Friday Night Lights, College Gameday, The NFL Today

The best thing about the fall is that every weekend is filled with football. And this time of year, the football feast goes well beyond the weekend, with NFL games on Thursday nights, too.

Fridays mean high school games, and I go to a prep game almost every Friday night. I saw most of Claremont High’s games this year, but skipped a couple to catch Upland High and watch some of the kids who played baseball with or against Sam when he was younger. Both teams advanced to the CIF-Southern Section playoffs, and I opted to stay closer to home for the Upland game against Temecula Chaparral instead of traveling to Eastvale (near Corona) for the Wolfpack’s game against Roosevelt High. Both the local teams faced tough challenges in the first round. Claremont lost its game to Roosevelt, 28-21, and apparently had a chance to tie the game late. Roosevelt was the regular-season second place team in the league that was won by nationally ranked Corona Centennial. This was the best season for the Pack in several years, finishing with an overall record of 7-4.

Meanwhile, Upland outlasted Chaparral, 40-35, but was clearly the better team, despite the close score. The Highlanders gave up a pair of touchdowns on turnovers, but also took advantage of very questionable coaching decisions on the part of the Pumas. Upland moves on to host Corona Centennial on Nov. 26.

Saturdays are reserved for college football. When UCLA has a home game, that eats up the entire day, which is set aside for hours of tailgating, plus the game itself. There is plenty of college football action on TV when the Bruins are on the road, although I’d just as soon forget about their performance Thursday night at Washington. Ouch.

It’s actually hard for me to sit down and watch an entire NFL game on Sundays, mainly because I have a need to use my time constructively, even if that’s doing chores and running errands. The only thing that matters anyway is how my fantasy guys are doing, and those updates are available all day. 

I love when it rains on the weekend. It’s the perfect excuse to sit and watch football and not feel guilty about not being productive around the house. That lack of guilt only goes so far, because the rain also means that I should sit down and update my blog.

Tonight I’ll turn my attention to women’s volleyball and hope that Cal State San Bernardino wins the NCAA Division II West Regional. If the Coyotes beat Seattle Pacific, they’ll advance to the national tournament Dec. 2-4 in Louisville for a shot at the university’s elusive first national championship.

Back to Blogging

After another long hiatus away from blogging, it’s time to pick it up again, especially with the start of the holiday season. This time, I decided to lay low for a little while and give priority to the many other assorted activities in my life that keep me busy. I’ll try to get the postings back on track as time permits…

Although the UCLA team managed only a 6-6 record this year, I absolutely loved having season tickets. There’s nothing quite like college football, and the tailgate parties before every home game at the Rose Bowl were tremendous fun, especially with our good friends. Those season tickets were an incredible birthday present from Beth – and they’ll be the gift that keeps on giving, since I’m sure we’ll continue to renew. Maybe one of these days we’ll get an R.V. and park it out there early and really do it up right. Beth’s response is, “Not a chance in hell!...” For now, I’ll enjoy the comfort of my fold-up chair and ice chest…and we’ll have more tailgate parties at home, too, when the team is on the road…

Thanksgiving really is a special holiday – maybe my favorite. The daylong activities at Dave Bosson’s are hard to top, including the annual Turkey Bowl football game. I’ve resigned myself to being a spectator in recent years, but now it’s especially fun watching my boys play along with their cousins and uncles, instead of just trying to keep up with the older guys. They aren’t the little guys any more, and they’re very happy to share their on-field exploits with anyone who’ll listen…

A couple of Sid’s classmates and friends from Upland High distinguished themselves when they were named to the All-Pac 10 women’s soccer team. Both Lauren Barnes (UCLA) and Alyssa Davila (USC) earned second team honors…

A big happy 21^st birthday to Sid on Dec. 14…

Best wishes to Upland High’s football team, which escaped with a narrow victory over Claremont in the final game of the regular season and finished fourth in the Baseline League to earn a wild card berth in the CIF-Southern Section Central Division playoffs. The Highlanders then beat Damien and Colony to advance to the division semi-finals against Chino Hills on Friday. The winner of that game will play either Los Osos or Rancho Cucamonga – two other Baseline League teams – in the championship game next week…

Seemingly unnoticed in Upland’s come-from-behind victory against Colony was Cole Chapman’s huge gain on a draw play as the final seconds ticked away, setting up the eventual winning touchdown with less than a minute to play…

