But it's there now and y'all should read it. It's a fun story and you can find the link on the post below this one.

I got an email from a reader Thursday about my column and figured I would share it with you all, and yes I got permission to post it. It is slight PR, but still worth a read. OK, after that I am going to Willows for some prep football playoffs!

Here is the email:

You wrote a sensitive article. Your observations suit many different contexts for young and old. At the Positive Coaching Alliance, the adherents try to foster productive conversations in youth sports that acknowledge the effort, the result and lessons to be learned. We hope that the outcome is a valuable one that can be applied in different contexts. That winning is not just about the score.

And that is where I take issue with your observation that you are glad you won't see the faces of your rejected authors. It may be to some people a natural human emotion: not wanting to revisit our own failures or rejections by intimate connection to our rejected players/students/workers.

But what if a basketball coach reads your article and decides that it is easier just to post the list of rejections because he feels too uncomfortable about telling the kids directly? Or what if your child's history teacher decided to tell your child by letter that he failed because she didn't want to see his face when told that? What number of conversations are missed with other humans because the notion of failure or success is illustrated by written lists and not direct contact?

The Positive Coaching Alliance has its grounding in youth sports but its thesis can be applied more broadly to work and other "grown-up" interactions. I applaud you for your sensitivity. I encourage you to handle it more productively and proclaim it in your writings to help your reading public to see the opportunity of life lessons learned through the thoughtfulness and courage of direct contact.

For more information, go to http://www.positivecoach.org/

Charles R Gow
Kentfield CA

Let me rephrase that. You readers are SO wonderful when are wonderful and SO harsh when you’re harsh. No apologies necessary on either side.

Today is a WONDERFUL day, thanks to a WONDERFUL reader named either Norm or Barb MacKenzie. I’m gonna go with Norm here.

This Norm fella sent me a link to a CRAZY 8-man football game that you all need to read about. I won’t tell you the final score, though, because clicking on links is fun and I want my readers to have fun. Because they’re wonderful.

All I’m going to tell you is that I read the final score to the other sports guys in the office and they asked if it was 8-man football or 8-man basketball.

So click here to read this story from the Las Vegas Review-Journal and make sure your jaw doesn’t drop too far. It’s a good one.

For those of you loyal readers (all seven of you) who read my column two weeks ago, you’ll remember that I said that all the action for the playoffs is in the small schools. Enterprise at Paradise football withstanding, it has come true.

The biggest game of the week (aside from Enterprise at Paradise football) is Durham at Hamilton volleyball, with the winner getting a shot at the Northern Section Division V crown.

One thing I always make sure to recognize when I go to smaller schools is that the crowds seem to be much more involved. Tuesday’s Hamilton home match against Mercy was a joy to be at mostly because the crowd was so spirited. Places like Hamilton City don’t have a lot of excitement going on so I’m guessing a section tournament game is a much bigger deal there than in places like Chico and Redding.

Tomorrow’s game (aka: Thursday) is going to be even wilder. With Durham coming to town, this local rivalry is going to take on a new level and Braves coach Erin Johnson predicted a packed house.

She’s likely going to be right too. I’m getting there early, and if you’re planning on going, you should too. And here’s a tease to the next post: Pictures of me working!

Normally that shouldn’t excite anybody but me, however you all should remember that I usually only post the ones that embarrass me.

My company pulled a move that I was not happy about and used an inexperienced reporter who was way in over his head and the results showed. If it makes CHS fans feel any better, the story came in very late and we stayed until the wee hours of the morning unpatiently waiting for it.

I’m not gonna trash another reporter in this situation because the job was just beyond him on Friday night. And I have reservations about trashing the newspaper I work for.

That being said, they blew it. I should have been at that game. They wanted to save travel money and got burned. I was actually somewhat happy to see that readers commented (unhappily) on the quality of the story.

I am going to take a lot of the heat for this. I already know of some vocal commenters who assumed that I didn’t cover this game out of choice because of a “bias” against Chico High.

