Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn., I'm Just Sayin' column
By Greg Sellnow, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
Sept. 09–I received a lot of response to my column last month about the failure of pro or pro-style sports franchises in Rochester.
Some online commenters speculated that the reason pro sports teams haven’t been successful here is that we don’t have enough blue-collared folks here. Others said Rochester area residents spend so much time attending their kids’ youth soccer, baseball, basketball or hockey games that they don’t have the time or energy to attend pro sporting events.
Still others suggested that we do indeed support pro and adult amateur sports, citing as examples the Giants football team, Thunder soccer and Ice Hawks hockey.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe the Giants draw more than a few dozen people per game, and the jury’s still out as to whether the Thunder can eventually generate the kind of crowds the team needs to remain viable — they’ve been pretty average so far.
The Ice Hawks are another matter. I should have listed that junior hockey franchise as an example of another sports success story here, as was pointed out by a reader named Shawn:
“They (Ice Hawks players) don’t get paid and the Rec Center is regularly close to capacity for home games (many times out-numbering fans at opponents’ own rink for away games),” he wrote. “Also, have you seen the line for beer at one of the games? Oh, probably not, seeing you failed to mention this organization in your article.”
Yes, Shawn, I’ve been to a number of Ice Hawks games, and I enjoy them. It’s good family entertainment, especially now that the on-ice fights seem to have been ratcheted down a bit. I’ve been impressed by the size of some of the crowds.
But remember, this is amateur hockey. Not only are the players not paid at this level, most of them pay the team for the opportunity to play.
So, my point about minor league pro franchises not being successful here, I think, is still valid.
A couple of months ago, Managing Editor Jay Furst and I were among those asked to contribute a recipe to a “celebrity cookbook” that was being put together to benefit the ALS Foundation in advance of the annual Walk to Defeat ALS, scheduled for Saturday. Check out Harley Flathers’ Sept. 2 column for more on that.
You can question the group’s definition of a local “celebrity,” if it includes me. But I do enjoy cooking, and the recipe I submitted is my all-time favorite pasta dish. You can find it on my blog, Sellnow’s Journal, at Postbulletin.com. If you don’t have a computer, let me know and I’ll mail it to you.
A while back I put in a vote for the peregrine falcon as the mascot for the University of Minnesota Rochester.
It seemed to make the most sense among the three finalists. The other two choices are the Griffin and the Raptor.
The mascot won’t be in attendance at UMR sporting events because, well, the college doesn’t have any sports teams. But it will appear on some of the school”s promotional literature and apparel.
The final choice will be announced during a a free event in the Peace Plaza at 7 p.m. Wednesday that will feature comedy, musical entertainment and a mascot giveaway.
The peregrine falcon is also the choice of someone calling him/herself the Anonymous Political Poet. My mascot column prompted the unnamed poet to pen a little ditty about the falcon. It begins:
The peregrine Falcon
A smart searching bird
Its sharp cry can be heard
It’s the fastest flying bird
In the whole entire world
Two hundred miles an hour
Its powerful wings unfurled
To read the entire poem, check out my blog at Postbulletin.com. In meantime, Goooo Falcons! Oh, that’s right, there are no sports teams at UMR, did I mention that?
Greg Sellnow writes Tuesdays and Saturdays in the print edition. He invites feedback at , or on his blog, “Sellnow’s Journal,” at Postbulletin.com. Next: A story about a boy and his dog.
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