In dog game action, Tuesday the D'backs lost @PNC, while the A's lost @Safeco. Both teams are now hung with the dreaded "~0". Around this Memorial Weekend there's a couple more dog games... and two of the next three dog games involve Sabo's Padres. Tomorrow, in DC, the Cardinals finally start their defense of their SDDC championship. Sunday Sabo's Padres will start their away/home/away series with the D'backs. Sabo is scheduled to attend the Petco game in September. And, speaking of attending home dog games, a week from today is the Big Tamale... the Dog Day of Summer vs the Mariners @Petco Park.

The Cardinals better start fast... a loss hangs them with the dreaded "~0", and effectively ends their dream of repeating. Likewise, if Sabo's Padres are swept, they'll also be hung with the dreaded "~0". Meanwhile, the Mariners win ties them for 4th favorite with the Dodgers, close behind the Cubs (15%), Rockies (14%), and Giants (13%). Another Mariners win would make them the new All-Star Sabo-Metrics favorite (at ~19%).

In dog game action, Friday the Cardinals began their defense of the SDDC championship with a win @Nationals Park. That wasn't the big news this week. Sunday Sabo's Padres lost @Chase field. While Sabo was crushed, that still isn't the big news. Tomorrow is the yearly Dog Day of Summer, with the Mariners again visiting @Petco Park. Sabo will be there in attendance. Note: updated All-Star Sabo-Metrics now don't project a Mariners win making them the new favorite, or hanging Sabo's Padres with the dreaded "~0".

Excepting May Day for dog named Sabo, of course... the Padres Dog Day of Summer might just be Sabo's biggest day of the year. Sure, since last year's game he's been to AT&T Park, been back to Peoria for spring training, been to three different minor league parks, and 'knotholed' five games from the Hotel Indigo. But that' not the same as watching his Padres play for real, on the grass in the Park in the Park, after sniffing his shrine: the Tony Gwynn Sr statue.

Tomorrow Sabo's going to Petco, for his traditional spa day before going to the game. He'll get a bath, and his nails grinded, and the hair between his paws trimmed. Then it's on with his Padres gear, and we're off to downtown. We'll revisit Ruocco Park, and visit both North and South Embarcadero Marina Parks on the way to Petco. This is part of Sabo's so-far mysterious third Quest. Then we'll meet our union brother P, one of Sabo's favorite peeps who went to the game last year with us, at Petco Park. Sabo's already exited !!!1!

Yeah, the annual Dog Day of Summer @Petco Park is big news, But, amazingly, this still isn't the big dog game news this week. Today the Padres announced, starting June 13th, every game at Petco Park will be a dog game !!!1! As has been mentioned, the dog game schedule is always a work-in-progress. The Barkyard adds 42 games to the SDDC season. Seven of those are against the first place Giants, and this is enough to make them the new ASSM favorites at 16%. Also, the Phillies & my Red Sox got "unhung" with the dreaded "~0", and... although the Braves don't play in any of these new dog games, they have risen zombie-like from elimination, and are now at ~0.00000001%.

The SBD™'s keep coming hot-n-heavy for Sabo. Sunday, it'll be time for Sabo to once again, Rock & Roll & Run the marathon. Two years ago, Sabo clocked a time of 3:37. Last year it took him a whopping 8:00 to run the course. After that embarrassment, Sabo's been training really hard to improve his time.

Unlike the human fools who pay good $$$$ to run, Sabo of course always has a new course every year. This year however, for the first time in several years, the R&R Marathon itself has a new course too. The significant differences are (a) instead of embracing Petco Park, the marathon avoids it. For their part, the Padres avoid the marathon too, as they'll be playing a rare non-ESPN Sunday night game. And (b) the CA-163 freeway stretch has been increased from Friars Rd in Mission Valley to University Av in Hillcrest to B St downtown.

So... this year's plan is this. Sabo will start at the new Columbia & Ash finish line at 6:15 am... the same time the elite runners start from 6th & Quince west of Balboa Park. From there he'll run the marathon backwards. He'll start out heading east across downtown, and then take that extremely rare doggy paw milage on CA-163 to Friars Rd. From there, instead of heading west along the marathon course, Sabo will strike out east to the new (to us) Civita Park dog run. There he'll 'Missilate' for about ~10 miles. Afterwards, we'll hail Rosie Ruiz's cab, and then head south on CA-163 to Nate's Point dog run in Balboa Park. After Sabo 'Missilates' another ~10 miles, we'll finish up Sabo's marathon at the R&R Marathon's start line at 6th & Quince.

Thursday was the Padres "Dog Day of Summer". We've previously gone to the 2014 game (Card's 1, Padres 3) and the 2015 game (Mariners 7, Padres 0). This is just about the biggest day for Sabo.

By tradition, we stopped by the Petco store to give Sabo a spa day. This time I splurged, getting Sabo the super premium bath & nails package ($52). I don't know what's going on at the Petco store lately. This morning, none of the groomers showed up. But store manager J opened up the grooming room personally... after she heard it was game day, and what a big Padres fan Sabo was. Sabo got super VIP treatment. Also, Sabo was very disappointed that his personal trainer C wasn't working the game like the last two years. It seems corporate 86ed that to maximize profits. Rumor is they are going to close up the training room too. Boo all around. However, they still are giving away the Dog Day of Summer, and the Petco employees were amused when I picked up Sabo, suited him up in his Padres gear, and said we were going direct from the Petco store to Petco Park.