Wrong.

I wanted to be there. I should have been there. I am the prep writer and to have someone else cover my beat besides Travis Souders or Patrick Kinmartin is hard to swallow.

This was a bad omen to me. They’re trusting playoff games to inexperienced reporters who have no connection with the readers. Friday night was a situation where quality of our product should have outweighed financial constraints.

Life goes on, though. I’m in the office once again.

Budget concerns here at the E-R compelled the higher-ups to pay for a stringer (freelance writer) to cover the game that is going on right now and save the money on my travel. This obviously disappoints me. A lot.

I'm a reporter and thus want to report. I know things are terrible finance-wise at our newspaper but I really feel like this was a story that shouldn't be trusted to a freelancer.

I just work here, though.

Lassen just took a 3-point lead (20-17) in the fourth quarter as I was writing this. We got a Web cast from Susanville that a friend of mine told me about this evening. Wish I could've passed it along to you all.

So sorry I couldn't make it up there. If it was my choice I'd be in Susanville right now. Wow, never thought I'd say that.

A parent representative told the district that it won’t have to provide any of the money, and that’s a good thing, because districts don’t have much to offer. Parent groups says they can raise $12,000.

I love the idea, I love how parents are involved. Willows will have to pull this together quickly, too.

There is a risk, as well, that Athletic Director Jerry Smith mentioned. IF Willows can’t get all the money to fund the teams, it will have to cancel its freshman schedule for the 2009-10 school year. That would cause those scheduled opponents to lose trust in Willows, which would be a very bad thing.

Still, way to go Willows! Chico has done an amazing job of funding its preps sports and you are following in the right direction with the right idea.

For those of you who haven’t heard, the Butte College football team has already clinched the Golden Valley Conference and is now the prime contender to represent Northern California in the state title bowl game. The Roadrunners are 9-0 and now ranked fourth in the nation, and will have to win a ‘playoff’ game to advance to the state title matchup.

Normally this wouldn’t be fodder for the Nosebleed Section because it isn’t my beat (Patrick Kinmartin takes care of Butte) and because I’m not a studied expert on what goes on out there.

But there are a boatload of talented players on the Butte team who graced our pages as preps. And so those young men are the focus of this post.

It’s great for me to see these guys doing so well in the big-time arena of BC football. They’re taking the next step. And with some hard work they too can be like Larry Allen, and Aaron Rodgers and Brett Ratliff, guys who have made it to the NFL via Butte College.

They’re playing Foothill College of Los Altos on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Cowan Stadium on the Butte College campus. If you have the time, go check out what is most likely to be the team’s final home game of the year!

Not all of them play. Some don’t play at all. But they surely deserve recognition just for being part of a winning tradition.

I figured I’d do it by school. And alphabetically, because some whiner will likely leave a comment telling me that I never give certain schools credit if I don’t do it alphabetically.

BIGGS
OL Andrew Gomez FR

CHICO
TE Matt Carter SO

DURHAM
WR Corey Arnold FR
K Kenny Houser SO

GRIDLEY
OL Randall Huff FR

HAMILTON
DB Manuel Diaz SO

LAS PLUMAS
TE Jimmy Mastelotto FR

ORLAND
WR Frank Howard FR

OROVILLE
LB Tyree Dickson SO
DB AJ Hills FR

PARADISE
RB Josh Ely SO

PLEASANT VALLEY
QB Jordan Rodgers FR
QB Ryan Ratekin SO
RB Mark Woodbury FR
LB Nick DeCaneva SO
DB Michael Deel FR
RB Cody McHargue FR
P/K Augie Heath FR
LB Brett McMurray FR
WR Sean Reynolds FR

Red Bluff is that team. Chico High got the No. 6 spot even though it has lost the last three and got smoked by Red Bluff 35-7. But Foothill is No. 5 and Chico beat them 21-0.

Heck, PV beat Enterprise and Lassen, which are in the group as well.

