Coaching for Pizza

Saturday, May 13, 2023

Laurie Joins Me for a Highland Park Lunch and a Busy Mothers Day Weekend

Fri. & Sat., May 12 & 13, 2023

The past two days have been a delight as I had Laurie by my side for most of it.

It all started on Friday as she joined me on my visit to my Mother.

First though, as has become my custom, we headed to Highland Park for lunch before our visit, but to which hole-in-the-wall food emporium?

If you have been following this blog recently, then you know of my quest to eat at least once in every single one of the wondrous dining spots that this culinary gem of a city has to offer.

Laurie wanted a hamburger over any of my possible Mexican spots, so we were off to . . .

The Goldburger

5623 York Blvd., Huntington Park

On the left is my delicious Goldburger with pastrami and on the right is Laurie's traditional Goldburger. We shared the fries and washed it all down with some sparkling mineral water.

With Laurie's first bite she instantly became a Goldburger Believer of the first order. Truth be told, she had no say in the matter, the Goldburger is simply magical.

On to Pasadena and the Dominoes Tournament . . .

My Mother was high on Ginger Ale

as she again employed her

"Take No Prisoners" approach

It was a brutal third day of play as she again trounced me both in games (18-11) and in points (341-214).

The disastrous last three days of Dominoes saw her beat me like the proverbial drum. Her trio of victorious visits with me brought her total victory margins of 48-31 in games and 866-453 in points.

I need help from a Dominoes guru before we resume play next Wednesday. Does anyone have one that they can recommend?

While we were having fun celebrating an early Mothers Day with my Mom, there was a graduating ceremony going on at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, CA.

That's our daughter-in-law!

Vanessa was receiving a

Masters Degree in Educational Leadership

This was actually Vanessa's third Masters Degree from CLU!

Her first Masters was in the field of Counseling and Guidance and her second was in Education.

With family in attendance, they were one proud and happy group to be sure, as are we.

After visiting my Mom, Laurie and

I headed to Dodger Stadium thanks

yet again to the graciousness of

Paul and Joanne Sabolic

They were babysitting their new grandson and thus could not attend the game so they let us have their tickets.

THANK YOU!

We came early to 62 year old

"Blue Heaven on Earth"

I was in the Sixth Grade when the

Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox

four games to two

Dodgers' relief pitcher Larry Sherry, who had a hand in all four L.A. victories, was named the World Series MVP in winning two games and getting credited with saves twice.

I loved my "Larry Sherry Pitch Back Screen" that was all the rage the following Spring.

Laurie would normally have

have a Dodger Dog right about

now but was still too full from her

Goldburger Combo at lunch

The view of Dodger Stadium

from Center Field

Laurie by the statue of everyone's

favorite 1960s Dodger, Sandy Koufax

Color Barrier Breaker Jackie Robinson

stealing Home against the Yankees

Again, GRACIAS for these

fantastic seats Paul and Joanne!

Dustin May's first pitch of the game to

the San Diego Padres Fernando Tatis Jr.

The Dodgers-Padres rivalry has really heated up the last few seasons, so the fans were vocal in their displeasure with the Padres in general and with perceived villains Fernando Tatis, Jr. and Manny Machado in particular.

The Dodgers entered the game in First Place in the National League West with a 23-15 record. The Padres were in third place in the NL West with a disappointing 19-19 mark on the season.

DODGERS WIN!

It was a good night as always at Dodger Stadium shared with my young bride.

Because of the hectic time schedule that all families face on any holiday/special day like Sunday's Mothers Day, we met with Michael, Vanessa, Jacob and Mary on Saturday at our house for an early tribute to Laurie and Vanessa.

All Laurie wanted was an In-N-Out burger for lunch. Laurie's wish was our command.

No, not their 100 x 100 burger

consisting of 100 patties and

100 slices of cheese

We ordered regular, single patty cheeseburgers for the kids and the ladies while Michael and I dined on In-N-Out's signature Double-Double cheeseburgers with grilled onions.

Some of us had fries and shakes of all flavors, as well.

I think that Laurie was happy with both her much desired meal and to have all of us with her.

