PIN MAN: IF YOU ONLY HAD A BRAIN
By JOHN YOUNGREN
SALT LAKE CITY – My virgin pin-trading experience took place today, at least far and away one of the highlights of my 2002 Winter Olympics Games experience -- if not quite on par with the first time I actually had sexual intercourse or the first time I drank a beer.
Nevertheless, this one stands out in my meager little life, if only because my prize pin was coveted – a 2002 edition of the "Today in Salt Lake City" pin, which Katie Couric has been handing out every day – and somewhat hard to find. As of Thursday night, when I made a similar sweep among downtown Salt Lake City pin vendors, no one had yet seen the elusive pin, at least for sale.
"I’ve seen people wearing them, but so far nobody’s wanted to sell them," one pin trader – inside Salt Lake’s downtown Greek Church social hall, which has been turned into kind of pin vendor central for the 2002 Games – told me. "I’m sure they’ll start to turn up."
Today, Saturday, turn up they did. But at all sorts of rates. The pin, with the "Today" signature logo over the words "Salt Lake 2002," set against a mountain scene with a rainbow passing over it, is really nothing to get excited about, in and of itself. But it does have significance for a media junkie like me – especially one who has yet to make the pilgrimage to Park City and get a pin during a live "Today" broadcast from Katie herself.
I saw one vendor with one "Today" pin priced at $25. I saw another with four of the pins – each also at $25. But then I saw two different vendors with the "Today" pin (one apiece) priced at $40.
Working my way back to the $25 arena, I found yet a third pin man willing to hawk his one "Today" pin for 25 bones. "Are you willing to trade?," I said, employing the strategies I learned in some "Art of Negotiation" management course my company sent me to a year or two ago.
The pin man looked at me blankly. "Sure," he said.
Don’t tell my friends at KSL-TV in Salt Lake City this, but my bait was worthy. It was a license plate-shaped pin the local NBC affiliate distributed several months ago. I have a couple, already. Plus, I’d seen it valued in the $20-$25 range among other pin vendors.
So I held out my bait.
"OK," the pin man said. "That, and one other."
This threw me, admittedly. No one for one?
I held out a Jamaican Bobsled Team pin someone had given me, but no dice. "Something American," the pin man said (forget the fact that the pin I held was made by Tel America – who am I to judge?).
I held out a local Salt Lake Olympic Committee pin someone once gave me. "My 1st Pin," it says, touchingly.
Again, no go.
Only when he saw a rather generic "Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics" oval-shaped pin stuck to my jacket did pin man move. "That one," he said, pointing.
Trembling with excitement, I moved to take it off my jacket and punctured my index finger with the pin’s needle as I did. The back of the pin fell to the ground.
"One second," I said, sucking my finger for blood.
Pin man didn’t look amused. But my deal was done.
I found the back of the pin, found no blood, and handed him his bounty. He gave me my "Today" pin, which I promptly put on my jacket – but only after quickly surveying the rest of the Greek Church pin trading scene, to make sure the "Today" pin I’d just bartered for was indeed the same as what I’d seen others with – from $40 to $25 – around the room.
It was.
And for me? Let me just say: It was FREE.
All that, and the "Today" show, too.
Me, 1, Pin Man, 0.
Ain’t this America?
Thursday, February 14, 2002
By JOHN YOUNGREN
SALT LAKE CITY – Just came back from Main Street and 200 South, where Salt Lake City – for the first time since Brigham Young came to town and said, "This is the place" – actually looks remotely like a real city.
People are walking and cutting against traffic and there is plenty of street activity. Despite some loudmouth scalper who kept yelling that "there is no out-of-town money here," things looked pretty out-of-town to me: For a moment, if I closed my eyes and blocked the Mormon Temple out of my field of view, I felt like I was standing on a busy street block in Chicago, San Francisco – New York City, even.
We’re on to something with this 2002 Winter Olympics. We should do one of these every few months.
