Writer/designer, Yuma, AZ

Yes, but would a fry cook get in free to watch the magic that is 2A Arizona girls basketball? Would a fry cook get to follow in the august footsteps of one "Wild" Bill Kopatich? Would a fry cook get the occasional free tri-tip cooked for him by local Rotarians?

 

Sadly, no.

 

That fry cook job is sounding beter and better.

 

Sadly, the In-N-Out didn't arrive in Yuma until after I left. Every single day I regret all those lost double-doubles.

Yeah, you won't get rich at The Sun. But the job should pay enough to get by, especially if you can keep those bar tabs under control. Besides, they give a $30 bonus for the sports story of the month, and if you're lucky, you can pick up another $30 for the column, feature, layout or headline of the month.

 

I really used to cleanup on that $30 sports story of the month. And some how I made it work so that pay checks would stack up on my desk. I lived very cheep when I was there I guess. The thing Yuma really needs is a good bar. There's no fun place to drink. Jimmie Dee's became one of those places you haved to be patted down or wanded, Red's Birdcage, Pop-A-Top and whatever else is out there all suck as well. The Wild Wings is OK, but it's only open till midnight or so.

 

The bar scene in Yuma is so putrid it's more depressing going out than staying in. And I said that at 23. Imagine the bottom one percent of society and that's the majority at every bar.

 

Along with those monthly $30 awards -- that those guys would cleanup -- Freedom Communications offers a quarter bonus of $100 for making newsroom goals, and an end-of-year bonus for reaching budget goals. My first bonus check was around $350 or so. Heard last year was more than $500.

And whatever happened to "Wild" Bill Kopatich? I owe him a few beers for the Cubs-Reds bet we made.

 

I can't believe how many Yuma vets are on this board.

 

It's like the Hotel California. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave....

 

My brother played for the Scorpions last year and didn't mind the city all that much. Kind of a cultural shock for him moving from Augusta, Ga. to Joliett, Ill., to Yuma, Ariz.

I visited. It was more than 100 at midnight. But nothing too unbearable.

San Diego is a couple of hours away (maybe three, I was doing about 110 on my way from there to Yuma). I didn't get to see the paper or the city all that much, but the city seems to support its teams.

 

I will go ahead and disagree with you there that the city supports its teams. Outside of AWC basketball and the Scorpions, nothing is very well attended. One of my favorite Yuma story's is the first year I covered the Rotary Classic (basketball), hosted by Cibola, which draws teams in form Havasu, Phoenix and Vegas. It's Friday afternoon and as a "treat" for the kids Yuma High let's it's students spend their final period of class watching the Criminals play a first round game. So the Palace on Prison Hill is packed to the gills, but as soon as the final bell rings all the kids leave. The game had to be stopped to let all the kids out of the gym. I hear one teacher at the scorers table say, "Oh my god this is an embarassment." It certainly was. Imagine being a player on that team and watching the entire student body walk out on you. That sums up the sports scene in Yuma perfectly. Most kids there don't care about beating other teams outside of the city. As long as they're Yuma good it's all gravy. Kids actaully brag about winning a city title, which essentialy means your the best of the three worst football teams in the state, and are rewarded with a trip to Phoenix for a 50-point playoff loss to Mesa-Red Mountian, Westwood or Brophy.

 

Well, my experience was obviously limited to the Scorpions. That story is pretty sad, though.