Chapter One Monday, August 25. 9:15 p.m. Max Thursday stood in the shadows and waited. The illuminated hands of his wrist watch crept closer to 9:30. He was a big man, with wide shoulders and …

My smugness was arrested when a man appeared out of nowhere, wearing an apologetic frown. He said, “Sir, um, jeans aren’t allowed.” The pro shop charged $35 for a pair of shorts.

On September 18 -- the last day of KOGO talk-show host Roger Hedgecock's annual vacation -- the station filled in for him by inviting Larry Lucchino, CEO and minority owner of the San Diego Padres, …

John Ashley meets me at the gate of the Kona Kai Club marina. It's 4:00 a.m., and misty darkness shrouds the harbor. Ashley, a vigorous, ruddy-faced man, leads me down the floating dock to his …

Last February, Jennifer Ann Moores, 29-year-old daughter of Padres owner John Moores, was busted by a Glendale, Arizona, cop for going 67 mph in a 45 mph zone, apparently while on the way to a …

Matmail: When I see spiders outdoors, they are usually in the middle of a web. Inside my apartment, however, they just stand on my ceiling. Why don't my spiders spin webs indoors? Do they know …

Dear Matthew Alice: How does the government choose who to recruit for jury duty? These people will not leave me alone! Before they disrupt my life yet again, please tell me (1) how they make …

Here and there amid the gently undulating folds of San Diego County's highest elevations, crystal-clear water charged with sweet-tasting minerals seeps to the surface, wetting the ground and nourishing grasses and year-round greenery. At Dyar …