College Gameday Look: BYU

This week College Gameday takes us to Provo, UT where the #16 BYU Cougars take on the #8 TCU Horned Frogs.  This is the going to be the most highly touted "non-BCS conference" game as both these teams have a chance to burst the BCS bubble once again.  This weeks guide takes you to Salt Lake as well as its neighbor Provo.   

The City
Set against the snowy backdrop of the Wasatch and Oquirrh mountains, Salt Lake City raised its visibility as a top destination for winter sports addicts after hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics. Area resorts boast of "the greatest snow on earth," and skiers flock to world-class getaways like Snowbird, Alta and Brighton. During summer months, resorts open their lifts and runs to mountain bikers in what is becoming a booming business.

The city also is renowned as the original settlement, and now headquarters, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with Temple Square and the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir among the many attractions evocative of LDS history and culture. The arts scene is packed with theater, symphony and opera events, as well as a variety of downtown galleries. And annual events, like Pioneer Day, bring residents and visitors alike out for a week's worth of celebrations and festivities.

The Stadium
The big game takes place in Provo, about 45 miles away from Salt Lake at LaVelle Edwards Stadium.  LaVell Edwards Stadium, with its 64,045-seat capacity, huge video scoreboards and immaculate press boxes, is home to legendary BYU football.  This emmaculate stadium is one of the most beautiful and loudest in the country.  Surrounded by vast mountains and wild crowds, an old Air Force coach called it the loudest and prettiest stadium he had ever been to, noting the loud noise the seats make when the fans are banging on them

Originally known as Cougar Stadium, the stadium was renamed with the retirement of legendary head football coach LaVell Edwards at the conclusion of the 2000 season.  Edwards Stadium was built in 1964 with a seating capacity of 45,000 (including temporary bleachers placed at each of the end zones). As a result of increased seating demands, BYU made another renovation in 1982, adding stands to the north and south end zones, lowering the field eight feet and removing the track surrounding the field (home to the 1967 and 1975 NCAA Track and Field Championships).

The stadium expansion increased the seating capacity to over 65,000. The crowd of 64,253 that gathered for BYU's first game in the expanded stadium on September 25, 1982 was reported at the time as "the largest gathering ever in Utah history." Since its expansion in 1982, the stadium has consistently ranked among the nation's top 25 in attendance.

Some of the stadium's well-known features include a box-bowl seating configuration, a grass playing surface and a four-level press box

Not going to find much drinking near a Mormin college, but there are good restaurants near by.  Try China Lily, considered by many to be the best Chinese in Utah Valley.  When there, try the Salt and Pepper Chicken or the Ginger Beef.  This place is a little pricy but the locals make it sound like it is worth it.  If you are not in the mood for Chinese, try Tucanos Brazilian Grill.  With their fantastic selection of meats, poultry and seafood you are sure to find something that fits your fancy.


Get Tickets: BYU Tickets

Thursday Night Football Site: North Carolina

Thursday night's ACC battle takes place in Chapel Hill, North Carolina where the North Carolina Tar Heels host the Florida State Seminoles.  Unfortunately, at the beginning of the year (with this team ranked 20 and 18 respectively) this game was going to be a big ACC showdown.  These are teams that have gone from nationally ranked to a combined 0-5 in the ACC heading into late October. One boasts the league's best offense and its worst defense, the other has the best defense and the worst offense. And both have plenty of unfulfilled expectations and frustrated fans.  Don't let that fool you though.  Every game at this stadium is a memory and any time FSU comes to town, the place is rocking!

Carolina football plays its home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium (cap. 60,000), one of the most picturesque athletic venues in America. Kenan Stadium has been the home of the Tar Heels since 1927.

Considering its majestic setting among the Carolina pines, many observers say Kenan Stadium is the most beautiful football facility in the country. One national sports magazine rated Kenan one of the five best places in America to watch a college football game. For scenery, atmosphere and charm, it cannot be surpassed.

The stadium has been expanded several times since its completion in 1927. In each instance, though, great care was taken to keep its fundamental beauty intact. The addition of the Frank H. Kenan Football Center and the North Side Stadium Preferred Seating Box in 1997 have further enhanced the stadium's status as a campus landmark.

