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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/03/31/sf-giants-notebook-tommy-la-stellas-bat-is-making-it-hard-to-keep-him-off-opening-day-roster/
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Tommy La Stella still says being ready to play on Opening Day is up in the air for him.
“I wouldn’t say there’s a change in that yet,” La Stella said.
But through two games of spring action so far, he’s making quite the case for himself.
As he comes back from Achilles surgery, La Stella had another action-packed outing even though he only played three innings, going 2-for-2 with a homer and playing second base for the first time in the spring.
“He swung the bat really well, obviously — Tommy-style at-bats,” Kapler said.
After going 1-for-2 with a well-hit flyout, a three-run double and a walk on Tuesday, La Stella started off Thursday by pulling a homer to right, just coming a few feet short of hitting the Charro Lodge. He added a single in the first and advanced station-to-station to score a run in the second, the fifth run in the Giants’ 13-2 win over the Rockies at Scottsdale Stadium on Thursday.
Playing at second base for the first time in a spring game, La Stella got tested in every which way in the third inning alone: running in to track a pop up, going to his left for a ground ball (that just went under his glove) and going to his right to snag a grounder on the run (though his throw back across his body to first was not in time for an out).
“Didn’t get cheated on defensively,” La Stella quipped before adding, “It was good to be out there and go side-to-side. And be able to rebound and come back on the next play. Whenever I am ready, that’s the stuff I’ve got to be able to do.”
Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford added, “I think he’d probably be the first one to say he probably wasn’t at his quickest out there, but just to get him moving around, that’s great.”
But Kapler said he was actually impressed in how La Stella — and other Giants veterans, too — has been able to not push himself and try to do too much, saying La Stella “was measured on both defense and on the bases, by design.”
“One of the things that I find really impressive is when a player is able to put a governor on [themselves],” Kapler said. “It makes us trust that, in that sort of situation in the regular season, we can understand that he’s not going to be beating out a ground ball, he’s not going to make a diving play up the middle or to his right and get up and throw a runner out. But then we’re going to get the high-quality at-bats.
If we need to do something like replace them on the bases or on defense, we’re willing to do that to have his bat around in shorter periods of time. He’s plenty capable of playing good defense, running the bases well, all of those things. But I think it’s worth noting that there are ways that we can protect him and we have protected him in the past.”
Even with those breaks in place, the swings are still looking sharp, which doesn’t come as a surprise to Crawford.
“He’s always had a pretty simple swing, so it’s probably not going to take him a whole lot of time in spring to get going,” Crawford said. “He has great eye-hand coordination and can handle the bat and is a great contact guy. To have him in the lineup is definitely a good thing for us.”
And as for the roster spot on Opening Day? “Nothing’s off the table,” Kapler said. “We keep everything on the table.”
Crawford’s tweaks at plate give instant pay-off
Right after La Stella’s first inning homer, Crawford stepped up next and added one of his own with a shot to right-center — even though he joked he wouldn’t have cared if it went out or not, given the time of year.
“I don’t really want to waste them in spring,” Crawford said.
But this particular one was a welcomed sight for Crawford, who entered Thursday 0-for-the-spring in 10 at-bats with six strikeouts. He finished the day with a .214 batting average after going 3-for-4 with the first inning homer, an RBI single in the second and an RBI double in the seventh.
Crawford said he worked on his swing on Wednesday and started feeling better during a live batting practice session right after. Seeing the tweaks carry over into the game was welcomed.
“Even if I hit a few balls hard and got out, honestly, I would have felt a lot better about where my swing is at, as far as timing and approach and swinging at the right pitches,” Crawford said. “Obviously, anything I’ll take a hit, but I prefer to hit the ball hard and feel good about my swing, confident about my swing.”
Wood welcomes the traffic in third spring outing
It’s only Logan Webb and Alex Wood who have made three starts in games this spring, and Wood’s Thursday outing came with the rapid pace he’s become known for.
But while the Giants offense was working the Rockies for five runs, six hits and four walks in the first two innings, Wood was anxiously waiting to get back out on the mound, reaching the rubber seemingly seconds after the final out of the bottom-half of the innings were recorded.
He finished the day throwing around 65 pitches in 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk and striking out four. He gave up both runs and all but one of his hits in the third, but he actually was just fine with having to deal with the traffic on the bases, a good check on his mechanics — and his rhythm — out of the stretch.
“I’ve made a conscious effort the last two seasons to make sure I’m looking at runners, whether they’re there or not,” Wood said. “I felt pretty comfortable with guys on, but it was definitely nice to have a little traffic out there and have to work a little bit harder than you would in a clean inning.”
But yet Wood was still able to get through the trouble and into the fifth and helped push the spring game’s time to under three hours, something that aligns with the Giants’ pitching philosophy of working fast and throwing strikes.
“Funny how that tends to correlate,” Kapler quipped postgame.
And why is Wood so quick to the plate?
“It’s probably my personality,” Wood said with a smile. “To be honest, I don’t like to wait around. I’m not a very patient person. That’s one of my faults as a human being.”
But what can be considered a fault in some aspects of life is a strength in others, and defenders absolutely love playing behind Wood, with La Stella saying Wood’s quickness is “on another level” compared to any other pitchers he’s played behind.
Wood is set to make one more start in Arizona before the season begins, aiming to get to around 80 pitches. But Wood wasn’t sure if he’d face the A’s on Tuesday, as the schedule currently lines him up to do.
Meanwhile, with Alex Cobb set to start on Friday, the rotation would typically indicate that Logan Webb would start Saturday, when the Giants have their lone spring game against the Dodgers.
But even with the abbreviated spring making the in-game repetitions more valued, there will be no rematch on Saturday. Kervin Castro was officially listed as the starter, with Webb instead pitching a simulated game. It’s a bit of gamesmanship that Kapler hinted was possible.
“I think there’s still time to play around with that a little bit, I just don’t think it can be the number one priority at this point,” Kapler said on Wednesday. “Number one priority is getting our pitchers the innings they need to be ready to go as deep into games as possible and to handle as many pitches as possible.
“Doesn’t mean that the competition element or the gamesmanship element goes out the window, but I think we just stay focused on the other side of that right now.”
The Giants didn’t shy away from starting Wood against the Rockies or Carlós Rodon against the Padres on Tuesday. But after their season-long battle last year, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the Giants are treating the Dodgers differently.
Giants keep focus on mental health ahead of season opener
The Giants organization has continued its focus on mental health, designating Thursday as Mental Health Day in camp. It’s something that the manager strongly believes in.
“This is important because we believe that everybody in our player population is suffering with something,” Kapler said. “It could be something that’s going on at home, a family rift, it could be anxiety issues, it could be depressing issues. And those are elevated at different times for different players. And frankly, it’s not just our players – it’s also our staff, it’s also our front office.
“It’s every member of our organization.”
The team wore shirts with “Strength isn’t always mental” on the front and #EndTheStigma as part of their efforts to increase mental health awareness, and Drew Robinson and Dr. Shana Alexander both addressed the team earlier in the morning, reiterating that “everyone is suffering” message.
“It takes the edge off for the people that are listening,” Kapler said. “Because whatever it is that you’re dealing with from a mental health perspective, oftentimes you feel like you’re the only person — and especially in a historically competition-driven environment, showing any sort of weakness has always been seen as a lack of strength. In reality, we believe it is the direct opposite of that. It’s an indication of strength.”
Robinson, the former minor leaguer who lost an eye from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2020, is now in his capacity as a mental health advocate and Alexander — a clinical psychologist — as the Giants’ employee assistance program director. The Giants also have had Kellen Lee on staff since January 2020 as a minor league mental skills coach.
Kapler feels that the focus on mental health gives the Giants a leg up on the competition, but it’s one he’s happy to share with others.
“I think it’s definitely a competitive advantage, but also something we have to share because it’s the right thing to do,” Kapler said. “People are suffering, we can help them suffer less. There are some things that we want to keep quite proprietary. This is not one of them.”
Alexander was the one in charge of the t-shirts, which were initially just made for the team. But Kapler would be happy if the Giants decided to sell them: “No reason we wouldn’t want a lot of people wearing these shirts.”
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/03/31/warriors-great-tim-hardaway-will-be-inducted-into-hall-of-fame/
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The third member of the Warriors’ Run TMC trio will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this summer.
Tim Hardaway has received the call from the Hall, joining Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin to complete the Golden State trifecta.
NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole first reported the news. A source confirmed Hardaway’s induction to sports editor Bud Geracie. The official announcement is expected Saturday.
Hardaway played the first six-and-a-half years of his career with the Warriors, earning three All-Star nods and orchestrating Don Nelson’s entertaining, up-and-down style of basketball that energized Bay Area fans. He averaged 9.3 assists per game over five-plus seasons with the Warriors, along with 19.8 points.
The Warriors’ Run TMC era lasted just two seasons as it ended when Richmond was traded to Sacramento following Golden State’s exciting 1991 playoff run, which included a first-round upset over David Robinson’s Spurs.
Proving the phenomenon of the Warriors’ fast-paced play didn’t die down even after Richmond left, McDonald’s even began marketing a “Tim and Chris Burger” in the Bay Area in 1992. The fast food chain’s televised ad featured Hardaway and Mullin arguing over it was called a “Tim and Chris Burger” or a “Chris and Tim Burger.”
Their televised dilemma was nothing compared to what Warriors opponents faced each night back then.
“We called it controlled chaos,” Hardaway said when he was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame four years ago. “We knew how to move without the basketball, set back screens, and we knew how to create and take advantage of mismatches.”
Hardaway may be the last of the Run TMC stars to make it to the Hall of Fame, but there was no doubt which of the three made them go.
“He was the catalyst. He was the one who was driving the ship,” Richmond once told this news organization. “Right before training camp, I remember Nellie brought the whole team together and said, `Tim is the quarterback. Just run the floor and he’ll find you.’ ”
In just his second year in the league, Hardaway was already electrifying while averaging 22.9 points, 9.7 assists and 2.6 steals. Combined with Mullin’s 25.9 points per game and Richmond’s 23.9, the threesome averaged a whopping 72.5 points per game.
The Warriors were among the top three scoring teams in the NBA for the first five years of Hardaway’s career, including the 1993-94 season he missed with a knee injury while rookie Chris Webber emerged as another star.
The 1996 trade that sent Hardaway to Miami was one of several moves that plummeted the Warriors from the playoffs into the NBA’s basement.
Hardaway played parts of six seasons with the Heat, getting two more All-Star accolades, before finishing his career with two seasons split between Dallas, Denver and Indiana. His No. 10 jersey was retired by Miami.
Reports indicate Spurs star Manu Ginoblili and WNBA great Swin Cash will also be inducted, along with former Warriors coach George Karl and collegiate coach Bob Huggins.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/03/31/ex-as-minor-leaguer-allegedly-led-illegal-sports-gambling-ring/
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LOS ANGELES — Five men have agreed to plead guilty to federal crimes for their roles in an illegal Southern California sports betting operation that took wagers from professional athletes, authorities said Thursday.
The ring was led by Wayne Nix, 45, a former pitcher for the Oakland Athletics minor league baseball team who lives in Newport Beach.
Around 2001, Nix started using his professional sports contacts to build a gambling business, developing a client list that included unnamed professional athletes, the former ballplayer admitted in court papers.
It eventually expanded into a major enterprise that employed three former Major League Baseball players as agents who recruited bettors. Password-protected accounts were set up for clients to place bets on a website run by Sand Island Sports, a company based in Costa Rica. Betting on the outcome of sporting events is legal in some states, but not California.
Nix, the father of ESPN broadcaster Wendi Nix, acknowledged receiving $245,000 from a professional football player and $4,000 from a Major League Baseball coach, in both cases to cover gambling losses in 2016. Both were unnamed in the court records.
Another client placed a $5 million bet on the 2019 Super Bowl in Atlanta, where the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams. A few weeks later, Nix agreed in a text exchange to reactivate the account of a sports broadcaster who told him he was refinancing his home mortgage so he could repay his gambling debts.
Nix said he also let the business manager of a professional basketball player bet up to $25,000 per NBA game.
The investigation was triggered in 2017 by two informants who provided information to the Homeland Security Investigations agency, according to an HSI application for a search warrant. One informant acknowledged that the goal of cooperating with law enforcement was to avoid paying off a $6 million gambling debt.
A federal judge gave investigators permission to tap the phones of Nix and several other suspects, the warrant application says. The surveillance yielded multiple recordings of bets being placed. “Put $3,000 on Djokovic to win Wimbledon,” Nix told someone on a phone call in June 2019.
Nix and one of his partners, Edon Kagasoff, 44, of Lake Forest, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business. Nix also admitted that he failed to report $1.5 million in personal income on his 2017 and 2018 federal tax returns.
Court records did not specify whether any professional athletes used Nix’s business to bet on their own teams’ games. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles declined to comment on the matter and said the investigation was continuing.
Nix, a former right-handed pitcher, was Oakland’s fourth-round pick in the 1995 draft out of Monroe High in Sepulveda. He won nine games with the High-A Modesto A’s in 1999 and followed that up by winning nine games in each of the next two seasons when Oakland moved its High-A team to Visalia. Nix advanced to Double-A with the A’s at the end of the 1991 season, which would be his last as a pro.
The charges come at a delicate time for America’s pro sports leagues, which have raced to embrace sports betting — and the billions that could flow from it — while trying to reassure fans that players and other insiders are not betting on games.
The four major North American leagues could generate $4.23 billion per year from legalized sports betting, according to the American Gaming Association. Fans already can place bets at gambling operations inside stadiums and arenas from Phoenix to Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Teams and leagues say betting can keep fans involved with games. Betting online and or over the phone has become easier and, as one technology operator told The Los Angeles Times last month, “There’s a million pitches over the course of a season. You can bet on every one of them.”
The NFL this month suspended Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley for at least one year after uncovering evidence that he had bet on NFL games.
Major League Baseball was made aware of the federal charges Thursday and is looking into the matter, a league official said.
The other three men who admitted to participation in the illegal betting ring were Howard Miller, 63, of Gardena; Kenneth Arsenian, 52, of Newport Beach; and Joseph Castelao, 56, of Rancho Palos Verdes.
Miller agreed to plead guilty to operation of an illegal gambling business.
Arsenian pleaded guilty in January to the same charge, as well as filing a false tax return, money laundering and accepting money for illegal online gambling. Castelao, who owned the Sand Island Sports website, has pleaded guilty to operating an illegal gambling business.
Celebrity Financial, which ran the Sherman Oaks Check Cashing store in the San Fernando Valley, agreed to plead guilty to failure to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program, admitting that it cashed more than $18 million in checks from three clients of the betting ring.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/03/31/when-she-was-8-she-told-steph-curry-believe-in-yourself-now-shes-starring-for-stanford-in-the-final-four/
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Cameron Brink was 8 years old when she whispered in the ear of Stephen Curry, a star college basketball player at the time and a close family friend she considered a “god-brother.”
A decade away from becoming a college basketball star herself at Stanford — which will compete Friday in the NCAA women’s Final Four — Brink was mainly interested back then in drawing pictures and wearing dresses.
Their mothers were best friends since college, and her family was in Detroit to cheer on Curry in his burst-onto-the-national-stage NCAA tournament run as a player for Davidson College.
Before the team left the hotel for its Sweet 16 game, Cameron’s mother witnessed the earnest, intimate moment. She gets choked up remembering it.
“What did she say to you?” Shelly Bain-Brink asked Curry.
“She said, ‘If you believe in yourself, you can be somebody,’ ” he responded.
They laugh about it now. Curry is one of the NBA’s all-time greats who has led the Golden State Warriors to three NBA championships.
But he never won an NCAA title, his family reminds him.
Cameron Brink could win her second this weekend.
“That’s an accolade that Stephen and (his NBA brother) Seth can’t brag about,” their mother, Sonya Curry, said in an interview Thursday.
Cameron didn’t even want to play sports until fifth or sixth grade. And when the Currys would bring it up, “she would say, ‘I’m an artist,’ ” Sonya Curry said. “So to see what she’s doing now is totally incredible.”
Stephen, who is nursing a foot injury, plans to watch the game with his family from home. But Sonya Curry will be in the stands with the Brinks in Minneapolis on Friday when the Cardinal take on the legendary Connecticut women’s basketball team for a chance to move on to Sunday’s national title game. Sonya is godmother to the Brinks’ two children, and Shelly is godmother to the Curry boys.
“We laugh because we put these monikers like godsister, godbrother, which are not real, but to us, it’s our way of explaining how connected we are to them,” Bain-Brink said. The three Curry children — Steph, Seth and sister, Sydel — have “always been like big brothers and sisters.”
The families are so close that for every Stanford home game, the Brinks travel from their home in the Portland area to stay as houseguests of Steph and Ayesha Curry on the Peninsula. (“We call it ‘Spa Curry,’” Brink says.) Cameron and her boyfriend, Stanford rower Ben Felter, are frequent dinner guests there as well.
The bond between the families started at Virginia Tech, where Shelly played basketball and Sonya played volleyball and they became roommates. Their future husbands, Dell Curry and Greg Brink, both basketball players, lived in the men’s wing of their dorm.
Steph’s and Cameron’s close relationship is captured in scores of photos that Bain-Brink keeps on her phone and taped to her refrigerator. There’s 13-year-old Steph holding baby Cameron in her white baptismal gown. There he is again five years later, giving Cameron and her pink purse a piggyback ride across the Davidson campus.
Image after image follows the two families at graduations and bridal showers and basketball games.
Cameron wasn’t available for an interview Thursday. But her mother said there’s the photo she hates, when she was 10 with glasses and braces as Steph taught her how to hold a basketball and the mechanics of a jump shot. And there are the ones she loves, of Steph and her back to back, when she was 12 and just shy of his 6-foot-3 height, and the one two years later, when she eclipsed him at 6-foot-4 — and Steph stood on a chair next to her for laughs.
The Currys started their family a decade before the Brinks, and all three Curry children were in the Brinks’ wedding. They’ve lived in different states and countries over the past 20 years — especially as Dell Curry’s own NBA career took him to five teams and the Brinks pursued their careers with Nike — but they always visited each other. When the photo of the bespectacled Cameron was taken, she was on summer vacation from Amsterdam, where the Brinks were living at the time, and was cajoled into joining Dell Curry’s annual basketball camp in Charlotte, N.C.
“We didn’t really think this was going to be about changing her mind or making her like basketball anymore. It was just something to do,” Sonya Curry said. “So she went the first day and she came back bruised up, hair all over the place and was like, ‘I don’t want to do this.’ ”
But the Currys encouraged her. “Just go back. One more day. Half a day. And then if you don’t like it, we’ll come pick you up and no big deal. And she was like, ‘OK.’ And she never looked back after that.”
The summer after seventh grade, when the Brink family had settled in Beaverton, Ore., and Cameron was nearing Stephen’s height, she was offered a scholarship to Stanford after a summer basketball camp, a shock to the Brinks.
“We thought perhaps she had potential,” said Shelly, who is 6-foot-3 to her husband’s 6-foot-7 and whose son, Cy, is 6-foot-9, “but never at this level, especially that early on.”
When Cameron was in high school, Stephen invited her to his elite summer basketball camp, one of only two girls to play. And last summer, between Cameron’s freshman and sophomore years, Stephen asked her to train with him at the Woodside Priory gym — a privilege that her mother says was both exciting and nerve racking.