Because right now, maybe this is the place.
A couple of blocks downtown were filled with street vendors and pin traders and little pawnshop-like places with souvenirs and American flags and people hawking things out front. On a relatively warm Utah winter afternoon, most of the folks doing the wandering were gawking left and right, cameras around their necks, pointing and shooting and spending.
At Bud World, where the Clydesdales reign, a few hundred people were gathered. This site – at Gallivan Center, essentially at the heart of Salt Lake City’s Olympics – has been popular throughout the Games; but, to be frank, it was essentially just a little bit drowsy this afternoon. No matter. A hamburger, a Bud Light and $11 later, and I was enjoying the Olympics just like everyone else.
The stories vary on how all this is going: Barenaked Ladies and Smash Mouth and Dave Matthews Band and all the concerts at downtown’s Medals Plaza have been fun and have people buzzing. Tonight, Sheryl Crow is there – and who’s not going to be in the audience?
But downtown restaurants seem to be a bit discombobulated. Places like Red Rock Brewery and Rio Grande Café – places that are generally busy even where there aren’t worldwide events in town – are slow. Locals are scared away. Visitors are too busy at the venues (most of which are anywhere but downtown Salt Lake City) or spending money at Bud World.
Tomorrow marks a week since we’ve been enjoying this Olympic experience. There will be many lessons learned from these 2002 Games. Problem is, we’ll never be able to apply what we’ve learned to anything else again.
* * *
Stories in USA Today and NBC – all the national media, in fact – have gone on and on about those nifty berets Team USA was wearing when it marched into Rice-Eccles Stadium during the Opening Ceremonies on Friday night. The navy berets, manufactured by a Canadian company called Roots, are on everyone’s wish list as THE souvenir of the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Funny how you can get caught up in this – even when you live just up the block. I’ve been to the Roots stores; I’ve seen the berets. I didn’t think much of them. But now that everyone’s talking about them? I want one too, though I’m sure I’ll look more like Al Roker than Matt Lauer in mine.
SALT LAKE CITY – Just came back from Main Street and 200 South, where Salt Lake City – for the first time since Brigham Young came to town and said, "This is the place" – actually looks remotely like a real city.
People are walking and cutting against traffic and there is plenty of street activity. Despite some loudmouth scalper who kept yelling that "there is no out-of-town money here," things looked pretty out-of-town to me: For a moment, if I closed my eyes and blocked the Mormon Temple out of my field of view, I felt like I was standing on a busy street block in Chicago, San Francisco – New York City, even.
We’re on to something with this 2002 Winter Olympics. We should do one of these every few months.
Because right now, maybe this is the place.
A couple of blocks downtown were filled with street vendors and pin traders and little pawnshop-like places with souvenirs and American flags and people hawking things out front. On a relatively warm Utah winter afternoon, most of the folks doing the wandering were gawking left and right, cameras around their necks, pointing and shooting and spending.
At Bud World, where the Clydesdales reign, a few hundred people were gathered. This site – at Gallivan Center, essentially at the heart of Salt Lake City’s Olympics – has been popular throughout the Games; but, to be frank, it was essentially just a little bit drowsy this afternoon. No matter. A hamburger, a Bud Light and $11 later, and I was enjoying the Olympics just like everyone else.
The stories vary on how all this is going: Barenaked Ladies and Smash Mouth and Dave Matthews Band and all the concerts at downtown’s Medals Plaza have been fun and have people buzzing. Tonight, Sheryl Crow is there – and who’s not going to be in the audience?
But downtown restaurants seem to be a bit discombobulated. Places like Red Rock Brewery and Rio Grande Café – places that are generally busy even where there aren’t worldwide events in town – are slow. Locals are scared away. Visitors are too busy at the venues (most of which are anywhere but downtown Salt Lake City) or spending money at Bud World.
