Homecoming Season

All cities have one thing in common; fall is the harbinger of Homecoming Season. In LA for high school, you celebrate homecoming by wearing the tightest outfit possible and refusing to watch the game. I mean, let’s be honest. The social game is just much more fun from a spectator standpoint. In the South Homecoming means only one thing: Barbeque! Lots and lots of heavenly meat drowned down with as many bud lights as you can stomach. No matter where you are though, Homecoming is a unique day where even schools such as Harvard care enough to show up to a football game no matter how bad their team is.

On my way to Harvard-Yale (not our real homecoming game…but the only game where both fan bases show up in party busses and the only one they actually care about) I thought about what every good college homecoming game means. So here it is, “A Homecoming Checklist/Survival Tricks”:

1) School Themed Gear: Though not cool in high school, this is definitely a requirement once you have entered the college years. In my case, any form of Yale Sucks is the way to go. Also note to alumni: the Varsity H sweater really, really, really isn’t cool.

2) Early morning drink: This should become more sophisticated right along with you. Sophomore year, my first trip to Yale the drink of choice on the bus was Rum (with my friend fifer constantly asking, “Where has all the rum gone?” Think pirates of the Caribbean.) This year, as a wise and responsible alumnus, I decided to sip mimosas while riding the MTA North to New Haven. So choose your drink responsibly! It says a lot about you.

3) Be prepared: I always pack some food. No matter if you tell your self, “This Year I will not do a Keg Stand,” you know you will inevitably end up doing one. So do yourself a favor and have something with you to help soak up all that lovely alcohol.

4)Don't let other people stress you out: This is important if you are an alumnus. You are no longer in college...so those girls who pissed you off? You really don't have to pretend to be friends anymore. Sounds slightly biatchy I know, but the reason I fly across country is to hang out with my roommates. Spend the time with the people you actually want to spend it with...not with those you feel you "have to."

5)Go to the game: Ok, so this year I didn’t make it through the gates. In my defense though, I didn’t realize it had even started! And, I’ve managed to make it into the stadium 4 out of 5 times. How many people can say that?

6) Plan an exit strategy: Getting to the game is easy. Leaving is hard. Make sure you’re not the one the next day your friends realize hasn’t quite made it back home yet...

Congrats!

Just want to give a quick shout out to Tim Lincecum!! Two-time Cy Young award winner, and only 25 years old...the fact that I am practically the same age as him, makes this even more depressing, lol.

Lincecum is only the 3rd person to win back-to-back Cy Youngs, the other two being Sandy Koufax and Randy Johnson! Can't wait to see him go for his third in a row next year! Go Giants!! :)

Heaven Found At A Restaurant

The first bite is glorious...the second even better...and before you know it the manna from heaven has somehow disappeared from your plate. That’s what it feels like to eat a Pulled Pork Sandwich from “The Pub” in Ghirardelli Square.

Last weekend was a big day: it was Greg’s 24th birthday. And to help him overcome the bitterness of now being “old,” we knew that we had to find a proper place to celebrate. There was only one answer: the Pub. First though, we had to go on the website and make sure that it wasn’t a “Colorado Day.”

What’s a “Colorado Day” you ask? A Colorado day is when the Boulders alumni network bombards and turns what is at all other times a family appropriate place into a frat party. SO WARNING...always check on the website if you don’t want to be mingling with boys decked out in backwards caps and popped collars, or with feisty looking blonds who fight you if you dare to cheer for whatever team the Buffalos happen to be playing against. Unfortunately, we did not yet know that “The Pub” was a Buffalo bar prior to bringing Greg’s parents there in September. Needless to say, they weren’t very amused by the make out session that took place in the plants right next to our table on the patio.

Other than those unfortunate Saturdays, “The Pub” is an undiscovered gem on the wharf. All of the food I’ve had there has been amazing, but there are a few things that you absolutely have to try. One the Pulled Pork Sandwich; two the Truffle Mac N Cheese; and three the Cheese Quesadilla with pork added to it. To wash those lovely entrees down, order yourself a bloody Mary. But be careful! It’s spicy! ☺

Time To Unwind

It took me awhile, but I am finally recovered from Notre Dame’s, who came so-tantalizingly-close, but fell short yet again, deflating loss to the hated Trojans. Two things helped me to heal: a Notre Dame victory over BC (their first over the Eagles in 7 years) and a visit to Bar None.

Bar None isn’t your normal sports bar. Not only does it have TV’s to watch the latest sports, but it’s set up to let you put the competitive juices that start flowing after watching your team win to good use. Just choose your arena: pool, darts or Beirut. Then dominate!

For Greg and I there really is no choice. Sure every now and then we get the itch to throw some darts at the board. But usually, the only things we want to be throwing are ping-pong balls.

It starts with just a game. The only problem is, once you win other teams want to challenge you. And since they have to supply the beer, how can you say no? So for us, once we begin playing we don’t stop for a very, very long time. I mean one time we started our Beirut domination at around 9:30. We didn’t get off the table till around 12 that night. And that was only because by our last game...um the cups on the other side of the table had started to get a bit hazy. But hey, what do you expect? I was a two-time winner of my College Dorm's Beirut tournament ;)

Not every night is a Bar None night. It’s a very college-aged crowd and has the environment of a frat on a Friday night. So don’t go there if you aren’t in the mood to party a little harder than you usually do. And expect the unexpected when you go. One night, I decided to bring my barely-turned 21-year-old sister to the bar. That night ended up being a bar crawl with Bar None as the piece de resistance. Costumes, Karaoke, and Make-Out sessions abounded throughout the night. She was a little shocked...but after our first sister-themed win at the Beirut table she got into the spirit.

So do I recommend Bar None? Yes, but only when you are in the mood to revisit your college days. It’s more of a party bar then a sports bar. My advice is when you decide to go to Bar None, make a night of it. The bar is located in the Marina, which is a really cute little area with lots of nice shops and restaurants. We always go out to dinner beforehand. This serves two purposes: we get some really nice food, and we carbo-load prior to a big night of drinking. The place we most frequent is the Mexican restaurant, “Left at Alburquerqe,” which has the best margaritas ever!

We hope to see you at Bar None soon. We’ll be the ones in the corner, dominating every single Beirut team that dares to challenge us ☺

This Is The Year...I Can Feel It!

YES! It’s finally here! My favorite day of the whole year: USC vs. ND. And this year, you can bet your Blue Moons that Notre Dame is going to win!

I know this has nothing to do with San Francisco sports, but spare me. It’s been 7 long years of trial and tribulations for the Notre Dame faithful. But this year will be the year where the Bush Push becomes history. Horrifying Images of Leinart stretching his hands barely past the end zone line will finally be replaced by euphoria-producing images of multiple Clausen-to-Tate Touchdowns.

Overdramatic you say? Well just picture this:

The date is October 15th and a young naive Megan is sitting in her new dorm at Harvard sophomore year. Knowing a total of about 5 people, Megan is completely overwhelmed by the many hot, older and mature seniors in Currier. But thankfully, Notre Dame was there to make her feel a bit better. She has prime seats in front of the projector screen to watch ND finally break the streak of losses to their hated rival. And it’s all going so beautifully! Not only is ND hanging in there, but also there are about 50 Currierites all sitting in the Fishbowl who are having fun jawing with her! Sure, they are all rooting for USC to annoy her, but with ND up by 3 it doesn’t faze Megan at all. But, as Megan should have known, it was all too good to be true. With Bush’s miraculous 4th down catch, the good will that ND has built up throughout the game begins to crumble. So, with only 1:30 left in the game, Megan plasters a strained smile onto her face, and JT (a new “friend” who decided to sit next to her in order to partake from her chips and salsa) removes his arm from her vise like grip to prevent any more nail-clawing injuries (fyi, he never sat next to me ever again, lol).

But then a miracle happens! Mays knocks the ball out of pretty-bow Leinart’s hands and it’s a fumble to end the game!! Megan begins jumping up and down, hugging Matt Friendly (her arch nemesis throughout the game), and throwing smug smiles to the T-5 guys behind her. But then, AGAIN cruel fate plucks happiness away from her. The ball is knocked out of bounds! No recovery! USC ball! AWWWW!! Just picture Megan’s heart-broken face! Not only did the ball miraculously bounce USC’s way (which um, under Touchdown Jesus’s watch should never happen), but also the refs spotted the ball WAY to close. So what does Megan do? She puts her game face on and prepares herself for one more play...4th down...for all the marbles..

And LEINART IS STOPPED...YESSS...WAIT...NOOOO!! Bush literally pushes Leinart over the end zone after the ND defense had stuffed him. Megan collapses onto her chair, head in hands crying. No joking. Real tears roll down her face as victory was so cruelly snatched from her grasp. Everyone in the Fishbowl, aware that she really is hurt, tries to comfort her, but to no avail. Notre Dame has lost.

So no...I am not being over dramatic. But don’t worry about me. As I said, this is the year. Saturday at 12:30 ND is going to come through for me! At least you better hope so...or you'll be treated to a very bitter post come Saturday night ;P

GO IRISH!!!

Ghost Town

Quiet and Empty. Two words I’d never thought I would use to describe Giants Stadium. But then again, I’d never been around it when there wasn’t a game going on.

Game day at Momo’s means people packed back-to-back on the patio downing 5 dollar Coors in preparation for a Giants victory. Last Saturday night, I saw that Momo’s had left it’s party past behind. Instead of rowdy teens in beer stained Giants Jerseys and Panda Masks, there were people in power suits sipping wine (apparently Momo's moonlights as a fancy eatery...who knew?). The Cal flag hung limply on the flag post where once the Giants flag waved proudly. Apparently Cal football just doesn’t bring the crowd in like the Giants do.

This wasn’t how I imagined this Saturday would be. I always thought I’d be down at the Stadium on Saturday. But I thought that it would be me and 1000’s of strangers/friends, not just Greg and I.

San Francisco is ready for October Magic. I mean, just imagine if we had made it into the playoffs? Game 3 wouldn’t have been postponed till Sunday due to snow. Zito would have gone pitch for pitch with Pedro Martinez. Momo’s and 21st Amendment’s patios would have been filled to the brim. And the stadium would have been raucous and packed...instead of quiet and empty.

But, unfortunately it just wasn’t meant to be. So take my advice and don’t go down to the Stadium until the Playoffs are done. It's depressing. Wait till spring and see it in all its glory.

See you next year Giants. I can’t wait.

A Real Homecoming

Wow...so that’s what it feels like to go to a real homecoming game.

Don’t worry I’ve been to other homecomings. I went to every one of my lame high school games. But that was more about dressing up and being seen than it was about the actual football being played. I mean, when your team is so bad that they choose the local deaf school (I’m not even joking...I wish I was, but I’m not) in order to make sure that they walk away with a victory, you know that the football game isn’t why the stands are full. And then, there were my college homecoming games; um not going to lie, I actually didn’t go to a single one of those. In fact, I can honestly say that I have no idea if we actually had a homecoming game.

So yes, I was a bit homecoming-deprived going into last Saturday. But Berkeley was kind enough to let me be a part of their homecoming experience to see what it means to actually go to a sports-crazed school. And let me tell you, it was a blast! Sure, the actual game could have been better, but the atmosphere was an A plus!

My first real homecoming ever started with a BBQ at a park by Walnut Street. Disaster almost struck as a group of early bird tailgaters beat us to the park, but we found a second BBQ pit and all was good with the world again. After tons of beers, brats, and burgers, it was time to head down to the “Bears Den”. Others at the party tried to convince me to go to “Tightwad Hill” (apparently there is a huge hill that overlooks the stadium), but I just couldn’t get past the name. I mean, could you?

Unfortunately, my lack of experience in attending big games showed in my naive belief that 20 minutes to game time, we would be able to find a place to watch the game at the Campus Bar. As you can imagine, no such luck. A crowd of 100 packed into a place that probably holds about 30 comfortably just didn’t make for a great viewing arena, as the TV was always covered by some USC fan’s big head. But, though the game was almost unwatchable, the people watching opportunities more than made up for it!

At one point when we were walking to the bar, Elisa, Greg and I almost died of suppressed giggles when a group of 10 USC fans watched past us. It was like the Hills come to life! There was the natural blond girl in USC beads and a red USC shirt dress; there was the fake blond girl with shorts and uggs; there was the “cool surfer dude” with longish streaked hair and a backwards cap; and, of course, the guy with a blazer over a USC jersey with a diamond earring that could be seen across the street (so cool right? Lol). I think you guys get the picture ;P

The game ended up being completely dominated by USC. As a result, the already bigheads of the USC fans swelled to a disturbing size. I’m not joking; their overly teased out hair somehow managed to gain even more volume by the end of the night. Quite impressive actually, lol. So we eventually decided we had had enough and went back to watch the rest of the game in peace at Elisa's apartment.

Overall, my Saturday was amazing! Sure the USC fans sucked, but that was to be expected. So I would definitely recommend going to a game if you can manage it. Just make sure to get to the game early...and try to avoid Tightwad Hill at all costs!

Thanks For The Memories

Dear Panda, Timmy, Cain, and Wilson:

Colorado finally whittled down their Magic Number to 0 so the “We’re In This Thing” commercials will have to be canceled. Is a Rockies Champagne Shower a sad end to an otherwise amazing season? Sure, but it isn’t all bad, so perk up guys!

Sure there’s disappointment: I’m disappointed, the talk shows are disappointed, and you’re obviously disappointed. Still...think of how far we’ve come! Remember back to the opening month of the season where the only thing that got the crowd excited was the free giveaways? Where instead of fighting the other teams fans, Giants fans were fighting each other for the chance at an absolutely horrendous PG&E “Solar Cap”. And where even Sunday afternoon games were only half full?

Now think about the end of the year…where every game was sold out, the local bars were hopping, and Giants fans were kicking the butts out of any Dodger fan that dared to enter AT&T Park. Plus, how cool were those Panda Masks?

Don’t think of the hated Dodgers winning the division. Hold onto these images instead:

5) Panda-Mania: A superstar was born this year. I mean, who doesn't love the slightly rotund, but remarkably fast and always smiling Sandoval?

4) Randy Johnson’s 300th win: True, it didn’t happen at home. But who can forget waiting through hours of rain delay to see if the game was ever going to happen. Plus...the experts always say that he will be the last 300th game winner. Then again, that’s probably because their East Coast Baseball Watching Bias hasn’t properly allowed them to get to know a certain Giants Pitcher called Tim Lincecum, aka the Franchise!

3) Best Pitching Staff in the Majors: Every game, I felt I was going to witness a shutout. And not going to lie, whenever Cain or Lincecum did let up a run, I was a little surprised/upset. Spoiled much?

2) Lincecum and Cain making the All-Star Team: I mean come on. How funny was it when Uribe was walking around the dugout wearing a “CAIN” All-Star Jersey? Talk about team unity!

1) Sanchez’s No Hitter: We got to see the first Giants pitcher throw a no-hitter since 1976. I’ll always remember being in a Giants bar, with the bar tenders giving free shots all around for luck in the 9th inning. True, the jello shots were possibly the worst things I’ve ever had in my life (word to the wise…all the alcohol is on the bottom of that shot so be prepared when you take that last bit)…but the stomach ache was well worth it to see my first ever No Hitter.

So thanks for a great season guys. Thanks to you, I can finally listen to my sports radio without them begging for the Sabean to bring back Barry (I’m like, it’s been 2 years guys…get over it already!). So though a little disappointed, the ultimate feeling for me is happiness, and it should be for you as well.

Now...if we can just get some power hitting... ;P

Tourist For A Day

What do you do when being a tourist at Pier 39? For most people, the answer would be obvious. A day at the wharf involves gazing at thousands of sea lions with your nose covered, downing as much chowder as your stomach can take, and feeding quarters into the mechanical arcade games. For my mom and me...the answer just wasn’t that simple.

Did my mom and I do all those things? Of course! I mean I completely dominated her on the Mrs. Pac Man machine (raising to a lot of awkward questions of exactly how many hours I spent practicing the game instead of doing work at college, but that’s a different story ;P)! And I mean the sheer numbers of sea lions makes them a photo op, especially for my picture-taking-addict mom,that couldn’t be passed up. But after checking off most of the touristy musts, my mom and I suddenly veered off the beaten path.

Walking through all the cute shops, my mom suddenly became very agitated. We realized that in all our SF-themed fun, we had somehow managed to lose track of the time! I mean it was nearly 4 o’clock and we hadn’t found a place to watch the Yankees-Sox game!! Now two of my moms most prized possessions are her Mantle jersey and her season tickets to the Yankees (clearly I take after her in the sports obsession department, lol). So you can imagine that she was not happy to be missing the chance to watch the Yankees keep the Sox from clinching a playoff spot. Luckily, “Players Sports Bar” saved the day!

If you are looking for a way to watch sports at Pier 39, definitely stop by Players. It’s a worse version of Dave and Busters, but it still does its job. My recommendation is to sit by the bar; the service is sketchy at best so the only way to make sure you get your drinks at a decent time is to make the trip from the bar to your table as short as possible. The nachos have the same problem that many cheap nachos have in that the cheese is so unappealing to the eye as to make you seriously ill, so just say no. The soup and chili though...that’s a different story. I don’t think I’ve had better French Onion Soup anywhere, and my mom was practically licking her chili bowl! ;)

Good food and a Yankees win was a perfect end to a great day. It did get a little dicey when I thought my mom was going to cheer out loud at Lester writhing in pain after being nailed by a Melky line drive, but hey, it’s not like we are in Boston right?

The best thing about Players was the relaxed and kid-friendly environment. Next time your wife is complaining that you always ditch the kids in favor of your weekly Sunday trip to bar, make the game a family affair. You can watch your team, while your kids play at the arcade! And don’t forget...the Sea Lions are right around the corner!

USA vs Mexico

The crowd was split 50/50. The good guys, aka those who wanted Mayweather to dominate in his coming out party, and the bad guys, aka those who were hoping that Marquez could pull off a Mexican-Independence-Day-inspired upset. Being at the bar was like being present at a USA vs. Mexico soccer game. Those of us on the side of good felt as if we were suffocating from the tension emanating off of the Marquez fans. The evening really wasn’t about the fight though. No, “Fight Night” at Jillians was all about being seen.

Balling up was the theme of the night. A $20 cover didn’t deter the blazer-wearing crowd from reaching into their deep pockets for drink after drink after drink. Sitting in the corner with our baseball caps and jerseys, we had first row seats to a truly unique people-watching experience. Unfortunately, the couple that joined us at our table can best be likened to those neighbors who rat on you to the “Neighborhood Rules Committee” because you put up Christmas lights two days before you were legally allowed to. In other words...our neighbors were BI-AT-CHES.

The guy looked like he was straight out of New Jersey with his tight pants and greasy hair. Still, he was saved by the fact he manned up with his order of Grey Goose on the rocks to at least give him a certain G-like aspect. His wife though….there were no redeeming characteristics to be found whatsoever! With a ring as big as her blown out/died blond hair, she felt that her money gave her the right to be as rude as possible. In a place packed to the T, if the waiter (who handled the crowed extremely well, by the way) was a second later than Big Hair thought she should be or God forbid crossed in front of her to get to the table next to us instead of behind her, Blondie was not afraid to let the poor waiter have it.

Luckily for Greg and I, there was a great fight on that helped to distract us from our poor choice of roomies. From the opening duel of National Anthems, to the moment where it looked like Floyd was going to KO the ringside reporter, my eyes never once strayed from the wall of TV’s. For the first 3 rounds, my ears rang from the “Marquez!” chants echoing throughout the bar. Every time Marquez would unleash a flurry of punches it seemed to his fans that he had to be dominating the fight…but that was only because the Matrix-like moves of Mayweather were literally impossible to see with the naked eye. Slow motion eventually revealed to the Marquez die-hards that it was as if Mayweather knew exactly where Marquez was going to jab next as even when cornered, Mayweather some how avoided Every Single Punch. Therefore, by the time Mayweather put Marquez on the ground, the fans were just as defeated as Marquez was.

Was the night expensive? Yes. Was it worth it? You bet it was! Every time we have ordered a Boxing or MMA fight we had been disappointed. The electric atmosphere made it so I can imagine what it’s actually like to be ringside at the MGM watching Mayweather put on a clinic...all we were missing was the actual lions. Make sure to get there early though if you don’t want to be crammed within a centimeter of your life on your feet in front of the bar. We got there around an hour and a half before the fight was scheduled, but still only just managed to get a table.

Hope to see you there for Pacquiao vs Mayweather!

Just Say No

Ghirardelli Chocolate festival. Need I say more? Everywhere you looked, there was some type of goodie being shoved into your face by vendors. And who was I to turn anyone down? After a great day of scrumptious chocolate and smooth wine, it was time to get my sports on!! Nearing 5 o’clock, we were desperate to find someplace to watch USC get pounded by Ohio State. With our usual hangout “The Pub” packed, and not being a hooters-type-of-crowd, we decided to try something new…and that my friend is where we made our first mistake.

Tiernan’s Restaurant and Pub. You’ve been there? Man I’m sorry about that. Take my advice and next time you’re thinking about going to a good Irish pub, just keep on walking past Tiernan’s.
A drink menu without prices led to a $5 Sam Oktoberfest. After “patiently waiting,” I finally got my fish and chips. Um, ya let me just say that they are still sitting like a rock in my stomach the day after! The batter completely overpowered the cod, which was just unfortunate as from what little fish I was able to get it seemed to be just as fresh and yummy as any other seafood you get on the pier. What about the lamb stew? Well I can honestly report that the Lamb Stew was virtually nonexistent. For $15, you get a couple spoonfuls of nappy carrots and dry bread. Excited yet?

After a disappointing dinner, Tiernan’s capped off a “lovely” evening by hitting you with an absurd bill. Apparently, a 4-person table equals an automatic 20% gratuity being added to the bill! Is it any wonder that in all this I completely forgot about the USC vs. Ohio State game?

I would like to formally apologize to you Terrelle Pryor. As the biggest USC hater on record, you really needed my passion to overcome the bleach-blond hair of USC’s freshmen quarterback. Don’t worry though. I promise that when USC comes to visit Berkeley California, I will bring all my energy down on the goofy-looking USC freshie and that this time the Trojan’s won’t escape my fury. You will be revenged!!

A Beautiful Trap

Is there a prettier park in all of sports than AT&T? I don’t think so. Add up a gorgeous view of a bay teeming with sailboats and kayaks, an excited but friendly crowd, and the fact that the Giants are relevant for the first time since 2004 and what do you get? Perfection!

Well…almost. AT&T’s black and orange visitors share a common gripe among those who go to professional games and that hang up is…the price. No, I’m not talking about the price of the ticket. The Giants are smart, as they lure you in and get you to put down your defenses by selling you a $10 dollar ticket. In a ballpark where there really isn’t a bad seat in the house, it seems like a great value, but buyer beware! Before you know it, you’re walking out of the game with a glazed expression on your face. And no your light-headedness isn’t from one to many beers (I mean how can it be when they cost $8.75 a pop!). It’s from the fact that you had to make not one, but two trips to the ATM!

Don’t worry though, that’s why I’m here! I have a couple of tips on how to enjoy the Giants without breaking the bank. (BTW, the Giants should seriously be paying me to go to their games and not the other way around. I have averaged 3 trips to the ballpark a month and have yet to see them lose a game! Admit it…you want me there for the brutal 6-game-stretch coming up against the Dodgers and Colorado, don’t you.)

Bring an empty water bottle. The Giants will let you in with one as long as there is no liquid in it, and then you can fill it up from the various water fountains located in the park. Price wasted on bottled water? None. Already saved you some money, didn’t I? If you plan on eating at the park, get the Italian Sausage with onions. It’s 7 bucks, but it’s guaranteed to fill you up! Though the hot dog might be cheaper to begin with, it’s about the size of my little pinky. Therefore, you will also end up splurging on the garlic fries or some other side in a belated attempt to satisfy yourself when you could have been happy with just one little purchase.

That’s all you ask? Well in my defense, I did say I only had a couple of tips. And anyways, you are going to the Giants who are playing for a shot at October baseball! Don’t be so cheap!

Wait…You Don’t Know Who Russell Blaze Is?

Russell Baze is a God! Well...at least to the "Golden Gate" Faithful he is.

Pro-style horse enthusiasts know him as the winningest jockey in the history of Thoroughbred Racing. For the rest of us, he's just another little guy wearing a funny-looking jacket on top of a beautiful horse. But here’s a tip...he's a REALLY GOOD little guy in a funny-looking jacket on top of a beautiful horse! Next time you go to Golden Gate fields, watch out for this guy! Every time I have bet on him, Russell has placed every time and has only failed to win once!

Looking for a time to use my tip concerning Russell Maze? Well Dollar Days are starting back up at Golden Gate Fields on September 13th! Dollar parking, dollar admission, dollar programs, dollar dogs and dollar beers! In a world of 8 dollar beers and 5 dollar dogs, this is the best bang for your buck you are going to find!

My recommendation for a great day at the horse track is to pay the 3 dollar admission to get in the club house so that you can watch your favorite NFL team play at the same time my Bayz tip is making you money. Then gorge yourself on the dollar bud lights and hotdogs. Don't just stop at 1 or 2 beers either. Your boozing helps out local organizations, like the Boy Scouts, so step up to the plate and nail at least 10 ;)

A New City...Thank God

I have now lived in San Francisco for a year...THANK GOD!

The Sports Guy can have Boston! I am beyond pumped to be out of that sports hell. Yes, you read me correctly...Hell. Boston Fans are the meanest, most sarcastic, and most hateful fans ever. Fenway...overated. Celtics...Rasheed Wallace? What about being a quality-character based team? Boston Globe...ha wait, that doesn't even exist anymore. I mean let's just face it. Without the pathetic "Curse of the Bambino" over their head, there just really isn't anything fun about them anymore. Now, they are just like New York fans...ha take that Boston! ;)

The Bay Area though is definitely my style. Though I'm a Cali girl through-and-through, I have a burning hatred of the Lakers, which was slightly problematic when I lived there, as the Lakers are the one team that LA Fans take more than a passing interest in. San Fran though...that's a different story. There's just something lovable about the teams here! Whether its because of the fun-to-laugh at Raiders (to put it best, to quote an Ex-Raider fan, "I was a Raider fan...Darious Hayward-Bay was just to much!), the spunky Giants, or the antics of Mike Singletary, I am completely hooked! Hence my project...to dive head-first into the Sports Culture of the Bay Area!

So anyone there who is bored at work as I usually am, feel free to check-in as I chronicle a year of sports in the Bay Area. Review on sports bars, ball-park food, sports radio...all can be found here!