Read on for our semi-regular feature that follows new-Seattleite Henry Fitzgerald and his adventures in discovering our Emerald City!

I am an unconventional sports fan. I love pretty much every sport, from football, soccer, basketball and ice hockey to cycling, volleyball, swimming and baseball. I even got into curling during the Winter Olympics. And I’m a venue snob. I can’t fully enjoy a football game in Grandma’s basement on a 20-inch tube TV from the 1990′s. Sorry.

I moved to Seattle a few months ago and I’ve since found some pretty awesome places to watch my favorite sporting events. They’re a lot better than Grandma’s basement. I promise.

Home “Stadiums”

Watching games at home comes with substantial perks. No belligerent drunks, overpriced food, traffic, expensive tickets, crying babies or big-headed families blocking your view.

That being said, I recently transformed my living room into the ultimate home stadium. My dad, disgusted with my 32-inch flat screen, bought me a huge LED for Christmas last year. With that under my belt, I called a local Seattle electrician recommended to me by a friend. He came out and installed a legit home theater system, good for movies, sports and the occasional dance party.

Whenever I host a viewing party, I put my sofa up on cinder blocks to make it sit higher, trot out some camping chairs and put a few blankets down on the floor. Stadium seating made easy.

Real Stadiums

If I have money to spend, I love seeing a game (or two) live and in person, at a local stadium.

I’ve seen the Sounders once at CenturyLink Field and plan on seeing the Seahawks there. CenturyLink is amazing. It’s clean, well maintained, easy to access and navigate, has great seating and good parking. I saw the Mariners play at Safeco Field and loved it. Baseball is my favorite sport, and the stadium was phenomenal. The roof opened up, and the hot dogs – and sushi! – were delicious. I’ve also seen a horse race at the Emerald Downs, got invited to a Disney-on-Ice production at the KeyArena and caught part of a field hockey game at the Starfire Sports & Entertainment Complex. I would suggest not spending money on Disney on Ice, but everything else is a go.

Sports Bars

I find sports bars to be the happy medium between hauling in the cinder blocks in order to build my home stadium or shelling out money and effort to head out to a real stadium.

Auto Battery is my favorite sports bar. It’s totally awesome–cheap drinks and food, pool, skeeball, laid back atmosphere, and great specials. But, it gets crowded. If you plan on catching a Seahawks game on Sunday afternoon, get there Sunday morning. But hey, that’s part of the fun – being around all the fans give the bar a stadium-like feel.

The Victory Lounge is a close second. Its food and drinks are even cheaper than Auto Battery and the bartenders are more attentive. I like it because it’s cleaner, and there’s a wide selection of beer and liquor, games and a sweet patio. It’s a little less crowded on game days, too. Plus, it’s called the Victory Lounge: automatic indicator of good times.

Tickets and Tips

I usually try to save money on buying tickets. I’ve found some good deals on Craig’s List, StubHub and TicketLuck. I also suggest buying tickets in groups, since most sites offer discounts for multiple ticket sales.

I’d advise that you show up early to beat both car and foot traffic. Bring cash so you don’t end up losing track of things and accidentally charging $150 on your debit card. And, if you’re hosting viewing parties at home, encourage others to bring snacks, so you don’t end up pulling the weight all the time. It adds up.

Happy trails, sports fans!

Ending a game with a draw is stupid.  Yes, it is. There is something immensely dissatisfying – soul-crushing, if you will – about just knowing your team is going to win (your team is the Sounders, in case you weren’t aware), and then having some referee get all in your face because of an itsy-bitsy foul, and taking away the goal that would’ve won it for us.

from seattletimes.com

Yes, the Columbus Crew did in fact tie it against the Sounders this past weekend.  This was ridiculous because we all know that our Sounders stand head and shoulders and torso above all of the other teams in the league.  But you know what?  Besides the burning rage and nerve-scraping disappointment, I don’t mind giving that one to Columbus.  Because they have to go back to Columbus, Ohio.  That’s punishment enough for anyone.  We’ll be playing the Los Angeles Galaxy this Saturday and I’ve no doubt we will smash victory into their smug, ugly, smog-filled faces.

