For Arlington, it was a day of sweet World Series victory. But Houston’s still bitter | Opinion
Arlington has officially become a big city.
It’s big enough now for other cities to hate.
Long discounted as a city of car lots and theme parks, it’s now mocked out of jealousy toward America’s newest championship city.
Yes, the Texas Rangers’ victory parade Friday went along Ballpark Way and Road to Six Flags instead of through a downtown.
But this was where Rangers fans wanted to be. Globe Life Field and Choctaw Ballpark are where they have suffered for summer after summer.
This parade amounted to a 2-mile-long exorcism.
It was maybe the most jubilant moment in Arlington history, set in radiant sunshine in the only setting that would have held 500,000 fans.
And some outsiders couldn’t stand it.
Even our fellow Rangers fans at Dallas-based D Magazine stopped celebrating long enough to take a jab.
“By all means,” the magazine’s editor wrote. “Have the parade down North Collins Street in Arlington, right past the Hooters and the Chick-fil-A, then the Wingstop and the Raising Cane’s and the Buffalo Wild Wings, which is right before the Popeyes.”
First of all, they left out Babe’s.
We can take some teasing from Dallas. After all, those unfortunate folks don’t even have a Babe’s.
Not surprisingly, Arlington is also suddenly big enough to become a new hated rival for the former home of champions, Houston.
“You are the Arlington Rangers and the parade is in Arlington. Both are things to laugh at,” @StrosFan86 wrote on X.com, part of a day-long barrage of bitter posts from fans still resentful that the Rangers beat the Astros for the American League pennant.
“This year’s WS parade is small compared to Astros’ parade. It’s going around the old stadium and the new stadium. That’s it! “ was the post by “Former Future Astros Host Mom.”
The commenter went on: “Arlington doesn’t have a ‘Houston downtown’ nor the fan support.”
I’ll leave that alone.
I’ll just point out that Houston also doesn’t have a Babe’s
As a manager of real estate investments, Arlington Council member Helen Moise has heard the jokes about her city for years.
“”I was working in Dallas, north Dallas, Irving,” she said Friday before the parade, “and even people in the office would make jokes or say, ‘Arlington? Where’s that?’ “
Moise is near the end of her last council term representing booming north Arlington, home to new Loews hotels, daily Dallas Cowboys stadium visitors and baseball’s new world champions.
On Friday, she and the entire city of Arlington relished what also felt like a civic victory celebration.
“Now I can go anywhere in the country,” she said, “and I guarantee you that whenever I say I live in Arlington, everybody will know where that is.”
This will not be Arlington’s last parade.
This story was originally published November 3, 2023 at 12:00 AM.