“He’s a mega basketball star and he’s incredibly authentic. What you see is what you get off the court with Stephen,” Shelly said. But with her daughter, “there’s still that level of, ‘I’m not worthy.’ She feels that she is in the presence of greatness and she doesn’t want to disappoint him.”
But for the Cardinal, Cameron is more than proving herself. This season, she was named the media’s Pac-12 player of the year and a finalist for the Naismith trophy as the nation’s top defensive player. After a particularly rough game earlier this season, where she struggled with fouls, she sought advice from Stephen.
Shelly was in the kitchen of the Curry’s house “with one ear open,” she said, while Stephen and Cameron sat at the kitchen table.
“He talked to her about how he’s even struggled with that and how to keep your head in the game and stay positive and stay consistent with your work ethic,” Shelly said. “It’s really authentic and subtle, and she soaks it all in.”
But something else special is happening at the Curry house when Cameron visits. She’s bonding with the Currys’ three children the way Steph and his siblings bonded with her and her brother. And like Cameron in her early years, Riley, 9, Ryan, 7 and Canon, 3, seem less interested in the basketball court than the trampoline.
On Friday night in Minneapolis, Sonya and Shelly — the enduring friends who have raised their children together from miles apart — will be there rooting on Cameron and the Cardinal women. They will look for the right moment to flash an “I love you” hand signal down to the court — the same one Cameron has tattooed on her ribcage.
Then they will hope, like they always do, that Cameron will look up and flash one back.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/03/31/chico-state-finishes-sixth-in-second-to-last-event-before-playoffs-local-roundup/
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The Chico State men’s golf team finished in sixth place in Stanislaus after the two day event Monday and Tuesday. The Wildcats finished 8-over on Tuesday and 11-over for the two day tournament.
Chico State, ranked No. 7 in the West Region, finished nine shots behind the champion Western Washington.
Chris Colla tied for 13th on the individual leaderboard at 1-over par, Dakota Ochoa finished tied for 21st at 4-over par, Tyler Ashman finished tied for 26th at 5-over par and Brayden Russo finished 7-over par for a tie of 29th place.
Chico State will next be in action at the RJGA Palm Valley Classic on Monday and Tuesday in Goodyear, Arizona in the Wildcats’ final event before the CCAA Championships. The CCAA Championships begin April 11 through April 13 at Yocha Dehe Golf Cub in Brooks.
Prep boys tennis
Pleasant Valley 9, Shasta 0: Pleasant Valley improved to 8-1 and 5-0 in Eastern Athletic League play with a sweep of Shasta on Tuesday.
Singles winners for the Vikings included Eugene Lee, Konti Armbruster, Robbie Foster, Bradley Vereschagin, Matt Kuperman and Elijah Huston.
In doubles the teams of Lee and Armbruster, Foster and Kuperman, and Lyle Aiken and Moses Mesfin won their matches.
PV will compete next at 4 p.m. Thursday at home against Enterprise.
North Section Soccer Senior Showcase
After a two-year hiatus the Brett Silva Memorial North Section Senior
Showcase returned with two games Sunday that came down to the final seven minutes for the boys and a shootout or the girls.
In the boys game, the North side went ahead in the second half on a goal by Corning’s Carlos Cervantes. The South later tied the game and took the lead on a goal by Pleasant Valley’s Estefano Garcia, who was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
The girl’s match ended up a 1-1 tie at the end of regulation, with goals by the North’s Isabel Lendman of University Prep and the South’s Emma Gyllenhammer of Chico High School.
Report scores or results by emailing sports@chicoer.com. Results must be reported by noon the next day following the date that the game was played.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/03/31/death-notices-received-march-30-6/
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PLANCHARD: George Planchard, 75, of Chico, died March 28, 2022, in Chico. Arrangements are under the direction of Brusie Funeral Home, 342-5642.
STEPHENSON: Wayland Alan Stephenson, 74, of Chico, died March 25, 2022, in Chico. Arrangements are under the direction of Neptune Society of Northern California, 345-7200.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/03/31/letter-not-the-park-annie-bidwell-had-in-mind/
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About a week ago we had a letter asking for Upper Park fees to get the road open. Nope. The park has stayed free for maybe 90 years because the road is a fire road and the City of Chico is responsible for keeping it up. After forgetting that for eight years the city found itself a $1 million state grant to do it, to a standard that should hold with minor fixes for several decades.
The “parking fee” came about from city council discovering that a city park we have to drive to, and that has only one road in, could be a cash cow if it played its cards right. Right meaning not face up. What the city gave us is a kind of special tax for upper park: special because it isn’t to fix the road, that money’s already in, and it’s not our high cost park, and we don’t need it gussied up, so pretty much the whole haul will go straight into the general fund. That’s on top of the 1% sales tax increase city council also wants. Count on our debt to keep going up even with both. It’s how city council works these days.
Look, Annie Bidwell intended the park to be free and it has been for generations. You might feel happy that you’re thanking her by putting 2 bucks into the general fund on your way in, but me I just feel slickered. So would she.
— David P. Smith, Chico
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/03/31/letter-putins-pupil-leads-cheers-for-assets/
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Putin’s murderous invasion of Ukraine has displaced some 4.3 million children in the past month — more than half of the country’s estimated 7.5 million child population, according to UNICEF.
That said, there’s a fine line between genius and insanity. Jabba the Orange praised Putin’s justification to invade Ukraine as “genius” and “savvy” – someone who target bombs homes, schools, shelters, and hospitals, including a maternity hospital, is not a genius, but rather a madman whose very essence is void of humanity.
Fox’s Carlson and congressman Cawthorn (R-NC) have starred on Russian television parroting Putin’s anti-American rants, while Representative Greene (R-GA) has accused Ukrainian President Zelensky of torturing his own people and developing “dangerous pathogens in biolabs” funded by millions of U.S. dollars. Popular “news” outlets Fox, OAN and Newsmax push this drivel and other anti-Ukraine rhetoric.
Dubbed the “Red Square Republicans”, senators Shelby (Ala.), Daines (Mont.), Hoeven (N.D.), Kennedy (La.), Moran (Kan.), Thune (S.D.) Johnson (Wi.), plus Rep. Granger (Tex.) traveled to Moscow on our nation’s birthday last year to pay homage to Putin.
These are not useful idiots being used by Putin, they’re useful assets.
They are cheered on by Putin’s pupil, the former one, who calls his Republican adversaries “Rinos” (Republicans in name only), while he called for the jailing of journalists, fired diplomats for telling the truth, rails against a fair election; a demagogue unduly fond of himself, who can whip up a crowd but struggles to complete a sentence.
His proper title, dear readers, should be the Rino-in-Chief.
— Roger S. Beadle, Chico
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Two things every Liberal, Conservative, Progressive, Libertarian, Anarchist, Et al. have in common is our humanity and overlapping needs and beliefs …
A Libertarian believes in equality for all. I’m all in for this!
An Anarchist believes that governmental hierarchy is flawed. I’m all in for this!
A Liberal believes in equality before the law. I’m all in for this!
A Conservative believes in individual freedom. I’m all in for this!
A Progressive believes in evidence-based governing. I’m all in for this!
Et al. believes in the personal pursuit of happiness. I’m super all in for this!
We are not defined by our political affiliation, nor are we defined by our thoughts and beliefs. We are defined by our actions.
A wise Oroville houseless grandad I met in 2012 reinforced a core belief of mine thusly, “Just act like a human being and you can safely go anywhere.”
I believe this to be true, and we need to hold this truth as self evident; for we are all human. Flawed, factious and fantastic.
— Bill Mash, Chico
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/03/31/letter-what-in-the-world-happened-to-oscars/
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How did the Oscars go from being dignified to sleazy and where did the “Me Too” movement disappear to?
What if a man called women up to the stage and proceeded to run his hands all over them with comments about their bodies? I think there would be quite an uproar.
— Michael Zeno, Chico
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/03/31/penalties-mistakes-doom-san-jose-sharks-in-loss-to-nhls-best-team/
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The Sharks made one too many mistakes against the NHL’s best team on Thursday night.
With the game tied and defenseman Nicolas Meloche serving a slashing penalty, Mikko Rantanen took a pass from Nazem Kadri and beat an outstretched Kaapo Kahkonen at the 12:17 mark of the third period to help give Colorado a 4-2 win over the Sharks at Ball Arena.
Andre Burakovsky added an insurance goal at the 15:16 mark of the third period, as the Sharks were swept on their two-game, two-day trip against Central Division teams. San Jose lost 5-2 to Arizona on Wednesday night.
The Sharks had earlier erased two one-goal Avalanche leads on goals by Brent Burns and Timo Meier. But Colorado was relentless, as they had had 77 shot attempts over three periods.
Colorado now has an NHL-leading record of 48-14-6. The Sharks are 29-30-8.
Meier scored his 31st goal of the season – a new single-season career-high – in the second period off a workmanlike assist from Tomas Hertl at the 12:09 mark. Meier had 30 goals in 78 games in 2018-2019, his third season as a professional.
Meier now had six goals and three assists in his last six games, as he and linemates Hertl and Alexander Barabanov have driven the bus offensively for the Sharks since they were put back together the March 20 game with Arizona in San Jose.
Kahkonen was making his second start for the Sharks after he stopped 36 of 40 shots in San Jose’s 5-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on March 24. He finished with 42 saves.
Kahkonen entered Thursday’s game with a 1-2-1 record and a .890 save percentage in four career games against the Avalanche, all with the Minnesota Wild. Kahkonen was also looking for his first win since Feb. 20 when the Wild beat the Edmonton Oilers 7-3.
Since then, Kahkonen was 0-6-1 with an .879 save percentage.
Kahkonen sparkled in the first period, though, making 15 saves as the Avalanche played at its usual blistering pace. Three of those saves came on the penalty kill after Ryan Merkley was called for hooking Nathan MacKinnon at the 8:28 mark of the first period.
Colorado took a 1-0 lead at the 1:54 mark of the second period as Alex Newhook’s shot from just inside the blue line got past Kahkonen with traffic in front. The Sharks challenged for goalie interference, but the NHL situation room determined there was none.
Darren Helm also scored for Colorado. He took a pass from Valeri Nichushkin, who stole a breakout pass from Erik Karlsson, and beat Kahkonen for his sixth goal of the season.
The Sharks have Friday off and host Joe Pavelski and the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/letter-ice-rink-blamed-for-ormes-departure/
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I see one good reason the city manager resigned. City Plaza. He, without a vote by the city council, created the monetary disaster of the ice rink in City Plaza. We still don’t know the total cost as months later after the closing of the rink City Plaza it is closed off by an ugly metal fence.
Which leaves us with two questions “can it even be restored to its original beautiful condition?” and “when will City Plaza be open again?”
— Norm Dillinger, Chico
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/a-drought-one-of-many-sow-there/
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For generations, children have been rolling their eyes at old-folk stories. “When I was a kid …” we walked to school every day, raked leaves for spending money and knocked on neighbors’ doors to sell Girl Scout cookies.
Young folks of today may be just as uninterested in our once “Great” events, including Hurricane Katrina, Loma Prieta earthquake or the day when Oroville Dam almost collapsed.
Young people of the moment will have stories of their own. They can tell their children that they remember when gasoline was only $5, when cars stopped at stop signs and how the tallest buildings in Chico were nine stories high.
They’ll also recall the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfire after wildfire and drought.
My generation thought we had lived through “THE drought of ‘76-’77,” the way that other generations lived through THE great war, THE Great Depression, THE flu pandemic.
The drought. Let’s be frank. THE drought of our childhood is only one of many. Even if we get rain from now until the Silver Dollar Fair, it’s only a matter of time until several seasons go by with little more than a few spits of precipitation on our car windshields.
My favorite water writer, Paul Rogers, reports that “the past two decades ranks as the driest 22-year period in at least 1,200 years” for the American West.
We’d be paying more attention to drought if we weren’t worried about the war in Ukraine, the pandemic, inflation or Will Smith’s outburst at the Oscars.
When I was a water reporter for this paper, I wrote endless stories about a drought from 2012-2016, which followed other droughts from 2007-2009 and 2000-2003. Less than a decade ago, the state was offering funding to folks who chose to convert their water-grubbing lawns into mulch gardens with native, drought-tolerant plants. My friends Jim and Bitz were smart enough to cash in.
My yard was converted over time, reluctantly on my part because plants were slowly lost during harsh conditions. The list of dead things includes the pink jasmine, which is now brown, the potted buddleia, geranium, hydrangea and so many others gone so long I can’t recall what exactly was lost.
At some point, I decided not to try to be a superhero, and planned to replant after this drought business was done. I’m still waiting.
One good thing about the status quo is that I am intimately aware of what will survive if I drag the hose around the yard twice a week.
Volunteer periwinkle has no problem hogging the fence line separating my yard from my Totally Cool Neighbor. Poppies are about to bloom in a giant swath near the raised bed. Zinnia may grow again where I tossed dried flowers from blooms last year.
The big surprise, despite meager rainfall this winter, has been calendula. A year or more ago I threw seeds in the oversized faux wine barrel. They grew and shed dried seed pods nearly everywhere. I’ve kept a bear’s breeches plant alive in the faux wine barrel, and the water must have leaked from the bottom. This is where the calendula now thrives in the gravel. Flowers have already arrived.
Recently, I visited with my friend Betty Ann in north Chico and I spotted the sunny calendula in her yard.
“Be careful,” she warned. “Those can be considered weeds.”
At this point, I don’t care. If it blooms and can grow during recurring drought, I’m all in.
Betty Ann is another person to envy for forward-thinking. She learned years ago that the best drought defense is piles and piles of mulch. Covering soil preserves soil moisture and also makes yanking weeds an easy task.
The https://www.gardeningknowhow.com website has a fairly long-list of plants that can endure yet another drought. Calendula happens to be at the top of the list. (They listed the plant alphabetically). Other dry-tolerant annuals include cockscomb, cosmos, dusty miller, geranium, globe amaranth, marigold, portulaca, snapdragon, statice, verbena and zinnia. A few of the perennials mentioned include things you might spot growing in an alley: coreopsis, shasta daisy, bee balm, black-eyed Susan, carpet bugle and lavender. Others worth an investment for a long-dry year or two include salvia, daylily, asters, goldenrod, sedum and milkweed. It makes sense to spend money on plants that at least have a chance of survival. We could wait until the 2030s before we have another “normal year.” However, I’m not ready to live without flowers.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/death-notices-received-march-31-5/
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DENT: Clifton J. Dent, 73, of Biggs, died March 25, 2022, in Biggs. Arrangements are under the direction of Gridley-Block Funeral Chapel, 846-2138.
JOHNSON: James “Jim” Johnson, 87, of Chico, died March 26, 2022, in Chico. Arrangements are under the direction of Brusie Funeral Home, 342-5642.
OSTRANDER: Lance C. Ostrander, 44, of Oroville, died March 20, 2022, in Chico. Arrangements are under the direction of Oroville Funeral Home, 533-0323. No services are planned.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/dont-hesitate-to-thin-that-fruit-the-real-dirt/
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It is time to start thinking about thinning the fruit on peach, nectarine, plum, pluot, apricot, apple and pear trees.
To produce fruit that is large and healthy, fruit trees need plenty of leaves to feed the developing fruit. Since trees often set far more fruit than their leaves can adequately support, it is generally a good idea to remove a percentage of the developing fruit. Thinning fruit improves the leaf-to-fruit ratio, which results in improved fruit size and quality. Thinning also reduces the overall weight of fruit, thus decreasing the possibility of overburdened limbs splitting or breaking.
In addition, over cropping can trigger alternate bearing, with significantly less fruit production the following year. Thinning can also limit the spread of diseases (such as brown rot) of fruits that are touching one another.
Fruit should be thinned when it is about three-quarters of an inch in diameter. Thinning is usually done from early April to mid-May, depending on whether the fruit is an early-ripening or late-ripening variety. Fruit should be thinned when it is about three-quarters of an inch in diameter. If fruit is smaller than this, it may be too hard to see, but if thinned when the fruit is larger than this part of the advantage of thinning will be lost. The larger the fruit is when it is thinned, the smaller the ripe fruit will be at harvest. In other words, it is best to thin fruit early — but not too early. Thinning also provides an opportunity to remove small, misshapen or damaged fruit, and these should be the first ones eliminated by thinning. Retain the largest fruit whenever possible.
Rather than pulling it from the branch, fruit should be hand thinned either by twisting it off the stem or pinching off the stem between the fingernails of the thumb and index finger or using clippers. Peaches and nectarines should be thinned to about five to eight inches apart on the branch. Plums and pluots are smaller, so they can be slightly closer together, about four to six inches apart. Apricots are smaller still and can be thinned to about three to five inches apart.
Apples and pears produce clusters of flowers and fruit from each bud and should be thinned to one fruit per cluster. However, if the crop is light, two fruit per cluster is acceptable. If the apple or pear crop is heavy, the fruit should be spaced no less than six to eight inches apart. Since the stems of apples and pears are relatively thick and tough, it is best to use clippers to thin them.
Most home fruit growers do not thin enough fruit from their trees. While it may be hard to thin off that potential fruit, if thinning is done properly both the harvester and the trees will reap the benefits.
For more information on fruit thinning, see http://homeorchard.ucanr.edu/The_Big_Picture/Fruit_Thinning and http://ucanr.edu/sites/sacmg/Fruit_and_nuts/Fruit_Thinning.
Vegetable Plant Sale! Stock up on popular varieties of vegetable plants at our Plant Sale on Saturday, April 2 from 9 to 11 a.m. The sale will take place at the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden at Patrick Ranch at 10381 Midway in Durham rain or shine. For more details, including a plant list, go to https://ucanr.edu/sites/bcmg/sale.
Upcoming Master Gardener workshops: There is plenty to choose from workshop-wise this month: topics covered are Companion Planting (April 5), Biochar (April 6), Soil Science (April 8), Converting Yards to Invite Monarchs with Native Plants (April 19) and Gardening with Chickens (April 26). The Soil Science workshop will be presented via Zoom, all the others are in-person. Check the workshop page on our website for times, locations and current COVID-19 safety guidelines: Workshops for Spring 2022 at https://ucanr.edu/sites/bcmg.
The UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension system, serving our community in a variety of ways, including 4-H, farm advisers, and nutrition and physical activity programs. To learn more about UCCE Butte County Master Gardeners, and for help with gardening in our area, visit https://ucanr.edu/sites/bcmg/. If you have a gardening question or problem, call the hotline at 538-7201 or email mgbutte@ucanr.edu.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/horoscopes-april-1-2022-david-oyelowo-speak-your-mind/
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CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Asa Butterfield, 25; Klarc Jerome Wilson, 29; Taran Killam, 40; David Oyelowo, 46.
