As if watching the 49ers wasn’t hard enough as is, John Crumpacker of the SF Chronicle joins the moaning about the euphamistically named Monster Park.
It was in 1985 that former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. called Candlestick Park a “pig sty.” Edifice Envy had its roots back then.
The disparity between where the 49ers play their home games and the stadiums they see on the road has never been greater, particularly so today when they help the Arizona Cardinals christen their gleaming facility in suburban Glendale, with its retractable roof and the country’s first fully retractable playing field.
“Of course I would love to play in a new stadium, be one of the first players to play in it as a 49er, to be here that long,” rookie tight end Delanie Walker said. “Ours is still original. It’s a nice field still. I like playing on it. It’s a fast surface. The grass is cut well.”
However, heavy rains late in the season often create slimy mud from which emanates a primordial ooze strong with the funk of organic decay from proximity to the bay. It’s part of Candlestick’s charm that would be lacking in a 2012 palace.
Walker and his teammates have use of the Giants’ old locker room at Candlestick. While rudimentary, it is larger and more accommodating than the old split-level dressing quarters the team used for many years.
In terms of amenities for spectators, Candlestick has few. Once you get past the micro brews and garlic fries, that’s about it.
In other stadium news, David White points to a possible scheduling conflict between the A’s and the Raiders if the former were to reach the World Series. No big deal, Al Davis read somewhere that Billy Beane’s shit doesn’t work in the playoffs.
After a tumultuous 2nd NFL season, Buffalo’s J.P. Losman is “back on top,” writes the Rochester Democrat’s Leo Roth. And indeed, aside from being QB of the Bills, Losman’s life sounds pretty sweet.
Your NFL Week 1 Picks, courtesy of Homer Simpson.
No Steve Smith today for the Panthers. More touches for Meshawn, presumably.
Paging Jon Solomon : Jesse Palmer might be headed to the CFL.