It’s been so long since I last blogged that I never did post the pictures of Sam as the guy who crowned the Homecoming queen at Claremont High. Dressed as a king, he crowed state hurdles champion Kori Carter as this year’s queen. Coincidentally, I had the honor of crowning the queen when I was at Claremont High, dressed as Superman. As Sam noted, we were both “men in tights.”…

No matter what logic you use, Pete Carroll was wrong. The fact that Rick Neuheisel called time out didn’t mean it was okay to run up the score. Sure, Carroll had the right to run any play he wanted. But a coach with any amount of class would have continued to run out the clock. He should have continued to play and gone for a first down. Having quarterback Matt Barkley (the next Jeff George -- incredibly talented and over-hyped) throw deep was inexcusable. I know I’m a UCLA fan, but I don’t dislike USC, where I earned my master’s degree. My time there was not only valuable, but also enjoyable. I still have many friends from when I attended USC, so I try to see these things from both sides and I just can’t in this case.

Some people have said Neuheisel shouldn’t have called time out. As a coach, what choice does he have? He can’t throw in the white flag, if for no other reason than for the morale of the team. I bet all but a handful of coaches in America – Carroll included – would have called time out in that situation, too. The difference is that most opposing coaches in America would have understood the logic and would have continued to run out the clock. Any self-respecting coach wouldn’t have thrown deep, then pumped his fist, leaped in the air like a loon and celebrated like he just won the national title. This game was already over.

I compare this to a baseball team stealing bases with a 10-run lead in the ninth inning, just because the pitcher throws over to first base a couple of times to keep the runner close. Does that all of a sudden make it the right thing to do? Of course not.

Given the score, time remaining and field position at that point of the game Saturday, Neuheisel’s time out call was inconsequential. It wasn’t necessary, but it wasn’t the wrong thing to do. I don’t think the coach or anyone else on the UCLA sideline felt there was a chance to win the game at that point (especially after the awful game by the interim quarterback and the senior backup). The time out wasn’t about trying to win the game. It was about not throwing in the towel.

Carroll, on the other hand, was wrong. No excuses. No justification. No reason. Just go ahead and run up the score.

The victory was not in doubt. Carroll simply showed a complete lack of character and class. Even though I root against USC when they play UCLA, I often root for the Trojans, especially in non-conference games. I always root for them against Notre Dame, and they've brought positive attention to the Pac-10. Sports in Los Angeles as a whole has benefited from USC's success. I always respected their program and their coach. Not anymore.

I'm sure I sound like a bitter fan, but this is more than a game. This was just wrong. And it's time for people to stop saying it was okay because Neuheisel "started it by calling a time out." That's only an excuse. It was a blatant display of what not to do. Heck, I accepted the loss, but when Carroll threw it in UCLA's faces, I was outraged. The whole thing certainly filled my passion bucket.

I suspect there are a few high school recruits out there who might be thinking twice about playing for a coach with that kind of judgment and character, especially after USC’s comparatively disappointing season. Things are definitely starting to get interesting once again in our local major college football battle.

Congratulations to former Cal State Fullerton, Rancho Cucamonga High School and Upland National Little League star Josh Fellhauer, who wrapped up his first season in professional baseball playing for the Cincinnati Reds’ single-A Dayton affiliate in the Eastern League. A seventh-round June draft selection by the Reds, Josh led Cal State Fullerton to another appearance in the College World Series, and then began his professional career with the Dayton Dragons, where he batted .280 this summer. Despite playing just 57 games, he was third on the team with seven home runs in 236 at-bats, while also hitting 16 doubles and driving in 23 runs. He also stole seven bases. Given the natural progression of the minor league player development system, Josh is likely ticketed to play at Sarasota in the high-A Florida State League next year.

End of the Season

Odds and ends as we enjoy one last weekend at the beach as the summer comes to an end. It’s nice that the Southern California coastline is less than an hour from home, but a world away (and 20 degrees cooler). It makes for a great escape. Along with our annual week at Newport, we’ve been very fortunate to have generous friends who allow us to stay at their incredible place on Balboa Island, As always, thanks so much...

