From 1-5pm on Sunday, December 7 between 11th and 15th Streets on Camino Del Mar, Holiday Wonderland will present everything we love about the holidays right by the beach. Bring your friends and family to enjoy appearances from Santa Claus, horse and carriage rides, a children’s fun zone, a holiday gift bazaar, strolling carolers, arts and crafts activities, carnival games, face painting and more. Also, participating Del Mar restaurants will be serving up culinary tastes of the season until 5pm - available with event ticket.

Starting at 5pm, the outdoor amphitheatre at L’Auberge Del Mar will present the annual Del Mar Tree Lighting ceremony. As the 35 foot tree is set aglow in bright lights, guests will hear holiday tunes from Michael Tiernan and sip complimentary refreshments provided by KITCHEN 1540.

Holiday Wonderland tickets are $20 pre-sale and $25 the day of the event. Tickets include 4-10 food items or activities, and a portion of ticket sales will benefit local Del Mar schools. More information and event tickets are available at DelMarMainStreet.com.

On Sunday, in Pittsburgh, the Chargers saw a fourth-quarter lead erased by an opponent’s score in the final 30 seconds of a game for the third time this season.

After the Chargers grabbed a 10-8 lead in their Week 11 contest at Pittsburgh, the Steelers drove the length of the field and set up a 32-yard field goal that allowed Ben Roethlisberger and company to escape with an 11-10 victory in the snow.

Sure, there was a questionable call that screwed up the point spread for degenerate gamblers across the world, but all in all, it was just another typical Sunday for Charger fans in this fall of 2008. 

Before the game the 1pm game, I found myself watching the Denver Broncos beating the Atlanta Falcons on the road in a close game.  It made me wonder about the orange and blue team that is beating the Chargers for the lead in the division.  The AFC West is easily the worst, and hardest to comprehend, division in the conference (I guess any division involving Al Davis wins that title), but the Broncos seem to be winning while being perceived as being a bad team.  It seems like nationally, people can’t figure out why the Broncos can be winning and they can’t figure out why the Chargers are losing.  The reason for this is simple:  LaDainian Tomlinson is almost thirty, doesn’t have his All Pro fullback, Lorenzo Neal, blocking for him, and the 2008 Chargers’ Offensive Line is best described as, well, a 4-6 outfit.  The Chargers’ defense looks like it is getting itself together, but the offensive is lacking those 40-yard runs from LT that have become expected over the years. 

With three games in a row at home coming up, the Chargers’ 2008 season is in the hands of the players on the field.  Despite the media’s confusion over why Denver is winning and why the Chargers are losing, the teams and players around the league outside of the division are not taking the Broncos lightly, and are definitely not afraid of going into Qualcomm and slapping the Bolts in the face with a reality that suggests this recent run of high level talent on verge of greatness is over.

If the Chargers win the next three games, they have a shot.  If they lose, the window for winning a championship could be closed for a very long time.

On the sidelines, Norv Turner always has a look on his face like he is hipster who is over it because he has to be over it.  He always seems somewhere between either almost totally disappointed or like he is contemplating the insane reality that he still gets head coaching opportunities.  I don’t know if I have ever watched somebody who is so out of place being in charge.  And the sad part is, if he were in the same position that Herm Edwards was at the end of Chargers’ win on Sunday, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have kicked the extra point. 

A win is a win (that will not be on my gravestone), but sometimes the losing team gets all the glory.  All day the Chiefs’ offense did whatever they wanted against San Diego.  Tyler Thigpen basically played catch with his two favorite receivers, Dwayne Bowe, and Tony Gonzalez, making the Chargers look like a bunch of dumb cows who can’t figure out that the fence has electricity running through it.  It was embarrassing and Norv looked bored. 

