Over the weekend, I listened to the City Council discussion of Item 6-5 (available on the City's web site) about the bus stop prop; and saved each Council member's comments separately for further analysis. Particularly interesting were the ill-informed comments made by two City Council members, Haynes and McDaniel. I'll publish each City Council member's contribution in Graydog's Blog later today.
Meanwhile, to get away from the computer on Saturday, I went to the local artisans shop and art gallery at Rend Lake, and took-in Carolyn Plochmann's amazing paintings -- on display this summer -- a field trip for Art Lovers Trading Company, and the Heartland Artland blog.
After that, I caught my first Miners' game, which was fun, although I left before the men of Marion beat Slippery Rock, 5-4. Either way, the crowd was a winner-- there was always something fun going on between innings. And with big screen, you don't miss a thing. Ticket prices range from $4 for lawn or picnic table seating to $8 for box seat. Beers are 4.50. Unfortunately, only Budweiser products are sold. And it's a little confusing with no less than 3 mascots roaming the grounds. Is AutoCredit Man an authorized 4th?
Besides the stadium, the three mascots, the players, and graphics by Carbondale's Arthur Agency, what most impressed me was the interview with Miners' pitcher Jon Qualls, who loves to read instead of watching television, to have a life beyond baseball. He was tackling Laurence Sterne and James Joyce, no less, with somewhat less success than he had against the Sliders of Slippery Rock that night, scattering 9 hits.
Before he gets called up to the majors, Jon should check out local James Joyce scholar and baseball writer, Dick Peterson, SIU professor emeritus -- who literally "wrote the book" on baseball writing.
And maybe Jon could start his own blog? Maybe the Southern Illinoisan or the Marion Daily can enlist his contribution.
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