And an even bigger thanks to the DesCombes for including Sam on their trip to Kona. Sam and Jack have spent the week entertaining each other endlessly while Jack’s oldest sister Lauren is interning in New York City and sister Kristen is rushing sororities in her first week as a freshman at USC. I look forward to hearing the stories from Hawaii, especially to know if the boys ever worked up the nerve to actually talk with Leighton Meester, the Gossip Girl actress who was sunning at the pool while vacationing at the same resort…

The diminished crowds at the beach are a good indication that summer is winding down (although you wouldn't know by the temperatures). There were still a lot of people out on the sand, but the boardwalk was considerably lighter than it was just three weeks ago. Looks like people were at Newport to get away from the sizzling temperatures hitting Southern California this week, and not so much for the weekly rentals. It appears that season is just about over…

Of course, there are plenty more signs that fall is upon us. Labor Day is just ahead and schools will all be back in session. In fact, some have already begun, which I still think is a little early. August and September are historically the hottest months of the year in Southern California, and you’d think the schools would want to stretch summer in to September. The old traditional schedules make a lot more sense to me, and I’m glad the Claremont school district hasn’t buckled to those who’d rather start earlier. It’s August and it’s summer. Let it stay that way…

Sam will take a day to rest after his return from Hawaii before jumping back in the pool for water polo two-a-days, and then the start of school Sept. 9. Meanwhile, Sid kicks off the fall semester at Cal State San Marcos on Monday, although he’s also taking a class at Palomar College that started last week. Given how hard it is to get classes at universities because of cutbacks from the state budget shortage, it’s become necessary for students to try to pick up a few general education classes at the local community college, too.

Hope Sid and his friends are doing better following the recent tragic death of one of their fraternity brothers. Their benefit carwash last weekend drummed up more than $2,000, and the memorial service was scheduled for Saturday.

With Labor Day comes our annual fantasy football draft Sunday evening at the Robinson draft headquarters. This will be the 27^th year of the Iggy Biggie Football League. We were doing this a long time before it got popular. The majority of our owners have been here since the early years, including several of us who were among the charter group that held our first draft in 1983 at the Kinsey home in Claremont. The picture above is from 1985 at Dave's old place on Baseline, with our fancy draft board. Our draft has changed a lot since then, but it’s still one of the most fun events of the year. Draft night is the best, because it pretty much determines how each of us will watch NFL football over the next four months. I guess I ought to do a little research soon if I want to defend my championship…

Labor Day weekend represents a couple more milestone events this year, too. For the first time ever, dating back to 1922, the Los Angeles County Fair will open on Labor Day weekend. With hopes of taking advantage of people looking for something to do over the holiday weekend, the Fair opens on Saturday, Sept. 5, and will be open through Labor Day before resuming its normal Wednesday through Sunday schedule all the way through Oct. 4. That’s five weekends – and 23 total days of the Fair. Way back when I worked there, we had several years when the Fair was 24 straight days. Those were tough. These days, I'm there to do the house announcements at the grandstand before the concerts, but I'll miss a few of those this year for other special events, including football games, Beth's class reunion and nephew Jeff Bosson's wedding to Jackie Linton...

With the Saturday opening, the Fair’s annual premiere party will be on Friday, Sept. 4. This is a great fundraiser for their Education Foundation, complete with a lot of good food and tons of award-winning wines (and beer). Even at $125 a pop, it is well attended and worthwhile.

Throughout the Fair, local communities have their own special day. Claremont Day is Sept. 24, and Upland Day is Sept. 30. There are community celebrations for most of the nearby cities as well. As part of the celebration, each city honors a community hero, and one of those in the spotlight from Claremont this year will be longtime friend Jack Harper (see this story). He’s a deserving recipient, considering all he’s done as a teacher, administrator and coach at Claremont High, as well as his skill as a team owner in the Iggy Biggie Football League…

Among Jack’s many jobs at CHS is as the defensive coordinator for the Wolfpack football team. CHS kicks off its season with a scrimmage against Capistrano Valley on Sept. 4 and then the official season opener on Friday, Sept. 11. The non-league highlight of the season comes on Friday, Oct. 9, when Claremont hosts Chino High and great friend and coach Greg Setlich, a 1977 Claremont High grad who grew up in Chino and has been a fixture in that community for most of his life...

