NFL Week 8: Shakey's Pizza

Shakey's Pizza! Boy, this was a staple of mine (and Layup) when we lived in Baltimore. There was only one real location in northern Baltimore - off of York Road across from....um.... the old A&P? Is that right? Everyone knew where it was and there were plemty of team/friend gatherings there.

Shakey's Pizza started off in California in the 1950;s by Shakey Johnson. It was a no-frills pizza place. You came to get pizza and beer or soda. That's it - what a good recipe for success! He also had an organ in his first restaurant where he would play live music to entertain, In some of the Shakey's, they had windows to the kitchen so kids could climb up and see their pizza being made. (That's a great gimmick. The best pizza place in Iowa City - Pagliai's - did this and our boys had so much fun watching the process. Made the cooking time go by so fast.....)

Shakey's grew to about 500locations by the 80's - mostly in the west but some in the east as well - like the one on York Road. It was the site of my first actual "date" - where I asked a classmate named Molly to go out to Shakey's with me. It was a fine date, nothing really came of it - can't remember if I even got a kiss - and then she turned into a Goth girl. Very dark and moody. Was it me?

About the food - the pizza was actually good. I loved the crust - it was substantial, not this thin crust crap that's taking over. It was like a pan pizza. And the toppings - looking at some pictures of Shakey's pizza on Google - well, I think that's what pizza looked like in the 80s - edge to edge full of toppings. A far cry from today's pizzas where the toppings don't go all the way to the crust.

Shakey's in Boracay

Anyway - what happened to Shakey's? It's not clear, but in the 70s they actively went overseas to grow - especially the Phillipines. They now have 150 restaurants in the Phillipines alone, and more elsewhere in Asia. I did see a Shakey's in 2011 when we vacationed in Boracay, a tropical island in the Phillipines, so I can vouch for that. The franchise is thriving in Asia.

Only 60 or so locations remain in the US - almost all in California. Sports Guy on his podcast still talks about it as a meeting place for his fantasy league wrap up session. I wonder if Layup sees Shakey's and takes his kids for some good pizza and Mello Yello.

I'll always miss the Shakey's in Cockeysville, however.

On to the games:

LAR 24, Cin 20. The Rams aren't right and I think they are way overvalued here. Zac Taylor is from the Rams and may be able to glean some tings from McVay to keep this close.

NO 30, Arz 23. The return of Brees. Saints should win, but this line has gotten out of hand discounting the back door possibilities of the Cardinals.

TB 27, Ten 14. The Bucs have the #1 rush defense in the NFL- and that's what the Titans are based off of. I can't see the Titans moving the ball much under Tannehill.

Ind 23, Den 16. Would be a bigger margin but Indy's run D is terrible. Den could keep this close with their D and their run game.

Sea 33, Atl 27.  Should be a shootout in the dome. Schaub won't be that much f a downgrade from Ryan, since Matty Ice has been so bad this year.

Buf 21, Phi 20. Who knows? This is the Eagles' third consecutive road game, so that plays into it a bit. A great test to see if this Buffalo defense is for real.

Chi 23, LAC 20. God, who knows here? The team that can't move the ball vs. the team that can, but falters inside the 5. I think the weakness of the Chargers' D will give Trubisky just enough to win.

Det 30, NYG 17. The Lions are angry, my friends....like an old man trying to return soup at a deli. They will take their frustrations out on a weak Giants secondary.

Jax 19, NYJ 17.  Too many points for the Jags to give up here. They were trailing the Bengals last week in the 4th Q! The Jets have to be embarrassed and will give Minshew all sorts of new looks.

SF 23, Car 20.  A run fest game for the ages- Carolina will certainly focus on CMC while SF will respect Car's defense and play it close to the vest. Should be a close game with lots of rushing.

Hou 34, Oak 23. I can't see Oakland's defense being up to the task to stop Watson - at home - and their travel plans have got to catch up with them.

GB 27, KC 20. I have some faith in Matt Moore and Andy Reid's schemes so the Chiefs will keep this close without Mahomes.

Pit 31, Mia 17. Mia will score some with Fitzpatrick and the weak Pit pass D- but there will be Miami turnovers and Pit will get some easy points.

