Holmes cruises to an easy win

Last season, after incurring a flat tire, Escalon's Eric Holmes was somehow able to claw his way back through the field to earn a hard fought, come-from-behind victory on the tight confines of the .375-mile bullring at Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg, Ore. This year the defending NASCAR Camping World Series West champion followed a much easier path by jumping out in front and staying there for all 150 laps to win the June 6 Toyota/Bi-Mart 150 presented by NAPA.

When did I start to care about hockey?

I have only physically been to one hockey game. That was when Fresno had a hockey team - ECHL's Fresno Falcons before they went out of business. The game went by pretty quickly, mainly because there were so many things to look at. The ice, the skates, the faces pressed against the glass protecting spectators from the action. Being near a hockey rink is quite an experience, since you feel like you need to put ...

Ranuio holds off rookie hotshot for fourth win

The start of last Saturday's Western Late Model 50-lap feature at Stockton's 99 Speedway was not pretty.

Even without LeBron, Finals a must-see

LeBron James was a poor sport last weekend, failing to shake hands with the Orlando Magic after his Cleveland Cavaliers were shunned the chance for an NBA Championship after losing in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He decided to walk through the tunnel of Amway Arena - the Magic's home court - with his head down, avoiding any kind of human contact, and on to the locker room.

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.