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
New chapter in Journal sports
Turlock has been my home practically my entire life. I've watched this town grow and expand as fields turned into shopping malls and housing developments. I grew up on Turlock sports, my childhood consisted of wrestling in the winter and football in the fall. I spent six with the Turlock Youth Wrestling Program and played five years with the Turlock 49ers. When I wasn't on the mat or the field I was at home ...
Goodbye, Turlock
Though I grew up in the Central Valley, I knew very little about Turlock. I knew it had a college, a couple high schools, good places to eat and shop … and that was about it. Call me naïve back then. After three years at the Journal, I will never look at Turlock the same again. I started as an education reporter in September 2008, but a few months later I segued ...
A victory for Byrd, finally
After notching 10 top-five finishes this season veteran driver Dave Byrd, of Seaside, finally picked up his first victory of 2011 in last Saturday's "Race and Ride for Autism 100" Western Late Model feature at Stockton 99 Speedway.
Exciting race gives Gomes third victory of season
Manteca's Jacob Gomes picked up his third victory of the season and reclaimed the SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour Series championship lead Saturday night in the "Century Boatland 115" in front of a capacity crowd at Rocky Mountain Raceways just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Wendt brothers score big at Stockton
A nice crowd of nearly 2,000 was on hand at Stockton's 99 Speedway for last Saturday's NASCAR Whelen All American Racing Series program and tribute to Manteca racing legend Johnny Brazil.
The power of never giving up
It was a stunning realization to see the U.S. team finalize an epic comeback against Brazil to win its quarterfinal match in the FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany last weekend. The win told many stories, and not just about the fact that the Americans are now just one win from the championship game.
Say it ain’t so, NBA
Life without the NBA is an inconceivable thought.
Don’t fish blind
Recently, while camping with my family at Lake Pardee, my son and I decided to take a walk. We ended up near the boat ramp where there were a lot of people fishing. They had just released a truck load of trout into the lake earlier that morning, so there were people catching fish all around us.
Will Jimmer save the Kings?
Like most Central Valley residents, I grew up a Sacramento Kings fan.
It isn’t over until it’s over
I did not see the majority of the Dallas Mavericks' late-game comeback against the Miami Heat on Thursday night in the second game of the NBA Finals. Like most spectators, I thought the Mavs were done after being down by 15 points with 7:15 minutes left, so I went away from the TV for a few minutes.
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