Jacob, Vanessa and Mary

What do the kids have now?

A simple story really. During my many recent visits to Highland Park, I discovered Galco's Soda Pop Stop, active since 1897.

Amongst the many bottled soda pops, beers and wines that they sell, there is also a section with vintage kids toys such as the fascinating Jacob's Ladder that I gave to the kids last week.

Knowing how both Mary and Jacob like music, I opted to buy them each an ancient musical instrument found at Galco's on Friday.

What was that mysterious instrument you ask?

Why a Neato Classics Metal Kazoo, of course. The Neato box's proclamation that "It's a Hum Dinger!" was spot on.

Mary, Michael, Jacob and

their Gigi

There are those pesky

Kazoos yet again!

The kids are both Kazoo prodigies as near as I can tell after just one afternoon, such talent on this difficult instrument!

On to American Football news . . .

Our old friend Diego Renteria

passed this on to me

New football Refs are needed in the Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties area for the upcoming season. It is a difficult and necessary job that the game can not survive with competent people.

News from Israel's march to

IsraBowl XVI

The Ramat HaSharon Hammers

played in the Israeli Semi-Final

Playoff Game Thursday night

Our friend on the Hammers, Elad Ohanna, gladly let me know that the Hammers are heading to IsraBowl XVI after dominating the Jerusalem Lions, 54-12, on Thursday night.

The other Semi-Final winner was the

Tel Aviv Pioneers

They dispatched the Haifa Underdogs/Carmel Dogs by an unknown score to earn a slot in the title contest.

IsraBowl XVI is now set

Ramat HaSharon Hammers (8-1)

vs.

Tel Aviv Pioneers (7-2)

This is a rematch of last year's IsraBowl XV won by the Hammers 18-14, should be a good one again I believe.

It Italy this weekend there were only two games on the schedule.

Make that one game . . .

. . . and the Skorpions are in it on Sunday!

The reason for the paucity of IFL contests is that two of Italy's traditionally top teams, the Parma Panthers and Firenze Guelfi, have games in the Central European Football Game.

The what?

The CEFL has for years brought together the top teams in Europe for a Spring/Summer tournament that always interferes with everyones national league play.

No clubs from the European League of Football, the Continent's toughest circuit, were entered in the CEFL Tournament.

These were the dozen teams in

the 2023 CEFL field:

Belgrade Vukovi, Serbia

Budapest Wolves, Hungary

Calanda Broncos, Switzerland

Firenze Guelfi, Italy

Kuopio Steelers, Finland

Las Rozas Black Demons, Spain

Le Courneuve Flash, France

Osos Rivas, Spain

Parma Panthers, Italy

Schwäbisch Unicorns, Germany

Stockholm Mean Machine, Sweden

Thonon Black Panthers, France

These were the results of the opening round of competitive games a few weeks ago in the single elimination CEFL Tournament:

Belgrade Vukovi 48 - Budapest Wolves 38

Thonon Black Panthers 35 - Calanda Broncos 28

Stockholm Mean Machine 31 - Kuopio Steelers 28

Las Rozas Black Demons 22 - Osos Rivas 13

BYES: Firenze Guelfi, La Courneuve Flash,

Parma Panthers and Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns

Here are the results of Saturday's CEFL Quarter-Finals Tournament games:

Italy's Parma Panther came from

behind to defeat Serbia's Belgrade Vukovi

France's Thonon Black Panthers

got the best of Italy's Firenze Guelfi

Germany's Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns

edged Sweden's Stockholm Mean Machine

France's La Courneuve Flash outlasted
Spain's Las Rozas Black Demons, 25-14

It was definitely a good pair of days on many levels.

Now if our beloved 3-3 Varese Skorpions can just find a way to beat the 4-2 Ancona Dolphins on Sunday . . .

Friday, May 12, 2023

More Highland Park Dining and Dominoes

Thursday, May 11, 2023

The morning was spent finishing up the last of the Varese Skorpions seasonal analytics breakdowns after their sixth game of the campaign, then the adventure ensued!

It was a beautiful day in Highland Park just made for another fabulous lunchtime food experience.

