A Sports Voyage

If my tenure here at Sacramento State University were to abruptly stop after the semester’s end, what would I then decide to do?

Wow, what a question indeed. For me to deviate from the defaulted path of earning my higher education seems unheard of, unlikely, and uncharacteristic of me to do. That would defy the long-engrained message that nothing is more important than receiving my education, a virtually planned out agenda that had been instilled in me by my parents only since I was a young boy mastering the alphabet.

But back to the question at hand, what would I then do if I were to permanently ditch college?

My far from diverse list of hobbies wouldn’t change, in fact more time would be dedicated to my sports-loving lifestyle. For sports has been the constant variable ever present in my life and I couldn’t see myself not doing something related to it as a career, but I wouldn’t be sure what exactly?

To help solve this dilemma with school left behind, I think I would embark upon a massive and epic cross-country sports road trip.  As a huge fan who previously has not traveled much at all (seeing 5 of 50 states), I would make it a must to see all the most desirable sports venues, sports towns, and team matchups on my list that our nation has to offer. In addition, hopefully this voyage would expose or steer me towards a new sports-related occupation that I might discover along the way.

An unsymmetrical oval going counter-clockwise would be the overall outline of the trip as it would start and end in Sacramento.

Northeast would be the general direction I would first travel with a lot of open roads ahead of me until my first destination in the town of Green Bay, Wisconsin. I’d want to check out the “cheesehead” town and see the storied and legendary home of the Packers, Lambeau Field.

Across Lake Michigan would be my next stop to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Sentimental ties would be the reason to touring The University of Michigan because my late grandfather was an alumnus of this prestigious school. Being able to check out the largest stadium in the United States seating 109,901 known, as “The Big House” would be the other.   

Then in the Northeastern region of the U.S., baseball and basketball would be the main themes as I would see Yankee Stadium in New York (home of the “Evil Empire”), Madison Square Garden (where the Knicks play), The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, and the Redsox’ home in Boston with historic Fenway Park.

Down the home stretch of the trip, I would stop by Myrtle Beach South, Carolina, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and Scottsdale, Arizona to satisfy an urge to play my favorite sport on some renowned golf courses like TPC Sawgrass and Dove Mountain.

From there, I’d wrap up the sports-themed excursion with a little leisure rest and relaxation in one of my favorite places on earth in Monterey, California. There would be no set agenda for Monterey as I would recoup and absorb the peaceful and tranquil scene of that gorgeous city, which would cap off an absolutely amazing trip.

Although this road trip would not be a substitute for an alternative occupation to college, I feel this could help spark a new idea for job related to sports along the way. Also, as I am a self-proclaimed “sports nut” I see it as this would be my due diligence to experience sports and how they are portrayed and seen across the nation. Hopefully one day soon, this trip becomes a reality.

The Big House (Michigan Stadium)                   Fenway Park

A Peninsula Secret

            Who says that you must travel a long way to escape to a desired location for vacation? For me, that is not the case, as a smooth 3-hour long drive from Sacramento will place you there, in the lovely town of Pacific Grove, California.

            Dubbed as “America’s Last Hometown,” Pacific Grove is located at the northwestern most portion of the Monterey Bay Peninsula. The small, quaint, relaxing, quiet, and safe town is surrounded by scenic coastline and is conveniently located near countless attractions and desirable destinations. Here, you are just minutes away from Carmel, Downtown Monterey, Cannery Row, Fisherman’s Wharf, Big Sur, and Pebble Beach.

            In late August of this year, my girlfriend and I embarked on a little getaway and spent four days in Pacific Grove. We had such a fantastic time there that we literally starting planning when we would be able to come back for our next trip almost as soon as we returned to Sacramento. So in December, right after finals conclude, we are to be Pacific Grove bound.

            Our first trip to Pacific Grove was actually partially by accident. Originally, we had intentions of staying in Monterey, but due to a shortage of hotels available in the city at the time, we had to resort to staying just outside of Monterey in a nearby town. But am I ever so glad that all the large hotels were booked in the city, for we were able to experience a satisfying and peaceful stay in a homey town with everything going for it.

