San Antonio Texas San Antonio Shows off its Artistic Side San Antonio is always a place that prides itself on its unique heritage and culture, and is quickly becoming known throughout the world for hosting art events and openings that are on par with, not only the bigger cities in Texas, but across the nation itself.  September brings a dazzling array of expositions, shows, and festivals to the city, with something for almost all tastes.  FOTOSEPTIEMBRE (http://www.fotoseptiembreusa.com/) is an annual international photography festival, which takes place throughout the entire month of September at a variety of location in San Antonio and the Hill Country.  The show is heavy on local talent, with some of San Antonio’s finest photographers displaying their works, but the international artists are well-represented as well, with many artists from all over Latin America, Great Britain, Canada, France, Russia, Japan, Belgium, Spain, Singapore, Switzerland, and more.  Each photographer’s show is contained in one location, museum, gallery, or cultural center, and in addition to the exhibit itself, features talks given by curators, the photographers themselves, and public discussions on some of the themes.  The website fotoseptiembreusa.com has event information and schedules for all the exhibits. In addition to still pictures, San Antonio also welcomes the moving pictures to town, in the form of the European Film Festival (http://europeanfilmfestival.us/).  This year marks the fifth year San Antonio will host this event.  From Sept. 8-11, the Palladium will screen a variety of films from France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland, and also host discussion panels with a number of film professors, writers, filmmakers, and industry specialists.  The festival is produced by Santikos Theaters, UTSA, the city of San Antonio, and a variety of European consulates.  Admission is free, and all movies will be shown with English subtitles four times daily. Finally, music lovers will not want to miss Jazz’SAlive (http://www.saparksfoundation.org/) on Sept 20-21 at Travis Park.  While some of the acts are still to be determined, one major headliner is Dave Brubeck.  Jazz fans around the globe Brubeck as a musical genius, and in addition to playing with such legends as Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Rushing, and Carmen McRae, Brubeck has been inducted to numerous music Halls of Fame, and showered with accolades and awards.  Jazz’SAlive is sponsored by the San Antonio Parks Foundation and the city, and admission is free.  This year marks the 25th anniversary of the event, and one that music lovers won’t want to miss.  September is a month jam-packed with activities and cultural outings with something that should satisfy most all tastes.  San Antonio (http://www.satxproperty.com) is quickly becoming known as a vibrant arts town, so come on out and support the artists and the city.  See you there! More Info...  

Team USA Takes B-Ball Gold; Argentina Bronze, but Ginobili Injured For Spurs' fans, the finals of the Olympic basketball tournament must have been a conflicting time.  On one hand, Team USA rolled to the gold medal that eluded them four years ago in Athens, and put American basketball back on top of the world.  On the other hand, the players representing the home town team were playing for the powder blue of Argentina.  The San Antonio Spurs are like the UN of the NBA: there are so many nationalities and countries represented, that allegiances are sometimes tested. Regardless of whether San Antonio Spurs fans were cheering for the home town boys' Argentine team or for the USA when the two squads met late in the tournament and Manu Ginobili (http://www.nba.com/playerfile/emanuel_ginobili/index.html) went down with an injured ankle, gasps were heard all the way from Beijing to Buenos Aires, and from San Antonio to Bahia Blanco.  Spurs fans know that with Manu in the line up and at full strength in last years’ NBA Finals, the Spurs stood a very good chance of knocking out the Lakers, and advancing to play the Celtics.  However, Ginobili’s bad ankle perhaps cost the team that chance.   To see him go down again in the Olympics with the same problem was a nightmare scenario for San Antonio.  Ginobili and the San Antonio Spurs (http://www.satxsports.com) do have some time to heal before the season kicks off, but starting off the season on the wrong foot is not something that San Antonio fans had in mind. . . As far as USA basketball was concerned, the 2008 Olympics were a rousing success.  The Americans routed each team they played until the finals, where the Spanish team gave them all the wanted.  Earlier in the tournament, the US team beat Spain by almost 40 points in one of the most lopsided games of the Olympics.   In the gold medal game, the Spanish came prepared to play.  With as little as three minutes left to play, the outcome was very much in doubt.   Pau Gasol hit a jumper to make it a five point game, but just a few seconds later, Kobe Bryant hit a three pointer and got fouled.  Spain wasn’t done, as they countered with a 5-0 run to draw the lead back down to 4 points with just over two minutes left.  A Wade 3, followed by a layup by Bryant almost sealed it and the Spanish were forced to foul.  For the US, it was a team effort, and the antithesis of 2004, where Larry Brown led Team Bad Karma to the bronze.  In the end, the Americans were pressured, and their teamwork paid off this time with a 118-107 win, and the gold medal. Texas Real Estate Agents (http://www.satxproperty.com/), Randy Watson and Roman Alfaro of Mission Realty satxproperty.com proudly support the US Olympics and the San Antonio Spurs. More Info...  