Let's let it all sink in over my two days off, and we'll reasses where things are at on Tuesday.

And now, on to my weekend!

The first thing to mention is that the Northern Section tennis season has ended, and Shasta High had the individual champ (Laura Beltran) plus the doubles championship team (Beltran and Lexi Thomas). PV’s Melody Wu was the runner-up in singles and she teamed with Nicole Briggs to lose the doubles final.

I like the playoff format for tennis because the eventual champion really has to earn it. Beltran had to beat four competitors and she had a first-round bye, a luxury most players don’t get. There are many opportunities for upsets and so the champion truly has proven that they are the best player in the tournament.

Now we’re on to No. 2 and it involves volleyball. Updated playoff points came out today (Thursday) and we’ll have the playoff pairings in Saturday’s paper after the Friday seeding meeting. Find those by clicking here.

The third order of business regards a story in the Style section that might grab your interest. Greg DeWall’s life story is one that makes you think for a second about what it’s like to live through a failed suicide attempt and then having to go on without sight. He medaled at the Paralympics in judo at the Paralympics, which took place in September in China, and continues to participate.

Though I haven’t verified this, DeWall appears to have been a prep athlete in Chico. Just from all I have seen and read leads me to believe, almost for sure, that he went to PV or Chico High. And he has a wrestling background as well.

But even if he wasn’t, it’s still a story worth reading.

So for an inspirational sports story, read the E-R story by Mary Nugent by < a href= "http://www.chicoer.com/lifestyle/ci_10911860?source=rv"> clicking here. And for his bio on the Blind Judo Foundation Web site, click here.

Safety first, right?

And that’s the reasoning used Monday when the tournament was cut short to nine holes. Pleasant Valley coach Mark Riehlman told me that a player’s club slipped out of her hands and nearly took out a member of the crowd, and that would have been bad unless you’re in the cosmetic surgery business.

And on a side note, why do they call it a gallery and not a crowd in golf?

OK, but I need to give you all results. I am going to type the basic, local info, and if you want to see the results in their entirety, simply click here.

PV is going to the Nor Cal championships at Corral de Tierra in Monterey thanks to its second-place finish behind Shasta. Heather Fegley (56), Seanna Olson (62), Tracy Timmons (56), Monica Figueroa (53), Veronica Figueroa (63) and Emily Rath made it as a team, representing the only local team to move on. Paradise's Laney Sumner's 54 gets her the final spot as an individual.

Chico High was fourth and Paradise was fifth.

It was a nasty day out there from the sounds of it, and I’m disappointed that the results didn’t make the paper. Nobody called it in. But we got some other news from the course.......

It appears that somebody watching the tournament found an abandoned baby on the course during the day. Wow. What a strange find.

The good news is the baby is OK and local authorities have figured out what happened, for the most part. Check out our news section if that story jumps out at you.

Second Team
Hillary Colby, Chico
Meghan Johnson, Chico
Ashley Moebes, West Valley
Emily Hughes, Chico
Brigid Ehrlich, Chico
Ellen Copsey, UPrep
Clara Chrisco, Chico
Janee Nickerson, Chico
Sarah Woods, Durham
Maddie Gray, Pleasant Valley
Jenni Perez, Princeton
Madie Ross, Shasta
Natalie Flores, Enterprise

Honorable Mention
Elizabeth Nava, Enterprise
Madeleine Natina, Enterprise
Nikki Pyle, Durham
Mindi Perez, Princeton
Kayla Strand, Maxwell
Rachel Waits, Shasta
Taylor Moebes, West Valley
Caitlin Clark, West Valley
Shannon Vicra, Rio Vista
Natalie Sperber, Foothill
Mariah Nunez-Bauer, Pleasant Valley
Neysa Smith, Chico
Jaime Anderson, Winters
Keeya Singer, UPrep
Nicole Silva, Rio Vista

