Fantasy football rookie goes for the touchdown

Since I was little, I remember Sundays being the designated football day. I would get out my cheese head, my Green Bay Packer blanket and put on my favorite Bret Favre jersey that was way too big for me. It was bonding time with my family and, of course, I was the dedicated cheerleader for the Packers. Whenever my dad cheered, I did too.

My first hockey experience

There were plenty of justifiable reasons why we should have left the HP Pavilion in our rearview mirror and go on about our night.

A few degrees makes all the difference

I have a 75 gallon fish tank at home where I have about six tropical fish. When I purchased my fish I tried to get them in pairs. Coincidentally, two of my pairs ended up spawning several times over the summer. Once the cooler weather hit, I noticed several changes occur in the tank. The first change I noticed was the once radiant colors of my fish went pale and their movement became very sluggish. ...

When coaches behave badly

I've written about my former coaches before and the impact they made on my life. For the most part, they've been good memories. And even the bad ones, which included them yelling in my face, were beneficial because I know it was for my own good.

A much needed ‘fore!’

I was standing about 50 yards from the tee of the second hole and imagining, just for a second, what it'd feel like to get smacked by a speeding golf ball. It wasn't a wish. It was just a thought.

Junior high reunion spurs introspection

This was my eighth-grade boys basketball tryout: Our coach, a slender man with a monotone voice, instructed us to make five straight free throws. He didn't care who took the shot, but every time a ball refused to go in, we'd run sprints up and down the court.

A lesson in lingo

Recently I was asked to explain the differences between a reaction bait and a rip bait. I realized then, that for those just getting into the sport or who've been out of it for a while can easily be confused with the ever changing fisherman's language.

Honoring the great MJ

It's time to honor Michael Jordan. The greatest basketball player ever will be enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday. Even Jordan himself couldn't tarnish his own legacy as an old man with bad knees in a game that had evolved since he last laced one of his popular Air Jordans.

The best inspiration comes from strangers

I had just pounded out the opening mile of my first 5K run when a serious dilemma popped in front of my face. Maybe the thought also crossed the minds of the other runners. Well, probably except for those superhumans - also known as the Cal State Stanislaus runners - who do this kind of stuff as warm-up.

A remarkable week in sports

A guilty pleasure of mine is watching VH1's "Best Week Ever." It's an addicting show that offers commentary from no-name comedians and minor celebrities on the week's biggest pop culture news.

Tracy racing family earn top spots in Stockton

The Philpott's, Tracy's leading racing family, continued their season long domination of the Western Late Model ranks at the New Stockton 99 Speedway with a clean sweep of last Saturday night's twin 50-lap features.

Brandstater is just enjoying the ride

Tom Brandstater, a Turlock High graduate, wants to be the Super Bowl MVP, the one who lifts his index finger in the air to show that he's No. 1 and the one who looks into a camera and tells the world where he wants to go on vacation next.

Better late than never

If you played sports in high school, you have relieved, recounted and regretted what happen years ago.

Format change changes little at Madera

In a bold effort to build up car count and increase the championship drama down the homestretch of the season, Madera Speedway President Kenny Shepherd made a surprise announcement last week that the 2009 Western Late Model championship at the 1/3 mile oval would be determined by the last four races with only the top 10 drivers in the points being eligible.

Sports junkies lose great sport in AFL

The Arena Football League is dead. At least for the most part. That's what a number of reports are saying about perhaps one of the most high-energy sporting spectacles ever, which can best be described as an indoor version of the NFL but with players who have a lot more to prove and not much to lose. The league is suspended indefinitely, officials announced earlier this week. It could also face a Chapter 7 bankruptcy ...

99 Speedway heats up

This weekend the SRL Spears Southwest Tour Series returns to the New Stockton 99 Speedway for Johnny Brazil/Jackson Rancheria/Teamsters Night. With only four races remaining in the 2012 SPEARS Southwest Tour Series, four drivers have emerged in the battle for the 2012 series championship. Lakeport's Derek Thorn, Jim Pettit II of Prunedale, M.K. Kanke of Frazier Park and Jason Gilbert of Dublin have all built a sizeable cushion in the point standings (141 ...

Better off not knowing

This past weekend while out fishing Clark Fork, I was reminded of the first time I was given an open book test. I remember thinking to myself that it would be easy. I didn't study much because I figured the answers were right in the book, so why study.

Boxing’s Olympic fall

It's no secret that the sport of boxing has experienced a dip in popularity. Public perception of the sweet science has soured as newer generations of fight fans redirect their attention towards Mixed Martial Arts, leaving boxing aficionados to ask why. So what is the problem? Over expensive Pay-Per-View Events, the lack of primetime programming, or the failure to market boxers not named Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather? The answer to these ...

One last fling with outdoors

As the summer break is winding down it seems like a lot of people - including myself - are attempting to get in one last camping trip before the new school year begins.

Only a day trip away

This past week I went and camped out at Clarks Fork with family and friends. It was a 100 mile one way trip to get there, but well worth the drive.

Don’t be lured in by gimmicks

I was asked recently about a lure that was being advertised through an infomercial. The lure being advertised supposedly was outlawed on certain lakes because of its sure effectiveness. They even had professional anglers promoting the lure as a must-have bait for every angler. Many of the anglers promoting the product were unknown professionals and the lure supposedly caught just about every species of fish.

Fees, fees and more fees

Live or lure, that is the question

I was asked the other day about using live bait and what I thought about using it. I, like most anglers, started out using live bait. A worm threaded on a hook underneath a bobber was all I ever used as a kid. As I got older, I started experimenting with the different live baits and still occasionally will use live bait. I was introduced to using artificial baits one day while fishing ...

Bad spark plug slows Speed down

Although Scott Speed picked up a season's best 25th place finish in last Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, it was a bittersweet weekend for the Manteca native as he left his home track thinking that it could have been much better. Speed was just settling in on the second lap of the 110-lap race when he noticed something was terribly wrong with his Leavine Family Racing #95 Ford. He headed for ...

Kokanee up for a good fight

Speed returns to NorCal

There will be plenty of old-fashioned hard nose rubbing and grinding when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to the beautiful Northern California wine country for 24th consecutive year with the Toyota/Save Mart 350 this weekend at Sonoma Raceway.

Know before go camping

Recently my wife gave me the green light to reserve a campsite for an upcoming camping trip. Being that we have a newborn and a nine year old, choosing where we were going to go was tough. What I found even harder was choosing the right campsite.

Nothing like Valley fishing

Back in 1989 my family moved to Manteca from San Jose. Before then, we would make the trip every weekend to fish mostly the Delta and Lake Amador. I was in my teens at the time, so I didn't mind the drive. Actually, I slept most of the way home but not the way there, I stayed awake for every mile. I actually remember heading over the Altamont Pass thinking to myself that ...

Holmes sputters in Vegas, looks to Sonoma

The 2012 frustrations of Escalon's Eric Holmes continued in last weekend's NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Series Star Nursery "200" at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Get in to get organized

Many of us spend a lot of time preparing our boats for our next fishing trip. What always frustrated me was that it seemed like once I was finally on the water, I ended up reorganizing everything that I had spent the day before finding the perfect spot for. This was especially true when fishing out of a smaller boat.