Upland High opens against A.B. Miller on Sept. 4. Word on the street is that a new quarterback transferred to Upland during the past few weeks and will challenge for the starting job. I haven’t had confirmation from anybody with the program, so I don't have details and I am not sure who it is. But the guy who told me is reliable. Sounds like a situation straight from the “Friday Night Lights” television series (by the way, the best show on TV)… I know a number of the kids playing for Upland (and Claremont, too) this year and wish them all well. You can be sure to find me at a prep football game every Friday night over the next few months, and I'll post a few observations along the way…

Another former Claremont High 1977 graduate looking forward to Labor Day weekend is Danny Brehaut, whose son Richard will officially put on the powder blue and gold uniform for the UCLA Bruins when they host San Diego State on Sept. 5. Right now, Richard is penciled in as the No. 2 quarterback behind Kevin Prince. I’ve had the chance to see a couple of Bruins’ scrimmages, and it’s hard to give a true evaluation of Richard’s progress. When he’s been in there, he’s looked pretty good. My take is that coach Rick Neuheisel and offensive coordinator Norm Chow would prefer for Prince to succeed so that Richard can red-shirt and take more time adjusting to college and gaining a better command of the playbook and the speed of Pac-10 football. But the times I’ve seen him, Prince has not looked good, and that seems to be the consensus among those watching practice every day. Last year, when Kevin Craft bombed, UCLA had nowhere else to turn for relief, since Craft was already the third-string QB. This year, if Prince gets hurt or is ineffective, the coaching staff has options. I still think they’d rather preserve Richard’s red-shirt year, but I get the feeling Craft hasn’t exactly been knocking anybody’s socks off in practice. So Richard may get his shot as a true freshman after all, although not with the fanfare of Matt Barkley over at USC. If not this year, then I don’t think it will be long (although I stand by my prediction that he’ll be starting by the fourth game this season)...

I look forward to spending Saturdays at the Rose Bowl during the fall watching the Bruins. Those season tickets were an exceptional 50^th birthday present from my wife. Thanks Beth. And I look forward to spending time with my dear longtime friends the Moores (yep, more CHS ’77 grads) at the UCLA tailgate parties and games. And despite what I’m sure will be Jim’s protests, I’ll try to visit the Coliseum for USC games on some of those other Saturdays when UCLA is on the road…

Speaking of college football, did you ever notice how when local kids go away to play at a university outside of Southern California, you rarely ever hear about them unless you make an effort to follow them or they otherwise establish themselves among the nation’s elite? They probably gain notoriety in their new locations, but not at home. Most seem lost to the Southern California hometown media...

The start of September also means the final month of Major League Baseball’s regular season. I still remember when I worked for the Dodgers, and they trailed the Braves by a game in the 1991 NL West standings. Both teams were spectacular in September -- each winning more than 20 games during the month and tied for first entering the season’s final weekend. The Dodgers closed the season by losing two of three games at Candlestick Park and finished a game behind Atlanta—the first of many consecutive division championships for the Braves. Naturally, it was heartbreaking for us Dodger fans (and employees). I just hope that they don’t leave us frustrated this year, after a largely successful season. There are too many signs that they could crash early. The pitching has actually held together better than expected, despite not having a staff ace (although the starters have struggled lately, except for Randy Wolf, who has been great). What is especially frustrating is that the Dodgers don’t hit with runners on base. James Loney, Russell Martin and Rafael Furcal have been awful offensively, although their numbers don’t look that bad. Even the team batting numbers are respectable, but that’s because they pad their stats with big 11-4 wins, and then come back and barely win, 3-2 in 12 innings the next day. Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp have carried the offense, but Manny hasn’t been Manny, and lately he’s shown considerable ineptitude in the outfield. He’s not the Hall of Fame hitter that he was last year and before he was caught cheating this season. The Dodgers have played better with Juan Pierre in the lineup, but it’s hard to bench Manny or any of their other outfielders. Los Angeles has a favorable schedule over the final month, but they have to play a lot better baseball all the way around if they want to keep playing in October.

Hope you had a chance to watch the Visitors video in the previous post.

I’m ready for some football… but first let me enjoy this one more summer weekend at the beach.

Western Regionals Come to Upland

Eleven champion teams will converge in Ontario and Upland from Aug. 4-11 to determine the best team in the West at the Senior Little League Western Regional Tournament.

Thanks to Upland Guy for adding this at the "All Things Upland" blog, too.

The tournament, which will be held at Jay Littleton Field in Ontario and Memorial Park in Upland, is the final event before the Senior Little League World Series in Bangor, Maine, featuring teams with players ages 14-16.

