Category > The Polite Power Rankings
Baseball season is coming into the home stretch, as many teams are contending for playoff spots while others are just looking forward to seeing their September callups perform. In Illinois, the three teams of local interest (Cubs, White Sox, and Cardinals) are all in the hunt, which should make for an interesting September. The Cardinals and Sox both made quite a bit of noise at the July 31 trading deadline, adding Matt Holliday and Jake Peavy (right), respectively, while the …
Well, it's the Wednesday after the All-Star Game, perhaps the worst day of the year for a baseball fan. There are no games to distract you from the pundits acting like they know what's going to happen in the second half. Yeah, those guys suck. Oh, and here's what's going to happen in the second half.
It's been a little more than a month since our first baseball power rankings of the 2009 season. In that time, we've seen several teams nosedive (Royals, Mariners, Cardinals, Marlins) and plenty of teams climb the ranks (Yankees, Giants, Brewers). Number one is still reserved for the Dodgers, who have gone 19-13 since losing Manny Ramirez to suspension. Kevin Youkilis is no longer hitting .400, but .350 isn't too shabby. Someone finally caught Carl Crawford on the base paths — …
Welcome to Smile Politely's Power Rankings for baseball, where our resident baseball fans-slash-editors mull over the majors and report back. In February, the three of us — Joel, Seth, and Doug — were talking before one of our weekly editorial meetings about the possibility of authoring this very column you're now reading. We weren't convinced that had the brains to back up our opinions, so we decided to partake in a round of Hot Stove League speculation concerning the upcoming …
Heading into the home stretch, the guys from Pittsburgh are making clear that they’re ready to make a post-season run. Illinois grad Carey Davis, the Steelers’ first team fullback, could see increased action in the weeks ahead as the team tries to keep its backfield healthy by spreading the ball around. Former Illini standout Rashard Mendenhall, whose season ended with a shoulder injury in Week 4, will have to wait till next season to help out Pittsburgh’s …
A few years ago, there wasn’t a football fan in the land who wasn’t intimately familiar with the word “parity.” Everyone from John Madden and Chris Berman to the guy who worked at the sports paraphernalia store out at the mall was marveling at the sudden presence of parity everywhere they turned. The Titans beat the champion- to-be Colts? Parity! The Super Bowl-bound Bears get thumped by the Dolphins? Parity! Then, last year, the dominant Pats (and a few others) …
Tennessee vs. Detroit. Dallas vs. Seattle. These were the two daytime games on Thanksgiving this year, and both games were built to stink. Dallas vs. Seattle might be forgivable — when the schedule was being penned, nobody could’ve known Seattle would be this bad — but there’s simply no excuse for giving the perennially awful Lions such a marquee game. And the night game, Arizona vs. Philadelphia, which was the day’s only game with competitive promise, was on the NFL …
The good poet Robert Browning gave us these prescient words: “Jove strikes the Titans down not when they set about their mountain-piling, but when another rock would crown the work.” Ok, maybe that’s a little harsh. And maybe the Jets had a little more to do with the recent Titans-toppling event than Jove did. Blame whomever you’d like, but the fact of the matter is that the NFL’s last remaining undefeated team finally has one in the “L” column. And …
Déjà vu, huh? This time last year football fans were placing bets on whether the New England Patriots would go undefeated and whether the Miami Dolphins would go completely defeated. This year, the saga is replaying itself in the forms of the surprisingly dominant Tennessee Titans and the not-so-surprisingly atrocious Detroit Lions. But drama isn’t reserved for these extremes. In the middle of the pack we’re seeing perennial heavyweights like the Colts and Patriots ebb and flow, which keeps everybody …
“Football players, like prostitutes, are in the business of ruining their bodies for the pleasure of strangers,” says writer Merle Kessler. Well, consider me one of those strangers. We’ve hit that time of year — in real and fantasy football — when diehard fans feel compelled to devote, approximately, 14 straight hours every Sunday (including pre-, between- and post-game coverage) to watching the game. But it seems that every week, there are new teams worth keeping an eye on. Are …
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Oh, by the way, the “Champaign County YMCA” no longer exists. The official name is now the “Stephens Family YMCA” (the website has not been updated, but check out the latest program guide). And no, it’s not just the name of the building. It’s the name of the organization.