The Charlie Justice Hall of Honor, located on the ground floor, is a multi-media history of Carolina football. Photographs, awards, trophies and artifacts detailing the rich and storied history of the sport in Chapel Hill are on display. The players who have been honored by placing their names and numbers on display in the stadium are also featured in the Hall of Honor. Special plaques, flags and an audio-visual presentation on each player are highlighted.
 .
A number of rooms in the Kenan Football Center have been dedicated in the honor or memory of Carolina's benefactors, fans and athletic personalities. They include the Brinkley Lounge, the fourth floor reception area named for Harvey M. Brinkley Jr.; the Don McCauley/Paul Miller Head Coach's Suite; the Norman M. (Buddy) Black Jr. Lounge, the fourth floor hospitality area; the Oscar Davenport/Chris Keldorf Quarterback Meeting Room, as given by Bob Biggerstaff; the Jo Allison Clary Smith Weight Room; the Carolina Football Players' Locker Room, named in behalf of the more than 400 former Tar Heels who donated more than $2 million to the project; the Nassif Offensive Staff Meeting Room; the Ann and Paul Lawing Coaches' Locker Room; Koury Box North, box seating on the north side of the stadium named for Maurice J. Koury; the John W. Pope Academic Support Facility; the John W. Pope Stadium Box, a stadium box on the north side; the John D. Swofford Auditorium and the Jimmy W. Garrell coaches meeting room.

The most recent additions to Kenan Stadium are two ribbon videoboards on the facade of the North and South side upper levels. In 2003, a $2 million scoreboard at the east end of the stadium was added. The scoreboard was financed through an agreement with Learfield Communications, UNC's multi-media rights holder.

Before the game, visit Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery.  This restaurant was created to break up all the chains in the Chapel Hill area.  With awesome outdoor dining, incredible micro-brews and fantastic televisions this place was voted one of the best places to stop on Franklin Street.  Go down there early and grab a few beers before heading to the tailgates and into the beautiful stadium.

Forecasted Weather
Forecast for Thursday, October 22, 2009
Kenan Stadium CHAPEL HILL, NC Updated: 10/22/09 11:45 AM ET	Lo: 54°F Hi: 76°F Precip: 10%

Trip of the Week: Pittsburgh

Trip of the Week – 10/23/09 - Pittsburgh

Friday – Florida Panthers @ Pittsburgh Penguins – 7:30pm

Saturday – South Florida Bulls @ Pittsburgh Panthers – 12:00pm

Sunday – Minnesota Vikings @ Pittsburgh Steelers – 1:00pm

Head over to the Steel City for this weekends Trip of the Week.  Known by many as the “City of Champions” because it is the home of both the reigning Stanley Cup and Super Bowl Champions both play down the street from eachother.  You will get to see both these teams in action and another Champion Contender, the Pittsburgh Panthers.  Enjoy!

Friday – Florida Panthers @ Pittsburgh Penguins – 7:30pm

Our first stop on the trip of the week takes us to Mellon Arena, formally Civic Arena, to see the defending Stanley Cup Champions take on the Florida Panthers.  As of 2009, Mellon Arena is the oldest and lowest capacity arena in the NHL by official capacity.  Still, when packed this arena is known to be one of the loudest and wildest in the NHL.

Before the game, head over to Souper Bowl Restaurant.  The Scene – Appropriate that a '70s-era bar be named after the greatest decade of Pittsburgh sports. The Souper Bowl is what it is: A smokey, dark meeting place to grab an Iron before a game

. Its location across from the Chatham Center parking lot is perfect rendezvous point.  The Food – Fried food starters and sandwiches are the specialty of the house. All meals are nicely priced with the most expensive item being chicken parm with a salad for $6.50. Wings are tossed in a tasty, not flaming.

Saturday – South Florida Bulls @ Pittsburgh Panthers – 12:00pm

  On Saturday, head over to Heinz Field where the Pittsburgh Panthers host the South Florida Bulls.  Pittsburgh has only one loss and could compete for the Big East title and a shot at a BCS bowl game in January.  In order to do this, they must beat the one loss South Florida Bulls, coming off a tough loss at home to #8 Cincinnati.  You may be confused to hear that the Panthers play at Heinz field, but  the Panthers share Heinz Field with the Steelers even when they share a week of home games.  This could be a good thing as there is much to do around Heinz Field. 