Best bets: 12 of them this week. Last week: no good. 4-8. Overall:  48-49-2
ATS: last week 3-4; overall 24-35-1
O/U: last week 1-4; overall 24-14-1

Cin +12
Det -6.5
Det/NYG under 49.5
TB +2.5
TB/Ten under 45.5
Sea/Atl over 50
NYJ +6.5
NYJ/Jax under 40.5
Az +12.5
Hou -6
Hou/Oak over 52
Mia/Pit over 43.5

Supercontest picks: 2-3 last week, 12-18 overall. Time to really get my act in gear here.....

Cin +13
TB +2.5
Det -6.5
NYJ +6.5
Hou -6.5

NFL Week 7: Arthur Treacher's

Arthur Treacher's! Those of us who remember the 70s remember this restaurant and the ubiquitous green and yellow design. It was THE place to get fast food fish - no one else had it at the time, except for the popular Filet O Fish at McDonalds. And it was cultural! You felt British just going in there and ordering "chips" instead of fries.

And it was good! I recall the fish always being "meaty", the filets were big, and the fried coating was excellent - not greasy. They did fish right. They also did chicken, shrimp, and clams - but the main attraction was the fried filets.

The franchise started in 1969 in Ohio - in Columbus - and quickly grew. In the mid 70s, Arthur Treacher's grew to about 820 franchises. The green and yellow lanterns were everywhere! I remember them very faintly when we lived in Detroit, Cincinnati and Lansing. Maybe it wasn't a "treat" like Friendly's, but it was fun to go there to mix it up and not have burgers when you go out.

So who was Arthur Treacher? Apparently, he was the butler in many of the old Shirley Temple movies of the 30s and 40s. He didn't own the restaurant chain, but lent (sold?) his name to it - to give the restaurant a real British feel. He popped up as a spokesman in the 70s for the franchise before dying in 1975. Kind of a weird history there.

The demise of the restaurant came in the late 70s with the "Cod Wars". Apparently, there was a lot of conflict on who owns the North Atlantic waters to fish for cod - which as the fish that Arthur Treacher's used. It came down to Ireland and the UK- and Ireland prevented the UK to fish for cod in their waters. This drove up the price of cod - and Arthur Treacher's was in a bind.

They tried to use another type of fish - pollock, I think - and it didn't work. The product suffered, prices were out of control, and restaurants started closing. The franchise fell apart in the 80s and 90s. A buyer was found in the 2000s - the Nathan's hot dog chain! - and now there are some Nathan/Arthur Treacher's restaurants in food courts - and there are 7 stand alone Arthur Treacher's restaurants in New York and Northern Ohio. I haven't been to one up there - yet.

Can America use a fast food fish restaurant? Does Long John Silvers count? Does anyone go there? What about Captain D's fish food - seen in many urban places? The way things seem, there's no market for fast food fish anymore. That's too bad - since Arthur Treacher's did it the right way.

Here are some commercials - all from the 70s, of course

1. Shhhh!  The secret is in the cooking.

2. What the hell is this? The Godfather mixed with the restaurant. And the tagline- "We are something else". Does that work?

We're on a bye this week - so maybe we can find the "right way" to run this offense and defense after blowing a big lead vs. Seattle. And New England awaits next week...

On to the games:

LAR 31, Atl 27.  This is the perfect game for Jared Goff to get on track. Atlanta's pass D is so awful. And I have no faith in Matt Ryan anymore.

Buf 20, Mia 10. I don't see Buffalo's offense- very run based - getting more than 20, unless there's plenty of turnovers. That will allow Miami to keep it close.

Jax 24, Cin 20. Could be a let down spot for the Jags - I think the league is catching up to Minchew. But really, we can't trust the Bengals until they win.

Min 24, Det 20. I didn't see all the bad calls against the Lions - but those will be costly come December. Minnesota should run all over the Lions here in a low scoring battle.

GB 20, Oak 17. Something is just off about the Packers offense - probably all the WR injuries. I just can't pick Oakland here given their travel schedule. They haven't been home in 5 weeks.

Ind 23, Hou 20. Off a bye, and better coached, Indy will use the strategy they used vs. KC to control the ball and keep it away from DeShawn.

NYG 28, Arz 20. This is the perfect defense for Daniel Jones to face - and at home, even, I can't trust Murray on the road- yet.