State champion teams from Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Northern California, Oregon, Southern California and Washington, along with the host team from California District 23, will compete in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to earn a trip to the Senior Little League World Series.

Opening Day activities will begin at Memorial Park with the kick off on Tuesday, Aug. 4, with a pancake breakfast for $3 hosted by the Upland Fire Department from 7-10 a.m. Outback Steakhouse will serve lunch for $5 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers Hall of Fame Manager Tommy Lasorda will speak at 10 a.m., along with Upland Mayor John “J.P.” Pomierski.

A home run derby featuring two players from each participating team will follow the ceremonies.

Four games are scheduled for every day from Aug. 4-8, with games at each field at 4 and 7 p.m. Two games will be played on Aug. 9, leading up to the tournament semi-finals on Aug. 10 at Jay Littleton Field. The championship game will be played at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

The 4 p.m. Opening Day contests feature Montana against Northern California at Jay Littleton Field and Arizona vs. Southern California at Memorial Park. At 7 p.m., Hawaii will play Oregon at Jay Littleton and Nevada will play the District 23 team at Memorial Park.

Many local organizations have contributed either with financial, service and other support. The most notable supporters include Doubletree Hotel, Mark Christopher Chevrolet, Aires Hotel, Pro Nine, Colonies Partners, and the City of Upland.

A complete schedule and more tournament information can be found here.

For more information, contact Ralph Cavallo at (951) 990-4595.

25 Years Ago in L.A.

This isn’t an Olympic year, but Los Angeles is celebrating anyway. It’s hard to believe that it was 25 years ago when L.A. hosted the Olympic Games. But then again, it’s hard for me to believe I just turned 50. I was fortunate to be right in the middle of things back in 1984 as I finished up my master’s degree at USC and then worked several pre-Olympic events and the Games themselves...
The Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games and the Los Angeles Sports Council are hosting a celebration at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, July 18, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Los Angeles Games. At $184 a pop, I’m going to pass, but it’s still nice to remember when Southern California truly was the center of the world...

While I’m reminiscing about the Olympics, the Games in Beijing last summer were incredible. Then again, as is evident from many past posts here, the Olympics have always held a special place for my family, my friends and me. Check out some of these pictures, courtesy of the Moore family, from our traditional Opening Ceremonies party and competition last summer at Newport Beach...

Gotta love those 1984 shorts...and hair.

Maybe I shouldn't use "borrowed" artwork to include with my blog, because it seems to have been taken literally. Yeah, the tiki bar is open, but better check in first (see below)...

Claremont High hasn’t had a lot to celebrate in recent years when it comes to football, but the Wolfpack should be proud of its passing league championship this past weekend. The tourney, held at CHS, featured schools from throughout Southern California, including some powerhouse programs. The Pack beat Orange Lutheran on Friday, and then came back to beat the Lancers in the championship game Saturday to finish the tournament with a perfect 8-0 record. Orange Lutheran finished first last year in the mighty Trinity League (which includes Mater Dei, Servite and others), and came within a game of the Pac-5 Division championship game. USC quarterback Aaron Corp is a graduate of Orange Lutheran, which knocked off a strong Upland High team in the semi-finals. Claremont’s victories came against decent competition, including Bonita and Crescenta Valley, among others. I don’t know how this will translate to September, when they put on the pads, but it has to be a good sign. Regardless, it's worth celebrating now. Congratulations…

Upland High has also enjoyed passing league success this summer, and making the final four of the Claremont tournament shouldn’t be dismissed. The Highlanders should again be a formidable foe for defending league and CIF Inland Division champion Rancho Cucamonga for the Baseline League crown this year. As always, the Baseline League should be a battle. Rancho returns most of its team from last year and is the probable favorite. Upland and Los Osos lost starting their QBs to NCAA Division I programs, but both should be competitive again this year. And Etiwanda looked strong in the Claremont passing tournament. If Claremont can find big bodies for the line, the Pack could pull off a few surprises. Football season is less than two months away…

I’ve missed seeing results of local Little League tournament games in the newspaper. But with the way newspapers are shrinking, it’s not a surprise. Too bad. But Upland National Little League has links to brackets for all divisions in District 23, and those are updated daily. Claremont Little League does a good job of keeping track of the District 20 results, too...

