley Field Premium Tickets, the legal scalping operation the Tribune company runs itself. Right now, in fact, the Cubs are being especially magnanimous to anyone who wants to get season tickets for next year: " The Cubs Season Ticket Wait List allows Cubs fans to get in line for season tickets," the organization's Web site says. That's right: we're allowed to wait.
For members of the City Council, though, playoff tickets are "one of the perks that come with the job," as 41st Ward alderman--and apparent Sox fan--Brian Doherty told the Sun-Times.
Here's how the Cubs organization explains setting aldermen up with playoff seats: "We do it as a courtesy to the aldermen. But, we also believe this is a citywide celebration. So, it's appropriate for aldermen, as representatives of the city, to have a chance to participate in the celebration."
In other words, it's a bribe. The Cubs will need favors when they decide their cash cow isn't producing enough money to cover the salaries of Carlos Zambrano and Alfonso Soriano and they need to add more seats to the ballpark--or whatever the next cash-generating scheme will be.
If the Cubs have 50 extra sets of tickets and want to make sure more of the city is involved in a potential celebration, they could, say, reward some public school kids who have perfect attendance--or find some other representatives of Chicago who aren't already getting free parking privileges and $100,000 salaries from public coffers.
I know, I know, this city is so full of corruption, waste, and official incompetence that insider dibs on baseball playoff tickets is small stuff by comparison.
On the other hand, though, this is the perfect symbol of the political opportunism and routine payoffs that characterize city government here. If the Cubs are playing well, hey, it's time to be a Cubs fan. When the Sox won the World Series a couple of years ago, the City Council was full of honorary south-siders. When Mayor Daley was under pressure from the feds and the hired truck scandals two years ago, aldermen kept their distance from him, and a few vowed to push ambitious legislation. When it became clear Daley would face no serious opposition in his reelection bid earlier this year, many of these same aldermen returned to yielding to his judgment on affordable housing policy, police misconduct investigations, and the rest of the City Council agenda.
When gubernatorial candidate Roland Burris cut in front of everyone else at a city auto pound a few years ago, he was excoriated in print as a hypocrite and cheat. If a stockbroker or business leader offered aldermen the "courtesy" of a can't-miss buy-in opportunity, we'd call it insider trading or fraud. If family members of the mayor were somehow getting huge moneymaking opportunities through city workers' pension investments, we'd demand accountability.
Well, maybe that's not the best example.
I'll be cheering hard for the Cubbies the next few days, but I'll still be shocked if they make the postseason because, well, they're the Cubs.
Yet I have even less confidence that the City Council and mayor won't turn whatever happens into an opportunity for additional privilege or political gain. (Perhaps a tax on Milwaukee beer as a way to plug the city's budget hole?)
Then again, maybe I'll only have my own lack of faith to blame.
Comments (19)
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With all the corruption, the sweetheart deals with pension dollars, the proposed sales tax increase at the county board, the impending loss of over 2,000 well paid jobs with the BofA acquisition of LaSalle, the failures of the State government to deal with a $42 BILLION dollar pension obligation they have no idea how to fix, all the service cuts toward worthy programs, a deteriorating infrastructure, an unaccountable and out of control law enforcement organization, the feds having open investigations of the Governor, the president of the Cook County Board, and the city administration... and so many other problems that our elected officials simply lack the courage, candor, or conviction to address... and the best you can come up with that the Cubs are offering the opportunity to purchase a few tickets ahead of their real fans. This blog needs to get its act together. After fawning over Huberman and some other lame coverage, I would think that people are getting a little disappointed with your recent coverage. I know I am. This blog is getting lame. There are several very real stories to cover, and were getting crap to comment about. I know the Reader is dealing with a lot with their new owner and the recent layoffs, but come on. Give us some real topics worthy of a blog titled Clout City.
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A couple of fluff (yet still relevant) pieces out of hundreds and you're frothing at the mouth? Don't like it, don't read it.
I wouldn't mind fluff, yet still relevant, pieces if there was one piece written about any of the issues above. There are not hundreds of pieces written about those issues. There aren't even a few. I hope that this blog will get back on track so that I don't just stop reading it all together. It used to (during the city elections) actually address some of the 'clout' issues that is at the root of so many of this city's problems.