SF 27, Was 13. Boy, San Fran's D is impressive. How will Case Keenum or Haskins score for Washington? And the San Fran offense is so balanced...

Ten 23, LAC 20. How do you trust either of these teams? Can Tennessee even score with Tannehill? How will the Chargers self-destruct...again?

Chi 23, NO 16. I think this is the perfect spot for the Bears - off a bye, against a Saints team that has had so many big games. The D will rise up and shut Teddy and the Saints down.

Sea 30, Bal 20. Baltimore is a fraud. There, I said it. They should have killed the Bengals last week, but let them in the game. A halfway decent offense will expose them.

Dal 31, Phi 24. Another "spot" game - good spot for Dallas here to come back after the Jets disaster. And the Eagles' injuries are still an issue.

NE 27, NYJ 17. The Jets are a new team with Darnold - they can move the ball, and their D is legit. This may be closer than we think.

Best bets: 12 of them this week. Last week: 6-6-1; overall: 44-41-2
ATS: last week 3-4; overall 21-31-1
Over/under: last week 3-2-1; overall 23-11-1

LAR/Atl over 54.5
Mia +17
Buf/Mia under 41
Min -2
Hou/Ind under 47
NYG -3
SF -9.5
LAC/Ten over 40.5
Chi -3.5
Sea -3
Dal -2.5
Phi/Dal over 48.5

Supercontest picks: last week 2-3; overall 12-18. Ugh.

Mia +17
NYG -3
Chi -3.5
Sea -3
Dal -2.5

Four favorites. Ugh.....

NFL Week 6: Don Pablo's

Don Pablo's! This was a lunchtime staple for any office worker in the 1990s.  I bet anyone on this

blog that worked in an office from 1992-2000 went to Don Pablo's at least once every two weeks.

Everyone knows the features of a Don Pablo's restaurant - usually it looks like a warehouse from the outside - and when you get it, it feels like it! 20 foot ceilings, an open floor plan - it was like entering the ballroom for a large high school prom.

Don Pablo's started in 1985 in Texas, and quickly spread to the Midwest and East Coast. At its peak in the late 1990s, they had 120 restaurants across the nation. I could count 4 in the Cinci area - Springdale, Newport, Rookwood, and somewhere on the west side - and the one in Beavercreek, near Dayton.

What do I remember about the menu? Well, the food was ok - general Mexican food, with the free nachos they give you to fill you up before they give you rice and beans..... but I do remember the margaritas and all the different flavors they concocted. Strawberry, blackberry, banana...…yes, I tried all the fruity flavors and loved them.

Boy, when I worked at TASC in Dayton from 1994-97, we went there all the time for lunch. We couldn't drink, of course, so I couldn't have my fruity drinks - but it was a regular in our lunch rotation of Chinese food, Applebee's, and Olive Garden. I also got so drunk here after a golf round at Beavercreek GC with a friend I worked with in Iowa that was serving his two weeks in the Air Force reserves at Wright Patt ---- it was so bad I had to sleep it off before driving home back to Cincinnati.

How did this franchise fail? I'm not sure. In doing research from this piece, there's not a lot of details surrounding Don Pablo's going from 120 to 0. The last Don Pablo's closed this summer in New Jersey. Some of the last 10 Don Pablo's were here in Cincinnati (Norwood) and in Baltimore (White Marsh). How do you screw up cheap Mexican food and overpriced drinks? I liked Don Pablo's.....it is what it is ! Chain Mexican food at prices you can expect. Apparently the franchise went through multiple owners - the parent company of Applebee's owned it from most of the 90s and 2000s - and then sold it off, and then it was sold again, etc.

Here's some commercials from the late 90's.....

1. The real enchilada. Plenty of shots of the fruity drinks I love!

2. Um - maybe these jingles caused Don Pablo's to go out of business.


We will write about another failed Mexican chain later this year - but is there one that exists in the US now? Does Chuy's count? Anyone outside of Ohio know what Chuy's is? How is there no national Mexican food chain?

And how come the Browns can't be consistent from week to week ? I know we have a rookie head coach, and there would be growing pains - but geesh. C'mon Freddie - stop laying eggs and at least be competitive in each game.

