BYU Beat Writer — The Salt Lake Tribune

When I covered a college football game, I totally immersed myself in it. I usually wrote a 35-inch gamer, 18-inch notes and a 12-inch sidebar. More if needed. Plus a scoring recap to add to the agate. I spent a long time in the locker room. Sometimes I'd work until 3 to 3-1/2 hours after the game. At that point, I wanted steak and beer.

After a UCLA game at BYU, we ended up at Sizzler. Lousy steak and no beer. That was the best option. FU Provo.

 

If Sizzler was the best option you could find, it must’ve been decades ago. Place has changed a lot, but it’s true that it’s not for everyone.

 

45 minutes to the Great Salt Lake, but only 15 minutes to Lake Tahoe.

 

The best steakhouse was Porter's Place in Lehi. I heard it shut down.

 

Some of the other writers picked the place. I met them there. As I said, I was usually last (until Karen Crouse got the beat). It was just damn disappointing, and Sizzler used to be a regular stop for me because of the salad bar. I had some beers in the room back in SLC. I liked going there because if was easy and clean. But it was just too weird to drink.

Here is another SLC story, during a basketball regional. Utah seems to get a regional every year. We wound up at a place called The Pie. It was pizza and beer. They had a different counter to buy beer and it came in quart bottles. They announced last call. We didn't know what was going on, so the four of us each went and bought two quart bottles. At the end, a guy came to clear the table. What are we supposed to do, we just bought these. He said, "I have to clear the table." So he glanced toward the floor. We put all of our beers on the floor. He cleared the table and left. We brought the beers back up to the table and drank until we were finished. Strange city. Strange state.

 

During the 2002 Olympics, I recall reading about a brewpub that made a Polygamy Porter. For when you're having more than one.

 

The Mountain of Meat pizza at the Pi was awesome.

 

But you’ll be judged.

Java still a no-no for Mormons despite fancy coffee names

The story does say Provo is getting its first freestanding Starbucks, so I guess there’s hope.

 

One last SLC story. Long Beach State made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in many, many years. The fledgling SID was overwhelmed. For us, all he had to do was put my name on the media list so I could get the rate at the media hotel. That, apparently, was too much for him.

I showed up at the hotel and couldn't check in. I called my boss, he was going to check with the Long Beach SID and work this out. I went to the hotel bar to get a beer wait.

Back then, all the bars were "private clubs" and you had to pay a membership fee to join the club. It was usually around 5 bucks.

(In the bars around town, girls would hang outside and ask any guy going in if they were "members" and go in as their guest, then ditch 'em. Guests could take in something like 6 friends.)

At hotels, your room rate included a membership to the club. The barmaid at the hotel asked me if I was staying there. I said I was planning to, but there was a problem with my room reservation. She sold me a beer. A few minutes later, I asked her, if I somehow am not able to stay here, did you just break the law by selling me this beer? She smiled and said, "probably."

End of story: The Long Beach SID was clueless, but I had met the Utah SID previously. I called him, he remembered me and I got in. So, no laws were broken, except the beer was a Coors Light, so I broke a personal law against lousy beer.