Happy Birthday: Speak your mind. Take the initiative to make your dreams come true. Be responsible for your happiness, and construct a life that satisfies your needs and warms your soul. Invest in yourself, your ideas and being the best you can be. Surround yourself with people who share your dreams and beliefs. Set a standard, and you’ll reach your expectations. Your numbers are 4, 7, 19, 28, 35, 41, 47.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Head down a path you find inviting. Be receptive to what others have to offer and open to trying something new. Personal improvement is favored, and activities and events conducive to love and romance are encouraged. Put your dreams in motion. 3 stars
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Be aware of your surroundings and what everyone else is doing. Caution will prevent someone from taking advantage of your vulnerabilities. Offer your strengths, not your weaknesses, and you will outmaneuver anyone who tries to lead you astray. 3 stars
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You have knowledge, experience and good timing in abundance, so don’t let anyone interfere with your plans. Challenge anyone who gets in your way, and gravitate toward those who contribute to your cause. Personal gain, partnerships and romance are favored. 4 stars
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Reflect on what’s gone wrong, and adjust to ensure it won’t happen again. Preparation is the key to getting things right the first time. Don’t get into a disagreement with someone who fights dirty or uses blackmail to outmaneuver you. 2 stars
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t worry about the changes others make. Go about your business, and people who share your concerns will offer help. A special relationship will enhance your life and give you a new perspective on the possibilities that exist. Romance is encouraged. 5 stars
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Set high standards, and stand by your word. Don’t let what others do influence you to do something questionable or invest more in them than you. Your future is dependent on how you handle others and your ability to please yourself. 3 stars
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Plan to socialize with people who challenge you mentally and physically and those who bring out the best in you. Unique plans for two will bring you closer together and encourage personal stability and security that puts your mind at ease. 3 stars
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Try something different. A personal change may not please everyone, but if it sits well with you, that’s all that matters. Take responsibility for your happiness, and your life will fall into place. Rid yourself of dead weight. 3 stars
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Get involved in activities that require strength and agility. Work alongside people who share your goals and beliefs. A healthy, happy routine will help you do and be your best. Discuss your plans with someone you love, then proceed with confidence. 5 stars
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Don’t let anyone railroad you into something you don’t relish. Do your own thing, and make changes at home that add to your comfort and convenience. It’s up to you to pick and choose how you spend your time and money. 2 stars
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Take the direction that feels right, and don’t let others interfere. Your decisions regarding money and business must come from the heart if you want them to work for you. It’s essential to love what you do and who you are. 4 stars
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Bend a little, and things will swing in your favor. Incentives and compliments will help you persuade others to pitch in and help you achieve your goals. Demonstrate how passionate you are about your beliefs, and you will make a difference. 3 stars
Birthday Baby: You are expressive, innovative and upbeat. You are responsive and indulgent.
1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. 2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. 3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. 4 stars: Aim high; start new projects. 5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.
Visit Eugenialast.com, or join Eugenia on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn.
Want to get a link to your daily horoscope delivered directly to your inbox each weekday morning? Sign up for our free Coffee Break newsletter at mercurynews.com/newsletters or eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/letter-lucero-a-tireless-excellent-supervisor/
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Debra Lucero has been an excellent District 2 supervisor. She is accessible and responsive to her constituents. When our Bidwell neighborhood had trouble with PG&E cutting our historic oak and walnut trees without notice or consultation, we called her and she immediately intervened. She arranged a meeting with PG&E, and we were able to work out a solution where they notify and consult with us before any work is done.
Debra has educated herself and us about Butte County’s water. Since SGMA , the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act passed in 2014, groundwater sustainability has been a challenge in California. Water districts have to plan for how groundwater will be managed so that all stakeholders – farmers, domestic well owners, city dwellers, the natural environment – will be protected. As we are a groundwater dependent community with 6500 domestic well owners (including me), sustainability is of utmost importance. However, to date, most plans submitted to the state still favor those with the most money and political power. Debra wants our plan to be more equitable.
To that end, she has attended many meetings of the Butte County Water Commission and District 2’s GSA (the Vina Groundwater Sustainability Agency) so as to monitor the development of local water proposals. She relays this information to her constituents using social media or meetings. I appreciate how she listens to all concerns, responds quickly, and works tirelessly representing all citizens in her district regardless of party affiliation.
— Susan Schrader, Chico
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/letter-luceros-support-for-wastewater-surveillance/
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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC launched the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) in September 2020. This system tracks the presence of SARS-
CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in wastewater samples collected across the country. The NWSS works with public health departments to track virus levels so that communities can act quickly to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Infected people, even those without symptoms, can shed the virus in their feces in RNA strands.
These strands are not infectious, but can be detected in wastewater. A change shows up several days before it shows up in individual test results. By tracking the trends, health departments can be better prepared in case of upcoming surges and/or increases in variants.
Currently, COVID testing data is becoming less available because people don’t report their at-home test results to public health, and some people avoid testing because a positive test would result in negative consequences. According to the California Water Environment Association, fifty-nine California utilities are currently participants in the NWSS.
As of March 24 , 2022, the rate of fully vaccinated people in Butte County Public Health is only 52.76%, and the BA.2 variant continues to spread. We are at risk for another surge with little preparation. I think it’s high time to start testing wastewater in the city and county as soon as possible.
Supervisor Debra Lucero, District 2, first proposed wastewater surveillance two years ago, and she continues to support this initiative now.
— Annie Kavanagh, Chico
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/letter-no-fooling-time-for-a-cease-fire/
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I ventured to the Kite Flying Day at the large Chico park. It was good to see so many folks having a great kite flying time.
I am motivated to deliver a message to both leaders in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. I believe that they should cease fire by April 1 and stop the loss of life and destruction of property. It seems like there is a tremendous failure to communicate on the part of both leaders. Rational human beings are better than that. General Douglas McArthur, in front of the 82nd Congress I believe, stated that “war is no longer a rational means of solving international disputes,” or words to that effect.
General Eisenhower said “Beware of the Military Industrial Complex.” Perhaps there is more money to be made in wartime?
If those in power in the two countries continue the present war activity, then they should be declared “War Mongers” and be branded as such in the pages of history, and let it be so. I hope for peace and soon.
— John Harvey Babcock, Chico
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/letter-opposed-to-hotel-in-california-park/
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As a longtime resident of California Park I oppose the hotel proposed at the corner of Bruce Road and Highway 32. For those who see this as a localized NIMBY issue be assured that is not the case for most of us. I view the growth of Chico in and around this area as a positive. Less than a mile away you can view an example of careful urban planning and well thought out development at Meriam Park.
Putting a four-story hotel literally inside the entrance to a senior residential community is not only incompatible but poor urban planning. The commercial development of this lot was anticipated to benefit the surrounding community with retail or office space and not a corporate monolith in an otherwise quiet residential neighborhood.
I will let others point out the countless other reasons this is just a bad idea.
— Tim Donohue, Chico
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/letter-votes-for-trump-didnt-matter-here/
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Lori Eckhart wrote that there’s no way she’ll apologize for her votes for Trump. Where she has offered partisan reasons for her Trump votes, a better reason Eckhart needn’t apologize is that her votes didn’t matter. California cast all its electoral college votes in 2016 and 2020 for Democrats.
In her letter Eckhart claims Trump achieved US energy independence, which Biden forfeited by canceling project approval for the Keystone extension, the XL. This is a partisan myth. The Keystone pipeline began operations during the Obama administration. The XL was never built. No informed person would suggest Biden reduced US energy production by shutting down the XL.
So, Eckhart has a right to vote however she likes and owes no one an apology for how she votes. Purveying false information as a way of making an argument, however, is a different matter.
— Dave Weiner, Chico
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/solar-can-free-states-broken-energy-markets-guest-commentary/
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Solar energy may have gotten its start in the back-to-nature movement of the 1960s, but today it is as mainstream as American football and cheese pizza. It holds the key to future economic growth by ensuring a more reliable and affordable energy supply in the face of a grid that has become too expensive, unsafe, and unreliable. As California’s second-largest clean energy industry, rooftop solar is also a cornerstone to the state’s climate goals. This future, however, is threatened by monopoly utilities who won’t get out of the way.
Right now, utilities like Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric are running scared because solar is accessible and embraced by average, everyday Californians from Redding to Riverside. Comfortable with their monopoly status and determined never to change their business model, utilities all around the state are taking aim at the most powerful technology capable of revolutionizing the way we generate and use energy: consumer-sited solar panels paired with batteries.
The bullseye for these utilities is the very policy that has made local solar and batteries widely available for all demographics and geographies: Net Energy Metering (NEM). NEM is a simple tool that lets consumers generate their own energy on-site and send excess solar electricity back to the grid on hot, sunny days in exchange for fair compensation. The aggregate value of all this localized clean energy is, among other things, utilities don’t need to transport as many electrons across high-voltage transmission lines from out of state locations. These savings add up to a lot of money that benefit all ratepayers. In March of 2018, for example, CAISO canceled 18 transmission projects and revised 23 other projects saving ratepayers $2.6 billion all thanks to the outgrowth of rooftop solar along with energy efficiency measures.
Thanks to NEM, rooftop solar is more affordable than ever before. In fact, the policy has been so successful in California that it helped establish the state as a global clean energy leader supporting more than 2,000 local businesses and more than 60,000 local jobs. Today, 1.4 million solar systems are located at schools, farms, businesses, homes, and apartment buildings throughout the state, and 42% of the market is in working class and low-income communities. California consumers build the equivalent of a natural gas power plant every month.
What’s more, with policy support for energy storage, California is building a coal-fired power plant of batteries every year. These batteries charged up by California’s abundant sunshine are powering homes and neighborhoods even after the sun goes down or when disaster strikes as it has in so many communities across California.
New polling shows 85% of California voters want the state to do more or at the very least the same to encourage the use of solar power. Solar support crosses party lines. But this overwhelming public opinion in favor of solar energy goes against everything monopoly utilities are pushing, and they remain powerful in Sacramento and San Francisco. In addition to pushing to all but eliminate the state’s Net Metering program, PG&E is also pushing a tax on the solar panels themselves. The situation would be comical if it wasn’t so dire.
Thankfully, 26 members of Congress, 22 state legislators, over 100 local elected officials and city councils have joined the fight to save rooftop solar, along with 150,000 voters who have signed a petition to the governor.
What the utilities, and those who side with them, are missing is that consumers are demanding a different way of doing energy in the 21st century. Like the internet, consumers want clean, safe, reliable energy 24-7 and they embrace the idea of choice and consumer-to-consumer sharing. Ma Bell, the old landline phone company, fought the cell phone industry at first too. Today, Ma Bell is Verizon. Things can change but government must block anti-competitive behavior, or at the very least, get out of the way.
Local solar and batteries offer individuals and communities a ride to the future that puts the consumer in the driver’s seat. It’s a future free of undue utility interference in achieving a high quality of life. California’s political leaders and policy makers need to get on the right side of history by supporting and defending Net Energy Metering, not gutting it. The leadership needs to begin with Governor Gavin Newsom and continue all the way to our local city councils. Rooftop solar might have started off as a radical idea in the 1960s, but it’s a big slice of apple pie today.
Bernadette Del Chiaro is the Executive Director of the California Solar and Storage Association, which represents more than 700 solar and storage manufacturing and installation companies in the state of California.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/alexander-barabanov-keeps-adding-to-his-value-can-the-sharks-afford-to-keep-him/
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Alexander Barabanov is turning himself into one of the Sharks’ most valuable forwards, as his chemistry with Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier this season has been undeniable.
Now one wonders if the Sharks can afford to keep Barabanov around past July.
Barabanov assisted on Timo Meier’s second-period goal, his seventh point in the last seven games, and had three shots on net in 17:46 of ice time Thursday in the Sharks’ 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
Barabanov also nearly scored on a nifty individual effort in the second period and he, Meier and Hertl all had a plus-minus rating of +2. Even with a Corsi-for percentage of 44.0, they were easily the Sharks’ top possession line against the league-leading Avalanche.
It hasn’t been perfect, but that trio has also had at least one point on 11 of the last 19 goals the Sharks have scored at even strength in the last seven games. Meier and Hertl each have nine points in that time.
“All guys bring something to the ice and I think that’s what helps us be successful,” Meier said. “But I think we’ve got to do a better job. I thought (Wednesday) night and tonight we could have done some things better.
“We also have to be reliable defensively and shut lines down. Once we get in the o-zone, the skill Barbie has, Tomas has, we’re a very dangerous line.”
Barabanov, listed at 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, finished March with 10 points in 14 games – a career-best for him in any calendar month since he came to San Jose from Toronto at the 2021 trade deadline last April.
“He’s steadily improved his game,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said of Barabanov. “He’s one of our best offensive players and I think for a guy that’s not that big in stature, he plays a hard game. He puts his nose in the hard areas and he’s not afraid to battle for pucks and do the little things that need to happen out there.”
Barabanov, who turns 28 in June, is a pending unrestricted free agent able to sign with any team on July 13.
Barabanov has a salary cap hit of $1 million this season, and will most certainly be due a raise and perhaps a multi-year contract with 37 points in 59 games so far.
The Sharks, though, might need to pinch some pennies somewhere to make that happen.
The NHL’s salary cap will increase $1 million to $82.5 million next season, and will likely only increase by an additional $1 million for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons as well. That’s how long the NHL projects it will take for the players to repay owners the $1 billion in hockey-related revenue that was lost since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
Per CapFriendly, the Sharks already have $70.1 million tied up in 16 players for next season, when pending restricted free agents Mario Ferraro and Kaapo Kahkonen will also need new contracts. The Sharks also have $52.5 million committed to six players the following year, when Meier will need a new deal.
So the Sharks might need to get a little creative here.
The Sharks could save a little more than $2 million under the cap by trading either James Reimer or Adin Hill in the offseason, as they will not carry three goalies into next season.
Radim Simek, who has a cap hit of $2.25 million each of the next two seasons, could also be on the way out after he’s fallen on the defense depth chart in recent games. Would there be any takers for Kevin Labanc and his $4.725 million cap hit for the next two seasons if it is decided that a change in scenery would be beneficial to all parties?
Sharks assistant general manager Joe Will said on March 21 after the trade deadline that Barabanov has been “an important part of our team. He’s scored well this year, so we’re just kind of playing out the process.
“He hasn’t played a lot of games in his NHL career and we’ll gather even more information over the next quarter of the season. So we’re just continuing the process with him. We’ve been taking tires with his agent for a little bit here, but there’s no hurry on our part.”
Barabanov seems to like it in San Jose, but if he keeps putting up good numbers, who knows what his price tag might be at the end of the regular season later this month. Maybe it gets to a point where the Sharks can’t afford to keep him.
“His puck handling, his poise, he’s got no fear,” Brent Burns said when asked what he likes about Barabanov. “He’s one of the best guys in tight with the puck, making little plays, protecting it. For a guy that’s not very big, I mean he’s incredibly tough on the park and very skilled.”
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/butte-college-softball-off-to-stelar-start-to-2022-season/
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BUTTE VALLEY — Butte College softball coach Stayce York has been with the Roadrunners since the start of the 2014 season, and in her eight seasons at the helm this year’s team stands out as a special one.
Through 28 games the Roadrunners have amassed a 27-1 record and an 8-0 record in Golden Valley Conference play with just 12 games left on their regular season schedule.
Coming off a year where Butte went 19-5, York was named GVC Coach of the Year and pitcher Savannah Wahl was named GVC Pitcher of the Year, Wahl has led her team to a stellar start to her third and final season with the Roadrunners.
Butte’s record this seasons puts the team atop the GVC standings, No. 2 in the California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association softball state poll released March 29 and No. 1 on the California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association softball NorCal poll released March 29. In addition, several of Butte’s players sit atop the individual leaderboards as well.
Third-year catcher Laney Berkowitz, who has been with the program since 2019, said in past years Butte has had a good team but not everyone has bought into the gritty motto the Roadrunners have. In the weight room, in the classroom, on the field, socially, all of the teammates have bought in.
“We all buy into each other which is what I think makes our team so effective,” Berkowitz said. “Even if we don’t like each other off the field once we get onto the field it doesn’t matter. We compete. This team just loves to compete.”
The Roadrunners are led by starting pitcher and first baseman Wahl, whose .69 ERA is third amongst all California Community College softball pitchers. Wahl’s 98 in 15 games strikeouts rank eighth in the CCCAA and she has thrown a complete game in all 12 of her starts which ranks tied for fifth in the CCCAA. She has allowed just 10 earned runs in 102 innings and has a 12-1 record on the year.
In Wahl’s 2021 season when when was named GVC Pitcher of the Year she had a 12-2 record, a 1.24 ERA and threw 12 complete games.
York, a former collegiate pitcher at Chico State in the early ’90s and a member of the Chico State Athletic Hall of Fame, believes the most important thing that stands out about Wahl this season is her intelligence as a pitcher.
“Her knowledge of what pitch to throw, when to miss and when not to miss, why I’m throwing this, the smarts of a pitcher,” York said.
In her third and final year as a Roadrunner she has increased her speed, developed new pitches and her poise on the mound is what stands out to Berkowitz as her strongest part of her game.
“You never know if she’s fazed or not. She has the best poker face I’ve ever seen and she knows how to compete now,” Berkowitz said about how she’s seen Wahl develop in the last three years. “She works hard, and she knows how to get through the game and how to finish it and that’s what makes her a very strong pitcher.”
Wahl graduated from Chico High and was the Panthers No. 3 pitcher in high school, but under the help of York she has become an All-Conference Pitcher of the Year and now will look to transfer in the fall potentially to a Division I school.
“It’s very hard to pass up a 6-foot-1 pitcher who throws hard and has pitches. Those are specimens,” York said.
It hasn’t just been Wahl who has helped Butte’s pitching. Maggie Smith is tied for second in the GVC in wins with nine. Wahl leads all GVC pitchers in lowest ERA, but Smith is second in the GVC with a 1.58 ERA. Butte’s only other pitcher, Kiya Hamar, ranks fourth in the GVC at 3.10.
“What differentiates this team is we have 12 girls and we’re not scared to bring any of them off the bench,” said outfielder Lexi Detwiler. “Everybody brings something really special. All three of our pitchers, our two catchers, everyone brings something really important to this team so if we’re missing any one person it is really detrimental so that’s really special.”
While Butte’s pitching has been steady the last three seasons with Wahl at the top, the Roadrunners’ hitting is something that has made a huge impact on this team’s success.
Detweiler leads the GVC in batting average (.469), RBIs (39) and home runs (6). In a recent game against Shasta College, Detweiler went 4-for-5 with four home runs and six RBIs in a 21-1 Butte victory.
Detweiler’s story is unique. She went to Chico State on a scholarship, left and decided to take take a year off of softball completely. She then went to Butte and decided to get back into the game and worked closely with Butte’s hitting coach Kevin York to analyze and fix some holes in her swing.
It isn’t just Detweiler excelling at the plate. In the 2021 season, when Berkowitz and Carbah were named first-team all-GVC selections, Berkowitz hit .348 with 16 RBIs and Ashley Carbah hit a team-high .438 with 20 RBIs.
This season Carbah ranks third in the GVC in batting average at .446 and has 23 RBIs, and the catcher Berkowitz is fifth in average at .422 and has 17 RBIs. Carbah and Detweiler are tied for the GVC lead in hits with 45 and Berkowitz is fourth in 38. Carbah has just one strikeout in 101 at bats and has stolen a GVC leading 17 bases, while Detweiler has stuck out just four times in 96 at bats.
York pointed to Berkowitz in the effort she has put in to improve her swing as well as her fitness level.
