Rock the Vines at Mt Palomar Winery

An amazing day/night in the heart of Temecula Wine Country! On Saturday March 22nd Mount Palomar winery in Temecula, CA hosted the Rock the Vines concert featuring four of my favorite local bands. Lifetime Rocker, Kings of Karma, Those Guys, & Echoes of Cadence came together in a 10-hour event that showcased the abundance of musical talent available to venues in the area and beyond. Full disclosure I’ve seen all of these bands previously either at the local wineries in Temecula or at The Cove Bar & Grill in nearby Murrieta. 

Echoes of Cadence

First a little about Mount Palomar winery. This is a beautiful winery with incredible scenery, including a small lake. The winery has an upper terrace where they host concerts during the summer & has one the best photo opportunities in Temecula. The lower section is closer to the lake & that’s where the patio hosting the concert was located.

Cool Statues

Roman statues are featured prominently around Mount Palomar. It was an excellent location for this concert & well worth a visit for day drinking.

Lake at Mt Palomar

On to the Bands…

Lifetime Rocker- solid kickoff to Rock the Vines concert. As suggested in their name Lifetime Rocker hits all the classic rock hits of the 60s 70s & 80s with a playlist that features a strong influence from the Beatles, Steely Dan, Eagles, & Chicago. The Doobie Brothers China Grove got the crowd moving & even though Mt Palomar is not really packed yet Lifetime Rocker has a nice group out on the dance floor. Hotel California had everyone swaying and Chicago’s Twenty five or six to four … was perfect! 

It’s about 2:30… it’s filling up! The demographic at this point skews slightly older (I’m 56). But it’s trending younger as I keep my eyes on the entrance. The Sparkling pineapple-coconut wine at Mount Palomar winery is absolutely delicious & plentiful so keep that in mind as this review progresses. Kings of Karma is about to hit the stage…

My friend Joe is here! Always nice to have a friend to hang out & drink with… and uh listen to music with too. I just took a selfie with the lead singer from Echoes of Cadence! 🤩 

Ella from EOC

Kings of Karma- stuck to mostly original songs off their recent album… this band is incredibly talented … note to self I need to get this album! This is a freakishly good cover of The Black Crowes So Hard to Handle … it’s-fantastic! They finish with Led Zeppelin’s Talkin’ about Love ❤️ followed by Rod Stewart/Jeff Beck version of Stay with Me!

I saw this band last night at another venue & This was a completely different set list & they still Killed It!

Those Guys are coming up next!! My Wife & In Laws are here! 

My wife & In Laws

Those Guys - Aerosmith Walk this way into ZZ Top My Heads in Mississippi to Lynyrd Skynrd Sweet Home Alabama… Those Guys just come out of the gate firing!! Dance floor is hopping! David Bowie.. let’s Dance!!! Those Guys are 4 songs into their set & they’ve got Everyone in party mode…. No kidding my In-Laws are on the floor dancing to Play that Funky Music White Boy!!! 

Let Me Go On! Those Guys are just Killing It!!  This dance floor is Packed as Steven turns out a wicked version of … Rick James Give it to me Babe! Chicken Fried … I’ve seen them several times & this was an EPIC performance!!! Wow 😮 Flowers the Myley Cyrus hit! A little bit of something for Everyone! Gen X attendees just went nuts over the Beastie Boys Fight for your Right to Party… Bruno Mars' Uptown Funk is the final song & everyone in this winery is dancing! Again 

Echoes of Cadence - The Final band of the evening rewarded all of us who stayed with the most spectacular performance! Husband and Wife Kevin & Ella energized the crowd with Classic rock from the 70s, 80s & 90s in a show that stretched from the twilight hours into the evening. I haven’t sat down since they started playing. My wife & I are just dancing up a storm so I’m going to play catchup later & Party hard right now!! … this is one of best tributes to Fooling Yourself by STYX you’ll ever hear (Kevin, you sound just like Tommy Shaw & your guitar work is incendiary!😉)

Now Ella melts us all into Journey’s  Separate Ways & the dance floor is full again even before she gets this place absolutely Crazy 🤪 with an adrenaline boost of Dirty Laundry by Don Henley!! And OMFG they just rolled into Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen!!!!

