SPORTY Issue: July 2007

Editor's Note

Our town, our beloved 52nd City, occasionally hangs onto things for a bit too long.

It wasn't yesterday, after all, that the burg was named America's Best Sports City, an honor bestowed upon us by The Sporting News. Oh, sure, plenty of folks at the time cracked on the award, what with The Sporting News being headquartered in St. Louis, but those jeers quickly faded. The lingering idea, though, that we were the best, The BEST, at something has not faded as quickly.

Sports bulletin boards still echo with the ABSC namedrop. Local sports anchors continue to reference it. Our stadia still fly flags commemorating the honor.

Here at 52nd City, we're all for our fair city getting its just due. We, in fact, recently lifted our glasses in a toast upon hearing word that we were, in point of fact, the City with the Best Drinking Water in America. Huzzah! We rock!

As you might expect, we actually would cheer on St. Louis in all types of Bests and Firsts and Exalteds. We'd love to be cited as America's City Kindest To Squirrels. We'd rejoice at the moniker The City that Knits. Heck, we'd love to be Gayville USA. Hand us a progressive, off-center title, people, and we'll embrace it.

Now, we don't want to be all weird and wacky just for the sake of it. We also enjoy our sports, we 52nd Citizens. We dig our bowling museum and the relative charms of that little dirt track in Pevely. We're thrilled by the resurgence in church-based mouse racing and thrill to the successes of the River Cities Football Club, our semi-pro women's soccer team. And, heck, in a pinch, we'll even watch the Rams, Blues and Cardinals. That's how into sports we are.

This issue is dedicated to the Sporty among us. Those that run, fly or walk really fast. Those that wear particularly natty sports coats. Those who wish to visit a sporting house.

With this issue, we also salute our long-suffering, saint-like Art Director Caroline Huth, who has departed us in body; she has taken up residence in that other Midwest sports power, Chicago. Though we miss her smile and gentle wisecracks at art openings about town, we appreciate her work on this outing, as ever.

We also should note that our next, greatest issue ever, is taking shape: Stupid. Read into that what you will and ship us your stupid essay a.s.a.p., please.

Lastly, please tell a friend about us. And have them write us a check, if they don't mind. We have to make a few extra dollars this issue, which will be invested at Fairmount Park shortly. There's a horse, the second horse in the fifth race, 52 if you will. We have a hunch that he'll pay off handsomely...

With pluck and resolve,
Andrea, Thomas and Stefene

PS
As always, our web issue serves as a supplement to the current print edition.  And you can purchase current and back issues right here on the web site. 

Online Edition

POETRY & PROSE

Board Games | Andrea Avery

The Jacket | Ari Holtz

The Turkish Poetry Spitball | Chris King

Goal Line Stand | Jim Klenn

Runners are Weird | Tom Weber

PHOTO

This month's feature photo is by Nick Findley, a maniac with the camera. You can find him all over St. Louis, flickr, and in this month's print edition.

Print Edition   

COVER PRINTED BY
Firecracker Press

ART DIRECTION BY
Caroline Huth

CONTRIBUTORS
Jessica Baran, Aaron Belz, Thomas Crone, Andrea Day, Caroline Huth, Nick Findley, Emily Shea Fisher, Thom Fletcher, Dave Gray, Franklin Jennings, Chris King, K.E. Luther, K. Curtis Lyle, Richard Newman, Greg Ott, Stefene Russell, Dana Smith, Brett Lars Underwood