The question was "What type of cuisine today?"

Who was I kidding, in Highland Park the answer is almost always "MEXICAN!"

And so I headed to a new spot.

Villa's Tacos

5455 N. Figueroa St.

Highland Park, California

My phone's WAZE app got me here via a slightly convoluted route through previously unexplored neighborhoods of Highland Park.

Interesting.

When I finally reached the address for Villa's Tacos, I parked near this apparent food truck boldly proclaiming two things:

Back 2 Back L.A. Taco

TACO MADNESS Champs

and

Con Tacos todo es Posible

Although I would have to wait until after my lunch to chime in on that first claim, I 100% agreed with their second pronouncement that translates into this sage advice, "With Tacos all is Possible."

When I opened my car door I was overpowered by some amazing BBQ aromas.

This must be the place.

WOW!

I went straight to the truck where some serious grilling was in full swing. I spoke with the two chefs that were hard at work and they directed me to the actual Villa's Tacos hole-in-the-wall restaurant about 100 feet away but not before slicing me off a large piece of that meat you see here to whet my appetite.

It worked, the meat was DELICIOUS!

Located in a small strip mall

between Elle Nail Spa and

Maria Maria's Beauty Salon one

finds Villa's Tacos

There is no seating inside Villa's, just these two small wooden picnic tables out front, thus lots of people were ordering take-out.

Time to order . . .

The menu was small and simple

To me, this was a good sign. I like restaurants who make only a few things but to perfection.

I opted for the Villa's Trio Sampler consisting of three blue corn tortilla soft tacos with some amazing grilled, crispy cheese as the base.

The three different tacos were piled high with all the fixings including a large ball of guacamole. These tacos were made of a. Ranchera Asada, b. Papas con Chorizo and c. Black Beans con Pollo.

Add one of their pink lemonades in a large plastic container and I was ready to rock and roll.

But where to sit?

I asked a friendly looking couple if I could join them at their table and they happily said, "Yes."

It was fortuitous for me as the lady I dined with was a long time customer who told me the history of this Highland Park treasure.

Apparently Villa's Tacos started their business in their front yard as a fund raiser for the ailing Grandmother of the Villa Clan. It became so popular in that front yard setting that after a few months the Villas finally decided to take it to the next level and bought a food truck.

The Villa's Tacos food truck's popularity continued to skyrocket to the point that they opened this small brick and mortar location a few years ago. Given the steady line of customers that I observed, Villa's Tacos continue with their solid business model.

As for those three Villa's Tacos . . .

Jesus, Mary AND Joseph!

They were INCREDIBLE!

I think that they are now my personal "TACO MADNESS" Champs as well.

Once again I left Highland Park feeling fat and sassy as I headed to see my Mother in her skilled nursing facility.

Another round of Dominoes

was on the docket

I would need to gird my loins for what is becoming an intense, though one-sided, rivalry between us.

On Wednesday, my Mom dominated the tournament winning 14-8 in games and 239-114 in points.

Today wound up being no better for me as she throttled me yet again, 16-12 in games and 286-125 in points.

For the two days, Mom is now up 30-20 in games and 525-239 in points.

Truly, with tacos all things are indeed possible except beating my Mom in dominoes it appears.

Friday is another day . . .

The NFL and the Los Angeles Rams

announced their 2023 schedules today

More to the point, here is

the Rams Home Schedule

I saw this on Facebook, the

San Francisco 49ers concession

prices from the early 1950s

You could buy one of everything on this list for the grand total of $6.35!

Those were the days.

Even as the Varese Skorpions Prima

Squadra Spring season comes to

a rapid close . . .

The Skorpions are about to start their tryouts and practices for their youth tackle American football teams that play in the Fall.

The preparation never ends for the Skorpions' intelligentsia.

Big Game in Israel today

No word yet on how our friend Elad Ohanna's Ramat Hasharon Hammers club did in their quest to defend their 2022 Israeli National Championship in Israel's IsraBowl XVI on May 18th.

On Friday, Laurie joins me for lunch in Highland Park, the Dominoes tournament in Pasadena and, thanks once again to Paul and Joanne Sabolic, a Los Angeles Dodgers game against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium, a.k.a., "Blue Heaven on Earth."