I know because there’s like a hundred people I didn’t know before tonight & now we’re all locked arm in arm with wineglasses raised singing together … MOMMAAA OooOooh🎶 (No, I’m not crying! 😢 Something got in my eyes) 

Now Michael Jackson's Beat It (Kevin shreds Eddie Van Halen's famous solo) & how about a little Teenage Wasteland from The Who!! Oh & did I mention that’s about the best rendition of Stairway to Heaven I’ve ever heard… I got all emotional & everything (my damn my eyes Again!)

To sum it all up you couldn’t have asked more from the Rock the Vines concert!!

Hendos Fight Night 11 - Prelims

 Hendo's Fight Night 11

The Fight Lineup - Prelims

Hendo’s Fight Night 11 is set for this Saturday, March 18, live at 5:30 p.m. PT from Dan Henderson’s Athletic Fitness Center in Temecula, CA. Streaming live on TKO Tix.

Former US Olympian, UFC, Strikeforce & Pride Fighting Champion Dan Henderson presents some of MMA’s top amateur prospects from around the world in 11 exciting matches at Hendo’s Fight Night 11.

McNair v Venegas

This is the first match on tonight's card featuring Billy McNair from Yuma Top Team as he makes his debut against Fight Syndicate's Zack Vinegas in a middleweight match. Vinegas is in search of his first win after an impressive showing in his last outing, a loss by unanimous decision

Gonzalez v Agudo

Sahid Gonzales (1-0) from Cobra Kai will take on Abraham Agudo of One Legacy Training Center in a match between young undefeated featherweight fighters with promising reputations.

Garcia v Hamilton [heavyweight]

The only heavyweight match on the card will also feature a pair of independent fighters (no fight outfit affiliations) when Ricky Garcia (1-1) battles Bradley Hamilton who is making his MMA debut. 

Espinoza v Cervantes [catchweight 154 lbs]

Both of these fighters lost their original opponents for Hendos Fight Night and have agreed to instead fight each other at a catchweight of 154 lbs. Cervantes, a kickboxer who is stepping up in weight comes in with a record of (2-5) and is trained by MMA Personal Training. While Espinoza from Yuma Top Team is making his MMA debut.

Riyadh v Umar [lightweight]

Omar Riyadh made a rather spectacular debut for Team Quest at Hendos Fight Night 10 quickly submitting his opponent in the 1st round. He will take on  Muhammed Umar who will be making his debut for King's MMA in a lightweight match that is also the top fight on the preliminary card. 

Hendos Fight Night 11 - Main Card

 Hendo's Fight Night 11

The Fight Lineup - Main Card

Hendo’s Fight Night 11 is set for this Saturday, March 18, live at 5:30 p.m. PT from Dan Henderson’s Athletic Fitness Center in Temecula, CA. Streaming live on TKO Tix.

Former US Olympian, UFC, Strikeforce & Pride Fighting Champion Dan Henderson presents some of MMA’s top amateur prospects from around the world in 11 exciting matches at Hendo’s Fight Night 11.

Petway v Yazhen [bantamweight]

Kicking off the main card for the evening is an exciting rematch from Hendos Fight Night 10! Bantamweights Lawrence Petway and Yazen Wekhyan gave the crowd a thrilling fight in the debut match for both fighters with Petway taking a close decision.

Shadle v Gallardo [featherweight]

Fight Syndicate’s Devin Gallardo returns to the Octagon fresh off his “Fight of the Night” performance from Hendos Fight Night 10. He’ll take on an experienced fighter in Quentin Shadle from Team Quest in a featherweight match

Mayer v Valdez [middleweight]

Middleweights battle at 185 lbs featuring Enrique Valdez (2-1) from Yuma Top Team facing Giovanny Mayer (1-2) representing Alliance and coming off a KO victory in his last match

Brumley v Walton [welterweight]

This match promises to be action-packed as a pair of Welterweights square off in the evening’s Co-Main Event. Team Quest’s Jon Brumley & One Legacy’s Cody Walton have combined to produce a 100% submission rate across their 5 victories and both fighters are coming into tonight’s match off impressive submission wins.

