I'm obliged to report back after raising questions about Jones Soda being served exclusively at Seahawks games this year. I partook of the glory that is Qwest Field last night for the last preseason game of the summer thanks to the fortune of my parents being long-time season ticket holders. [Thank you, God.]
For those readers interested - which yes, may be few in number but it's Labor Day weekend so deal with it - the diet cola is indeed odd. Drinkable, but perhaps an acquired taste, much like really bad cheap beer. The Black Cherry, however, is quite quaffable, and a good alternative for the legions of humanity in the modern era who prefer diet pop of some sort to sugar-infused blends.
For the beer drinkers, a long stroll down the concourse specifically for the purposes of this report still revealed way too much dominance of Budweiser products. But, and it's a notable but, things have improved over last year's near-monopoly by Bud (whose laughable commercials with George Clooney will never pass the smell test). Macro brew drinkers will be pleased to see the increased availability of Miller and Coors. Microbrew drinkers willing to search a little can find a decent selection of products for which to plop down their $8 for a 12 oz. cup, including RedHook ESB and a surprisingly wide selection of Pyramid products (Hefeweizen, IPA, Curve Ball, and Amberweizen). Ask and it shall be given to you. Seek and you shall find...well, after you wade through the masses on the concourse, stand in line, and fork over the coin.
Oh, and hint to the Qwest Field concession gurus: by selling Red Bull for $3.75 in contrast to the brutal beer prices you are inviting, nay welcoming, the smuggling of liquor miniatures into the stadium. The pat downs and bag searches on entering Qwest are cursory and Red Bull just might be a popular mixer. Just maybe. And I of course know nothing about such smuggling in my younger days. Nothing. Not a thing.
Bring on the regular season!
Posted by Eric Earling at August 31, 2007 08:31 AM | Email This
Securities filings show that:
Board member Scott Bedbury sold all 70,000 of his shares from March 13 to 16, for $1.3 million. Bedbury said he sold the shares, which he said he bought before he joined the board in 2003, to diversify his portfolio. He said there was no reason but to be "optimistic" about the company's future.
Van Stolk sold 140,000 shares March 14 for $2.53 million, which left him with 1.4 million shares. He subsequently exercised his options and bought 250,000 more shares, bringing his current total to 1.65 million. Van Stolk said he made the March sale to help pay taxes and to enhance his company salary of $173,150.
Lars Nilsen, the executive vice president of sales, exercised and sold 3,000 shares March 15 for a $37,290 profit. The options weren't set to expire until 2011. After the sale, Nilsen had no direct ownership. He did not return a call.
Fleming exercised options on a total of 55,000 shares March 13 and May 8, and then sold that many shares on those days for a $1 million profit. The options were to expire between 2009 and 2011. Fleming, a board member since 1997, said he sold the shares to diversify his personal portfolio and to help pay taxes. After the sale, Fleming had 5,000 shares.
Board member John Gallagher exercised options on 20,000 shares May 7 and then sold all those shares for a $276,000 profit June 5, the day before van Stolk disclosed at an investor conference that sales challenges were occurring. The options were set to expire in 2010. After the sale, he had no direct ownership. Gallagher did not return a phone call. Van Stolk said the timing was coincidental.
Board member Alfred Rossow exercised options on 30,000 shares May 9 and sold all the shares the same day for a $600,719 profit. His options were set to expire in 2009 and 2010. After the sale, he had no direct ownership. He did not respond to an e-mail.
Board member Stephen Jones exercised options on 15,000 shares May 24 and sold all the shares the same day for a $233,700 profit. The options would have expired in 2011. After the sale, he had no direct ownership. He did not respond to a phone call.
I can occasionally get it at Valley Harvest supermarket in Kent (which is the best Pan Global food market around -- every aisle a different region's delicacies). I've also found it at some taquerias like in Madras, Oregon.
The reason I like it is that they still make it with sugar cane there. It takes sweet -- not syrupy -- like the code I remember before they started putting corn syrup in.
It usually comes in the small, 8 oz bottles, that are all scratched up from reuse (yeah, returnable bottles -- Mexico is more ecofriendly than us!)
Mexican Pepsi and CocaCola...mmm...thirsty...
Posted by: John Bailo on August 31, 2007 02:09 PMI was sorely, sorely tempted but didn't buy it after doing the mental math on the number of calories I was committing to there. I'm not much of a soda drinker, but I do enjoy the occasional Mexican Coke or Dublin (Texas) Dr Pepper.
Posted by: Sugar on August 31, 2007 02:17 PMIt's not calories -- it's the fact that corn syrup is basically indigestible by the human body!
One friend told me about a study that shows the number of pounds that American's are obese by is almost exactly matching the pounds of corn syrup put into the food supply!
Posted by: John Bailo on August 31, 2007 02:28 PMIt tastes better, and it's actually better for you.
Posted by: Leonson on August 31, 2007 02:31 PMMan, I used to have to get the Minute Maid Lemonade. Red Bull is MUCH better to mix with vodka.
Posted by: thehim on August 31, 2007 02:40 PMPlenty of people already do it with soda, I doubt Red Bull will some how cause even more to do it. Chances are if you're the type to sneak booze in, so long as some sort of mixer is available the type of mixer is irrelevant.
Posted by: Mike H on August 31, 2007 03:01 PMGo SEAHAWKS!!!
Posted by: rtn4790 on August 31, 2007 07:37 PMAnd you might want to know that Coca-Cola uses chemicals in their Mexican Coke's that are banned in the U.S. due to strong cancer concerns. Like China, products made in Mexico lack the oversight of U.S. products. Here's the link...
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/coke/stories/2007/08/28/cokemexico_0829.html
Posted by: DASQ on September 1, 2007 07:56 AM