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Friday Red Bluff Round-Up — 1st Performance, 7 p.m. Baseball — Anderson at Corning, 6 p.m. Baseball — Las Plumas at Red Bluff, 6 p.m. Baseball — Williams at Los Molinos, 4 p.m. Softball — Williams at Los Molinos, 4 p.m. Soccer — Shasta at Red Bluff, 6 p.m. Sports 1B Friday April 15, 2011 Atradition unlike any other These days, not everyone walks up and down Antelope Boulevard with spurs on. Still, that spirit of rugged indi- vidualism is there in soul if not sole. It'll be on display at the Fair- grounds this weekend, wrapped in sport and pageantry, rope and leather. Events like the Round-Up don't last 90 years without a strong connection to the community. Some connections are forged through time, others as in the Round-Up's case are at the heart of what created our wonderful lit- tle cow town in the first place. Mayor makes pitch to keep Kings Sacramento Kings NEW YORK (AP) — Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson watched part of the Kings’ season finale, then flew overnight across the country to meet with NBA owners. His goal: Make sure that wasn’t the Rich Greene These days when it comes to ties more Red Bluffers may know how to work a Windsor knot than they do three calf legs. That's why the Round-Up is even more important. Traditions can be passed down and values can flow from generation to generation, but sometimes history is best taught through the lens of experience. The Greene household has its own — rather new — tradition. Though coincidence, every year during Round-Up week some family members have made the long journey from out east to come visit us. That Friday night we take them to the rodeo. This year it's my in-laws turn. For all the great things they'll do and see in Tehama County in the coming week, the Round-Up will be the single best representation of where their loved ones now call home. It's not that they'll take away everyone from Red Bluff knows how to use a lasso, but the Round-Up so easily captures this town's spirit in a way nothing else around can. Back in Detroit, we're they're from, they don't wran- gle up cattle — they wrangle up cars. Every year tens of thousands of classic cars roll mile after mile in front of a million-so people in an event dubbed the Dream Cruise. For a town born and raised on the auto industry it's a peak into the city's soul. Driving a foreign car there can raise an in-law’s eye- brow the way it would here if you were to mention you’re a vegetarian. No matter what type of Mustang spirit made a city's fabric, it's best to have an event that captures it, whether it be through horns honking or cowbells ringing. That's why the Round-Up is important. Through the hordes of people, through the herds of cattle you can see what a hard work-ethic, strong values and pride — both local and patriotic — can do for a town. Sure rodeos all over the west use that basic formula as well, but like a good tri-tip recipe, Red Bluff adds its own unique touches. It may be hard to notice the subtle differences if it’s all you’ve ever known, but I assure you it’s there. There's a spirit of fun and letting loose found in Red See GREENE, page 2B Tehama Tracker BASEBALL Red Bluff 4 — 12 Oroville 1 —5 The Spartans finished up a game that had been delayed since Wednesday with a 4-1 win in Oroville. Then grabbed the second game 12-5. The first game was delayed because of rain, but picked up in the fifth inning with a pair of Tigers on the base. Joel Duggins came out in relief work for the Spartans and changed the momentum — striking out five batters in three innings of work. Gerald Baker went 3-for-4 and Tyler Reed 2-for-2 as the Spartans took Game 1. In Game 2, Robby Lasby and Mitch Robison each had a pair of RBIs and Modesto Ramirez went 4-for-4 as Red Bluff won 12-5. Zane Medeiros came on in relief to pick up the win with three-plus solid innings of work. Baker and Jordan Fox each had two hits. SOFTBALL Red Bluff 7 Las Plumas 0 Megan McColpin threw a shutout, Thursday, and the Lady Spartans improved to 19-3 by beating Las Plumas 7-0. Haley Harris went 2-for-3 with a double and scored two runs. Emily McEnaney went 1-for-3 with a RBI. Brittney Fletcher knocked in two runs with a double in the sixth inning. scored. Bryce Etzler had Red Bluff’s other hit and also Red Bluff is off until April 27. GOLF EAL-South Match 3 The Spartans picked up their first 9-hole win of the year, Thursday, winning the Front 9 during the third match of Eastern Athletic League-South play. Red Bluff tied the Back 9 at the five-school event held by Las Plumas at Table Mountain. Jordan Chapin shot a personal best 86 and Daniel Frantz led all golfers with a 71. Peter Mitzel continued his consistent play with an 82. LACROSSE Red Bluff Youth Lacrosse will have three games in Red Bluff against, Saturday. The Under-11 (11 a.m.), Under-13 (1 p.m.) and junior varsity (3 p.m.). MCT photo The Kings’ players interact with fans Friday, in what could be their last game in Sacramento. Sacramento Kings SACRAMENTO (AP) — Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins showed late this season they could be a formi- dable duo for years to come. Where they’ll be playing together is far less certain. Kings owners Joe and Gavin Mal- oof are expected to file for relocation to Anaheim by Monday’s deadline, and a vote by NBA owners will loom large in the coming weeks. If the Kings really have played their final game after 26 seasons in California’s capital, about Golden State Warriors the only thing crueler for Sacramento fans is that they won’t get to see what a promising young roster might become. ‘‘We know that through the ups and downs, this area has supported this team,’’ Kings coach Paul Westphal said. ‘‘We think we’re coming out of one of the down times, so I’m sorry to see the season ended.’’ Sacramento’s 2010-11 campaign will be remembered for a lot of things. Winning wasn’t one of them. The Kings were horrible for most of the season, owning the Western Con- ference’s worst record for a few weeks. Evans missed 25 games with plantar New Golden State Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber gave general manag- er Larry Riley a vote of con- fidence Thursday. Riley received a new multiyear contract to stay put in his current position as GM and executive vice pres- ident of basketball opera- tions, while the club said former sports agent Bob Myers was hired as the team’s new assistant GM and vice president of basket- ball operations to serve as Riley’s right-hand man and contract expert. Golden State finished the season with a 110-86 home win Wednesday night against the playoff-bound Portland Trail Blazers — and did so without leading scorer Monta Ellis, who sat out his second straight game with a concussion. Riley is scheduled to discuss the sea- son and future in a media availability Friday. The future of coach Keith Smart isn’t so clear, though there’s no reason the Warriors must act right away in deciding whether to keep the coach beyond his first year with a potential lockout looming. Smart led Golden State (36-46) to 10 more victories than a year ago after taking over last minute in September for the NBA’s career wins leader, Don Nelson. ‘‘This is my home, so I’m here no matter what,’’ Smart said Wednesday. ‘‘My family already told me I can go anywhere I want but they’re staying. My focus is on the team, moving forward with the idea that I’m directing this team. That’s how I’m going to play it out.’’ Smart never promised an immediate turnaround or quick fix for a franchise that has made the playoffs only once since 1994, with a sur- prising run to the second round in 2007. The 46-year-old Smart — famous for hitting the game-winning shot for Indi- ana that won the Hoosiers the 1987 NCAA title — spent seven years as an assistant with Golden State, passing up opportunities to go elsewhere to remain with the team that drafted him 41st overall in the second round in 1988. After being groomed under Nelson, he got his first shot as a head coach, aside from a stint as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ interim head fasciitis in his left foot, and the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year was often injured even when he played. Once NBA Commissioner David Stern confirmed at the All-Star break that the Kings were engaged in talks to move the franchise to Anaheim, relo- cation hovered over the team and became a constant distraction. Only after an emotional, overtime loss to the rival Los Angeles Lakers in the season finale Wednesday night did players begin to express how much the uncer- tainty has affected them. ‘‘We don’t know what’s going on,’’ See OFF, page 2B Warriors GM Larry Riley staying put in current job OAKLAND (AP) — coach for the final 40 games in 2003 after taking over for John Lucas. Smart spent 10 years in all as an NBA assis- tant. Point guard Stephen Curry, for one, is all for Smart staying put and keep- ing some continuity for this young roster. ‘‘I’ll just keep it simple: I want him as a coach. He works hard for me, I’ll work hard for him,’’ Curry said. ‘‘He knows everyone on this team and what we’re capa- ble of and the system that we put in this whole year to try to get better, so I’ll leave it at that.’’ Lacob and Guber, who bought the Warriors for a record $450 million last July from longtime owner Chris Cohan, have shown they aren’t afraid to make big changes. They let the 70- year-old Nelson — with his NBA-best 1,335 victories in 31 seasons — go just before the start of training camp last year, which meant pay- ing his $6 million salary for this past season. The 66-year-old Riley came to the Warriors as an assistant under Nelson, serv- ing in that job for more than two seasons before being promoted to assistant GM in November 2008. He just completed his second sea- son as general manager. ‘‘I think Larry has done a great job and I’ve been very pleased with his perfor- mance,’’ Lacob said. ‘‘He’s had a vision since he took the job less than two years ago and he has certainly helped move this team in an extremely positive direction in terms of our culture, cap management and roster additions. With that said, he also understands that we still have plenty of work to do and that expectations for this team have increased.’’ Myers, 36 and a Bay Area native who played bas- ketball at UCLA, spent the past five years at Wasserman Media Group (WMG) in Los Angeles, where he rep- resented NBA players for more than a decade. He worked under renowned agent Arn Tellem. ‘‘He was an important cog in the overall scheme of things at Wasserman Media Group and his expertise — from legal issues and con- tract negotiations to his wide-ranging relationships in the business — will pay huge dividends for the War- riors as we continue to build a basketball team that our fans can be proud of every season,’’ Riley said. last NBA game in California’s state capital. ‘‘We felt very strongly that the Sacramento Kings were worth fight- ing for. And if anybody thinks that we’re going to sit on our hands and roll over and just let somebody leave with- out putting up a good fight, they’d be gravely mistaken,’’ Johnson said Thursday after a presentation in front of NBA owners. Kings owners Joe and Gavin Mal- oof are considering a move to Ana- heim and must file a relocation appli- cation with the league by Monday. The league’s owners are meeting in New York the next two days, and Johnson followed the Maloof group in speaking to them Thursday. Johnson said he hopes the Maloofs choose to stay, but if not there was an ownership group headed by Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle that would be interested in purchasing the team from them or buying another team to move to Sacramento. ‘‘We totally acknowledge that it’s the Maloofs’ decision as business owners to determine if it’s in their best interests to go to Anaheim or stay in Sacramento,’’ Johnson said. ‘‘I think we presented the alternative in that it makes sense to stay in Sacramento.’’ The Maloofs already have made one thing clear. ‘‘The Maloofs are not going to sell the team,’’ Kings spokesman Troy Hanson said. Johnson stressed the viability of the Sacramento market to the owners and reminded them of the Kings’ success in the city over the last 26 years. A for- mer NBA All-Star, Johnson compared his adrenaline when he got dressed Thursday to that of a postseason game. He revealed to the owners more than $7 million in corporate participa- tion that he said was identified in less than a week and reiterated the city’s See MAYOR, page 2B Offseason of uncertainty