            Mom and pop shops, clothing stores, bookstores and non-chain related restaurants line Lighthouse Avenue as you enter into town only two minutes after you depart the City of Monterey. There is no lacking of character in this tiny place with hand made signs, old Victorian style buildings, black painted lampposts, and rows of Cypress pines planted in the road’s divider. Also it’s nice to see and appreciate a town that looks to have not been changed over the years, but be preserved as it has been.

             The residential area circling the town only adds to the already supremely high level of visual appeal that Pacific Grove encompasses. Plenty of lush greenery, and an abundance of well maintained parks, and the high-end houses that mostly fit the time period for the town (earlier 20^th century). Finally, for a “cherry on top” when it comes to beautiful scenery, no matter where you are in Pacific Grove, you are never far away from the breathtaking coastline and beaches of the ocean which can be admired in many different ways.

            As for our first trip, my girlfriend and I had a tentative itinerary planned consisting of the usual tourist attractions in Monterey like The Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, Carmel, and 17-mile Drive, but we were not able to cross off more than a few as the trip transpired. Instead, more time was spent by choosing more low-key and still desirable alternatives in Pacific Grove such as strolling through the town on a cool summer’s evening, sampling various local cuisines, and taking a few relaxing walks beside the ocean.

            So as Pacific Grove can be utilized as a home base to stay at on vacation while experiencing what the “touristy” Monterey and the surrounding areas have to offer, peninsula visitors owe the town itself some time to appreciate its charm. For now my girlfriend and I find ourselves looking forward primarily to a trip at a true “hidden gem” and a secondary side of Monterey to complement the getaway.

                                       

Elephant Bar Redemption

A cheeseburger, fries, and a tall-sized Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It doesn’t seem too overly complicated of an order to remember right, especially with just two people in the party.

Unfortunately, that was what transpired with my previous visit to the Elephant Bar in Citrus Heights, as my beer was the only item that reached the table that night. But seeing as though I am somewhat partial to the place, I decided to give the restaurant a shot at redemption and to correct their order-taking miscue.

This last Thursday night around 9:00 p.m. was the time for the restaurant’s chance as my girlfriend and sister accompanied me to Elephant Bar.

As we arrived at the isolated restaurant in a rather large parking lot, we noticed a considerable number of cars parked surrounding the building. Immediate thoughts crept in for us that being able to get a table might seem unlikely, but as we passed through the gold colored elephant-handled doors, things looked up as the bar had ample seating and was also featuring a happy hour. Yes!

A quick scan of the bar revealed that we would continue an age demographic trend with the majority of people there appearing to be in their 20s to 30s.

We sat at a high-rise table along the perimeter of the bar and literally within two minutes, our brilliantly named server Nick (my name as well) took our orders of appetizers and drinks.

My girlfriend ordered some coconut shrimp skewers and a margarita. My sister had the bruschetta and a glass of sangria wine. And I went with the very vanilla, but consistent cheeseburger, fries, and tall Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

As we waited for our food and drinks, I personally soaked in the atmosphere of where we were seated in the bar. Being a huge sports fanatic, I could appreciate the eight strategically placed flat-screened televisions around the bar; also it was a plus that all of which were tuned into a sports-based program like ESPN, ESPN 2, and The NFL Network.

But, back to the dining experience…

Promptly, within a brisk 10 minutes, our food and drinks had arrived so we dug in.

Seeing as though I am far from a “picky” eater, it really takes mal-prepared meal for me to not enjoy it, but that was not the case here. My cheeseburger was nicely presented. A generously sized greasy beef patty cooked in a medium fashion sat on the toasted bottom bun. Atop the beef was a gooey slice of medium cheddar cheese while lettuce, onions, and two tomato slices separated the rest from the mayo spread on the top bun.

The burger was tasty and contained an abundance of flavor with all the components, while the fries were fairly good and complemented the slider well. My robust and hoppy Sierra Nevada washed it all down, and I was satisfied.