Heinz Field, opened in 2001, is filled with much to see.  Start off at the two-storied Coca-Cola Great Hall, located by the east entrance.  This spot is the centerpiece and a great gathering spot at Heinz Field.   In addition to pregame and postgame entertainment, with TVs and concessions galore, the Coca-Cola Great Hall features six, huge Lombardi Trophy column displays devoted to the team's like-numbered Super Bowl titles, along with replicas of each trophy. There are a dozen graphic murals displaying Steelers, Pitt Panthers and other regional football history, complete with videos and music. Be sure to check out the seven interactive displays that feature trivia and other memorabilia. The stadium also has two, giant faux Heinz ketchup bottles atop the Jumbotron scoreboard that tip and pour ketchup on the screen when the Steelers reach the Red Zone. (If the Heinz Ketchup bottles were filled with ketchup, they would contain 1,664,000 fluid ounces each, enough, if emptied, to cover the entire football field three-quarters of an inch deep.) Heinz Field also has been dubbed The Mustard Palace by locals because of its yellow seats.

Start your day by getting to the Panthers game early and heading over to Jerome Bettis Grill 36.  Jerome Bettis Grill 36 is a food focused sports-themed restaurant.  It is the perfect spot before and after games as it is highlighted by over 50 HD Plasma and LCD tv’s, that show up to 12 separate sporting events at once.  Their dynamic, diverse menu provices a choice of appetizers, cooked burgers, sandwiches, salads and specialties such as pastas, steaks and seafood.  On gamedays, they live the college tradition and open up at 8:00am with kegs and eggs (breakfast and beer) and is the perfect spot to hit before a game.

After you get in there at 8:00,and gobble a few beers and eggs, check out the tailgate scene for a few hours before heading into the stadium. 

EXTRA NOTE: If the Pittsburgh game isn’t enough for you, at 7:30 the Penguins host the NJ Devils down the street.  If you can’t get enough sports, head over there!

 Sunday – Minnesota Vikings @ Pittsburgh Steelers – 1:00pm

End the trip with another defending champion, the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Watch Big Ben Rothlisburger and Hines Ward host the undefeated Minnesota Vikings led by the infamous Brett Favre and the unbelievable Adrian Peterson.  This should be one of the best games of the week if not the season.  Enjoy the different atmosphere for your second trip to Hines Field and see why Pittsburgh is known as one of the best home field advantages in the NFL. 

Not much different to do for the Steelers game, head out early and try to get into Jerome Bettis Grill 36.  If it somehow didn’t fit your fancy (or you want to try something else) head over to Peppi’s Sandwich Shop.

Peppi’s is a bustling sandwich shop serves loyal patrons an assortment of large sandwiches, including hoagies, cheese steaks and more.  Known to the locals as a place with some of the best burgers and cheese steaks and is known for its super large portions.  Try the Rothleis-burger, a massive burger with a fried egg on it, and see how far you can get. 

Other Things to do in Pittsburgh

-Carnegie Museum of Art

-The Strip District

-John Heinz History Center

-Tour PNC Park

Weather

Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
53º - 72ºF Rain: 20%	53º - 65ºF Rain: 50%	41º - 56ºF Rain: 40%	37º - 45ºF Rain: 20%

Video You May Not Have Seen

Is this cheating?  12 men on the field!  Pretty funny video though.  I guess the Raiders need whatever they can get with all their struggles.  Only thing better coulda been this bird flying into an Eagle and taking him down, imagine the locker room talk after that...

My Trips - From Seeing the Sports - The Weather Held Up! NC State @ Boston College

From My Personal Travel Blog - Seeing The Sports
http://seeingthesports.blogspot.com/2009/10/weather-held-u.html

It rained Friday and snowed Sunday, but Saturday afternoon was absolutely perfect.  Low 50s and sunny - perfect weather to throw on a Northface and hit up the tailgate spots, and boy did we take advantage.  BC tailgates unfortunately don’t start until 3 hours pregame, so a 3:30 game means that Shea Field (the most popular tailgate spot) didn't open until 12:30.  To deal with this, we first went to a friends place down the street to start off with his families famous breakfast sandwich and an ice cold bloody mary.

