Kelly/Shorts Stadium

12 10 2009
  • W. Campus Drive & University Park Drive
  • Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858
  • (517) 774-3277
  • Website
Kelly/Shorts Stadium on the campus of Central Michigan University

Kelly/Shorts Stadium on the campus of Central Michigan University

Fall sports have been good to me so far this year.  I’ve been busy pretty much every weekend.  My recent trip was up to Mt. Pleasant for a CMU Chippewas football game.  It was my first time at CMU and only the third time I had even been to Mt. Pleasant, so I was excited to see more of the town and of course, the CMU football stadium. 

Kelly/Shorts Stadium is the home of the Central Michigan University football team.  It sits just off BR 127 at University Park Drive and W. Campus Drive on the southeast corner of the CMU campus.  The stadium opened in 1972 with a loss to win over Illinois State.  At that time, the stadium was simply called Perry Shorts Stadium.  In 1983, the name was changed to Kelly/Shorts Stadium to honor former football coach Bill Kelly. 

The thing that surprised me initially was the size.  I know CMU is a FBS school, but I sometimes forget that the MAC is actually on the same level as the Big Ten….at least when it comes to NCAA status.  The main grandstand behind CMU’s bench is huge.  When you enter the seating level from the main concourse, you have to go down to your seats.  At some points in the stadium, you have to walk up stairs to get to the concourse area.  In other parts there are gradual ramps. Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories : Entertainment Venues, Live Entertainment, Michigan, Mt. Pleasant, Reviews

Michigan Stadium

20 09 2009
  • 1 E. Stadium Blvd.
  • Ann Arbor, MI 48104
  • (734) 764-1817
  • Website
Michigan Stadium - The Big House

Michigan Stadium - "The Big House"

Don’t judge me.  I wouldn’t judge you if you went to a baseball game at Wrigley Field.  I’m not a closet Michigan fan.  In fact, growing up, I despised Michigan because my brother, for some reason, was a huge Wolverine fan.  We grew up about an hour north of the University of Illinois, so it caused a lot of Saturday afternoon fights in our house. 

Still, even though I’ve never been a fan of Michigan, like most sports fans, Michigan Stadium has been one of the stadiums that I really wanted to see a game in.  When we moved to Lansing, one of our goals was to see a football game at both Michigan and Michigan State.  I’ve been to Spartan Stadium for work, but not Michigan Stadium. 

Last week, when I was working at Illinois, I got a text message from J that said she wanted to go to a football game this weekend.  She looked first at MSU, but they were on the road, so she checked Michigan.  There were tickets available and at $50 a piece, didn’t seem to overpriced, so she ordered two tickets. 

I hate to admit it, but I’ve been looking forward to this all week.  I mean, it’s The Big House. I have a lot of friends back home, who aren’t Michigan fans either, that are really jealous. 

Michigan Stadium is the centerpiece of the University of Michigan athletic campus  on the corner of Main Street and Stadium Boulevard.  I’ve heard a lot of stories about how crappy the place is, but those opinions were coming from Michigan State fans, so there may be a little biased.  My expectations for the stadium itself wasn’t very high.  My suspicion was that Michigan Stadium was more about tradition and atmosphere than it was comfort and aesthetics. Read the rest of this entry »


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Press Release – Tailgate Cookbook Submissions

1 09 2009

Got this press release from the Haven House in East Lansing…

East Lansing Homeless Shelter Seeks Recipes from Spartan Tailgaters

We invite MSU football fans to highlight your tailgate party and support the homeless by showcasing your football traditions. Haven House is compiling a tailgate cookbook, “Tailgating on the Banks of the Red Cedar” as a fundraiser to help support homeless families. All proceeds will benefit Haven House.

Haven House provides emergency housing and support services for one-parent and two-parent families with children.  The shelter helps families who are homeless prepare for permanent housing by developing and promoting self-sufficiency, stability, and financial responsibility.

Haven House volunteers will be attending Michigan State University home football games this season to interview tailgaters. If you would like to share your recipes, stories, and photographs to include in the cookbook please contact Tiffany Chenault at (517) 337-2731

To be considered, you will need to have the information available for our volunteers on game days, or submit your recipe and story by email at tchenault@havenhouseel.org, or by fax to 517-337-2910.


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Soldier Field – Chicago

14 06 2009
  • 425 E. McFetridge Drive
  • Chicago, IL 60605
  • (312) 235-7000
  • Website
The entrance to Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, in Chicago

The entrance to Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, in Chicago

I’m not a huge football fan.  At least not the pro game, so I don’t go to a lot of games.  I have been to one game at the “New” Soldier Field and one game at the “Old” Soldier Field.  I’ve almost seen more concerts at the venue than I have football.  Still, being a Chicago sports fan, I could write a whole blog just on the look of the building.  I’m not one of those people that think sports teams need to stay in a building because of it’s “historical” significance (I’m looking at you drunk frat boys on the northside).  As a fan, I like to be comfortable if I’m paying top dollar to see a sporting event and most of all, I want to see the show.  After having seen games at both the old and new configurations of Soldier Field, I can tell you, the new one blows the old one away.  Still, it’s an eyesore in a beautiful Chicago skyline.

Soldier Field from the 18th Street pedestrian bridge in Chicago

Soldier Field from the 18th Street pedestrian bridge in Chicago

Soldier Field is located just off of Lakeshore Drive on the south side of Chicago’s downtown.  Chicago Mayor Richard Daley was very vocal about keeping the Bears in Chicago, but there’s was no place to really put a new stadium.  The historical society was adamant about not letting Soldier Field being torn down.  Since historic preservation laws only prevent the exterior from being destroyed, the designers on the new Soldier Field gutted the place and landed a spaceship on top of the existing stone structure.  Technically, the old walls and columns that defined the building are still there, but they are overshadowed by the monstrosity that was set on top of it.  From a visual standpoint, it’s the ugliest sports stadium in the country.  The historic designation was eventually stripped and Chicago was left with a pimple on the supermodel-like face that is the skyline. 

The inside of the stadium is a much different story.  I remember the old Soldier Field as being archaic and uncomfortable.  If you sat in the end zone, you felt like you were a mile away from the action.  It was cold, uninviting, and uncomfortable.  While the new stadium look awful, it is a much more enjoyable place to watch a game or see a show.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chicago, Entertainment Venues, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews