Great Stadium Eats

Whatever the sport, the fan is always number one. They are the ones whom cheer for their teams. They are the ones whom pay for the tickets so their favorite team can afford better players. They are the ones whom become a "twelth man," "sixth man," and whatever else to the players on the field. The die-hards know everything there is about the team and the stadium. They visit multiple times during a year. So what is the best way to make these fans happy? Food.

Many stadiums have unique food they serve, unlike the other teams in their league. This gives local flavor to the team and the taste buds of the fans. Some teams have horrible food and have vendors outside that cook better than the cooks inside -the street vendors that make the sausage sandwiches outside of Staples Center in Los Angeles for one. Even if the food comes from a greasy looking cart, the food has great possibilities.

My first memorable food experience at a stadium was at Angels Stadium, chowing down on lasagnua from an Italian food booth. I loved that lasagnua and found myself sad when the food server was no longer there after the stadium was remodeled and fitted with national names like Panda Express, Ruby's and more. During my pre-teen years, it was probably my favorite Italian food in general and being at a baseball game made it extra special.

At Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, they serve a capicola and cheese sandwich made on Italian bread, and containing provolone cheese, cole slaw, french fries, and of course, the awesome meat calle capicola. It's a heart attack waiting to happen, but I would eat it in a second.

The peach cobbler, served at Atlanta Falcons games, has a reputation of being one of the best dessert items in football. Any why not? Georgia, the state known for their awesome peaches should be known for a dish using these same peaches.

Can a team be known for it's condiments? Yes. Cleveland stadium mustard is probably the best mustard served in the United States. It has flavor, a little bit of brown sugar mixed with a little spice. It's a perfect combined with a brat and beer.

AT&T Ballpark in San Francisco has the reputation of being the best stadium food in sports, especially if you like garlic. They love spreading garlic butter on many of their sandwiches, have world famous garlic fries, straight from Gilroy, California, sourdough bread right from Boudin, and even some of the best hot dogs, soaked in beer.

Also, if you ever get a chance to go to a minor league baseball game, go. If not for the game, for the food. Most teams have unique dishes that will open your eyes. Even the television show Man Vs. Food did a whole show dedicated to minor league baseball game food.

Stadium eats are unique and part of the fun to a ballgame. People aren't usually satisfied with just the Crackerjacks and popcorn. Don't be afraid to try something new, especially a non-national named brand company. Local food is the flavor to every team.

Photo credit: CrazyPaco from Wikipedia.com

10 Things I Learned From I Love Lucy

One of the most watched television shows of all time is I Love Lucy. Debuting on air in the fifties, I Love Lucy set standards in how sitcoms would be made, how comedy is done on television, and even how people can live in real life. The show was based on the crazy, redhead trying to get into her hubby's show and involving their landlords/best friends in the process. So I present to you...

10 Things I Learned From I Love Lucy

1. Keep your house thoroughly cleaned because you never know when an agent or celebrity might drop by. (Apparently in the fifties celebrities had nothing better to do than to hang out in people's apartments)

2. It is okay to mock a Cuban man's accent. (Credit to Ricky for never actually getting furious with the others for mocking him)

3. Never stop your wife from being in the show. (She will always find a way to get in, whether it's tying up another actress and throwing her in a closet, pretending to be someone other than your wife, or just plain showing up behind you on stage while you sing)

4. Make sure there is a door handle on the inside of your walk in freezer. (Lucy nearly froze to death, trying to freeze a ton of meat)

5. It is okay to spank your wife when she has been bad, not just naughty. (Ricky must have enjoyed spankings because he spanked Lucy nearly every other episode)

6. Country singers were dumb in the fifties. (Tennessee Ernie Ford visited the Ricardos for several episodes, but had not one ounce of common sense in him)

7. Putting on a costume, whig, or different clothes than you normally wear, will make you virtually unrecognizeable to even those you know. (Hell, Lucy dressed as a man, only putting on a suit and a fake mustache, and nearly fooled Ricky and Fred at the man's baby shower)

8. Women didn't have contractions when they went into labor in the fifties. (Lucy simply announced it was time, but never had contractions or pain of any sort)

9. There are towns in New England that are only run by two people. (Remember the mom and pa that played every role from motel owner to mayor?)

10. Clones were running rampant in the fifties. (One minute a guy is your blind waiter, the next he's Freddy Filmore, gameshow host)

What If The Movie Storyline Changed?

Some movie storylines are so epic, that even if you have never seen the movie, you know what the movie is generally about through some weird form of entertainment osmosis through friends and family. Because of a clever idea and/or a carefully thought out process of writing, legendary movies take the best route to make them extremely memorable to their fans. In some cases, fans become so entrenched in this world of fiction, it's as if nothing else matters to them.

But as with many movies, you can ask, "What if," questions that would dramatically alter the storyline. Something that would suggest that if the movie went another route, it might not as be epic.

1. Star Wars IV: A New Hope: There are several routes that can be taken here. What if Luke Skywalker follows through with his with to join the Imperial Academy with his friend Biggs Darklighter to become a pilot? Instead of flying an X-Wing and taking out the Death Star, he could have been defending it. Maybe he would become closer to his father Darth Vader. It could have been a, "boy meets long lost father," movie instead. Or even what if Luke picks another android instead of R2D2? Would he still remain a moisture farmer for his aunt and uncle?

2. Back To The Future: At the end of Back To The Future when Marty goes back to the eighties, his mom all of a sudden remembers kissing Calvin Klein (i.e. Marty McFly) at the night of her big dance? How disturbing would that be? Would the whole family need counseling? If so, how would you tell the therapist what happened without sounding like you need some time in the looney bin? Would George McFly be angered at his future son? Who knows?

