Thank You, Barack Obama

This is a hockey blog, but, before I write about anything hockey related, something important must be said.

I think that most people who read Barack Obama's "The Audacity of Hope" take away some very important lessons on how to make themselves better people and make the world a better place. I took away the name of a restaurant. Don't get me wrong, I learned lessons and think that Obama would make a fantastic president. However, the most important thing in his book is that his favorite place to eat in Chicago is called MacArthur's.

Located in the impoverished West Side, MacArthur's is the best soul food joint I've ever eaten at. For real. Those of you that know me know I don't mess around with my food, so take it to heart when I say this is one of the best (and inexpensive) meals I've had in my life: smothered, fork tender pork chops; golden fried chicken; stewed, spiced yams, which perfectly complimented the pork chops; and, though lacking in bread crumbs, soul-warming mac-n-cheese. This place is as close to eating a southern grandma's home cooked meal as you can get without being cooked by a southern grandma (mmm, country ham and fried corn). If you're ever anywhere near Chicago, go here. By "anywhere near," I mean anywhere. Go here, now.

Now onto the game.

Located just past downtown Chicago is the United Center. It looks a little like a fancy prison or an electric company building. The inside is huge, it seats 20,500 for hockey. Sadly, no one showed up. It's rather disheartening that a city with so much hockey history can hardly fill a third of the building. I know the Blackhawks are a bad team, but a little bit of loyalty isn't too much to ask for. Especially when the parking is set wonderfully close to the arena.

The game was a bit of a snooze. The Sharks won 2-0, but both teams looked like they'd rather be home finding out who got booted off American Idol. Joe Thornton scored the 1st goal of the game and assisted Jonathan Cheechoo on the other. Evgeni Nabokov stopped 21 for his 4th shutout of the season.

Martha J, Bobby T, and Momma L were my Chicago hosts and companions at the game. Thanks to Bobby T, we scored some great seats behind the net. Fantastic view, and not a distraction anywhere near us. That's because we had about 4 sections to ourselves. No joke.

Look, it's me with more hot ice-bunnies. I think I'm seeing a tradition develop in these special hockey blogs. The ice girls job was to clean the ice around the goals during breaks, but, unlike the ones in Anaheim, the don't really do that so much. One or two skate out with a shovel, pick up some ice, and skate off. Then two guys with blue pant-suits and red hats do the rest of the work, without any credit.

There are a wide variety of food choices on the main level, less so on the top floor. We were lucky to have club seats, and with club seats comes easy-peasy in your seat food service. I tried the chicken strips (a pattern I'm trying to break!) with fries. The strips were high quality, served with a tasty BBQ sauce. The fries were alright.

A real treat was to be found at the appropriately named Club Desserts. It might not be the best idea to have a root beer float at a hockey game, but oh boy was it tasty. Martha J spilled a bit of hers trying to take a picture. Sad, though she lived to enjoy the rest of it.

The atmosphere in the United Center is a bit surreal. It's a strange mix of glorious history and contemporary apathy.

High in the rafters hang the banners of three Stanley Cup victories, and many conference and division championships. The sweaters of some of hockey's greats hang proudly nearby. The proud history of the Chicago Bulls is represented on the other side.

Outside the arena sits a statue of Blackhawk heroes, balanced on the other side by a tribute to Michael Jordon. Inside the arena store, Fandemonium, relics of past glory are displayed behind glass.

Frank Pellico is a reminder of the way it used to be, too. A wonderful organist, Mr. Pellico lets us listen to a great show in between the 2nd and 3rd periods, and entertains us throughout the game.

The apathy of today is best represented by the laziest mascot in the business, Tommy Hawk. He didn't appear until sometime in the 2nd period, and spent the rest of the game slowly moving from chair to chair. That's right, Tommy Hawk spent more time sitting in the (many) empty seats than getting the crowd motivated. When he tried to get a cheer going, he was met by half-assed claps and shouts. Tommy Hawk should be put out to roost.

The people behind the scenes at the United Center don't do much to help, either. A pre-game laser show looked like it was designed in the 80's. There was no great welcome of the Blackhawks when they took the ice. In fact, they skated on at the same time as the Sharks. Power plays seemed like no big deal. The PA announcer didn't do anything to get the crowd going, only speaking to announce information in a flat manner.

At the end of the day, the blame lies with the fans. If people don't show up, no electricity can be generated. The loudest crowd noise came at the end of the 2nd period, when fans booed the team off the ice. I'm sure there were quite a few loyal fans there, and I have a lot of respect for them. It's hard to support a team when it's been in the gutter for a long time.

I hope things change for the Blackhawks and Chicago fans. It's sad to see a place that so appreciates it's history abandoned.

The best way to describe Chicago is flat and sturdy. It's a city that doesn't mind being slow to change. The buildings are generally older, and built solid. The people and places can withstand brutal winters and hot summers. It was really cold, and I was amazed that no one was wearing hats. Except for me. You bet your ass I was.

Chicago is a wonderful city for food. I ate wonderful, hearty food the whole time. MacArthur's was amazing. Gino's East, one of Chicago's most famous deep dish pizza joints, was terrific. While I'm a New York pizza guy at heart, comparisons are unfair. Comparing NY vs. Chicago pizza is like comparing apple pie and pecan pie. Sure, they're both pie, but they're very different. Big props to Patsy the waitress at Gino's for being so damn cool.

