Bob Padecky

It’s 47 minutes before the game….

padecky — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:19:47 +0000

and the stands here at Petaluma High School, both sides, have 27 fans in them. I know because I counted them all. Bizarre. Neither Petaluma or Rancho are on the field, I understand why, the field is soggy. But the stands? There’s a game tonight at 7 p.m. I keep thinking they have changed the start time.

BTW, I sat down in my seat in the press box and right next to my seat – I’m the only one in the press box at this time -I look and I see a spent shell casing from a 32. Someone fired a gun here in the press box. Unless he or she decided a high school football field press box is a good place to dump an empty shell.

Can’t to see what happens the rest of the night and am thankful, at least, that the person who fired the gun did it BEFORE the game.

A Joe Belluzzo field in Rwanda

padecky — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:36:27 +0000

There’s a Joe Belluzzo Field in Santa Rosa to honor the man who started youth soccer in this area 44 years agoand soon there will be a Joe Belluzzo Field in Ngeruka, Rwanda.

Joe’s son, Rick, has been part of a multi-national aide program to that war-torn country. With the help of his wife who is deeply involved in non-profit work, Rick is establishing hospitals in the area and will build a soccer in the name of his father.

Today’s thought

padecky — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:21:20 +0000

Pat McDonald, Montgomery’s girls soccer coach, considers himself an optimist and has a phrase to back it up.

“An optimist and a pessimist both end up in the same place,” McDonald said, “but the optimist has more fun getting there.”

Meaning, attitude is everything.

And another thing about the guy who needs to give it a rest

padecky — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:36:08 +0000

I wonder if he had a daughter, and saw her play and enjoy a high school sport, I wonder if he would still say no one cares.

Or would he still be a knucklehead? And wow, that would sure make his daughter feel special.

This guy needs to give it a rest

padecky — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:19:49 +0000

Everytime I write a column about girls sports, everytime, especially volleyball and soccer, an angry guy leaves the same voice mail message. “No one cares about girls volleyball! No one cares about girls soccer! No one cares! You are wasting your time!”

And then he hangs up. No name. No phone number. Just a guy, I’m thinking, who has some issues. Such as: Girls don’t have a right to compete or Girls are boring or Girls don’t play as mean or physical as boys? I dunno. I just know that the angry guy needs to give it a rest.

Girls are just as important a sports story as the boys. During football season it’s a little out of balance because of that sport. Girls can match the boys in so many ways, courage, dedication, intelligence, ability to be taught….that they are not the physical equal of boys is irrelevant. Inspiration, Angry Guy, comes in both genders.

Catching up with Stacey Strong

padecky — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:40:01 +0000

Am doing a column for Wednesday on the sideline gestures of Montgomery girls soccer coach Pat McDonald and talked to a former Monty girl and ex-USC player Stacey Strong.

Strong is in her first year of dental school at USC and describes her love of dentistry this way: “I’m learning something new everyday and I love that. It just felt right (dentistry).”

Strong, a 2001-2005 student at Montgomery, was a starter for USC when the Trojans won the National Championship in 2007.

Sumpter falls short

padecky — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:34:44 +0000

Cloverdale’s Sarah Sumpter, running for UC Davis, finished 22nd Saturday in the NCAA West Regionals Cross Country Championships at Eugene, Oregon.

With a time of 21:32.79, Sumpter was 14 seconds short of qualifying for the NCAA Championships. A total of 110 women competed.

Sarah, who starred at Healdsburg High School and was the state’s D4 cross country champion in 2007, ran the last mile without her left shoe. In muddy conditions Sumpter lost her shoe in a bog.

Just wondering about soccer….

padecky — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:59:03 +0000

If soccer is the big-time sport in our area, then why were the stands at Santa Rosa High School just half-full Saturday night for the NCS final game between the Montgomery-Casa Grande girls?

Yes, I know high school soccer doesn’t carry the same following at club soccer. Yes, I know college scouts spend more time at club soccer games than high school games.

Still, if the sport itself is supposed to be so hugely popular, then why in the biggest high school match of the year, the stands has fewer people in them than at a Santa Rosa High football game?

Just wondering.

Madrid wins honor

padecky — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:54:23 +0000

Melissa Madrid, the best player on the Casa Grande’s girls NCS-champion soccer team in 2008, has been named the Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year.

Madrid, a rookie forward for Barry College in Miami Shores, Florida, is third in the SSC in goals scored (12) and fourth in points (25). Madrid also made the All-Conference Second Team.

“It took us a awhile this season,” said Casa coach Vinnie Cortezzo, “how to run an offense because last year everything we did went through Melissa, she was so good.”

Just a thought about soccer

padecky — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:52:12 +0000

If the sport is as popular as it is in Sonoma County, then the NCS playoffs that will take place today at Santa Rosa HS should have 2-3000 fans in attendance – the equivalent of a HS football playoff crowd.

And, considering this is as far as SoCo kids can go, since there is no state tournament, the number should be even higher. This will be, after all, the last game of their high school career for all the seniors.