“Laney’s worked really hard on her bat. She analyzes everything about her swing, we’ve analyzed everything about her swing and we do with all of them,” York said. But she’s really worked hard to use her bottom half and not roll her hands over. All of them are conscious about what they’re doing right and wrong and fixing those things, and that’s what’s making them successful.”
This year’s record is nearing the team which York won the most games with in 2015, when the Roadrunners went 32-11 in York’s second year at Butte.
For Berkowitz, what she sees different on this year’s team compared to her previous two years is the competitiveness, desire to win and its want to get better each day.
“For us our coaches instill a mentality of we need to get better every day. We always have something we can get better at so I feel like for us, or at least for me, I want to make sure I’m working on something everyday,” Berkowitz said.
The Roadrunners will have 12 games left in the regular season before CCCAA playoffs begin, including eight games at home. Butte will host College of the Redwoods at noon and 2 p.m. Saturday, play two games at College of the Siskiyous on April 8 and two games at home against Lassen College on April 9 before departing for the Roadrunners’ final road trip April 15 at College of the Redwoods. Butte will finish its regular season April 22 and 23 with games against Feather River and Shasta colleges.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/butte-county-opens-door-for-land-use-options-at-landfill/
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DURHAM — Now that the county owns considerably more land surrounding the Neal Road Recycling and Waste Facility, options for expansion, or even sharing with a private entity, have increased.
At its last meeting, the Butte County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a broadened Request for Proposal to gather some ideas as well as hear from private companies that may be interested in land partnerships, which would mean an opportunity to lease some of the land to companies interested in providing biomass or biochar services.
Deputy Administrative Officer Katie Simmons said biomass can come with additional red tape. A feasibility study is underway with funding from the Cal Fire Forest Health Grant to determine whether or not a hydrogen biomass feedstock facility would suit Butte County.
“The study is due to be complete in early 2023 and it will help us understand the impact of similar hydrogen biomass facilities in rural, forested and agricultural communities,” Simmons said. “It will help us synthesize available data on our ability to procure feedstock over the long term to support these biomass facilities and to assess any major policy and funding that might be related to operating biomass facilities and generating these feedstock agreements over time.”
Feedstock refers to raw materials such as crude oil used in manufacturing and other processes.
Deciding what to do with the land will be a process on its own, separate from the facility’s master plan which is still in the works, said Public Works Director Joshua Pack.
“Earlier this year, the board did approve a contract to create a comprehensive master planning process out at the landfill,” Pack said. “That kick-off meeting recently occurred and over the next month or two, various studies are set to begin so we can use that information to populate and create the draft master plan.”
Pack said the master plan has a much larger scope than just looking at biomass options.
When looking at processing biomass, Pack listed some of the benefits of property development such as additional reductions in fire fuels as well as potential economic benefits for the Neal Road facility. On top of that, it could help the landfill in both extending its life and helping it comply with Senate Bill 1383 which brought more guidelines to local waste facilities.
Pack had provided the option of a request for information to the board at a previous meeting which would allow for the county to ask for advice from the private sector on ways it could go forward.
In regards to working with private companies, Pack said a precedent has already been set to a degree as the facility previously entered into a contract with Ameresco in 2008 to aid in renewable energy and remove some landfill gases.
Pack said this came from a similar process to what the board decided on in putting out a broad request for proposal. In 2007, the board looked over nine proposals and began scheduling interviews before eventually narrowing it down to Ameresco.
One company has already reached out to the county regarding the waste facility, but a request for proposal was needed in order to set up an informational presentation with the board.
Supervisor Debra Lucero said one thing she would like to see potentially discussed is biochar, which refers to material rich in carbon that is typically created through biomass and food waste.
“From my perspective, my office has been working with the whole food system chain, so composting would be a great part of that as well,” Lucero said. “I’m glad we’re thinking outside the box, or in this instance the waste bin.”
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/chico-flax-crafter-selected-in-smithsonian-craft-show/
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CHICO — This flax is the good stuff.
Local weaver and Chico Flax co-founder Sandy Fisher has been accepted into the Smithsonian Craft Show taking place April 20 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. for her woven crafts using flax linen, a material that she has been experimenting with since 2012.
Fisher has been weaving for more than 35 years and began working with flax 10 years ago with co-founder Durl Van Alstyne by experimenting with growing and processing flax as a sustainable material for all uses.
Fisher is one of the 120 artists selected to be featured for this year’s theme of “Future Focus” celebrating recognized mastery and new directions in craft and design.
“I’m kind of blown away that I actually got in,” Fisher said. “I’ve been so busy at the farm that the weaving got on the back burner for a while. And now it’s like the weaving has to get on the front burner, you know, so my energy is revved up for it.”
Fisher has experimented with growing flax in community gardens and in 2017, Chico Flax harvested its first crop planted on its permanent location. Since then, Fisher and Van Alstyne have invited Chico State students to conduct experiments on their farm and engineer an automated flax processor as part of the 2020 engineering capstone project.
For the craft show, Fisher will be bringing table runners, scarves and shawls made with flax-wool blends produced at her farm as well as scarves and shawls made with 100% flax yarn which Fisher said had to be hand spun.
Fisher also uses all-natural dyes that she makes from plants collected locally.
“So my color palette is: I’ll run over to the park and get oak galls, acorns and pomegranates when they’re in season. I’ve used rosemary bush for greens; It’s been kind of fun. You collect it, and cook it.”
Each part of Chico Flax’s process has been a culmination of research and experience by Fisher in the quest to make flax more common. Van Alstryne said Chico Flax is the only commercial supplier of flax material in the United States, and had to develop its own processes because none existed, aside from processes developed by flax-hobbyists.
While flax is planted in the United States, Fisher said the variety is short and is usually harvested for its seeds; not for its fiber material. The variety that Chico Flax uses is imported from the Netherlands and can grow 30 to 40 inches tall.
Flax also needs to be processed heavily before it can be spun into a yarn. Upon harvest, flax is very tough. At the Chico Flax farm, nearly all tools used to process the flax are hand-tools.
During harvest season, Fisher said they have more than 30 people paid and volunteer to uproot the flax, break it down, refine and store it.
Fisher said flax and its byproducts are used as an alternative material in fiberglass, helmets, skis and snowboards; even musical instruments.
“I think that’s really the wave of the future if more people are growing it and processing; what do we do with it,” Fisher said.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/housing-site-progress-continues-through-city-manager-transition/
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CHICO — In the role of interim city manager, Matt Madden will take over former city manager Mark Orme’s responsibilities for the Emergency Non-Congregate Housing site located at the former BMX Park.
The housing site, which began construction just after the Warren v. Chico settlement in January, is set to house the local homeless population with 177 shelters manufactured by Pallet.
While the City Manager’s Office said the team is still transitioning responsibilities to Madden and were not available Thursday for comments, Amber Abney-Bass, director of the Jesus Center, offered an update on the progress of Chico’s housing site.
“This site itself, for the majority, is ready to accept folks. We’ve had a couple of hiring events and, as much as we can in honoring the confidentiality requirement that the judge has us all under, been able to describe to potential employees what would go on at the site, offered them a site tour.” Abney-Bass said. “Some of the real specifics (details) we’re not at real liberty to share (with candidates) because we don’t even have them yet.”
With Madden stepping in as interim city manager, Abney-Bass said that she expects no delays in the housing site as Madden transitions from police chief to interim city manager.
“In terms of continuity on this project, I would just share that Madden represented the city from the (Chico) Police Department’s perspective. As chief of police, Matt was involved in those conversations,” Abney-Bass said. “He’s 100 percent up to speed.”
Abney-Bass praised Orme’s former team at city hall for being responsive to the project.
“The group that I have had the opportunity to work with, as we have been designing and responding to this project, is a very strong team. They’re very present; they’re very accessible, and just this week that we’ve experienced so far with Mark’s resignation, I continue to be in meetings; there continues to be progress,” Abney-Bass said.
The housing site project is hiring personnel and getting them trained, Abney-Bass said, but did not provide a timeline.
Abney-Bass said conversations between the Jesus Center and all parties of the settlement work on making sure the housing site operates safely for shelter guests, surrounding neighborhoods and the community at large.
“The city, us as a site operator, the plaintiffs’ counsel — I do think we all have our eyes on the same goal, which is opening a space that can be successful for folks.”
Abney-Bass said she recognizes the community’s frustration with what looks like a lack of communication, but is approaching the project with respect to confidentiality agreements within the settlement.
“I think the success of this project is really important to everyone on this team, and I think that we don’t want to rush to compromise that,” Abney-Bass said. “I am sympathetic; I am sensitive to the community wanting answers, to the population here wanting answers. But, I’d rather they be the right answers than fast answers.”
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/oakland-as-roster-projection-which-new-faces-are-in-line-for-opening-day-jobs/
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Even before spring training started, there were strong indications the Oakland A’s would look quite different this season.
With Opening Day now a week away, All-Stars Chris Bassitt, Matt Chapman and Matt Olson have been traded and it’s clear the A’s are in the beginning stages of another rebuild.
Where does that leave the roster heading into the regular season? Here’s how we project the A’s initial 28-man roster to shape up when they open the season in Philadelphia against the Phillies next Friday.
Starting pitchers (5)
Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Cole Irvin, Daulton Jefferies, Paul Blackburn
After the A’s dealt Bassitt to the Mets, there was plenty of speculation that Manaea and Montas would be on their way out before Opening Day. Despite all of the rumors and interest from around the league, it appears both starters will open the season with the A’s, which gives Oakland a formidable one-two punch. Brent Honeywell was a candidate for a rotation spot before being shut down with an elbow injury, so his absence creates competition behind Jefferies. Our guess is Blackburn, a familiar face with 27 career starts for Oakland, gets the nod ahead of Adam Oller, who has yet to make his major league debut.
Relief pitchers (9)
Lou Trivino, A.J. Puk, Domingo Acevedo, Kirby Snead, Dany Jiménez, Sam Selman, Sam Moll, Zach Jackson, Adam Oller
Trivino is the leading candidate to open the year as the A’s closer, but beyond the durable right-hander, Oakland lacks veteran options in a young group of pitchers who are long on potential and short on experience. Puk has been discussed as a rotation candidate, but the oft-injured lefty may be better suited long-term to pitching in high-leverage situations out of the bullpen. Deolis Guerra has 136 games of major league experience and was initially a lock for the Opening Day roster, but forearm tightness leaves his status in question.
Catchers (3)
Sean Murphy, Austin Allen, Stephen Vogt
Does it make sense for the A’s to carry three catchers when Murphy is so clearly superior to the other two in camp? With a 28-man roster, it won’t hurt to have a pair of left-handed-hitting options around in Allen and Vogt, who can provide valuable depth. Murphy is an outstanding defender who won a Gold Glove last year and has enjoyed an impressive spring at the plate, but Allen can help spell him when needed. Vogt, an excellent clubhouse presence and solid left-handed bat, might see most of his playing time as a DH or first baseman.
Infielders (6)
Elvis Andrus, Tony Kemp, Kevin Smith, Sheldon Neuse, Eric Thames, Jed Lowrie
Andrus is the A’s starting shortstop and Kemp should play regularly at second base (and potentially in left field), but much of the infield is still in flux. Thames, a Bellarmine (San Jose) product who signed as a non-roster invitee, is an excellent candidate to play first base or fill the DH role against right-handed pitchers, but the A’s must first add him to their 40-man roster.
If the A’s want to preserve depth, they can send Thames to Triple-A and have Lowrie, who is auditioning at first base, try to help fill Olson’s shoes. Expect Smith to get the first crack at replacing the Platinum Glover at third base, but the former Blue Jays prospect acquired in the Chapman trade only recorded three hits in 32 at-bats after a call-up last season. Neuse can play all over the infield and with a 7-for-19 performance in Cactus League exhibitions entering play on Thursday, he’s improved his chances of securing regular playing time.
Outfielders (5)
Chad Pinder, Seth Brown, Stephen Piscotty, Skye Bolt, Cristian Pache
The A’s would love to have players making a strong case to secure starting jobs, but the opposite is happening down in Mesa. Brown was 3-for-23 with 11 strikeouts entering play Thursday while switch-hitter Skye Bolt, a solid defender in center field, was 3-for-19. The leading candidate to start the season in center field was Pache, who went 7-for-63 with the Braves last year and has just four hits in 25 at-bats in Cactus League games. Considering his extensive struggles at the plate, the A’s can preserve some organizational depth by sending Pache to Triple-A to open the season and having Bolt, who is out of options, break camp with the team. If that happens, perhaps minor league free agent Billy McKinney, who is 3-for-20, is added to the 40-man roster so he can help at the corner outfield positions. Ramón Laureano still has 27 games left on his PED suspension, so we’re still projecting Pache to be on the roster. Pinder can and will play all over, including in the infield, as a super utility man, but it’s clear that outfield depth is a concern for Oakland and Laureano’s presence will be missed.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/steph-curry-injury-how-will-warriors-star-play-upon-return-lets-take-a-look-at-his-past/
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Steph Curry’s return to the court appears to be on the horizon. Though he’s not participating in on-court activities yet, he’s hitting the treadmill and working in the weight room with Rick Celebrini, the Warriors’ director of sports medicine and performance.
It’s possible Curry — recovering from a foot sprain sustained on March 16 against the Celtics — could return for a handful of the Warriors’ remaining five regular-season games before the first round of the playoffs on April 16. At the very least, he’s “trending in a good direction,” coach Steve Kerr said.
The Warriors could use Curry to cinch the offense back into place as they’ve lost four straight games to drop to fourth place in the Western Conference. But will Curry be up to the task post-injury?
History says after a major injury, it may take a little time for Curry to find his stride again — and he’s made a habit of spraining ligaments right in the thick of the playoff hunt. But few players in the NBA can make an immediate impact post-injury quite like him.
The 2016 MCL sprain
Curry’s early career was defined by persistent ankle injuries, but the dynasty years were plagued by some untimely knee sprains.
The glow of a historic 73-9 regular season faded quickly when Curry sprained the MCL in his right knee slipping on a wet spot during Game 4 of the first round of the 2016 playoffs against the Houston Rockets.
The Warriors finished off that Game 4 with a victory and won Game 5 handily without him, but Curry would miss the first three games of Golden State’s second-round matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers. That amounted to a near-two-week rehab — not nearly enough time to fully heal.
Cleared to play for Game 4 with the Warriors up 2-1, Curry came off the bench and shot a sluggish 5-for-13 and 0-for-5 from 3 in the first half. He went nuclear in overtime, scoring 17 points on 3-for-3 from 3 in five electrifying minutes, His 3-pointer that put the Warriors up five with less than two minutes to spare prompted Curry to shout, “I’m here! I’m back!” to the Portland crowd.
Curry’s play was inconsistent, though, as he looked to be playing at less than 100 percent health. His shooting percentage dropped from an astounding 50 percent in the regular season to 44 in the playoffs. His 3-point shooting dropped from 45 percent to 40.
Those numbers wouldn’t be alarming for any other player, but they were a clear drop-off from his regular-season play that earned him his unanimous MVP award.
Curry’s agility became an issue as he struggled to shake opposing bigs on defensive switches. Although he found his moments — including a spectacular Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals — limitations caught up to against in their Finals loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Coach Steve Kerr admitted they adjusted their play-calling to accommodate Curry’s limitations following their blown 3-1 lead to LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and the Cavaliers in the Finals.
The 2018 MCL sprain
Curry glided through a dreamy, injury-free 2017 championship year with newly acquired superstar Kevin Durant. But the Warriors; bid to repeat in 2018 was met with yet another costly injury for Curry. A familiar one, too.
Curry sprained his knee on March 23 against the Atlanta Hawks and sat out six weeks, including the Warriors’ first-round matchup against the San Antonio Spurs — which the Warriors won in five games. Curry returned for Game 2 of the second round against the New Orleans Pelicans to a team better equipped to pick up the slack where Curry lacked.
With Durant and Klay Thompson running the Warriors’ offense like a machine during his absence, Curry wasn’t burdened with the scoring responsibility he shouldered during the 2016 run.
They hit a snag in the Western Conference Finals, though, against the switch-heavy Houston Rockets defense that pushed the Warriors to the brink of elimination. That’s where Curry found his spots at the biggest moments, including a 29-point performance in Game 6 and 27-point Game 7 that clinched another NBA Finals trip, where they clinched back-to-back titles with a sweep of Cleveland.
The 2020 hand fracture
The pandemic cut short the 2020 NBA season in mid-March, but Curry’s season came to an abrupt halt five months earlier.
Playing the Phoenix Suns in the fourth game of the season, center Aaron Baynes collided and landed square on Curry’s left hand, resulting in a fracture that required surgery and sidelined Curry for several months. Save for one game on March 5, the pandemic — the Warriors did not qualify to play in the playoff bubble — held off Curry’s anticipated comeback for the following season.
Fully recovered and rested, Curry put together an MVP-caliber season and secured his second career scoring title in the 2020-21 season. With Klay Thompson out rehabbing a torn Achilles and Kevin Durant departed for Brooklyn in free agency, Golden State lacked the depth and talent to make a playoff run, falling short in the play-in round. But Curry shot 42 percent from 3 and averaged 32 points per game, finishing third in MVP voting that year.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/letter-in-defense-of-former-oroville-police-chief/
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I’ve been dismayed reading toxic comments on social media about former Oroville Police Chief, Joe Deal. The first red flag that Mr. Raiter’s suit is unfounded: It comes from a disgruntled former employee the chief terminated. Anyone who knows Joe Deal, his wife or his children, knows the allegations against him are false.
I’ve had many opportunities to see Joe in action during the time I served on the Oroville City Council. He was above board, humble and honest to a fault. His only problem was having too much integrity.
I appreciate this second E-R article that includes comments from the District Attorney and the City Administrator, stating that Raiter’s claims were investigated and found to be unsubstantiated. I served on the council when the sexual harassment claims were being investigated; I can say that Joe Deal has always behaved in a professional manner. He’s a good man who has dedicated 25 years to his career, and I look forward to seeing him absolved of any wrongdoing in court.
As for Joe “improperly selling or giving ammunition to a city council member” – that was at the request of Councilor Scott Thomson. He can be reached at City Hall if anyone wants to know more. I was told it’s common for councilors to place an order when OPD orders ammunition, and then pay for their portion. Raiter knows this, yet he cited that in his lawsuit hoping people would believe the worst.
My mother said it best: Consider the source.
— Linda Draper, Oroville
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/sf-giants-free-agent-acquisition-takes-major-step-toward-recovery-from-offseason-surgery/
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — As soon as he walked into the Giants’ clubhouse Friday morning, Matthew Boyd’s positive energy radiated through the room. Pitching coach Andrew Bailey gave him a pat on the back and Boyd beamed a smile.
That is nothing new for Boyd, who has carried that zeal with him since the first time he picked up a baseball. But there was cause for celebration Friday: it was his second time throwing off a mound since last September, a major milestone in his recovery from flexor tendon surgery that prematurely ended his season last year.
The Giants signed the 31-year-old left-hander fully aware that the procedure would prevent him from starting the season in their rotation. The idea was for Boyd, who had a 3.89 ERA last season before being shut down, to act as midseason reinforcement for their rotation. And, with a bullpen consisting of 25 to 30 fastballs Friday morning, Boyd is on track to make his Giants debut in June.
