Muscles, statues and West Covina

This is from staff writer Alison Hewitt:

Here's a funny bit of news out of West Covina.

A statue of a generic baseball player about to swing a bat is planned for the parking lot
of a new shopping center in West Covina, as part of the city's public art requirement. Apparently, there was some unexpected controversy at recent Planning Commission meetings about whether, in light of
baseball's steroids scandal, the statue was too muscular.

A couple of gadflies who frequently comment at city meetings and at least one planning commissioner said “the muscular appearance of the baseball player was inappropriate due to the recent steroid
controversy in professional baseball,” according to an official summary of the meeting.

The development's project manager consulted with the artist and they agreed that “the eyes had a kind of intense look to them and they thought they could tone it down a little,” Planning Director Doug
McIssac recalled. But they opposed changing the muscles since it would involve an expensive redesign, McIssac said.

The city's Art is Public Places consultant spoke in favor of the statue, noting that the muscles helped represent the heroic concept the artist was trying to convey.

The statue was approved on a 4-1 vote, muscles and all. Commissioner Gordon Fisher opposed it because of its overly muscular build. The statue is one of two that will go up eventually in West Covina's Home
Depot-Target shopping center south of the new, baseball-centric Big League Dreams sports complex.