On to the games:

TB 27, Car 20. Tampa's D is legit - so they will contain CMC like they did in week 2. So they will force Allen to beat them - in London? Not sure Carolina can do it.

Bal 24, Cin 13. Bal's defense is bad. Really bad. I'm not calling for a Cincinnati upset, but I wouldn't be surprised. Cin will run - Bal will run - look for a low scoring game.

NO 27, Jax 24. I know this is a bad spot for the Saints - I just can't see Minchew taking advantage of the Saints D. As for the Saints O? A lot of running.

KC 34, Hou 27. I hate the Texans - I have no feel for this team. Will they put another 50 spot up against a bad D? I can't see the Chiefs losing 2 in a row at home...

Mia 20, Was 16. This is it, baby! Calling a Dolphins win. They have been competitive vs. the Cowboys and Chargers before fading in the second half. Off a bye? I'll take them and the points.

Min 23, Phi 20. At first glance, I thought Min would win by 10-14, but Philly's run D is strong and that means the Vikes will rely on Cousins. No thank you.

Atl 31, Az 27. Bad pass defenses on both sides here mean a shootout. I don't think Atlanta is good enough to blow Arizona out on the road. I expect Murray to have a great day.

LAR 23, SF 20. This may be a make-or-break game for the Rams. Gurley being out should not make much difference. I am impressed with SF's pass rush, which will keep them in the game.

Ten 23, Den 13. How to figure out these two teams? Tennesse won't make mistakes - and Flacco will - so that's the difference. Another game where both teams will run, run, run the ball

Dal 24, NYJ 13. This could be the week where Dallas regroups and acts like the best team in the NFC. Darnold will bring some life to the Jets O and they will score at least one TD.

LAC 23, Pit 20. How can you trust the Chargers? The D is bad - and injuries are making it worse. The 3rd stringer for Pit moved the ball vs. the Ravens - another bad D - so he should do it here.

GB 27, Det 20. Fascinating game. How good are the Lions? We will find out. Are the Packers dominant on D? Again, a good test for them.

Best bets: 13 of them. Last week: 5-9; overall: 38-35-1
ATS bets: 3-6 last week; 18-27-1 overall
O/U bets: 2-3 last week, 20-8 overall

TB +2.5
Cin/Bal under 48
NO +3
NO/Jax over 42.5
KC -4
Hou/KC over 55
Mia +3.5
Atl/Az over 52
SF/LAR under 50.5
Ten +2
Dal -7
Dal/NYJ under 44.5
Pit +6.5

Supercontest picks: last week: 1-4; overall: 10-15

TB +2.5
KC -4
Mia +3.5
Ten +2
Pit +6.5

NFL Week 5: The Ground Round

The Ground Round - the restaurant that tried to be everything to everyone! I miss this place. The Ground Round was founded in 1969, and really tried to become a family casual restaurant before anyone knew that term. Think of Chili's or Applebee's before it's time - that's the Ground Round.

What was it known for? Well, burgers for one. They had a half pound burger called the Ground Rounder that I had many times when I was a teenager. They tried to appeal to families with gimmicks as well - for example:

1. Free peanuts as an appetizer! What do you think the kids do with peanuts? Throw the shells on the floor! That was not discouraged by the restaurant - they constantly had sweepers come by and get the shells. I think Layup and I had fun with those.

2. Silent movies shown on a big screen! Yes, there was a screen set up in the restaurant area that showed black and white movies on a loop. No one could understand what was going on - but it was a novelty.

3. Kids pay what you weigh! Yes, there was a giant scale in place where if you were under a certain age - maybe 12? - you paid for your kids meal at a rate of a penny a pound. How did they make money on that?

4. And of course, there was a clown. Some nights, there was a clown in the restaurant to entertain - blow balloons, face paint, etc. Sounds creepy - and it was!

The Ground Round had at least 130 restaurants in its heyday - mostly in the Northeast and the upper Midwest. There was one on Perring Parkway that we went to many times in the 80's. I remember the burgers and the peanuts - not the clown, however. The burgers were good.

(For the Baltimore readers - is Perring Parkway the home of every major chain in America? Was it in the 80s? Every restaurant seemed to be on the road. )

There was one in Iowa City when we lived there - I never got Janice to take the kids and go with me to revel in my nostalgia. She wanted to go to other chains like Bennigan's and Old Chicago. I did go there for lunch once or twice in two years - the peanuts were stale and it was less fun to throw the shells on the floor as an adult.

