El Sid ripped

That story about Sid and the land around the Metrodome has been around for a while, but I've never seen anything confirmed.  What has been confirmed is the origins of his wealth:  starting sometime in the 1950s, Sid and a childhood buddy started investing in rental properties throughout the Twin Cities.  That provided the initial stream of income, and apparently he's invested rather well.  The term slumlord has been used by some to describe him; that might not be totally fair, but I do know that some of his properties are in areas of town where you wouldn't want to live if you could avoid it.

Were he not such a jackass, and had he not attained his current position almost solely due to sycophancy, Sid's story might be kind of heartwarming - he grew up dirt poor and didn't graduate from high school, only to become about as prominent as anybody in Minnesota (which says plenty about Minnesota, unfortunately).

What may be most remarkable is that he's still a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame; only if they started selling off induction spots to retired players who paid enough cash, sort of like the Catholic Church used to do with indulgences, could they find a way to hurt their credibility more than they do by having him help decide who gets in.

 

No you wouldn't. Think of what you would have had to do to get there...

And MGO BLUE? Think Bob Becker... bigger asshole, more money, almost as shameless booster, bigger stage, less liked, more influential.

 

I'm with Bruhman. My first thought (and I went to high school in MN) was Sid Fernandez. Fifteen years ago my friends and their parents thought Hartman was a senile old bat. I shudder to think what he's like now.

 

he works because he has no other interests and nothing else going for him. on the one hand, it's terribly sad -- he doesn't want to enjoy his golden years, spend more time with his grandkids, see the world or use his money for something fun or good (although he recently endowed a scholarship at UM journalism school, which of course was a controversy in and of itself). on the other hand, i guess we should all aspire to love our jobs that much. if they put him out to pasture he's the textbook case of the old man who would be dead in six months.

 

That's Minnesota for you. Prolonged mediocrity gets confused for greatness. Take former Twins P.A. announcer Bob Casey who is now enshrined in the Twins' Hall of Fame... he was with the club for half a century, but he wasn't good at his job. There are any number of anecdotes:

Anecdote One
[Otis Nixon Steps Up to the Plate]
Casey: Now batting, Amos Otis.
PRESSBOX: [In Unison] It's Nixon!
Casey: Now batting, Amos Nixon.

Anecodte Two
[A Bomb Threat Has Been Called In for 9:30 PM During A Home Game at Met Stadium]
Bloomington Police: Bob, we need you to calmly tell the crowd to evacuate.
Casey: Ladies and gentlemen! The Bloomington police have informed us there is going to be an explosion at 9:30!

Same exact thing with Sid. He's been around forever and prolonged mediocrity has rendered him an institution. I do have a favorite Sid anecdote:

[My Father Sits In the Livingroom of His Suburban Home In White Bear Lake, the Phone Rings]
Telemarketer: Hello, sir, I'm calling to see if you were interested in having the Star Tribune delivered to your house.
My Father: Say, doesn't Sid Hartman write for your paper?
Telemarketer: Yes, he does.
My Father: Then we're not interested.
[Click]

 

Me too. I'd never heard of this Sid Hartmann, although he sounds dreamy.

 

In my book, his "Smoking is not allowed in the Metrodome! No smoking!" announcement before each game was enough to get him into the Twinkies' HOF. (It's the Twins, remember? Bombo Rivera, Terry Felton, etc.)

 

the most frightening thing about sid is he remains the most powerful, infliuential spoprts voice in the twin cities. anyone who's anyone kisses his ass. he's the emperor with no clothes.