3. Matrix: Well, actually for this one, I'll jump to Matrix: Revolutions which was the third in the trilogy. After leaving the matrix, Neo seemingly has many of his computer world created powers still. What Neo, Morpheus and the other humans never left the matrix? What if it is revealed that the computers pulled an Inception like move and really created a second matrix within the matrix. Meaning Zion would be a computer created city, rather than the last hold out for the humans against the computers. Also, I guess the obvious "what if" scenario that could be, what if Neo picked the wrong pill when choosing between the red or blue pills?

4. The Crow: What if after avenging the death of his fiancee and himself, Eric Draven doesn't return to Heaven? What if he were to become an undead being? A zombie perhaps. No spiritual being actually gave him a rule book of what would happen when the crow brought Draven's soul back to Earth. Draven technically chose the revenge route, but nothing said that the revenge route would be the end of his journey.

5. The Godfather: What if Sonny was never killed? Would he take over the Corleone empire still? Probably since he was next in line and was the son that Vito was grooming to take over. Michael would have never had to kill The Turk and the cop, which means he would have never had to go to Sicily to hide out, which means he would have never have developed an appreciation for his father's lifework, which means he would never taken it upon himself to learn the family business. He would have been a college professor in a small New England town. This was what he was studying to do in the book.

6. Sin City: What if instead of being hot for Dwight still, Gail is angry at Dwight for going away and hooking up with Shellie? She initially is and after Dwight slaps her across the face, they make out so hard that it looks like their in a battle. What's missed is that the movie is based on the graphic novels of the same name and are almost scene for scene the same as the graphic novel. The movie was based on several of the books and even though there are hints of a past relationship with Dwight and Gail, it's not said in the movie how exactly their relationship formed. In one of the other graphic novels, Gail nursed a nearly dead Dwight back to health, despite the fact that old town is supposed to be only resided by hookers. The other hookers were angry at Dwight's presence, but Gail fell hard for him. After healing up, he leaves and hooks up with waitress Shellie, which is where the movie picks up.

7. Field Of Dreams: What if Ray Kinsella is scared of ghosts? After seeing the appearance of Joe Jackson, he is so freaked out, that he bulldozes the precious land that he really needs for his corn crop. Or on another "what if" scenario, what if he loses his farm to the bank? Would he still have run into his father's ghost somewhere?

Things I Learned From 80's Entertainment

Well, as if I don't have enough blogs, I am starting a third one now that I believe I would be more apt to update more often. This one will be on anything pertaining the the entertainment industry, that should gain more attention. Anything from cinema, television, games, and music. So I start this first blog with something I believe I will do often on here called....

Things I Learned From...80's entertainment

1. The rhythm is going to get you (Gloria Estefan)

2. I can drive a car in reverse to make the mileage disappear (Ferris Bueller)

3. Driving 88 MPH is a key factor in traveling in time (Back To The Future)

4. You can eliminate ground dwelling monsters by inflating them until they pop (Dig Dug)

5. Greek family members will crash at your home forever (Full House, Perfect Strangers)

6. Giant sand worms are all over deserts (Dune, Beetlejuice)

7. Aliens love junk food (ALF, E.T.)

8. Michael Jackson started the decade as a black man and ended the decade a white girl

9. Alien robots will use Earth for their wars (Transformers, Go-Bots)

10. Ducks will eventually take over the world (Howard The Duck, Duck Tales)

11. You will die from diarrhea (Oregon Trail)

12. Communism works (The Smurfs)

13. Still wondering, "Where IS the beef?" (Wendy's Commercials)

14. Ninjas are mortal enemies to talking turtles and rats that know karate (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

15. It was hip to be square (Q-bert, Rubbick's Cube, Huey Lewis And The News)

R.I.P. Robin Williams



Photo from Wikipedia (taken by Tabitha M. Mans)

It's said that comedians are some of the most depressed people in the world. With great pain and sorrow, comes laughter. One of the funniest men of all time, unfortunately suffered from such a severe depression, that he committed suicide by asphyxiation today.

Robin Williams first gained national attention from his TV show character Mork, but quickly made a name for himself. His standup comedy was legendary and he was a favorite guest among late night talk show hosts because of his spontaneity. He could improvise so well, that the writers for Mork And Mindy left script pages blank with a note telling Robin to go wild.

His career rocketed upwards after playing Mork and he was nominated three times for an Academy Award (Dead Poet's Society, The Fisher King, and Good Morning, Vietnam) and won once for Good Will Hunting. Despite being known for his comedy, he was a versatile actor. He could tug at your heart strings in movies like What Dreams May Come and Patch Adams and he could scare you in role such as Insomnia and One Hour Photo.

His presence in entertainment transcended just comedy, television, and film. He was a cultural icon. The type of person that when they pass, his death hits everyone hard, just as other cultural icons such as John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, or Marilyn Monroe. Passing away from a suicide just makes it even harder for his fans to deal with the grief. It leaves a feeling that as a fan base, we were robbed of future laughs.

And not to spotlight what was robbed from his fans, the man was more important than that. He himself dealt with tragedies when some of his best friends such as fellow partier John Belushi overdosed. This inspired Robin to clean up his act, which held for years. He had a relapse with alcohol while shooting in Alaska, but again admitted himself to rehab to recover. Christopher Reeve was also one of Williams' friends who was dealt a tragic hand.

Despite being a first hand witness to these tragedies, in the end, he must had dealt with so much depression, that he felt suicide was the only way to end the pain. As a fan myself, I wished he would have reached out to someone. Too many comedians over the years have died too young and even though he was sixty-three years old, I believed he had many years left.

If a hall of fame was created for comedy, on the scale of Cooperstown for Major League Baseball or the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Robin would surely be in the first class along with legends such as Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, and George Carlin.