Stay tuned . . .

Thursday, May 11, 2023

Mexican Food in Highland Park, Dominoes and a Stingers Practice

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Once again, I headed down to visit my Mother in Pasadena home preceded by my now normal routine of finding a new, random spot to eat lunch in Highland Park before heading to her skilled nursing facility.

I was headed to the Via-Mar Seafood Restaurant for some of their highly praised fish tacos when . . .

. . . I stumbled across this brightly

colored building that caught my eye

The red chili pepper seemed

to be calling my name . . .

. . . when I realized that it was a Mexican

restaurant with an old, rusty sign,

I WAS SOLD!

I have a well proven theory that the grungier looking the Mexican food establishment, the better the Mexican food.

Save the fish tacos for another day, I just had to try some of Chico's offerings STAT!

It was small inside and several people

came in picking up take out orders

Neat and clean (too clean?), I found the host/waiter to be friendly and efficient.

As for the chilaquiles that I ordered, FANTASTICO!

The Food Crawl through the various Highland Park neighborhoods continues to be a GREAT one.

If you are ever in the area, this is a good place for a meal:

Chico's Authentic Mexican Food

100 N. Avenue 50

Highland Park, California

Fully sated, I arrived at my Mother's facility to play against her in another round of Dominoes, her long time passion.

We played 22 games which she won 14-8.

To further my humiliation, when counting the loser's dominoes left in their hand at the games conclusion, Mom won 239-114.

We will return to action on Thursday. I really need to pick up my game against this savvy veteran of decades of Dominoes Wars.

In the evening, it was Week #3 of the Camarillo Stingers Wednesday night only Spring practices.

Jacob warming-up

Side Shuffle

Why the track stance?

Learning an important skill,

TACKLING

Good arm wrap

Uncoil

Coach Michael says "Go that way"

Tight Head-Neck Squeeze

Intense eyes

Good Hit Position by this Stinger

Eyes looking the ball into the hands

Good catch Jacob!

Trying out for that all

important QB position

Spin It!

Another QB prospect

The Stingers are progressing slowly as the coaches thankfully continue to stress the fundamentals at each of these Spring practices.

I feel much better about this staff's approach to the game than what the kids experienced last year.

Keep your fingers crossed, please.

A big American football game in England

Varsity Bowl XVI

The Cambridge University Pythons will be on the road to take on their centuries old archrivals, the Oxford University Lancers.

If you are in the UK this Saturday, stop by to see who takes home the coveted Blues Bowl.

The shipping of American football

equipment overseas continues

Thanks to the generous donations of Thousand Oaks H.S. Head Coach Ben McEnroe, we were able to send the Vespa Taranto American football team in the South of Italy five shoulder pads for their players in need.

Speaking of American football in Italy . . .

On Sunday, the Varese Skorpions

will be back in action

The 3-3 Skorpions will be hosting the 4-2 Ancona Dolphins in a key battle with huge playoff implications for both clubs as the regular season winds down to its final two games for both squads.

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

College Football Showcase at Pacifica H.S.

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Before going into the details of Tuesday's events, I do need to post a couple of photos from Monday morning's Rio Mesa H.S. retired teachers' monthly breakfast at the Eggs and Things Restaurant in Camarillo.

Our group gathers every month

on the second Monday of each month

We have been having these breakfast meetings for well over a decade now but because of everybody's busy schedules, our gatherings usually attract about seven to ten RMHS retired staff members.

On Monday we set an all-time

record with 18 of us in the house!

It was all good times with good food and great people!

On to Tuesday night's big deal-of-the-day . . .

Jacob joined Michael and I at

Pacifica H.S. in the late afternoon

There were several college coaches in attendance scouting out the talented athletes from Newbury Park H.S., Notre Dame H.S., Pacifica H.S. and Westlake H.S.

There were one-on-one pass rush vs. pass blocking drills and one-on-one receiver vs. LB or DB contests.

The four schools also engaged in a series of short seven-on-seven passing competitions to fill out the evenings festivities.