Treleven was a true gentleman and friend who will be missed

Sometimes life can he humbling beyond belief. 

On Dec. 22, 2019, the world lost a quality human being as

Michael Treleven passed away after a lengthy illness.

Treleven’s wife, Marsha Dorgan, posted on social media on

Sunday that via Michael’s request, there will be no service.

However, donations can be made to the American Cancer

Society in his memory. Michael was 64 and died as a result

of liver cancer. Treleven had been in hospice care in his final

two weeks. 

Dorgan and Treleven had been living in Napa, CA, for at least

two decades if not longer. I know very little about their immediate

and/or extended family but I got to know them in our years

working for Napa Valley Publishing, which owns four newspapers

in Napa Valley, CA. Michael worked both as business editor and

agricultural communications reporter. Marsha worked as a police

beat reporter. 

Michael graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Fresno State

(oh, he loved his Bulldogs). After his newspaper career ended

in 2011, he received a certificate in hospitality and tourism from

Napa Valley College. Michael put that certificate to use as a wine

tour guide. Whether as a reporter or tour guide, Michael had

everybody’s best interest at heart. 

Though I was a sports reporter, I worked many shifts with Michael.

Besides writing feature and game stories, one of my

responsibilities was also laying out the agate page, which

contained local and national box scores. Every time, the agate

page went through the film machine, Michael would say, “Vince

hits another home run.” Then, I would gesture swinging the bat

and admiring a home run to elicit a chuckle. Sports were normally

the last page to go to film. 

While the newspaper industry is not physically hard work, the

deadline pressure within the industry is no joke. I have seen a

few people get swallowed up in that situation. 

Deadline pressure can bring out many different personalities

from anger to calmness. Michael was a mixture of calmness and

levity. The story we talked about many times was how you find

the best stories? One time, I chimed in with, “Go down to the bus

stop and listen to what people are talking about.” That phrase

elicited laughter and took off like wildfire throughout the

newsroom. In 1999, Calistoga High football won the CIF North

Coast Section Class B title. Week after week, Michael and I

would exchange a mixture of a Wildcat (Calistoga’s mascot)

roaring and meowing. I could exchange numerous other stories

but I won’t in the interest of space. 

Since his last name, Treleven, was pronounced TREE-leven,

my nickname for him was “Tree.” Though Michael and I did not

necessarily do things together socially, I considered him a

great friend. I say quite confidently that I speak for many people,

especially those we worked with in the newsroom. 

Michael felt like everybody’s friend. That side of his personality

exuded itself so much that if you met him for the first time, he

was your friend within about 14 minutes. 

The sadness of losing Michael is immutable. People say, “You

only live once.” Not true. You only die once, you live everyday.

However, I think we can live the remainder of our own lives by

applying the same principles with how Michael lived his life.

In the angry world in which we live, I think it speaks volumes that

Michael’s kindness and unmistakable sense of humor never

wavered. Perhaps if we all took a piece of Michael’s principles

and applied it to our own lives, we can collectively make the

world a better place.

Michael and I frequently crossed paths when out shopping,

most notably at Target and a few grocery stores. No matter how

long it had been since we had crossed paths, the conversations

involved much levity, just like the newsroom. The conversation

also included, “What are they talking about at the bus stop?”

We also crossed paths on occasion because we both worked

as wine tour guides. 

Levity aside, Michael was a true gentleman. Also, any time you

needed to talk to him, he listened with empathetic ears with no

bias, which is rare. 

Michael, I’m in no hurry to get to where you are going but I

know we will meet again someday. My friend, you made

everyone’s world a better place. I’m going to do my part to pay

it forward and advise those around me to reciprocate.

Wrestling has temporarily returned to St. Helena High, staying power becomes vital

Could wrestling make a return to St. Helena High School? 