The Chargers’ offense, while still displaying an ineffective LT, did move the ball rather well to finally take the lead at the end of the fourth quarter.  In the game’s final drive the Chiefs marched down the field and scored an easy touchdown making the score 19-20.  Immediately after the touchdown, Herm Edwards shot his hand in the air with two fingers pointing to the sky.  He never considered going to overtime; he played to win the game.The Chargers made a big stop in the end zone and won the game, but the 1-8 Chiefs walked off the field with more respect.  The Chargers are still considered a disappointment because they were supposed to stomp the Chiefs at home after figuring themselves out after the bye week. 

Next San Diego goes to Pittsburgh, which could very easily be a disaster.  The Steelers always play well at home later in the season, and their defense seems to get stronger every week.  In the film, Groundhog Day, Bill Murray’s character, Phil, always claims that he is not going Pittsburgh because he knows that he is trapped living the same reality over and over again.  He says this before realizing that he has to improve himself before he can move forward.  Hopefully before walking onto Heinz Field next Sunday, the Chargers will be able to see their shadow.

Photos from www.chargers.com

 In all walks of life, record is everything.  Barack Obama gave a great speech at the DNC in 2004, wrote a best-selling book, won a Senate seat and then beat Hillary.  This makes Obama 4-0.  John McCain is a war hero, a Senator that matters, a failure to win the Republican Nomination in 2000 (to George W. Bush, a guy who, judging by the current polls, McCain has mistakenly aligned himself with) and a winner of the same Nomination in 2008.  Essentially, this makes John McCain 3-1.  Is this a completely fair evaluation?  Probably not, but it looks like Obama will win on Tuesday because his record is considered relatively perfect in comparison to his opponent.

Even if the Chargers are better than their record illustrates, it is unchangeable and completely relevant to where they are, and where they are going.  Former Charger Drew Brees, who completed 30-of-41 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns, didn’t play like he thought the Chargers’ record was insignificant.  He torched his former team like the ex-girlfriend who changes her hair, gets a complete hot new look, starts dating young millionaires that own planes, and then runs around the world making out with them in exotic places, followed by posting pictures of it on her Facebook page.  He connected on his first six throws and basically said to the Chargers’ and their fanbase, Yeah, I have moved on and I am never looking back. 

The Bolts didn’t have to go to London to figure themselves out.  The rest of the league knows who the Chargers are and their record is not a misrepresentation of what has transpired up until now.  Sure, they can fire their ineffective defensive co-coordinator, Ted Cotrell, to mix things up, but that won’t make Shawn Merriman’s knee better.

San Diego goes into their bye week, beaten, confused, and unsure about the future.  Politics and Sports are different animals, but still, I would rather be going into to next week with a better record.

Here are some mellow bars to hang out in and watch football when you don’t have your team to watch:

Triple Crown Pub

Triple Crown wins as one of the best bars in the Normal Heights area. Drink prices are reasonable and they have a decent selection of beer on tap. All essential bar games are covered, including decent pool tables, foosball, and ping-pong.  The vibe there makes it hard to not have a good time.

The Catalina Lounge

When you feel like throwing on flip-flops and playing some games, head down to the Catalina Lounge. Most people are playing pool, darts, shuffleboard or video games. The bartenders are friendly and pour decent size, strong drinks. Remember to bring cash and to check out the jukebox!

Photos from www.chargers.com

While watching the network’s solution of showing us the Steelers/Bengals game, I found myself not being able to stop from looking at the little ticker at the bottom of the screen and noticing that the Chargers were already blowing the game.  Sure, it is always hard to play in Buffalo because (A) it is usually insanely cold (B) the flight for teams coming from the west coast is horrendous for athletes and (C) in recent years most teams perceive the Bills to be horrible when really they are just a little bit less than okay, but always more dangerous than what people think.  A combination of A, B, and C happened on Sunday and unfortunately it apparently made LaDainian Tomlinson sad during his post-game press conference.  The Chargers lost 23-14 and then they had to get on a plane and jet off to the UK.