Tomorrow marks a week since we’ve been enjoying this Olympic experience. There will be many lessons learned from these 2002 Games. Problem is, we’ll never be able to apply what we’ve learned to anything else again.
* * *
Stories in USA Today and NBC – all the national media, in fact – have gone on and on about those nifty berets Team USA was wearing when it marched into Rice-Eccles Stadium during the Opening Ceremonies on Friday night. The navy berets, manufactured by a Canadian company called Roots, are on everyone’s wish list as THE souvenir of the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Funny how you can get caught up in this – even when you live just up the block. I’ve been to the Roots stores; I’ve seen the berets. I didn’t think much of them. But now that everyone’s talking about them? I want one too, though I’m sure I’ll look more like Al Roker than Matt Lauer in mine.
Tuesday, February 12, 2002
By JOHN YOUNGREN
SALT LAKE CITY--Writing here from Winter Olympics Central, where the skies are more or less clear, the streets are more or less busy, the restaurants are more or less full and NBC’s Bob Costas is more or less Public Enemy No. 1.
So, yeah. The ever-sardonic Costas has pissed off the ever-sensitive Mormons, who are mad that NBC’s wonderboy has made a few cutting comments about the local culture, pomp and circumstance associated with the Winter Games.
Big deal? You got it. Here’s how Utah is: We get excited when we get in the spotlight a little bit – be it the Jazz, an NBA All Star game, the University of Utah in the NCAA Tournament, the Osmonds, the Mormons, whatever -- but then we get sensitive when we can’t write the script.
Costas is the prototype of the urbane, witty announcers who seem to piss us off the most: He takes a couple of good-natured pokes, and the whole state goes into a tizzy.
Hearing everyone moan and groan about good ol’ Bob on Monday, I became concerned that he would change his game during Monday night’s coverage. I mean, he’s not immune as to what’s going on, either – and he reads and is influenced by is the local babble as well. But Monday night, Bob was Bob – thankfully. I hope he continues to poke away.
He’s often the most grounded part of NBC’s coverage.
It’d be a shame if he did things any differently because a few Mormons couldn’t take a joke.
* * *
Sunday night, the band Smashmouth played Park City’s Harry O’s, another highlight in a weekend full of them for Utah on the worldwide stage. Though the temperature seemed to be about 6 degrees, Park City’s Main Street – turned into kind of a festival because they blocked off traffic – was bustling, with a strange mix of glassy-eyed visitors and wide-eyed locals wandering around enjoying the sites, the sounds, the hum, each other.
I know approximately two Smashmouth songs – "Walking On The Sun," or whatever it’s called, and "All Star," or whatever that’s called. The crowd also responded quite favorably to Smashmouth’s version of "I’m A Believer," but I refuse to give the band credit for that because – no matter how well-performed – "I’m A Believer" is actually a song Neil Diamond wrote for the Monkees.
Harry O’s wasn’t packed. There was room to stand, sit, dance and sing. There wasn’t any line for the bountiful Bud Lights – Budweiser owned the event, being a major sponsor. But it was crowded enough to be entertaining, and Smashmouth – its bar band roots on display – was up to the task.
Celebrity Watching Department: There were rumors that Bruce Willis was drifting around upstairs, overlooking the scene. But Mr. Yippee Kay Aye never emerged.
* * *
The globe breathed a heavy sigh of relief on Tuesday, when it was announced that the entire "Friends" cast had resigned for a ninth and final season of the resurgent NBC sitcom for a mere total of just $1 million an episode.
Each.
This means, of course, that Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe will each be taking home some $24 million next year, as they’ll make an additional two episodes – usual season order is 22 – to wrap-up the series.
So much for The Star tabloid’s theory that the current eighth season will end with Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) dying while giving birth (that’d be an hilarious way to wrap up one of the most influential sitcoms of the past decade, wouldn’t it?).
