By Sam Kienzle
This week’s bottom 5… eat it up.
5. City Council mulls banning Melrose Avenue vendors. I’m disappointed to learn of discussions by the Iowa City Council on banning commercial vendors along Melrose Avenue during Hawkeye football game days. Some of the discussion involves the presence of food and Iowa merchandise vendors operating in residential zones, while other pressure has come from neighborhood residents fed up with the trash left over by the festivities. I could care less about the zoning issue, as I see the sales opportunities for vendors are reasonable ones. The food stands offer tastier, more modestly priced options to the stadium’s exorbitant rates for mutual game day foods like hamburgers and brats. I understand and sympathize with the residents’ issue about trash. One option is for the University to put out more trash cans and recycle bins, especially along Melrose Avenue. Another is to move vendors from Melrose to within Kinnick’s parking lots. The only potential dilemma there is what to do about the nice little deal the University has with high-paying RV owners who desire prime tailgating spots.
4. Iowa lineman Dan Heiar hospitalized after car crash. JUCO transfer and Iowa native Dan Heiar was hospitalized early this week after apparently falling asleep at the wheel of his truck and crashing it in a ditch in the early hours of Sunday morning. Police said alcohol was found after Heiar was extracted from the collapsed cabin of his upside down truck with the Jaws of Life. According to Coach Ferentz, his injuries are serious. Mr. Heiar had an opportunity to compete for a two-deep spot for the upcoming 2011 season. This event, however, will seriously impede his ability to compete for playing time. Frustrating, as his size, strength, and incoming high laurels presented him as a worthy candidate. Above all, though, I hope he makes a full recovery.
3. Wife of Phillies reliever speaks unutterable truth. Recently, Sarah Madson—wife of Philadelphia Phillies reliever Ryan Madson—ingratiated herself to the fans of Philadelphia by saying at a fundraiser, “I hate the fans…there must be something particularly bad about Phillies fans because all the players leave in the offseason.” According to an update on the story by A.J. Daulerio of Deadspin.com, Mrs. Madson may not have been given notification that the woman she was talking to (original reporter Laura Goldman) was a reporter. This is fact (from my many trips to Philadelphia and my time living there this past summer): Philadelphia sports fans are ruthless in their criticism and, at times, a bit rough around the edges. I remember reading about a Phillies fan who intentionally threw up on a little girl after her dad asked him to quiet down. Nonetheless, they are also loyal and supportive of their successful franchises. It’s unfortunate that Mrs. Madson was apparently sabotaged in her candid declarations, but even at a fundraiser she should at least attempt to be a little more graceful. Phillies fans will not forget this because the truth is out there: a backup pitcher’s wife hates Philadelphia sports fans!
2. Terry Bradshaw having a tough time with the numbers. In an interview I found on cnn.com, Terry Bradshaw talks about his six concussions during his fourteen year career and the fact that he has a hard time reciting football statistics while co-hosting Fox NFL Sunday. This is just the latest on what will eventually be a thick file of case studies on professional football head injuries. I have been following the ever-revealing narrative on CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) with regards to football, and this one is (again) disturbing because I really like Mr. Bradshaw and his place in football history. Some of the stories that have come out recently about CTE and the NFL make me think that if Mr. Bradshaw continues to struggle only with short-term memory issues, then he is by far better off than some of his NFL brethren.
1. Kobe Bryant acts like large portion of juvenile male population. On Tuesday, in a game against the Spurs, Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant called an official a bad, stupid word after receiving a technical foul. If you watch the video, you can figure out what he said. I’ll call it “the other F-word.” Of course I believe what he did was coarse, ignorant, and reckless—but his utterance is also one of the most common insults flung by adolescent males. How I know this? Well, just by walking the streets of downtown Iowa City on a Friday night, growing up a guy, and being around male peers. In my humble opinion, I do not believe that many people use this word to actually accuse someone else of being gay in a defamatory and insulting way. Rather, it’s commonly used for its shock value. While I am in no way defending his actions, I think this reflects more on a generational trend of immaturity and lack of sensitivity than a deep-rooted malevolence toward our gay community.