After that, at 12:30, we took the truck (packed with our grill, table, chairs, speakers, new flagpole and tent and of course plenty of sausages, beer, Champaign and bloody mary’s) and headed to Shea Field.  We arrived to Shea Field ready to party and had the perfect tailgate.  Our spot was filled with a packed crowd, good music, great food, tasty cheap beer and mixed drinks, and great company.  A few of our buddies (whose names I will not mention) barely made it to the game as the shotgunning, strong drinks and shots were just too much for them to handle - Who says that 3 hours isnt enough!

Game was as fun as a 52-20 game could be.  Pure domination, fun crowd (until the cold snuck in) and plenty of celebrations.  At the 7 minute mark of the 3^rd quarter, however, BC went up 38-13 and it was time to call it quits in order to save our hands, feet and rest of our body.  We packed up the group and headed over to Mary Anne’s, the most popular BC dive bar and indulged in some Busch Light bottles and Notre Dame – USC football. 

This led perfectly into the post game tailgate, where we met up, saw those that stayed the whole game, those that left early, and even met up with those that didn’t go at all.  At this spot we finished up the beers and food before heading out and passing out early.

While nothing amazing for the first trip of the Blog, a solid journey overall.  A day of awesome food, great football, a fun time with friends and plenty of drinking.

MNF Guide: San Diego

This weeks Monday Night Football game takes us to beautiful San Diego where the Chargers host the undefeated Denver Broncos at Qualcomm Stadium.  Check out Sports Bounds guide to beautiful San Diego.

California's first city and its second-largest, San Diego is like a quiet southern neighbor to big-time Los Angeles. Blessed with plenty of beautiful beaches and recreational areas, plus attractions like SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo, the city maintains a laid-back attitude even as it houses the largest naval fleet in the world and several military installations. Meanwhile, the technology industry - particularly in the field of bio tech - has helped San Diego diversify its economy and continues to foster growth throughout the area.

Qualcomm Stadium is typical of the "cookie cutter" design era, and served as home to the Chargers from its first year in 1967 and the Padres since 1969, until the Padres moved into a new stadium in 2004. The former Jack Murphy Stadium, originally built to a capacity of 52,000 at a cost of $27 million, has little color, except most notably for the ring of honor and banners of all 32 NFL teams. Concourses are narrow for the most part. Seating capacity was increased to 60,100 in 1984. The facility underwent another expansion in 1997 that included the addition of thousands of seats, a club level, 37 new suites and a new west-end Jumbotron screen.
  

Parking: The parking lot opens four hours prior to kickoff and closes two hours after the conclusion of the game. Tailgating remains one of the great traditions at Chargers games. So get out there early and check out the awesome scene with your t-shirt and shorts on Monday Night (game at 5:30 local time)

Restaurants and Bars:  
Burger Lounge: Located a little over a mile away from the stadium Burger Lounge is a fabulous choice for fresh food & a fresh atmosphere! Their organic cuisine of grass fed beef burgers, basil infused turkey burgers, & quinoa veggie burgers paired with a spunky ambiance is making Burger Lounge a local hot spot and awesome place for a pregame burger.
El Zarape Mexican: More interested in Mexican food?  This stylish little restaurant is proof that not all taco shop food is equal -- try a shredded beef or chicken taco or tostada with generous mounds of juicy, slow-cooked meat, or scallop burritos or well-prepared soups. Very inexpensive and pretty quick if you want to grab a few tacos before you head over to the stadium.
McGregor's Grill and Ale House: Once settled in, you can quickly forget that you're in suburban Southern California. The ambiance here is part sports bar, part neighborhood pub. With numerous apartment and condominium complexes in the area, McGregor's has become the place to go for the local set.  Choose from one of dozens of beers or one of a dozen specialty tequila.  Always tons of sporting events on TV if you want to check out the Angels-Yankees battle just a few miles away
Seau's : Gota check out the bar named after one of the most famous Chargers of all time - Junior Seau!  This vast sports bar offers 70 TV screens and varied pub grub: pizza, hefty burgers, wings with three sauces, sushi, and Junior Seau’s family recipe of Samoan teriyaki “plate lunch.”  It is pretty inexpensive and could be a nice stop before you head over to the tailgates.

Transportation: Parking is extremely limited at Qualcomm Stadium. Consider taking public transportation. Qualcomm Stadium is accessible on the MTS Trolley's Green Line; round-trip tickets range from $3 to $6.

Other San Diego Attractions
-San Diego Zoo
-San Deigo Wild Animal Park
-Museum of Contemporary Art
-Sea World
-Beach!!