“It’s just getting your feet under you. It’s my second time off the slope. There’s multiple steps on the mound ahead of this,” Boyd said in front of his locker just before making his way to the mound behind the right field wall of Scottsdale Stadium. “Every day is just pushing the needle a little bit more. That’s the goal.”
Boyd’s first bullpen came Monday, approximately six months since going under the knife.
“There’s always slight nerves,” Boyd said. “But after you throw the first one, you’re like, ‘Oh, I can do this. I’m prepared. I’m healed. I’m ready.’ So that’s exciting. It kind of frees you up.”
Manager Gabe Kapler said Boyd’s first bullpen went well. But Kapler has had a few weeks of camp to get to know Boyd before seeing him on the mound for the first time. He had an idea of the type of person he was adding to the clubhouse when, shortly after the Giants signed him, Kapler got a text message from Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter, who crossed paths with Kapler in the Dodgers organization.
“You’re going to absolutely love this guy. He’s the best, awesome teammate, awesome individual,” Fetter wrote Kapler.
“Man,” Kapler said Friday. “What an optimistic, positive, upbeat individual. … He always comes into the clubhouse with a smile on his face. He’s obviously not competing in games for us but feels like he’s very invested.”
Boyd, who grew up in the affluent suburbs east of Seattle and pitched in college at Oregon State, attributes his positive attitude to his faith, instilled in him by his parents, Lisa and Kurt. That, he said, helped him process the crushing news that came last June.
After posting league-worst marks in losses (7), home runs (15) and ERA (6.71) during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Boyd was experiencing a startling turnaround — the best season of his career — when he was shut down last year. Boyd had opened the year with a streak of seven starts in which he posted a 1.94 ERA and had thrown 2⅓ scoreless innings in a June 14 start against the Royals when he began to feel discomfort in his elbow.
Conflicting opinions from doctors delayed his eventual surgery until the end of September. Boyd attempted to make two starts in the meantime, with poor results. But he looks at last season as a positive sign for his future. He found that early success by relying on his fastball and changeup, with the lowest usage of his slider since 2017.
“It was kind of a coming together of different facets of my game that I’ve been working on over my career,” Boyd said. “Even with my slider not being there yet, I was trending in the right direction. I think if I would’ve stayed healthy, the real fruit would’ve been at the end of that, so (I) just continue to build off that.”
The late-September operation wasn’t a detractor in free agency. After hearing from multiple clubs, Boyd signed a one-year deal with San Francisco with incentives that can push his salary to $7.5 million. When Kapler called and pitched him on his vision and philosophy, Boyd was “fired up,” he said.
“I knew I wanted to be a part of it,” Boyd said. “You never know if you’re going to get to choose where you get to go. But (the Giants) are a team that you watch from afar and think I want to be a part of that. That looks special.”
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/warriors-currys-foot-injury-will-be-re-evaluated-after-regular-season/
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SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors won’t have Steph Curry for the remaining five games of the regular season.
Curry, who sprained his foot in a collision with Boston’s Marcus Smart on March 16, is expected to be re-evaluated after the regular season concludes on April 10, the team said in a statement.
Curry could still be cleared to start Game 1 of the playoff’s first round, which begin on April 16. The 34-year-old is “progressing” in his rehab and could start individual on-court workouts next week.
“We’ve known that was going to be the case,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We were hoping maybe he could play one, two games at the end of the regular season but that was a long shot. “This is how it’s turned out. His rehab is going fine.”
Curry has had his fair share of injuries coinciding with the playoffs, including MCL sprains during the 2016 playoffs and 2018 playoffs. But Curry has returned in rhythm each time.
“I’m not too worried about him,” Kerr said. “All it takes is one shot and he’s back in rhythm.”
Without Curry, the Warriors will face the Utah Jazz on Saturday, a game that could impact the Warriors’ seeding. They currently sit in the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference, just behind the surging Dallas Mavericks.
Including Saturday’s game against Utah, the Warriors have two more home games. A matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers — clinging to play-in hope — will be their final regular season game at Chase Center.
They play the Sacramento Kings on the road on Sunday in their first back-to-back. Their second will be against the New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs in a back-to-back on the road to conclude the season.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/chico-police-stay-busy-on-cesar-chavez-day/
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CHICO — Chico has a bit of a reputation for partying, particularly on Cesar Chavez Day.
The Chico Police Department issued a press release Friday with a list of arrest numbers for Thursday’s holiday, which typically comes with higher police staffing.
While the numbers may not be the highest in the city’s history, there were still a considerable amount of alcohol-related citations.
“The Chico Police Department increased staffing for the holiday with two special teams of officers tasked with dealing with alcohol-related issues that typically arise out of the holiday. In addition to these special teams, the Chico Police Department also conducted a DUI checkpoint and a sex-offender compliance operation,” the release said.
The breakdown in the release consists of the following:
- Alcohol citations: 47
- Public intoxication arrests: 4
- Driving under the influence arrests: 4
- Assault on an officer: 1
- Resisting arrest: 1
- Attempting to free an arrestee from custody: 1
- Other misdemeanor arrests: 7
- Sex offender violations: 1
- Other traffic citations: 11
These arrests occurred between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.
“With the exception of a few incidents, officers of the Chico Police Department found those celebrating the holiday to be in good spirits and were polite and appreciative of the increased officer presence,” the release said. “The goal of the increased staffing is to provide a level of protection to allow those wishing to celebrate to do so safely.”
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/sf-giants-alex-cobb-flashes-faster-velocity-in-promising-sign-this-spring/
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The good word made its way to Alex Cobb, player by player. The last person to recommend the training regimen at Driveline Baseball to Cobb happened to be Alex Wood, before either pitcher was a member of the Giants rotation.
On Friday, Cobb flashed a 96 mph fastball, up a few ticks from any other point of his career, only two years after being introduced to the data-driven, weighted-ball work that is credited by pitchers all over baseball for increasing their velocity. In his second and final spring outing — a 7-7 tie with the Rangers — Cobb completed four innings, allowed only one run and struck out six batters, including one whiff that came on some of his newly discovered high cheese.
“It’s new to me,” Cobb said. “Guys see 94-96 all the time, so I’m not going to be giving them anything they haven’t seen, but more velocity is always better, for sure.”
For his entire career, Cobb has featured a fastball that sits in the low 90s and relied on his sinker and splitfinger to get outs. That repertoire provided him enough success — his 3.24 ERA from 2011-14 ranked 25th in baseball among qualified starters — but his career was derailed by injuries. By the end of the 2020 season, it “just felt like there wasn’t much life in my fastball,” Cobb said.
He had been training during the pandemic at a site that Wood had also been using. When the two pitchers crossed paths there, Wood sang the praises of Driveline and told Cobb that it helped change his career. (The following year, Wood signed with the Giants and had his best season in three years.)
His training partner at the barebones Phoenix warehouse gave it another strong endorsement: Shohei Ohtani.
“I made a phone call right after that season,” Cobb said. “There were a lot of stories that I heard of pitchers sort of revamping their career. You hear they went to Driveline, and you hear that over and over again.”
He began working with Driveline pitching coordinator Bill Hezel, who he would check in with weekly over the offseason. The two have maintained a line of communication since. The original plan was to just work on his delivery, but the added velocity has been a pleasant side effect.
The Giants, as plugged in with Driveline’s coaching staff as any other organization, are Cobb’s third team in as many years. Hezel, by contrast, has provided Cobb a source of consistency over three years of cycling through teams and pitching coaches.
“I’ve worn a lot of different jerseys the last few years,” Cobb said. “To have something constant to chat with and get confirmation on the analytical stuff and all that has been very nice for my career. … They all seem to have a very good connection with the front office here and the pitching coaches here, so everybody’s on the same page. … We work really well together.”
The reports of Cobb’s increased velocity started coming after his first outing of the spring, against the Angels, his former team, when he touched 97 mph with a couple of fastballs. But manager Gabe Kapler questioned how much velocity Cobb had added before Cobb went out and sat 94-96 mph Friday against the Rangers.
“I don’t think there’s anything in particular from a pure stuff or pure velocity standpoint that is standing out to me right now that is like, oh wow,” Kapler said. “Things are in a good spot right now, and I’m going to stay measured on that one.”
On Friday against the Rangers, Cobb got Kole Calhoun swinging on a 95 mph heater up in the zone, then in his next plate appearance froze him for strike three with an 88 mph splitter on the outside corner. He got another batter to look at a 95 mph fastball and used his sinker to record another punchout. At least two fastballs recorded 96 mph readings on the Scottsdale Stadium radar gun.
The difference of adding a couple miles per hour, though, showed itself on a couple pitches that Cobb didn’t execute perfectly.
“I had a couple fastballs today where they leaked middle and I got weak-hit ground balls,” Cobb said. “Maybe if there wasn’t a tick or two, they’d be on the barrel. … Each year it’s just been creeping up a bit. I used to be a 90-93 guy, then got with Driveline and feel like I become a 92-94 guy last year and popped a 95. And looks like it’s sitting 94-95 with some (ninety-)sixes and a couple (ninety-)sevens last game.”
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/sierra-snowpack-worsens-falls-to-lowest-level-in-7-years/
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In summary
The April snowpack, key to how much water flows into reservoirs, is 38% of average statewide, proving that drought hasn’t relaxed its grip on California.
By Rachel Becker
Seven years ago Friday, during the height of the last drought, California Gov. Jerry Brown stood on the barren slopes of the Sierra Nevada, watching as engineers measured the worst snowpack in state history.
Friday’s snow measurements aren’t quite so bleak, but they remain devastatingly low. The snowpack — which provides a third of California’s water supply — is 38% of average statewide. And at the same bone-dry spot where Brown stood in 2015, at Phillips Station south of Lake Tahoe, state engineers found a shrinking patch of snow that contained only 4% of the location’s average water content.
After the Sierra Nevada’s driest January, February and March for more than a century, the scene painted a picture of a deepening drought.
“Today is actually very evocative of 2015,” Karla Nemeth, director of the California Department of Water Resources said Friday against a backdrop of brown grass at Phillips Station.
“You need no more evidence than standing here on this very dry landscape to understand some of the challenges we’re facing here in California,” Nemeth said.
Worse than last year, worse even than last month, this year’s snowpack is the worst it’s been in seven years and the sixth lowest April measurement in state history. It’s not as bad as the last drought, however: The snowpack contains about eight times more water than in 2015.
The amount of snow in April is considered critical because it indicates how much water will be available through the summer. The snow, historically at its deepest in April, melts and flows into rivers, streams and reservoirs that serve much of the state.
Sean de Guzman, manager of the state’s snow surveys and water supply forecasting section, held his hand at roughly shoulder height on a survey instrument. “On an average year, our feet should be right here where my hand is,” he said.
As California’s water officials discovered last year, climate change is upending their forecasts for how much melting snow the thirsty state can truly expect to refill its dwindling stores.
It’s a dismal end to a water year that began with great promise, with early storms in October and December. By Jan. 1, the plush snowpack was 160% of average for that date statewide, and already a little over half the seasonal total.
“Our great snowpack — the water tower of the West and the world — was looking good. We had real high hopes,” Benjamin Hatchett, an assistant research professor with the Western Regional Climate Center and Desert Research Institute, said in a recent drought presentation.
Typically, the snowpack would continue to build until April. But a record-dry January, February and March followed by unseasonably warm and dry conditions in March sapped the frozen stores, which by the end of the month were already melting at levels that would be expected in April or May.
Now, “we would consider this to be deep into snow drought,” Hatchett said.
Reservoir storage statewide is about 70% of average — around half of total capacity, de Guzman said Friday.
Though state officials reported that early snowmelt has started to refill foothill reservoirs, the water level in massive Lake Shasta, critical to federal supplies for farms, people and endangered salmon, sits at less than half the average for this date. Lake Oroville is only slightly better, at 67% of its historic average.
From Andrew Schwartz’s vantage point north of Lake Tahoe at the University of California, Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab, it still looks wintry, with about three feet of snow, “plus or minus six inches,” he said.
It’s a far cry from the grassy field further south in the Sierra Nevada, where Brown stood for the survey seven years ago and where state officials found just traces of snow Friday.
“It’s been a false sense of security when you come up here” to the snow lab, Schwartz said “Statewide as a whole, it’s not looking great.”
There could be a number of consequences to the early snowmelt, Schwartz said. It could result in more water loss as early snowmelt evaporates in reservoirs, disrupting the balance of mountain ecosystems and speeding the start of fire season.
“Without the snow, once things dry out, it’s just going to be catastrophic again,” Schwartz said.
Early snowmelt can also complicate reservoir operations if managers need to release water to preserve flood control space, said Nathan Patrick, a hydrologist with the federal California Nevada River Forecast Center.
California’s water supply will be determined by how much snowmelt continues to flow into major reservoirs versus how much will seep into the soil or disappear into the air. Climate change is already transforming this pattern as the weather swings between extremes, and warmer temperatures suck moisture from the soil and melt snow earlier in the year.
“The next few weeks are really that critical period to actually watch how much of that runoff will actually make it down into those lakes,” de Guzman said.
California’s Department of Water Resources is working to overhaul its runoff forecast calculations, an effort that has grown increasingly urgent. Last year, the state’s projections for runoff from the Sierra Nevada overshot reality by so much that water regulators were left scrambling to protect drinking water supplies and preserve enough water in storage.
Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced) has called for a state audit of the calculations. “Has the state learned anything from this disaster?” he asked in a CalMatters op-ed.
This year, de Guzman and Patrick expect more of the snow to reach reservoirs.
The soils, for one thing, are wetter — the result of powerful October storms that soaked the state. That means more of the snowmelt may flow into rivers and streams. Generally, Patrick said, “We expect it to be better this year.”
Still, increased runoff can’t make up for a paltry snowpack — particularly in the northern Sierra. The snowpack there is the lowest in the state, just 28% the seasonal average, compared to 42% and 43% in the central and southern Sierra.
Patrick sees a trend emerging in the runoff and streamflow measurements over the past three years. “One after another have been below normal,” he said.
“You can deal with one or two bad years, but when you start to get these compounding, three bad years … it’s hard to recover.”
LESSONS LEARNED: DROUGHT THEN AND NOW
A CalMatters series investigates what’s improved and what’s worsened since the last drought — and vividly portrays the impacts on California’s places and people.
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/04/01/ulisses-rodriguez-sentenced-to-2-life-sentences-in-double-ettersburg-murder/
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EUREKA — Ulisses Rodriguez, of Chico, was sentenced to two life terms without the possibility of parole Friday after a jury found him guilty of double-murder in February.
In a court full of the family members Tiffany Ellebrecht and Jeremy Kuemmel — the people Rodriguez was found guilty of murdering on Aug. 4, 2018, over a marijuana dispute — Judge Gregory Elvine-Kreis also sentenced Rodriguez to a consecutive 52 years and eight months to life due to the additional counts of making criminal threats, arson and special allegations involving the use of a gun.
The sentencing came after several family members tearfully recounted to the court the pain Rodriguez caused them, and their desire to see Rodriguez pay for his crimes.
“I hope those words resonate with you, because you will have a long time to think about them,” Elvine-Kreis told Rodriguez.
In February, a jury found Rodriguez guilty of two counts of first degree murder, making criminal threats, arson, and included special allegations that Rodriguez fired a gun when he killed Ellebrecht and Kuemmel. They also found him guilty of using a gun to threaten a John Doe witness, in addition to the special allegation of there being multiple victims.
Elvine-Kreis also noted Rodriguez not only harmed the lives of the victims’ families but also his own family, as his parents and young son were present for the proceedings.
“None of us should be here today. Not my family, not Tiffany’s family, not even Rodriguez’s family,” said Suzanne Palmiere, Kuemmel’s second mother who raised him for several years at a time.
“We’re all coping because what choice is there?” she added.
Other family members urged Elvine-Kreis to impose the most punitive sentence he could, and detailed how Rodriguez irreparably damaged their lives by taking a loved one from them.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorneys Luke Bernthal and Trent Timm. Andrea Sullivan represented Rodriguez.
The sentencing was supposed to begin at 8:30 a.m. but Sullivan, who is based in Lake County, tuned in over Zoom when she needed to be physically present in court to go over the probation report with Rodriguez, causing Elvine-Kreis to reset the sentencing for 1:30 p.m. and apologize to the crowd of family members who had gathered to hear the sentencing that morning.
“I have people in the audience today with expectation there would be closure,” Elvine-Kreis said
However, Sullivan was late, and she arrived at approximately 3:20 p.m., beginning proceedings briefly before needing a 10-minute recess to discuss the probation report with Rodriguez. Elvine-Kreis chided her for her tardiness, noting that the court must respect the time of the family members who came to witness the proceedings, and that she cannot attend sentences over Zoom when the client is physically present in the courtroom.
Rodriguez was present in a jail-issued orange jumpsuit. Early in the hearing attempted to reschedule the hearing without speaking to Sullivan, which Elvine-Kreis denied.
Jackson Guilfoil can be reached at 707-441-0504.
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CHICO — The Pleasant Valley baseball team came from behind to defeat Chico High and complete a three-game series sweep of the Panthers on Friday at Pleasant Valley High School.
Chico High scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning and held onto the lead until the bottom of the fourth inning. The Vikings battled back and scored two runs in the fourth inning and two runs in the fifth inning to take a 4-1 lead. Chico High scored twice in the top of the seventh inning and got the game-tying run to second base, but the Vikings escaped with a 4-3 victory.
After two wins on Tuesday, Friday’s win increases PV’s winning streak to 12 against Chico High dating back to 2016.
“Oh man that’s the best, you can’t beat that. That’s the kind of stuff that you play for,” said Pleasant Valley senior Brady White. “It feels great to come out and beat them three games in a row.”
In the top of the first inning Kinser Day singled to open the game and advanced to second on a throwing error by PV pitcher Jordan Riley on a pickoff to first base. Kinser then advanced to third base on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout to shortstop.
Chico High senior third baseman Kevin Ostrowski said the early run was a big momentum boost for the Panthers as the Vikings’ bats struggled to get started.
In the top of the third inning both teams stranded a runner in scoring position. After a single to open the third, Ostrowski advanced to second on another throwing error to first by Riley and later to third base, but the Panthers were unable to get him across the plate. In the bottom half of the third inning Sean Stevens led off the inning with a double to center field, got to third base but the Vikings could not get on the board.
In the bottom of the fourth inning Pleasant Valley took its first lead.
White led the inning off with a single up the middle. White took off for second base with Jackson Blakley up to bat, and Blakley hit it to the hole at shortstop as the hit and run was executed to perfection. Blakley then stole second base with Tanner Symmes up to bat.
With two outs, Symmes hit a soft line drive to center field to score both White and Blakley and give PV a 2-1 lead. Stevens singled, but a strikeout by Chico pitcher Colby Fritter got the Panthers out of the inning trailing by just one run.
Bottom 4 | PV takes a 2-1 lead. Catcher Tanner Symmes singles up the middle with two outs on a jam shot to score the runners on second and third. Sean Stevens singles, but Fritter gets a strikeout to get out of it. pic.twitter.com/JBNCYF3AlQ
— Justin Couchot (@JCouchot_Sports) April 1, 2022
“I mean good hitters get jammed. He’s certainly had harder hits that got caught so I thought that was a tremendous AB,” said Pleasant Valley coach Jon Macalutas. “In a tough situation that really turned things around for us offensively so he got us going.”
