Rebuilding JV numbers key in LaRocco's new role as Justin head coach

Justin-Siena High School football found itself in the news over the course 48 hours in late April when one combines Rich Cotruvo and the program mutually parting ways and long-time assistant Brandon LaRocco replacing him less than 24 hours later.

On Cotruvo’s end, the Justin administration can say what they want but in my world, “mutually parting ways” is a euphemism for being forced out. Cotruvo, who has since become the football head coach at Terra Linda, piloted the Braves from a hot mess (26-69-1 from 1987-1996) to a powerhouse (144-74 with six CIF North Coast Section titles from 1997-2015).

LaRocco’s biggest challenge is not the Braves’ 2016 varsity team. Justin has more than ample talent returning led by quarterback Aidan Willard, who has given Oregon State a verbal commitment. Though the Marin County Athletic League is formidable at the top with teams like Marin Catholic, San Marin and Redwood, the Braves are talented enough to remain in the top-third of that league.

The Braves, however, have a long term issue that they have to address. For the better part of two decades, Justin had all three levels of football (freshmen, junior varsity and varsity). The JV season, however, was cancelled in 2015 because of lack of enough numbers. As a result, the MCAL has made the decision to do away with freshmen teams and go to a varsity, frosh/soph model. That example will apply to all sports, not just football.  

“While having a freshman team for the past 10-plus years has been advantageous for our program, it has been harder and to sustain the numbers for three different levels, seeing as we have just over 300 boys in the school,” LaRocco said in a recent e-mail. “I couldn't agree with you more in the value of having high quality lower levels, it is fundamental to having sustained success. They provide the foundation needed for the kids to have success on the varsity level. I have spent a few years coaching the lower levels over the past 12 years, and I know the experience the kids have as freshman and sophomores play a huge role in whether they choose to continue on to the varsity level.”

What LaRocco utters is strongly relevant because if the Braves want continued prosperity, roster numbers will need to increase at that level. JV sports are often looked at as an afterthought. In my years as a sports reporter, I was always a cynic at parents who complained about JV sports coverage being minimal in the newspaper. Said parent would go from not giving a bleep about JV coverage to screaming bloody murder at the site of minimal coverage to back to not giving a bleep when their kid got to varsity.

I am of the mind that JV sports matter, just not for the same reason as varsity. JV sports are about development, with varsity, winning definitely takes precedence. How many high school athletic programs are judged by JV records? You couldn’t even get to one finger if you counted.

I have always believed that if a freshman or sophomore is ready to start and be an impact player on the varsity team, you bring that player up. That way those with lesser talent can get the playing time they need to develop. From there, you hope those players become viable contributors on the varsity.

Some parents would absolutely insist that their son or daughter that is a freshman or sophomore not go to the varsity team. My philosophy has always been that you play your best players on varsity, period.

If the freshman is better than the senior, he or she should start. However, if a freshman or sophomore is going to be brought up to the varsity, he or she should at least be a starter or get similar playing time that a starter would get. After all, you brought that player up to the varsity because presumably you believe that player can make an impact.

So when should a freshman or sophomore be brought up to the varsity? When should a junior be left down on the JV?

It’s about looking at the landscape of your program and asking yourself, will this player get the playing time he or she needs to develop sufficiently? How much of an impact will the youngster make?

Sometimes you can have a talented JV player that is ready to make an impact on the varsity as a freshman or sophomore, but he might play a position where the varsity team is already stacked with talent.

Also, if a junior is going to ride the pine on the varsity team, he or she would be best suited to playing and dominating as a JV player, if for no other reason than to increase their confidence.

Another question is, say a freshman or sophomore is ridiculously dominant on the JV level — will that player become disinterested because success comes so easily?

It’s a crapshoot, but one common denominator I keep coming back to is that if a freshman or sophomore gets elevated to the varsity, he or she should not just be along for the ride.

At the JV level, winning is all well and good, but coaching the JV teams are more about getting players ready for varsity by developing fundamentals and the right approach to the game.

If winning and proper development are happening, then you’ve got the best of both worlds. However, if a JV team is winning the majority of its games but getting away with fundamental mistakes against inferior competition, then success is Fool’s Gold.