It’s time for Major League Baseball’s All-Star break, and the Dodgers are sitting pretty atop with National League West with the best record in baseball. That makes me happy. But they definitely need more pitching for the second half and postseason. I like the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin’s trade proposals to acquire Roy Halladay from Toronto. It might take a five-for-one proposition to bring the best pitcher in baseball to Los Angeles. I’m fine with the names he mentions, as long as they don’t throw Clayton Kershaw in the mix. As soon as he gains a better command of the strike zone and stops walking so many hitters, he will be the best pitcher in baseball. It took Sandy Koufax six years to master his control, and for six years that followed he was so dominant that he is still considered by many to be the greatest left-handed pitcher to ever play in the big leagues. Not that Kershaw is Koufax, but watch this guy. I have a feeling we'll remember him for a long time.

The Tiki Bar is Open

More random thoughts as I enjoy a summer Friday. Unfortunately, these are likely to become furlough Fridays before too much longer…


I love the 4th of July. But hidden in the mix of all the other better-known traditions are some others that don’t quite get the widespread attention. Like the gathering at Dave Bosson’s house on Eighth Street as the runners fly by in the Claremont Freedom 5,000 5k run/walk. I can think of no better way to start Independence Day than with a Bloody Mary watching the fun. His house is just a couple blocks from Memorial Park, where the rest of the community gathers later in the morning. I get the impression that people who don’t even know Dave show up and take advantage of his hospitality (and bar)…

And then there are the mid-day festivities at the Seligman residence in Claremont. It’s another one of those less publicized holiday traditions, but one that you can count on most years. Cheers…

By the time those get-togethers break up as people head off to parades or fireworks shows, I’ve usually about had it. So while the crowds flock to their favorite stadium shows, I’ve always favored finding a good vantage point where you don’t have to battle the people or traffic. For years, that meant parking going to the great shows at Fairplex or parking at the bowling alley across the street from Upland High, where tailgate parties were spread throughout the parking lot… and at businesses all along Foothill from Euclid to San Antonio. But those have gotten pretty popular, so this year we reverted to pulling up a couple chairs out on the driveway and watching the aerial explosions from the distance. The view was surprisingly good and the drive home was a breeze, since I already was home…

This year we revived an old tradition by starting the fun on July 3 – something we did for many years before kids came into the picture, including my bachelor party at Dave’s house on Baseline 24 years ago. Not a bad way to start the summer. The tone of the parties have changed, but the Robinson tiki bar is now officially open for summer 2009. Come on by…


Beth and I made a brief, relaxing trek to the beach this past weekend to celebrate our 24th anniversary. Newport Beach was pretty crowded, but it is always great. And even though Balboa Island was full of holiday weekend vacationers, it’s hard to beat the peace and serenity of the beach. We’re just thankful our good friends generously open their home to us to unwind and relax. These coastal getaways are truly a world apart from our daily grind in the Inland Empire, and they are something I’ll always appreciate…

While we were there we dropped in on Beth’s sister Marilyn Bosson Skidmore at the Tabu Grill in south Laguna Beach. Marilyn’s pretty proud of this place, and with good reason. This intimate restaurant has been getting great reviews and recently became the highest rated restaurant in Southern California, scoring 29 out of a possible 30 points on the Zagat scale. Aside from that, the food was incredible (as was the service, of course)…

Another fun summer tradition is the weekly Monday concerts in the park series in Claremont. That’s just a great way to start the week. The LCR Band opened last Monday and sounded great. The Ravelers are set for Aug. 3…

Along with the Monday concerts, Claremont has a full calendar of music and family events, including the Claremont Village Live music on Friday nights and Claremont Wednesdays, which is a street fair event with music, retail booths, food and more in the village area west of Indian Hill. A couple of weeks ago I saw there was a musician scheduled by the name of Cydney Robinson. I went to the event so I could tell her that she spelled her name wrong, but I couldn’t find her…

Did you happen to catch FM radio station 100.3 “The Sound” today? They’re calling it a tribute to the old KMET (94.7) and have brought back a bunch of the old DJs from the past. Just heard a tape of the old fish report with Paraquat Kelly and “The Burner” Mary Turner. Great memories. Just like a little bit of heaven. KMET was such the soundtrack for most of us in the 1970s, and it’s pretty cool to hear some of the DJs and air-checks from years ago, including tapes of late, great pioneer jock B. Mitchel Reed and others. The Sound is doing the KMET format throughout the day, closing with an hour of Dr. Demento…

The Orange County Fair opened today and runs through Aug. 9. Now they’re calling it the OC Super Fair. Maybe that’s because of the Fair’s extensive entertainment lineup at the Pacific Amphitheater and at stages around the fairgrounds (where the local favorites the Dogs will perform July 15-19). Or maybe it’s because the fair has been extended over five weekends. This seems to be the trend with fairs – utilizing more weekends and closing on Mondays and Tuesdays...