Tabarez v Elizondo [welterweight]

Locals Clash in The Main Event of the evening that will also feature the 1st Championship Belt awarded at Hendos Fight Night! Fight Syndicate’s John Tabarez (4-1) of Menifee, CA returns to the Octagon following a 9-month layoff after his last victory at HFN 8. He will face off against Angel Elizondo (3-1) of Team Quest from Temecula, CA who comes into the match off impressive KO victories in his last 2 fights!

Tickets are available at Hendosports.com #Hendosfightnight

Breeder's Cup 2013 - Late Pick 4

Santa Anita Racetrack

If you know anything about gambling, well then you probably know a lot more than I do. That being said one of the great horse racing days of the year is going on over at Santa Anita racetrack where the Breeder's Cup races are taking my place. My handicapping skills being what they are I HIGHLY caution anyone using the information below to actually wager money. I am not one to identify high odds long shots and these are just some of my thoughts on the last four races taking place tomorrow.



My Wife & I at
Santa Anita Derby 2013



Race 9 BC Turf 1.5 Miles

Big Blue Kitten – He has one big run, oh but what a run the big guy has. He should be on a 3-Race Win streak in G1 races for those who saw the TurfClassic at Belmont on 9/28. He encountered traffic that stalled his big run, then managed to wind it up again and just missed. Now I will say this, due to his running style, he always encounters trouble. Such is life when you come from the back of a big field, but he’s done it before. Given a relatively good trip, it’s his day.

Point of Entry

Point of Entry – At another time, he may have been a single for me in my pick-4 ticket for this race. One of the best distance turf horses I’ve seen in recent memory the Point of Entry of 6 months ago smokes this field. But today’s entry is coming off an injury and a 4-month layoff to heal a leg fracture and returns in a tough race. I can’t leave him out, because well … he still is who he is. But he’s not my top pick either.

Little Mike – The defending champion in this race is hard to ignore at 1.5 miles, this is his distance, he just won the aforementioned TurfClassic at Belmont on 9/28 holding off Blue Kitten and Real Solution in the deep stretch and he proved last year that he likes the turf course at Santa Anita. Add hall of famer Mike Smith to that package and you have a potential repeat winner in the Turf.

Real Solution – The winner of the Arlington Million just came off his first try at this distance and finished a good 3^rd behind Little Mike and Big Blue Kitten. Already owns a victory over the former and yet to face the latter. The running style says he gets this distance and he fits in this race. I can’t eliminate him from my Pick 4.

The Fugue – I took a look at the filly from overseas. I don’t like the angle of shipping in from overseas much less the girl going long against the boys. Yes, I know she won at this distance, and in fact has hit the board in all four tries at this distance so far in her career. And she may hit the board again today, just not the winner.  She was in the Female Turf Race last year at Santa Anita and finished 3^rd in a race that included Marketing Mix who I think would have trouble against a group like this. She won’t be on my Pick 4 Ticket.

 

Race 10 BC Spring 6F

Private Zone – He’s actually burned me twice in his last two races and I’m hoping to make amends here. Private Zone is not your typical speed freak, don’t get me wrong, this horse is among the fastest in the country but he can duel and survive as proven in his last two races. He will be at the front of this pack, count on that, but don’t be surprised to see him put away the rest of the pace and then hold off or even fight back against the closers.

Justin Phillip – Nobody was more surprised to see Private Zone battle back than John Velaquez aboard Justin Phillip in the Vosbergh at Belmont on 9/28. Cruising, JP tracked Private Zone down the stretch and appeared to have him put away only to watch Private Zone respond unbelievably on the rail and steal the victory. That being said, Justin Phillip has been battling against most of the horses in this race and has at least won as many as he’s lost. If he gets help in the form of added pace pressure on the top pick he can win this one.

Secret Circle – Ugh, 1 Race in the last eighteen months and even that was an Optional Claimer against 4 other horses. That was the first sprint for this horse in nearly two years. Never in a million picks would I have a horse like this on my Pick 4 ticket if not for the trainer … Bob Baffert. He does this, and does it well. That one race just three weeks ago at Santa Anita was a good one and Secret Circle displayed fine form rating off a hot pace and closing strongly for the win. I can’t cross this horse out especially if a pace battle ensues.