It was a sunny and warm late spring day... but there was a nice cool breeze off the harbor keeping it from getting too hot. Sabo & me went downtown plenty early, and had a nice walk from Seaport Village, down the Embarcadero, then over the Harbor Dr bridge to the game. We also explored North & South Embarcadero Marina Parks, and out onto two new (to us) harbor piers, along the way. After the game we walked back along the west side of ML King linear park, me struggling with Sabo's "goodie bag" haul, then revisited Ruocco park.

Sabo's second favorite part of the day was meeting his new favorite Padre: All-Star pitcher and Golden Bear #38 Tyson Ross. Mr Ross was signing autographs before the game. I don't do autographs, but there wasn't a line, and Sabo wasn't feeling shy... he wanted to actually meet an actual Padre. So we went over, and I told Ross I don't need an autograph, and asked him if he could say "hi" to Sabo. Instead Ross signed for me, them walked around the table, said "hi" to Sabo, and asked if he could pet him. I explained he can be shy. So Ross bent down, and reached up to Sabo... and Sabo swooned while he happily got his neck scratched. Gotta that Sabo... he's a good guy !!!1!


Once again, Sabo's Padres run the best dog game. Besides being all free, they have Sabo's name on their pre-approved guest list. So we just strolled up, got handed our tickets, and went on into the stadium. This year the "goodie bag" ranith over. Sabo got two gift bags (Just like last year except red instead of blue. Note: I mis-blogged last year that these are generic bags. Not so, they say "Dog Days of Summer @Petco Park"), 16 food samples (11lb, 4oz food), two toys (which I'll give away, Sabo don't care about toys), two clip-on reflectors, and two "Dog Days" bandanas. I got a "Wag more bark less" sticker and a thermos. They were also having open house in the new Barkyard section. Very, very nice. It's going to be a brave new dog game world. I really only had one question: when do the boxes go one sale? Well, an email was sent earlier that day... they were doing a presale for pre approved dogs like Sabo. I bought boxes for an Orioles game, and a Yankees game, as soon as we got back to the Sabotat (revised schedule above).

Oh yeah, they played a game too. You gotta give Sabo some respect. He's not a front runner. He didn't fall in love with a "public" team. He fell in love with his Padres. ZOMG. He, and all the other dogs, got to see some Padres history on Thursday. They saw what is arguably the worst Padres game ever. His Padres blew a 12-2 lead, and lost 13-16. That was the biggest lead they had ever blown in their 48 year history. The joke at the bar was my dog was going to need therapy after this game. ZOMG.

The best part of the game for Sabo was when our union brother P once again joined us for the Dog Day of Summer. Sabo is always so overjoyed when he meets one of his friends out-and-about. Like last year, P had to leave early, as he has family responsibilities. That's all that's important... but it doesn't mean I can't tease him for being the biggest jinx in Padres history. Last year the Padres were still in the game, only three runs down... then right after he left the Mariners scored four to put it away 7-0. This year he left when it was 12-2. ZOMG.

Oh well... the dog game season continues onward. The Mets play the next two dog games, in Miami tomorrow, and in Pittsburgh Tuesday. The Marlins play five out of the next nine. The Mets gotta sweep to avoid being eliminated. If the Marlins swept those five games they would be in first place, have eliminated a dozen teams, and be odds on favorite at ~54%. The feature game this week is also on Tuesday, as Sabo & me will be heading up to The Hanger in Lancaster to see the Jethawks (Astros high-A) host the Modesto Nuts (Rockies high-A). A Jethawks win would make them the new favorite. A Nuts win would move the Rockies organization into a tie for first, and hang the Astros organization with the dreaded "~0". Updated All-Star Sabo-Metrics projections show the Mariners as co-favorites with the first place Giants (3-0). Also... the Yankees have been un-hung, while the Phillies have been re-hung, with the dreaded "~0".

Can you believe it? Sabo & me have now been together for three Memorial Weekends. The summer beach season is now officially open. Summer itself is only 15 days away. It was a good STDer™ for Sabo... but it turned out to be a little more mellow, and Beach Shack cocoon-ish, than originally planned. We didn't get any of the above done. I can explain.

Windansea was a brain fart. I meant to blog Tourmaline Surf Park. I forgot the doggy life vest again. And I forgot to bring a framed pix of The Missile with me, so we didn't go to the Single Fin. OK... that didn't really explain a whole lot, but trust me... there's a Tom Waits story to tell there that requires a prop. And... the whole Tuesday program was cancelled for non-dog related reasons. OK... that didn't explain anything either.

We did do all the above however. We also visited Tourmaline Surf Park, as intended. Sabo had a blast hiking and swimming all over Missile Beach, etc. Which, just by itself... is a pretty damn good Sabo Three Dayer™ for Sabo indeed. Gotta that Sabo... he's a good guy !!!1!

Well, the summer season has been officially opened, and summer itself is only two weeks away. It's about time for a little beach action for Sabo. It's time for Sabo's Surfari IV !!!1! Here's is what we plan on doing...