The Los Angeles County Fair also will be longer this year, covering five weekends from Sept. 5 through Oct. 4. That’s a long haul, but the total run only adds up to 23 days when you subtract the dark days. With a few days to rest, that isn’t so bad, especially compared to the years in the early 1990s when the Fair was open 24 straight days. That was a killer, but still something I’ll always remember fondly.

This year the LA County Fair is opening for three days over Labor Day weekend from Saturday, Sept. 5, through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7. The event then picks up a couple days later and is open every Wednesday through Sunday from Sept. 9 through Oct. 4, and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. I like the idea of trying to get a few folks in the gates before school starts after Labor Day.

Upland Day at the Fair is Wednesday, Sept. 30, and Claremont Day is Thursday, Sept. 24. All of the local communities have their own day at the Fair, along with ceremonies to honor their community heroes…

I expect the Fair to announce its End of Summer Concert Series lineup pretty soon. I haven’t talked to anyone at Fairplex, but it’s not hard to find a schedule of some of the acts that will be playing this year. Most of these acts have been there before: The Spinners on Sept. 5 (I suspect they’ll be part of a bigger show), Blake Shelton on Sept. 6, Kansas on Sept. 11, Lynyrd Skynyrd on Sept. 13, Creedence Clearwater Revisited on Sept. 17, War on Sept. 18, LeAnn Rimes on Sept. 19 and the Beach Boys on Sept. 27. There will be more, so we’ll mention those when they are officially announced. And I’ll try to preview the shows as they come, since I believe I’ll be back doing the grandstand house announcements again this year before each show. So when you hear “Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the End of Summer Concert Series…” look for me at the soundboard in the box seating area…

I’m really not ready to think about the end of the summer yet, since it just started. Enjoy, and I hope to see you at the tiki bar soon (yeah, even tonight). Just give us a call.

COLONIES DONATES TO SENIOR LITTLE LEAGUE TOURNAMENT

Just wanted to add this story, and thanks to Upland Guy for posting it on the All Things Upland blog, too.

UPLAND, Calif. – Colonies Partners, investors and developers of a housing community and shopping center in north Upland, has donated $5,000 to help support the Senior Little League Regional Tournament to be held Aug. 3-11 at Upland Memorial Park.

The tournament, which will feature up to 12 state champions, is the final event before the Senior Little League World Series in Bangor, Maine, and is the highest level Little League baseball tournament ever held in Upland.

“This is just another example of the generosity and community involvement of the Colonies Partners and their investors, ” said Ralph Cavallo, president of Upland National Little League, which is co-hosting the tournament with Little League Baseball’s California District 23.

In 2006, Colonies Partners and their investors contributed $50,000 toward Upland National Little League’s field renovation project at Olivedale Park in Upland. The ballpark is now known as Colonies Crossroads Stadium.

“Without the donation from the Colonies, we would not have the beautiful artificial turf field that is there today,” Cavallo said. “They have been more than generous and an outstanding supporter and partner, not only with our Little League, but with organizations throughout the community.”

The tournament will include teams from the Western United States. Players ages 14-16 from Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Northern California, Oregon, Southern California, Utah, Washington and Wyoming will have achieved their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete for a berth at the Senior Little League World Series.

The donation from the Colonies will go completely toward assisting teams with travel, dining and hotel expenses. Last year, three of the state champion teams did not travel to Southern California to participate in the Western Regional Tournament, because expenses are not covered.

“We know things will be difficult this year, too, because of the economy,” Cavallo said. “But with donations from the Colonies and we hope many others, the players from those teams who have earned a place in the Western Regional Tournament will be able to participate in the tournament and experience their dreams of competing for a berth in the World Series.

“It is a great honor to have a tournament of this level in our town of Upland. I hope we can make it memorable for all involved,” Cavallo said.

Contributions can be sent to Little League Baseball, CA District 23, P.O. Box 92, Upland, CA, 91785.

For more information, contact Ralph Cavallo at (951) 990-4595.