By no means am I diminishing the importance of JV sports programs because, after all, they are the future.

One common argument I hear is that “JV kids work just as hard as varsity kids.”

True, they indeed do work hard but athletic programs are not judged on JV success. However, if Justin wants to sustain the success it achieved under Cotruvo, the onus falls on LaRocco and his coaching staff to strengthen the JV program.

Time machine: 2007 boys basketball: St. Vincent at St. Helena

Some games you remember because while the team you followed/rooted for was not going anywhere but they had one moment during the season that made a significant impact in the form of a late season win against a contending team. That win plays a role into them getting left at the alter when it comes to playoff selection time. It might be just a fleeting memory but it felt great at the time.

The St. Helena High boys basketball team’s 53-46 win over the St. Vincent (Petaluma) Mustangs felt exactly that way in February 2007. The Saints would split their last two games (56-45 win over Clear Lake and 73-50 loss to Cloverdale) on the road to finish 9-19.

St. Vincent would finish the season 18-9 overall and 5-3 against North Central League South I teams. Despite the quality win-loss mark, the Mustangs missed the CIF North Coast Section Div. V playoffs. Whether or not losing to the Saints played a role in that happening, who knows, but for St. Helena it was a bright spot in a season of ups and downs -- mostly the latter, it was a feel good moment.

The subplot to this story was that the NCL I was split into NCL I North and NCL I South from 2005-2010 with the additions of Upper Lake and St. Vincent. Both teams later returned to the NCL II. St. Vincent has caused St. Helena their share of headaches when the NCL I South was initially formed.

By virtue of beating St. Vincent, St. Helena knocked the Mustangs out of first place in the NCL I South. St. Vincent could achieve no worse than a tie with Cloverdale by winning Tuesday. Including the aforementioned split against Clear Lake and Cloverdale, the Saints have now won four of their last six games to finish the season.

The game also marked Senior Night in that it was the final home game in the careers of Jake Holguin, Jason Micheli and Zac Thompson in the final home game of their careers. In such situations, senior players get honored in a pregame ceremony, during which time they present a rose to their parents as a token of appreciation. I frequently took photos of the senior players together and ran them in the newspaper. I’ve got to be honest, I was never a fan running these type of photos because they were non-action photos.

When it comes to posed Senior Night pictures, when you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. However, I soon came to the realization early in my 10-year stint on the beat that parents like such photos. To that end, you have to put the readers’ needs ahead of what you like sometimes. Is it really going to hurt me to do this 6-8 weeks out of 52? I think not. Plus, in a small town, building goodwill takes you a long way.

To add further significance to the Saints’ win over St. Vincent, the had beaten the Saints in football (2005), baseball (2006), the boys basketball Shaugnessy Tournament (2006) and girls soccer (2006) either in the postseason or to prevent St. Helena from reaching the CIF NCS playoffs.

On this night, St. Helena played undeniably its best game of the season.

The Mustangs led 26-19 at halftime, but St. Helena outscored St. Vincent 19-7 in the third quarter. Holguin’s 3-pointer, one of six for the game, put the Saints ahead for good at 34-33.

Thompson connected with Chris Yeakey on a fast break as the third quarter horn sounded to give St. Helena a 38-33 lead after three quarters and drew an enormous cheer from the crowd in the process.

St. Vincent narrowed the gap to 49-46 late in the game, but Dre Gomes’ putback sealed the Mustangs’ fate.

Holguin drained six 3-pointers en route to a game-high 23 points for the Saints while Chris Yeakey scored 13 and Dre Gomes had 10. Gomes added a game-high 14 rebounds while Yeakey added eight. Austin Saladin grabbed six rebounds.

The key note to the game was the Saints defense against both Pengel and Austin Schalich, who scored 11 and five points respectively. Pengel was never able to consistently get untracked. Though Holguin’s offense was electric, his defense against Pengel spurred the Saints.

