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Tuesday MLB— Athletics at Indians, 4 p.m., CSNC MLB — Cubs at Nationals, 4 p.m., WGN MLB — Twins at Rangers, 5 p.m., MLBN MLB — Reds at Giants, 7 p.m., CSNB Little League — 9 a.m., 11 a.m., ESPN2, 1 p.m., ESPN, 3 p.m., 5 p.m., ESPN2 Sports 1B Tuesday August 24, 2010 We’ll miss you Youth sports leader dies John Fox made me smile. Every time. Every time, I saw the man he managed to slap that same smile he had on his face onto me, like it was some kind of bizarre ver- sion of tag. If that was all he did I would miss him. But we all know it's not. John was an ambassador, not just for youth athletics, but for a community. He promoted Red Bluff's greatest asset — our children — and of course he did it with that smile and with a pride that you would have thought every kid was his own. I got to know John even before I became sports edi- Rich Greene tor, because he used the Daily News as one of his pro- motion vehicles. Didn’t matter if you were the sports guy or not. He called so many times his phone number was one of the first 530s I had memorized. Sometimes he would just call to ask what was going on with an ambulance or fire truck on a street he was dri- ving by. One time as a reporter I was covering the police ready to storm a house a fugitive was hiding in when John pulled up to ask me what was going on. He stayed and watched with me for about half-an-hour. Speaking with other reporters today, they had similar experiences with him. John just wanted to know what was going on in his community. John would drop by the office at least once a month with a softball scorebook or photo to run. Later those days he would call back about three more times, correcting the spelling of someone's name as one of his own kids repeated it over and over again in the background. John wanted every kid to get their recognition. He wanted everyone to know how great they were. In doing so, I learned what a great guy John was. One of my best memories of John was one of the few times I saw him just as a proud father. See, John promoted every kid, not just his own, but one day he swung by the office with his daughter Ash- leigh with him. After he made sure I had all the information correct, something about his daughter’s role in the win came up. Like Isaid John always had a smile, but at that moment he beamed. Ashleigh blushed and John beamed some more. Every town needs a John Fox and now ours is gone. If that's a tough sentence to read, well, believe me when I say it was harder to write. John’s love of youth athletics isn’t what made him unique. It’s a fire most of us have. What made John unique, was he had the ability to turn that flame up in all of us. Just because he’s gone, doesn’t mean his work is over. Those flames he turned up will burn on. We’re a stronger community for the time John shared with us. John seemed to be everywhere all of the time. We’ll probably never have another individual who will do so much for youth athletics by himself, but if we all chip in to take over for what he was doing — John can still be everywhere all of the time. And in that respect Red Bluff will always have its John Fox. Daily News Sports Editor Rich Greene can be reached at 527-2151, ext. 109 or by e-mail at sports@redbluffdailynews.com. WR Schilens may need scope on knee Oakland Raiders NAPA (AP) — Oakland Raiders wide receiver Chaz Schilens went to a knee specialist Monday to determine whether he would need arthroscopic surgery. The injured knee is just the latest setback for Schilens, who missed significant time last season with a broken left foot that still hindered him early in training camp. ‘‘I’m very concerned,’’ coach Tom Cable said. ‘‘It’s been a tough road for him. We get through the foot thing now and something else has kind of reared up on us. We’ll take care of it and get him back as soon as we can.’’ Cable said the knee injury was likely a result of over- compensating for the foot injury. The Raiders hope Schilens will be back by the opener Sept. 12 at Tennessee if he does need the surgery. Schilens missed the first eight games last season after breaking his foot early in training camp and was never com- pletely healthy after his return. He had 29 catches for 365 yards and two touchdowns, but needed another operation after the season to help the foot fully heal. The Raiders treated him cautiously early in camp this year, keeping him out of two-a-day practices and giving the foot plenty of time off because he is being counted on as a big part of Oakland’s passing game. Schilens was a seventh-round pick out of San Diego State in 2008. He has 44 catches for 591 yards and four touchdowns in his two NFL seasons. While those numbers are nothing spectacular, only one receiver on Oakland’s ros- ter has even more production. Johnnie Lee Higgins has 47 catches for 676 yards and four scores in three seasons, but is not a sure bet to make the roster this year. With starters Schilens and Darrius Heyward-Bey side- lined for Saturday’s 32-17 exhibition victory over the Chicago Bears, the Raiders passing game showed signs of life. See KNEE, page 2B Courtesy photo Rob Douglas Construction, managed by Ernie Martinez, won the 2010 Red Bluff Coed 1 softball championship.The team won both halves by going 6-0 and 6-0. Coed 2 Champions — Palomino Room Courtesy photo Beer Nuts, managed by Mike Blaney, won the 2010 Red Bluff Central League softball championship.The team was the second half winner by going 5-1. Coed 1 Champions — Rob Douglas Construction John Fox, a former president of both Red Bluff Little League and the Red Bluff Jr. Spartans, passed away over the weekend. Fox spent close to a decade on the boards for both leagues and was known throughout the community for the passion he showed in promoting youth athletics. “There’s nobody I know that’s done more for the youth in our com- munity than John and for me there’s a short list of people you would even compare,” Red Bluff Little League President Scott Smith said. Fox was a coach, board member and president for Red Bluff’s youth football program and was instrumen- tal in the switchover from Buccaneers to Jr. Spartans — in an effort to strengthen ties with Red Bluff High School. Fox’s successors in both organiza- tions said they learned from the man. “He taught me a lot about how to run the league,” said Jr. Spartans Pres- ident Eric Coates. “Above all else when it comes down to it you’re putting the kids first and that’s what we’re here doing and you never lose sight of that.” Although his love was youth athlet- ics — his passion crossed generations. “John was an incredible role model for both all the kids he worked with and the adults,” Smith said. Public remembrance ceremonies are already being planned by both leagues for Saturday and Sunday. “He was obviously huge to the community, there’s already been a huge outcry,” said Coates. The Jr. Spartans are asking anyone who played for or in a league under Fox to attend a ceremony Saturday at their season opener at Red Bluff High School. The Little League is planning a cel- ebration of life on Sunday. More details for both events will be included in Wednesday’s Daily News. More softball champions Central League Champions — Beer Nuts Courtesy photo Palomino Room, managed by April Waelty, won the 2010 Red Bluff Coed 2 League softball championship.The team was the second half winner by going 5-1. More champions will be printed in upcoming editions.