The letter from Louis Launer published this week brings up some very interesting points, many of which I will address here. I too was somewhat surprised at the reception given by the Rage early in the season. At one point I thought the previous owner might have stepped in and voided an agreement with the FCN and the Rage in reference to the ad displayed on the first page of the Sports Section the entire Rage season. Not so! Scott Wilson informed me first hand “We black list no one, and we appreciate the coverage given to us by the First Capitol News.” The Rage have gone out of their way to make Bob Barton and myself feel very welcome. Add to that list head coach Mike Wyatt, who has made himself available for interviews whenever asked. My contact person 99.9% of the time is Morris Groves, a transplant from Canada and Lindenwood University graduate. No, the Rage are a quality act, from top to bottom. Their owners are what I call “football guys.” Football guys understand and respect other football guys.
Will the Missouri River Otters return next season? I don’t know. As of press time the Otters have yet to return my phone calls. This is not to say they are avoiding me; in terms of journalism I am about as far down on the food chain as you can get. I did contact Dan Silver, the “voice” of the Otters on KSLQ radio. Dan was asked to comment on Launer’s concern – he said he was not the person to ask. He also told me Mike Shanahan was a very hard person to reach. I understand. He referred me to the team’s general manager, who has yet to return my calls. If I were a season ticket holder, I think I would try to contact the team directly and ask them.
Parking at the Family Arena – I agree 100%. The last thing I want to do is anger those at the Family Arena. Jamie Newell, director of public relations, has been nothing but great to Barton and I. No matter what the event, she insures we have full access passes. If Launer is surprised at the friendly reception by the Rage, imagine my surprise at the reception from the Family Arena. Considering our County Executive personally approves all of whom perform – let’s just say I was, and remain respectful with those at the Family Arena I have come in contact with. Parking does seem to be a deterrent to many. I remember last year when the Lewis and Clark celebration was held at Frontier Park and they advertised and ran “free shuttles” from different places around town. I’ll never forget how surprised I was that I had to pay to park. “The shuttle is free, but you must pay to park,” is how it was explained to me. As luck would have it I ran in to at least two people who parked at Duchesne High School to take their “free shuttle.” At Duchesne, not only was the shuttle free, so was the parking. I think, and this is just me thinking out loud, they need to make the bottom line more impressive than it really is – and they do this by charging $5 for parking. Yeah, I bet Shanahan and Wilson wish they would drop the fee – its as if the County is charging a $5 tax for tickets. Of course since this County is run by those who think “tax” is a four letter word, they simply do some creative financing. Whomever it is in charge had better wake up, and wake up fast! If the Otters and Rage leave the Family Arena, it might just become more than a symbolic “white elephant” of those in charge. While attending the Rage playoff game at the Savvis Center, I heard more than one person say “this isn’t as much of a ‘courtesy’ as it is a ‘courting.’” I cannot help but think the same was being said when the Otters played their “home” playoff game some 20 miles from the Family Arena.
If I may, back to Bob Barton for a second. Bob and I have known each other for over 28 years, although most of it in a previous life, or rather life-style. Bob and I hung out together on a regular basis in the late 70’s. Time and careers separated us, but the FCN reunited us. Strangely enough, both Bob and I turned very much into family men – which is not what we were in our previous life. Enough said about the past. Bob and I both have acted upon our dreams; mine is to write, Bob’s is to capture life on film. One of my favorite motivational sayings I tell my children, students and athletes goes something like this: “Success comes to those who dare to act upon their dreams.” Bob likes to tell the story of how he finished high school in record time – or something along those lines. Maybe it was just how short his high school career lasted – a semester or two. I mention this because Bob’s current position has something to do with engineering, civil engineering at that. Bob doesn’t have a civil engineering degree, but he does have an Associate Degree in some sort of engineering. Presently he has something to do with the Metro Link extension – A job he seems to love as much as photography. Being the quick thinking individual that he is, Bob decided to combine two of his passions – construction and photography. It seems there is a national monthly publication entitled “Urban Construction,” and this monthly periodical has purchased a pack of Bob’s pictures of the Metro Link construction. Congratulations to Bob Barton, who now is a nationally published photographer. He will be the first to admit though, nothing can top working with yours’ truly. Good job Bob.
