Why not the best?

David Mas Masumoto wrote a fine piece for the cover of Sunday's Vision section, dissecting the horrible tendency we have in Fresno and the Valley to settle for less than the best. It resonated with me because I've been angered and frustrated for years by the monstrous inertia that often plagues us.

A favorite example of mine was the naysaying and sneering that went on during the long years it took to build Grizzlies Stadium. One of the frequent complaints was that Fresno didn't need a "gold-plated" stadium, as if to suggest that less will always do.

One of the most encouraging things about all this ferment lately -- about downtown, the arts, the social milieu, the Creative Economy Council, the Regional Jobs Initiative -- is that it represents a determination not to settle for something less than the best.

I recall meeting a friend in the stadium at the end of the first game played there some years ago. He is a third- or fourth-generation Fresnan, and cherishes the town as deeply as anyone. He also hates that ennui that leaves us constantly having to endure second- or third-rate stuff. We greeted each other with no small amount of glee at finally being in the new stadium, and then he took a slow look around at the capacity crowd, the fine spring evening sky, the lights, the players leaving the field -- the whole beautiful scene. Then threw his head back and screamed -- perhaps to the demons of mediocrity -- "We deserve this!"

A few people nearby laughed; some raised fists in support and smiled -- they knew.

Maybe that ought to be the battle cry: "We deserve this!" Because we certainly do.