Preserve These Places
October 2, 2009
Ken Burns sure knows how to make a film, folks.
Like millions of other intellectually curious (i.e., nerdy) Americans, Your Editor has spent much of the last week absolutely entranced by Burns’ latest PBS masterpiece—a 12-hour exploration of the remarkable history of America’s national parks.
Burns’ thesis? That the preservation of these parks—these stunningly beautiful natural places—is not only our nation’s “best idea,” but also the single greatest achievement of our democracy.
Now, as well all know, Burns is occasionally given to overstatement. And so you may or may not agree with his view on the value of these parks. But I’ll tell you this much, folks. After watching this film I am fully convinced that we are damn lucky our forefathers (John Muir, Teddy Roosevelt, Stephen Mather and others) had the foresight to save these places from destruction. Because they are true treasures.
Yellowstone.
Acadia.
Glacier Bay.
I mean, come on, folks. Imagine an America without these places. Imagine an America where these natural wonders were dotted with crappy hotels and greasy fast food joints. I mean, it wouldn’t be America at all, would it?
No, it wouldn’t.
And (awkward segue on the way) nor would college football be college football without its national treasures.
See, as I lay in bed Tuesday night, just after watching Episode Three of Burns’ film and just before drifting off to sleep (to dream of better days for Penn State), the idea struck me: College football is the only American sport that has, either by intent or accident, actually preserved the places that have marked and made its history.
Yep, it’s true.
Baseball spent most last century systematically tearing down all of the most glorious temples of the game: League Park in Cleveland. Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. The baseball building boom of the 90s gave us some treasures, yes. But all of that wonderful history—and the places on which the game was built—was lost when those old parks went down. Once Wrigley and Fenway go (and, yes, it’s inevitable; see: Yankee Stadium), the destruction of that game’s national parks will be complete.
The NFL? Let’s be frank: Every stadium that has ever had any meaning in that league (with the glaring exception of Lambeau) is gone. Torn down. Thrown away. Replaced by soulless outdoor malls. Airport hangers. Glorified convention centers. And they all look exactly the same. Show me 10 NFL stadiums and I wouldn’t know one from the other. I don’t think there are many folks in Washington who get chills walking into FedEx Field. I mean, for Christ’s sake, the thing is built in a corporate office park.
It’s depressing, is what it is.
Then there’s college football.
Where Ohio Stadium still stands. Where The Big House remains. Where the Clemson Tigers of today run down the same awesome hill as the Tigers of 60 years ago. Where the aged, decrepit Cotton Bowl still matters enough to host the Red River Rivalry. Where the winners of the Pac-10 and Big Ten still meet on Jan. 1 at the 87-year-old Rose Bowl, in the beautiful Arroyo Seco. Where Notre Dame Stadium remains the greatest living symbol of America’s greatest sport.
Let’s be honest, here. It’s a damn near miracle that these places—these national parks of college football—have survived for so long. Because the fact is, ours is a throwaway culture. I mean, we Americans love getting rid of stuff. Tearing stuff down, and then throwing up something “new.”
And yet somehow college football has bucked the trend.
We college football fans still have Camp Randall. We still have Sanford Stadium. We still have Neyland Stadium.
We still have Touchdown Jesus at Notre Dame, the Grove at Ole Miss and Mount Nittany at Penn State.
We still have that drop-dead gorgeous view of Green Lake from the stands of Husky Stadium, and stunning beauty of Michie Stadium, on the banks of the Hudson, in mid-October.
We still have January 1 at the Arroyo Seco.
We still have all of it.
And just as Muir, Roosevelt and Mather made sure that their children’s children would be able to enjoy the magnificence of Yosemite Falls, Denali and the Everglades, well, it’s our responsibility to make sure that the grandest sites of college football remain unaltered.
These places, folks, are the soul of our sport—the places that tie college football’s past to its present. They are the thread that runs through the entire history of the sport.
So for God’s sake, let’s preserve them.
Lest we turn into the NFL.
Out And About: News And Notes You May Have Missed
• I promise you this, folks: I was never sold on Illinois. In 2007, Ron Zook engineered a near-miraculous turnaround in Champaign, taking what had been the Big Ten’s worst team and turning it into a 9-4 Rose Bowl qualifier. It was a great story, and the winning on the field was matched by Zook’s success on the recruiting trail, where he began luring top-level talent to Illinois like no coach had in years. Decades, even. Some claimed the Zooker was building A New Big Ten Powerhouse. Heck, Zook was so hot at the time he even got a (very good) reality television series out of it; Illinois Football: The Journey was probably the best thing that the Big Ten Network has ever aired (except for this, of course). But like I said, I never bought the hype. Not any of it. Because Zook, though a nice guy and great recruiter, has never really proven himself to be a great head coach. That 9-4 team in ‘07 caught every break in the book, and then last season, just one year removed from their Rose Bowl run, the Illini slipped to 5-7. This year, things aren’t getting any better. Illinois is 1-2 on the year and staring at 1-3 with Penn State coming to town this week. The Illini were blown out by Mizzou and crushed by Ohio State. The injury-ravaged defense is partly to blame—the unit currently ranks 82nd in the nation—but more surprising is the sputtering offense, which is led by the uber-talented duo of Juice Williams (or, as Mrs. Your Editor recently referred to him, “Sugar”) and Aurellious Benn. The Illini offense muster a total of nine points against Ohio State and Mizzou—yes, nine—and Williams neither ran for nor passed for a score in either contest. He admits to being in a “slump.” But (here’s a shocker) he’s also optimistic that things can be turned around. Of course! Said Juice aka Sugar: “There's no question in my mind that we can be an explosive offense. We’re having some adverse times right now, but it's still early in the season. … The guys are not hanging their heads and saying, 'We're a bad team.' It's my job to make sure they continue to feel that way. Time's ticking. We have to jump-start this program immediately.''