At least temporarily, it already has. The question becomes, will
it have staying power? While I can appreciate the “one step at
a time” line of thinking, such a question begs for a program that
has a proud past. According to a recent story in the St. Helena
Star, which is a weekly publication in St. Helena, CA, the sport
has returned on a tryout basis for 2019-2020 after going on
hiatus for the 2018-2019 season based on lack of enough
participants: 

https://napavalleyregister.com/community/star/sports/st-helena
-wrestling-outlook-storied-program-returns-for-a-tryout/article_
2c6e516e-906a-5d87-83c7-4327c521c210.html

In this space nearly two years ago, yours truly chronicled how
the sport had died a slow death since former head coach
Herschel Sandler resigned initially for personal reasons and
later found himself in a legal quagmire. From 1997-2007,
Saints wrestling won nine league titles in ten years along with
a CIF North Coast Section Class A title before gradually falling
into the abyss: 

https://vincedadamo.blogspot.com/2017/12/st-helena-high-
wrestling-has-died-slow.html

After Sandler, the program went through three coaches (Joe
Luna, Matt Coit and Roger Bubel). Though it was not due to
lack of effort by those involved, the program was never the
same. The current Saints are coached by Steve Solis, who
has been coaching Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School
(also St. Helena) the past two years. After breathing life back
into the RLS program, Solis hopes to do the same for St.
Helena. While the task is not impossible, it will not be easy. 

The Saints will not formally compete in Coastal Mountain
Conference meets but if the program is to return to such status,
there are certain criteria that needs to be met. For openers, the
roster numbers need to be kept up to remain viable. The
program finished the 2016-2017 season with two wrestlers. If
the program returns, the roster size ought to be from 12-15
wrestlers. There are 14 weight classes. St. Helena’s current
roster size is 15. Solis is assisted by Michael Hanna and Will
Sasser. 

The reason why such a roster size stipulation is warranted is
because in the CMC, teams travelling for 75 minutes one-way
for a meet is commonplace. If, for instance, you are Kelseyville,
do you want to waste school district transportation money to
come to St. Helena to wrestle three matches and forfeit 11?
I don't think so. The same thinking can work in reverse.

The key to sustaining the program is for the RLS and St. Helena
High to work in concert with one another. You can debate which
one carries more importance because there are arguments for
both. St. Helena needs RLS so it has a young crop of wrestlers
to become Saints. RLS needs St. Helena to have a high school
to send wrestlers without having their hand forced to either a)
go the private school route or b) needing a district transfer to a
public school. 

The good news is that the removal of the wrestling program has
only been a couple of years so the youngsters involved still recall
St. Helena having a program even if it was beyond the glory
years. The other challenges to the program remaining viable will
always be present. 

I have long contended that wrestling is the most physically
demanding among high school sports I have seen offered, even
more so than football. The physical nature on the mat is most
apparent but when you factor in that wrestlers are either starving
themselves to reach a lower weight class or eating like mad to
reach a higher weight class. That nutrition intake -- or lack
thereof -- must be hell on your body.

The best part of wrestling is that it is a sport that does not penalize
a kid for their size. The roster numbers are up now but the
sustaining of that momentum becomes important because wrestling
is not viewed as a mainstream sport. That line of thinking is because
many people cannot comprehend the nuances of the sport. 

For example, even if you have never picked up a basketball in your
life, you can comprehend the following: a) Pick and roll, b) Michael
Jordan drives to the basket, gets double-teamed, passes to a wide
open Steve Kerr, who hits the 3-pointer or c) Magic Johnson lobs
the ball into the post to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. If Kareem gets double
-teamed, he’ll pass to Byron Scott for a 3-pointer. If Kareem is one-
on-one, he’ll make a move and shoot his patented sky-hook.
Whereas, most people can’t comprehend terms like: a) Single-leg
takedown, b) Reversal, c) Near fall or d) Short time.

Speaking of short time, here’s hoping that wrestling’s return to St.
Helena High is anything but a short return. 

Two-minute drill mastery is the best judge of a quarterback

The term “inexact science” is often used in relation to sports. 

