Top 5 omissions from the Record's "Hot Dates" feature yesterday

It's not officially the start of a season until the Record trots out their events calendar on the front page of the LENS section. We'd link to it but putting it up on their website would make too much sense. Why reference things in the paper when you can just visit their bullshit online events calendar that's full of every weaksauce fundraiser and bake sale put on by the few people in this town tech-savvy enough to understand how to work it? But as usual, the edition printed in the actual paper was missing a few rather important pieces of information. I got the brain trust together and here are the 5 biggest omissions in no particular order.

1. April 8th Ports Exhibition Game vs. the Rivercats

Yes, I know the game's already on the calendar, but their missing the most important piece of information. It's a battle of the California League Champs and the AAA National Champs. AAA ball doesn't come to Stockton often, so it's kind of a big deal. So of course the Record completely ignores that angle. The only way we know about it is because we stumbled upon the Ports' Front Office blog , which is actually a pretty decent read for you Ports fans.

2. April 11th Strikeforce Shamrock vs. Diaz HP Pavillion San Jose, CA

This is Nick Diaz's first fight since the EliteXC show in Stockton and Frank Shamrock's first fight in a long time. Both are local products so it makes total sense that the Record hasn't said a fuckng word about this upcoming card. Nevermind the fact that Elk Grove's Scott Smith is also fighting that night. I thought I saw Jake Shields (local fighter number four) on the card too but now it says TBA instead of his name so I assume he's injured. But still, Stockton's own Nick Diaz vs. Lockeford's own Frank Shamrock in the main event of a Showtime fight card doesn't warrant a sentence of coverage? Is the Record's entire sports department high? They're more than willing to fellate the local hockey, arena football, indoor soccer, and minor league baseball teams but they're not willing to cover what's arguably one of the hottest, fastest growing sports in the country? Especially one featuring at least 3 fighters with local connections? Aren't newspapers supposed to eat this shit up? They even list some random fucking boxing event at Arco at the end of the month and don't even list who's fighitng. MMA isn't WWE guys, it's a real fucking sport. Fucking treat it like one.

3. May 23rd Journey Live in Concert Raley Field Sacramento, CA

Let me get this straight, Sacramento can book Journey for an outdoor show in their baseball stadium and we can't? Fuck you IFG. Also, I gotta ask, what the fuck is the Mayor's Hike and Bike event that's listed there instead? You get an opportunity to hike and ride a bike with Ann Johnston? How would you keep up? Mountain goats can walk up steeper hillsides than people can. And why would anybody pay $20 for that? I know the city's hard up for money but that's not what I had in mind when Mayor Johnston started talking about volunteerism. I'll volunteer my time, not my wallet. And if I'm going to open that sucker up, it better be for something I can't do by myself for free.

4. Fats Party Bus to A's game (Date TBD)

OK, so we're running low on events. We're bloggers so we're naturally shut-ins. But BWDW Fats usually takes a bus to an A's game that results in some debaucherous levels of drinking around this time. I'm pretty sure Ben already knows which games but I'm too lazy to call his ass. Either way, this is way better than half the stuffy, boring events listed on the calendar. Plus, Fats has way better food than Paragary's. Whoever pays $40 for that Around the World bullshit next week is a fucking dumbass.

5. June 7th WEC 41 Urijah Faber vs Mike Brown for the WEC Featherweight title Arco Arena

Major MMA event number 2 that the Record missed. Faber is a Sacramento product and considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. No really, MMA expert and AOL Fanhouse blogger Michael David Smith just listed Brown and Faber as 9th and 10 respectively in his Top Ten Pound-for-Pound fighter post yesterday. Faber lost his Featherweight title to Brown last year after holding it for a considerable amount of time and gets his rematch in his hometown. Two of the top ten pound-for-pound fighters in the World going toe-to-toe in a rematch for the title is a huge fucking deal. I'll definitely be there pulling for the California Kid to reclaim his title. So naturally the Record has no idea about it and would rather promote a Jewish Food Festival (even Bris Isaak thinks this is ridiculous, just don't tell his mom that).