Archive By Section - Sports Columns
Getting weight off my shoulders
In high school I dreaded the weight room. There were all these magnificent bodies with superhuman-like strength, taking a dumbbell and tossing it up to the sky like they were practicing for the shot put - and these were the girls. The guys generally bench-pressed twice their body weight and celebrated with fist bumps. I struggled with the bar. It was tough being a skinny kid who played sports. People generally think athletes are loaded ...
Vick gets second chance, now what?
Michael Vick got what he wanted. But after Vick was reinstated conditionally to the NFL on Monday, giving him the chance to showcase his unbelievable natural ability as early as October, a lot of questions need to be answered. There's one that stands above the rest: Which team will pick him up? As you know, Vick has been through a lot - which is not to say we should all feel sorry for him. But ...
Vick deserves a second chance
What Michael Vick did was a terrible, terrible thing. It was inhuman, inexcusable and unbelievable.
Son smokes dad at Stockton Speedway
The Western Late Models were back in action following a week off, but even with that respite, the feature at Stockton 99 Speedway last Saturday produced a small field of just seven cars.
It’s never too early for Fresno State football
Let's talk about Fresno State football. All right, don't get upset. Don't think this is another column from another sports columnist who doesn't have anything else to write about other than Fresno State football during the offseason. Don't think there isn't anything else on his mind, reminding everyone the high school football season is coming up, too. But this is Fresno State football. The Fresno State season opener isn't until Sept. 5, but it's hard ...
Father and son current point leaders
Following the always big 4th of July events, the normal holiday racing hangover kicked in with a much lighter weekend on July 11 and 12.
Bad boy good for UFC
Brock Lesnar, the biggest name in his sport, is not a cancer. He's not going to destroy Ultimate Fighting Championship or mixed martial arts. He's not a bad guy. He's not a complete jerk, though it appears that he's the biggest jerk on the planet after his main-event antics against Frank Mir in the very successful UFC 100 last weekend. Sure, UFC president Dana White handed a tongue-lashing to Lesnar, a former pro wrestler from ...
Come on, LeBron, grow up
Never mind his multi-million dollar slogan with his multi-billion company: "We Are All Witnesses." LeBron James, the so-called Chosen One, lives by these words, as if to say we all should be grateful that we're breathing the same air as him.
Speed and Vickers take top two spots at Chicago
Ontario's Jason Bowles scored his third consecutive win on his home track of Toyota Speedway at Irwindale by capturing the 4th of July King Taco 200 for the NASCAR Camping World Series West last weekend.
Where, oh where did my youth go?
The other day, in 100-degree weather and without the comfort of shade, I was sweating like a fugitive on the basketball court. I was playing against a former high school teammate. We hadn't played together in nearly a decade - and I swear there were two guys sitting comfortably under a large tree hoping for a story to tell.
Beeler sees checkered twice in a row
In one of the more surprising results so far this season, Salida's Mike Beeler grabbed victories in both ends of the Western Late Model doubleheader at the New Stockton 99 Speedway on June 27.
U.S. soccer fans, hold on tight
Don't loosen that grip. Yeah, the U.S. men's soccer team lost in FIFA's Confederations Cup last weekend to Brazil after being up two goals - which is like having an advantage of at least 20 points in basketball or several touchdowns in football. But America's run is not over, far from it. It's only the beginning. They showed the world that they're no longer the L.A. Clippers of world soccer, the team that had so ...
A good high school coach is hard to replace
I never met Ed Thomas, the Iowa high school football coach who was shot and killed last week. I never had the chance to go through one of his practices. I never had the privilege of being chewed out because I goofed up. I never suited up for him or rode the bus with him to a football game or enjoyed victory with him.
Soccer finally gets the recognition it deserves
There's a thing sports fans like to do when it seems like everyone else is doing it. It's a thing that annoys us, but all of us have done it at least once in our lives.
Speed’s California homecoming not so sweet
It was not the homecoming Manteca native Scott Speed had hoped for when he returned to Northern California for last weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway near Sonoma.
Articles by Section - Sports Columns
When best guesses go wrong
When I was a kid I used to think about being a weather man. A weather man does his best to predict the weather but is often wrong. His viewers or readers know that predicting the weather is tricky, so his job must be pretty stress free. What about when the weather man has to predict the weather for his own planned activities? It must be pretty humbling when his family's plans are ...