Olympic Games Underway, USA Leads in Total Medals  With the Olympics in full swing, some dreams are being fulfilled, while others are being crushed. With just a few days before the closing ceremony, let’s take a look at some of the highlights from the games in Beijing. San Antonio’s track star, Marshevet Hooker, (www.satxproperty.com/welcome (http://www.satxproperty.com/welcome)) keeps running her best, although the Jamaican runners are blowing away all comers, and rewriting the record books in the process.  In the 200m, Hooker ran a personal career best and finished in  fifth place.  Two Jamaican runners took the gold and bronze, while one of Hooker’s American teammates, Allyson Felix, took home the silver.  The American track teams have been less than spectacular in this year’s games.  Team USA was expected to be one of the better teams in many of the events, but disaster struck both the men’s and women’s teams in the 400m relay.  In both instances, a dropped baton doomed the teams, as the women were disqualified for illegal passing, and the men did not finish.  Certainly the biggest story in Track and Field this year, was the emergence of Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter, who, in his own words, “blew the world’s mind.”  Bolt rewrote the record books in the 100m, and left spectators breathless, by even pulling up short at the end of the race and still setting the world record.  In the 200m, Bolt left no doubt.  He set a world record in that event also, taking the gold, and becoming the first person in history to set world records in both events. While USA track has not had its best days, Team USA in basketball has been all that has been expected, and looks well on their way to redemption, after losing to Argentina in Athens.  The US has found itself pressed for a quarter, or even a half, but has ended up blowing out all their competition.  The combination of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade, and the other superstars has been too much for the likes of China, Germany, Angola, and Spain, even though many of those teams have NBA stars playing for them.  Spain was expected to be the toughest competition for the Americans--sporting several NBA players--yet the USA crushed them by almost 40 points.  As far as Spurs (http://www.satxsports.com) fans are concerned, Team Argentina--the off-season hideout for San Antonio Spurs’ Manu Ginobili and Fabricio Oberto--got off to a slow start, dropping their first game to Lithuania, yet quickly found their stride, rolling off four straight wins.  As of this moment, the Argentine Spurs are tied for first in the first pool, but are yet to play the USA.  It seems all but certain that the USA will run off with the Men’s Basketball gold, the only question being, will anyone even challenge them? In another show of American dominance, Michael Phelps provided as much drama as perhaps there has ever been seen in the games.  Phelps was on a quest to be the first person to win 8 gold medals in a single Olympics.  Phelps and his swimming mates, had several close calls, including one race in which Phelps reached out to beat his Serbian competitor by literally a fingernail.  The race was so close, that it was unknown for some time who had actually won.  Eventually,  the video provided the answer: Phelps had won by 1/100 of a second.  Overall, at the time of this writing, the USA is ahead in the overall medal count by a count of 99 to 83 over China.  The Chinese, however, are ahead in the gold medal count, by a margin of 46-30 over the Americans.  Russia is far behind in third place, with 53 medals overall, and 16 golds.  More Info...  

