Bear River Little League 4/30/2012

The Bear River Angels moved their record to 7-1 with their 6-2 win on Monday night over the Bear River Dodgers. The Dodgers stayed close in the first 3 innings trailing 2-0. The Angels moved the score to 6-0 when they scored four in the fourth. The Dodgers mounted a late game come back with a series of walks which scored two in the sixth. Ryan Solomon was called to the mound with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth with one out and proceeded to strikeout the last two batters of the game.

Pitchers for the Angels were starter Jake Leonard who got the win, David Fenton, Dean Hopper, Dillon Sinclair, Scott Sandstadt and Solomon. Harry Zea started for the Dodgers who took the loss and Elliot Bouchier closed out the game for the visiting team.

The Dodgers are back in action on Wednesday when they host the Penn Valley Giants at 7 p.m. and the Angels travel to Pioneer Park also on Wednesday, when they take on the Nevada City Angels at 5 p.m.

BASS FISHING AND THE MOON

6.5 pound large mouth bass

When the local lakes' water temperature hits 60 degrees something magical happens. Male Large mouth as well as Spotted bass move into shallow water to spawn. Male fish (three to five pound weight class) will fan an area with their tails removing the loose debris . They are creating a bed for the often larger females ( five plus pounds) to lay her eggs. While the male is fanning the female will be staged in a little deeper water hiding within some type of structure until the time is right. What triggers the spawning female that the time is right? Through my 40 plus years of bass fishing, I can share with you with confidence it is the full moon. The first weekend in May (5th, 6th and 7th) will be peak spawning season as this is the first time in 2012 where the water temperature is 60 degrees under a full moon. You will want to work the shoreline with plugs, spinners or plastic worms. I prefer to walk along the banks than to fish from a boat.

 When you see a bed (small circular indentation) there will be fish near by. The spawning bass are not actively feed, but they will strike anything that is endangering it's offspring. Cast past the bed and bring it back towards towards you let in sink into the center of the bed and leave it there. The bass will pick it up in their mouth and try to spit it out away from the bed. This is when you set the hook. Make sure your drag is set fairly lose as the bass is going to make a fast aggressive run in an attempt to free itself.  If you are lucky enough to land a large female who is on her bed please do not keep it. Your trophy of a lifetime is the life's blood to future generations of fish and fisherman.

KENDAL NIELSEN - CHAMPION

Photo courtesy of Jack McCrory.

Bear River's Kendal Nielsen won the girls long jump with a distance of 19 feet -1 3/4 inches and placed third in the triple jump with a jump of 38 feet 5 3/4 inches. She finished in third behind the National triple jump leader Sasha Wallace, of Holy Names of Oakland, who won the event with a jump of 41 feet -8 3/4 inches at the annual  Meet of Champions. This annual meet is where only the best runners, jumpers and throwers are invited to compete, which gives them the opportunity to show who is the best of the best. Many track athletes will not only be competing for medals, trophies and bragging rights but also college scholarships. Many smaller school and rural living athletes don't get the exposure to college recruiters due to budget cuts of many college track programs, who no longer can afford to travel long distances to seek out the hidden talent. College coaches attend this event where they will meet many elite athletes for the first time.

Read more here: hcbee.com/2012/04/29/4450878/headline-goes-here-pleaejjkkk.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/04/29/4450878/headline-goes-here-pleaejjkkk.html#storylink=cpy

National triple jump leader Sasha Wallace, a junior from Holy Names of Oakland, easily won that event at 41-8 3/4

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/04/29/4450878/headline-goes-here-pleaejjkkk.html#storylink=cpy

BEAR RIVER LITTLE LEAGUE 4/28/2012

Cards and Giants score 55

On Saturday, The Bear River minor Giants hosted and fell to the BR Cardinals with a final score of 30-25 (the game ran 4 hours 20 min). The score was more in line with a football score than baseball. The Cards manager Ralph Hurst handed the ball to his stopper Sydney Bishop, who closed out the game with two strikeouts and a come back ground ball to end the sixth and final inning to earn the win.