In the bottom of the fifth inning, PV added two more runs. Trent Van Nuys led off the inning with a single to right field and White came to bat. Van Nuys took off for second and the left-handed hitting White went opposite field and found the gap at shortstop once more and PV got runners at first and third base.
RJ Priddy then hit a line drive to center field for a single, but the ball went under Chico High center fielder Logan Whitfield’s glove and both Van Nuys and White scored to give PV a 4-1 lead. A fly out to Whitfield ended the inning.
Bottom 5 | PV doubles its lead to 4-0. Tuesday’s game 1 starter RJ Priddy (at 1B today) singles up the middle on a line drive with runners at first and third. The ball goes under center fielder Logan Whitfield’s glove and both runners score, Priddy to second. #norcalscores pic.twitter.com/PVYJPdMRET
— Justin Couchot (@JCouchot_Sports) April 2, 2022
The 4-1 PV held until the top of the seventh inning, when Chico High was not ready to let up.
Top 7 | PV still up 4-0. Chico High needs a rally right now to get back in it.
Jaden Neugebaur walks to lead off the inning against new Pleasant Valley pitcher Spencer Lee. pic.twitter.com/90XPHSvcgJ
— Justin Couchot (@JCouchot_Sports) April 2, 2022
The Panthers dugout was loud and on its feet. PV pitcher Spencer Lee came into pitch for Riley and gave up a walk and a hard line drive single to Chico High first baseman Gavin Barker to open the seventh. Macalutas pulled the junior Lee in place of veteran pitcher Spencer Heath, a senior.
Macalutas told Lee it kind of snowballed, and explained how he can build off of an outing like Friday’s having been in the situation.
“I’ve got every confidence in him and he’s going to get the baseball again,” Macalutas said.
Heath walked Ostrowski to load the bases and the Panthers plated a run on a wild pitch to trim the PV lead to 4-2. Chico High scored once more as Barker crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Day. Heath then got out of the inning with a strikeout and pop out to second base, as the tying run for the Panthers was stranded at second base.
“Spencer Heath who is more of a veteran and has been in that situation, he’s been injured and we’ve been easing him back, that was his ballgame and I had every confidence he was going to find it and he did,” Macalutas added.
Chico High assistant coach Ben Stavely said he was much more impressed with the Panthers’ energy Friday compared to the second game of the doubleheader Tuesday and he’s confident if the two teams meet again in playoffs.
“It’s about the little things and we missed on a couple opportunities today and they capitalized on them and that’s what it is all about in playoffs is playing clean baseball and capitalizing on the other team’s mistakes,” Stavely said. “Our guys were fired up and took that energy into the batters box and you could see that. It makes the game a lot more fun when we’re going back and forth like that and if we can keep that energy throughout the rest of the season we’re going to surprise some people.”
Chico High (9-3, 3-3 EAL) will now prepare for the first two games of a three-game series against Foothill at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesday in Palo Cedro.
Pleasant Valley (13-1, 5-1 EAL) now readies for a three-game series against Shasta beginning at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesday in Chico.
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SATURDAY
Congregation Beth Israel: Saturday April 2 “Coffee, Tea and Torah.” 10 a.m. on zoom and in person. Havdalah 7 p.m. zoom only. Both in-person and on Zoom. Email admin@cbichico.org for RSVP and details.
SUNDAY
Aldersgate United Methodist Church: Pastor Scott Allred. Worship 10 a.m. in the sanctuary. www.chicoaumc.org sermons tab. Also on YouTube, Aldersgate UMC Chico CA. 893-8640.
Asian Bible Church: cifchico.org and in-person at Chico Grange Hall, 2775 Nord Ave. Mandarin translation available. A ministry of Christ International Fellowship.
Bidwell Presbyterian Church: Traditional worship 8:15 a.m., in person, livestreamed. Contemporary worship 9:30 a.m., in-person on patio. Modern worship 10:45 a.m. in person, livestreamed. 131 W. First St. Livestream at bidwellpress.org/worship or YouTube. Family Service 3 p.m., Patio Service 4:15 p.m.
Butte Bible Fellowship: 10 a.m. morning worship service in-person, Zoom. Dr. Lou Diaz, Pastor. Biblical Egypt series “From Wilderness Wanderings to Future Prophecy.” Isaiah 19:23-25. Not on Zoom. 2255 Pillsbury Road. Adult Sunday school 9 a.m. with the Pastor.
Calvary Chapel: 1888 Springfield Drive. 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., children’s ministry 11 a.m. “Justified” from Pastor Sam Allen. Scripture Galatians 2. Live at ccchico.com, YouTube, Facebook, KQIP 107.1 FM, CCChico app on Apple, Android, Amazon, Roku devices. 894-1441. Check website or app for updates. 894-1441.
Center for Spiritual Living: “The First to Know” by Rev. Eileen Brownell. Monthly theme is Becoming Supernatural. Meditation guide is John Boyle. In-person with masks. Meditation service begins at 9:30 a.m., Inspiration lesson at 10 a.m. Online at Center for Spiritual Living Chico YouTube. 895-8395.
Chico Church of Christ: Journey to the Cross, part 2. John 12:1-8 from Chet Rutledge. Bible study at 9:30 a.m., worship at 10:30 a.m. Children, adults classes. 995 E. Lassen Ave.
Chico First Baptist Church: 10:30 a.m. service in-person. “Return of the Prodigal Son Trilogy; Focus on the Elder Brother” from Rev. Gail Hill based on the scripture Luke 15:1-2, 25-32. 850 Palmetto Ave. or on Zoom. Email office@chicofirstbaptist.org to receive a Zoom invitation. 850 Palmetto Ave.
Church on The Esplanade: Sunday, 11 a.m. worship service, Title 40 Days of Prayer. Scripture Romans 1:20. Pastor Bill Eslick. Worship Service and Livestream at 11 a.m. Services in person, livestreamed on Facebook. 11 a.m., 953-6653. 1119 The Esplanade.
Community Church of God: 11 a.m. Sunday service. Pastor Chris Kinson. 1095 East Ave. Wednesday bible study 7 p.m., ladies bible study 10 a.m. Thursday.
Covenant Reformed Church: Worship hour 10:30 a.m. in the Seventh-Day Adventist building. 3612 Hicks Lane. Heidelberg Confession Question 31 Why is He called “Christ,” that is, Anointed? Scripture Heb. 1:9; Deut. 18:15; Jn. 1:18.
Evangelical Free Church of Chico: Sunday at 9 a.m. “One Important Encounter” John 11. Livestream via YouTube. www.efcChico.org or church office at 343-6022. Livestream at 9 a.m., posted on YouTube later.
Faith Lutheran Church: Pastor Ben Colahan preaching for the Fourth Sunday of Lent at 9:30 a.m. Scriptures include 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32. chicofaithlutheran.org/live, or in-person at 667 E. First Ave. 895-3754 or office@chicofaithlutheran.org. 895-3754.
Firm Family Church: Meeting at 2201 Pillsbury Road, suite 150. 9 a.m. service “Doctrine of Creation Part 2” from Genesis 1-2; 11 a.m. service Sovereign Origins series from Genesis 20 intentional connection at 10:15 a.m. firmfamilychurch.org. Intentional time of community in-between at 10:15am.
First Christian Church: “Dealing with the F word” with Rev. Jesse Kearns. Luke 15:1-3, 11-32. 10 a.m. in the sanctuary, Livestream at www.fcchico.com. 343-3727.
First Church of Christ, Scientist: “Is the Universe, Including Man, Evolved by Atomic Force?” Scripture is Acts 15:18. The Holy Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy. 10 a.m. at 770 Palmetto Ave. Sunday school up to age 20. Wednesday meetings 7:30 p.m. www.christiansciencechico.org
Grace Community Church: “The Purpose of Election,” from Romans 9:19-29. 9 a.m., 10:45 a.m. in-person service at 2346 Floral Ave. Live broadcast at 10:45 a.m. at www.gracechico.org. Services in the Worship Center at 9 and 10:45 a.m.
Living Hope Fellowship: Worship Service at 10:15 a.m. “Christ Bore Our Curse” with Pastor Heath Jarrett. Matthew 8:14-16; Is. 53:4 Meet in-person. Livestream livinghopechico.com. 342-8642. 355 Panama Ave. 10:15 a.m. Livestream at www.livinghopechico.com.
Neighborhood Church: 10 a.m. in person in Dome, livestream 10 a.m. Sunday. Streamed on Facebook, YouTube http://bit.ly/ncchico. Children’s ministry infancy through junior high. Register kids 0-5th grade. Nursery through 3 years open all morning. Junior high students dismissed after worship.
Our Divine Savior Catholic Church: Public celebration of Mass through Zoom and Facebook, drive-in, in person. Mass Tuesday-Friday 8:30 a.m., Saturday 5 p.m., Sunday 8 and 10 a.m. Call 521-6202 for a space. Services through Zoom, Facebook, YouTube. ourdivinesavior.org.
Redeemer Evangelical LCMS: “Jesus Reconciles Us to the Father” Luke 15, is the sermon of Rev. Donald A. Jordan. Divine Service 10 a.m. with Sunday School/Adult Bible Class at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, March 23, Divine Service at noon. redeemerchico.org. Wednesday, March 30, Fourth Week in Lent.
Rock of Life Fellowship: 2555 Dominic Drive. Meets Sunday morning, 10 a.m. Bible studies 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Youth programs 6 p.m. Wednesday 6 p.m. 588-4700.
St. Augustine of Canterbury Anglican Church: Holy Eucharist “Jerusalem, my happy home” with Bishop Peter Hansen. Celebrating the fourth Sunday of Lent with Holy Eucharist at 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m. at Third and Salem streets downtown.
St. John’s the Evangelist Episcopal Church: Sunday worship service 8 a.m., 10:15 a.m. with Holy Eucharist. “Rhythms of Grace,” 3 p.m. second Sunday of the month for special needs individuals. stjohnschico.org, Facebook. 2341 Floral Ave.
Trinity United Methodist Church: “Such a Fuss” from Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32. In-person 8:30 a.m. in chapel, 10:30 a.m. in sanctuary with Rev. David S. Vallelunga. Nursery care both services. 10:30 a.m. service on Zoom, Facebook Live. chicotrinity@yahoo.com or 343-1497 for virtual service. Nursery care available at both services.
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship: “Envisioning our Future” Rev. Bryan will speak about a vision for the future of UUFC. 1289 Filbert Ave.
First Lutheran Church, Orland: Sunday service, 9 a.m. Livestreamed at orlandlutheran.com, YouTube or Facebook.
Orland
Federated Church of Orland: “Stay Awake” by Pastor Scott Gessford. Worship 10:30 a.m. at 709 First St. Sunday begins an Advent Study on the book “Because of Bethlehem; Love is Born, Hope is here” by Max Lucado at 9 a.m. every Sunday in Advent and every Wednesday at 6 p.m. this study will be repeated.
Magalia
Magalia Community Church: 13700 Old Skyway. Worship 10 a.m. in the historic 1896 chapel. Service topics and times, church Facebook page at Magalia Community Church. Livestreamed at UUChico.org. mccchurch@yahoo.com.
Paradise
Craig Memorial Congregational Church: 10 a.m. Sunday worship and fellowship. Formerly at Scottwood and Pearson roads in Paradise before Camp Fire. Temporarily in the little red church behind St. Nicholas Episcopal Church, 5872 Oliver Road in Paradise.
Paradise Lutheran Church: Holy Communion. 780 Luther Drive, Paradise. Sunday in-person worship 10:15 a.m. Masks, social distancing observed. Livestreaming coming soon. www.paradiselutheran.org, 877-3549.
Our Savior Lutheran Church: 6404 Pentz Road in Paradise. Sunday worship at 10 a.m. with Pastor Brandon Merrick. 877-7321.
Paradise Ridge Southern Baptist Church: 11 a.m. Sunday and 11 a.m. Wednesday with Pastor Robert Sorensen at 6975 Pentz Road, Paradise. 514-7993.
St. Nicholas Episcopal Church: 10:30 a.m. for in-person worship service. Masks required. 5872 Oliver Road. gardenpriest@comcast.net.
The deadline for church briefs and services is noon Wednesday prior to publication. Email items to religion@chicoer.com.
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HUSTON: Alfred D. Huston, 60, of Oroville, died April 1, 2022, in Oroville. Arrangements are under the direction of Oroville Funeral Home, 533-0323.
STITES: Atticus Amick Stites, 22, of Chico, died March 25, 2022, in Chico. Arrangements are under the direction of Brusie Funeral Home, 342-5642.
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Chico’s Homeless crisis is progressing forward with the building of the 177- unit Pallet Shelter Project. Our Butte County Supervisor Debra Lucero was an important component in getting a 4/5 supervisor vote to fund the $1.7 million project and help Chico resolve the federal lawsuit over our unhoused population. Providing shelter will relocate our houseless from our parks, plazas, creeks and sidewalks to a safer secure facility.
The homeless crisis is a complex issue which needs resolution from not only the government, but from all of us. To help assist shelters and services we all need to step up and help with this daunting crisis. Groups like the Sierra Club are stepping up and renting garbage bins at Windchime and Lost Park with twice weekly service for the houseless. The Hope Commons Church has a monthly cleanup day at Teichert Pond with 40 volunteers, four dump trailers and a bobcat for hauling away the mounting trash. The North State Shelter Team has been meeting at Comanche Creek Greenway every Sunday and hauling out the homeless trash for over a year now.
County supervisors like Debra Lucero with vision and solutions brings out the best in our community and fills my heart with hope that Chico will be a town we can be proud of once more.
— Dave Garcia, Chico
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SUNDAY
Calvary Lutheran Church: In-person worship 9 a.m. Bible study 10:30 a.m. 10 Concordia Lane, Oroville. Recording at www.celcoroville.org. 533-5017. In-person worship 9 a.m. www.calvarylutheranoroville.org. Wednesday Lenten service April 6 at 6 p.m. Free Easter Egg Hunt April 9 at 10 a.m.
Christian Science: Sunday 10 a.m. up to age 20. Wednesday testimony meeting at noon, Christian Science Reading Room, 1940 Bird St. Reading Room open Monday, Wednesday 1-3 p.m. 533-1274.
Evangelical Free Church: 9 a.m. Service by Pastor Gregg Hensel, “Fulfillment and Righteousness” from Matthew 5:17-20. In-person, on YouTube (EFC Oroville). 533-6866, email office@evfreeoroville.com. 3785 Olive Highway. www.evfreeoroville.com. In person services. Located at 3785 Olive Hwy.
First Congregational Church: In-person worship Sunday 10 a.m. Pastor Andrew McHenry in the church sanctuary. Facebook Live, Zoom fccoroville.org or facebook.com/fccoroville. 1715 Bird St. 533-2483.
Olive Hill Missionary Baptist Church: 11 a.m. service with Pastor Johnnie Dollins. Sunday school 9:45 a.m. and BTC at 5 p.m. Wednesday night prayer service 7 p.m. 200 Executive Parkway, Oroville. olivehillmbc@yahoo.com. 740-3353.
Oroville Church of the Nazarene: Worship 10 a.m. in-person or online at OroNaz.org. Adult Sunday School classes 9 a.m. 2238 Monte Vista Ave. in Oroville. 533-7464, info@oronaz.org.
Oroville United Methodist Church: 8:30 a.m. Hmong Service. 9 a.m. children’s church. 10:15 a.m. Hmong Adult and Youth Sunday school. English service 10:30 a.m. Coffee, refreshments following service. facebook.com/orofumc or YouTube. 45 Acacia Ave.
Pursuit Christian Church: In-person service at 10 a.m. 2295 Foothill Blvd. Facebook at Pursuit Christian Church Oroville. Sunday school 9 a.m. Ladies bible study 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays. Coffee, donuts available. pursuitchristianchurch.org, 533-4786.
St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Parish: Fourth week of Advent. 5:30 p.m. Saturday Mass in English, 7 p.m. in Spanish. Sunday 8:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Challenge and Daily Mass Tuesday-Friday at 8:30 a.m. Stations of the Cross each Friday in Lent at 6:45 p.m.1330 Bird St. 533-0262, orovillecatholic.org.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church: In-person Sundays a.m. Facebook Live for those unable to attend in-person. Facebook at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Oroville. 1430 Pine St. 533-5035.
Trinity Presbyterian Church: Reverend Daniel B. Antanston will discuss “You are the Light of the World.” Sunday service 10 a.m. followed by coffee, snacks. 2350 Foothill Blvd. Oroville. www.trinityoroville.com, 534-0354.
The deadline for church briefs and services is noon Wednesday prior to publication. Email items to religion@orovillemr.com.
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OROVILLE – The Oroville Spring Carnival opened Friday with classic carnival fun including amusement rides, games and carnival bites.
The carnival, hosted by Midway of Fun, features rides for all ages including a Ferris wheel, giant slide and will be vending candy apples, snow cones, popcorn and corn dogs.
The Oroville Spring Carnival will be open noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 1245 Oro Dam Blvd. in Oroville.
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ORLAND — Chico Electric selected Capay Farms, which operates about 12,000 acres of walnut and almond orchards, to receive the 2021-2022 NC “Cec” Nielsen Memorial Founder’s Sustainability Award for embodying the business values of Chico Electric’s founder Niels Cecil Nielsen.
Norm Nielsen, CEO of Chico Electric, along with Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale), Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City), the office of state Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-Tehema) presented awards of recognition to Capay Farms during a ceremony Friday afternoon at Violich Farms in Orland.
“Cec’s business principals 62 years ago were simple and hold true today: one — do what we say; two — take care of our customers; and three — create a sustainable business to serve our community,” Norm Nielsen said. “Of our deserving customers, we look for their longevity and sustainability. Without question, Capay Farms deserves this reward.”
Capay Farms has operated nut orchards in Glenn, Tehama and Butte counties since 2011 after expanding its ranch at Violich Farms founded in 1985. It is a customer of Chico Electric which worked on the farm’s processing facilities, irrigation systems and solar energy systems.
“Since its founding, Capay Farms has been a true innovator in the almond and walnut industry,” Nielsen said, citing the company as one of the first farms to implement an aggressive water monitoring program and progressive energy utilization program.
Close to 88 percent of Capay Farms irrigation operates using either solar or natural gas and has a total of 25 solar array systems totaling 3.1 megawatts, Nielsen said, which so far has offset 3,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
“Fifteen to 20 years ago when this virgining industry was taking shape, it took risk takers and visionaries, like the Violich’s, to make solar into a mainstream energy source, and they recognize that it’s also smart business for the future of their company. We are proud to be part of their history,” Nielsen said.
Capay Farms will be joining Carrire Family Farms, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Empire Nut Company, and the late James Paiva as a recipient of Chico Electric’s NC “Cec” Nielsen Memorial Founder’s Sustainability Award.
Chico Electric, as part of the award, also donated $5,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of the North Valley, which Nielsen said was matched four times by Capay Farms.
At the ceremony, LaMalfa and Gallagher presented awards of recognition to Paul Violich, president of Capay Farms, and daughters Julia Violich and Mackey Violich.