The hardest thing to deal with this season is obvious.  The Chargers were supposed to stomp every team on their schedule up to this point, but it hasn’t happened.  At the beginning of the season Charger fans, along with the national media thought, If they don’t win this year, they probably never will with this group of players.  This was, by all accounts, a fair assessment in August, but after a few key injuries, incompetent officials with freakishly huge biceps, and Chad Pennington’s horrible 1987 haircut, the Chargers are playing like they did in 2003 when they didn’t who they were, but still could make the argument that they were bogged down by the horrible contract given to the worst draft pick in NFL history Ryan Leaf: They are perhaps good, but perhaps not.

There are a lot of interesting factors that will go into the upcoming game in London against the New Orleans Saints.  The NFL is trying to make the game a big deal on the world stage because it wants to promote itself globally.  This could cause many unneeded distractions for both teams.  There will be a lot rich, confident young American boys running around England’s most important city and there will be a lot of Estelles looking for them to take them on trip to see LA, etc.  Also, the Saints’ Quarterback, Drew Brees usually plays well against the Chargers because the Chargers disrespected his talent, wrote him off, and traded him to make room for 1^st round pick Phillip Rivers in 2006.  Brees is a class act and has said all the right things, but he is a great competitor and likes to show the Bolts that they screwed up.  However, he will have one less weapon because San Diego native, golden boy/Kim Kardashian beau, Reggie Bush, will not play due to a knee injury, so the Chargers could definitely come back to the states with a much needed victory.

Here are a few British pubs in San Diego where you can watch the game over some pints and a few bangers:

Shakespeare’s Pub

This pub is definitely an authentic British joint with an authentic wood décor and a menu that makes a good argument that the English have a few good culinary ideas up there sleeve.  I recommend the Shepard’s Pie or the Fish and Chips.

The Princess Pub and Grille

This Little Italy Pub is great for big groups who want to watch sports and eat bangers on buns.  They have TVs all over the space and their staff is second to none.  Sure, it usually is geared to Soccer fans, but they do watch NFL games there and they most certainly will be tuning in on Sunday.

Photos from Chargers.com

Lost: Missing Action figure called Big Guy

Some of the posts on Craigslist under the Lost and Found Category get stranger and stranger.

A recent look resulted in these below:

Lost: Stamps at the Serra Mesa Post Office on Thurs.

Lost: An Orange Weaver/Red Finch called Nancy.

Lost: Black swim shorts with green trim at the Pine Street Beach in Carlsbad.

Lost: Someone’s “Best friend” in Point Loma in 2007 called Chris, who is 6 feet 5 inches.

Lost: Action figure called “Big Guy” at a Charger’s Game in September. He has traveled around the country for the past 3 years and his owner misses and wants him to return home to Oregon.

Found: A Desert Tortoise around 12 years old in Clairemont.

Apparently, the downtown merchants say the fountain costs property owners around $40,000 a year in up-keep and it uses about 1,000 gallons of water a day — even when there is a drought.

The kiddies love it, the tourists enjoy looking at it, and the residents of San Diego also like it.  So, what’s the answer? The merchants want the entire plaza renovated so it is more cost effective and more environmentally-friendly. The fountain has also been cited by the same Downtown merchants as being too dangerous for kids and being something of a “black hole,” according to the article by writer, Jeannette Steele.

They aren’t opposed to a water feature, but they do want a new take on the fountain that was installed back in 1995.

In the end, it’s up to the city who owns the park to decide its fate. At the moment, the water fountain also needs more than $15,000 in repairs and it is currently off limits — it has a steel barricade around it.

Maybe some of those highly paid sports figures could offer a helping hand or a donation to get it repaired.

(Photo Illustration: Photos.com)

Senseless …

I just read on the popular TMZ Web site Chris Mims, a former NFL first round draft pick of the San Diego Chargers, was found dead this morning in his L.A. area apartment.

Mims, a defensive superstar who spent 8 seasons in the league, was 38-years-old. While no foul play is being reported, it makes you wonder what happened.

