Jeff Smith
continued from page 7
August, the St. Louis Cardinals
baseball fans repeatedly gave a
standing ovation to the visiting
San Diego Padres’ Tony Gwynn in
his quest for 3,000 hits. They
cheered just as hard for Gwynn as
they did for their own hometown
boy, Mark McGwire.
But even then, the truth comes
out. McGwire wasn’t a St. Louis
boy for most of his career. He be
longed to the Oakland Athletics.
Just as the Rams do not belong
to St. Louis.
In fact, I tend to side with the Ten
nessee Titans because at least they
had the common decency to let the
Oilers nickname stay in Houston.
I feel for those Houston fans
just as much, though. Yes, they
were recently awarded an expan
sion franchise that will debut in
2002, but how hard must it feel to
watch a team that you loved, sim
ply move away and three years
later land in the Super Bowl.
Maybe I feel sorry for these cities
because I know what it’s like to root
for a team that goes nowhere. And I
know how it feels to see your team
finally make it to the big stage, even
if for only one year. It’s vindication
for all of those long hours of dedi
cation you put forth to the team
when you probably should have
been doing homework.
Did St. Louis and Tennessee
fans feel that way this past week
end? No.
It was as if they were Dorothy in
the Wizard of Oz and simply
clicked their ruby red slippers three
times and said, “There’s no place
like the Super Bowl. There’s no
place like the Super Bowl. There’s
no place like the Super Bowl.”
And ... poof! They’re there.
The only problem is that it was
the fans in Los Angeles and Hous
ton who had to suffer through all of
the flying monkeys and had to battle
off the Wicked Witch of the West.
They were the ones who
braved the Land of Oz, but never
got to experience “home.”
To keep the Oz theme, it was as
if Mr. Adams and Ms. Frontiere
caused a giant tornado in the city
and stole their teams, left them
spinning around in oblivion with
fans of the many other defunct
pro franchises of the past.
Georgia Frontiere is the perfect
fit to play the “Wicked Witch.”
She has married several times,
and it was her marriage to Los An
geles Rams’ owner Carroll Rosen
bloom that led to her current sta
tus. She took control of the team
in 1979 when Rosenbloom died
from drowning, and at the time, it
was suspected that maybe she
played a part in that.
Of course, all is forgotten, and
she is being proclaimed the savior
of St. Louis. The Rams motto this
week has been taking “Georgia to
Qeorgia! ” As in the Georgia Dome
in which they will play Sunday.
But it is hard for me to fall for
all of this.
When asked after the game if
she felt at all bad about the fans in
Southern California, Georgia had
this to say:
“Oh yes,” she told the L.A.
Times. “But the fans there can
still watch on TV. They were
watching on TV and not coming
to the games anyway. ”
That’s a low blow, sister. It xtiay
008412
Chinese New Year
festival 2000
Tormerhj China Night)
■ Sunday, Jan. 30, 2000
■ 5-7pm: Dinner & Exhibitions in the
Skylight Lounge
■ 7:30: Show in the EMU Ballroom
■ Rdults and Ehildren: $7 admission
■ Ehildren under 3: FREE
■ Tickets Rvailable at EMU Ticket Office
For More Information
Chinos® Student Flssodation
Telephone: 541-346-4322
e-mail: cso@glodstone.uoregon.edu
be true, but it doesn’t deny the
fact that there are still die-hard
Rams fans in L.A. that have to sit
there and take it.
Houston and L.A. fans are in an
unusual situation this week. On
one hand, they want to root against
the teams that left them in the cold.
But on the other, the memories are
strong and feelings run deep for
their beloved franchises.
I don’t think Georgia Frontiere
and Bud Adams really care much
about the past as they bask in the
media blitz.
You know, the more I think
about it, Georgia Frontiere de
serves to be cast as a different role
in the Wizard of Oz for what she
did to the true Ram fans.
The Tin Man, because she is
truly heartless.
Jeff Smith is a sports reporter for the
Oregon Daily Emerald.
008324
HOW WOULD
YOU SCORE?
^ zrijj w±i re >7^ m*
Take a FREE Test Drive and find out!
Now is your chance to take a practice test under real test conditions. Experience
Kaplan's Test Drive and you'll receive individual feedback on your performance.
Don't miss this opportunity to find out how you would score on the real exam.
Saturday, February 5
GMAT 2:00 pm LSAT 1:30 pm
MCAT 8:30 am DAT 9:00 am
Eugene Kaplan Center
_720 East 13th Avenue, Suite 203_
Call I -800-KAP-TCST to register
or take it online from February 1 5-29 at Kaptestdrive.com!
KAPLAN"
1 -800-KAP-TEST
kaptest.com AOL Keyword: Kaplan
•Course names are registered trademarks of their respectiue owners.
Girls
Robinson Theatre
UT Box Office: 346-4191
EMU picket Office: 346-4363
Hult Center: 682-50001
St'8800
Instant Cash
& Check’card
when you sign up for the Student Combo Package at your local branch
■ Free T-shirt offer ends 3/31/00. Student must open a cheeking account.and or credit card to receive the T-shirt.
Limit one per customer white supplies fast at participating branches only. Credit card issued by
Wells Fargo Bank Nevada, N.A. and is subject to qualification. Instant Cash & Check card is subject to qualification.
■ 2000 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Member FDIC 1 . v 'v,