• Spend three nights on the beach.
• Cruise the coast from Gaviota to Imperial Beach.
• Surf every break between Pacifica and Tijuana.
• Swim between Solana Beach and San Diego.
• Actually swim the San Diego River.
• Visit Marina Village.
• Re-visit Miramar Park in Redondo Beach, for the...
• Anno of Sabo's mysterious new Third Quest !!!1!
• Try out that life vest... I've already packed it. Also...
• Re-visit Uncle B in Pacoima, and...
• Attend a Jethawks game in Lancaster.

Sunday the preseason favorite Mets lost 0-1 in Miami, and were thus eliminated from the SDCC. Yesterday the Mets lost 1-3 in front of the dogs of Pittsburgh yesterday... a game that ended up being the second game of a day/night doubleheader. As anticipated, the Rays added a second dog day. They'll let the dogs in September 4th -vs- the Blue Jays. Next up: the Cardinals continue their defense of the SDCC crown tomorrow @Nationals Park. A Card's loss would hang them with the dreaded "~0".

Oh yeah... the feature game was the Modesto Nuts, the Rockies high-A team, at the Lancaster Jethawks, new Flagship of the Astros organization. This was Sabo's 12th game, at his ninth stadium. In fact, counting the Arizona Summer League, Sabo's been to four MiLB games in five MiLB stadiums. The Hanger, like in Peoria & San Bernardino, are Populous designs, in what I'd call their "Mini-Retro" style. Peoria seats about twice the other two, put all are quite similar in both concept and detailing. There's a reason Populous has such a dominant presence... they design damn good stadiums. The Hanger is another great example. The stuffed and mounted F/18 out in front is an especially nice touch.

The former Epicenter in Rancho Cucamonga, designed by Grillias-Pirc-Rosier-Alves, differs in several details than the Populous stadiums... but it's also congruent with the same general concepts. It's also consistently reviewed as one of the top MiLB stadiums, like this review from Stadium Journeys. OTOH Cashman Field is widely considered to be generally inadequate for today's AAA baseball. This Tate & Snyder creation was designed to be expanded to potentially lure a MLB team... which it's clearly inadequate to do also.

We got to The Hanger late... at the end of the 3rd inning. Unfortunately, that meant we missed the pre-game 'Pet Parade' around the field. However, it did mean we just missed the folks collecting parking, and taking tickets. We just parked, and walked on in, for free. I asked where the dog section was... and was told anywhere, just take your dog to your seats. Since we didn't have any seats we watched a couple of innings from the lawn section down the 1st base line... then 'improved' to the ninth row right behind home. It's not like we didn't miss anything of course, but we didn't miss any scoring. The box score lists a paid attendance of 2531. That seemed about right for actual attendance... and there was a lotta dogs two, eaisly into triple figures. It actually turned out to be a great baseball game (see below), with the Jethawks going nuts on the field after their walk-off comeback win over the Nuts. Once again, Sabo had another great time experiencing MiLB !!!1!

After the Jethawks game on Tuesday, I decided to make this a six county trip. We headed north, across the Kern County line, to Diamond Jim's card room in Rosamond. This is another new card room to me in the Sabo era. Game details: 12= $1,2 no-limit hold'em, $100 cap, $6 max drop including promo; 23= $2,3 no-limit hold'em, $300 cap, same drop.

Thursday the Card's successfully completed the second leg in their defense of the SDDC crown, with a come from behind win in Cincinnati. Finally, those bean-counters over at All-Star Sabo-Metrics are giving them some respect. They are now the fourth favorite, behind the Astros organization (16%), Giants and Mariners (13% ea). For the third leg, they'll host the Rangers a week from today in their uniquely named "Pooches in the Ballpark". And yes, after The Audit, I tripled checked this game was actually scheduled for 2016... and not a reference to that damn 2013 matchup again.

With this dog game finalized, we enter a brave new era in the SDDC. Sabo's Padres are set to open the new Petco Park Barkyard section Monday. This makes the SDCC schedule pretty much the same as: Games @Petco, Sundays @Chase, Tuesdays @PNC, with some other random games thrown in. We see this effect this week, as there are 10 games in eight days: seven @Petco, one @Chase, the aforementioned Card's game, and the mighty Cubs @Nationals Park.

Scenarios: A Marlins or Nationals sweep, or Cardinals or Cubs win, will establish a new All-Star Sabo-Metric favorite at ~48%, ~36%, ~17% or ~15% respectively. A Cardinals win would eliminate five other teams. A Marlins sweep would eliminate ten. A Cardinals loss, or if the Marlins, Nationals or Padres go 2-2, 2-3 or 1-6 respectively, or worse, and they’ll be hung with the dreaded “-0”. If the Rangers lose, or the Nationals or Marlins are swept, they are eliminated.

Wow, here we are already in the prime of the season. How time flies when you get to spend it with a good guy like Sabo !!!1! Gotta that Sabo !!!1!

We're already past the earliest sunset (5:40 June 7-15*), we're coming right up on the latest sunset (8:01 June 27-30), and we're right in the middle of the longest daylight (14:18 June 15-26). Time to slather on some sunscreen, gear up Sabo, and get out and enjoy the longer days. For the solstice, we plan on...

• Today: It's the third Sunday of the month, so it's time for Sabo's big IWW meeting. Which is at 12:30 pm... we'll be leaving pretty much when I hit "send".
  
