Time Out with Arran Andersen -- 1989 Vintage High graduate

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

Arran Andersen: I love the process. Working to get better, seeing tangible results,
and then testing yourself in competition. Often times, the fruits of your labor are
rewarded in both victory and defeat. That’s why I believe sports are so valuable
for kids. The lessons I learned growing up have stuck with me my entire life:
Never quit. Practice makes perfect. Leave it all out there on the playing field

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

I’m a sportscaster for the CBS Affiliate in Raleigh, NC. This stop No. 9 on my
cross country journey. Along the way I’ve covered Super Bowls, NCAA
Tournaments, NBA and NHL playoffs, and too many other sporting events to
count. I’ve also interviewed some of the biggest names in sports. For a self
professed sports nut, it’s been a dream come true.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Vintage High?

Andersen: I took a an Art History class my senior year called “Man’s Search for
Meaning,” taught by Mr. Payne. It was a requirement that turned into a revelation
and opened my eyes to Art. I was so inspired that I minored in Art History at UC
Davis.  

D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Vintage High?

Andersen: I scored 38 points against Vanden my senior year at Vintage. That was
my career high. I also dunked for the first and only time. My only regret was losing
that basketball game. I can still remember the last play. We were down by one
point with seconds left and the pass to me inside was stolen. If we had to do it all
over again, I would have had Tony Prescott take the last shot.

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

Andersen: I think sports are a great metaphor for life. You learn about overcoming
obstacles and dealing with adversity along with the value of being part of a team.
You learn what it means to be a good teammate, leadership, unselfishness,
commitment and character. These are all life skills and traits that translate into the
business world, regardless of what path you choose.  

What I do today is actually an extension of the sports I grew up playing. Only now
I’m covering professional athletes and teams. I translate their experiences to our
viewers.

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

I owe everything to my parents. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am today.
They inspired me, by believing in me. That’s a powerful thing. I have some many
great memories of sports at VHS and my mom and dad were part of every one of
them. They even kept going to high school games after my brother and I graduated.
They might be bigger sports fans than I am.

Overreaction to pro athlete contracts borders on comical

Sometimes a chain of events serve as a reminder of what casual sports fans do not
understand.

Professional athletes make absurd amounts of money but when I hear people complain
about such salaries my response is, “Would you turn down that money?” I either get a
defensive response or hear crickets.

Here in the Bay Area, quarterbacks Derek Carr (Oakland Raiders) and Jimmy Garoppolo
(San Francisco 49ers) each inked monster contracts within the last eight months. Last
June, Carr signed a five-year deal worth $125 million, $40 million full guarantee at signing
and injury guarantee of $70M at signing. That highest paid status lasted about 14 minutes.
Well, actually about 67 days with Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford inking a
five-year deal worth $135 million. Stafford's contract set records for largest signing bonus
($50 million), most money fully guaranteed at signing ($60.5 million) and three-year cash
flow ($87 million).

Thanks to Garoppolo resetting the market, Stafford is no longer the highest paid player in
the NFL. The 49ers inked Garoppolo to a five-year deal of $137.5 million deal on Thursday
with $74 million guaranteed. With Washington’s Kirk Cousins, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers,
Atlanta’s Matt Ryan, New Orleans’ Drew Brees and Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger facing
the prospect of new deals, Garoppolo’s status of highest paid might last 27 minutes. If you
are any of those quarterbacks, you’re not taking a dime less than $30 million a year.

The 49ers acquired Garoppolo on Oct. 30 from New England, where he spent his first three
NFL seasons as Tom Brady’s understudy. Garoppolo started two games for the Patriots in
2016 and five for the 49ers after the aforementioned trade. Garoppolo guided San Francisco
to five wins as the team finished 6-10, two wins over eventual playoff teams Tennessee and
Jacksonville. The late season surge has 49er fans envisioning a playoff team as soon as the
2018 campaign.

