With all the candidate diaries, I feel like we can use a little time-out from those. So, in other news...
I love newspapers, especially when there is a legitimate rivalry. One of the best, from my biased point of view, is the one between the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Trib is by far the larger paper, but the Sun-Times is a very strong competitor, especially within the city limits. The Trib is conservative (understatement); the Sun-Times is, well, not. The Trib is read by monied suburbanites; the Sun-Times is read by gritty blue collar and liberal city folks. Trib readers ride the Metra trains with their bar cars and double-decks; Sun-Times readers are on the El or the bus.
And sometimes, the Sun-Times just can't win for losing.
Up until late last year, the Trib owned the Cubs. But when Sam Zell bought the Tribune Company, the Cubs fell into the hands (for now) of a somewhat screwy really rich guy. Uh oh. He's making noises about selling the naming rights -- blasphemy! -- for Wrigley Field to the highest bidder. (The "Wrigley" in Wrigley Field refers to the Cubs long-time owners, the Wrigley family, and not to another thing the family still controls that you buy at the check-out counter in "Plen-T-packs.")
To capitalize on the situation, the Sun-Times launched a contest a few weeks ago with a $1000 prize for the best video in support of keeping the "Wrigley Field" name.
The Chicago Tribune won the Sun-Times' contest and their thousand bucks, thank you very much. And they are not shy about bragging on this fact.
Trib takes the Sun-Times' prize
9:32 AM CDT, March 20, 2008: The winner of the Sun-Times' video contest about Wrigley Field naming rights is... a Chicago Tribune intern. See how she did it -- with a little help from her friends -- and watch the video. Katie Hamilton and her friends at the Tribune plan to donate the $1,000 prize to Chicago Tribune Charities, a McCormick Tribune Foundation Fund committed to helping the community by funding programs and special initiatives to help develop reading and literacy skills, alleviate hunger and promote family stability and self-sufficiency.
They posted the video, along with a self-congratulatory introduction on their site a little while ago.
The Sun-Times had to report the story too, although they tried pretty hard to downplay the Tribune's invasion.
The Sun-Times has been punk'd.
22-year-old die-hard Cub fan and Tribune intern Katie Hamilton has won the Sun-Times' "Zell No!" video contest with her take on Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It."
Of the possible Wrigley Field name change, Hamilton told a Sun-Times reporter, "It's like Macy's and Marshall Field's. It's not really going to change things, but they'll be a lot of disappointed fans."
"I'm always going to call it Wrigley Field."
Hamilton, of Glen Ellyn, said she'll split the $1,000 prize with two friends who helped write and film "We're Not Gonna Change It." The video, which is posted on YouTube, shows Hamilton and a pal rocking outside the North Side baseball stadium, being chased by "Sam Zell" and getting kicked out of Tribune Tower.
Of course, they Sun-Times' web editors couldn't resist attempting a sense of humor by suggesting that, umm, the Tribune has a sense of humor. "Who knew?" they opined.
The Tribune has a sense of humor: Who knew?
(diarists note: Oh, Snap, Sun-Times web editor!)
22-year-old Tribune intern Katie Hamilton has punk'd the Sun-Times -- for real. She is the winner of the Sun-Times' "Zell No!" video contest with her take on Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It." The song chastises Trib owner Sam Zell for pondering the sale of Wrigley Field's naming rights. Congratulations to Katie . . . take a bow!
The Sun-Times and the Chicago Cubs do have something in common. First place eludes them both.
Cross-posted on Kerfuffle