“I want to thank Chico Electric for this award … I’m so enamored with Chico Electric; I’ve been working with them for two decades, I work with top notch people,” Julia Violich said. “I’m so glad you guys live up to your mission and you inspire others to do as well.”
Julia Violich said Capay Farms will be partnering with Chico Electric to investigate and realize a zero-waste facility by utilizing their own waste to produce alternative energy.
“My dad, my sister, myself; we can’t do this without our team,” Julia said. “And our team is forward thinking, they’re creative, they get their hands dirty, they are looking for new ways, alternatives; they truly believe in sustainability for our own economics, for our community and the environment. Without our team, none of this would be here.”
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I really detest April Fool’s Day. I’m not a practical joker and for the most part find practical jokes un-funny and as often as not a bit mean-spirited. At the same time, I do like celebrating things and April, even April 1, offers all sorts of fun things to celebrate other than pranking people.
Instead of acknowledging April Fool’s Day, I celebrated National One Cent Day. This is the day to pay homage to the lowly but still somehow charming penny. The first one-cent coin was designed by Benjamin Franklin and produced by a private mint in 1787. (The first U.S. mint wasn’t established until 1792.) The original penny read “We Are One” on one side and “Mind Your Business” on the other and was 100 percent copper. Today’s one-cent coin is made of copper and zinc and has borne the image of President Abraham Lincoln since 1909. And, since 2010, the Union Shield on the other side. Personally, I like old’s Ben’s “We Are One” and “Mind Your Business” better but, hey, that’s just me. Anyway, I prefer a holiday of celebration that includes reminiscing about what a penny used to get you — a piece of candy or bubble gum and six-minutes on a parking meter — than I do disconcerting practical jokes.
April offers more to celebrate than one-cent or fool’s days. Today, for instance is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. So, grab some bread and return to the bliss of your childhood by biting into this, dare I say, quintessential American gastronomic delicacy.
Sunday is National Chocolate Mousse Day and Monday is one of my personal favorites — National Hug A Newsperson Day. So, if you see me running errands on Monday, please feel free to hug me. Though, you may wish to, for your own safety, warn me before just swooping in for an embrace. Just sayin’ I’m not, and most news people are not, used to getting hugged by strangers. Hollered at and beaten up on social media yes, hugged, not so much.
April 5 is both National Caramel and Deep Dish Pizza Day. I wouldn’t recommend combining the two but see no reason not to have one for dessert after the other. No reason except for the calories. This is truly a straight from your lips to your hips day of celebration.
April 6 gives us the opportunity to look back on the times we’ve been rejected and reflect on what we learned from that rejection because it’s National Sorry Charlie Day. If that one bums you out, you only have to wait 24 hours to drown your sorrows (or celebrate how far you’ve come since the rejection) because April 7 is National Beer Day. Cheers!
April also brings us National Zoo Lovers Day (April 8) and National Unicorn Day (April 9) and if you want to combine the two you can by celebrating rhinoceros because they are, after all, just chubby unicorns.
The week of April 10 holds a whole host of days to celebrate including National Cinnamon Crescent Day (I’ll have mine with coffee please), National Barber Shop Quartet Day (Let’s hum a few bars of Sweet Adeline together, shall we?), National Big Wind Day (which I always thought should be on the same day as National Eat Your Beans Day), National Scrabble Day (for those of you who can spell without spell check), National Gardening Day (which this time of year could be almost any day), National Rubber Eraser Day (perfect for getting rid of all those erroneous errors you’ve made) and National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day (working from home as I do, I celebrate this day frequently).
The week of April 17 brings us National Cheeseball Day and National Bat Appreciation Day as well as National Animal Crackers Day and National Columnists’ Day so feel free to celebrate this columnist by gifting me a box or two of those tasty cookies. The week is also host to National Garlic Day and National Hanging Out Day so you can hang out while enjoying garlic fries. April 20 calls for appreciating lima beans with National Respect Lima Beans Day but if that doesn’t float your boat the same day is also National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day. The week rounds out with National High Five Day, National Jelly Bean Day and National Talk Like Shakespeare Day (to be or not to be one who celebrates, that is the question).
The final week in April brings us no less to celebrate what with National Pigs in a Blanket Day, National Zucchini Bread Day, National Pretzel Day, National Babe Ruth Day, National Superhero Day (send in Captain America!), National Zipper Day (make sure yours is up!) and National Bugs Bunny Day (what’s up doc?).
All in all, there’s a lot of opportunity for celebration in April even if we likely won’t get enough showers to bring us May flowers so cheer up and party on.
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HIT — Question: When are “only” 47 alcohol-related citations considered to be a good thing?
Answer: When it’s Cesar Chavez Day in Chico.
Since many students are out of town every St. Patrick’s Day (which always comes during spring break in Chico), Cesar Chavez Day has sort of replaced March 17 as the “day off to party” day for some residents of college town. This has led to some long days for local police through the years, with alcohol-related incidents (in fairness, not all involving college students) often soaring into triple-digit territory.
Not this year. There were four arrests for public intoxication and four DUIs — not a good thing, but also not nearly as bad as some years in the past. And for that, Chico police were thankful, as we should all be.
“With the exception of a few incidents, officers of the Chico Police Department found those celebrating the holiday to be in good spirits and were polite and appreciative of the increased officer presence,” the CPD said in a press release. “The goal of the increased staffing is to provide a level of protection to allow those wishing to celebrate to do so safely. We would like to thank the public for doing so in a way that honors Cesar Chavez and his life of service.”
MISS — We shared our thoughts on Mark Orme’s resignation as Chico’s city manager in Sunday’s newspaper, but we’d be remiss in not saying how much we’re going to “Miss” him going forward.
Orme did an incredible number of great things for Chico during his time here, and to say he did so under the most challenging of circumstances would be an understatement. Serving a council whose political majority flip-flopped almost every single election — and, with four different mayors leading the charge in the past three and a half years alone — it’s amazing the town made progress on any issue. Instead, Orme somehow managed to leave our town in much better shape than he found it — and yes, that includes on the homeless front, where some actual progress is being made as the city continues to fight headwinds of misinformation on a daily basis.
Speaking on KPAY earlier this week, councilor Sean Morgan — who worked with Orme longer than any other current councilor — said “You’ve got to look at what Mark Orme has been through in this community. Nine years is a lifetime for city managers in normal circumstances and these were not normal circumstances at all.”
Fortunately, Mark Orme was not an ordinary city manager. Extraordinary was more like it.
HIT — From Pleasant Valley’s boys basketball team winning the state championship to Chico State’s run to the Elite Eight, it’s been quite a 2022 already on the local sports front.
Would you believe, then, that the winningest team in our area can be found on the softball fields of Butte Valley?
The Butte College women’s softball team is off to an incredible 27-1 start, including a perfect 8-0 mark in Golden Valley Conference play.
All this after a season in which the Roadrunners went 19-5 and their coach, Stayce York, was named GVC Coach of the Year and pitcher Savannah Wahl was named GVC Pitcher of the Year.
As good as Wahl was a year ago, she’s been even better this year, allowing just 10 earned runs in 102 innings (0.69 ERA) while chalking up a 12-1 record.
Butte has 12 games left in the regular season before CCCAA playoffs begin, and will host College of the Redwoods at noon and 2 p.m. today. It’s going to be a beautiful day — go check out some championship-level softball.
MISS — We can’t help but chuckle at some commenters on social media who profess to have all of the answers, but apparently haven’t been paying very close attention to the problems.
A prime example was found on our Facebook page Friday. In the comments on our story updating the status of the Pallet shelter site, somebody actually wrote the following: “I may run for mayor. No homeless, parks back … ”
We’re not sure how else to say this (and we don’t all-cap often), so here goes: “Uh … isn’t that exactly WHY THE CITY GOT SUED IN THE FIRST PLACE and the very reason we ended up in this mess?”
We’d chalk it up to April Fool’s Day, but there are many people out there who continue to beat the “let’s grow a spine and kick all the homeless people out of town!” drum, the law-based ruling of a United States Federal Judge notwithstanding.
We maintain that as much of a problem as homelessness is for California and the West Coast, “cluelessness” just might be a very close second.
We’re all frustrated by the delays. Doubling down on a losing strategy isn’t the answer.
Hits and Misses is compiled by the editorial board.
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CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Michael Fassbender, 45; Christopher Meloni, 61; Emmylou Harris, 75; Linda Hunt, 77.
Happy Birthday: You can accomplish plenty if you are methodical and maintain realistic expectations. Too much of anything will bring you down, but an even temperament and a pinpointed plan will help you inch your way to your objective. Don’t forget to nurture meaningful relationships and relax and enjoy what you work so hard to achieve. Romance and self-improvement are encouraged. Your numbers are 9, 12, 21, 25, 36, 38, 41.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Go after your dream; put a plan in place that ensures success. Intelligence, coupled with persuasive charm, will help you drum up the help and support required to make things happen. Love is on the rise, and fitness is favored. 3 stars
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Find an outlet that challenges you to try something different. Participating in events that incorporate work and pleasure will test your strength and ability to be a team player. A poker face, along with an acute intuition, will pay off. 3 stars
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Share information with someone trying to reach the same objective, and you’ll cut your time in half. A partnership looks promising if you can put your differences aside and concentrate on what’s important to you. Truth and reliability matter. 4 stars
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Do your own thing. Inviting others to participate will result in emotional ups and downs and disagreements that can cost you. A change of heart is likely if you try to force your will on someone who doesn’t share your beliefs. 2 stars
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Relax, spend time with people who make you smile and distance yourself from stressful situations. Make self-improvement and quality of life your priorities, and bring about positive change that encourages you to thrive and excel, regardless of what others do or say. 2 stars
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Embrace change, and you will discover something that makes you happy. Find something you feel passionate about, and dig in and make a difference. Participation will lead to knowledge and connections that can help you define what you want to pursue. 5 stars
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Take control and share your thoughts. Get involved in activities that require you to use your physical and mental skills to get things done, and you’ll make an impression on someone who sparks your interest. Romance is in the stars. 3 stars
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Don’t give up on someone or something that means a lot to you. Patience will help, and your intuition won’t let you down. Follow the dots, and what’s happening will become apparent, along with how best to resolve issues causing uncertainty. 3 stars
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Participate in events that bring you closer to friends or family. Your input and ability to bring everyone together will position you to lead the way. Trust your instincts and follow your heart. Love will make your life more meaningful. 5 stars
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Don’t argue. If you are fun to be with, everyone will want to be with you. Lighten up and enjoy what life has to offer. A change of pace and scenery will help you see things differently. Choose love over discord. 2 stars
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Consider what you enjoy doing most and head in that direction. Use your knowledge and experience to help you navigate your way through any interference you encounter. Distance yourself from bullies and meddlers. Be the master of your destiny. 4 stars
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Put some energy behind your ideas, and you’ll be surprised by what you accomplish. Tuck yourself away in a spot that is quiet and conducive to doing something that brings you joy. A creative outlet will calm your nerves. 3 stars
Birthday Baby: You are talkative, aggressive and hardworking. You are passionate and protective.
1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. 2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. 3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. 4 stars: Aim high; start new projects. 5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.
Visit Eugenialast.com, or join Eugenia on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn.
Want to get a link to your daily horoscope delivered directly to your inbox each weekday morning? Sign up for our free Coffee Break newsletter at mercurynews.com/newsletters or eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.
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Citizens of Chico must live for the next decade with the election districts this city council adopts. We deserve to live and vote in fairly-drawn, sensible, and understandable districts.
Fair maps have compact districts with natural and logical borders. Good maps make it easy for voters to know what district they live in. The best maps also preserve communities of interest and historical neighborhoods as much as possible.
This week the city council advanced three maps for final public comment by April 5.
Two of the final three maps are public submissions, and one map is the product of the city-hired demographer. Both Public Submission 2C (Goldstein 1000 Revised) and Demographer Proposal 5B are very good. In fact, they closely resemble each other, and both meet all the criteria of fair district maps.
Public Submission 6C (Help People Vote Map) does not meet the standard for a logical, well-drawn map. Its absurdly disruptive and nonsensical boundaries carve up neighborhoods in irrational ways, suggesting the map may conceal a hidden motive, or even a partisan agenda.
If the latter is true, it is yet another example of Republican gerrymandering (see the Butte County Board of Supervisors’ redistricting results). Adopted maps should not contain even a hint of gerrymandering.
Public Submission #2 and Demographer Proposal 5B are sensible, logical, fair, and clearly non-partisan maps. I am asking the city council to adopt either of the two, but not 6C. Readers can and should do the same with this email address: RedistrictingEmails@chicoca.gov.
— James Aram, Chico
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Recent letters from Pam Stoesser, Karen Laslo and John Scott tell us of the successes of county supervisor incumbents Debra Lucero and Tami Ritter and the dangers of Pete Durfee.
You more liberal folks feel like your agendas that emphasize human rights, equality and compassion will be best represented by the incumbents. Great. Vote for them. Good luck.
But those of us in favor of candidates like Pete Durfee, are not some kind of ultra-conservative, conspiracy theory endorsing whackos. We’re regular folks with our own agendas.
Our agendas are that we want to take our children and grandchildren to our parks without having them encounter human feces, yes, the needles, and endless litter.
We expect to have our laws enforced equally, with all equally subject to the outcomes of unlawful behavior, be it littering, assault or destroying property. We oppose special concessions being given to some criminals because they’re “victims of social injustice.” Shouldn’t we all be treated equally?
We expect our representatives to do something to fight the inequities within our systems, such as Camp Fire survivors still living in trailers 3 1/2 years later or PG&E circumventing financial responsibilities that make a citizen wonder about corruption and payoffs (are you listening CPUC?).
I don’t criticize your vote for those who endorse your lofty ideals, and I hope you don’t criticize me for voting in line with the ideals that many of my likeminded taxpaying, hardworking counterparts share.
We’ll stick with Pete Durfee.
— Jeff Saine, Chico
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The Pleasant Valley boys golf team took first place in the first Eastern Athletic League match of the season at Gold Hills Golf Club in Redding.
Landon Williams and Nate Borello led the Vikings as both players finished at 74-over par 72. Jordan Boles shot a 78, and Andrew Ma and Kiefer Zelenski tied at 79.
As a team the Vikings shot 467-over par 432 as a team. Chico High finished second in the team standings, finishing 494-over par 432 as a team. The Panthers were led by an 84 by Cooper Wilkins and an 87 by Matt Sayer.
Foothill finished in third place at 577, Red Bluff finished fourth at 653 and Shasta fifth at 914. Enterprise competed with four of a needed six golfers to tally a complete scorecard.
Prep baseball
Orland 9, Hamilton 2: Orland defeated Hamilton in seven inning on Thursday Hamilton City, thanks in large part to a six-run third inning by the Trojans.
Zach Story led Orland with two hits, and Connor Ovard had one hit and three RBIs. Cody Baylor had one hit, a double, and two RBIs. Braden Ovitz led Orland with three runs scored.
On the mound for Orland, Baylor, Story and Ovard pitched two innings each. The three allowed a combined four hits, one earned run and struck out 11. Baylor struck out five and allowed one hit in his two scoreless innings.
For Hamilton, Riley Powell pitched six innings and struck out four. Powell had two of the Braves’ four hits, finishing the day 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a double.
Orland (5-6, 1-3 Butte View League) plays next at 4 p.m. Tuesday at home against Las Plumas. Hamilton (4-7) begins its Mid-Valley League schedule at 2 p.m. April 8 at home against Quincy.
Report scores or results by emailing sports@chicoer.com. Results must be reported by noon the next day following the date that the game was played.
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CHICO — In recent years Chico has become a well-known hub for successful and competitive distance runners — whether it be at the high school or collegiate level. This year has been no exception.
The rivalry between Chico High and Pleasant Valley has been fierce. Chico High is paced by the stellar Mario Giannini, while Pleasant Valley has two runners who often lead the pack in Renton McGregor and Tryon Jardin.
During this spring’s track and field season McGregor has stood out, and at PV’s recent Eastern Athletic League Meet against Enterprise, Pleasant Valley Athletic Director and track and field coach Pam Jackson said McGregor was clearly the one to beat.
McGregor won the 400-meter race in 51.72 seconds ahead of second place teammate Jackson Hein who finished with a time of 52.48. McGregor then ran the 800 and defeated the second place Hein by nearly four seconds, clocking a time of 2:07.68 while Hein clocked a 2:11.63. He then ran the 1600 meter relay with Austin Hein, Cristofer Velazquez-Patino and Jackson Hein and the four finished in 3:45.91.
Due to McGregor’s success he is this week’s Chico Enterprise-Record Prep Athlete of the Week.
Jackson said McGregor was working on speed work Wednesday and saving the longer distances for Saturday, as his main two events are the 1600 and 3200 races. McGregor will be competing in the prestigious Stanford Invitational on Saturday alongside Jardin, who will race Friday.
Pleasant Valley distance coach Ryan Teesdale called McGregor the ultimate teammate and one who is very easily coachable.
“He follows directions, puts in the time and effort needed to be successful. Renton is a hard-working, high achieving student and athlete,” Teesdale said. “Renton is the ultimate teammate; Willing to lead multiple reps, if not all reps, of an interval workout. He motivates and cheers for all athletes on the team because he wants them to become better. He champions and thrives in the process of getting better and his desire for getting better rubs off on his teammates.”
McGregor wasn’t always a runner, at least in competitions. Growing up he played basketball and baseball through eighth grade. A friend asked him to come out for cross country in the summer between eighth grade and his freshman year of high school and he said yes, figuring it would be a good way to keep in shape for basketball.
McGregor played basketball on the PV freshman team in his first year at PV, before transitioning full time to cross country and track and field. He was excelling at distance running his sophomore year, and after a disappointing section meet at the end of his sophomore year he and Jardin decided to work hard their junior year to stand out on the distance running scene at PV.
“Renton, along with Tryon Jardin, came together during the pandemic year and put in the work to become better athletes,” Teesdale said. “The rest of the team saw the effort and desire of these athletes and it made the team want to achieve greatness. They get to see Renton run school records now, but they also saw the amount of work he put into the sport … now we are all witnessing the fruits of his labor.”
McGregor’s favorite part of cross country is his teammates. Despite each runner wanting to win each race, McGregor praised the cross-country culture explaining how each runner wants their teammates to do well and it is encouraging — particularly on the long runs.
McGregor praised the help of Teesdale to his development as a runner, as well as Jardin who he has known since the two played baseball together in elementary school.
“I came out for cross country the summer before my freshman year and I saw him and I was like, ‘I know you,'” McGregor said. “It was sort of like I didn’t know too many other people, but I knew Tryon, so we’ve been getting closer throughout our four years here and it’s really awesome.”
McGregor currently holds the two-mile record at PV, as well as several other distance records. He and Jardin have been going back and forth, and Teesdale is excited for the two to go back-and-forth for through the record books for the rest of their senior year.
For McGregor, the records are a benchmark that says, “ya you probably made the right choice.”
McGregor, a senior, hopes to continue his running career and is currently weighing his options at both the Division I and Division II levels. Jardin will be signing to continue his collegiate career in the next two weeks.
“Renton is an amazing young individual who has a bright future ahead of him,” Teesdale said. “His steadfast determination as a student and as an athlete will allow him to achieve whatever he puts his mind to, but first, I am excited to see how this season finishes!”