Besides picking up a tie, you know what else is stupid?  When between 1 and 3 million people die each year from a disease that is both preventable and curable. I’m talking about malaria, and I don’t want to hear from anyone who is pro-malaria because there are no two ways to think about it.

from www.path.org

Malaria primarily strikes people who live in tropical and sub-tropical areas throughout the Americas, Asia, and Africa.  Most of the people who suffer and die from the disease are children. That is to say, a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds.  Depending on how quickly you read, by the end of this post…well, you get the idea.

Malaria is transmitted to people through mosquitoes.  That is where our Sounders FC, and Nothing But Nets steps in.

For the next six weeks, our Seattle Aweseomesauce Sounders are teaming with the nonprofit organization Nothing But Nets to help raise awareness on malaria and save lives.  The most efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly way to prevent the contraction of malaria is through the use of a bed-net that’s been treated with insecticide.  Very simple.  Cost you less than a frisbee.

One $10 donation from you will allow Nothing but Nets to purchase one of these nets, distribute it to an at-risk family, and educate them on its use.

You can DONATE HERE.

And if you donate $30 or more, you’ll also receive a Drew Carey bobblehead.  You  can display this charming, kitschy figurine with pride, knowing that you just helped save lives that might otherwise have been extinguished.

Just a couple of other things.

In case you didn’t know, Seattle has recently become a hotbed for the nonprofit development of vaccines and epidemiological solutions.  One such organization, Path, has been working on the development and distribution of antimalarial drugs for years.  You can read up on them (and perhaps donate to their efforts) here.

Finally, your country, the United States, has been working on this problem.  I don’t know that the President’s Malarial Initiative has gotten much press, due to the fact that it’s so much more fun for the media to speculate on, I don’t know, what Sarah Palin is eating for breakfast.

It’s so great that we’re working together with the World Health Organization to roll back malaria.  Just great.  But one of the methods the World health organization supports to prevent the spread of mosquitoes, and the disease, is the use of DDT.

You heard me.  DDT.  Not okay.  Am I right?  If you feel that’s as wrong as I do, click here and remind Admiral Tim Ziemer, the U.S. Global Health Coordinator, that while we should be helping less economically fortunate countries in eradicating a disease that the U.S. and Europe beat into the ground long ago, it’s not okay to do so by poisoning their environment.

I’ve been told, in jest, that I often write about issues that people should care about, but don’t.  Do me a favor by proving that idiot wrong, would you?  (Idiot, you know by “idiot” of course I mean “terrific dude”.)

But let me back up, because this Thursday is not just the day our Sounders will be facing off against FC Dallas.  April 22nd is also Earth Day!

For those who, through some misshapen twist of fate, are unaware of what Earth Day is:  Back in 1970, the Republican Senator of Wisconsin proposed and persuaded fellow conservationists to designate one day out of the year to place particular emphasis on protecting and appreciate the environment.

I’m sure that most Seattle-ites pride themselves on caring for and appreciating the environment all 365 days out of the year, rather than just one.  But if you’d like to do something a little extra this Thursday to show love to our planet, here are a couple of ideas:

• Disney’s Oceans comes out in theaters.  Catch it at any one of these establishments, get inspired, and then attend the event below.

• Seattle Aquarium, April 22 at 6:00PM:  Protect Washington’s Coastal Waters and contribute your voice to the public forums NOAA will be holding regarding fish farming in waters that are held in public trust.  Note:  There are diverse viewpoints on this subject but, FYI, fish farming is not at all as sustainable as you might think.

• Feel like something a little more hands-on?  Then go to the Arboretum, April 24 from 9:00AM to 3:00PM and assist in trail-building, invasive plant removal, and restoration.

And if you’d like to do more, see more, if you’d like to attend an event but aren’t sure which one – here are a few more ideas.

Now that that’s out of the way.