Very inspired Photochops as well….
Props on the new YMCA dig. I think it’s a terrible spot for it, but then again, I’m not well-to-do and I’m not willing to drive 15 minutes at $4/gallon to exercise for an hour.
http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/do-loud-pipes-save-lives/1119/ Are you a smoker, too? I feel like I’m just getting recycled arguments.
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/streetsurvival/dangerous_motorcycle_safety_myths/index.html “Myth 2: Loud Pipes Save Lives”
Yes, I also love the idea of the downtown! However, the “turds” that ride Harley’s or any other motorcycle have the right to ride their motorcycles regardless of the “loudness” anywhere they want. They are buying gas, hence they are contributing to the motor fuel tax that…
Yup, this was the year I realized there’s no way this is my last CU marathon, even though I’m gradumacating next week.Where else am I gonna get cheered on by 70+ year old heart-of-gold volunteers who smile at me so genuinely I could believe I’m their granddaughter?…
I always have a good, but disappointed, laugh when marathon time creeps up and I start seeing posts on the WCIA Facebook page lamenting race day and how difficult it is to get around town that day. One this year said, “can’t they just go run in…
Reminds me of Total Football (soccer) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Football
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As a liberal conservative, and a person who favors taxes & services ... and also a sense of proportion; I savor the comic potential that still exists in this comments section. I’m pretty sure we can goad more anti-government rhetoric from confirmed progressives and government employees. If…
Did the Crave Truck get a permit to park in city metered spots and city right of way? Or did they just get a permit? The city clerk’s office seems to be a suspect here, but it’s not clear they did anything wrong. Did the Crave Truck…
High-profile whining. AKA Lobbying.
it’s quite choice. looking forward to seeing how it and its patronage grow and develop over the course of the year. could be a neat little ecosystem.
“It was at this point, before he started his business, that working with city employees should’ve raised red flags…” But they didn’t because: 1) The City Clerk’s office originally mis-interpreted the rules, or are indeed re-interpreting them. 2) Champaign’s brick-n-mortar merchants hadn’t yet started whining about The Crave Truck.
Super cool! Excellent track, Excellent band.
Looking forward to trying this place!
I’m in the middle (or the beginning or end, depending on how you look at it) of re-reading Slaughterhouse Five. What a great companion column.
Get yours early. The Rave’s CD will be available at Exile and at The C-U Flea on Saturday. C-U Flea details here: http://www.smilepolitely.com/news/sp_radio_podcast_c-u_flea_arrives/
I don’t know about Gerard and a random police sargeant. My (mild) outrage is based on this: “...he worked closely with Champaign City Clerk Marilyn Banks to make sure he was licensed properly as a transient food peddler, filling out the necessary paperwork and paying a $225…
Local Yocal pretty much nails it here. I suspect there will be merchants who oppose food trucks because they arguably don’t pay their fair share to locate their trucks in high traffic (high rent) areas. The food trucks take away business from rent payers, park in city…
Oh nice! I’d totally vote for Matt Campbell!
“Smile Politely sports writer announces candidacy for city government.”
I also got to visit Big Grove Tavern during the soft open and definitely enjoyed the pork belly the most of all the dishes I sampled. The cheesy grits and the vinegary pickled vegetables were a perfect compliment to the rich pork belly.
The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!
Snell and the little Hitlers of the neighborhood association need to chill out. Legitimate businesses should have the freedom to exist without having to endure the slings and arrows of ignorant and misguided opposition.
represent, Matt.
Yeah, I’d agree that Transporter Room 3 is the worst house venue I’ve ever seen.
Food trucks are the start-up, small businesses of the future for those unable to afford real estate. No surprise, that merchants who pay rent, utilities, and maintenance on a property would despise the traveling competition. Or developers who build more empty retail spaces would want to close…
Not so much far-right Tea Party as a balanced, moderate viewpoint between letting businesses succeed and protecting society with reasonable regulations. In spite of what the city reps are saying, the interpretation of policy on this issue certainly has changed. Letting a business start up under one…
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@Dan - Wow. Unfortunately, I have to refrain from further comment due to a previous employment relationship. But with that brief context you might be able to imagine possible comments or responses I could have.