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CHICO — A professor, actress, Federal Bureau of Investigations agent, professional football player, photographer, dentist and emergency nurse were among the 24 professionals who spoke to children Thursday and Friday during the Parkview Elementary School career fair.
Each professional helmed a table in the school courtyard and groups of students rotated between each booth as each professional shared stories and information about their careers and then answered questions. Each student carried a career passport in which they took notes and asked for autographs from the career professionals.
Photographer Betsy Welsh, who takes school photos, sports and senior portraits, for example, was among the career professionals. Welsh displayed photos at her booth, including a photo of Yosemite National Park set up on an easel.
“The kids were fantastic,” Welsh said after the fair. “They asked so many questions. They made the opportunity a piece of cake. There were no two questions alike.”
The students enjoyed listening to stories and information about the different careers. One of them, Luke Sheridan, is a fourth grade student at Parkview.
“I liked it, I didn’t know you could have two careers,” Sheridan said. “I thought you could only have one. I liked listening to the firefighters.”
Fourth grade student Madeline Henderson also enjoyed the fair.
“I thought it was really cool,” Henderson said afterwards. “We got to see so many different careers. I liked the photographer and the nurse. All of the people serve a purpose.”
Henderson wants to be a dancer when she grows up. She has taken jazz and ballet classes.
“Jazz and ballet classes are sharp and technical and show your passion,” Henderson said.
Parkview Principal Heather Sufuentes was very impressed with the career fair turnout.
“It was super inspiring for the students,” Sufuentes said. “The jobs were all so varied from vocational careers to people with Ph.Ds. The school is connected to big dreams. I’m so grateful to the community members who spoke. It was a big achievement to have them all here.”
Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea was one of the professionals who spoke to kids.
“It was a great event,” Honea said. “It was good to talk to young people. They asked great questions. The standard question I receive is usually about carrying a gun but one of the students asked me about how I maintain a balance between work and family.”
The other professionals present at the fair were a military member, pilot, Action News sports director, an atomic physicist, artist, newspaper editor, police officer, computer software engineer, attorney, superior court judge, Chico Unified School District superintendent, land surveyor, construction manager, doctor, reporter and firefighters.
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Jordan Poole had Miami’s Kyle Lowry on an island in transition. In Poole’s mind, he was going to cook Lowry on the Heat’s FTX Arena floor. Poole hit Lowry with a nasty in-and-out dribble that sent him spiraling to the baseline. The third-year Warriors guard snatched the ball back, then drained a stepback three.
In high-energy minutes off the bench, Juan Toscano-Anderson dived to retrieve a loose ball, slashed through the paint and launched himself off the Chase Center floor, defying gravity and daring Suns center JaVale McGee to meet him at the rim.
Toscano-Anderson powered through the air and McGee’s outstretched hands and threw down a brutal one-handed posterizing jam.
Both moments were signature highlight plays by the Warriors’ supporting players (though Poole has made a star turn this month), and both showed growth cultivated in Santa Cruz with Warriors’ G League affiliate.
Twenty-nine of the NBA’s 30 teams have G League affiliates. Raptors 905 and the Oklahoma City Blue are two teams known to have a close bond with their NBA counterparts, but the bond between Santa Cruz and Golden State is like the ultimate big brother-little brother relationship: Intimate and symbiotic. Same name and same game.
“We try to keep everything as much similar to the Warriors as we can from what plays and sets we’re running and also what our terminology is,” Santa Cruz head coach Seth Cooper said. “For the most part, we try to do the same things and just adding a little more structure or teaching some of the reads in a little more detail.”
It’s no coincidence that the Warriors often seem to find players who can effectively impact the game in their specific roles on the team and a lot of that has to do with what some of these players learn during stints with the Santa Cruz Warriors.
If Golden State is the main stage where the lights are shining the brightest and the harshest, Santa Cruz is backstage. It is where the players hustle and grind behind the curtains. Where they are developed, groomed and prepared for their role in the ensemble cast of the main roster and in some cases, other teams in the league.
This angle of Poole leaving Lowry in the dust 😲 pic.twitter.com/bshGv7Sra0
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 24, 2022
When it clicks
Jordan Poole joined the Santa Cruz Warriors last season as a player who had the potential to be great and the work ethic to match. What he didn’t have was a sound understanding of the Warriors’ system. The month-long stint with the Sea Dubs provided the young guard extra reps and a deeper understanding that he needed to thrive.
Poole’s ascension came when then-Santa Cruz head coach Kris Weems pressed the young guard to speed up his decision making. In Weems’ “.5 seconds or less” system, Poole had a half-second after receiving the ball to either shoot, dribble or pass.
The principle was influential in Poole’s performances in the G League’s Orlando bubble last season, including scoring 37 points in a Santa Cruz comeback win over Fort Wayne last season. It also helped him return to Golden State as a more sure and decisive player.
Right now, Poole is on a tear. With his 38 points against Phoenix Wednesday night, Poole has scored 20 or more points in 15 consecutive games. For the month of March, he averaged 25.4 points per game on 50 percent from the field and 44 percent from deep — a far cry from his 28 percent 3-point shooting in his rookie season.
“The big thing was just how Jordan was able to go and get confidence from playing and carrying that right over into having a really good stretch with the Warriors, and also get some of the coaching that he needed early on, where they were able to have him with the (NBA) team for a long period of time,” Cooper said.
For Toscano-Anderson, his “ah-ha” moment wasn’t that extensive. It was as simple as knowing who he is and what he can bring to the Warriors – being a high-energy guy off the bench who can play solidly in fluctuating minutes.
“I think it started to click during the season for me,” Toscano-Anderson said of his G League experience. “I realized that I could play in the NBA as well, and we had an amazing coaching staff, starting with (Aaron) Miles, who was our head coach. He really helped me improve on the court.”
JUAN TOSCANO-ANDERSON ON JAVALE MCGEE 😱 pic.twitter.com/IrQr2qLJKx
— ESPN (@espn) December 4, 2021
Toscano-Anderson and Poole are just two former Santa Cruz Warriors who have found a role in the NBA. Damion Lee has carved out a role with the Warriors. Quinn Cook was a contributor to the 2017-18 champion Warriors as a two-way player. Before catching on with Dallas, Philadelphia and now Brooklyn, Seth Curry spent his early career in Santa Cruz. The Lakers’ Kendrick Nunn and Toronto’s Chris Boucher also spent time as Sea Dubs as well.
That path was what the Warriors envisioned when they bought the Dakota Wizards in 2011 and moved the team to Santa Cruz. Warriors Executive Vice President Kirk Lacob told his group he wanted to see every G League player called up to Golden State – even if the roster rules wouldn’t allow it.
“It’s kind of a home run across the board,” Lacob said. “We set out to do what we aimed to do and we’ve gotten to see players gain invaluable experience and the hope is that the wheel keeps turning.”
Locked in and linked
The success of the Santa Cruz-Golden State relationship is based on the idea of being intertwined on all levels. It doesn’t stop at sharing the same on-court identity and principles. Their true partnership is what makes the connection between affiliate and parent club pop. It’s the secret in their sauce.
Golden State executives are in constant contact with their Santa Cruz counterparts. Warriors Director of Team Development Kent Lacob is known to have periodic check-ins with the players, which has helped him in his executive role for Golden State.
“It gives you a different type of perspective and insight into the decisions that you want to make when you’re at the bigger stage of Golden State,” Lacob said. “So it’s been incredibly impactful.”
For Santa Cruz general manager David Fatoki, it is the Warriors’ willingness – from the executives to coach Steve Kerr – to invest in their affiliate that stands out.
“I think the buy-in is what makes it work so well and we’ve been successful in finding players over the past few years. But it comes from the top down,” he said. “You’ve seen it over the last few years that (Kerr) has no hesitancy in having young Warriors, whether it’s Jonathan Kuminga to Moses Moody, playing games in Santa Cruz and he trusts the coaching staff and the front office. I think it’s just the buy-in, knowing that we are all on the same page and that everything we do in Santa Cruz has a purpose.”
Lee came to the Warriors from the Celtics’ G League affiliate in Maine. While Lee says that both organizations are well run, the bond between Santa Cruz and Golden State makes a difference. The cohesiveness on the court is one thing but it’s the off-the-court ties that bind. Lee and other Golden State Warriors have been known to attend Sea Dubs games from time to time.
“I think what really makes this organization so great and so special is the fact that Santa Cruz and San Francisco are an hour and 15, maybe an hour and a half away but still taking time out to go down and watch games or even for them to come up and practice is really special.”
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — By the midpoint of last season, the three pitchers — and lockermates — who made up the back end of the Giants’ bullpen had developed an inside joke. Seemingly every game, Dominic Leone would work the seventh. Tyler Rogers would work the eighth. And the ninth belonged to Jake McGee.
“We were like the ‘Big 3’ toward the end of the season,” McGee said recently, with Rogers seated to his right and Leone to his left inside the home clubhouse of Scottsdale Stadium, an arrangement that mirrors the one inside Oracle Park.
But then, in August, McGee strained his oblique, sidelining him for a month and opening the door for Camilo Doval and his 100-mph fastball to establish himself as the preferred ninth inning option. McGee saved 31 games, but when time came for manager Gabe Kapler to turn to a reliever late in all three National League Division Series games that the Giants led, it was Doval who got the call.
So, is there room for a Big Four?
“It’s definitely interchangeable,” McGee said. “(Doval) is still young. But if he builds off what he did the last month of last season, he’s going to be completely fine to be in the mix and is just going to give Kap and (pitching coach Andrew) Bailey more matchup opportunities.”
At least to start the season, the Giants plan to employ a matchup-based strategy at the back of their bullpen. But Kapler has maintained that the ninth inning is there for anyone to claim, even though he continued Friday morning to decline to name a closer to start the season.
“I don’t see why we would,” Kapler said. “Players identify themselves. … We’ve got a lot of options for the ninth inning. These things have a way of shaking themselves out. We’ve always said that when players take control of roles … we’re not standing in anybody’s way.”
On the surface, Kapler’s message applies to anyone in the Giants’ bullpen. But in practice, it sure sounds like a message to Doval.
The 24-year-old fireballer ended last season with a streak of 16 straight scoreless appearances. He went all of September and October without allowing a run, until his final outing in Game 5 of the NLDS, when he surrendered the decisive run to the Dodgers, eventually ending the Giants’ season.
Before he could become a dominant late-inning reliever, Doval had to endure some bumps along the road. Simply having a fastball that can touch 104 miles per hour and a wipeout slider wasn’t enough, unless he could control them. During his first call-up, Doval frequently appeared in the seventh inning and allowed multiple leads to slip away, posting a 7.59 ERA over 13 appearances. So the Giants sent him to Triple-A Sacramento with a mission to get command of his pitches.
“I know that when they first called me up, it didn’t go well for me,” Doval said through Spanish-language translator Erwin Higueros. “When I came back up I noticed the change … I was like, ‘Whoa, is this me?’ I can only imagine what else I can do moving forward.”
This spring, the Giants are emphasizing to Doval the importance of paying attention to runners on base.
“One of the responsibilities with pitching big innings late in games is you want to be able to control the running game, especially given how critical that one-run situation can be,” Kapler said. “Camilo’s committed to that. It’s something that’s we’re confident we cleaned up pretty well last year. We’ll continue to work on and clean it up prior to Opening Day.”
Those concerns, Kapler said recently, aren’t enough to keep Doval from claiming the ninth inning for himself.
There is a truism in baseball that the 27th out is the hardest to get. That it takes a special mindset to close games.
“It’s an adrenaline rush,” said Rogers, who saved 13 games last season and figures to fit into the mix again this season. “You try to approach it the same, but it’s different. There’s a different feel to it.
That’s why the guys who are really good at it get paid more than the guys who aren’t as good at it.”
And while the Giants aren’t lacking pitchers with the stuff or the mindset to get it done — their 2.99 bullpen ERA last year was the best in the majors — Doval has a certain confidence about him, a trait shared by any number of great closers.
“Who doesn’t want to be the guy?” Doval said. “I’ve never lacked confidence. … But I’m OK with sharing the role with Tyler (and) with McGee. Nobody’s going to gift you the position. You have to earn it.”
Rogers, though, raises an important point: the money.
Whether through arbitration or free agency, pitchers who save games earn more of it.
The back end of the Giants’ bullpen is well-suited to play the matchups, depending on the situation and the hitters set to come to the plate that inning. Doval fires bullets. McGee’s arsenal is similar but slightly slower and from the opposite side. Rogers’ arm almost scraping the dirt gives him one of the most unique release points in baseball.
But in order to play the matchups as they would like, Giants relievers also have to be copacetic with sharing the potentially fruitful ninth-inning duties.
“I’m totally fine with it by committee,” said McGee, echoing his two counterparts. “We kind of know what pocket of the lineup we’re going to face. … Saves always pay more. But now the last few years it’s leveled out more. Everyone’s recognizing the middle relievers more.”
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SAN JOSE — Roughly five weeks after having surgery to repair a broken leg, defenseman Mario Ferraro is coming back ahead of schedule and will dress Saturday night when the Sharks play the Dallas Stars at SAP Center.
Ferraro on Feb. 27 underwent surgery to repair a fracture in his lower left fibula, a day after he was injured in a game with the Boston Bruins.
It was initially believed that Ferraro would be out for six-to-eight weeks, but he began skating again Monday and traveled with the Sharks on their two-game road trip this week through Arizona and Colorado.
The Sharks medical team gave Ferraro the green light to return on Friday, coach Bob Boughner said.
“The test was for him was to be able to come back and get into contact and get into some battle drills, which he’s done, and make sure that everything’s good structurally, and the doctors feel real confident,” Boughner said.
“It’s tough to keep a guy like that out when he’s begging to get back in the lineup and the doctors give him the green light. So it’s good. I think he’s going to create energy in our room and on the ice.”
Ferraro was chasing a puck deep in the Sharks’ zone on Feb. 26 when he was hit by Bruins winger Taylor Hall, causing him to fall feet first into the end boards. Ferraro’s left skate first hit the end wall, and he was unable to put any weight on that leg as he was helped off the ice by Sharks head athletic trainer Ray Tufts.
“It was weird, but I’m thankful. It could have been a lot worse, it can always be worse,” Ferraro said. “The fact that I’m playing again this season is something to be pretty thankful for. So it is what it is. It happens.”
Ferraro will be paired with Erik Karlsson for at least the start of Saturday’s game and will also be on the Sharks’ second power-play unit.
Ferraro at the time of his injury had 11 points in 48 games and was second on the team with an average of 23:19 of ice time per game. He still leads the Sharks with 127 blocked shots and is third on the team with 101 hits.
“You never really know how the recovery is going to go. It’s different for everybody,” Ferraro said. “There are things that can get in the way of the recovery sometimes, but the trainers here helped me out really well, docs took care of me really well, so a lot of credit goes to them. I think I’m ahead of schedule a little bit, so it’s nice.”
With Ferraro coming back, Ryan Merkley will be a healthy scratch, and the Sharks are now carrying eight defensemen.
Merkley had played in each of the last five games, collecting two assists averaging just over 16 minutes of ice time as he’s mostly been paired with Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
Boughner has liked how Merkley has played and added the lineup could change, “on a nightly basis according to the opponents we’re playing.
“Merk’s game is going in the right direction. We’ve got eight healthy (defensemen).”
Forward Jonathan Dahlen will also return to the Sharks’ lineup Saturday.
Dahlen was struck in the face by a puck on March 20 in a game with the Arizona Coyotes and has missed the last five games. Dahlen will start Saturday’s game on a line with Logan Couture and Rudolfs Balcers.
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SAN JOSE — Kevin Labanc’s return to the lineup appeared imminent earlier this week but now the Sharks are considering shutting the winger down for the rest of the season.
Labanc on Thursday visited the Los Angeles surgeon who performed his shoulder surgery and coach Bob Boughner said the Sharks’ medical team has been happy with how the forward has healed.
But with less than a month before the end of the regular season and the Sharks out of playoff contention, Boughner said Labanc might remain out of the lineup for the final 14 games after Saturday to let the shoulder continue to heal.
“I think (out of an abundance of caution), I think there’s a chance they want to look at the risk/reward, see how many games are left in the season and is it worth it or not,” Boughner said of a Labanc return.
“The more time he has, obviously, the better the rehab process going to be, so it might come to a point in time where we might shut him down for the season. But he feels good. Every day he comes, he’s stronger and (the shoulder is in) a really good spot, but it’s just a matter of risk/reward at this point.”
Labanc, in the second year of a four-year, $18.9 million contract, hasn’t played since Dec. 11 against Dallas when he was injured by a hit into the boards by Stars defenseman Jani Hakanpaa. Labanc has joined the Sharks for on-ice drills in recent days, including on Monday and Tuesday when he went through practices with contact.
Labanc on Tuesday sounded excited about a return and added it was important to him to start playing again.
“I just want to get back to competing, winning games, and getting back on the right track, as an organization, a team, and myself,” Labanc said. “So we’ve got a lot of business to take care of on the ice and I want to help the team as much as I can, and I know I can.”
The Sharks (29-30-8) entered Saturday’s game with the Dallas Stars in seventh place in the Pacific Division and 14 points back of the Vegas Golden Knights for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Both defenseman Mario Ferraro and winger Jonathan Dahlen are returning to the Sharks’ lineup. Ferraro has missed the last five weeks after he had surgery on Feb. 27 to repair a fracture in his lower left fibula, an injury he suffered the day before in a game with the Boston Bruins.
Dahlen has missed the last five games after he was struck in the face by a puck during the Sharks’ March 20 game with Arizona.
Labanc had six points in 21 games at the time of his injury. He did not take part in the Sharks’ morning skate Saturday at SAP Center.
“I think he wants to play, obviously,” Boughner said. “But the medical team, obviously we have to defer to them. The doctors have all said that it looks good and they’re happy. It’s time. It’s major surgery and it’s time, it just needs time.”
GADJOVICH UPDATE: Forward Jonah Gadjovich, out with an undisclosed injury, took part in Saturday’s morning skate but remains day-to-day. Boughner said there is a chance Gadjovich could return to play either Tuesday against Edmonton or Thursday against Calgary, but otherwise will likely be available sometime during the Sharks’ five-game road trip from April 9-17.
DAHLEN ON EKLUND: Dahlen has been keeping a close eye on the Swedish Hockey League series between Timra, his former team, and Djurgarden, the team that William Eklund, the Sharks’ 2021 first-round draft pick, played for this season.
Timra swept Djurgarden four-games-to-none in the best-of-seven series, so it will remain in the top-tier SHL, while Djurgarden will be relegated to the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s second-best league next season.
After he had four assists in nine NHL games, Eklund, 19, was sent back to Sweden by the Sharks in November so they didn’t burn the first year of his entry-level contract.
It was hoped this would be a development year for Eklund, as he played in 30 games and had 14 points for Djurgarden. He also played in two games for Sweden at the World Junior Championships in December before that was halted over COVID-19 issues.
“He’s a young kid. Obviously, it’s not easy,” said Dahlen, who talks to Eklund frequently. “So you’ve got to understand that and I think he’s still done a good job this year and gained a lot of experience, so I’m happy for him anyway. I think it’s been a good year.”
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