Those  Sounders rock my socks!  This past Saturday, our friendly neighborhood Seattle Sounders triumphed over the Kansas City Wizards, defeating them 1 to 0 in the 92nd minute of the game.  It was my first Sounders soccer game and it was just amazing.  All of Qwest stadium was fraught with frenetic energy, covered in face-painted, full-throated, scarf-waving superfans dressed in the trademark Sounders green.  Just unbelievable – especially because we didn’t score until so very late in the game.  I hope none of you are from Kansas City, because, yeah, we sent those foot-weary, butt-hurt, wannabe-Harry-Potters packing.  It was great.  Our next home game is May 1st – if you haven’t been to one yet, attend and join the rave green army!  You won’t regret it.  EVER.

I know what you’re thinking.  (Oh, I really do.)  Seven games into the baseball season and our beloved Mariners are at 2 wins, 5 losses.

Wow, that looks way tragic when you type it out.

^_^2 wins!^_^

5 losses.

Eh, I know.  It’s only seven games into the season.  There are 155 games left and eons of time to knock the heads off the rest of the League.  Truly, all we need are something like 92 awesomesauce victories and we’ll be in the good.  Just 90 left, at this rate.

from seatownsports.net

But maybe you’re not a baseball fan.  Maybe you think it’s slow, or boring, or you have a deep, ingrained fear of maple wood baseball bats.  Or moose.  You couldn’t care less if we win or lose or turn the Mariners out to sea to compete in a Trans-Pacific rowing contest, because baseball really just doesn’t make any sense.

Two things:  First, knowledge of baseball trivia could be the difference between being greeted as an American comrade or being detained as a filthy Nazi spy (True story.  Also, try to remember what the capitol of Illinois is).  Second, the Mariners baseball team in particular has always been, and continues to be, a vital contributor to our community.  Last year, the Mariners helped raise over $800,000 for local charities and programs.  And guess what?  For the extremely reasonable price of a Mariners baseball ticket, you can help them raise funds this year!

I’m just crazy about helping.  Also about the Mariners.  You can’t imagine how exciting this is for me.

For example, if you read my post last week and still feel like doing something for our soldiers, how about attending a baseball game?  This Saturday, April 17th, Tigers v. Mariners and, oh yeah, Salute to Armed Forces Night? Honor our men and women in uniform, drink some beer, and watch the Mariners clean up.

Or maybe you like to be more vindictive about your good causes.  Well, who here hates that vicious, pernicious bitch, cancer?  Everybody, Mariners included.  So – and I’m serious about this – purchase a ticket for May 4th, Rays v. Mariners, and part of the ticket sales for that night will go to benefit the American Cancer Society.

And if you’re truly not a sports person, you can always donate to the ACS directly here.

An important note for soccer fans:  The Sounders may have only been here a year,

from www.soundersfc.com

but, let’s face it, they are also immensely awesome – both on the field, and in their dedication to the betterment of their community.  Next Sunday (the day after the Sounders send the Kansas City Wizards back to their yellow brick road looking sour-faced and loser-sore) coaches, players, and fans will descend on Franklin High School to make it just a little better for the students who attend.  You can sign up to join in here.

Let’s face it.  Here in Seattle, sometimes our teams win and sometimes they lose.  Okay, they lose fairly often-ish (but not this year).  I’ll always cheer for them and part of that ridiculous, irrational fanaticism comes from things like this.  They care about Seattle, and so do I and, sometimes, that’s enough.

Spring is here.  You can tell by the date, the flowers on the trees, the warm palette of color that has replaced the Seattle winter grays and browns with green and yellow  and white and pink.  And the sun!  The sun is out, and bright and sometimes it’s even warm outside!

So why, I wonder, have I been stuck in my apartment for the last four days, running through tissues like they’re about to go out of style, coughing hard enough to act as the bass for my own stereo, snorting and sneezing like a train that’s had its belly filled with napalm?

This unforeseen, unexpected, and unprovoked germ circus caused its first tragedy on Thursday, when it caused me to miss the first Major League Soccer game of the

Courtesy of the Seattle Times

season.  GO SOUNDERS!  That’s what I was thinking in my plague-induced sleep.  First game of the season, here on Qwest field, versus Philadelphia Union.  Were we awesome?  Oh, absolutely!  Of course!  Exactly what you’d expect from Seattle.  Sigh. So I hear, at any rate.  Hey, we won!  That’s what really matters.  We won hard, we totally shut those turkeys out, we beat them but good!  And the game got featured on ESPN, don’t tell me that soccer in America is just a fad.

