What’s in a name?
Friday, May 3, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Back in January, KPLR TV in St. Louis led off a report with this…
It would be hard to find anybody against the idea. Missouri U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill and Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin are behind the move in Washington to get the bridge named after the late Cardinal hall of famer [Stan Musial].
Not so fast. There have been a large number of disagreements over a new bridge between Illinois and Missouri over the years, and naming it is no different. KMOV TV St. Louis was indignant this week…
Illinois lawmakers turned their backs on the wave of support to name the new Mississippi River Bridge after Stan “The Man” Musial.
Instead the Illinois House unanimously voted this week in favor of a resolution to dub the Interstate 70 span the Veterans Memorial Bridge.
* The resolution was co-sponsored by all Metro East Democrats…
[Rep. Jay Hoffman’s] resolution… is co-sponsored by Rep. Jerry Costello II, D-Smithton; Rep. Dan Beiser, D-Alton; and Rep. Eddie Lee Jackson, D-East St. Louis.
“By naming this bridge in memory of the men and women who have served our nation, we are honoring them on a daily basis. I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for supporting this measure to honor the sacrifices our military veterans have made,” Hoffman said. “I look forward to continuing to advocate on behalf of veterans across our state.”
* Back in April, the Missouri legislature voted unanimously to name the bridge after Musial. The US Senate did the same in March…
Matching legislation is now pending in the U.S. House, sponsored by Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, and co-sponsored by Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville.
* Hoffman, who has been a Cardinals season ticket holder, explains…
Hoffman was asked by KMOX’s Mike Kelly that since Stan Musial was a veteran, why not name the bridge after veterans and Musial?
“There are some that have suggested that. I can tell you that, personally, I’m not totally opposed to doing that. However, we here have given our word that we’re going to name it the Veterans Memorial Bridge but if that’s what comes of it, I could certainly be in support of it,” he said.
* Some history…
As part of a lingering squabble over how to finance the bridge, Missouri insisted that it be a tollway - a notion flatly rejected by Illinois as potentially onerous for tens of thousands of its residents who commute daily to St. Louis and its Missouri suburbs.
Illinois later proposed a sister bridge to an existing span, calling it affordable at $450 million. Missouri said it wasn’t a long-term solution.
Both states ended the impasse in early 2008, announcing a compromise after Missouri relented on the tolls.
And then there’s this…
The bridge naming has not come without some controversy. The widow of a worker who fell from the bridge wants it named after him. Andy Gammon, 35, fell off the bridge in March 2012. “We love Musial, but we would like Andy to be remembered, ” Tracy Gammon said.
* Other stuff…
* Hastert goes to the mat to reinstate Olympic wrestling
* Country music stars back gay marriage in Illinois
- wordslinger - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 11:59 am:
A little faux outrage there from the Missourians.
They could have named any downtown St. Louis highway after Musial while he was alive. Instead, they tagged part of I-70 “Mark McGwire Highway,” and that juicer ain’t ever going to the Hall of Fame.
Musial was one of the all-time greats. McGwire was one of the all-time phonies.
- 47th Ward - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 11:59 am:
OK, fine. Put signs calling it Stan “The Man” Musial bridge on the Missouri side and “Veterans Memorial” bridge on the Illinois side. Done and done.
- Rich Miller - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 12:04 pm:
I think we should start dusting off those old invasion plans.
- Give Me A Break - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 12:23 pm:
Let’s make the Braggin Rights Game a little more fun this year. Winning state gets to name the bridge, losing state has to pay for maitiance and upkeep of the bridge for the next five years.
- Darienite - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 12:28 pm:
I-355 is called the Veteran’s Memorial Tollway. Isn’t one ‘Veteran’s Memorial’ in a state adequate?
- Adam Smith - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 12:28 pm:
To quote Charlie Brown, “Aaaaaaaaarghhhhhhhh!”
