A bullet doesn't discriminate.
As we learned from the recent shooting of Monterey junior linebacker Joey Christensen, it can happen anywhere, including your own home.
Sure, Christensen used error in judgement in hosting a party while his parents were out of town. What he did not plan on was having uninvited guests show up, looking for trouble.
Being shot twice wasn't on the agenda. Either was battling for his life. He's 16.
I'm not sure there is a lesson here either. Do we lock our kids up at night? You can't live in fear. But as we learned, you don't have to be hanging with the wrong crowd to have trouble find you.
7/30/2008
7/28/2008
fales to nevada
Why is so much stock put into a camp by college recruiters? Doesn't performance in a game count?
Well yes, it does.
Trust me, when you complete 72 percent of your passes, as Palma quarterback David Fales did last year, you are going to get some attention.
But when you show that same composure in a highly-competitive elite camp, now recruiters know it's not a fluke. No longer are you being criticized or judged for the league or area you play in.
Fales put on a show a month ago at a camp in Berkeley, compiling the third highest score among 65 quarterbacks that were considered potential Division I prospects.
It was enough to warrant attention from at least a dozen Division I schools, where Fales choose the University of Nevada on Monday.
Some might argue why rush a decision when you've got schools like Oregon State and Kansas State contacting you?
Well Fales didn't want the distractions going into his senior season. Plus Nevada runs a shotgun offense that suits his skills. And they did go to a bowl game last year.
Well yes, it does.
Trust me, when you complete 72 percent of your passes, as Palma quarterback David Fales did last year, you are going to get some attention.
But when you show that same composure in a highly-competitive elite camp, now recruiters know it's not a fluke. No longer are you being criticized or judged for the league or area you play in.
Fales put on a show a month ago at a camp in Berkeley, compiling the third highest score among 65 quarterbacks that were considered potential Division I prospects.
It was enough to warrant attention from at least a dozen Division I schools, where Fales choose the University of Nevada on Monday.
Some might argue why rush a decision when you've got schools like Oregon State and Kansas State contacting you?
Well Fales didn't want the distractions going into his senior season. Plus Nevada runs a shotgun offense that suits his skills. And they did go to a bowl game last year.
7/25/2008
football
Summer's over.
At least one high school football team will begin practice on July 31 with two more slated to start Aug. 4.
That's insane.
Then again, most teams have either been in passing camps, full pad camps or spending their summer in the weight room.
But the season is getting longer and more draining.
Forget the morning weight lifting sessions that start right after New Years Day.
Opening practice in pads the first week of August translates to an 18-week season of a team reaches the Central Coast Section finals.
That's too long.
At least one high school football team will begin practice on July 31 with two more slated to start Aug. 4.
That's insane.
Then again, most teams have either been in passing camps, full pad camps or spending their summer in the weight room.
But the season is getting longer and more draining.
Forget the morning weight lifting sessions that start right after New Years Day.
Opening practice in pads the first week of August translates to an 18-week season of a team reaches the Central Coast Section finals.
That's too long.
Nady in pinstripes
Xavier Nady will be in a Yankees uniform Saturday after being traded late Friday by Pittsburgh.
Word was he was headed back to the Mets, where he played in 2006.
I don't see this as a good fit or long term arrangement for the one-time Salinas High slugger.
The outfielder was acquired because of the uncertainly over high-priced ailing outfielders Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.
Both could be back in August, cutting into Nady's playing time. The 28-year-old is having a career year, as he was among the National League leaders in hitting at .330. He was on pace to hit 25 home runs and drive in over 100 runs.
I suppose Nady could also play some first base or even DH. And if he keeps hitting, the Yankees will have to find a way to get him AB's. This also almost assures that the Yankees won't pursue Barry Bonds.
Who would have thought Nady would keep Bonds jobless?
At the very least, Nady will at least be in a pennant chase, which should help soften the blow of joining his fourth team in five years.
Nady has been in a pennant chase before when he was with the Padres. But there will almost certainly be an adjustment in moving to the American League for the first time.
Of course, the last player from Monterey County to sport the pinstripes won a World Series ring in Mike Aldrete.
You have to think, though, at some point Nady would like to spend more than a season with one team. Who doesn't want a .300 hitter that can drive in 100 runs? Yankee fans will appreciate his workman like attitude. If the Mets are disappointed, you should have never parted with Nady in the first place.