Time Out with Erika Hallmark (2015 American Canyon High graduate)

This is a special edition Time Out interview with 2015 American Canyon High graduate Erika Hallmark, who enters her sophomore year at Methodist University (Fayetteville, NC) this fall. Hallmark is a business administration major with a concentration in PGA Professional Golf Management. She is considering minoring in Resort Management or Speech Communications. Hallmark was sidelined for golf season because of a lateral collateral ligament sprain. However, she attended a few team practices and worked the Monarch Invitational Tournament in early April. Hallmark is home for the summer and interning at Silverado Resort as part of the PGA Management program she is in at Methodist University.

D’Adamo: What are you most hoping to get out of your internship at Silverado Country Club this summer?

Hallmark: Ultimately, I hope to gain as much experience as I can this summer during my internship (especially in the tournament operations department).  Also, I would like to enhance my networking skills.

D’Adamo: When did you first discover the internship and how did the process unfold as far as getting it?

Hallmark: I knew initially that the Professional Golf Management program required internships every summer, so my thought was to come back to the Napa Valley so I can be around my family and the course that I immediately thought of was Silverado Resort & Spa. So I sent an email and asked about a possible internship around November 2015. After a few phone interviews in December, I had an in person interview and ended up getting the internship.

D’Adamo: What has the class/practice/matches balance been like as a college student/athlete?

Hallmark: As a college student and athlete, time management is probably the most important thing. I'm used to keeping schedules so it wasn't too difficult to manage. Although everything was very stressful. From being a part of the Student Activities Committee, Professional Golf Management Fellowship (In His Grip), Fellowship for Christian Athletes, the Women's Golf team and the Methodist University Chorale in addition to 17.5 credit hours (7 classes or so) a semester, it got pretty intense. However, I managed my time wisely and ended up receiving a scholar athlete award for having a career GPA over 3.0.

D’Adamo: Having experienced a year away from American Canyon, how much do you believe you have grown personally?

Hallmark: Personally, the experience of being away from American Canyon has made me appreciate all that I have here and the opportunities I have had. I personally feel as if I have grown quite a bit especially because I was so far away and by myself. It was an opportunity for me to get to find who I am and to make decisions for myself.

D’Adamo: Within your family, who have been the most influential people?

Hallmark: Within my family, I would say that my parents have been the most influential right beside my best friends. They always want what is best for me and I greatly appreciate everything they have done for me. If it wasn't for them I definitely would not be where I am today.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports, you would most like to meet. What would intrigue you about meeting him or her?

Hallmark: I would want to meet Babe Didrikson Zaharias (Mildred Ella Didrikson Zaharias). I intrigues me how she was one of the founding members of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). I would want to ask her what her motivation was to start golfing after her phenomenal careers in track and field and basketball. What pushed her to go back to her amatuer status? What was her drive to continue?

American Canyon, I hardly knew you

Do you ever have those moments in your career that you did what was within your control to succeed but the end of that time was an unfair ending thanks to the powers that be?

I view my one and a half years in American Canyon, CA, in that regard. I was the Upvalley (St. Helena and Calistoga) sports beat reporter for two stints (2004-2010; 2012-2014). I spent the in between time in American Canyon, which is located in the Southern part of Napa Valley.

American Canyon was incorporated as a city in 1992. The population skyrocketed to the point of being about 19,000 and change. Measure G passed in 2006 to have a high school built, which opened its doors in August 2010.

The Napa Valley Register, which is a daily newspaper in Napa, CA, purchased the St. Helena Star and Weekly Calistogan in 2003 and the American Canyon Eagle in 2005. All three newspapers are weekly editions. Since American Canyon was closer to my home in Napa, I was eager to get that beat. I gently reminded NVR publisher Brenda Speth, NVR editor Bill Kisliuk, NVR sports editor Randy Johnson and AC Eagle editor Mike Waterson of my desires to cover that sports beat. Kisliuk resigned in August 2010 with Michael Donnelly replacing him. I would soon discover what an arrogant boob Donnelly was. Donnelly knows the Xs and Os of journalism but his people skills are about as good as my astronomy skills -- none.

In April 2010, it became official that I would take the American Canyon beat and fellow NVR sports reporter Ted Sillanpaa would replace me Upvalley. The change was slated to be made in August of that year. For whatever reason, no more than a few days shy of the move going into effect, Sillanpaa decided he did not want the job. I remained Upvalley for six more weeks but also worked in coverage of American Canyon football. In late September, Jessica Lander (from Boston by way of Orlando) took my place and I went to American Canyon for good -- or so I thought.