  
• Summer Solstice: Tomorrow we'll be making our now traditional visit to where it all started for Sabo & me hiking: Mt. Soledad. This time, without logistical support, we're going to hike all the way from the crooked cross, down to the floor of Rose Canyon. That means we'll be doing the long march down La Jolla Parkway, then back up La Jolla Scenic Dr. On the canyon floor we'll inspect the progress on the new "CP Rose" railroad crossovers, and the relocated Rose Canyon bike path... changes made since we visited here last year as part of Sabo's Canyon Quest.
  
  
• Tuesday: To further Sabo's proclaimed, but so far mysterious, Third Quest, we're going to finally visit the OB Pier, as I've been threatening to do for over two years. No trip to OB would be complete without a visit to Dog Beach, of course. We might try some actual swimming again... if the tides and sandbars are right. We're also going to 'cruise' from Sunset Cliffs Park to Lindbergh Field... again as part of Sabo's mysterious new quest. Then we're going to spend the night and the next day at the Beach Shack in Missile Beach. What could more say "summer" than that?
  
  
• Wednesday: OK, I got a pix of The Missile, and my Tom Waits cites bookmarked, and Sabo & me are going to go share their story with the folks at the Single Fin bar & grill for breakfast. For lunch, we might go to the brand new Coconut Club down the block. This used to be The Boardwalk, which Sabo had visited before it closed. To finish the day, and the STD™er, we plan to go to the Bird Rock area of La Jolla, and do some hiking and 'swimming' up there.

.

* _{PDT from http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/san-diego}

It's been a busy week here in the brave new "Barkyard" dog game world. Sabo's Padres needed wins in the last two Barkyard games to salvage a 3-4 record. The formally mighty Cubs lost, and the Nationals 3-2 record actually cut their All-Star Sabo-Metric projection by three quarters. The repeat dream is over, as the defending champion Cardinals lost, and were hung with the dreaded "~0". The same fate befell the 2-2 Marlins. The idle first place Giants are again the favorite.

Tomorrow the dog game season renews with a doubleheader. It's Tuesday, so it must be PNC Park. The other game is the first "Bark at the Park" in Comerica Park in several years, as the Tigers return to the dog game fold. A Seattle win in Detroit would eliminate the Cardinals, Tigers, A's, zombie Braves, and yet to play Indians... and make the Mariners the new favorite at ~30%.

Last Tuesday the first place Giants increased their lead to a full game with a win in Pittsburgh. The Tigers also kept their infinitesimal chances alive by beating the Mariners. This Tuesday, we start the second homestand, and third series, of the Barkyard era. These two games are also the entirety of the Orioles dog game season. The feature game is of course Wednesday, when Sabo gets to go to his very first Barkyard game on this Sabo Big Day™.

An Orioles sweep would eliminate the A's (0-1 ~0), Cardinals (2-1 ~0), Reds (0-3 ~0), Tigers, zombie Royals (1-1 ~0), and the yet-to-play Indians (~0). OTOH the Orioles are eliminated if they don't sweep. Upon further review, the zombie Braves (1-2) had been re-eliminated back on June 9th.

And the above is exactly what happened, as six teams dined on the dirt in the first mass-extinction of this SDDC season. Sabo's Padres got slaughtered twice, and it wasn't even as close as the finals indicated... there was a lotta 'garbage time' Padre runs in both games.

Coming up, the first place Giants play in front of the dogs of Phoenix for the second of three times on Sunday. And... the evil empire invades Petco Park tomorrow for three. That's one thing me, a Red Sox fan, and Sabo, who's bitter about the Yankees sweeping his Padres in the 98 series, can both agree on. A Yankees sweep would dub them 'mighty', hang Sabo's Padres with the dreaded "~0", and eliminate the just un-hung Marlins (4-2 1%), Nationals (5-4 1%), Orioles, and my yet-to-play Red Sox (2%). OTOH the Yankees are eliminated if they don't sweep. The upcoming feature game is Sunday, when Sabo goes to his second "Barkyard" game. He went to his first yesterday...

Tuesday was hot and miserable... mid 90s. That morning Sabo & me were out for a OST walk in the Sabohood, and Sabo started "shade hunting"... his way of telling me it's just too much for him. Luckily Wednesday was much nicer, although still warm. We parked this time at Chicano Park down in Barrio Logan. From there we walked up Milton to the east side of the trolley yards, then 16th to the transit center, then along north side of the trolley yards to Petco Park. After the game we crossed over the Harbor Bl bridge, and walked back along the west side of the trolley yards to Chavez Pkwy. I've mentioned it before... Sabo likes trains.

The Barkyard entrance is at Gwynn Dr & K St, where we got to bypass the line, and were met by our Pet Concierge. She escorted us to our private box. We were in box #1, which is the best one... mainly because it is closest to the 3rd base line, which means less of RF is obscured by the batters eye... but also it's on the end, closest to the exit, and has two gates. The section itself is awesome... it's just back of the bullpens, and just off K St.

They're only selling Barkyard boxes to us Dog Days of Summer pre-approved folks so far, and as I found out to my chagrin, Wednesday day games vs the Orioles aren't really popular... so it was only Sabo & our union brother P & myself in our box, and a nice couple and their doggy, who was way more shy than Sabo, next door. Us four peeps had three lovely and talented young ladies attending to us. Our own Pet Concierge (dedicated usher), Dog Ambassador (a Petco dog trainer), and food server. The nine of us, including the two dogs, had the whole private area of the stadium to ourselves.