The reaction from traditional media to social media has been all over the map. You are either
a 49er fan that feels like the franchise discovered bread now that their team has Garoppolo
or you think that’s too much money for a guy that has only started seven NFL games.

There is every reason to think the 49ers are a playoff contender. The have a dynamic
coach/general manager combination of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch to go along with
the addition of Garoppolo. In the NFC West, Arizona is breaking in a new coach and
quarterback. Once dominant Seattle is at a crossroads. The Los Angeles Rams have a
dynamic quarterback/running back tandem in Jared Goff and todd Gurley along with a
brilliant head coach (Sean McVay). The time is right for San Francisco to become relevant
but pump the brakes -- or have another drink -- if you think this is a 12-4 team just yet.
Are the 49ers the team that started 0-9 or finished 6-1? The truth lies somewhere in the
middle.

There are plenty of examples of players signing a long term deal only to regress.
Garoppolo, however, is an intelligent player that has been well-schooled. I see that trend
continuing under Shanahan. The only worry is durability since he has yet to play a
16-game season but that’s the risk you take, especially in football.

If you think the franchise ponied up too much coin too soon, you are missing the point.
For openers, every year there are guys that have yet to play a single snap in the NFL that
sign multi-million dollar deals. Through Garoppolo has started just seven games, the point
is that he has been in the league for three years.

Garoppolo has been coached up by Bill Belichick and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh
McDaniels. It is also fair to say that Garoppolo has learned by observing the aforementioned
future Hall-of-Famer Brady. In his five starts as a 49er, he made a pedestrian group of
receivers, running backs and offensive linemen better. My goodness, Marquis Lee looked
like Jerry Rice once Garoppolo was in the starting lineup.

It is astounding how many casual fans show their lack of scruples when they link a player’s
salary with his resume, stats and where they rank among their peers. When a player signs a
record-setting contract, some fans have an orgasm with statements like, “He’s not worth
that money!” or “How can he be making that much money when this player over here has
better stats” or things to that effect. Basing a player’s salary on where he ranks among his
peers is flawed logic because careers have peaks and valleys. You just hope their
performance averages out relevant to their salary.

Take last season’s contract carasel between Carr and Stafford. After a promising first three
seasons, Carr and his Raider teammates took a nosedive on the way to a 6-10 season.
While injuries and former head coach Jack Del Rio’s roster and coaching staff
mismanagement played a role in the team’s downfall, Carr’s 2017 performance did not
measure up to his aforementioned new contract. If you are a Raider fan, the hope is that
the hiring of head coach Jon Gruden can get a broken down Carr back on the road -- pun
intended. On the flip side, Carr’s rookie contract of four years for $5.3 million measured
to his first three seasons would qualify as outperforming the contract. Keep in mind, in
2016 the Raiders went 12-4 with Carr being an NFL MVP candidate.

Stafford, thanks in part to a longer body of work, jumped Carr as the highest paid player.
Stafford just completed his ninth season. Before the 2017 season, most people had Carr
ranked in the 6-8 range among quarterbacks, Stafford was anywhere from 10-14. The
narrative was “Dammit how could Stafford be making more than Carr!” Based on 2017,
however, you can’t argue with Stafford being ranked ahead of Carr, thus making more
money. Just like last season, however, things could change.

Contracts are about timing, leverage and economics. If you think they are about resumes,
stats or ranking peers, you are naive by definition. Short of teams losing revenue, player
salaries are only going to skyrocket.

So the next record contract you see a player sign, understand two things: a) He is worth it
despite your belief to the contrary because b) His salary will be dwarfed within a year and
thus be a bargain.

Time Out with Bernie Ochoa -- Vintage High soccer coach

Vince D’Adamo: What is the No. 1 thing that keeps you coming back to
coaching every season?

Bernie Ochoa: Passion and pride for the game and my community. Giving back
and being a positive role model for our youth in both sports and school.  

