Each spring I go through my mailboxes, both physical and virtual, and respond publicly to some of your burning questions. Here we go.
Dear David, I know you love the Atlanta Braves as much as I do. Because of the Bally Sports/Comcast Xfinity battle, I have been unable to watch my favorite team for the past several weeks. Is there anything you can do? Shirley in Chattanooga.
Shirley, believe me, if I had any influence over Bally Sports, I would replace some members of their on-air team and bring back some of their former personalities. As for Comcast/Xfinity, I joyfully parted ways with them 10 years ago. Their (lack of) customer service tied up hundreds of hours that I will never get back. Thankfully, my current cable provider still carries the Braves, although it’s only a matter of time until some greedy corporate overlord begins charging a monthly fee to stream the games. I think it is ridiculous and cruel that these two entities have been unable to reach an agreement to allow loyal fans to watch their team. I know children, senior citizens, and everyone in between who plan their lives around Braves games. The ultimate irony is, Comcast/Xfinity runs commercials during the games. As in, “We know you can’t watch us, but send us a check every month anyway!” Perhaps the impasse will be resolved, but with Bally’s parent company in bankruptcy, I would imagine there is more turmoil to come.
Dear David, unlike most of the other columnists that I read, you have generally avoided the presidential campaign in recent weeks. Surely you have some opinions. George in Marietta.
George, occasionally I will begin writing a column on presidential politics, but I end up getting angry, so I scrap it. I will say it is amusing to watch the Donald Trump hush money trial coverage on the cable opinion networks. It is no wonder our nation is so divided. Watch one channel, and you will be convinced that Trump is the most dirty, lowdown, unfit person to ever run for office. Watch a different channel and the hosts will convince you that he is a decent man who had the misfortune of hiring “the best people” who all turned into tramps and thieves. So 45 percent of Americans believe one thing, another 45 percent believe the other, and the rest of us are apparently tending to our gardens, trying to solve Wordle, and playing video games. For now, I’ll try to make everyone happy. I’m planning to vote against an unstable senior citizen, so I guess I’ll hold my nose and vote for the other unstable senior citizen.
Dear David, I enjoy your columns about music and I wish you would write more of them. What do you think about the most recent inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and are you surprised about some of the rock stars who didn’t get in? Rick in Rome, GA.
Rick, most of this year’s inductees are deserving, including Peter Frampton, Foreigner, Kool and the Gang, and even Cher, who got a lot of flak from online critics. I think Cher earned Hall of Fame status for her lifestyle as much as her music. I mean, she sang backup on Phil Spector records when she was a teenager, then married and performed with Sonny Bono, and later married Gregg Allman. That’s a pretty strong resume’. But as a 70s and 80s rock fan, I don’t know how you can have a Hall of Fame that excludes Boston, Kansas, REO Speedwagon and STYX. To this day, their music is on the radio, and collectively they sold about 100 million records. I would also add Johnny Rivers, a hit maker of the 60s and 70s. He even survived the Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu.
And although no one has asked, some day I will weigh in on the abysmal “expert baseball writers” who elect players into the Baseball Hall of Fame. They have repeatedly snubbed Braves legends Dale Murphy and Andruw Jones. Until these wrongs are righted, it’s not a real Hall of Fame to me.
Questions? Comments? I’m at RadioTV2020@yahoo.com.
David Carroll is a Chattanooga news anchor, and his new book “I Won’t Be Your Escape Goat” is available on his website, ChattanoogaRadioTV.com. You may contact him at 900 Whitehall Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405, or at RadioTV2020@yahoo.com.