I spent one and a half years on the American Canyon sports beat, making strong inroads with coaches, student-athletes, administrators and community members. The school started with just grades 9-10 in 2010-2011 and would add the junior class one year later before getting all four grades in 2012-2013.

I was ecstatic about the chance to cover the beat with all four grades. In late March 2012, the staff gets an e-mail that Lander is leaving the newspaper to take another job. I then get an e-mail from Johnson to meet with him after deadline from getting the weekly publications produced. I thought nothing of it because it was going to inform of “Lander is leaving, going from here to replace her, etc.”

Instead, Johnson informs me via Donnelly that the company is not replacing Lander, I am going back Upvalley and American Canyon is going to be covered by committee. At this point, I am in a state of disbelief, shock and anger. The biggest thing I wanted as a sports journalist was being ripped away from me. I covered the NFL as a freelance writer for six years. I became a CNPA (California Newspaper Publishing Association) award winning journalist. However, nothing meant more to me than building up the American Canyon sports beat. It was like being a pioneer. I relished that role.

So a few days later, I meet with Donnelly. His justification for why the move was made were two-fold. The Upvalley publications, most notably the Star, produce more advertising revenue that the Eagle. Well of course they do, those papers have been around for 100 years and change. The Eagle has existed just slightly over a decade, building revenue takes time. Sports coverage is one way to build it because there is a very large segment of the population that only reads the sports section.

Donnelly asked me how I felt about the move. I was honest but respectful about my displeasure with the move but for every point I made, he followed with a counterpoint and his tone of voice was that of a nitwit (to put it charitably). The meeting was pointless, just like his tenure at NVR. After about 15 minutes, Donnelly has the temerity to say to the effect of, “Vince, if you ever have problems, don’t internalize it.” Well, I was honest but he didn’t like what I said. Earth to Michael: If you ask me to be honest, don’t complain when I’m honest. When he left NVR in 2013, I didn’t waste time saying goodbye. I would have helped him move, just to get his arrogant ass out of town.

It’s not that going back Upvalley was so bad. That is where I am most attached because my longest history as a reporter is there. My bitterness stemmed from the idea of not getting to finish what I started in American Canyon. I don’t want to use the word “entitled” because it has a negative connotation. However, I felt that between working to rebuild the Upvalley sports beat and spending more time there after Sillanpaa decided he did not want the job, I had earned the right to stay in American Canyon as long as I would have liked. I know that I impacted that community in a positive manner. It just wasn’t the lasting impact I was seeking.

I made peace with the decision the powers that be made and when I went back Upvalley, I set my sights on giving sports coverage there the “D’Adamo Religion.”

The silver lining to this experience was that it made me think about some hard decisions, especially given the declining state of the newspaper industry.

I got my Class B driver's’ license and worked part-time as a bus driver. Two and a half years later, I escaped the newspaper industry on my own terms to become a route sales representative for Alhambra Water.

I have, however, kept writing in my life as a hobby through this blog. In addition, I help NVR on Friday nights during football season. They mostly have me covering American Canyon. While it is not the same as being their full-time sports beat reporter, it is a way for me to stay connected to the community on some level.

Deadline pressure can be a hot mess

Sometimes even the best plans don’t follow the script. My 10 years as a sports reporter in St. Helena and Calistoga, two communities in the Northern part of Napa Valley, CA, of about 4,000-5,000 population, often involved a lot of creative planning, especially on football Friday nights.

First some primer for the paint. The St. Helena Star and Weekly Calistogan are two community weekly publications owned by the Napa Valley Register, which is a daily publication. When the staff was bigger, I could generally ask to farm out help to cover one Upvalley football game while I covered the other. However, as the staff continued to get small (a growing trend in the industry), I did not have that luxury.

As a result, I would cover one game in person and receive text message updates on the other in the interest of getting in two stories of substance on deadline for the Register but later adding to it for the weekly publications. On the St. Helena side, I was blessed to have Garrett Whitt to help me fill gaps while I covered Calistoga solo. Whitt, who I refer to as “The G-Man,” has had cerebral paulsy since birth which means he has limitations as far as needing more time to write stories but in a weekly newspaper format that’s a non-issue. What I will always love about the GMan is that he has the best interest of the community in mind. That is one of many reasons I consider him a friend.