Powell leads Yankees

Also in minors, the Bear River Little League Yankees traveled to Applegate ball park and defeated the Sierra Foothill Brewers 11-0 in four innings. The visiting Yankees manager Dave Rogers called on right handed starting pitcher Justin Powell, who recorded 10 strikeouts of a possible 12 outs and earned the win. Bear River was led at the plate by Ray Holcomb who hit a triple. The Yankees will take on the Sierra Foothill Giants Wednesday at 4:45 p.m. on the Bear River major field.

Dodger get out early

The marquee match up in the majors division on Saturday was the Bear River Dodgers vs the Bear River A's. The Dodgers jumped out early with eight runs in the first and the A's chipped away at the lead, but were unable over come the early set back. Pitcher Harry Zea held off the surging A's with the bases loaded in the last inning for the 8-6 win. Also pitching for the Dodgers was starter Bradley Dzioba who gave up one run, Josiah Cregar also gave up one and Elliot Bouchier went one and two thirds giving up three. Leading hitters for the Dodgers were Noah Gravatt who went two for three and Dzioba hit a double. A's starter Trevor Hennig took the loss for the A's while Caleb Edwards and Jacob Anderson pitched well in relief. Both relievers helded the Dodgers scoreless after the first. The Dodgers will look look to take their momentum into their Monday game where they will be taking on the league leading Angels at 7 p.m. While the A's will look to rebound on Tuesday when they square off against the BR Giants at 7 p.m.

DEAD BATTERY IN NEVADA COUNTY

When your car's battery goes dead, you have just a few options to get that hunk of metal rolling again. If you own a manual transmission car, then what is know as "popping the clutch" will almost always get you on your way again. That is if you can push 3000 pounds or if you are lucky enough to be stalled on a hill. Calling AAA is always the best option with an automatic transmission, but if you are not one of the 50 million customers the company claims to have then you will need to flag someone down to help jump start your car, if you have jumper cables. If you don't own them, I would recommend picking them up at Riebe's Napa Auto Parts in Grass Valley near the round-a-bout on Idaho-Maryland Rd. or on Searls St. in Nevada City. So let say you have the cables and you have a willing jumper. You will want to open the hoods to both vehicles and locate the batteries. Once you have navigated where the hood release is, make sure the cables are long enough to reach both batteries at the same time. Once you are ready to make the connections, always connect to the dead battery first and be sure to connect the red handle to the positive post (+) on the battery and the negative (-) with the black handle. Once you have your vehicle hooked up, be sure to do the same thing to the car that is currently running. Once your connections have been made, try to start the dead car. It should start right away. Be sure to drive the newly started vehicle to give your alternator (the cars internal battery charger) time to fully recharge the battery or you may find yourself stranded again. The idea of revving the running car to enhance the power transferred to the dead battery has very little merit. If the vehicle does not start right away you most likely have a bigger issue on your hands. Call Fischer Towing 647 E Main St, Grass Valley, CA 95945 (530) 273-3180. They are a good group of drivers, who are courteous and conscientious. Have them tow you to Gin's Little Valley Auto Care 15898 Little Valley Rd. Grass Valley (530) 477-7880 . Duke is a great mechanic for those of you who are not afraid to go to a non-dealer environment. If a dealer is what you are most comfortable with, Grass Valley and Nevada City are not the places to have car troubles. 

NBA FANTASY BASKETBALL 2012

I would like to congratulate my 10 year old son on winning his first NBA fantasy basketball championship in what was his inaugural season. He defeated an eight year old friend who lives in Los Angeles with a final score of 5-3 in the head to head format. The managers who skillfully led their clubs to the Grass Valley league finals which was played on Yahoo Sports had finished the regular season in last and next to last place. They both made some very drastic moves prior to playoff time, of which I questioned, but the risk really payed off for both of them. Nice season boys. I hope you enjoyed it and I look forward to seeing you again on the hardwood for the 2012-2013 draft sometime around Thanksgiving.

In the semi-final match up this past week it was a fathers vs sons match up. The old guys who had mentored their boys all season, we taught the newbies the tricks of the game and we were exposed by those efforts. I fell in what was a close game 5-4 while the youngest manager took on his father the oldest most experienced manager. The contest started out close but by the weekend the old man fell asleep on the couch and he never woke up, falling 7-2.