Yeah, I missed it.  But their next game is against the New York Red Bulls on April 3rd and you can bet I’ll be all over it.  And for the rest of their schedule, please do see here.  As you peruse the schedule, please note with pride that, out of all of the teams in the League, our name is the coolest and makes the most sense without any silly commercial pandering or unnecessary repetition.  C’mon.  It’s true.

At any rate, back to the bacteria festival.  I managed to venture out of my apartment once, on Saturday, and even then my dear friend Sarah and I agreed that it was a mistake.  She had to send me home.  But not, at least, before I was able to try the ginger-spiced apple cider at Vivace on Capitol Hill.  It was delicious and a balm to my throat.  I recommend it for any time you’re in the mood for something extremely tasty; or even if your throat just happens to feel like someone’s been sharpening serrated German knives on your esophagus.  The cafe itself had a great atmosphere, and I am 85% positive that if my olfactory system had been in working order, I’d've been able to smell the delicious pastries they’d set out on display, or the rich, dark coffee that they served.  Oh, and the service!  Despite the long-ish line, the baristas behind the counter kept it moving, and I even got more of the delicious ginger-apple drink than I’d ordered – they made a little extra and gladly poured it into a second cup for me.  The space itself was open, not too crowded, and a lovely place to sit and sip out a lazy Saturday.  Or a whatever Saturday.  Or a nauseous and wretched Saturday – you know, whichever one comes your way.

In short, being sick sucks.  Twice.  But I can at least take heart in the fact that the Sounders and Vivace will still be around when I’m no longer feeling like Typhoid Mary – and you, of course, can enjoy them whenever you’d like.

As I sit down to write this, there’s a lot on my mind:  The chefs of Wallingford’s Joule Restaurant are currently facing off against the newest addition to the Iron Chef pantheon; I can’t quite tell if the Seven Hills wine I’m drinking has turned or if Cabernet just doesn’t complement Vietnamese vermicelli; and, hey, it’s our first date.  So I hope you’ll pardon me if I’m a little scattered.

Let’s start with names.  It’s not Lee-zel.  Not Lye-zel.  It’s Liezel.  Lis-sell.  Sort of rhymes with Michelle.  As in Liezel, ma belle, these are words that go together well…got it?  (See Beatles album Rubber Soul for the rest of this song.)

I’m a reader.  Not a mind-reader, which is a shame because that’d be kind of terrific, but a purveyor of books.  Books, don’t talk to me about that Kindle thing because it is not the same.  The shiny black of ink on paper, the refreshing scent of wood-turned-page, all bound together into something that will last right through the zombie apocalypse – these are things you can’t say about a Kindle.  I can’t promise that books and local book-y events will always occupy the Monday slot at Seattle Belles – even I can’t live on books alone – but it’ll be a recurring theme.

Now that we’re well-introduced, I’m going to be honest with you.  I do dance around my apartment to ‘80s pop rock.  I relish flicks that I’m told are really bad action movies.  I won’t get up for anything when I’m watching Nate Jaqua play.  I go to All Star Fitness to get my gym fix but, to be honest, I only picked it because President Obama was once sighted there during his campaign.

I think it’s important to begin our relationship with you fully aware of my flaws, so that you can learn to love me despite them.  And if you hate Bon Jovi, Bruce Willis, the Sounders, health, or leftist-leaning politics – well, I may not be the Belle for you.  Wow, glad we got that cleared up quickly.  I mean, I’d like to see you again, but only if the feeling’s mutual.

Same time, same place next week?  I’ll be talking about literary events at Benaroya Hall, Seattle pubs that don’t give you the stink eye when you crack your book at the bar, and why it’s so vital to match your alcoholic beverage to the correct Asian leftovers.

That last one?  Super-important.  On the plus side, the wine is vindicated!