Anyhow, back to the deadline hot mess I dealt with just under three years ago. I don’t tell this story to request sympathy. I was in this industry long enough to know the perils of deadline story filing. However, if this story entertains you and you read to the end, then I’ve done my job.

This is a story that had me uttering more four-letter bombs known to man but I laugh today.

Just to set the scene, it was my belief that both Upvalley high school football teams are going to have very good seasons in 2013. I was right. St. Helena went 9-3. Calistoga went 8-2.

Nothing that took place on the field that night was enough to change my mind as St. Helena blanked Tomales 20-0 on the road and Calistoga pulled away for a 42-13 win at Cloverdale.

That said, my biggest challenge is balancing my presence evenly for both teams throughout the season. Some weeks, it is a non-issue; there are bye weeks and Saturday games. In the latter scenario, both teams play on opposite days so I need no strategic planning.

So I went to the St. Helena-Tomales game in person and was going to rely on text message scoring updates from the Calistoga-Cloverdale game as I attempted to file two stories on deadline with our parent publication, the Napa Valley Register. There were weeks the opposite will be true.

That proposition would qualify as risky considering high school football games end at 10 p.m. in a best-case scenario, and stories need to be filed at or near 11 p.m.

Throw in the fact that coaches give their postgame talk to players for a few minutes, as a reporter I spend a few minutes interviewing the coach, and it takes a few minutes to walk to your car and drive to a location to file your story. Once you are there, you tally up your stats, sift through your notes and if you use a recorder, transcribe quotes to complete your story.

My plan was to go to Tomales, where AT&T subscribers like myself get no cell phone reception. So I filed most of my St. Helena story from the press box in Tomales, and interviewed Saints head coach Brandon Farrell for a few minutes after he addressed his team. Then when I got into cell phone range, I could sift through my text message updates from the Calistoga game and get enough of a story on both teams.

I hustled out to my car where the clock read 10:20 — the game starting at 8 p.m. did me no favors — but luckily both teams called for a lot of running plays, which led to minimal clock stoppages. However, it would take a minimum of 15 minutes just to get to cell phone reception range but I was still confident enough to beat the clock.

However, two more obstacles hit. I turn right after halting at the Tomales-Petaluma Road on to Bodega Avenue. I hit the accelerator hard. My speedometer hits 40 mph and counting. The speed limit is 50 mph on the two-lane highway. I spot a sheriff on a street corner so I take my foot off the accelerator to slow my vehicle down naturally.

I look in my rearview mirror and the sheriff pulls behind the car trailing me. I’m thinking, “Not me.” After about a mile, I look in my rear view mirror and the sheriff makes a left turn. I exhale a sigh of relief.

One more problem ensued; I was stuck behind a truck pulling a horse trailer until I reached Petaluma.

I pull into Petaluma and found a picnic table outside of Whole Foods Market.

Good thing I’m not in South Chicago. It’s 10:43 p.m. I get the laptop logged in by 10:47 p.m. I finish my St. Helena story at 10:50 p.m.

I sift through my Calistoga text messages — not all came through but I got enough to give the Register the final score and a few of the touchdowns.

So 10:56 is on the clock, only to have my computer freeze. I was not happy. If a camera was on me, the words “bleep, bleep, bleep” would have been involved.

So I reboot the computer, hoping that my “saved” work that was not yet completed would be saved.

Both stories are literally “bare bones” in length but I didn’t care since I have weekly publications. The clock reads 10:59 p.m. when I dialed up the Internet.

I did the quickest “copy and paste” twice and had both stories emailed as the clock struck 11 p.m.

Well, all I can say is, that night was a wild ride.

Exposing various sports myths

You hear common adages and ideas talked about when it pertains to sports. You either a) Assume it makes sense because you don’t know any different or b) It makes you get on your soapbox.

Having been a sports fan for about 35 years and reporter for 18 years, I have heard many cliches, adages and myths. I’m not a reporter by profession anymore but remain a sports fan. Some of these ideas, adages, clinches and/or myths, I still believe but others get me on my soapbox. At age 43, I find the soapbox list getting longer. The scary thing about this column is, I could make the list even longer but in the interest of space, I won’t.