D’Adamo: Beyond wins and losses, what is your continued vision for the
Vintage High soccer program?

Ochoa: I want to give the boys a sense of family and team along with a program
that shows their skills on the field and supporting them in the classroom, to achieve
their academic success for graduation and college. We want to help prepare them
to be responsible and respectful young adults. I believe having these values gives
us what our program is today, which is a winning tradition.

D’Adamo: You had a chance to coach with Dennis Sweeney, what did you
learn most from him?

Ochoa: I respect Dennis for his extensive background and love for the sport that he
has dedicated his life and time to the sport. I thank him for giving me the opportunity
to learn and coach beside him.

D’Adamo: Besides the Xs and Os of coaching, how important is it to be able to
relate to youngsters as people?

Ochoa: It is extremely important. I have always strived to be an educator and impact
youth both on and off the field, to inspire them to be the best that they can be. It’s a
fine line to be a friend and a coach to the youth but it is important to prepare yourself
mentally to be a listener and have patients, so you can relate and show compassion
in. To learn and study and use your past and present experiences to help guide them.
You never know what to expect and have to be ready with what you say and do can
influence a kid for the rest of his life.

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

Ochoa: I thank my parents, my family and friends for all there love and support they
give me day to day. I would also like to say thank you to all my players that I have
coached over the years for giving me the opportunity to be a part of their lives and
giving me the most amazing memories.

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?

Ochoa: I would like to meet Jose Mourinho Portuguese Manager who is considered
greatest and most successful managers in the world! What intrigues me is his tactical
knowledge, charismatic but also controversial personality, and what his opponents
regard as emphasis on getting results over playing beautiful football. It’s about results
at the end of the day that characterize you from being a good or bad coach.

As signing day beckons, redshirt year should be strongly considered

The hype of National Letter of Intent Day for college football recruits is upon us. Oh Joy!

On Wednesday, high school football seniors around the country will make their choices
official on National Signing Day.

I cannot help but be cynical because recruiting hype leading up to this day defies logic.
OK, I sound like “old man yelling at cloud” but I digress. While I’m wish the youngsters
well in their journey, especially those coming to my alma mater (University of Nebraska),
I think the hype has gotten too nauseating for someone that has yet to play a second of
college athletics. I can only blame the youngsters to a point. After all, this hype sells and
the monster gets fed. I’m a crotchety 45-year old about this subject but I guess I have to
live with these times.

The outcome I’m always interested in seeing play out is does the youngster play right away
or does he redshirt?

Redshirt a term used in college athletics, including football, which describes a student-athlete
that is able to practice with a team and attend classes while not using one of their four years
of athletic eligibility. Translation, they lead the life of a student-athlete in terms of academics
and participating in practices but they do not play in games. There are other reasons, such as
medical issues, for a player to skip an entire year of competition.

I’ve heard a couple different theories over the years -- 1) Eliminate redshirts and allow five
years of eligibility or 2) Eliminate freshman eligibility and make them automatic redshirts.
I don’t think either should be a mandated rule but if given the choice I lean toward the latter.
In football, redshirting makes a ton of sense but in basketball or baseball that rule would not
wash because you have 18 year olds in the NBA and getting drafted by Major League
Baseball teams. In football, however, I say “well and good” because even the best high school
running back would get obliterated by the likes of Ray Lewis. Even the college version as
opposed to the NFL Hall-of-Famer.

From an academic standpoint alone, life would be much easier on the athlete if they knew all
that was expected that redshirt year was hitting the books and the weight room. I also think
too many coaches want to see a quick return on their investment. Youngsters and parents
pressuring the coach for immediate playing time does not help either. I think mandating
automatic redshirts would weed out kids who are just on campus to play sports and see
education as a nuisance. It might also de-emphasize a youngster basing immediate playing
time on his school of choice.