The notion could apply to any number of things which include

but are not limited to drafting players at the professional level

and recruiting at the college ranks. The inexact science theory

could also apply to power ranking teams or players based on

position. With the latter, no position seems to draw as much

passion among fans and media alike than quarterback,

particularly in the NFL. 

You will hear varying degrees of arguments in terms of what

people value: a) Quarterback A has X number of Super Bowl

rings while Quarterback B only has Y number of Super Bowl

rings, case closed, argument over, b) What is the teams’

winning percentage with that quarterback as the starter and

c) There is the fantasy football-ification theory of sheer

numbers. 

I can poke holes at all three arguments. Let’s not kid

ourselves, quarterbacks are judged by championships but

there is not a universe where you will convince me that, for

instance, Trent Dilfer is a better quarterback than Dan Marino.

Dilfer was backed by a legendary defense while Marino led one

of the worst Super Bowl participants to the Big Dance in 1984.

Put Marino on the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, they still smash the

New York Giants in the Super Bowl Bowl. Put Dilfer on the

1984 Miami Dolphins, they reach the Super Bowl with a ticket

but not as a participant. I could think of a zillion other examples

but in the interest of space, I won’t. 

Quarterback winning percentage ranks right up there with

baseball pitchers’ win-loss record. If a pitcher throws seven

innings, gives up one run but the team loses 2-0, how is that

the pitchers’ fault? On the other hand, if a starting pitcher throws

five innings, giving up four runs and the team wins 9-7, then

they won despite the pitcher, not because of him. 

Numbers are all well and good but you have to look at the

framework. If a quarterback throws for 365 yards and three

touchdowns within the framework of trying to win the game, I

will give ample credence. If they came in garbage time, I can’t

take them seriously. 

So what defines ranking one quarterback over the other? I

look at the two-minute drill at the end of the first half or game. I

ask myself, “If my team needs a score (touchdown or field goal)

and is backed up at its own 20 yard-line, do I believe this

quarterback can get it done? 

Below is a story on quarterbacks that are the all-time leaders

in NFL history on leading their team to come-from-behind

victories: 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/the-top-15-qbs-who-have

-the-most-fourth-quarter-comebacks-in-nfl-history/ar-BBNfnTT

Why is this trait so important? Because quarterbacks that can

achieve this feat do not just lead their team to victory, they

engender a belief among their teammates that they will deliver

when the team needs it most. 

The difference between having a guy who you know can get

the job done and a guy who you hope can lead the team down

the field for the winning score is incalculable. There's a

calmness and confidence that you simply can't manufacture

no matter how much practice time is devoted to it. Quarterbacks

must earn those stripes.

I’m not suggesting that quarterbacks have to be perfect in that

situation because after all, they are human and there will be

times they will not get the job done. The difference between

having a quarterback you believe will do the job versus one

you hope, is the difference between good and elite. 

Sports resumes are bodies of work, not one game

One discussion I find myself revisiting quite a bit is the increased

hype of college recruiting.

Go to any message board or social media feed and you’ll read, “School

X, Y or Z just signed the No. 1-rated linebacker in the country.”

These kids haven’t even played a single minute of college athletics and

in some cases have yet to finish their high school career, and they are

already being tabbed the savior of their program. I can’t blame the kid

in this situation because they don’t ask to be put in this position. 

There were a few times in my former career of sports journalist where I

have covered a game and was told beforehand that a player involved

either had a full-ride scholarship to a Div. I school or was being actively

recruited by such. 

After the game when I have conversations with people it amazes me the

comments I get from various people: “That kid really impressed me,”

or “Eh, I wasn’t impressed,” or “In the game I saw, he/she didn’t do

squat.” 

Of course, we live in a world where making snap judgments is more of

the thing to do as opposed to letting things play out. To that end, we

tend to forget that a person’s resume is their body of work over a period

of time, rather than just one game. 

When you think of Joe Montana’s Hall of Fame career, what do you

think of first? The three-year stretch where the 49ers were eliminated in

the first round of the NFL playoffs with decisive losses, or the four Super

Bowl titles he led them to?