The ladies were great. The Petco dog trainer knows Sabo's personal trainer C. Our usher and P, who is a professor, discussed college. We were pampered with great service. The rules were our usher escorted us in/out the gate, and to/from the dog comfort area in the park-in-the-park... so Sabo didn't get a snif at his shrine. We also got a "goodie" bag w/ dog treats and another toy Sabo didn't care about. As well as random treats from our Petco rep.

Do I need to say Sabo had a blast. We'll have to do it again... like this Sunday. This was another epic Sabo Big Day™ !!!1!

Wow, here we are already at the 4th of July. How time flies when you get to spend it with a good guy like Sabo !!!1! Gotta that Sabo !!!1! This STD™ is already well underway. Here is what we've done & plan to do...

• Yesterday: We started things off with one of Sabo's favorite activities: Going to School. Yesterday was to be the penultimate Third Grade class before the big final: The AKC Good Dog Test. However... we ended up calling it at a half-lesson as Sabo needed a poop break, and the fact they've turned the former dog training room into cats for adoption room (WTF Cats !!!1!), while piling on side work for the trainers, fundamentally degrades the lessons. But that just means Sabo gets to visit one of his favorite peeps, his personal trainer C, an extra time.
  
  Then we went to our new regular monthly IWW social meetup. This month it was at a bar called the Salty Frog down in Imperial Beach. The reason being that our friends, the Haymarket Squares from Phoenix, were playing a gig there last night. Well... Sabo didn't quite make it, as the Salty Frog isn't dog friendly. But I did take him to the dog friendly patio at the bar right across the street, the Imperial Beach Public House.
  
  
• Today: No Independence weekend would be complete without a trip to the beach. That's where we'll be spending the day, and evening, tonight... based out of the Beach Shack, of course. No Midnight Missile Reconnaissance however, as enforcement is always stepped up over the big three summer holiday weekends. We're leaving to do so as soon as I hit "post". But...
  
  Along the way, we got a couple of errands to run. We got a free pound of dog treats coming from the Dog Day of Summer, and $$25$$ Petco bucks to spend mainly from our grooming trip prior to same... but I forgot to bring the paperwork yesterday to get/use. And... Sabo's jingle-jangles have gone missing this morning. They really can't be anywhere but out in the Sabotat, but I didn't find them when I looked earlier. So, since Sabo will having his tag checked tomorrow, we need to stop by the pound to get a replacement tag today.
  
  
• Tomorrow: We have a nice OST training hike planned tomorrow, from Bankers Hill to Downtown, with my long time friend JQ. JQ is a dog walker and dog trainer, and she has volunteered to help Sabo study for his big upcoming final exam. Then... we're going to meet up with our union brother P, and my brotherman R, to enjoy watching Sabo's Padres from the Barkyard @Petco Park.
  
  
• The 4th of July: Independence Day is, of course, Flower's birthday. So in her honor, we're going to spend the day in her favorite place: Out in the Sabotat. I'm going to improvise an 'outdoor living room', slather on some sunscreen, and we'll spend the day in the back yard. That night we're going to have a backyard sleepout... recreating some off my fondest childhood memories with Flower.
  
  However, during the fireworks, or if a-holes start popping illegal fireworks again, we're going to retreat to Sabo's room (the room with the doggy door). The firework issue is why I've decided not to spend the 4th down at the beach shack this year, as the fireworks can get "out of hand" down at the beach. Up here at the Sabotat, I've prepared a special 4th of July nest for Sabo. Sabo likes crawling into/under things when the fireworks start. This time, he'll have his new official nest to crawl into... a hard sided travel kennel, with his old nesting blankets & Padres jacket, and his water & food Sierra Cups, arranged within.
  
  
• Tuesday 7-5: The Tides & Times didn't work out for our planned attempt to actually swim from the Middle Jetty to Dog Beach, and we missed the morning window to visit the main beach and pier @Ocean Beach over Memorial weekend... so we're give it still another try. Again... this is furthering Sabo's proclaimed, but so far mysterious, Third Quest.

Flower, born of the Fourth of July

Happy (belated) Flower Day !!!1!

Happy (belated) Flower Day !!!1!

The news is... the first place Giants increased their All-Star Sabo-Metric projected win percentage, as well as their lead to 1½ games, with their second win in Phoenix this season. The idle Marlins (4-2) were re-hung with the dreaded "~0". And... Another one's gone, another one's gone, Sabo's Padres slammed that Dirt Sandwich straight down the throat of the Evil Empire !!!1!

Yes, Sabo's Padres eliminated the Yankees Friday, beat them again on Saturday... and were going for the oh-so satisfying sweep on Sunday. The weather had moderated nicely since Wednesday. By Sunday morning it was mid 70s and overcast. Unfortunately, that overcast burned off ~noon... but I had preemptively slavered on the sunscreen, the Barkyard boxes have nice shade umbrellas, and the sun wasn't a factor. JQ, who is a pro dog walker and who also gives the AKC test Sabo is studying for, took the reins for our ~2 mile walk to Petco Park, as well as our return walk back via the gourmet donut shop (no, Sabo didn't get a donut). She said Sabo was pulling too much at first for her to pass him on that test.