PREP BOYS SWIMMING
First Team
Joseph Wasko, American Christian
Scott Tyler, Foothill
Tyler Casey, Shasta
Aaron Davis, Shasta
Rex Holmes, Chico
Henry Hernandez, Pleasant Valley
Sam Rounds, Enterprise
Nick Cavazos, Paradise
Dylan Gray, Pleasant Valley
Chad Kimmelshue, Pleasant Valley
Stephen Batchelder, Orland
Bryce Poliquin, Chico
Riley Breslin, Shasta
Jaxon Williams, Enterprise

Second Team
Tomi Bottyan, Shasta
Evan Burrell, Foothill
Tyler Berg, Winters
Gage Newton, Pleasant Valley
Tyler Degnan, Shasta
Kenny Allard, Red Bluff
Alan Christensen, West Valley
Jameson Shugart, Winters
Matt Bohlin, West Valley
Kevin Hyde, Winters
Charles McIntosh, West Valley
Clinton Freed, Winters

Honorable Mention
Spencer Potrie, Paradise
Kasey Foley, Willows
Patrick Sonsteng, Durham
Richard Duval, Foothill
Ethan Johnson, Winters
Chase Hopkins, Chico
Dakota Dietz, Chico
Kurt Sjoberg, West Valley
Charlie Berg, Pleasant Valley
Matt Portillo, Shasta
Jim DeCaneva, Pleasant Valley
Carl Pederson, Foothill
Kevin Hendricks, Red Bluff

That clock is an animal of its own, one that can not be tamed by man nor machine. I’m serious. It’s like this clock just does whatever the hell it wants.

Last night’s football game between Chico High and Enterprise was about as close as I can get to my last straw with University Stadium. It’s a dump. It is a terrible place to watch a regular high school football game, with the exception of the Almond Bowl, which is totally worthy of such a grand venue.

I was lucky enough to be able to walk the sidelines last night because of the decent weather and so I was able to constantly ask the official about where the game clock was at. The poor guy had to spend half his night alerting everyone on the field what the REAL game clock was at. Sometimes the scoreboard was correct, and then would just jump a few minutes or stop midway through a play.

And this has nothing to do with a clock operator. That machine just makes it up as it goes.

It’s just one more reason why University Stadium just isn’t a very good place to watch prep football. The turf is horrific, parking is not friendly, the patchwork PA system is just sufficient enough and the players have no locker rooms.

There’s no quick solution here, so I am just complaining for the sake of complaint. I think everyone can agree with me that Chico’s two Eastern Athletic League stadiums pale in comparison to those of Redding and Red Bluff schools, not to mention Paradise. Heck, Oroville’s stadium might be on nearly the same level.

Chico State has little incentive to improve the stadium and Chico Unified School District surely can’t afford to build another one. So it looks like we’ll have to make do with University Stadium.

And that hurts to say, a little bit, because it’s on my alma mater’s campus. I spent countless hours practicing and competing on that field with Chico State’s ultimate frisbee team.

But as a reporter, it’s nothing to write home about.

Play begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Foothill High in Palo Cedro. The finals might be moved to a private club in the area, that is to be announced.

Singles:
1. Laura Beltran - Shasta
2. Melody Wu - PV
3. Stephanie Smith - Oroville
4. Rachel Dewitt - Live Oak
5. Lexi Thomas - Shasta
6. Addie Morrow - Foothill
7. Sophie Wackerman - Orland
8. Colby Lavey - Orland

Doubles:
1. Laura Beltran/Lexi Thomas - Shasta
2. Melody Wu/Nicole Briggs - PV
3. Sophie Wackerman/Colby Lavey - Orland
4. Addie Morrow/Bethany Duval - Foothill

Tom Aldridge is part of a group called OASIS (Oroville Area Sports Initiative Supporters) and is also the Athletic Director at Oroville High. Check out the informative Web site for Measure G at click here.

Here are some of his quotes from our phone conversation on Wednesday:

About the last bond passed by voters and how it was spent:
“We feel that the money we received before was tenfold what the citizens of Oroville were asked to pay. We’ve used local contractors, local people to do it which means the money stays in the community which is exactly what we want to do with Measure G. That’s an important part of what we are doing is trying to spend it locally.”

