Changing Domains

The blog will be moving back to eKeegan.com. Please update your feed readers accordingly with http://www.ekeegan.com/?feed=rss2.

CentrePointe FC: Just Some Fun or Something More?

To the ever-growing list of things Lexingtonians prefer to CentrePointe, allow me to submit one more: A football club. The idea was first brought to my attention by Twitterer and Anglophile @KYMargueritte yesterday, when she spake, “Maybe Lexington can start a FC, Centerpoint FC and put the field there.”

Having an atmosphere that’s attractive to people from around the world is never a bad thing; neither is anything that helps draw in the world’s best and brightest. Plus, wouldn’t introducing a little cultural variety to indigenous Kentuckians who have only known basketball and horses for the past century only be to our benefit? I shouldn’t even have to mention the large Latino, Irish and British populations here who would support a local FC. We have residents from all over the world and almost all are from countries in which soccer is THE sport. I encounter lonely fans regularly in Lex’s footy-friendly bars and restaurants, watching any team they can catch on our baseball and basketball-dominated televisions.

Admittedly I don’t know a great deal about constructing a soccer field, but logic dictates that a flat, grassy field and some modest bleachers can’t be that expensive — especially if one of Central Kentucky’s many great businesses snatches up the lucrative sponsorship role. At worst, the city owns the field and opens it up as a park in the off-season. Imagine the advertising and merchandise revenues that await whoever owns the team — not to mention ticket sales, soccer camps and special events. USLSoccer.com, website for the governing body of American professional soccer, states that a USL franchise, as opposed to other sports franchises, will help “keep your initial investment — and ongoing expenses — relatively low.” USL has several different leagues, meaning there is a level which is just the right fit for Lexington’s size and spending power.

Any sporting event will draw large crowds; they go to the west end of downtown for UK and the Horsemen and they go out North Broadway for the Legends. East and central downtown would draw crowds too. It already has the nightlife, it could have the day life too. Picture every vacant shop in that area filled with businesses making money off Lex’s newest sports fans. People will come from all around the Bluegrass to see Kentucky’s ONLY pro soccer team and most will want to do a little shopping while they’re here.

In other minor league sports, players come and go all the time. They either excel and quickly move to a larger team or don’t and are replaced by the next budding prospect. In soccer, the team has the opportunity to move up TOGETHER. As the higher tiers expand and have room for more clubs, the more successful teams in lower leagues are often able to move up. This means that, one day, Lexington’s small club could be playing at the major league level.

Think of the culture, the excitement, the revenue; Lexington, what’s not to love? I implore you, bring The Beautiful Game to your front porch TODAY!

Evening with Your History: Lexington Before It Went Dry

Coming next month, the Lexington History Museum will be hosting their third installment of this season’s Evening with Your History series. May’s program, the final one of spring 2009, features William Ambrose’s Lexington Before It Went Dry– a presentation focusing on our city’s alcohol brewing and distillation prior to prohibition. Join the fun on May 21 at 7:30PM in the old courtroom, located on the third floor of the museum. For more information, visit the Lexington History Museum website at www.lexingtonhistorymuseum.org. I’ve got a feeling that a trip to the nearest saloon will be immediately following.

CentrePit Parque Kickball Game #cpkickball #cplex

I’ve no idea who Bullhorn Will is (though we’ve 14 Facebookies in common so I probably should) and I have no idea if he thought up this brilliant plan, but he gets the credit since the Facebook group is his creation. Ergo, huge props to Bullhorn Will for organizing Lexington’s greatest ever game of kickball–even though it lasted all of 30 seconds and involved only one play. As an occupant of one of the tall buildings downtown (a tall building that just happens to overlook CentrePit) I felt it my civic duty to report and record as much as I could see of this historic occasion, and what better place to do so than from the rooftop where I was sure to have a good view of everything. The following would have been far more interesting to look at had either a) I remembered to bring an actual camera with me, or b) my iPhone included a zoom lens and a few more megapixels. Despite the technical shortcomings, I present to you The CentrePit Parque Kickball Game–sandlot sports in the name of freedom and New Lexington.

