Blue Heaven

Far Middle episode 165 premieres during the dog days of summer and the day after this year’s Midsummer Classic. While last night’s All-Star Game was held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, Nick heads to Los Angeles for this installment’s sports dedication to Dodger Stadium.

Dodger Stadium, also known as “Chavez Ravine,” has hosted two All-Star Games, numerous World Series games, and legendary concerts over its rich 62-year history. Despite its memorable moments, Nick also examines the stadium’s troubling origins.

Nick then connects to a recent talk he gave only a couple miles south of Dodger Stadium last month to Southern California business leaders. A summary of that address is available at NickDeiuliis.com, see “Address to the Jonathan Club, World Affairs Group.”

Reflecting on the speech, Nick discusses:

• The importance of rational thought and objectivity in policymaking, criticizing the vilification of classical liberal and fiscally conservative views.
• The significance of protecting individual rights from the tyranny of the majority and government overreach.
• The concept of minimal government intervention and maximum governance.
• The U.S. domestic energy industry, particularly the natural gas sector, and America’s ascendency to the world’s largest global producer and net exporter of natural gas. That success was realized from free-market principles and innovative technologies like horizontal drilling.
• The local, regional, and national benefits of the natural gas industry, including economic growth, job creation, and enhanced energy security. These successes are contrasted against the myths and regulatory challenges posed by the Left.
• Sustaining the natural gas industry's growth and broader economic impact via continued free-market solutions and minimal government interference.

In closing, Nick returns to “Blue Heaven on Earth” for another unique event that Dodger Stadium hosted. Despite its 56,000-plus capacity, the stands were empty on June 4, 1979, when Fleetwood Mac recorded its video for "Tusk" alongside the USC Marching Band.

Far Middle Connections: Five years before that June 4, 1979, “Tusk” recording, the infamous “Ten-Cent Beer Night” in Cleveland occurred on June 4, 1974. Revisit Nick’s reflection on that wild night, alongside three other more distinguished 1974 baseball achievements in Far Middle episode 74, “Always Keep Swinging.”