Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet

Welcome back for yet another of my incessant ramblings. Also thank you for the kind words of encouragement. This is great therapy for me. I sincerely hope you enjoy my attempt to add humor to your lives.

Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet. This phrase entered our lives back in the mid 70's, 1975 to be exact. It was a marketing program that Chevrolet conjured up to stimulate automobile sales. At the time, it was a very successful ad program. The advertisement had America written all over it without mentioning the word America. People were able to identify themselves with the wholesomeness of these American traits. In recent years, Chevrolet once again resurrected this ad campaign. Hell, they figured it worked once, why won't it work again?
It is difficult to swallow the second time around. Chevrolet simply did not do their homework. To put it more bluntly they forgot to mention that Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet are no longer vital in most Americans lives.

Baseball is no longer "America's Pastime". I'm not so sure when baseball lost all of it's luster, but other sports like football, auto racing (Nascar) and extreme sports are followed by Americans in droves. Youngsters are more apt to have a pick up game of soccer than a pick up game of baseball. Less equipment and more action help to add to their decisions. Yes, I still watch baseball games on television, but it has been several years since I've attended a ball game in person. The thought of spending allot of money for 3 hours of enjoyment just doesn't appeal to me anymore. Also the mega salaries that today's players command adds resentment to the average American worker.

Hot Dogs are also over valued. The nutritional value is almost nil. The only time a hot dog appeals to me is when I am attending a ballgame, which as I mentioned before, doesn't happen much anymore. An occasional hot dog on the grill taste good. When was the last time you stopped somewhere to eat a hot dog? You probably had to think long and hard to answer that question. Pizza, tacos, and chicken nuggets would be an adequate replacement for a hot dog.

Ah, Apple Pie. I'll have mine with ice cream on the side please. Unless it's homemade from scratch fogittaboutit. None of this frozen junk sold in grocery stores for me. It must be fresh cut apples (not apples out of a can) and flaky crust (not soggy or freezer burned). It must be just like Mom makes. No flavor enhancers or preservatives for me. Gees, Jello might be a good replacement. At least there's "Always room for Jello".

"See the USA in your Chevrolet". That slogan actually meant something in the 20th century. In fact a few months ago, Oprah and her friend Gayle travelled the USA in their Chevrolet. What a promo for Chevy! But not really very realistic. Maybe if they were chauffeured in a stretch limousine it would be more believable. One doesn't have to read the press clippings or watch the news to realize that Chevrolet continues to lose market share in the United States. It is really noticeable when you travel to Columbus. Anything "foreign" is seen in Columbus. In particular Honda, which has a assembly plant in Marysville.
To add insult to injury, Toyota is now represented in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. How many hillbilly's drive Toyota's for cryin' out loud?

Perhaps Chevy should stick to their"Like a Rock" campaign. At least it's more apropos than Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and Chevrolet.