Hello...it has been a long time.
Finally back on this shit that no one reads, but that I enjoy writing so...uhmm...yeah. Coming up with stuff to write about it occasionally a challenge, but today I've got a couple topics so you're in luck. Maybe.
If you care about or like sports, great, but if not, maybe you happen to care about generally not being a pompous asshole. Back in 2015, former Red Sox owner, Larry Lucchino led a group of investors to buy the Pawtucket Red Sox. It was known from the jump that Larry was going to push for a new building as McCoy Stadium wasn't shiny & new enough for him. The city tried working with him, but as is usually the case with these things, borderline extortion attempts ended up creating acrimony between the Pawtucket, Providence and the state of Rhode Island. (It should be noted that RI gave $75m to former Red Sox pitcher, Curt Schilling* and his video game company. That was a massive failure.)
The city of Pawtucket tried like hell to work something out with the help of the state, but it just didn't happen. Larry & Friends were working with Worcester, MA to secure a deal to move. Sure as shit, 2021 marked the first season for the Woo Sox. Before I continue, it should also be noted that "Woo Sox" is the dumbest possible name. Seriously, it's fucking terrible.
Now look, I understand that it's a business. I also understand that being quaint or nostalgic doesn't entirely pay the bills. My overarching problem here is that while Larry & his absurdly rich friends could've done very well if they played ball with the city of Pawtucket and the state as well. They simply chose not to. There was more money to be made in Worcester who was willing to foot the majority of the bill to build the park. Sure, the city of Worcester is the owner, but with the way stadiums are being churned these days, there's little use for it after a team bails out.
Case in point, McCoy Stadium. It's depressing and especially so if you spent any amount of time in the place. It just felt like minor league baseball was supposed to feel: small, gritty, cheap and fun as hell. The flip side is that if you DID spend time there, you know full well that the city is not all that great. Like, at all. Losing the Paw Sox was a massive blow to the identity of the city and the entire region. That summertime buzz is gone and the constant visitors to the area have killed local business. The building itself is overgrown and unkempt. Funnily enough, the city is suing Larry, et al for not maintaining the building.
Minor League Baseball is going major and it's lost it's allure. It's a corporate business now and not the family business that it once was. When Ben Mondor owned the team, he'd offer a handshake to fans as they went through the gates. Larry Lucchino would sooner pay someone to do that before being seen at the gates of Polar Park. Don't be surprised if in a few years the WooSox are sold at massive profit and the city of Worcester loses out somehow.
This was a long way of saying that Larry Lucchino and that ownership group fucked Pawtucket sideways and they are indeed pompous assholes.
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AppleTV currently does one thing well and that's Ted Lasso. It just happens to be that Ted Lasso is currently the best thing available on television. After that though? There's a show about a show with a ton of overpaid actors that I couldn't get into after about 15 minutes.
Anyways, that changed yesterday when the announced a reboot of one my all-time favorite shows:
How freaking awesome is this?!?! Listen, I'm not going to pretend that it'll be as cleverly written as the original as this version is clearly for kids, but my hope is that the characters retain some of the characteristics that made it so fun. Aside from that it seems like the original theme song isn't going to be used...or at least it wasn't used here so we'll see.
The fact is that everything Jim Henson came up with over the course of his life was likely aided by mushrooms and copious amounts of cannabis and because of that, it was all trippy as hell. I mean, creatures that live underground that just sing all day and eat the structures that OTHER little creatures that live underground are building?! A talking fucking trash heap that gave out wisdom?! The Gorgs?! I mean come on, Jim. How else could someone come up with that?!
I'm looking forward to the show and I'll probably go back and watch some of the old ones just for shits & giggles. Traveling Uncle Matt is one of the most hilarious characters that Henson ever came up with.
I love it.
And that'll do me.