The latter, definitely, but the truth of the matter is that his Hall of Fame

status is based on his collective resume over his 15-year career. 

I was fortunate enough to cover sports at every level from little league to

the NFL. There are three examples that I keep coming back to that are

stark reminders that a person’s resume is their body of work:

Steve Skinner

When people think of great high school baseball players in Napa County,

the ones that immediately come to mind are without even batting an eye

Brett Wallace, Todd Pridy and Bill Buckner just to name a few. Pridy

and Buckner are Napa High graduates, Wallace graduated from Justin-

Siena. I could go on, but in the interest of space I’ll keep it to those three.

When I first moved back to California in 1998 I landed a job with the

Napa Valley Register. I heard various colleagues raving about then-

Vintage High shortstop Steve Skinner. 

Several months later, baseball season rolls around and I am sent to cover

a Crushers game. Skinner goes 0 for 4 and makes three errors. At first I

thought, “What the hell is all the fuss about? Skinner looked like a hung

tooth.”

So I interviewed Vintage head coach Rich Anderson after the game and

he said something to the effect of that possibly being the worst game of

Skinner’s high school career. 

Every game I covered thereafter, Skinner showed why he was the player

my cohorts hyped him up to be. Years later, I say to myself, “Good thing

I listened to my own advice and didn’t make any snap judgments.”

Granted, Skinner did not have the same success in baseball after high

school as Wallace, Pridy or Buckner but anyone who watched him

regularly in high school would concur the guy had an outstanding

career. 

Dallas Bernstine

I had the opportunity to cover Bernstine’s junior and senior seasons at

Jesse Bethel High (Vallejo, CA) for a now-defunct internet news service. 

Suffice it to say, Bernstine was as spectacular as any high school athlete

that I have ever had the chance to witness in person, including Napa

High great, who went on to star at the University of Oregon star John

Boyett.

During his junior year, I remembered Bernstine rushing for a Northern

California-record 551 yards rushing in a 59-38 win over Vintage in

2001.

Bernstine was such an impressive athlete that at the annual Nike Football

Training Camp on the campus of Stanford University, he rated ahead of

Reggie Bush. Yes, that Reggie Bush. 

As in the Reggie Bush that won multiple collegiate awards, including

the 2005 Heisman Trophy — but allegations that he received improper

benefits were central to a controversy surrounding the USC program

that led to severe NCAA sanctions against USC, including a two-year

postseason ban, the loss of football scholarships and the vacating of

wins in the 2004–05 championship season. In September 2010, Bush

voluntarily gave up his Heisman Trophy.

Anyhow, that’s a completely separate matter.

Bush played 11 seasons in the NFL for five different teams, including

the 2009 Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. For whatever reason,

Bernstine’s talents did not translate beyond City College of San Francisco.

By no means is that meant to disparage Bernstine but it serves as an

example of how things are not always as they appear. 

Jahvid Best

Best starred at Salesian High (Richmond) before playing his college ball

at the University of California. He also played three years in the NFL

with the Detroit Lions. 

Best faced both St. Helena and Justin-Siena High in 2004, and the

former again in 2005. 

In 2004 when facing both St. Helena and Justin, Best was the second

-best running back in both games based on performance. St. Helena’s

Robert Covey rushed for a school-record 266 yards on 29 carries and

five touchdowns. In that same contest, Best (then a sophomore) rushed

for 89 yards on 16 carries, including a 63-yard touchdown. I remember

covering that game, and Covey looked like a high school version of

John Riggins. 

Later that season in a 68-14 loss to Justin, Best was limited to 46 yards

on 21 carries, along with one catch for minus-2 yards. Once again, it

was another running back that outshined Best that day — Justin’s

Bryan Patton, who had 149 yards on nine carries and two scores. That

2004 Braves team, however, went 12-1 on the way to winning the CIF

North Coast Section Class A title and was the most dominant in former

head coach Rich Cotruvo’s 19-year reign. 

The point of my rambling, we live in a world where people like to make

snap judgments, but just remember that resumes are a body of work over

a period of time, not just one game.