Without further adieu:

• Common opponent theory

I am definitely not blameless in this because as a reporter I would point out scores from common opponents but not because I believed it was an accurate predictor of the upcoming game. I simply needed to fill space. Timing, circumstances, etc. debunk this argument.

• If they play like that next week theory

Anyone that buys this theory is either stupid, ignorant or naive. Perhaps all of the above. You know, Team A beat Team B by 21 points and Team C by 44 points. Team B beat Team C by 17 points. By that logic, Team A should beat Team C by 61 points. Sorry folks, it rarely works out that way. Just because a football team wins 44-10, commits only four penalties and no turnovers against a team that was 3-1 entering Week 5 on Oct. 5 does not mean they will take the exact same performance three weeks later against a 1-7 team and win 77-10. In fact, the chances of a team performing exactly the same way for consecutive weeks is about 1-to-13,000,000.

• Defending champions

When a team wins a championship whether it’s Super Bowl, NBA title, Worlds Series, NCAA or pie-eating title, I hear the word “defending” in front of the word “champion.” What exactly about the title is the team defending? They won the title. There is nothing to defend. You can talk about all the asterisks, player injuries to other teams, etc. The team won the damn title.

• Draft grades/recruiting rankings

Whether it’s the NFL Draft, NBA Draft or college football recruiting rankings, very few things defy common sense more than this garbage. So you are evaluating a player before they even play at the next level. That’s like grading a test that hasn’t been taken yet.

• College football preseason rankings

This ranks right up there with post-draft and post-recruiting rankings. There are some that would give rankings to boot regardless of what time of year. While rankings are conjecture-filled, I can at least live with rankings after four games because it is done after teams have established a body of work.

• Random clueless Little League parents

A) Kid is having trouble throwing strikes. Adult goes, "C'mon throw strikes." Like the kid is trying to throw pitches out of the strike zone.

b) Kid at bat pops up to second base. Clueless adult goes, "Nice hit!" No, he made contact. That doesn't make it a hit.

• Tarnish his legacy

“(Insert any random future Hall-of-Famer) is tarnishing his legacy by playing too long.” I give that statement the middle digit twice. For one, who are you to decide if a player should retire? If a player continues to play for the right reasons, I’m all for it. If it is to help the team win even if it means taking a secondary role, I don’t care if he plays until he’s 65. If he’s doing it to pad stats, go away.

Secondly, this argument is bogus because, for example, what you are saying is that just because Jerry Rice’s last two seasons (2003-2004) in Oakland and his half-season in Seattle (also 2004) were nondescript, I have to suddenly forget about his 16 great years as a San Francisco 49er and two Pro Bowl seasons as a Raider?

So what you are saying is that just because Michael Jordan looked like an oridary player as a Washington Wizard, I suddenly have to forget that game-winning shot he made in the 1998 NBA Finals over Bryon Russell?

• Score too soon

Pick any random football game when a team scores a touchdown with a minute and change left to go ahead, for example, 27-23. Listen to clueless commentator say, “You don’t want to score too soon. You’ll give the other team time to score.”

Here’s a novel concept. True, you’d love to score the winning points with no time on the clock but that’s not reality. The offense’s job is to score, if you have the chance, you score. Period. End of discussion. You have no control over what your team’s defense does after you score.

Time Out with Trevor Boldway: 2013 American Canyon High graduate

Vince D’Adamo: What have you enjoyed most about competing in athletics throughout your life?

Trevor Boldway: I enjoyed the sense of unity and being apart of a family that being in sports brought to me, knowing I had brothers to help me or have my back was a great experience, and the sense of responsibility that came with it.

D’Adamo: What have you been up to since graduating from high school?

Boldway: A serious foot injury the beginning of 2012 season ended my hopes of continuing in football at college so I decided to go to work instead.  I have had a couple of full time jobs working in the wine bottling industry.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite class here at American Canyon High?

Boldway: Honestly my favorite classes were Weight Training and Aquatics because  I enjoyed the physicality of both.

