Random Thoughts – Thanksgiving, Manitoba Taxpayers Stadium
October 9, 2016
1. Thanksgiving wasn’t terribly important to me until I had Thanksgiving dinner with Carli Ward at Grace Hospice in 2007. She enjoyed the occasion immensely. So now, it is important to me.
2. Continuing on the Thanksgiving theme, I remain very thankful for being here in St. Catharines.
3. I am equally thankful for the fact that I am no longer a resident of the SPRM.
3a. Were I still a resident of the SPRM, I would be bitterly disappointed in the newly elected government of Brian Pallister, a conservative in name only. “NDP Lite” would be a better name for the party he leads.
3b. I am keeping my fingers crossed hoping I will not be disappointed in Patrick Brown if he is elected premier of Ontario in a couple of years time. There are times I have wondered if I was right in voting for him when he was running for the leadership.
4. Former Jet Teemu Selanne posted a tweet about looking forward to coming to Friendly Manitoba. The urban legend of “Friendly Manitoba” evidently still has life.
5. Paul Wiecek posted an interesting piece in today’s edition of Socialism Illustrated about declining attendance for Bomber games at Manitoba Taxpayers Stadium. One of the major factors he cited was the drunks in the stands. I certainly get that argument, but drunken, rowdy “fans” have been a staple at Bomber games since Bud Grant was stalking the sidelines, and hardly is even worth mentioning anymore.
If you’re thinking that maybe Winnipeggers have finally smartened up, you’re barking up the wrong tree. After all, there are still thousands of people paying to line up for the privilege of buying Chipman season tickets.
What I found laughable was club president Wade Miller’s assertion that the Bombers enforce a zero-tolerance policy for unruly fans. Give an Academy Award to anyone connected with that organization who can say such a thing with a straight face.
5a. While continuing to laugh at Miller’s assertion regarding unruly fans, I read how he figures the new Rapid Transit stop is going to magically woo people back. For any aspiring comedian looking to warm up a crowd in Winnipeg, there’s only two words you need to know. Rapid. Transit.
5b. The most interesting things in Wiecek’s article were the complaints regarding the crowded washrooms and concourse. Hmmm, maybe they should build a new stadium. Oh right, they already did. For all the public money they poured into that place, you’d think they could get something right.
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