Fast Bullet – If you are willing to draw a line thru that last performance (I was) on a sloppy Saratoga track then his last two Beyer speed scores of 110 & 109 put him right in this mix. He put those up following a bit of a learning experience in last year’s BC sprint. Bit of a concern to see only three starts since last year’s BC for a very lightly raced 5-year old. I might use him in my pick 4. Maybe.

Race 11 BC Mile

Wise Dan – Silver Max ended his win streak by getting loose on the lead and settled in to hold off Wise Dan down the stretch in a race over a sloppy Polytrack surface at Keenland. Obviously & Bright Thought will ensure a faster pace so How do you go against Wise Dan today? This is his surface (turf), his distance (1 mile) and quite frankly … his race. Come and beat him but I don’t think anybody will. This is my single in the Pick-4

No Jet Lag – Because scratches happen and nothing is certain in racing I have this guy as my top pick in the event Wise Dan scratches. 2 for 2 in this country and at this distance he got a perfect trip in the City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita and sprung the upset at 13-1 odds. He’s got a good post as #1 starters have taken 19% of these turf races.

Olympic Glory – I’ve never seen him run. But on paper his numbers look like he could be a match for Wise Dan provided he ships ok and takes to the Santa Anita turf which tends to be a bit firmer than the courses this guy has likely seen in Great Britain. I don’t like the fact that he raced just 13 days ago and had to ship overseas since that time. Tough way to go.

He Be Fire n Ice – Minus the top pick and with a good pace from the likely front runners could set it up for his late run. More likely he gets 2^nd or 3^rd… but at the price he should get could be worth a spot on the pick 4. Again, only if WD scratches though.

Race 12 BC Classic 1.25 Miles

Game on Dude

Game on Dude – The best and most consistent stakes horse in California since … Lava Man? The Dude has all the tricks in his bag but with a heavy speed bias at Santa Anita in route races don’t be surprised if Mike Smith takes him to the front and try’s to wire the field the way he did in the Pacific Classic. He’s started 8 races at Santa Anita in his career. He’s gone to the winner’s circle 7 times but his lone defeat was here just a year ago. With Mike Smith up, I say he makes amends.

Mucho Macho Man – Goes anywhere, takes on everybody, And more often than not Mucho Macho Man comes out on top. Chased eventual winner Fort Larned all the way to the wire in last year’s Classic and recently scored a big victory over a good field at the Awesome Again Stakes over this same track and looked great in doing so. With red hot Gary Stevens aboard he will sit just off the pace and wait for his chance to pounce. A Definite player.

Palace Malice – He’s an “iffy” right now. I like him. Not sure about going against older. But I think he has the talent to do it and he has the right style. It’s just, the Jockey Club Gold Cup. I saw it, and he had a good trip, a very good trip in fact but then made up absolutely no ground against a good older horse who scratched out of this race in Ron the Greek. RTG is a good horse and fits well with Game on Dude and Mucho Macho Man. So does Palace Malice? Not sure.

Will Take Charge – Another talented 3 year old going against the older foes for the first time and again I’m just not sure today if I will include on my late pick 4. His record against Palace Malice combined with what I said above about that one are the reason he is also “iffy”.

My $0.50 Pick-4 Ticket in all likelihood is ...

4,8,10,12/1,7,9/8/6,8,9,10 ($24) or ($30) if I decide to include The Fugue.

 

My Family at the 2012 Santa Anita Derby

 

Good Luck,

Rich

LA's Greatest Sports Moments #1 "Gibson at the Bat"

Today the Los Angeles Times posted the results from an On-line poll to determine the greatest sports moments in the history of this great sports town. No surprise to anyone that Kirk Gibson's dramatic game-winning home run in Game One of the 1988 World Series was voted top prize. This is my own personal recollection of that memorable night...


GIBSON AT THE BAT

The outlook wasn’t good for the bums that day;
The score stood four to three, with but one out to play
And when the Davis we knew as Mike had his number called
Silence and a feeling of despair overcame us all.

