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Tehama Tracker Today’s games Little League Red Bluff Utah MLB Athletics Toronto OAK — (Harden 2-2) TOR — (Cecil 4-4) Pittsburgh Giants 4:07 p.m. 4:30 p.m. Sports Camp Shots 7:15 p.m. PIT — (Ja.McDonald 7-5) SF — (Bumgarner 6-11) On the tube LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL • Noon, ESPN2 — Playoffs, South- west Regional Semifinal, teams TBD, at Waco, Texas • 3 p.m., ESPN2 — Playoffs, South- west Regional Semifinal, teams TBD, at Waco, Texas MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL •4 p.m., MLB — Regional coverage, Detroit at Cleveland or L.A. Angels at N.Y.Yankees WNBA BASKETBALL •5 p.m., ESPN2 — Seattle at New York Fish count Passed through RB Diversion Dam Aug. 7:7 salmon, 0 steelhead Aug. 6: 18 salmon, 0 steelhead Aug. 5: 64 salmon, 0 steelhead Season: 1,321 salmon, 0 steelhead Around town Softball tryouts The North Valley Rapids ASA 18Gold softball pro- gram is holding tryouts on Sunday, Aug. 21 at Frey softball field in Red Bluff. All players including pitchers and catchers will report at 9:30 a.m. Final try- outs will be Sunday, Aug. 28 at 9:30 a.m. Both tryouts are mandatory for all players. The team’s purpose is to prepare young ladies for the next level of play, where performance and academics will play a big role for col- lege admission. North Val- ley Rapids 2011 fall ball is designed to showcase talent to college coaches. For more information contact X. Tito Cervantes at 529-7389. Golf tournament Entries are currently being accepted for the 84th Northern California Open Championship slated for Sept. 12-14 at Sevillano Links. The Northern California Open Championship is a 3- day, 54-hole stroke play tournament, which attracts seasoned PGA and non- PGA professional players and amateurs with an index of 3.4 or lower. Entry dead- line for this prestigious tour- nament is Sept. 7 at 9 p.m. The Northern California Open Championship is spon- sored by Rolling Hills Casino & Resort. To register visit rollinghillscasino.com. Ques- tions regarding tournament eli- gibility should be directed to tournament headquarters at the Nor Cal PGA Section Office at (707) 449-4742. In the block Red Bluff football coach John Miller What questions need to be answered during training camp? “As a coaching staff we’re going to answer the question, ‘How cohesive can we be?” — instead of seven individuals out here trying to run a bunch of kids. We’re going to answer the question of “Who has progressed from last year? Who spent the time this summer in the weight room? Who spent the time this summer getting to be a bet- ter athlete and getting to be a better football player?” And I think that's going to be evident with some of these kids needing to step up and be leaders both on and off the field.” 1B Tuesday August 9, 2011 Spartans Daily News photos by Rich Greene The Red Bluff Spartans partake in drills on the first day of summer football practice across the Northern Section.The Spartans open their season at home against Pleasant Valley on Sept. 2. Meet your All-Stars... 23. lane pritchard SS/P Bats: Left Throws: Right Age: 13 Family: Jennifer and Darren School: Lassen View Favorite MLB Player: Troy Tulowitzki Ambition: MLB Player Hobbies: sports, video games Scouting Report: the team’s sneaky prankster 9. nicholas rodriguez IF Experience helps McClain Bats: Right Throws: Right Age: 13 Family: Vanessa, Steve, Stevie, Ella, Benjamin School: Turtle Bay Favorite MLB Player: Pablo Sandoval Ambition: MLB manager Hobbies: sports, video games Scouting Report: total utility player who does a bit of every- thing for the team 32. evan tanner 2B/SS NAPA (AP) — Now that Rolando McClain no longer has to spend his time think- ing about being in the right place and worrying about getting his teammates into the correct defense, the Oak- land Raiders hope he’ll be able to make even more big plays. With a year of experience as an NFL middle line- backer under his belt, McClain hopes to be able to get to the ball faster, disrupt offenses more often and become the big-play line- backer the Raiders hoped they added when they draft- ed him seventh overall in 2010. ‘‘When you can play fast without thinking about what you do, it gives you the abil- ity to play fast as well as make plays, so now I’m not worried about what I do, now I can look at the forma- tions and think about what the offense is going to do instead of worrying about what I’m going to do,’’ McClain said. ‘‘It enables me to play a lot faster.’’ McClain said there were only a couple of games as a rookie where he felt truly comfortable with his knowl- edge of the defense and could attack the opposition instead of just react. Even with a change in Bats: Right Throws: Right Age: 12 Family: Aaron, Courtney and Ryan School: Entering Vista from Bidwell Favorite MLB Player: Buster Posey Ambition: MLB Player Hobbies: baseball Scouting Report: always sleeping over someone else’s house defensive coordinator after Chuck Bresnahan took over for John Marshall and no formal offseason workouts because of the lockout, McClain believes he’s far ahead of where he was a year ago just trying to keep up as a rookie. That has already been evident on the practice field, where McClain has appeared faster and more disruptive than he was a year ago. He has even gotten into a few tussles with team- mates, pleasing coach Hue Jackson, who is counting on McClain to lead a defense that returns 10 starters, including Pro Bowl defen- sive lineman Richard Sey- mour. ‘‘What I’m trying to get him to understand is this defense flows through him,’’ Jackson said. ‘‘He gets to see it all. Richard is the vet- eran, obviously, but McClain gets to see the offense. Richard’s hand is down on the ground, but this guy (McClain) needs to be the unquestioned leader of our defense, and he should be and he can be. That’s what I expect from him. I’m always in his ear because I know what this young man can be. He’s a really, really good football player, but I’m asking him to be great. I’m not looking for him to be good. I want No. 55 on this team to be great.’’ Being anointed the leader of a defense that includes more decorated and experienced players like Seymour, who has won three Super Bowls and been selected to six Pro Bowls in his career doesn’t come nat- urally to the reserved McClain. He says he’s not a ‘‘rah- rah’’ guy but he is filling that role at times this year. ‘‘Last year was his first year so there might have been some hesitation at times to be more vocal,’’ fel- low linebacker Kamerion Wimbley said. ‘‘Now he’s definitely stepping up and filling that role as one of the team leaders, especially on the defensive side of the ball.’’ McClain was second on the Raiders in tackles as a rookie with 85. But he did- n’t deliver many game- changing plays, with just half a sack, one interception, and nor forced or recovered fumbles in 15 games. He had seven tackles for losses on running plays, broke up six passes and had a few bone-crushing hits. Now Jackson wants him to be one of the ‘‘hunters’’ he’s looking for on defense. ‘‘That’s my next step, I expect those things for myself,’’ McClain said. ‘‘But if you saw me in col- lege, that wasn’t something that I did. I’m just a solid player, solid on the run, solid on the pass game. I don’t come off the field and just being a sure tackler as well as a pretty good leader out there. Of course I want to make more turnovers, force more fumbles, that’s a big goal of my own. But I think it’s just being a solid player, when you look on the field you know 55 is going to get the job done no matter what.’’ McClain spent the off- season back in Alabama, where he watched film and worked out under the guid- ance of his former college coaches at Alabama. He lost about five or six pounds, spent plenty of time in the water swimming to stay in shape and watched hours of film. Film watching has been a major part of McClain’s training ever since he got to Alabama and played for coach Nick Saban. McClain said he hated film watching when he got to Alabama but has seen the results in col- lege and the pros. ‘‘You need to be able to single out your opponent and know what they’re going to do before they do it, so when they do it you can counter and be ahead of them,’’ he said. ‘‘That helped me and it’s paying dividends here.’’ NOTES: WR Darrius Heyward-Bey participated in team drills in practice for the first time this training camp. ... WR Louis Murphy missed his fifth straight practice with what Jackson described as a ‘‘minor’’ injury. ... Jackson wore ‘‘highlighter yellow’’ shoes for practice after losing a bet with RB Michael Bennett. KBLF CSNC CSNB From U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service