Word was he was headed back to the Mets, where he played in 2006.
I don't see this as a good fit or long term arrangement for the one-time Salinas High slugger.
The outfielder was acquired because of the uncertainly over high-priced ailing outfielders Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.
Both could be back in August, cutting into Nady's playing time. The 28-year-old is having a career year, as he was among the National League leaders in hitting at .330. He was on pace to hit 25 home runs and drive in over 100 runs.
I suppose Nady could also play some first base or even DH. And if he keeps hitting, the Yankees will have to find a way to get him AB's. This also almost assures that the Yankees won't pursue Barry Bonds.
Who would have thought Nady would keep Bonds jobless?
At the very least, Nady will at least be in a pennant chase, which should help soften the blow of joining his fourth team in five years.
Nady has been in a pennant chase before when he was with the Padres. But there will almost certainly be an adjustment in moving to the American League for the first time.
Of course, the last player from Monterey County to sport the pinstripes won a World Series ring in Mike Aldrete.
You have to think, though, at some point Nady would like to spend more than a season with one team. Who doesn't want a .300 hitter that can drive in 100 runs? Yankee fans will appreciate his workman like attitude. If the Mets are disappointed, you should have never parted with Nady in the first place.
7/22/2008
Roggeman steps down
The football coaching fraternity lost a good one Tuesday when Buck Roggeman stepped down at Pacific Grove to become the Pacific Grove Middle School assistant principal.
No the timing isn't good. Practice starts at Pacific Grove in 10 days. But you can't fault an individual for following his dream. Roggeman has yearned to someday be an administrator.
That being said, this man was built to coach. His energy and enthusiasm was electric. Roggeman built a bond with his players, yet taught them the values of life off the field.
Respect and discipline translated to dominance on the field, class off it.
On the field, Roggeman's teams produced 67 wins in seven years, equalling that of Palma coach Jeff Carnazzo. The Breakers won six Mission Trail Athletic League titles and one CCS title.
While the program is on stable ground, you can't replace the intangibles that Roggeman brought with him. That's what the program will miss the most.
No the timing isn't good. Practice starts at Pacific Grove in 10 days. But you can't fault an individual for following his dream. Roggeman has yearned to someday be an administrator.
That being said, this man was built to coach. His energy and enthusiasm was electric. Roggeman built a bond with his players, yet taught them the values of life off the field.
Respect and discipline translated to dominance on the field, class off it.
On the field, Roggeman's teams produced 67 wins in seven years, equalling that of Palma coach Jeff Carnazzo. The Breakers won six Mission Trail Athletic League titles and one CCS title.
While the program is on stable ground, you can't replace the intangibles that Roggeman brought with him. That's what the program will miss the most.
7/10/2008
chasing an NFL dream
Seven teams in five years might suggest another profession.
Call Maurice Mann stubborn.
At the same time, give the one-time Monterey High receiver credit for recognizing his mistakes.
Mann asked the Redskins in the off-season to attach special teams to his team.
Good move.
Because no NFL team is going to keep a fourth or fifth receiver on their roster if he can't contribute in other ways.
Mann has figured that out. He's also erasing a reputation that he isn't coachable.
Call Maurice Mann stubborn.
At the same time, give the one-time Monterey High receiver credit for recognizing his mistakes.
Mann asked the Redskins in the off-season to attach special teams to his team.
Good move.
Because no NFL team is going to keep a fourth or fifth receiver on their roster if he can't contribute in other ways.
Mann has figured that out. He's also erasing a reputation that he isn't coachable.
7/09/2008
Treasuring the moment
There Ann Marie May was, nervously sitting in a waiting room at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials with some of the best swimmers in the world.
And what were they doing?
Laughing and joking.
Wow.
Four years of training for this day. An Olympic spot on the line and here are a bunch of world class swimmers treasuring the moment.
How refreshing.
May, a Stevenson graduate, who earned All-American status this past spring in the 50-meter freestyle at UC Santa Barbara, felt right at home.
No it's not baseball were millions are on the line. Still, to see athletes embrace and relish being a part of something special is truly a lost art.
And what were they doing?
Laughing and joking.
Wow.
Four years of training for this day. An Olympic spot on the line and here are a bunch of world class swimmers treasuring the moment.
How refreshing.
