The Minors Come Through

Vancouver, British Columbia
49°15' North; 123°08' West

My wife's favorite minor league baseball player of all time, Steve Springer, once said that it's not the spectacular that separates the minors from the majors, but rather the consistency.

And Mr. Springer knows of what he speaks, seeing as how spent 11 years and more than 1000 games at AAA and less than 10 in the big leagues.

It's the same for the newspaper business.

Sort of.

The difference is that 'round here consistency in the major dailies is of the crap variety.

Witness the Vancouver Sun, if you must.

Every once in a while though, one of the CanWest Juniors comes through in the clutch.

Case in point, yesterday's Nov. 17th Vancouver Courier Op/Ed pages. You can find it all here, but if you live in Vancouver dig it out of the bottom of the birdcage and have a look at the full spread; it's better that way.

First, an interesting piece from Allen Garr who describes how one of his Langara College journalism students was roughed up by a couple of Vancouver's finest while interviewing squeegee kids. Garr then makes a convincing case that no amount of high priced spin control can hide the fact that things have gone downhill on Chief Jamie Graham's watch.

Next, is a great take from Barry Link on how we have nothing to fear from the emergence of China as an economic superpower and it's influence on our ever changing city. It's a story of hope and, maybe, future glory.

Even the letters are great. All are well informed, well reasoned, interesting and deal with a wide range of topics that include: how STV could really work for the better; how Arts coverage can be improved; what the Canadian Club does; why we should bite the bullet and wean ourselves from U.S. dependence; and, my favorite, a treatise on coffee geeks and what it means to be 'cupped' in bean-freak parlance.

In short, it's a cosmopolitan smorgasboard that feeds the mind.

Good stuff, indeed.