D’Adamo: What was it like being part of history at American Canyon High as the school opened?

Boldway: It was exciting.  I didn't like Vintage very much but I did like playing football there.  Starting a brand new school we were considered the upperclassmen from the beginning.  We basically had a whole campus to ourselves and were able to set the traditions for the next set of incoming students.

D’Adamo: How much do you feel you have grown personally since high school and how much of that growth do you trace to athletics?

Boldway: I feel I have grown a lot by way of accepting personal responsibility for my actions and most, if not all of it had to do with participating in sports.  Especially with Ian MacMillan as my football coach.

D’Adamo: Within your family who have been the most influential people?

Boldway: My mother is the most influential person in my family, she has and always will support us no matter what.  She is a single mother who puts her kids before everything and everyone.  She is loving, honest, tells you like is it and has taught us tolerance.  Without her I don't think I would have made it through high school.

D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports, that you would most like to meet.

Boldway: I think that would be Marcus Allen of the Oakland Raiders.  I grew up in a Raider household and he was one of my Papa's favorite running backs.  I grew up listening to him compare other running backs to Marcus Allen.

Time machine post: 2000 Vacaville at Vintage

Sometimes you remember a game because it reminds you of how strange of a game baseball truly is.

The 1999 Vintage High baseball team won a school-record 27 games but the next season entered the new century having lost many great contributors to that team, including but not limited to Steve Skinner, Lorin Brambila, Dal Wilson, Andrew Workman, Wes Frey and Derek Texdahl.

The Crushers entered their mid-March matcthup at home against the Vacaville Bulldogs for a Monticello Empire League contest with a 4-7 overall mark and 2-2 in MEL. Vacaville was 5-6 overall and 2-1 in MEL.

I had the chance to cover numerous high school baseball games in my 18-year career as a sports reporter. I have thought long and hard to find a stranger game than this one that I witnessed. Suffice it to say, I couldn’t.

Vintage won this contest 17-14. Yes, that is a baseball score. However, this was not a high-scoring game that had several lead changes.

The Crushers sent 10 batters to the plate in the first inning to take a 6-0 lead highlighted by Cam Shick’s three-run homer and Mike Taylor’s two-run triple. Vintage scored seven runs in the third inning to take a 13-0 advantage highlighted by Taylor’s RBI triple, Kyle Wright’s RBI single and Shick’s RBI double.

Vintage was poised to end the game via the ten-run rule. Per California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) rules, in baseball and softball the games are seven innings. If a team is leading by ten runs or more after five innings, the game is over.

The Bulldogs extended the game with seven runs in the top of the fifth, making it 13-7 Vintage highlighted by Jordan Brown’s two-run single, Phillip Cary’s RBI single and Adam Brearly’s RBI triple. Vintage got a run back in the bottom of the fifth to make it 14-7.

Vacaville did not go quietly scoring three in the sixth, making it 14-10 highlighted by Brown’s two-run triple.

Vintage answered with three in the bottom of the sixth highlighted by Shick’s two-run homer to take a 17-10 lead.

The Bulldogs, however, did not go quietly as Tony Sacca belted a grand slam to cut the lead to 17-14 in the top of the seventh with no outs. Vintage’s Ryan Payne struck out the next two batters before Josh Poque doubled. Vintage centerfielder Jason Cardwell appeared to catch the ball cleanly but the umpire ruled that the ball hit the fence before settling into his glove. Payne later retired Steve Luttrell to pop out to third baseman Jason Zudell for the final out.

How this game got me thinking:

• What I remember most is going into the fifth inning when Vintage led 13-0, “Man, I can get my interviews out of the way, go back to the office, file my story and be done quick.” For the record, my day would not have been done when filing my story as I had other production duties afterwards. Instead, my scorebook was a hot mess to total up stats. Also, instead of writing about a ho-hum 10-run rule win by Vintage, I wrote about how the Crushers nearly coughed up a 13-0 lead.

• Vintage High head coach Rich Anderson epitomizes what most consider the “old school” baseball approach as far as respecting the unwritten rules. One of which involves baserunning with a big lead such as not stealing bases with an eight-run lead, etc. After the game, by his own admission, that approach was costly as far as extending the game. Vintage was never in danger of losing but the fact that the Crushers went from having the game end in five innings to the tying run coming to the plate was reason enough to raise a red flag.