I also ate at the Webber Grill. Awesome. They must have the best vent system in the world, because the place is filled with Webber charcoal grills, working overtime to provide tasty BBQ in various styles. The Carolina pulled pork was very good, the ribs were out of this world. Something tells me the burgers taste like the best backyard bar-b-q.

Despite the winter storm, adventures were still to be had. There was a journey to the Field Museum, where we saw Sue. Sue is the most complete T-Rex in the world. The Field also had the bones of Lucy, the oldest hominid on record. It's a great museum, as is the Museum of Science and Industry.

At the height of the snow and sleet storm, Martha and I walked to the Family Bar. It's a swell neighborhood drinking hole. The crowd is mixed, drinks are cheap ($6.50 for a cocktail and beer!), and darts is the game of choice. There was a competition taking place while we were there. It made our Shakespeare Santa Cruz games seem sad in comparison. Then again, we weren't very good. Only downside of the family bar, the juke box was crap.

I took Lucy with me on the trip. It was a great time for her, too. She had big house to play in, and a new special friend- Gabby. I'm not sure how they know each other so quickly, but Italian Greyhounds always make instant best friends. Lucy showed that she was the boss right away, taking the warm, comfy spot by the radiator. Gabby was not quick to give up, though, and there were many great fights over various squeaky toys. They had lots of crazy fun together.

The Sharks end the game with a 38-22-1 record. Their 77 points are good for 5th in the West, and they are 3 points behind the Ducks for the Pacific Division lead.

Many more great pictures on my flickr.

Fair Weather

A quick trip down the I-5 freeway from my home in a very un-winterlike Los Angeles (temps in the 80's all week), is the Honda Center, home of the Anaheim Ducks. If you had asked me a year ago what I thought of Ducks fans, I would have said they should be embarrassed of themselves. Very very embarrassed. One should hear cheering and screaming at games, not silence broken up by talks of going to the beach the next day.



Perhaps it was the security checkpoint, keeping knife and taser wielding ruffians out of the arena. Perhaps it's the fact that the Ducks are having a fantastic season. Perhaps it was the importance of this game. Whatever it was, the Honda Center was rocking tonight. I was impressed. The question is, are Ducks fans fair-weather fans?



This was one of the most exciting games I've been to in awhile. Both teams played hard- finishing checks, taking it to the net, sticking up for their teammates. Jonathan Cheechoo struck 1st for the Sharks, scoring a hot goal that bounced in and out of the net. The ref waived the goal off and play continued for nearly two minutes. However, the goal was reviewed, the clock set back, and the Sharks were up by one. Anaheim answered with two in a row, and things were looking bleak for the Sharks until Cheech's 20th goal tied the game with 10 minutes left. The game looked destined for overtime when Milan Michalek scored the game winner with 3 seconds left on a Sharks power play. Anaheim made the best of a 6-4 at the end of the game, but it wasn't enough. The Sharks really earned this victory.

One certainly has their choice of hot dogs at the Honda Center. However, Victoria, who took the trip with me from Los Angeles, and I decided to go for a different option. We both opted for chicken strips and fries at the clever, but falsely named, I Only Have Fries for You.





I think "I Only Have Fries..." should have stuck to, no, improved upon, what they say they do best. The chicken strips were totally average, and I would have expected better fries from a place that only has fries for me. The between period churro, or pastry stix as the sign translated for us gringos, was unfortunately terrible. Maybe on my next trip I'll try to BBQ sandwich or eat at Carl's Jr. (Which is, for the record, my favorite fast food joint. Yeah, I said it, I like Carl's Jr. better than In-and-Out. So there.) Well, at least Victoria took away the trash.




The Honda Center is a wonderful arena. After entering through a randomly festive entryway, I was greeted by super-foxy Miller Lite girls. What more can a fella ask for? The Honda Center opened in 1993, and until this season was named the Arrowhead Pond. As you can tell from my trip to the jobbing.com (kill me, again) Arena in Phoenix, I'm no fan of corporate naming. However, I did like the Arrowhead Pond. It made sense. Ducks live in a pond, ponds are made of water. Honda Center makes much less sense, but I suppose it's not horrible.



So the Honda Center has a few quirks. There are no escalators to get to the upper levels, and, as you can see, elevator access is rather restricted. Apparently, unless you're rich or disabled, you're walking. The concourse is made of marble floors and walls. It's a nice touch, though, I think it could have used a bit of variety. Victoria remarked, "aren't these bathroom tiles?"



Aside from a few quirks, the Honda Center is a great place to catch a hockey game. The place is a technical wonderland, with high tech lighting and amazingly clear and colorful electronic screens. The seats are really comfortable and all provide a great view. Parking is plentiful, nearby, and reasonably priced at $12. For a quick exit, park at the back of the lot on the left, near the blocked exit to Katella Ave. It will be open after the game, and you'll be on your way right quick.



The Sharks end the game with a 35-19-1 record. Their 71 points put them 5th in the Western Conference, 5 points behind Detroit, but only 3 points behind Anaheim for the Pacific Division lead. As for the Duck fans, the jury is still out. I'm interested to see what happens in the future.