@KeeganFrank Dear CentrePointe Kickballers: A cop had been sitting next to the pit on Vine Street. Waiting for you? Love, Ur Eye n d Sky. #cpkickball 4:35 PM Apr 24th
@KeeganFrank Typo fix: Cop HAS been sitting. As in, still there. #cpkickball 4:36 PM Apr 24th
@KeeganFrank Make that four cops. #cpkickball http://twitpic.com/3wzvl 4:48 PM Apr 24th

The StakeOute: Somebody tipped these guys off.

@KeeganFrank Make it five. Could be more. Several cruisers have stopped for a moment and left again. How much resistance are they expecting? #cpkickball 5:12 PM Apr 24th
@KeeganFrank Still no sign of kickball players. Police vigil continues. #cpkickball 5:26 PM Apr 24th
@KeeganFrank Something’s going on at the center of town (SE corner of Main & Limestone). Could be tourists, could be freedom athletes. #cpkickball 5:31 PM Apr 24th

Players Are In: Take note of the metro cops haulin’ tail up the sidewalk. They took off for the opening in the fence as soon as the first person was through.

Getting Ready: No pre-game warmup necessary for these champions.

Game On: Someone as yet unidentified is about to throw the first and only pitch here, I believe.

Maybe They Just Want To Play?: They finally get through the gate.

Game Over: Here they come.

Escorted Off: The police escorting our heroes from the playing field.

@KeeganFrank Game lasted one kick before cops scrambled through fence and ushered everyone out. Don’t think any charges/warnings are coming. #cpkickball 5:36 PM Apr 24th
@KeeganFrank Cop over bullhorn: “pull over!” to a car that was already getting out of the way asap. They are feisty today. 5:48 PM Apr 24th

The Afterparty: More people kept showing up after the eviction. They gathered here and then moved up to the center of town for hangouts and kite-flying.

@KeeganFrank HUGE group of cyclists just appeared. Gonna dirt bike the CentrePit I hope. #cpkickball 5:55 PM Apr 24th
@KeeganFrank Lucky for the cops they’re moving on. Bet it’s hard to impound two dozen bikes. #cpkickball #cplex 5:58 PM Apr 24th
@KeeganFrank Bikers buzz the fuzz. #cpkickball #cplex http://twitpic.com/3×686 6:02 PM Apr 24th

Bicyclists Galore: A ton of cyclists riding past the Police StakeOute. I wish I knew where the heck they came from or how I can join them.

@KeeganFrank Back to work. Wish I had time to pow-wow like the police. StakeOute approaching hour three. #cplex #cpkickball
@KeeganFrank Police finally left sometime between 18:45 and 19:15. That’s CT (cop time). #cpkickball #cplex

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (2/300)

I see Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale so frequently that I’ve just never bothered to try it. Turns out I should have been taking advantage of it’s wide availability. I picked up a 24 oz. bottle at the local liquor emporium after I couldn’t decide for what I was in the mood. This behemoth of a bottle deserved an equally mighty imbibition vessel the large, glass stein. The presentation is certainly impressive: Deep copper tones buried beneath a head 2.5 fingers thick; this looks how I imagine the perfect ale should look. The aroma is sweet and fruity, with an accompaniment of spicy hops. In other words, it smells divine. This American Pale Ale brings a flavor of fresh citrus peel and spicy hops, slightly bitter and definitely delectable. The sweet malts linger on the palate for some time, extending this already-enjoyable drinking experience.

Appearance: 10/10
Aroma: 10/10
Taste: 9/10

Total: 29/30

Obviously, these aren’t coming nearly as fast as I’d originally hoped. I’m too busy trying brands impulsively and downing growlers of my staple brews. Let’s set a more conservative goal of one beer from the book a month.