You’ll hear the usual grumbling about the "Friends’" salaries in upcoming days – but, really, who among us working stiffs can relate to any of these figures? Still, isn’t it much the same way we can’t relate to NBA salaries, or baseball payrolls, or movie stars making $20 million a motion picture?
Of course, the "Friends" don’t deserve $24 million each – in a normal world.
But Hollywood, sports, music and entertainment aren’t normal worlds.
Where else, for example, would Mariah Carey get $45 million NOT to record?
SALT LAKE CITY--Writing here from Winter Olympics Central, where the skies are more or less clear, the streets are more or less busy, the restaurants are more or less full and NBC’s Bob Costas is more or less Public Enemy No. 1.
So, yeah. The ever-sardonic Costas has pissed off the ever-sensitive Mormons, who are mad that NBC’s wonderboy has made a few cutting comments about the local culture, pomp and circumstance associated with the Winter Games.
Big deal? You got it. Here’s how Utah is: We get excited when we get in the spotlight a little bit – be it the Jazz, an NBA All Star game, the University of Utah in the NCAA Tournament, the Osmonds, the Mormons, whatever -- but then we get sensitive when we can’t write the script.
Costas is the prototype of the urbane, witty announcers who seem to piss us off the most: He takes a couple of good-natured pokes, and the whole state goes into a tizzy.
Hearing everyone moan and groan about good ol’ Bob on Monday, I became concerned that he would change his game during Monday night’s coverage. I mean, he’s not immune as to what’s going on, either – and he reads and is influenced by is the local babble as well. But Monday night, Bob was Bob – thankfully. I hope he continues to poke away.
He’s often the most grounded part of NBC’s coverage.
It’d be a shame if he did things any differently because a few Mormons couldn’t take a joke.
* * *
Sunday night, the band Smashmouth played Park City’s Harry O’s, another highlight in a weekend full of them for Utah on the worldwide stage. Though the temperature seemed to be about 6 degrees, Park City’s Main Street – turned into kind of a festival because they blocked off traffic – was bustling, with a strange mix of glassy-eyed visitors and wide-eyed locals wandering around enjoying the sites, the sounds, the hum, each other.
I know approximately two Smashmouth songs – "Walking On The Sun," or whatever it’s called, and "All Star," or whatever that’s called. The crowd also responded quite favorably to Smashmouth’s version of "I’m A Believer," but I refuse to give the band credit for that because – no matter how well-performed – "I’m A Believer" is actually a song Neil Diamond wrote for the Monkees.
Harry O’s wasn’t packed. There was room to stand, sit, dance and sing. There wasn’t any line for the bountiful Bud Lights – Budweiser owned the event, being a major sponsor. But it was crowded enough to be entertaining, and Smashmouth – its bar band roots on display – was up to the task.
Celebrity Watching Department: There were rumors that Bruce Willis was drifting around upstairs, overlooking the scene. But Mr. Yippee Kay Aye never emerged.
* * *
The globe breathed a heavy sigh of relief on Tuesday, when it was announced that the entire "Friends" cast had resigned for a ninth and final season of the resurgent NBC sitcom for a mere total of just $1 million an episode.
Each.
This means, of course, that Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe will each be taking home some $24 million next year, as they’ll make an additional two episodes – usual season order is 22 – to wrap-up the series.
So much for The Star tabloid’s theory that the current eighth season will end with Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) dying while giving birth (that’d be an hilarious way to wrap up one of the most influential sitcoms of the past decade, wouldn’t it?).
You’ll hear the usual grumbling about the "Friends’" salaries in upcoming days – but, really, who among us working stiffs can relate to any of these figures? Still, isn’t it much the same way we can’t relate to NBA salaries, or baseball payrolls, or movie stars making $20 million a motion picture?
Of course, the "Friends" don’t deserve $24 million each – in a normal world.
But Hollywood, sports, music and entertainment aren’t normal worlds.
Where else, for example, would Mariah Carey get $45 million NOT to record?
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