Big Yellow Hackney

It's interesting to see that it's not only Americans who tear down historic facilities. Somehow I always thought that the British had a much greater sense of appreciation of the past than Yanks do, but as always, money talks, sentiment and history walk.

Professional sports have their bad points. They receive far greater attention than is deserved, they are another cause of redistribution of wealth to the already wealthy, and they provide employment for a nitwit like Phillip Rogers.

But at their best they are also a celebration, a way to bring together a city for cheering and laughter instead of the usual unpleasantness. I live in Sacramento. From a sports perspective, I could give a rats ass about the fortunes of the Sacramento Kings. Yet on a certain level I always root for them. Why? Because when they do well, it makes my city a happier place to live in, and I love my city.

So when a stadium which was once a center of the community, a place holding the memories of generations, becomes an apartment complex, something is lost forever. Arsenal gets a new stadium, but it's not the same, just as Sell Your Soul Field will never be Comiskey Park; just as a new Yankee Stadium would not be The House That Ruth Built.

It's all the same to the money men, though. They are all very good at taking paradise and putting up a parking lot.