After Saints clobber Raiders, will Oakland sell out games?

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com

On Saturday, the New Orleans Saints clobbered the Oakland Raiders 45 to 7, and it could have been worse were it not for one dropped pass in the end zone in the second quarter. One item of good news is that only 32,585 people saw the beating at the Oakland Coliseum. But the bad news is that only 32,585 people saw the beating at the Oakland Coliseum, and that causes me to ask this question:

Will the Oakland Raiders' Monday Night Game against the Chargers fail to sell out thus preventing the Bay Area from seeing the game?

The Bay Area economy is in terrible shape and it seems with all of the plant closures, the Raiders blue collar fan base is being harmed. The Washington Post reports that NFL sources point to the Raiders as one of the teams that could have problems selling tickets this year. Now, the Bay Area's unemployment is at nearly 10 percent, with rates over 9 percent in San Jose and the East Bay, the seat of the Raider Nation.

On top of that, the Raiders have not had a winning season since 2002, when they went to the Super Bowl in 2003 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There's no sign that the Raiders are going to change that state of affairs this year, especially when one looks at their terrible defensive scheme. Personally, I would pray for a 9 win and 7 loss performance, but I think something like 6 and 10 is more likely.

Will the Raiders drop ticket prices at the last minute before the season to try and boost ticket sales and avoid game blackouts? Installing some kind of sales system is logical, but as we've seen before with the terribly considered surcharge, logic doesn't appears to play in the planning of and marketing of events at the Oakland Coliseum.

My advice? Get a satellite tv service.

Oakland Mai-Tai Day Party at Conga Lounge in Rockridge today

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com

Last night I happened by the Conga Lounge Tiki Bar in Oakland's Rockridge District and the owners Mano and Michael Thanos treated me to a great Mai Tai and a cool t-shirt, and informed me that on Sunday (today) they're having a party to celebrate the creation of that tasty cocktail.

The party runs from 5 PM to 10 PM at 5422 College Ave (above Cafe Rustica), and Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan (At-Large) will arrive to official read the proclamation proclaiming The Mai Tai "The Official Drink of Oakland" but here's some background.

According to Mano Thanos, the Mai Tai was created in Oakland in 1944 by Victor Bergeron, the owner of the famed Trader Vic's Restaurant chain. His experiment, which you can read about in detail on the Trader Vics's website, and the growth of his restaurant chain led to the word-of-mouth re-creation of the drink around Oakland and eventually around America and the World.

Last night, Thanos said that with all of the bad news about Oakland and crime, it was necessary to have something that presented a fun and good side to Oakland. I agree. Oakland's chronic low self esteem has presented this news from reaching the general public for decades. No more. The Mai Tai was born in Oakland. Time to celebrate today! Come to the Conga Lounge for $5 Mai Tai's, hula dancers, free appetizers, and fun (don't drink and drive)!

Oakland Lake Chalet helps but 14th and Lakeside still dangerous

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com

The new Lake Chalet restaurant is really changing the vibe around the nearby intersection of 14th and Lakeside Drive in Oakland, but even with the new eatery, that corner and its area are still dangerous. I write this not to dissuade anyone from visiting what has become a gastronomic center of Oakland culture, but to explain what to do if you use your car to get there.

Have their valet service park your car.

Why?

Well, my good friend's car was broken into Friday night as she parked along 14th not far from Lakeside Drive. The Lake Chalet, where she was headed, is on Lakeside Drive, and so close to 14th Street and the Oakland Public Library that one can comfortably walk to the place after parking along 14th. Trouble is, 14th's still sketchy from Lakeside to Broadway.

Let's be honest in our assessment of that stretch: while a couple of apartments have opened up along it, there's no new retail businesses or any other sign of new investment to spruce up that area. At night, unsupervised young folks walk around with nothing to do but walk around and in some cases start trouble. Then we have the occasional homeless person who just needs some help from someone, somewhere.


View 14th and Lakeside in a larger map

(The map above shows the intersection with the Lake Chalet represented by the blue placemark.)

The only active place is the Ruby Room but the action's inside and at times there's an interesting bit of interaction between the street youth and the patrons, but not often. Still, a third presence is missing and needed: the Oakland Downtown Ambassadors.

This is a small security group ran by an organization called "Block by Block" and charged with providing a kind of watch over the downtown Oakland area. That includes, or should include, the strip of 14th from Broadway to Lakeside.

I've seen the Oakland Ambassadors hanging out in front of the DeLauer's Magazine Store on Broadway, but given the people traffic along there, its a waste of money for them to be there. 14th, really from Alice to Lakeside is where they're needed, especially on Thursday and Friday nights now that the Lake Chalet is open.

The Lake Chalet and the new Oakland Boathouse are assets to Oakland that are changing the neighborhood around it for the good, providing a fun place to eat and "be". But we have to redeploy our existing crime fighting programs so that the area of 14th Street nearby doesn't mar the good times rolling at the Lake Chalet.