After a few blocks however, Sabo settled down, and he was just the best doggy all the long day long. Unlike Wednesday vs Orioles who nobody cares about I guess... vs the Yankees, we had a full box, in a sold-out "Barkyard", in a sold out stadium. FYI: the Padres have withdrawn box #6, the box closest to the batter's eye, because of obstructed vision. We had ~17 peeps, ~7 dogs, and four good folks waiting on us. Sabo was once again universally acknowledged the M(ost) V(enerated) D(oggy). My friends, union brother P, my brotherman R, and JQ... none of which knew each other previosly, all hit it off and had a great time. Even though Sabo's Padres didn't get that sweep... he had a blast too. Gotta that Sabo... he's a good guy !!!1!

Next up: Tomorrow's Sabo Big Day™. In the morning we're going to visit Oceanside Harbor. This is to further Sabo's proclaimed, but so far mysterious, Third Quest. In the afternoon, Sabo attends back-to-back SDDC games, as we travel onward to Dodger stadium, and meet up with our Uncle B, for the second consecutive season. This time, instead of the Giants, we'll be seeing Sabo's Padres... and Sabo will be 100% representing his team in his biggest rival's house. Last year this game was also at the quirky 4:15 start time... and it was just simply brutally hot, with no shade to be found in the RF bleachers. This year the early forecast is: Partly Cloudy, 79°, 10% chance of rain (???/?).

Sabo went to his 15th game on Saturday @Dodgers stadium. I'll give a full recap of that Sabo Big Day™ soon enough. For now, however, we're already in the middle of an epic Sabo Three Dayer™. Sabo won't get to attend the All-Star Game, but thanks to his Uncle D (my brotherman D from Lake Havasu), Sabo has the next best thing... a room with a view @Hotel Indigo for the all-star week. He checked in yesterday in fact. The Competition committee has made their ruling... the All-Star Game will count as a 'Knothole' game, not one of these so-far unexplained "envision" games. In other words... Sabo will see his Padres host the All-Star game !!!1!

Wow, that Sabo sure's been busy. We just got back from our downtown staycation, and associated advantures, yesterday Today was Sabo's penultimate day at dog school with his personal trainer C. Then we'll be ready to take the AKC "good doggy" test. I said it's a little sad, like moving on from a people school. But he said to always think of him as Sabo's personal trainer... and come back anytime with a question or to say hi. Gotta that Sabo... he's a good guy !!!1!.

Coming up soon... a full recap of his All-Star week festivities. But, the dog game season rolls on. Tuesday, Sabo watched from his room there as the AL Stars beat the NL Stars 4-2. This counted as an official SDCC 'knothole' win for the twice eliminated Royals orgnizanization (as the defending AL Pennant winner), and a loss for Sabo's Padres organization (as the host team... even thought the NL batted first). Tonight, the season resumes @Petco Park.

The stretch drives starts with a bang, as the first place Giants visit for three games in their first of two 'Barkyard' visits. Sunday, the third favorite Dodgers make their first of two visits to the D'backs "Dog Days of Summer". But, the feature game hardly matters in the SDCC standings... as the 66ers were eliminated earlier @Rancho Cucamonga, and Sabo's Padres were hung with the dreaded "~0" by the NL Star's loss. Sunday, after Sabo's regular IWW meeting, which he always loves... we're going to make it a full Sabo Big Day™ by going straight back to San Manuel Stadium in San Bernardino to see his Lake Elsinore Storm. Last year it was "Man's Best Friend Monday"... but this year its "Snack Attack Sundays". The current SDCC standings...

Yesterday, our Sabo Big Day™ began with our regular IWW business meeting. One matter of business was our August and October social meetings, which Sabo should be able to attend. It's always so nice to see Sabo at these meetings because he knows all our regular brothers, and can just go round and get the love... instead of being a "shy guy". Yesterday we had a coupla new attendees. At first Sabo wasn't sure about these interlopers at "his" meeting... but by the end he was sitting with them, and even playing a little with his new friends.

After our meeting, I kept the promise I made to Sabo last year to bring him him back to San Manuel Stadium. It was a double header of sorts, as we listened to Sabo's Padres beat the Giants on the radio on the drive up, and the visiting team in San Bernardino was, like last year, Sabo's Padres high-A Lake Elsinore Storm. FYI: the drives up & back, all old milage for Sabo, were fluid, free of construction detours, and blissfully uneventful. As typical, Sabo watched traffic avidly in the light on the way up, and slept the whole way back after dark. We went last year on August 3rd. Like last year, it was $5 parking (not on Sabo's tab), $5 SRO for me, free for Sabo. This year was also Snack Attack Sunday w/$2 hot dogs, ice cream, popcorn & soft drinks. The official box score shows a paid attendance of 1275. I counted ~250 and ~10 dogs. Sabo was, once again, the M(ost) V(enerated) D(og). Of course, Sabo had a blast. Gotta that Sabo... he's a good guy !!!1!.

Oh yeah, they played a game too. Last year the 66ers slaughtered the Storm, winning 17-3. We (meaning me) got 2 Jack-Tacos for the 66ers scoring 5+ runs. This year, it looked like the Storm would return the favor when they jumped off to a 8-run lead. However we (meaning me) earned our 2 Jack-Tacos again, as the 66ers almost came back in the 9th (see story below). Of the 27 Storm & 66ers that played last year, 20 are still in organized ball. None have played in the majors. The only player to play in both Storm-66er games was Ricardo Valenzuela (2015 Storm 1B-P 0-4, 2IP in 2015, 2015 Storm C 0-4).

