JUST DON’T DANCE IN THE ENDZONE…Squid’s a sports fiend. Squid’s even dabbled in a sport or two Squid’s self. So last weekend, for a lap down memory trench, Squid headed over to North Salinas where there was some serious peewee football going on. The North County Bulldogs were playing the Alvarez Titans. Now, Squid’s been to tyke games before, but only those feel-good city league games where no one keeps track of scores, so no kid sacrifices a soul or somethin’. But this was no city league. This was the Monterey Bay Youth Football League. Forget that the kids are elementary-school aged. They’re little powerhouses striving for sweet victory while their parents sweet-talk refs from the stands with things like “Face mask, Ref! What, are you BLIND?” or coo coaches with “Are you trying to trademark that play? Get a new one!” Ah, the thrill of a real game, stomping feet and shouting parents, itty bitty cheerleaders and driven kids. Touchdowns counted. Winning mattered. Losing hurt. And still, kids left with their souls intact.

Squid only wishes Squid could say the same about the high school players. Yup, Squid’s talking about the local Palma boys, who were robbed last weekend of a victory over Concord’s De La Salle. Who doesn’t let two of the nation’s best teams play until someone wins? There’s no tying in football. Just ask the peewees.

CRUISE WITH ME, BABY…Don’t worry, Squid hasn’t gone completely soft, with all the feel-good, fall-is-in-the-air, football-watching Squid’s been doing these days. Squid hasn’t lost Squid’s bite, or Squid’s snark. And to prove it, Squid’s going to do what Squid does best: pick on local politicians. Squid can see it now: a karaoke bar on the upper deck of the ship. Marina Mayor Ila Metee-McCutchon, her husband John McCutchon (who is CSUMB chief of staff), Marina Heights developer Michael Shaw and wife, University Villages developer/Monterey Peninsula Engineering owner Bart Bruno and wife, and City Council candidate Gary Wilmot, singing in seven-part harmony: “You’re gonna fly away/Glad you’re goin’ my way/I love it when we’re cruisin’ together.” The group took a relaxing cruise to Alaska earlier this month. Some call this close, friendly relationship between a local mayor, local developers who do business with the local mayor’s city, and a candidate for that city’s council a bit disconcerting, to say the least. Squid calls it politics as usual.

VOTE SMART…Last week Squid smacked the Monterey County Elections Web site around for failing to list the candidates and measures. A week later, the department has posted the list of candidates and contests to its Web site. Whew. Squid’s relieved to hear that someone reads Squid’s column—two someones, actually. Squid got a call from Stephanie Loose, of Smart Voter, www.smartvoter.org, a nonpartisan site with all kinds of information. “I want to offer your readers an alternative,” Loose says, adding that 117 candidates will be entering their information on the Web site. The site also features links to local news stories about the different candidates and contests. Not too shabby.