The Verdict on Vince
Re: “Naimoli Must Go” by Eric Snider (Sept. 29-Oct. 5)
Tampa has already exhausted its patience for bad owners; by now we are expecting an owner to actually spend on the team and make decent facilities. Both the Bucs and Bolts have reformed their structure and gotten championships, so Tampa will simply wonder what Naimoli's excuse is. The problem is, Vince Naimoli is being a typical baseball owner at a time when typical baseball owner behavior has put the whole sport of baseball on a downward slope. The fans as a whole have gotten tired of baseball demanding huge ticket prices when the owners and players make it clear they don't care about the fans. If I am going to blow a week's salary taking my family to a game, I at least want to spend it where people care about the illusion, the symbolism behind and beyond the game. There is still plenty of that magic to mine, as the Arizona Diamondbacks showed the nigh invincible Yankees, or as the Marlins showed the world twice. Vince is not the man to mine it.
Also, there is one ugly fact: the Trop. It looks like a big Wal-Mart, and feels like one. Add a lack of basic customer service, and frankly, you get the idea you are not even wanted.
Tampa could be a baseball town. Indeed, it should be. But it needs owners that do not fit the baseball owner mold, and sadly, Vince does.
—Scott Granell
Via e-mail
The Devil Rays are averaging crowds of 3,000 a game. Would anyone like to guess how many of those people are actual Devil Rays fans? Vince Naimoli believes that filling the seats will enable him to spend more on payroll? Perhaps Vince should get his fat ass out of the owner's box and take a walk around the stadium, being careful not to accidentally bump into anyone wearing a Yankees or Red Sox or Orioles jersey. He might get the wrong idea and start selling other teams' merchandise. How, in this city that has nurtured two horrible franchises from stumbling infancy to championship caliber maturity, can this shadow of an owner not realize what the template for success is? I suppose the reason is simple: ego.
—Alexander Ameen
Clearwater
Pat the Bunny
Re: “Bunny on the Outside” by Lance Goldenberg (Sept. 29-Oct. 5)
I am not too surprised about the bad press that Vincent Gallo's Brown Bunny has received since its release. For those who are interested only in the immediate surfaces of things, this movie will not be too compelling. But for those who actually turn to art to enrich themselves, Brown Bunny is a must-see. Although first, viewers ought to be willing to listen rather than judge. For example, Weekly Planet's Lance Goldenberg only hears "mumbles" and "sobs" during the sex scene. Actually, there is distinct, enriching dialogue. Goldenberg also suggests that possibly "the people are the transitional devices and the real show is the driving." Well, considering how much time people spend in and around their cars, one more film about driving cannot hurt. However, I insist that Gallo does not merely try to impress audiences with artistic driving nuances. Rather, his road cinema clues viewers into a fresh view of American culture from the perspective of a lost soul who just passes through and never stays anywhere for too long. I, for one, like Gallo's films because they give viewers room to fill in some blanks for themselves. That being said, it would seem that Brown Bunny's negative reviews reflect more upon reviewers than upon the film itself.
—Justin C. Whitney
St. Petersburg
CORRECTION/clarification
In our Sept. 22 Best of the Bay issue, we erroneously stated that The Pier in St. Petersburg was slowly sinking and would be replaced within five years. According to city engineer Mike Connors, the approach and the base are deteriorating but will not need to be replaced for 10 years. Construction may begin as soon as six years from now. Until then, Connors says, The Pier is safe. It will remain open for business and continue presenting a full schedule of 500 events per year. For more information on events at The Pier, go to www.stpetepier.com. In the Best of the Bay issue, we listed an incorrect number for Pete’s Tailor Shop in Belleair, which won a Pundit’s Pick as Best Tailor. The correct number is 727-559-8919.
This article appears in Oct 6-12, 2004.