The usual suspects began a max-exodus into the night
Car doors closing, Engines starting, and those infernal parking lights;
Among the faithful, a straggling few clung to just one single prayer
“God, let Kirk Gibson hit” and all will be square.

But though we dared to dream, it was not meant to be
Dave Anderson? Standing on deck for all of us to see
The manager had lost it, what could he be thinking?
One angry fan groaned “Tommy must be drinking”

We must have our hero was all of the talk
So confused, no one noticed Mike Davis had drawn a walk
And before we could say it, Anderson retreated
They’d have to get Gibson out, before the bums would be defeated!

Then as if one, fifty thousand voices roared in speech
It carried to the valley, you could hear it at the beach
From the East side to the West side, just like Randy Newman said
Until they got Gibson out, the bums would not be dead!

Ever so slowly this decorated warrior hobbled to the plate
Conscious of his place, yet un- aware of his fate;
He’d brought the bums to glory before his body began to fail
Now, they asked him to write an end to this tale

Defying the warrior decked in gold and green
Oaktowns reliever stood surly, confident and mean;
His wind up was wicked, The “Eck” was his name
His slider spit venom, his fastball sparked flame.

The “Eck” whirled, and our hero waved in vain
That dastardly slider left him crumpling in pain.
“Strike One” came the call from the ump
“Two more” the Eck smiled to himself, “and I’ll be done with this chump”

Next was that fastball, thrown with no fear or care
True to its rep the sphere danced and sizzled, it seared the air
Gibson flailed and fell but there was nothing he could do
Fifty Thousand hearts in our throats, as the ump said, “Strike Two!”

One Hundred Thousand eyes were on him as he rose from the ground
Fifty Thousand tongues, couldn’t utter but a sound
How could The Eck simply do what he pleased;
How had he brought our hero to his knees?

“This Old Man can’t hit and I’ll strike him out for you all to see”
The Eck taunted the bums fans with just a little too much glee
But the crowd came to their hero’s defense, and The Ravine began to rattle
And Gibson stared The Eck down announcing, “we have only begun our battle”

So it proved true that our hero was right,
Gibson stood strong, fouling off pitches into the night.
The Eck glared and he sneered and he kicked at the mound
But though he tried, no answer to Gibson could be found

With each fouled pitch the volume in the stadium was raised another degree
And they could hear em’ in Oaktown when the ump said “ball three!”
With that the bums bench erupted with cries, of “you can’t tame us”
And Gibson warned the Eck, “throw me that slider and I’ll make you famous”

The pain was gone from Gibson’s body as he stepped up to the plate
Time for the hero and the Eck to decide each other’s fate.
And now the Eck lets the pitch go, his demon slider bites and hisses
But this is the tale of a hero, and this one never misses.

Gibson crushed that pitch, the Eck could only watch it fly
And the bleacher bums welcomed it like mana from the LA sky
I can see it today as clear as I saw it then, the flight of the ball never slackened
As Gibson rounded the bases a voice from heaven announced “In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened!!!”

Oh, somewhere in the City of Angels the sun is shining bright, that’s no surprise
And somewhere fathers are sitting with sons, they’re getting moist in the eyes;
It’s hard for us to tell this old story about an LA great
Back when the Dodgers won the World Series, in nineteen eighty eight.

 
Merry Christmas Dodger Fans!
 

Rich Sharp

Elsinore’s Dynamic Duo Undo Murrieta Valley 69-62

Butler battles Padlo for rebound

Shackleford drives the lane

Chamberlain skies

On campus of one of the oldest high schools in Southern California.

 The Murrieta Valley Nighthawks (8-1) appeared on their way to their second victory in as many games against the Elsinore Tigers (8-2) in a re-match of last week’s Night Hawk Tournament final. Murrieta Valley had the game well in hand with a 13-point lead early in the 2^nd half of Tuesday night’s non-league matchup when Elsinore’s back-court combination of EJ Twyman and Lawrence Chamberlain struck.  The senior co-captains sparked an 11-0 run by the Tigers late in the 4^th quarter that propelled Elsinore to a 69-62 victory over previously undefeated Murrieta Valley in front of a noisy home-court crowd.