            As for the others’ food, my girlfriend commented that her shrimp tasted fresh and my sister liked the combination of the toasted Italian bread with olive oil and mozzarella cheese.

After our plates and glasses were cleared from the table, our bill was not immediately rushed to us, but instead Nick delivered it at a leisurely pace (about 15 minutes later), which was nice not to feel like we were wanted out quickly.

Our happy hour experience concluded with a signature on the moderately priced receipt, and we were out the door at 10:20 p.m.

The Elephant Bar didn’t give us a sense of any 4-star dining, but it offered a place to unwind at the beginning of the weekend with a little food and drink. It helps too that this time my burger and fries were not so elusive. I think a future tip when ordering is to supplement the verbal cues with pointing on the menu as I did this time around.

Extreme Couponing

Does 80 cents off of a box of Frosted Flakes sound like a nice discount to you? Or how about 2 dollars off of a bottle of Tide detergent? Maybe $ 10.99 for a twelve pack of Heineken, now that gets you happy (as it should) right?

 Well, if you think those are some scores on deals, then watching “Extreme Couponing” will make you think some customers are holding the cashiers hostage with the absurd amount of money these people don’t have to spend on these massive “saving sprees” that they just call shopping trips.  

“Extreme Couponing” is like a hybrid of a docu-series/reality program that showcases the biggest thrifty shoppers out there who are absolutely crazed on getting the best deals possible.

Shoppers on the show go to extreme lengths like getting dozens of Sunday newspapers for the ads/coupons, also they print out the those not available in the newspapers at home via the internet.

Since this can be a long and tedious task of gathering hundreds of the best coupons each week, it is often described as a part-time job for many of these frugal people. So, some common strategies couponers use to help organize are using spreadsheets and binders as thick as college chemistry books each trip they embark on to the grocery store.

It all pays off in the end however, with many customers (if you still want to call them that?) saving well over 90 percent off of retail prices. A prime example would be from an episode I just watched when a Missouri woman ended up only paying $ 4.84 for $ 857.63 worth of groceries, a 99.4 percent savings. Now that is what I call mastering a system to your advantage.

The show’s concept is pretty simple, as I found out early on from watching it the first time. It is certainly entertaining, easy to follow, interesting, educational and insightful. “Extreme Couponing” also sends a strong and direct message that everyday people are able to greatly reduce their expenses for groceries with some simple help from newspapers, the internet, a printer, and of course those coveted scissors that are like a chef’s favorite blade to a dedicated couponer.

On the other hand, along with the bountiful savings, this show also depicts some mixed messages too.

As mentioned in a few reviews I’ve read of “Extreme Couponing,” it seems as though a good amount of these people aren’t actually in need of this excessive coupon barrage from their apparent financial situation. Many of these housewives return from their shopping trips by pulling up in their near new Chevrolet Subruban to their massive five bedroom home. Then proceed to stack up their 78 rolls of paper towels, 52 frozen dinners, 24 bottles of mustard, and 112 chocolate milk mixes in their Master suite-sized pantries. Really now?

Even a majority of people on the show who use coupons consistently will admit it is a sort of addiction. Getting a rush from seeing the grocery tab fluctuate, then being able to take heaping piles of desirable products, yeah I can see that being fun for some.

Another show with similar habits as “Extreme Couponing” that might need help controlling is “Hoarders.” I see parallels with the two programs as they both feature hobbies that people enjoy, but that can get quickly out of hand if not monitored.

To me, “Extreme Couponing” sends mixed messages with its show. The obvious message is that it shows a template to save a considerable amount of money, and that’s great for those who it genuinely benefits. In addition, it exploits people who some may feel the need to facilitate a random and needless urge to save, and the reason is, just because. 42 packs of staples anyone? They’ll almost end up being free!

Our Neglected National Pastime

            As I do nearly every weekday morning, this last week I tuned into ESPN’s morning shows like “First Take,” “Sportscenter,” and “Mike and Mike” and noticed a slightly alarming and consistent trend on the shows. On average for the week, I’d say it took a good 15-30 minutes for the program to delve into one of sports’ most profound and prestigious championships, and that is the World Series.

