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
Be prepared for holiday crowds
Memorial Day weekend is one of those weekends I plan on celebrating at home. There's sure to be a "Band of Brothers" marathon to keep me entertained and the weather forecast looks great for hanging around the pool.
Holmes sits in fifth for K&N Pro Series West
Proving that you don't have to finish first to be a winner Dylan Kwasniewski, 16, of Las Vegas, picked up a victory in last Saturday's Graham Tire "150" NASCAR K&N Pro Series East & K&N Pro Series West combination race at Iowa Speedway.
You can never have enough fishing gear
At least once a year my family has a garage sale. We pull out the normal garage sale items like clothes, small appliances, tools, furniture, and anything else that's been taking up space. Usually, I set up a table with old fishing gear. This year I didn't have much time to prepare, so I left out my fishing gear. I did put out some old rain gear and a box full of plastic baits ...
Change of heart from angling to trolling
I've come to sort of a crossroad; I'm doing more trout fishing lately than bass fishing. There was a time not too long ago where I would toss back every fish I caught in my pursuit of catching bass. I've always known there was great trout and kokanee fishing around us but never quite had an interest. Call it old age or just being lazy, but sitting back while waiting for the fish to ...
Valley driver looking forward to Stockton 99 homecoming
Three-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion Eric Holmes of Escalon grew up watching his father Steve Holmes compete against local legends such as Ken Boyd, David Philpott, Ron Strmiska and Harry Belletto at Stockton's 99 Speedway so, naturally, the closure of the historic short-track at the end of the 2006 season was a very big disappointment to him.
Small tick, big trouble
Recently I was able to get out and enjoy some of the beautiful weather we've been having. Unfortunately it came with a cost, while showering over the weekend I discovered that I had been bitten by a tick. I've experienced ticks before so I got my tweezers and removed it. What was different about this one was that the area where I had been bitten was more swollen then I can remember previous tick bites being.
Local motorsports action heats up
Following a one week delay due to the weather, the new Stockton 99 Speedway is set to kick off its 2012 season tonight with the Spears Manufacturing 125 for the SRL Late Model Southwest Tour Series.
A man, his dog and a fishing boat
Last week I was able to get out fishing, it's been a while since I've been out. My partner became ill the night before, leaving me to fish by myself. I had my dog with me, but she wasn't much help lying on the bottom of the boat dead asleep most of the day. At one point I even heard her snoring! <p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat ...
Pre-spring fishing helps fill football void
The end of football season marks both a happy and sad time for me. Although I fish year round, football helps fill the void when I'm stuck at home unable to fish. The nice thing about the end of football season is the beginning of spring and with the weather we've been getting lately, we just may have an early spring. Already, there have been unconfirmed reports of giant bass being caught; this ...
Ricky runs no more
Ricky Williams. The enigmatic running back remembered by many as that one guy who retired from the NFL to burn trees. The Heisman Trophy winner, one time pride of the University of Texas and former first round pick has retired for the second, and seemingly last, time. Since his NFL arrival in 1999 Ricky has gotten more attention for his personal qualities than his on field performances. The infamous bride and groom photo ...
NFL predictions — take two
So, my earlier predictions did not exactly pan out. After Cincinnati and Detroit's first round losses there was still a flicker of hope that my Super Bowl picks would offer me redemption, but Green Bay's horrendous performance against New York left me hanging out to dry with a plate of crow. Instead of dwelling on my misses let me point out that, as I predicted, Baltimore, New England and San Francisco will be ...
I’m no Nostradamus, but I’ll give it a shot
The NFL's regular season is over and it's time for the playoffs, that special three-week stretch that ends with the grandest of events - The Super Bowl. For many fans, last Sunday bore witness to dashed dreams and disappointing finishes for their teams. For fans lucky enough to root for one of the 12 qualifying teams it marked the beginning of their team's quest for greatness. Half of this year's participants are returning ...
Canine fishing partner
Every once in a while I see someone out on the water with a dog in their boat. I've always wished that I could one day have a dog that would keep me company while out on the water. Unfortunately, all of my attempts at making our family's pet a fishing buddy have never quite worked out. Recently, I was given a lab pup that I'm hoping will be my next great fishing ...
Don’t let your boat sit too long
It puzzles me sometimes how something can break without even being used.
Back in the boat
I was finally able free up some time on Veterans Day to go fishing. It's been a while since I've been out. Actually, since football started back in June, I've been pretty busy until now. So, I was able to convince one of my mentors, Coach Dudley Kinlaw, to get on the boat with me and go out for a few hours.
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