The SDDC post All-Star game stretch drive did indeed start with a bang, as the Giants, who came out of the break with the best record in MLB, and as close to odds-on favorite to win the SDCC, got swept three. The third favorite Dodgers lost as well. This thoroughly scrambled the SDCC standings. Three organizations are now tied for first at 2-0: the new favorite Astros (26%), Rangers (14%), and Orioles (1%). The Padres, Orioles, Marlins (4-2 1%), and Phillies (1-1 1%) were all un-hung with the dreaded "~0". The dog game season continues tomorrow, as the Brewers make their season dog debut @PNC Park.

The Brewers, who have a real dog mascot named Hank, but have never had home dog games, lost their SDCC season debut in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Tomorrow in Oakland, the Rays will try to move into the tie for first place, and become All-Star Sabo-Metric second favorites at ~22%. OTOH an A's win would eliminate the Rays.

That was a little embarrassing. The A's dog game was yesterday, not today. It's a typo, I knew that, and I got it correct on my preseason list. It's even more embarrassing because I was considering taking Sabo to this game... as I've promised him a game @O.co before they blow it up. Last night in Oakland, another team ate the dirt sandwich... as the A's eliminated the Rays by a score of 1-0. Next up... a coupla Barkyard series @Petco next week. It's the Reds in town for three games, followed by the Brewers for three games. The Brewers need to sweep to avoid being eliminated. The featured game is Monday August 1st vs the Brewers... as Sabo will be in attendance.

Or will he?

Last season there were mysterious "Bark in the Park" games plugged on the splash-screen when I registered Sabo for the main "Dog Days of Summer" dog game. Nothing was ever heard about this again. This year four "Bark in the Park" games were put on the official promo schedule, and remain there to this day. However, so far no other information has been forthcoming, even to dogs like Sabo which are on the pre-approved VIP list.

I've asked the Padres several times about these games. Most recently about a week before the All-Star game. That day both the Chargers & Padres cold called me trying to sell season tix. I told the Chargers to pound sand. The Padre guy however said if I come on down to talk season tix, he can give me a backstage tour of Petco. I, of course, told him how big a Padres fan Sabo is, and asked if Sabo could come too. Alas, he sent me an email saying 'no', and later rescheduled to this Monday... because he forgot about Comic-con taking over Petco last Monday. Can't say I'm going to buy season tix... but maybe I can get to the bottom regarding these "Bark in the Park" games.

It's been hot here lately, pretty hot for a while now. Just like we got no heating her @the Sabotat, we got no A/C either. I do got a big'ol floor fan however... and for about the last two weeks, a dog stuck on the front of it. Sabo's older now, and he's been here for almost 2½ years, so he no longer feels the need to always follow me around like a puppy. Now that he and the floor fan have melded, he hardly follows me around at all.

I had a whole extended Sabo Three Dayer™ planned: Thursday 7-28 Canine Cocktails, Friday Sabo's last day of doggy school, Yesterday scofflawing & the Surf Dog Champion in Imperial Beach, Today the Beach Shack (no A/C) & furthering Sabo's proclaimed, but still mysterious, Third Quest, Tomorrow Sabo gets to sniff his shrine, the Tony Gwynn Sr statue & watch his Padres. But one-by-one I cancelled because of the heat.

Sabo & me did go down to Petco Park. As I predicted, I didn't buy season tix. I did get to visit the press box, some luxury boxes, etc. Sabo had to stay in the car however... with the engine and A/C running, of course. That was Monday. The Padres still hadn't put the "Bark at the Park" tix on sale yet. Wednesday they did, so I smashed "buy" of course. It's a night game tomorrow -vs- Brewers, so should be OK with the heat.

Sabo gets a Padres collar at this game too. He's been wearing The Missile's collar since he lost his breakaway cat collar, with his original jingle-jangles, about a month ago.

Monday, Sabo watched his Padres cram the dirt sandwich down the Brewer's throat.

It's gotta be confusing, but the Padres run three separate kinda dog events now. We've already been to the "Dog Day of Summer", the annual event the Padres have done since they moved to Petco Park. Earlier this season, the Padres added the "Barkyard" boxes which are available for every game. Sabo's been to the Barkyard twice. Also new this year are four "Bark at the Park" games, the first of which was Monday vs the Brewers.

As expected, the Bark at the Park games aren't free like the Dog Day of Summer, it's an SRO ticket. The dogs are free however. There's no Pet Parade on the field, and no vendor's faire giving away tons on samples. However, there's a dog themed giveaway. For this game it was a Padres collar, which alas seems to be too large for Sabo.

My (perhaps six) readers may have noticed I haven't ragged on Sabo this season for not 'getting in the bag' to take the trolley to the games. The reason is that I've discovered that it's cheaper (free) and quicker to park out among our homeless sisters and brothers. This has the added bonus of giving Sabo a nice walk before and after the game... which he loves. This game however, I had an equipment failure, and I had to pay to park close up. I had left my shoes in the car, and they had melted in the intense heat we've been having.