I learned a few things through this NBA season. Injured players should be cut almost at once regardless of who they are. I held onto a big named player for more than 6 weeks which caused me drop 5 out of 6 games which caused me to slide in the standings from first to third. When assembling a team you need a standout shooting guard, so draft accordingly. The largest things I learned is don't give away your game plan and never underestimate your opponent even if they are eight and 10 respectively.

It was a fun season even though it was a shortened one due to a strike. There were many moments when I learned a thing or two about trash talk as well as a love of basketball being passed from one generation to the next.

Final Standings

#1 Showtime - Dean

#2 Go Heat - Daniel

#3 California Comets - Scott

#4 Oak Park Eagles - Chuck

Thank you for playing along....The Commissioner!

DATE NIGHT IN NEVADA COUNTY #1 - SUSHI

Many locals and tourists alike may find themselves on Broad Street in Nevada City around dinner time feeling hungry. But without a plan or a clear direction, you will begin to play tennis with your companions, and it goes something like this: "Where do you want to go?" They will reply, "I don't know, where do you want to go?" "What do you feel like eating?" and so on. Once the match has everyone exhausted, one person in the group will say, "Let's walk around and see what jumps out at us." The more you walk, the more hungry you become and in Nevada City your choices are endless, so without clear direction you may be lost. My favorite spot in our quaint mining town will most likely will be off limits to you at that very moment, but it is worth a shot and very much worth the wait. Sushi in the Raw (315 Spring St. Nevada City, CA 95959 (530) 478-9503) is my favorite sushi house in Nevada County. There is usually long wait, so make a reservation. Especially if you are not reading this at the corner of Broad and Pine looking for a place to eat within the next 10 minutes. Yes it costs more that other options within walking distance, but it does offer something you will find very special. If you are in from out of town or a local without a reservation, good luck overturning this hidden gem. You will often need a reservation more than 3 days in advance to experience one of Nevada City's culinary delights. If you have a special evening coming up and can plan well in advance, call Sushi in the Raw and ask to sit at Rue's back bar. This is where you will be delighted by the owner who is a sushi artist. He will undoubtedly create a masterpiece for you. The back bar has seating for only four customers and is not part of the general restaurant. You will be seated on tall chairs within a small but comfortable space, and if you will eat just about anything, let him know that by asking for the chef's choice. Rue will make you some incredible fare, that is not often served at other sushi bars. He will impress not only you with his offerings, but your guests as well. Nevada City has many restaurants, but Rue's back bar is very special place that many locals don't know about and if they do, they don't talk about it. Enjoy your date night.

RECONNECT

As my life gets jam packed with the busyness of living, my son and I drift off course from time to time. When I felt this disconnect happening last week, we did what we both like to do, we went fishing. The conditions were not ideal, but that was not the point. It was time to reconnect. We loaded our gear into the truck at 9 a.m., much later than usual and drove to Spenceville State recreation area on Highway 20, eight miles from Grass Valley towards Marysville, next to Beal Air Force base. Three years go we started a tradition. We do what we refer to as "pond hopping." The state game area is filled with small ponds and also Dry Creek, which has a great water fall. Pond hopping is one activity that we both enjoy. We love to hike around in the warm spring sun with our fly rods in hand. The purpose of the day was to reconnect with my 10 year old boy. While driving in the car we talked about our fantasy basketball teams (he is in the finals this week and I'm not), school and his travel baseball team. The conversation never got too deep, but the chatter was comforting. We ate junk food from the gas station and drank soda (two things we do not consume very often) while sitting on the back of the tail gate. We walked the weed filled shorelines together of many ponds that day. As we both looked into the water for spawning bass, I could see his refection . I wondered what he sees through his eyes and if he enjoys these moments as much as I do. I recalled a few fading memories of my childhood fishing with my father. I do not recall a single fish being caught, but that was not the point. I warmly remember my father being there.

