Even though I’ve never quite had a prototypical beach bod, you couldn’t keep me and my Pop from spending hours in the Atlantic City sand with his trusty metal detector — and nothing would deny me that satisfaction of finding treasure in the hunt. But this isn’t a story going down memory lane. Instead, let’s zoom to the future. And then reminisce on the present.

It’ll all make sense. Just know this — this is a story about how, in retrospect, Shohei Ohtani’s departure from the Angels was actually a good thing for them (and fantasy baseball players) in a crazy “addition by subtraction” way that nobody else is noticing.

The year is 2054. In a bid to share my most cherished childhood memories with my legacy, I take the grandkids and wife of 40 years (and the metal detector) down to A.C. Five minutes into our excursion, the detector starts beeping. Off goes little Johnny like a shot! Before I can offer him a shovel, the boy is shoulder-deep in the sand and yells “I found something! It’s… a really nice ring!” You wouldn’t believe it if I told you — but right there in his hand was a Los Angeles Angels championship ring… from the year 2024.

So what the heck happened?

That memorable 2024 season started like so many before it for Halo fans, with widespread…

You’d be forgiven if you’re not into beer fests anymore. You’re not alone, as beer fest attendance has been declining for a variety of reasons.

Many beer festivals are impersonal affairs populated by very drunk men and held in hangar-like surroundings, featuring lots of line standing, mediocre food, and inconsistent beer offerings poured by volunteers who know little about their offerings. Not heavy on allure for a large percentage of the population.

None of that describes Firestone Walker’s Invitational Beer Fest, which takes place every year in early June in Paso Robles, Calif., at the fairgrounds. Walking among the trees in wine country, drinking excellent beer while enjoying local food offerings and music (included in the price), it may seem obvious why this festival works as others close, but it’s still worth exploring what exactly makes this festival so great.

“We love California, the weather is always nice, the people are nice,” said Omnipollo brewer Henok Fentie. “It’s a pretty diverse crowd, it’s a nice mix of women, men … beer festivals can be one note sometimes.”

Just over 4,000 attendees with 64 guest breweries makes it a medium-to-smaller-sized event among the behemoths out there, but the list of beers and breweries is something that everyone…