Spurs 2008 Draft The NBA Draft has once again come and gone, and if there's one thing that can be counted on-aside from New York fans booing every pick their team makes, and an assortment of questionable fashion decisions-is the San Antonio Spurs making some interesting picks, and choosing some players that most casual basketball fans have never heard of.  The Spurs had a fairly good season last year, and were perhaps a Brent Barry foul call away from having a chance at extending their series against the Lakers, and meeting the Celtics in the Finals, and management stated soon after their season ended that they would not be blowing up the team this season and starting over. San Antonio had three picks, the 26th in the first round, and two late picks in the second round.  In past drafts, like last year's for example, management went out on a limb and picked a player in Tiago Splitter, who then went on to sign a all-but-permanent contract to stay in Spain for the next several years.  With their second pick in 2007, they took Marcus Williams, who lasted with the team long enough to have a cup of coffee before catching his flight to the Clippers. Of course, this time last year, the Spurs were coming off of a championship run, and no one could blame management for taking a flyer on a player in Splitter with lots of upside, but also with a risk that he might never wear the silver and black. This year's team was plagued by injury issues, and needs to get younger.  It also couldn't really afford to take many chances-although they did with the first pick. George Hill is a point guard from IUPUI, and whom most fans have likely never heard of.  When he was in high school, though, all of the big school knew him, and he had scholarships from all of the big time basketball schools.  In the end, Indiana University, Temple, Florida, and the others couldn't lure him away from home and from his sick great-grandfather.  IUPUI stands for Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis, but only the name is what the school has in common with its namesakes, as far as basketball is concerned. Hill is a dead-eye shooter, making around 45% of his shots from behind the arc in his senior campaign, while making almost 55% of all field goals.  He averaged 21 points per game last season.  In Hill’s redshirt Junior season he scored in double digits in every game, and scored more than 20 in half of them.  The Spurs' plan is for him to be Tony Parker’s backup, and to provide minutes off the bench.   The Spurs' second pick also had a prolific college career, and has a good chance to stick with the team.  Malik Hairston from Oregon is a solid prospect who can do a little of everything and was good value at the 48th spot.  At 6'5" and 205 he's a big two guard who averaged 16 ppg and just under 5 rebounds per game during his senior year.  Hairston shot 43% from behind the arc and made 52% of his field goals during his senior year.  Hairston played his senior year at over 220 pounds, but slimmed down before the pre-draft workouts.  Also in many of those workouts, he was pressed into duty as a point guard, where he showed off deft ball handling skills, and a nice handle. It would seem that the Damon Stoudamire experiment is over, and Jaques Vaughn is perhaps on his way out as well with the drafting of two. Finally, with their last pick, the Spurs took James Gist, a power forward out of Maryland who averaged 15 points and 7 rebounds during his senior year.  Gist is 6'8" and 225 lbs, and is athletic and can provide solid defense, if he can manage to stick with the team. More Info...  

South Texas on a Tank of Gas Calaveras and Braunig Lake Parks With rising gas prices and a weak economy, many people are looking for vacations that are cheaper, closer to home, and yet still provide an exciting outing full of cultural experiences and fun.  Luckily for residents of the San Antonio, there are numerous opportunities for all kinds of exciting getaways within a couple hours drive.  Over the coming weeks, this satxblog (http://www.satxblog.com/) will be taking a look at some of Central South Texas’ best bets for a weekend adventure in many of the best small towns, parks, campgrounds, outdoor sites, and even beaches, that can be reached in roughly two hours’ driving.  Just because the economy is a bust these days, doesn’t mean that your summer has to be! South Texas is loaded with opportunities to get away from the stress of the city life, and two parks that are just on San Antonio’s doorstep are Calaveras Lake Park and Braunig Lake Park (http://www.wildtexas.com/parks/braunig.php).  Located just 15 miles southeast of the city, these two parks combine to offer visitors the picturesque beauty of the Hill Country with the excitement of the Texas outdoors.  For a minimal charge of just a few dollars, visitors can have access to both parks and all of the great activities that the parks provide.  Between the two parks, visitors have access to fishing, camping, hiking or biking on the nature trails, boating, picnicking, and more.  In the area surrounding the park, Texas’ wildlife is on full display with a wide variety of birds, wildflowers, fish, and plenty of furry friends.  The main draw for these two lakes, however, are the watersports opportunities that both present visitors.  Boats are allowed on both lakes, and boats are available for rental also.  Fishermen are well-cared for as well, as both parks feature lighted piers, cleaning areas, tackle shops, and acres of water full of hungry catfish, bass, muskie, and red drum.  Both parks are pet-friendly (with leashes), and offer terrific picnic areas, playgrounds, and plenty of other areas for the whole family to enjoy.  Both parks can be reached by taking Highway 37 south. Braunig Lake is located 15 miles southeast of downtown San Antonio off Interstate Highway 37 south; take Exit 130 (Donop Road) and follow the signs. The park entrance is located at 17500 Donop Road.  Calaveras Lake (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/recreational/lakes/calaveras/) is located 15 miles southeast of San Antonio. From Loop 410, proceed southeast on U.S. Highway 181 south, then turn left on Loop 1604 and proceed for two miles; turn left on Stuart Road and proceed for 1/2 mile to the park entrance. The park is located at 12991 Bernhardt Road. The parks are open every day of the year.  The American economy may be limping along, and a gallon of gas may soon cost more than a gallon of Dom Perignon, but there’s still no reason not to hop in the car, load up the family, and spend a day or two visiting some of south Texas’ beautiful offerings. More Info...  

