I knew when Forbes came out with its "Boring Cities" list that local cities so "honored" would snivel about it, along with some of the chicken-dinner rah-rah pundits.
And sure enough, my former Tribune colleague Gary Nelson came charging in to rescue those cities from being labeled boring. He did a bang-up job with Mesa, especially:
"Nuh,uh! Mesa's not boring!" Gary fired back. "It has a new $100 million art center! And it has the factory where Apaches are made! And professional athletes live there!"
Well, that sure showed that uppity Forbes writer. I know that when bobsled jousting, being a human cannonball and skydiving from the B2 have become dull for me, Mesa is where I go. Nothing screams heart-pounding excitement like a good art center. The adrenaline rush of seeing a building inside which Apache helicopters being built is simply unparalleled. Oh, and spotting a pro athlete's house? You will feel endorphins surge from your toes to the very tips of your hair follicles.
Well done, old bean.
Showing posts with label arizona republic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arizona republic. Show all posts
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Props to Coyotes Coverage
Ever since the Coyotes first started playing here in Phoenix, I've always relied on the newspaper for hockey coverage. At first, that was because I was a funds-impaired college student, then a funds-impaired writer.
By the time I was in a position to start spluring for tickets more, they moved to Glendale. Not the brightest move ever, boys.
Anyway, I've watched The Arizona Republic go through several Coyotes beat writers. First was Bob McMananam. That was a dark time for me. Not only did he not ever seem to really understand or even like hockey, but his writing was brimming with that self-importance and bloat that afflicts many sports writers.
Next came David Vest. A genuinely good hockey reporter - he seemed to know the game well, and worked hard to deliver quality reporting. And he was a lot more down-to-earth than a lot of sports reporters.
Just like that, David seemed to disappear and get replaced by Jim Gintonio. I have to say Jim has also done a really solid job with covering the Coyotes. Both his regular print stories and his blogs regularly give a hockey fan some fun and interesting tidbits. Like David, he comes across as a guy who likes his sports, but doesn't act as if analyzing a trade takes on the same importance as a summit on nuclear weapons proliferation.
By the time I was in a position to start spluring for tickets more, they moved to Glendale. Not the brightest move ever, boys.
Anyway, I've watched The Arizona Republic go through several Coyotes beat writers. First was Bob McMananam. That was a dark time for me. Not only did he not ever seem to really understand or even like hockey, but his writing was brimming with that self-importance and bloat that afflicts many sports writers.
Next came David Vest. A genuinely good hockey reporter - he seemed to know the game well, and worked hard to deliver quality reporting. And he was a lot more down-to-earth than a lot of sports reporters.
Just like that, David seemed to disappear and get replaced by Jim Gintonio. I have to say Jim has also done a really solid job with covering the Coyotes. Both his regular print stories and his blogs regularly give a hockey fan some fun and interesting tidbits. Like David, he comes across as a guy who likes his sports, but doesn't act as if analyzing a trade takes on the same importance as a summit on nuclear weapons proliferation.
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