I'd like to know just what kind of clout is preventing Wrigley from serving Goose Island instead of carpetbagger brews from our worst competitor cities (St. Louie and Milwaukee). I mean WTF, it's better beer, the jobs stay local, it's a no-brainer. People have already been conditioned to spend ungodly amounts for a beer, so even if they raised the cost 50 cents to cover having beer with real ingredients nobody would notice.
Any other problems that should be covered on the blog? The showdown with Iran? Russia's backslide from democracy? The UAW auto strike? The ever-accelerating expansion of the universe? It's a local politics blog--meant to offer commentary on local political events in the news, and to give a platform for blowhards like you to complain about how little everyone besides yourself is doing. Sounds to me like it's succeeding on at least the second point. And if you want something harder or newsier, why don't you read Ben's column or John Conroy's latest story on the Reader's home page? Or hit yourself in the head with a blunt object a few times?
I think Chicago's backslide from democracy, the shrinking middleclass by eliminating LaSalle jobs, the pension crises and showdown between the Gov and Madigan - all those are local issues. I wish this blog would live up to the columns of Ben and John Conroy's coverage of issues. I just think the Reader has done a service in the past by covering real issues rather than complaining that they aren't given the same benefits of a couple of Cubs tickets or fawning over Huberman. Now if you will excuse me, I think I will hit myself with a blunt object rather than waste my time.
I LOVE IT, that the cubbies are in contention. It makes up for all the payouts for the year. You can't imagine how much I'll be making off all the cub fans who'll actually believe the cubs will go 'all the way'. Bet heavy on the cubbies, boys and girls, I got bills to pay and I need your money.
Good story- but I wonder how many tickets the Sox gave away during the playoffs? Did you guys contact all the aldermen to find out what they did with the sox/cubs tickets? Meanwhile...the Mayor and his henchmen are fighting tooth and nail to defend former police officer Burge, pay huge lawyers fees and little settlements in the tens of millions to black men who were TORTURED on US Soil, in Chicago. And we're worried about some Cubs tickets?
YHGTBKM: Yes, this is a stupid piece. So what, some tickets are offerred up. The "woe is me" little taxpayer thing is getting old.
I wish more of these commenters could read and write. And spell. And comprehend anything.
"I wish this blog would live up to the columns of Ben and John Conroy's coverage of issues." lighten up, allayouse Francis's. folks, it's a blog. perhaps you've heard of them, they are short little stories meant to provoke conversation, posted on this thing our prez calls "the internets." be happy we have it.
I'M happy, Senor Carter, and I ain't even a clout monkey. I wish more of these commentors would see that they can still enjoy the sport of clout-monkey-bashing AND aggressively apply the HAVE NO DOUBT, VOTE INCUMBENTS OUT strategy. With enough citizens participating, ir will be like 'shooting fish in a barrel', with our heretofore underutilized votes as the bullets. Every election gives us all the opportunity to oust an incumbent hack. I long for the day when 'every time a vote is cast, an incumbent hack gets his/her termination notice'. And don't worry, all you political sports fans, there will ALWAYS be SOMEBODY in government to rag on.
Wow, YHGTBKM, there's not enough clout stories out there for you to enjoy? Ben and Mick here, Kass in the Tribune, a couple of clout pieces and continual Toddler Stroger in in the Sun-Times every week... how much shit do you need in your sandwich? To rag on this Reader blog seems highly unfair.
Really, tort? Care to elaborate further and maybe even take part in a rational discussion? Or are you just a keyboard warrior throwing out insults because you have nothing worthwhile to say?
I hate the Cubs. I really enjoyed this piece. I wish I wrote it. YHGTBKM sounds familiar, like a certain internet troll I've encountered in the past. Maybe he can write the next piece the way he thinks it should be written. On his own blog.
Kevin sounds familiar, like a certain internet troll I've encountered in the past. Maybe Kevin can write the next piece the way he thinks it should be written. On his own blog.
Ever notice that, when these 'budget shortfalls' are announced, they are always accompanied by blatant threats to cut/reduce/eliminate ESSENTIAL city, county or state services to the MOST NEEDY and MOST VULNERABLE citizens? That they NEVER threaten to cut THEIR OWN bloated salaries? Or the bloated salaries of their buddies? Or their own heavily padded staff? Or their pals and buddies sweet contract deals? Or ANYTHING other than those expenditures of our tax dollars that assist those in GREATEST NEED and LEAST ABLE to do without said ESSENTIAL services, be they city, county or state? What a great bunch of public servants we have. Self-sacrificers all. As long as those sacrifices are made by OTHER selves than themselves.