Was it drugs? Someone looking for revenge? A case of yet another sports star having too much money to know what to do with and he got himself into some trouble?

It’s always as shame to hear such a sad story when someone — actually anyone– passes on, but it also seems like sports figures tend to be in trouble more than regular folks.

Last week it was OJ, now this poor Mims fellow. Maybe they make too much money. Apparently, I am not the only journalist who thinks this is an issue. Check out a report on The Daily Statesman from August that cites A-Rod’s salary of being $28 million … to play baseball!

I continue to be shocked by these large salaries that sports figures earn — in the millions while teachers make a mere pittance.

What do you think? Is it time we cut back on sports’ figures salaries?

Despite whatever side you take on the great NFL parody debate (nobody calls it that), sometimes the NFL gives us a game that is so lopsided that it is almost impossible to watch for people that have no rooting interest. Luckily, for Chargers fans, the game against New England was unbelievably lopsided and they had every reason to be interested because it was in their favor.

On Sunday night, on national television, the San Diego Chargers stomped the New England Patriots in a game that felt like the Bolts might as well have been playing the SDSU Aztecs. Ladainian Tomlinson looked closer to 25 years old than 30 (even though it didn’t matter), Philip Rivers found a new best friend in talented wide receiver Vincent Jackson, and San Diego fans were treated to a delightful display of how bad the Patriots are without Tom Brady.

With every under thrown pass from New England QB Matt Cassel to Randy Moss the night got more and more perfect. If there was any parody on the field it was the Chargers doing an imitation of the Patriots last season when Tom Brady’s teeth, hair, Brazilian supermodel girlfriend, and oh yeah, football team were all well on their way to becoming the closest thing to the divine that the NFL had ever seen and in turn beating the Chargers in the playoffs.

The Chargers gave their fans the chance to watch the destruction of something that destroyed them before. It was a victory so great that they could take a break from the game to talk about great things in their lives, hope for the future, and the limitless heights of what the human spirit was capable of achieving, all while giving eachother high fives. Nothing could go wrong and it never did.

Week 7

The 2008 season might have peaked last week at Qualcomm Stadium because the road ahead is rough. Next week the Chargers will travel to play the Buffalo Bills, an up and coming team with a rowdy home crowd. Then they have to fly to London to play the Saints, in what should be a shootout after a horrendous travel schedule.

Here are some good San Diego bars to grab wings when your team is playing against Buffalo:

The Bullpen in Clairemont

This place has really messy, spicy, and cheap wings. They offer huge lazy boy chairs and big flat screen TVs on all the walls and cheap drink specials during big games. Also, this is a good place to go if you want to watch a big UFC match. Get there early especially if you want to get on of the big seats.

Downtown Johnny Brown’s

This bar is the perfect sports bar for people living downtown near the Civic Center. It has everything a good a sports bar should have to help a fan ease the pain if their team is losing: wings, cold beer, and shuffleboard.

Pictures from www.chargers.com

A North San Diego County resident by the name of Sherri Goldby, has an interesting post on Craigslist that I saw today. She has written a step-by-step guide/workbook aimed at helping young girls and women find direction in their lives and succeed:

A portion of the Web site states: “Helping Girls Succeed!” is all about teaching girls how to set and achieve goals and develop a plan of action for creating an extraordinary life. No matter who you are now, or where you come from, or what your background is, or current circumstances are, you CAN do better and be better and have better by learning goal setting and life planning skills …”

It’s a great thing she is doing; helping young girls and women be the best they can be through a variety of ways after they peruse, “Goals will Rock Your Future,”  which she says is “a comprehensive guide that will teach them things that they won’t learn in school.”

She also offers private life coaching, etc.

The guide itself might be a nice gift for a young girl or young lady you know who wants some direction. 

Goldby has an MBA and BA, so she has the credentials; check it out, it might make a difference in a young girl’s or young woman’s life!itt