Instead, such topics like NCAA Football and NFL week re-capping would take up a lot of time. Especially one in particular would arise again and again. A subject regarding one young Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos’ starting quarterback position would seem to dominate the discussions and last for a good while just about every day.

Now certainly those types of stories and news relating to them are no doubt warranted and deserve airtime, but to override the immediacy of a major sports championship with simple sports chatter and speculation like this? Now that’s a bit uncalled for, and suspect.

Currently, as of October 25^th, the series stands as Texas leading St. Louis 3-2 in a best of 7 game series.

In my opinion, the match up has been drama filled and quite entertaining to watch with the battle-tested Texas Rangers against the surprise team in the St. Louis Cardinals. Both teams have had their own dominating wins and have partaken in nail-biting one run contests. So what is exactly not to like if you are a sports fan or sports network with a series that looks bound for 7 games?

Certain ideas I generated for explaining this made some sense, but the whole thing leaves me dumbfounded. I mean is the ongoing progress of the pinnacle of our national pastime’s season really less interesting than sports gossip?

The first immediate reason that popped into my mind was the teams involved in the World Series. One is from Texas, and the other from Missouri, an “America’s Heartland” World Series if you will.

They are not exactly small markets there, but no prolific east coast teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, or Braves are in it and no doubt that could hurt the notoriety factor of the matchup due to an east coast bias by the media. However, Arlington, Texas is in very close proximity to Dallas (a large market city) and the Rangers are considered an above-average market team at a $93 million payroll. St. Louis is no slouch either with an enormous fan contingency and a payroll of $105 million.  

Another reason why baseball may have their fan base dwindle down is the return of the NFL season as we are now in week 7 of the season. Historically the NFL is the most popular sport for Americans to watch year after year and crushes all other sports in television ratings. But this last Sunday night was a different story with game 4 of the World Series earning a 10.1 overnight rating, while the Sunday Night Football game between the Colts and Saints received only an 8.2 rating.

Now a more personable experience I had to show the lack of attention the World Series is receiving, a surprising development happened, as I visited my gym last night. During the evening (peak time for gyms usually) of the 12 televisions on, I counted just one that was tuned into baseball. Others showed the NFL, Fox News, and CNN; even the Food Network was on three televisions in the gym. Really now? Halloween Wars was on more televisions than the World Series? That just put the icing on the cake.

So I guess the realization has come to me. A once “can’t miss event” in sports is becoming more neglected and being brushed to the side for other less substantial programs, like a holiday decorating reality show. WOW!

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder, but...

 The whole craze of achieving maximum fuel efficiency has totally taken priority over everything else involved in automobile manufacturing, and rightfully so. With gas and oil prices skyrocketing and how our present day economy is currently situated, it makes perfect sense to develop cars that will conserve fuel and transport you farther on a single tank of gas.

However, there might have been one thing that was left on the back burner for some recently made models that have hit the floor the past two years; did anyone check to see how they looked? And if so, were they seriously satisfied with the appearance?

What I have noticed while driving on the roads the past few months is that I have encountered good amount of “head turners.” No, not drop-dead gorgeous women strutting down the street with their long wavy hair, supermodel-like body, and perfectly symmetric face, but “head turners” as in hideous looking complies of metal on four wheels with a grill and headlights (a car’s face) that honestly only a mother could love.

I am confident that you know what I am talking about and have unfortunately encountered some of these monstrosities while on the road. Some prime culprits are from Nissan with their Juke and Cube, the Mini Countryman, Lincoln MKT, and the Honda Crosstour. There were others that I was reminded of and visualized when trying to narrow down the choices, but these stood out.

So in the interest of column length and not delving into a separate review for each vehicle, here are some quick comments of them:

·      The Nissan Cube, although it exudes practicality and roominess, it is simply self-described by its name. It shows minimal creativity with its design, isn’t symmetric, isn’t aerodynamic, and if in white it looks as if a washing machine is bellowing at you at 40 mph.