How stupid can politicians of every stripe be. I think many people would love to see a press release saying…
“Representative X says he could not care less who new bridge is named after and will not participate in any discussions or votes on the matter because he has better things to do”
- money man - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 12:29 pm:
Why don’t we just sell the naming rights to the thing? Let Illinois and Missouri companies outbid each other for the right for their corporate name to be mentioned during every traffic report. Put a huge sign on both sides, etc. Let’s make some money on this deal to pay off some debt.
- Secret Square - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 12:42 pm:
Years ago, the I-39 bridge over the Illinois River at La Salle was named the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge. I am as much a Lincoln fan as anyone, but I was disappointed in that choice of name because there are already plenty of monuments to Lincoln all over Illinois. I would have preferred the bridge be named for some local figure who hadn’t previously been recognized.
I would argue the same in this case. We already have dozens, perhaps hundreds, of monuments to veterans and just about any town of any size has at least one “Veterans” or “Memorial” street, drive, parkway, park, etc. (as they should). So why begrudge Stan the Man — arguably, STL’s most iconic sports figure — this bridge?
- Colossus - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 1:10 pm:
For those of us who don’t pay attention to sports, this is easily the silliest thing I’ve seen in politics. We’re honestly arguing about naming a publicly funded resource after someone who played a game for a living? I get the noble nature of sportsmanship and competition, but, c’mon.
Re: selling naming rights: If Budweiser wants to name a bridge, it can build it (and pay for it) all by itself. This is a public bridge. Selling naming rights is one of the most morally bankrupt practices available in America.
Man, I’m grumpy today…
- Wensicia - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 1:25 pm:
I can’t see naming an interstate bridge after a local sports figure. Say, if the bridge was constructed between Chicago and Gary, Indiana, would you call it the Walter Payton bridge? I think not.
- Stones - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 1:32 pm:
I’m a huge White Sox fan but Stan “The Man” Musial is one of the top 5 baseball players of all time. Not only that by all accounts he was a great guy and ambassador of the game. Name the bridge after him.
- Yossarian Lives - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 1:34 pm:
In the state Senate, Sen. McCann has sponsored Senate Joint Resolution 5 to name it after Stan Musial. It was filed January 30 and has been sitting in the Committee on Assignments ever since.
- Arthur Andersen - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 1:37 pm:
I don’t agree with naming rights deals (see State Farm Center for Exhibit A of why) and I don’t like naming public assets after athletes (McGuire Highway.) Call it the I-70 bridge.
- John A Logan - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 1:52 pm:
Name it after Musial.
This does not have to be….and should not be complicated or controversial.
- Curmudgeon - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 1:53 pm:
Really silly to name these public things after an athlete - they are just not important. Name it after someone who actually accomplished something meaningful!
- Cincinnatus - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 2:11 pm:
Let’s take a Solomonic approach:
This bridge should be built in two halves, the halves should be separated by 30 feet, and politicians should name their half whatever they want.
- veritas - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 2:15 pm:
Selling the naming rights makes sense - so let’s dismiss that idea immediately.
This decision requires a long, drawn-out, expensive study.
- Old Shepherd - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 2:25 pm:
The Martin Luther King Bridge connecting St. Louis and East St. Louis used to be named…wait for it…the Veterans’ Memorial Bridge until it was renamed in 1968.
- Falconer - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 2:26 pm:
The I-39 bridge was name after Abraham Lincoln to head off supporters wanting to name it the Veterans Memorial Bridge. The local Chamber of Commerce pre-empted naming it after Veterans.
- Anonymous - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 3:03 pm:
Or name after the people who are paying for it: The US Bridge
- reformer - Friday, May 3, 13 @ 4:23 pm:
The de facto rule in Illinois is that no tollways are permitted south of I-80. It’s fine to add new ones in the Chicago area, however, including the conversion of an existing freeway — the Elgin/O’Hare — into a tollway. The Route 53 extension into Lake County will be a tollway. Yet new roadways and bridges downstate are freeways. And downstate gets 55% of the Road Fund.
- soccermom - Monday, May 6, 13 @ 8:18 am:
Cincy — In the case you set out, I think both sides would be wise to name it the Evel Knievel Bridge…