• Let’s start with the positive. Ralph Friedgen is (was) a good football coach. His record at Maryland is a very impressive 65-39. He ranks eighth all-time among ACC coaches in winning percentage. He took a program that had been for years (decades?) utterly average and, for a time, made it matter. The Fridge filled the stands at Byrd Stadium. He took the Script Terps to the freaking Orange Bowl. He improved recruiting. I mean, folks, let me tell you (‘cause I was there) everything was just dandy in the sprawling suburban hell that is College Park, Md. Then reality set in, recruits realized that Maryland is still Maryland, and everything went to hell. Maryland has posted losing records in three of the past five seasons and, today, can easily be called One Of The Worst Teams In The Country. They are 1-3 on the year. They lost (at home) to Middle Tennessee. They needed a miracle to beat Division I-AA (I refuse to use the term “FCS”) James Madison. They have little hope of winning A Game Of Substance the rest of the season. Unless you consider Virginia to be A Game Of Substance. All of which means this: Fridge, the man who saved Maryland football, is on the hot seat. Maryland fans (the ones who still care, at least) are tired of the guy, and they’re especially tired of losing. But the Fridge isn’t worried. Besides, he’s already 62 and makes $2 million a year. He’s all set, folks. He also says he’s not gonna give up. Said Fridge: "I haven't thrown in the towel one bit," I'm still thinking about winning. I'm still thinking about winning the ACC.” Ralph, you are definitely not winning the ACC.
Quick Hits: Straight And To The Point
• Here’s to a speedy recovery for USC tailback Stafon Johnson, who this week suffered a crushed neck and larynx in a freakish weight-lifting accident (he dropped a 275-pound bench press bar on his neck). Doctors say Johnson’s strong neck muscles likely saved his life. He won’t play again this season but his football career is not over. Just another reminder of what these kids go through to play big-time college football, folks.
• Though I often defend the Big Ten, I must admit this much: The league certainly does its part to invite criticism. Mostly this is because the league office operates with about as much transparency as the Cold War Kremlin. That became obvious once more this week, when I asked Big Ten spokesman Scott Chipman why the league this season has been handing down so many league-mandated suspensions (in total, the league has punished three so far this year) rather than letting the schools themselves handle disciplinary issues. Chipman’s elaborative response: “Tim, the Big Ten has no comment.” Awesome. Thanks.
• A few hours of his team’s emotionally crushing loss to Iowa last week, Penn State quarterback received a text message from Illinois quarterback Juice Williams, who had just endured a pretty rough day of his own (the Illini were pounded, 30-0, by Ohio State). In the text, Williams told Clark to give him a call when he got the chance. Clark took him up on the offer. What did the quarterbacks talk about? Explained Clark: “After the football game, a lot of things are in your head, like, what did you do wrong? Why'd this happen? Why did you throw it here? Why did you throw it there? He contacted me and let me know to keep my head up because he's been in situations like that before. He's been in tough losses like that before. … He said, 'You've got to keep on playing. You still have a lot to play for, and so do we.'" If Illinois beats Penn State this week I am blaming this phone call.
• I have an admission to make: Four weeks have passed in this college football season and I have yet to make my first batch of Ro*Tel queso. And here’s why: I don’t really like queso. It’s a quandary, folks. What to do with all that Ro*tel?
• Maybe a Ro*Tel martini?
• Maryland has committed 13 turnovers in its first four games. But again, Ralph Friedgen is not giving up on that ACC championship.
• Georgia has committed 12 turnovers in its first four games. And 41 penalties. Wonder if coach Mark Richt has been spiking his milk of late.
• I think it needs to be said: Syracuse is a lot better this year than anyone expected them to be. Kudos to new coach Doug Marone. He’s got this program turned in the right direction. Now if they only could get rid of that atrocious dome, they might have a chance to matter again.
• You’ll see my pick for the Michigan-Michigan State game on the next page (hint: I’m going with Little Brother), but I at this point I would just like to point out that this week’ showdown in East Lansing will be the first road game for Wolverines freshman quarterback Tate Forcier. And he’s from San Diego, where he most assuredly never encountered anything quite like Spartan Stadium on the day Michigan is in town. Snug up that chinstrap, Tater.
• One of the more encouraging developments of the season so far has been the noticeable reduction in SEC hype emanating from The Worldwide Leader In Hoping For a Yankees-Red Sox ALCS (snore). I mean, for the first time in ages, ESPN commentators are actually criticizing SEC teams. (!!!!). Here, for example, is ESPN.com SEC writer Chris Low offering his opinion on LSU: “No one who’s watched LSU play this season, at least no one with a conscience, can say that the Tigers are genuinely the fourth-best team in the country right now.” Chris Low just took one small step toward induction into the TCFA Hall of Fame.
• TCFA Song of the Week: “Leaving Louisiana (In the Broad Daylight),” by EmmyLou Harris. Download and enjoy, folks.