• When it comes to running up the score, I look at the process more so than the final score. Baseball though is much trickier, there is no clock to gauge what a safe lead is or is not. I have also seen a team win 25-0 in five innings but go out of their way not to win 55-0. Why? Because, if they were in scoring position, they would hold at third base on a base hot to the outfield or they would bypass taking an extra base on a wild pitch or passed ball.

• If a team can’t score 10 runs in a week, you take the station-to-station approach. However, if you know a team can score 10 runs in a game or even two innings, stealing bases with a big lead is fair game.

Can you imagine these events in the social media era?

Many people can probably remember the world when life was much different — and in many ways, simpler.

For example, remember the days you would have to program your VCR instead of your DVR? Remember the days when restaurants had smoking and non-smoking sections? Remember the days when gas stations had attendants pump gas for customers? I could probably come up with a zillion analogies.

The newspaper industry changed in ways I never imagined, which is a big reason I am no longer there. However, I haven’t died as a writer thanks to this blog.

When I began my first foray in the industry in 1995, some newspapers were online, but the trend was not en vogue like it is now. Though many older folks will always prefer the physical copy of the newspaper, I don’t have a problem reading one online.

In fact, I can actually see some value in it, both as a professional and a consumer.

For the former, let’s say it’s football season and St. Helena is playing Kelseyville and Calistoga is playing Upper Lake. I like how I can go on to the Lake County Record Bee website, read the previous week’s game report and feel pretty well informed. It certainly saves time from calling newspapers or those coaches.

And when the Saints and Wildcats do play those teams, it is interesting to get the Lake County perspective.

As a consumer, I can remember going to college out of state in Nebraska. I liked how I could read the Bay Area newspapers online and get the 49ers, Giants, Raiders and Warriors stories just as if I were back home. Since I moved back to California, if it weren’t for Nebraska newspapers being online, I couldn’t follow Husker football like I can now.

Though I know it’s probably here to stay, I’m not a fan of how social media has become overly involved in journalism. I am on Facebook for personal reasons, to keep in touch with people I seldom see. I am on Twitter as well, but only for professional reasons and to share links from this blog. Though social media can be useful, I see more minuses than pluses as far as mixing it with traditional journalism.

Call me a 43-year-old curmudgeon but far too many half-cocked and unsubstantiated rumors keep floating around on social media.    

So recently, I did a little brainstorming and asked, what sports events or controversies make me think, “I can only imagine if it happened during the social media or Internet message board era.”

A few that come to mind are:

• The Joe Montana/Steve Young saga.

• Game 6 call of the 1985 World Series (Cardinals/Royals).

• Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan.

• Buddy Ryan takes a swing at Kevin Gilbride.

• Chris Webber’s time out.

• Magic Johnson goes public with being HIV positive.

• Bill Buckner’s error in the 1986 World Series.

• Pete Rose and gambling.

• Black Sox scandal.

• 1980 USA hockey.

• Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth’s home run record.

• 1970s to early 1980s Oakland Raiders frequenting bars, clubs, strip joints, and all-nighters in New Orleans on Super Bowl eve.

• Tom Osborne going for two in the 1984 National Championship.

• Mike Tyson biting Evander Holyfield’s ear.

• O.J. Simpson trial.

• Joe Montana being stopped in his Ferrari for “allegedly” being in possession.

• Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini vs. Duk Koo Kim championship fight.

• George Foreman vs. Joe Frazier — “Down goes Frazier.”

• Larry Bird’s steal of Isaiah Thomas’ in-bounds pass.

• Jimmy “The Greek” gets fired by CBS.

• Al Campanis’ racist remarks on Nightline.

• Joe Namath guarantees Jets’ Super Bowl win.

• Chicago Bears Super Bowl Shuffle.

• Any random tirade by Earl Weaver, Billy Martin or Tommy Lasorda.

• Dave Casper scores on the infamous “Holy Roller.” Throw in the Immaculate Reception while you’re at it.

• Woody Hayes’ punch.

• Any random Bobby Knight tirade or chair throwing incident.