May, a Stevenson graduate, who earned All-American status this past spring in the 50-meter freestyle at UC Santa Barbara, felt right at home.
No it's not baseball were millions are on the line. Still, to see athletes embrace and relish being a part of something special is truly a lost art.
7/08/2008
unfulfilled promises
A recent high school graduate, a soccer and softball standout, has decided she doesn't want to play sports anymore.
There are a number of reasons.
But is one of them the fact that a scholarship never materialized?
Was she told from the day she began excelling in sports that she was scholarship bound?
We need to stop telling kids at 12 that they can get a scholarship with hard work and dedication.
It's often not enough.
How many times does it need to be said that just ONE percent of high school athletes get Division I scholarships.
Failure to get that full ride is keeping kids from enjoying just being an athlete - and a kid.
There are a number of reasons.
But is one of them the fact that a scholarship never materialized?
Was she told from the day she began excelling in sports that she was scholarship bound?
We need to stop telling kids at 12 that they can get a scholarship with hard work and dedication.
It's often not enough.
How many times does it need to be said that just ONE percent of high school athletes get Division I scholarships.
Failure to get that full ride is keeping kids from enjoying just being an athlete - and a kid.
carl nicks
Carl Nicks still doesn't have an NFL contract.
No big deal. More than 75 percent of the rookies drafted this past April are still unsigned.
Still training camp is just two weeks off for the New Orleans Saints. Nicks, who played at North Salinas and Hartnell College, has to be getting a little antsy. You can't report without a contract.
And as a fifth round pick whose stock dropped because of an incident a month before the draft, Nicks will have to prove himself to make the squad.
You don't want to be a holdout.
Nicks has very little leverage. He needs to be in camp. This could go down to the final days before camp.
No big deal. More than 75 percent of the rookies drafted this past April are still unsigned.
Still training camp is just two weeks off for the New Orleans Saints. Nicks, who played at North Salinas and Hartnell College, has to be getting a little antsy. You can't report without a contract.
And as a fifth round pick whose stock dropped because of an incident a month before the draft, Nicks will have to prove himself to make the squad.
You don't want to be a holdout.
Nicks has very little leverage. He needs to be in camp. This could go down to the final days before camp.
7/02/2008
volleyball finale
A fitting end to a memorable prep career for three members of The Herald's All-County Volleyball team, who were a part of a club that won the Junior Olympics volleyball team title in Dallas.
Yet, while Evin Cotton is headed to Baylor University and Alex Bell will slam balls at Sonoma State, The Herald's MVP Lyncee Mendalla, has chosen not to play college volleyball.
Which begs the question?
Did playing the sport year around burn the libero out? Because the recent Notre Dame graduate could play somewhere if she really wanted to.
And maybe in a year, she'll get the itch. But 100 matches makes for a long season.
Yet, while Evin Cotton is headed to Baylor University and Alex Bell will slam balls at Sonoma State, The Herald's MVP Lyncee Mendalla, has chosen not to play college volleyball.
Which begs the question?
Did playing the sport year around burn the libero out? Because the recent Notre Dame graduate could play somewhere if she really wanted to.
And maybe in a year, she'll get the itch. But 100 matches makes for a long season.
Soledad football
Hurray. Soledad finally has a football coach.
But guess what? It's on an interim basis.
Go figure.
Athletic director Chris Brinkley stepped into the batters box and agreed to take the job five weeks before the first practice for ONE year.
Meaning, come this time next year, Soledad will have its fourth coach in four years.
And you wonder why the program hasn't won a league game in two years or had a winning season since 2001?
Give Brinkley credit for not wanting to see the program dropped. But Soledad has to find a coach willing to hang around for more than a year. Perhaps someone with ties to the Salinas Valley, who understands the problems and wants to be a part of the solution.
But guess what? It's on an interim basis.
Go figure.
Athletic director Chris Brinkley stepped into the batters box and agreed to take the job five weeks before the first practice for ONE year.
Meaning, come this time next year, Soledad will have its fourth coach in four years.
And you wonder why the program hasn't won a league game in two years or had a winning season since 2001?
Give Brinkley credit for not wanting to see the program dropped. But Soledad has to find a coach willing to hang around for more than a year. Perhaps someone with ties to the Salinas Valley, who understands the problems and wants to be a part of the solution.
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