    

·      The Mini Countryman. I mean the name alone is darn right confusing. In a Mini you want to feel like you are driving a go-cart; but not one that is massively disproportionate, has two extra doors, and looks like it is on steroids with a raised grill and deep-set headlights. 

    

·      And it seems as though Honda has actually missed its mark with an automobile with its Crosstour. It looks like a mismatch of parts and body panels from SUV’s, wagons, sedans, minivans, and maybe something else too, all molded together to a UFO on four wheels.
 

Had enough yet? Well a briefing seems appropriate for the final two, as they are quite capable of frightening young children based on only their looks.

·      Lincoln’s MKT is something else; it’s 207 inches long and over 5000 pounds of something else. It has lines and swoops in random areas that don’t accentuate each other as shown with the crooked rear end and huge grill. It kind of reminds me that “Tucan Sam” is coming near.

  

·      Now not to pick on Nissan again, but this last one takes the cake. The Juke screams identity crisis. I mean, it’s actually really hard to briefly describe, but I think I’ll call it consistently inconsistent with its appearance. Almost as though it is trying to “juke” out potential buyers.

   

Obviously, people have different tastes when it comes to cars. However, you’ll most certainly notice if you see any of these while hitting the road. They will stick out amongst the countless amount of Camrys, Accords, and F150s. And when that happens, I’m almost positive the words you utter won’t be “wow, that was a stunning car, that Juke/Cube.”

Learning the Basics of "Occupying"

Never have I had so much difficulty understanding the motives and purposes of protesters than I have these last few days here in Sacramento.

Then again, I cannot exactly say that I have put forth the most effort or have paid an adequate amount of attention to the rallies and protests of “Occupy Sacramento.”

Usually the signs they (protestors) hoist up repeatedly or loud chants they verbalize that echo can give clear messages or drop some hints on what the people want, right? Well in this case, not so much, at least for me it is not that cut-and-dry to comprehend what’s going on with “Occupy Sacramento.”

Before today, all I really knew was that the protests were related to the larger ones going on Wall Street and that the “occupy” movement was catching on in other bigger cities like Philadelphia and Chicago.

So to grasp what is going on with the demonstrations that have been taking place at Caesar Chavez Park the past few days, I did what any other logical and lazy college student would do who wants a quick answer, google it! So I did, and began reading articles. However, I realized after about 30 minutes, I gained some marginal information, but still no clear reasons for why these people were protesting.

Much of the news articles I read simply explained that protesters were arrested or had harassed news reporters. Finally though, I arrived at a few reasons like: the present state of our economy here in the United States, our health care system, and corporate America. This did help some with the clarity of what was going on downtown, but as I kept looking into more articles, the ambiguity rose again with conflicting or very vague news pieces.

So to help myself understand more of “Occupy Sacramento,” I asked my sister Sonia for her input. She actually attended most of the protests at Caesar Chavez Park since they started on Thursday last week. When I asked her what it was all about, she told me that if she had to boil it down to one main problem, it is that “people were sick of government failing them and aiding the top 1-2 percent.”

Also, my sister told me not to believe everything said on news regarding what has been going on at Caesar Chavez Park. According to her, apparently reporters from CBS were somewhat inconsiderate by implying that “hippies” were there protesting for various reasons. In addition, reporters supposedly sought out the most outspoken, extreme, and entertaining people at the rally to interview while not paying attention to those who knew what they were there for and who may have been more knowledgeable about the protest-related topics.

To gather another person’s valid opinion, (who is more familiar with the situation than I) I picked at my dad’s brain some. He said a large part of it is discovering why the economy is in such a bad state right now and how individuals’ problems relate to it. Also he mentioned he thinks that people should be patient with this process and that drastic changes will not occur over night.

Based on the information I have gathered via internet, friends, and family, I think it is safe to say the reasons for these demonstrations cannot be summed up in a few words or phrases. Although I feel I have learned more about the subject and feel like I could even carry a conversation regarding this for a good minute or two, it sure has been an effortful endeavor for it has occupied my brain sufficiently the last 48 hours.