THREE LEGS OF EDUCATION

Teaching and or coaching is a very demanding position in any community. Teachers have Star tests with very public numbers, and coaches have win loss records displayed in the sports section every day. My father was an educator and coach in Jackson, Michigan where I grew up, so other than my involvement as a school board member and as the father of two school aged children, I have a long history as to the demands of education. Teachers have a responsibility to teach every child to the best of their abilities, regardless of who walks through the door. Some children read or run faster than others, while many are engaged and others are not. Nevada County has some of the best schools in the state as well as the country. Many local schools have achieved Blue Ribbon status and a large number of Bear River and Nevada Union High School graduates attend college. This is due to teacher dedication, student commitment and parent support. Think of a stool. There must be three strong legs for it to stand. The educator, the student and the parents create a partnership for student success. If there is a failure by one of the three legs, the stool will not stand. If there is failure, the teacher or coach is usually the first to receive the blame. But instead of casting blame, it would be best for the sake of the student to find another way to motivate the learner if and when they struggle. A parent can take an active role by being involved as well as being inquisitive as to what their child is learning. They can ask questions, help with study/practice habits and volunteer in the classroom, field or court. Statistics show that children with parents who are involved in the classroom or coaching on some level, have a higher achievement rate. Parental actions speak louder than words to children. Teachers are paid to teach, students by law have to attend school, the parent is the only leg of the stool which is by choice and it takes three legs to make the educational stool stand.

Bruins hold Hillman scoreless for six innings

Bear River's varsity baseball team came into Tuesday nights contest looking to continue to move up in the PVL standings as the dropped the league leading Lincoln Fighting Zebras 7-1 on Monday. But on Tuesday they squared off against another team looking for a playoff spot and fell to the Hillmen of Placer High school by a score of 2-1. The Bruins scored in the bottom of the third to take the lead and held the cross-county rival scoreless until the top of the seventh when the they gave up two runs. Bear River falls to 4-6 while Placer moves to 6-4. The two team play again on Thursday at Placer High school at 4 p.m.

Bear River Little League 4/23/2012

The Bear River Angles were led by Ryan Solomon and Scott Sandstedt who combined threw a no hitter in a 6-1 victory over The Bear River Giants. The Angles broke the game open with a two RBI single to right field by outfielder Mason Giordano in the top of the fifth inning to break the 1-1 tie. Clay Corripo pitched a very solid game for the Giants but took the loss.

The Bear River Dodgers dropped the Penn Valley Padres in a shortened game with a score of 16-3.

In Minors action The Bear River Yankees defeated the Sierra Foothill A's 5-1. Brekyn Vasquez picked up the win.

Also in minors, The Bear River Royals fell for the first time this spring to SF Brewers 8-7.

Me Time

Me Time

Time...who has enough? If you have a desire to do something, schedule it. For twenty years, I couldn't find time to play softball. I played hardball in college and I have maintained a passion for the game itself during that period, but with so much going on in life I didn't have time. I always seem to have time to coach or sit in the bleachers at my kid's games, but the "me time" was never really thought about. A friend sent me a text message asking me to lace up my spikes. I was flattered at first and then I sat on the couch watching a Giants game with my son. I started thinking of all the commitments I have. The one area I had let slip by was the commitment to myself. I agreed to play in the Grass Valley men's league with some good friends and even though we are 0-2 so far, I'm having a blast. As I have gotten older I've learned to embrace the big picture; it is the process of the game that is important and not the end result. I'm just enjoying the journey!

Nevada County peeps

Nevada County peeps

For my first post, I would like to express how wonderful Nevada County and it's residents are. They are always willing to go the extra mile for their fellow peeps regardless of where they came from, or where they intend to go. I'm a relative newbie compared to many of my neighbors, but my wife, two school aged children and I have been welcomed with open arms and treated like we have been here all of our lives.

My business life in Nevada County, revolves around working as a real estate agent for ERA Cornerstone at the corner of Alta Sierra Dr. and HWY 49. I was a realtor for some time prior to moving to Alta Sierra. While the current market is getting better by the day, there are still numerous opportunities to be taken advantage of. It is still a buyers market. If you have a few investment dollars and a desire to purchase property as an investment or to call home, I would be honored to help you make the right purchase.

I was recently appointed to sit on the Pleasant Ridge School District's School Board. Even though I have been involved at all three of the district's schools, I have much to learn. The board is comprised of five very diverse people who bring very different perspectives to the table. I appreciate the time, thought and care that each one of them provide to me as well as the broad based community. It is a tough tough job that I do not take lightly. If you have a question or a situation that you do not know how to handle, I'm here to help you. I'm always around and I'm told that I'm a good listener.