Through These Gates

I lost a couple hard working employees to a local foundry that has recently begun rehiring. I live not far from this foundry. It's a place called Columbus Steel Castings (formerly Buckeye Steel). It has a history that goes back over 100 years.

The above picture is from her front entrance.

I picked up a new black Crew jersey today (hopefully for the Newcastle game, my canary yellow one just didn't feel right for that game). Below is what is written on the inside of the collar.The game of soccer was born behind places like Columbus Steel Castings and in towns like Newcastle Upon Tyne. The "Through these gates..." like sign is not uncommon around union halls and other mfg facilities around town. "America's hardest working team" comes naturally to this part of the country.

I asked the son of a man that works at a place called Griffin Wheel, a ductile iron foundry, once what he knew about the team. He stood there, clearly not knowing much about them and said; "Hardest working team, right?"

Columbus looks at the rustbelt as a cancer that they are trying to cure. It so desperately wants to shed this image. I don't see it that way. It's jobs that have to be done. Jobs that Americans have always performed better then any other nation on the planet. Working environments have gotten better in foundries but they can only ever be so good when you are working inches from 2000 degree molten metal.

Columbus doesn't quite know what it has around here in the Crew. What it could mean to this area. I wish I were smarter and could write (more) better to make the connections.

I guess I'll just say that seeing that in the jersey today put a smile on my face.

I've put up a lot of little bits of art/design work for the Crew this year. I'm organizing a place to put it all up. Since I work with posters all day here is one I made up for the team based on this post. The other two writers that come around Helltown are much better then I at this but the Crew deserve a poster of some sort so Sasquatch make poster.