The E-R Sports Show

Patrick Kinmartin got a look at the suddenly hot Pleasant Valley High boys against Foothill (a solid squad) on Wednesday night, and the report (other than his game story) is that the Vikings aren't just a mirage after their big win over Chico last week.

Jaycob Velasco is a big boy and draws a lot of attention -- rightfully so given his production -- but from what I've heard and seen of these box scores and word of mouth from Patrick and fellow sports writer Nick Wilson, the Vikings are a guard-focused team. Bren Haley and Jordan Rodrigues seem to be the engines of PV right now. I've seen Chico play this year and was impressed, but have the Panthers peaked already? It's hard to say what the end of the EAL season will look like now.

As he normally does, E-R photographer Jason Halley put together a nice photo gallery of the game. Check it out.

E-R Sports Show, Feb. 11 (11:01)
- The Chico State men's basketball team is in the midst of its best season in years, and much of it has to do with the play of Jon Baird. He stops by to talk about the Wildcats' most memorable moment of the year, what it's like to have "The Rowdy Red" back on board and the prospect of playing in the conference championship tournament.

By now, the bandwagon-inciting nature of cliche-proving games are enough to make any seasoned Chico sports writer know that all that coachspeak regarding the Chico High-Pleasant Valley rivalry isn't just a shovelful of Panther slop (or Viking slop. Keep it even; sorry).

So, when prep sports writer Nick Wilson strolls in on Thursday night, it's of absolutely no shock when he suggests a photo of Allie Grant be run since, you know, she hit the game-winning 3-pointer in overtime.

Wasn't PV supposed to be depleted? Wasn't Grant supposed to be sick? Wasn't Chico supposed to be the team on the rise in the EAL? Theoretically, yes. But as most of us have learned by now, there are convenient places to stow away those theories when it comes to these two schools (although I still think when the boys lock horns, it's going to be another Chico rout. The Panthers are mighty good). That's much unlike Tuesday, when the PV girls hosted Shasta and, appropriately, about a quarter of the stands were filled to watch a defensive struggle.

Check out photographer Jason Halley's photo gallery of the b-balmond bowl and admire his handiwork.

The E-R Sports Show - Jan. 29 (13:38)
- Chicoan Emily Azevedo is now a world-class athlete, having been named to the U.S. Olympic bobsled team. She takes a few minutes to join the team and discuss her accomplishments and what's in store for Vancouver.

E-R Prep Show - Jan. 22 (12:04)
- The firing of Pleasant Valley High co-girls head coach Sam Oelsner has brought on some interesting feedback, so the team gives its thoughts. Also, a look at the shifting EAL basketball landscape, where the Chico boys are king and the girls' side is still up for grabs.

...include Acker Gym on a Friday night if you're the Chico High girls basketball team. Eight minutes out, I ran into coach Sal Reyna in front of the gym (decked out in red and gold, of course), where he is field-tripping his club to watch the Wildcats take on the Golden Eagles of Cal State L.A.

Obviously, more to come from this one: chicoer.com.

The E-R Sports Show - Jan. 22 (14:59)
- This week, the spotlight shines more on Chico's Emily Azevedo, officially a member of Team USA for the Winter Olympics. Also, the team looks at some disturbing trends in local college basketball.

If you haven't noticed the link on the right side of your page when you navigate to this blog, I'd implore you to look in that general direction to discover the advent of the online version of our Local Sports Calendar (which you can also conveniently access by clicking on the words right before this parenthetical reference to the same link).

We're hoping that this will make games just that much easier to get to for you, or at least to help you recognize their existence. A lot of fans who aren't necessarily parents (particularly in the case of the colleges and our semipro teams) don't get all the literature (i.e., schedules) regarding their favorite teams. But we do. This is our chance to share, since that's kinda what we get paid to do.

Any thoughts, comments or suggestions that will help make this space a better place, as always, are welcome.

Thursday's soccer match between Sutter and Oroville served as another spotlight (albeit small; I counted about 25 people on hand for the BVL showdown) for the improvements to Harrison Stadium, which got a $12-million go-ahead from Butte County in November of 2008 in the form of a 58-percent-yes-voted bond election. It brought much-needed renovation skrill to the home of the Tigers and Las Plumas Thunderbirds.

There will be more here on the blog outlining some highlights from today's Outlaws press conference introducing Garry Templeton as the new manager, once things settle down a little bit on another busy basketball night for the Enterprise-Record staff. But what is particularly critical about Templeton signing his contract in Chico this afternoon was how the transaction officially signaled the beginning to the dissipation of the Long Beach Armada, which had a 40-36 record under Templeton in 2009.

GBL chief executive David Kaval told me after the ceremony he "wouldn't expect" the Armada to be back for the 2010 season. Long Beach's stay in the league is contingent on successful negotiations with Blair Field over a new agreement to keep the Armada there this summer, Kaval said. The stadium recently changed ownership, affecting the partnership.

Remember, the Outlaws and the Armada were the only two teams in the GBL last year still funded by the Golden Baseball League. More organizational focus and financial resources will now likely be made available to the Outlaws.

"We're really looking to put a lot into improving the player experience here," Kaval said. "Having that, and Garry's vast network connections in minor league baseball, I think you're going to see a real strong team out on the field."