Nobody cares about the Brewers, and Sabo's Padres have thrown in the towel for this season, so there wasn't a whole lotta peeps at this game. Paid attendance was 24005, but I'd guestimate only half showed up. This meant we could actually watch the game seated on Sabo's shrine: the T.Gwynn Sr. statue. The last eight times Sabo's been to Petco Park, he wasn't allowed to sniff his shrine... so this visit was long overdue, and Sabo was one happy doggy.

Going forward, Sabo's Padres homestand continues, with the Phillies coming in for three Barkyard games. And it's Sunday on Sunday, so the D'backs are hosting the Brewers in their Dog Days of Summer. The Phillies need to sweep to avoid elimination.

The NFL exhibition season kicks off tomorrow with the Hall of Game at T.Benson stadium in Canton OH. This game, the last remaining neutral site exhibition game, seems to serve the purpose of punishing the teams whose alumni are being inducted (T.Dungy, B.Favre & M.Harrison this year). Golden Bear A.Rodgers said what everyone else was thinking: "I don’t know if anybody’s real, real excited about a fifth preseason game — except for the people making the money on that." My pick: who cares.

This preview is about the NFL itself, not the teams. In particular, the Evil Carpetbagging Spanos Family (ECSF), and the 30 other Greedy Dirtbag NFL owners. I'm giving the community owned Packers a pass. Except for calling the Chargers Bowl a tie, I was spot on last year. I predicted the ECSF would cruelly torture us Bolt Heads all season long, but in the end the team wouldn't move. My prediction this season: The Chargers Bowl won't end in a tie, and this...

Once again the Evil Carpetbagging Spanos Family will cruelly torture us Bolt Heads all season long... then after the season they'll move the team to LA.

What are the scenarios? Well the ECSF could quit their evil carpetbagging ways, announce the team ain't gonna move, and render their election moot. LMFAO. In theory, they could win their election, but that wouldn't end the cruel torture... in fact it would extend the torture into a third season. The ECSF referendum only forks over the taxpayer $$$$ to them. The job of negotiating the actual stadium deal then falls to the city council -vs- the ECSF. The NFL LA deal gives the ECSF the option of an additional year of leverage over these negotiations. The ECSF would snap take that option. The team still wouldn't be committed to staying.

However, the ECSF ain't going to win their election. AINIC. Earlier, when it looked like they'd need the 2/3 majority, the ECSF said there was no way they could win, flat out. When they actually filed for the election, it looked like they'd only need 50%+1. However, now we know they'll indeed need the 2/3rds. Ain't going to happen. It's early, but the polls say right now they couldn't even get the 50%. Californians just don't like raising taxes.

So, the ECSF's election goes down in flames. Now what? Well there's four more home games left to sell. The ECSF will wanna milk those for all they're worth. They'll be evil carpetbaggers until the bitter end. So they'll continue the torture, teasing that they're "mulling their options". Regardless of how the election turns out, the ECSF will maliciously torture us Bolt Heads for the entire season. The Charger Bowl, the last game, is on New Year's day. January 2nd is a holiday. The ECSF will probably announce the move on January 3rd.

So what's a Bolt Head to do? It's a personal decision, of course, but this is what this Bolt Head is going to do...

• Stop being a San Diego Chargers fan. Nope. An argument, a real good argument I just made, is that this is a lame duck team. In which case, they're already the reborn Los Angeles Chargers, and they're just playing neutral site games at the Q while they square away their LA situation. In which case... f***'em. However... it's still not a done deal, and it was orders of magnitude more hopeless back in '74 when the stakes were orders of magnitude higher (ZOMG Sabo's Padres). I'll keep the faith... once again... TYVM. My team might leave me, but I won't leave my team.
  
  
• Stop buying Chargers tix. Oh yeah, I'm definitely doing this until the team commits to staying.
  
  
• Stop attending NFL games. Thought about it. But naw. I'll proly go to a game this year cause it's the last season, again. If the team moves, we're talking about a sportscation situation. If one of my brothermen really wanna go see an out of town NFL game, sure I'll go.
  
  
• Stop buying NFL Gear. Well I can't really stop, because I've never bought any NFL gear in my life. But I'll commit to never buying any NFL gear, regardless if the team moves. Additionally, I'll destroy what NFL gear I do have if the team does move.
  
  
• Stop watching the NFL. Obviously just permanently turning off the tv stops the torture. But I'm a football fan, not just a NFL fan. I'm not going to stop watching FBS. It doesn't make a lick of sense to only watch FBS and not NFL. After the World Series, there's only NFL on Sundays and Mondays. After the bowl games there's only the NFL playoffs until spring training. This is a non-starter.
  
  
• Stop following the NFL. This is a long-term non-starter for the same reasons as above. However I'm continuing my NFL team news reading and blogging blackout until 2016-9-8 5:00 pdt. Since we won't be scouting the teams, we might as well blog our NFL picks now...

The Padres collar Sab got Monday was two big. So yesterday, I went to the alterations shop and had it custom fitted for Sabo ($3, above). Along with his replacement jingle-jangles he's now sporting all new gear. Sabo now has his Padres tag, Padres collar, we'll get a Padres leash on Labor Day, and for game days he has his Padres shirt.

In other news, it's now been a year since Sabo got his head bit by that Pit Bull. Which means he's off of "Super Secret Probation", and is now unquestionably an official Good Dog. Gotta that Sabo... he's a good guy !!!1!