About the track:
“Our track is in yards, it’s not even a meter track. The track itself is dirt. We’re probably the only schools in the area that have a dirt track. Paradise, PV, Chico, Red Bluff, all those schools in the Redding area have all weather tracks, Yuba City and River Valley too. Of the larger schools we’re probably the only one. We don’t even run our own track meets there, we go out to Butte College because they have an all-weather surface in meters.

“We don’t even use the facility for track.”

About why a synthetic-turf field is wanted:
“We want synthetic turf so we can utilize it for soccer without keeping people off it. A turf field can only take so much use and people have to be kept off it. Rain and bad weather are no problem so it makes the field and track more useable.”

On parking:
“The main lot is gravel, real dusty, real dirty. We also want to pave and make a parking lot behind the visitors’ stands. We have a lot that is nothing more than a vacant lot. We’d also pave by dressing rooms.”

On handicap accessibility:
“We want walkways all the way around that area of mud or dirt. We also want to upgrade our bleachers. Right now we have no handicap accessibly. We can’t get them to a good place to watch the game up in the bleachers.

On the overall look of Harrison Stadium:
“The whole facility would be cleaned up. A new snack bar, bigger, new restrooms. The press box will be fixed up and upgraded, a new scoreboard too. Also another thing we’re going to have is new lighting. Those are telephone poles that the lights are on and those are going to come down. We’re hoping to replace those. We want to pass the bond and get it done right. The bleachers definitely need upgrading.

“We’re scared to death the Harrison is not going to be the facility we have now, down the road. We’re to a point where we have a facility that’s basically every year is getting worse, having more and more problems. And that’s only going to increase.”

On how it would impact the confidence of student-athletes:
“There are a lot of schools around who are doing things to their facilities. Our kids go to those and then have to come back to Harrison. We want them to have some pride. It will generate pride in their facilities and it will show that the community shows an interest. People from other areas will come to Oroville and we’ll take pride in the fact that those people are coming to our facility and hopefully they look and say ‘Wow, Oroville must be a great place to live, to have a business, to come for events.’ It will be a draw.

“This is a community that takes pride in its schools and athletic teams.”

About Chico:
“I don’t wanna turn this into a Chico versus Oroville thing. We take pride in our programs and try to produce. We want our kids to have the best we can give them. It’s not about beating Chico or Paradise. It’s about our kids and we think this is something we can take pride in. Any kind of pride in the community, we want to be a part of it.”

The cure for my irking, however, does exist. That cure is time.

Time will eventually reveal which teams deserve which spots because we still have two more weeks of league play in each sport, three weeks in a rare volleyball case.

To read the points, click here.

It seems that the bulk of these mathematical formulas’ results depend on league standings and record within the division, and that means that four games within league can make it or break it for some teams. For example, Wheatland is ahead of Sutter in Division II football.

Sutter has played an elite team from Texas and Central Catholic of Modesto, which happened to play in one of last year’s CIF State Championship Bowls, and is 7-1 overall. Wheatland, although playing lesser teams, is atop the rankings with the same record.

But here’s where time comes in.

Sutter hasn’t played Wheatland yet. Each team is 3-0 in the Butte View League and once Wheatland loses, which I am not-so-boldly predicting, it could knock the Pirates down to third.

And in volleyball, some teams like Durham play tough preseason schedules and play teams from bigger schools. Whereas others prefer to pick on the little kids.

This all evens out in league play, where the teams that played chumps pay for their lack of competition earlier on. A loss in league hurts so much more than a preseason loss, especially if that loss is out of the division.

These playoff points are a good start because you all know how much I love them. But don’t anticipate the final playoff seeds to mirror the playoff points exactly.

After all, Wheatland has to play Sutter still. And Lassen will sink after a league loss, which I see coming sooner rather than later.