Back from ATL...

Prairie View A&M ready to high-step at the Georgia Dome...



Sorry for being out of the loop the past few days, have just completed another whirlwind, ninja-trip deluxe the past few days, in Chicago on Thursday and then to Atlanta for two nights beginning Friday, where my wife joined me for the Battle of the Bands at the Georgia Dome!

This was all good fun, though I had to cram in almost all of the TGS work before I left, and then finish up today, as I flew back to LAX (because it is closer to work) this morning. My wife returned to Orange County, satisfied like me after watching the greatest show on earth yesterday.

Unlike the "Drumline" movie, they don't pick an official winner at the Battle of the Bands, instead letting the 10 bands put on a show for the better part of 3 hours. The entertainment is of course top-rate, as the 65,000 or so other fans at the Georgia Dome could attest, but part of the fun is the also pre-Battle "warm up," where the Dome thumps with the sound of hip-hop, with the soulful crowd providing a colorful accomplice to the proceedings. A local disc jockey was the host of the event (thankfully, it wasn't Andrew Young, who nonetheless gave a welcoming speech), and the DJ spiced up things between acts, with a couple of "mixmasters" enaging in an "old school vs. new school" thump-off, with the fans as the judges. When all was said and done, The Dome rocked and thumped for a good 4 hours (including the pre-show warm-up), and all seemed to have a grand time.

My unofficial winner was the "Sonic Boom of the South" from Jackson State, which I thought outperformed even the majestic Florida A&M and the exciting Prairie View. A&M's choreography, however, remains a sight to behold, while from a pure "drumline" perspective, Prairie View's drum corps is unmatched. All ten bands were outstanding, however, with a surprisingly good showing from Virginia State, as well as Clark Atlanta University.

The rest of the Atlanta trip was good fun, as we were blessed with good weather this year after last year's ice storm postponed the show and forced us to miss. I strolled a bit around Georgia Tech on Friday, before my wife's flight arrived (I came in early Fri. morning from Chicago), and did a radio show while sitting in a booth (such as it is) while munching on a chili dog at the famous Varsity drive-in right across from Tech. We visited Stone Mountain and the Confederate War Memorial on Saturday morning (hopefully pictures to come soon), which will not score me many points with the liberal crowd in West L.A. But since I have never been to Mount Rushmore, I have to satisfy my curiosity for such things with Stone Mountain, which, ironically, was dedicated by none other than Spiro Agnew in 1970. A couple of dinners at the best B-B-Q in the world, Dreamland (in Roswell), was another highlight. Along with the Waffle House breakfast on Saturday morning, my meals went Varsity-Dreamland-Waffle House-Varsity-Dreamland for two days running. I might not eat for another week.

Atlanta is a very cool city, though its traffic problems can take a lot of the fun away. Still, one of my favorite places, and the "Battle" is one of our favorite events.

Also fortunate to visit my other favorite city on Thursday. The Chicago trip was quick, just to say hello to Natalie and to watch the Ramblers play a hoops game. Funny Natalie stories to be relayed when time permits. The Ramblers, however, disappointed me when losing a close but exciting decision vs. the Fighting Phoenix of UW-Green Bay. Still, the atmosphere in the Gentile Center was very lively, and for a crowd of 2200 or so, it was pretty loud, drums beating like Prairie View's. Loyola seems to have a good time with the whole Jesuit thing, with many more references to the Jesuits than I hear at the west coast schools of the same such as Santa Clara, USF, LMU, and USD. There was a "Jesuit Jam" party for students after the game, they honored a young Jesuit priest before the game (as apparently they do every game), and they spiced up each timeout with some funny Jesuit trivia, such as "true or false, St. Ignatius Loyola had cosmetic surgery."








Majak Kou (left) and Blake Schilb...Loyola's dynamite backcourt


At least Loyola bounced back to beat a capable Detroit on Saturday, and the Ramblers, if they don't win the Horizon tourney, still have an NIT shot with their 12-7 mark. They could use the freshman guard, J.R. Blount, to get healthy and back on the court in a hurry, and the interior game is still very spotty, despite the best efforts of workhorse, but undersized, freshman power forward Leon Young (from Lakewood, CA, believe it or not). But the Blake Schilb-Majak Kou backcourt is lethal, and the 6-5 Kou has really stepped up his game lately. The man is not afraid to shoot, and the 6-7 Schilb is a great college player, a rare big point guard, very unselfish, but with a lot of game. They have a shot in the Horizon Tournament because of these explosive and exciting guards.

With Santa Clara enduring a difficult season, at least the Ramblers and Big West-leading UC Irvine (Big Dance-bound for the first time ever?) are giving me something to cheer about!