Sato takes Long Beach; next stop: Indy
Takuma Sato was already a well known icon in Japan from his years in Formula One and near victory in last year's Indy 500, when he slammed into the outside wall after making contact with winner Dario Franchitti on the final lap of the race. But his celebrity status reached new heights in his homeland after his dominating victory in last weekend's 39th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach for the IZOD IndyCar Series. ...
Fishing memory lane
Sometimes no matter how a place may change over the years, the memories you have of it always seem to remain the same. This week I was able to fish Lake Amador with my son. I pretty much learned to fish on Lake Amador and have so many memories of family camping trips, fishing through the night, swimming in the lake with cousins, or just walking the bank in search of lost treasures. <p ...
Stockton 99 takes on the dirt in 2013
With the rebirth of the New Stockton 99 Speedway now successfully entering its fifth year, promoters Tony and Carol Noceti are also taking it to the dirt in 2013 with a new three-eighths dirt oval, located inside of the horse racing track, at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds. To christen the new facility with a bang, the track will be hosting the STP World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series as its inaugural ...
Central Catholic fans cross the line
The purpose of this column is to not condemn Central Catholic High School's entire student body. But I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't shed some light on the deplorable behavior exhibited by several Raiders fans during a recent varsity boys basketball game at Central Valley High in Ceres. Darryl Dickson, head coach of the Hawks, was targeted because of the color of his skin. Dickson is black. "Let ...
Patience a virtue, but coffee helps
The first fishing advice I ever received was to be patient. I'm not sure if I even understood the word back then, I just knew that I was expected to wait for the fish to come to me. This time of year, I'm constantly reminded of that advice as the bites are usually harder to come by. There are a couple of things that I do to keep motivated when the fishing ...
The golden Kap card
I pulled the Holy Grail of Colin Kaepernick rookie cards a year ago. Only one copy exists. I beat 1-in-699,600 odds. Jeff Hoekstra, manager of Krier's Cards and Comics in Modesto, sold my 2011 Topps Chrome Football autographed superfractor card, for $6,000 this past week. What makes this story more interesting is I've been a lifelong San Francisco 49ers fan. I also covered some of Kaepernick's football, baseball and basketball ...
Sage advice: Plenty of fish in the …
January is an interesting month for fishing. It seems like some fish are waiting for the first signs of spring, while others seem to be enjoying the cold weather. I used to stick to fishing for one species only. It didn't matter what time of year it was, I was going to fish for bass. Not anymore. Since I've been doing this column, I've discovered that there's a lot more ...
The compounding costs of fishing
Another Christmas has passed, and this year I got my annual fishing license as a gift from my parents. I was reminded of when I was 12 years old; it seemed like yesterday when I didn't have to worry about a fishing license. The only thing I worried about back then was getting a ride to my favorite fishing spot. Fast forward to my 16th birthday, I was actually excited about having my ...
Turlock sports: Year in Review
In only a few days noise makers, confetti, and kisses will usher in the New Year; marking the end of 2012 and signaling the beginning of 2013. But before the celebrations and doomed resolutions consume our lives, it's important to look back on the year that was and the events that helped shape it.
'Tis the season to stay warm
I can't say I've ever been fishing on Christmas Day, although I went out on Christmas Eve once. I remember it being extremely cold. I did end up catching my first 20-pound striped bass, but it still wasn't enough to make me want to go out in freezing temperatures again. I guess over the years I've either gotten softer or smarter. I used to take pride in being the only guy at ...
'Keep things simple' in tackle box
I've learned over the years that a person could drive themselves crazy worrying about every little detail when it came to fishing.
Expect the unexpected
I can't remember how many times over the past year that I've emphasized being prepared for the unexpected while out fishing.
Whatever floats your boat
Often I overhear fishermen talking about the perfect boat; of course the brand of their boat is the best!
Take a kid fishing
I received an e-mail this week asking me to remind everyone to "take a kid fishing." With all the distractions kids have today, very few have ever gone fishing. Some have fished more from their couch while playing a fishing video game, than actually fishing. Growing up there were very few things to do at home and if I stood around long enough I'd almost surely be put to work. At the time I lived ...
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