Spurs Back Home, Rout LA 103-84 Finally back in the comfy confines of the AT&T Center, the Spurs showed that even down 0-2 they are far from done in this series against the Lakers, and even though they may be older, they’ve still got plenty left in the tank.  Unlike in Game 1 of the series, this time the Spurs built a lead, and managed to hang on.  For San Antonio, all the pieces were working for the first time in this series, and one of their main scorers, Manu Ginobili (http://ballhype.com/nba/emanuel_ginobili/), finally found his shot.  Ginobili had barely cracked double digits in the first two games, and was nursing a pair of injuries, but exploded for thirty points in the 103-84 win.  In fact, Ginobili scored more points in the first half of the contest (22) than he did in the first two games combined (17). Actually, all of San Antonio’s main players got into their grooves in the contest.  Tim Duncan put up a vintage game, scoring 22 points, and adding 21 rebounds and 4 assists.  Tony Parker (http://www.tp9.net/en/index1.php) scored 20 and had 5 assists Sunday night. Unlike in Game 1, the Spurs managed to keep their lead late in the game.  San Antonio had a 12 point lead starting the final period in Game 3, and after a 12-4 run to start the period, they extended the lead and never looked back, despite the best efforts of Kobe Bryant.  Bryant tried to single-handedly bring LA back, as he made 4 three pointers in 2 ½ minutes in the quarter and pulled LA to within 8, but it was as close as San Antonio would allow them to get.  Bryant ended the game with 30 points, but San Antonio’s defense managed to slow the rest of the Lakers down.  Lamar Odom, in particular, had a rough night for Los Angeles, only managing 7 points, on 2-11 shooting. As a team, San Antonio shot 51% from the field, and almost 57% from behind the arc—a vast improvement over the previous contests.  LA didn’t help themselves any, shooting less than 50% from the free throw line, and turning the ball over 12 times. The Spurs (http://community.woai.com/blogs/point/default.aspx) are back in the series, and must win again in Game 4 to keep the series alive before heading back to LA.  If the Spurs can draw even in the next game, then they will need to steal one in Los Angeles to be able to move onto the Finals against whoever comes out of the East.  Home court makes all the difference in the playoffs this year, even more so than other years.  San Antonio (http://www.satxblog.com) has yet to lose on their own real estate in the playoffs this year, so the chances seem good for them to even the series up in Game 4.  More Info...  

 Spurs Clobbered in LA--Down 0-2 The San Antonio Spurs (http://www.satxsports.com) could not do what their counterparts did in the first game of the series, which was to rebound from a large deficit to win the game.  In Game 2, the Spurs fought the Lakers evenly throughout most of the first half of Friday's game, but allowed LA to go on a 9-0 run just before halftime.  After the half, San Antonio was hoping for a replay of the opening frame of the second half, where they went on a 14-2 run.  What they got was a mirror image.  LA came out after the half determined to take a 2-0 lead in the series, and Kobe Bryant scored 7 points in the first 2 minutes of the second half to break the game wide open.  The Spurs were never in it again, as the Lakers cruised to an easy 101-71 victory. Being down 0-2 in the NBA playoffs is a place that no team wants to find itself.  San Antonio was in the same position just two weeks ago against the Hornets, yet regrouped to finally win that series in 7 games.  The Lakers, however, are a vastly different team than the young Hornets, and winning this series will require a superhuman effort from the defending champs.  One of the concerns facing San Antonio is the status of Manu Ginobili (http://www.mahalo.com/Manu_ginobili), who has been ineffective in this series, as he is nursing an injured finger and a sprained ankle.  In Game 1, Ginobili only managed three baskets in the contest.  In the following game, the Argentine sixth man only managed two.  Of course, when a team only scored 71 points in a playoff game, there is plenty of blame to go around, and it’s safe to say that no one played particularly well.  Tony Parker scored 13 points and had 4 assists.  Tim Duncan scored 12 and added 16 rebounds.  Parker and Duncan were the only Spurs to score in double digits in the game. The Lakers, on the other hand, played a beautiful game, and had 5 players scoring double digits, led by Kobe Bryant’s 22 points.  Lamar Odom (http://hoopshype.com/players/lamar_odom.htm) scored 20 points and added 12 rebounds.  The Spurs shot 50% from the free throw line, going 5-10, and only managed 6-23 three pointers, and shot only 34% from the field.  LA shot 90% from the free throw line and 55% from the field.  The good news for the Spurs is that the next two games will be played in San Antonio, so the Spurs will have the crowd on their side as they try to claw their way back into the series.  It is certainly a long climb that San Antonio (http://www.satxproperty.com/) has ahead of them, but they proved against New Orleans that their veteran team is capable of shrugging off pressure and thriving when their backs are against the wall.  Spurs fans are certainly waiting to see them do it again.    More Info...  