The Ground Round is making a comeback - there are 19 restaurants, mostly located in Maine, Minnesota and North Dakota. Yes, the one in Iowa City has closed. They are trying to reinvent themselves as a sports bar -no clowns, no scale - which is probably a good idea. I think the reason for their failure is - they tried to be a family restaurant, but sold steaks and had a bar. Why would you go to a happy hour as an adult with a clown, kids throwing peanuts and silent movies being shown? It really couldn't find an identity, I think.

Here are some fun commercials from the 80s:

1. $3.99 steak dinner! Layup is probably throwing up from the added carbs to the steak meal. Fries, onion rings AND texas toast included!

2. The picture of the lemon scrod here is ---- unappealing , to say the least. The jingle is catchy, though.

3. Yep, kids pay what they weigh! Better bring your appetite!

The Browns made the Ravens look like the Ground Round clowns last week - I was impressed in how Freddie made the adjustments needed in the offense to be effective. I am scared of Monday night's game - I have a lot of respect for Kyle Shanahan - he was our offensive coordinator during our last "good" season - the 7-9 2014 season - and he made the offense respectable. He's innovative. I'm a little scared of Breida and Kittle.

On to the games:

Car 19, Jax 16.  I can't figure this game out. Carolina's D is playing better than I expected, and their game plan should be CMC. But can you go against Minshew and his roll right now? Fournette will have another big game.

Cin 23, Arz 20.  What an egg Cinci laid Monday night. I have to believe they will bounce back. It should rain during the game here, so that may limit Kyler Murray's magic.

Atl 27, Hou 24.  This is a final stand game here for Atlanta. They have to win here, or else their season is over. And I don't think Houston is good enough in protecting Watson to give so many points.

NO 31, TB 24. I don't believe in the Bucs hype. Yes, Arians is a good coach - but it still is Winston at QB. Maybe I'm just blinded and think the Saints are better than they really are.

Min 27, NYG 13.  Another team I don't buy the hype on. The Giants- and Danny Dimes - beat TB (bad secondary) and the Skins (nuff said). They are pissed and Cousins should have a career day.

Chi 23, Oak 10.  So explain how Oakland will score? Chase Daniel is not that much of a change from Trubisky - and they should have a few nice drives.

Phi 27, NYJ 16. Phi's pass D worries me. They are not good, and have injuries. After the bye, I think the Jets will move the ball enough to keep this close.

Bal 30, Pit 20. The Ravens will be pissed - and really, the Steelers did not impress me Monday night. Jackson will take advantage of the porous Pit pass D and have another stat-filled game.

Ten 20, Buf 13. I like Vrabel as a coach and I think he will devise a scheme to contain Josh Allen. And while Buffalo's D is good, they do have a weakness on their run D - which Ten can exploit.

NE 31, Was 10. What to say about this game? I think Brady will come out trying to atone for last week's bad performance and get up 21-0 in the first quarter. Maybe a good 1H play for the Pats.

LAC 30, Den 23. What to expect from either of these teams? Denver's D has disappointed - so the Chargers will score - and the Chargers have so many injuries on D that even Flacco will be able to move the ball.

Dal 27, GB 20. Dallas will rebound at home here and will run Zeke into the ground. The absence of Adams will really affect Green Bay - we saw that Thursday night.

KC 37, Ind 20. How will Indy stay with KC? Their defense is worse than KC's! And we're not sure on the status of TY on Mack. If one of those are missing, it's hard to see the Colts getting near KC.

Best bets: 14 of them. Last week: 5-9; overall: 33-26-1
ATS: 2-7 last week, 15-21-1
Over/under: 3-2 last week, 18-5 overall

Jax/Car under 41
Atl +5
NO -3
TB/NO over 46.5
Min -5
Chi -5
Chi/Oak under 40.5
Bal -3.5
Bal/Pit over 44.5
Ten -3
NE -15.5
Den/LAC over 44.5
Dal -3
KC -11

That's a lot of favorites. I don't like that.

Supercontest picks: Last week: 1-4; overall: 9-11

Atl +5
Min -5.5
Chi -5.5
Ten -3
Dal -3.5