While I believe most college student-athletes are as diligent in the classroom as they are on
the field, I think we’ve lost sight of the notion that athletics and academics work in concert
and it might be time to see if we can’t get that back. I am fully aware of those that only go
to college to play sports but the vast majority are there for an education as well. The same
vast majority that will never play in the NFL or the NBA, or even MLB.

There is a lot to be said for starting off well academically because if a youngster starts out
by barely passing his classes, it’s an uphill climb all the way.

Plus it would contain the effect of those parents who think their kid should only go to a
school who promises to start them their first year. Who knows, maybe coaches would be
less inclined to dangle that “you'll start your first year" promise.

The current NCAA rules state that an eligible athlete has five years to complete four seasons.
Therefore, student-athletes may practice for a team but not play in a game for one season, not
counting against his or her four seasons of eligibility. This is known as a redshirt. Fans don’t
see their contributions in that they do not happen on game day but the redshirt season is a
valuable year in a system in that it provides shelter against some of the harsh realities of
jumping to a new level of football.

There are numerous reasons to redshirt freshmen. For starters, the college game moves a hell
of a lot faster than high school, which means decisions have to be made faster. Therefore, the
extra season working against starters in practice is a benefit.

Also, highly touted high school studs were often the stars of their team and their league. They
were exponentially better than their high school peers. In college, everyone is at least as good
if not better. That extra year of conditioning will give the youngster a better chance to handle
the rigors of a 12-14 game college schedule.

The verbiage of a playbook (especially on offense) is also far greater in college than in high
school as is the intricacy of reading the opposition. Some of that pressure can be alleviated
during a redshirt season.

Then there is the whole matter of adjusting from high school to college away from the field.
For some of these youngsters, it’s their first time away from home. All of the sudden cooking,
cleaning, doing laundry and partying are a juggling act. Throw that in with trying to balance
academics with athletics.

The best talent on the field is tough to overcome. The development of a successful program,
however, is not about talent alone but it is about the development of an overall player and his
maturity to handle the pressures and demands of being a great college football player.

I am of the opinion that the star system only matters in high school and freshman year. I will
take a three star senior with four years of good coaching over a five-star freshman that demands
early playing time with huge expectations and not much else any day.

Time Out with Johnny Villegas -- 2001 Napa High graduate

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

Johnny Villegas: The competition, the camaraderie, life long friendships and
life lessons gained along the way.

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

Villegas: After high school I attended SRJC went (11-0) and was team defensive
captain and received a full ride scholarship to a university in West Virginia. I played
ALIL (Arena2) and then semi pro. Now I’m back home in Napa (aka "God's Country")
living the dream, coaching football (14U Napa Valley Jets and North Bay Natives
7-on-7) and married to a beautiful smart wife Kristen and we have two amazing
boys Levii, 3, and Jayden, 9.

D’Adamo: What was your favorite class at Napa High?

Villegas: My favorite class was government/economics with Mrs. Emrey

D’Adamo: What was your favorite athletic moment at Napa High?

Villegas: I have two. The first would be JV big game my sophomore year, I was the
fullback, I carried the ball on a play called “30 trap.” I ran over three defenders at
the line of scrimmage then continued on a 45 yard scamper where there was only
one defender left to beat in the open field. I ran him straight over because I have
no moves. I still have that on my highlight tape to this day. The other is when I
made it to the State Meet for shot put and discuss. I had all my wisdom teeth
pulled that morning but still made it to the state meet to compete and win. Marty
James took a picture of me that I have hanging on my wall to this day it is poster
worthy.

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

Villegas: Athletics/sports saved my life and molded me into the friend husband father
coach and man I em today and still continues to help me grow to this day.

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

Villegas: Everyone in my family has had a big influence on me. You know the saying
"it takes a village to raise a child" that couldn't have been any truer in my case
because I know it/I wasn't the easiest.

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

Villegas: Art Rooney the founder and owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pat Tillman
soldier/pro football player/true American hero.