Spurs Down 3-1, Series Hangs in Balance The Spurs now have their backs totally against the wall, after losing at home to the Lakers to fall behind 3-1 in the series.  The 93-91 loss was a heartbreaker for San Antonio, who now must win three straight to have a chance to defend their championship.  Tim Duncan can’t be blamed for the loss, as he gave a superhuman effort in the loss, scoring 29 points, and grabbing 17 rebounds.  The big man also added several blocks and assists to try to help his team move forward.  With Manu Ginobili having yet another off night, Brent Barry (http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/tag/BrentBarry/) stepped up, scoring 23 points, and missing a three as time expired, which would have won the game, and tied the series.  There was obvious contact on his shot, but no foul was called, much to the dismay of the Spurs, and the home crowd. Ginobili was quite simply terrible throughout the game, scoring his first points with just over a minute left in the third quarter, and finishing with 7 points.  He did hit a three late in the game to bring his team to within 4 points, but it was not enough.  Tony Parker held up his end of the bargain, scoring 23 points, but no one else was even a factor for San Antonio.  Michael Finley, Fabricio Oberto, and Kurt Thomas all failed to score.  Robert Horry (http://www.nba.com/spurs/roster/robert_horry.html) scored two points, and Bruce Bowen managed seven.  Surprisingly, as a team, the Spurs still managed to shoot 40% from the field, although only 29% from behind the arc. Again, the Spurs (http://spurstalk.com/forums/) had no answer for the MVP, Kobe Bryant, who scored 28 points and had 10 rebounds.  The Lakers were more balanced in the game, having 4 players scoring in double digits and another with 9 points.  Although the Spurs only had 8 turnovers in the game, the difference was in the rebounding.  LA outrebounded San Antonio 46-37, many of those being offensive rebounds which led to second chance points for the Lakers.  San Antonio (http://www.satxblog.com/) must win the next game in Los Angeles to allow the series to come back to San Antonio for Game 6, but the Spurs are in as desperate a situation as they have been in their playoff lives.  It is now a one game series, with no room for mistakes.  One loss and the Spurs will once again repeat their history of winning a championship and not being able to defend it the next year.  Let’s hope they can get on a roll and surprise the people who are already counting them out.  Go Spurs! More Info...  

Spurs Season Comes to a Close, Questions Coming in the Offseason The Spurs' (http://www.satxsports.com) season ended against the Lakers, in a fairly close, but ultimately losing effort in Game 5.  The final score was 100-92, and the Spurs were within striking distance late in the game, but no one could stop Kobe Bryant, who ended the game with 39 points, 17 of which came in the final quarter. For San Antonio (http://www.satxblog.com/), the script was the same as it had been for the series.  Tim Duncan did his usual thing, putting up a triple double with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, and Tony Parker led the team with 23 points.  As a team, the Spurs certainly scored enough to win, as five players scored in double digits.  Offense was not the problem, as the team shot 48% from the field, and from behind the arc.  Unfortunately, the team’s defense was not up to the task, as the Spurs’ strength turned into a liability against the Lakers. Manu Ginobili once again had a terrible game, only managing 9 points, and missing several shot late in the game.  For Ginobili, perhaps the season being over is a blessing in disguise.  The Argentine had been playing with a bad ankle, and the Lakers capitalized as they forced him to go to his off-hand time after time.  He had a forgettable playoffs all the way around this season. More Info...  

South Texas on a Tank of Gas: Canyon Lake Next in our series of places to visit on a tank of gas is Canyon Lake.  Located just about an hour north of downtown San Antonio, one of the most scenic and beautiful lakes in the entire state waits to greet visitors.  Boasting 80 miles of shore, Canyon Lake is created from the waters from another of the Hill Country’s natural landmarks, the Guadalupe River.  Whatever their preference, visitors to the lake will find almost any outdoor activity available that one could hope for.  In addition to the lake itself, eight parks are located on its shores, including: · Canyon Park & Canyon Beach Swim Area · Comal Park · Crane’s Mill Park · Guadalupe Park (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/guadalupe_river/) · Jacob’s Creek Park · North Park · Overlook Park · Potter’s Creek Park   More Info...