Murrieta Valley got off to a quick start behind senior guard Reid Shackleford (27 points) who hit a pair of 3-point baskets and senior forward Darius Butler who made 3 of 4 shots in the first quarter. Elsinore answered with 3-point shots by Twyman and Chamberlain but Shackleford hit from long range again to finish with 11 points in the first quarter and a 21-10 first quarter lead for the Nighthawks. The teams traded baskets in the 2^nd quarter as Shackleford continued to get away from Elsinore defenders for easy baskets on his way to 21 points in the first half. Twyman and Chamberlain kept the Tigers close with 7-points each and the Tigers went into the halftime intermission trailing 37-26.

The Night Hawks extended that advantage on the first play of the 2^nd half when Shackleford found Darius Butler (20 points, 4 rebounds) on a back-door pass behind the Tigers defense for an easy lay-up. But the Tigers had the answer this time as Chamberlain buried a 3-pointer and sophomore guard Kevin Padlo applied the hammer-lock to Reid Shackleford all but shutting the senior down and forcing two errant shots. Chamberlain and Twyman continued to lead the Tigers’ comeback as each scored a basket to cut the advantage to four points at 49-45. Mitchell Leinart (6 points) hit a desperation 3-point shot for Murrieta Valley as time expired in the third quarter to push the lead back to 52-45 going into the final period.

Unfortunately for Murrieta Valley, with a 54-48 lead Darius Butler picked up his 4^th personal foul forcing the Night Hawks leading scorer to the bench. With their crowd behind them Lawrence Chamberlain (17 points) scored on a jump shot from the wing before EJ Twyman scored the next 7-points for Elsinore on a dribble-drive, and two pull-up jump shots. Junior guard Allen Stubbs picked off a Night Hawk pass at mid-court and drove to the basket for a lay-up and when it was done the Tigers had outscored the Night Hawks 11-0 to take a 59-54 lead they would never relinquish.  Reid Shackleford finally shook free for an NBA-range 3-point shot to make it 62-59 for Elsinore but that was as close as Murrieta Valley would get. EJ Twyman completed a sensational all-around game by converting four free throws in the game’s closing minute to finish with 24 points as the Tigers outscored the Night Hawks 24-10 in the 4^th quarter.

Up next for Murrieta Valley will be a team from my old neighborhood as the Night Hawks will take on the Flintridge Prep Rebels in the Torrey Pines Tournament. Elsinore will head to the beautiful mountains surrounding Lake Arrowhead to participate in the Rim of the World Basketball Tournament.

Rich Sharp

The Grinch Who Stole LA's Christmas

You're a mean one, Mr. Stearn.

You really are a wimp.
You're as cuddly as a cactus,
You're as honest as a pimp.
Mr. Stearn.

Ladies & Gentlemen I present for you

Dan Gilbert & Mark Cuban’s talking, dancing Chimp!

You're a monster, Mr. Stearn.

Your heart's an empty hole.
Your brain is full of Mavericks,
You've got Celtics in your soul.
Mr. Stearn.

The City of LA would gladly hang you from a

thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole.

You're a vile one, Mr. Stearn.

We see Lucifer when you smile.
You have all the tender sweetness
Of a marauding pedophile.
Mr. Stearn.

Given the choice between the two of you

I'd take the marauding pedophile.

You're a foul one, Mr. Stearn.

You're a low-down filthy rat.
Your heart is cold and gray
Your soul is full of fat.
Mr. Stearn.

The three words that best describe you, are as follows, and I quote:

Weak, Wimp, … and well it’s Christmas time so I won’t use“that”!

You're a coward, Mr. Stearn.

You're the master of back-room plots.
You lie when it’s convenient but LA fans know…
Leopard’s … Don’t … Change … Spots,
Mr. Stearn.

Your soul is an apalling dump heap overflowing

with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable
rubbish imaginable,
Mangled up in tangled up knots.

You sicken me, Mr. Stearn.

With that stupid toothy gloss.
You're a crooked league honcho
And our anger will be your loss.
Mr. Stearn.

You're a gutless, weak-minded pathetic excuse for a league executive… And Mark Cuban is your Boss!

Merry Christmas Laker Fans!