I'm in the Final Five!

While the NCAA is forming its Final Four men's basketball teams, I found out last Wednesday (3/24) that I'm in the Final Five of all the people that auditioned for the public address announcers' job with the Sacramento River Cats.

I wasn't going to make a big thing of it, except with my family, except Joe Davidson, a Sacramento Bee columnist who I see often at high school sporting events I cover for the Citizen, found out and wrote about it. I appreciate his words of support.

This would be a job I would treasure. I love baseball and the Rivercats are a first-class organization. Raley Field is a first-class baseball facility.

But, as you begin growing older you want to enjoy life more. I love the sport, and by doing "my thing" over a PA system, I help others enjoy their Rivercats experience.

My final audition and interview with Rivercat personnel is this Wednesday.

Lefi is State Champion

I just got home from watching the two best high school teams in our area, Franklin and Sheldon, duke it out for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title. Sheldon, with its superior size and talent, beat Franklin, but then I got a phone call from a young man who I consider a real champion.

He's Lefi Letuligasenoa, a friendly 6-2, 265 pound football player/wrestler at Elk Grove High School. He had just won the California State Wrestling Championship that night in Bakersfield at heavyweight.

Here is a guy who doesn't cop attitudes, act unsocial and growl when things aren't going his way, like I see so many of our young basketball players. He just works hards and performs and then humbly thanks his God, his parents, his coach and his teammates.

As a sportswriter, it's fun to get to know quality young people like Lefi. If anyone Saturday deserved a first place medal, it definitely was him.