By Scott Sullivan
Editor
Blowup
It was a tough week for Tropicanas. LasVegas blew up the Tropicana Oct. 9, then Hurricane Milton ripped the roof off Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., hours later.
The former hotel and casino, the Sin City Strip’s last true mob building, was made rubble by a 22-second implosion that included a fireworks display and drone show.
Milton the monster tore the top off the latter, home of baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays.
Seems only yesterday that Pontiac blew up the Silverdome, but it was actually seven years ago. In what one fan called “the most Detroit thing ever,” the city’s first try at razing the Lions’ old football field failed due to faulty wiring. The second time, BOOM, down it came.
Now — just 67 years after winning their last NFL title, the last seven playing at Ford Field — the Lions are OK again.
The Tropicana casino was built in 1957, same year as the Lions’ last football title. Once known as the “Tiffany of the Strip,” the resort was a haunt of the famous “Rat Pack” — Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop … — and infamous mob types like Frank Costello.
Leave it to Vegas to turn demolitions into celebrations. Former casino mogul Steve Wynn launched the trend in 1993 when he imploded the Dunes — not the one in Douglas — in a televised spectacle that made it look like pirate ships from Wynn’s next-door casino were firing at it.
More spectacles followed, but the city hadn’t blown up a Strip joint since 2016, when the Rivera’s last tower toppled. Last week’s Tropicana implosion cleared land for a $1.5-billion baseball stadium for the Oakland Athletics. Since 1901 they have moved from Philadelphia to Kansas City to Oakland to, most recently, West Sacramento, Calif.
Many of those teams were bad, though not Lions bad. The A’s won World Series from 1972 to ’74 starring Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, Vida Blue and other colorful characters. Owner Charlie O. Finley trotted a mule out onto the diamond as his team’s mascot. The A’s bagged another Series in 1989 led by “Bash Brothers” (aka “Steroid Twins” José Canseco and Mark McGwire.
The baseball team’s move follows Oakland’s ex-football team, the Raiders, also escaping to greener Sin City pastures. Oakland fans saw them off by booing and throwing trash on field. The team has had losing seasons since, but its owners have lost less money, which makes it a Wynn-type win in their eyes.
Speaking of paying tribute by blowing things up, you know you are someone when Donald Trump makes up a nickname for you. “Lyin’” — go figure — is his favorite; the ex-Prez has applied it to rivals from Hillary Clinton to Ted Cruz to Kamala Harris.
Other favorites, many for ex-Trump allies, include “Ditzy” Betsy DeVos (his ex-Secretary of Education); “Leakin,’ Lyin,’ Shady and Slippery” James Comey (his ex-Secretary of State); “Birdbrain” Nikki Haley (who wound up endorsing him); Ron “DeSanctimonious” DeSantis (ditto); ex-bedmate “Horseface” Stormy Daniels and fellow billionaire “Bozo” Jeff Bezos.
Here are others: “Alfred E. Neuman” for Pete Buttigieg, “Sloppy” Steve Bannon and Chris Christie, “Broken Old Crow” Mitch McConnell, “Tampon” Tim Walz, “Crazy” Nancy Pelosi and Bernie Sanders, “George “Slopadopolus” Stephanopoulos; and “Pocahontas” Elizabeth Warren.
The latter claimed she was part Native American when Ivy League law schools were desperate to add diversity to their teaching ranks. This won wrath from the Cherokee Nation, who felt she was currying favor by pandering. DNA tests confirmed Warren was, but just 1/1,024th part.
These days it’s an insult if Trump doesn’t insult you. I get it. Many people are so sick of P.C. platitudes that wokeness has put them to sleep. Trump shouting names wakes them up at least.
It may be hip calling out hypocrisy, but is what you propose to replace what you’ve torn down better?
The old Silverdome site today is an Amazon (“Bozo” Jeff Bezos) village; the Tropicana mob and gambling den is slated to be a ballpark and the Florida one that already is lost its top to an act of God.
Who ends cleaning up?
