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Tehama Tracker Today's games BASEBALL Pleasant Valley Tournament Red Bluff Pleasant Valley 11 a.m. at Hooker Oak Recreation Area Ron Doryland Field Red Bluff Chico Sports City champions 2 p.m. at Chico High School SOCCER Red Bluff at Spring Classic NBA Warriors Philadelphia Kings L.A. Lakers 5 p.m. CSNC 7:30 p.m. CSNC On the tube AUTO RACING • 10 a.m., SPEED — NASCAR, Nationwide Series, practice for Bashas' Supermarkets 200, at Avondale, Ariz. • 11:30 a.m., SPEED — NASCAR, Sprint Cup, practice for Subway Fresh Fit 500, at Avondale, Ariz. •1 p.m., SPEED — NASCAR, Nation- wide Series, final practice for Bashas' Supermarkets 200, at Avondale, Ariz. • 2:30 p.m., SPEED — NASCAR, Sprint Cup, ''Happy Hour Series,'' final practice for Subway Fresh Fit 500, at Avondale, Ariz. BOXING •6 p.m., ESPN2 — Junior welter- weights, Jesus Pabon (17-2-0) vs. Joan Guzman (31-0-1), at Hollywood, Fla. GOLF • Noon, TGC — PGA Tour, The Honda Classic, second round, at Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL •4 p.m., ESPN2 — Akron at Kent St. MEN'S COLLEGE HOCKEY • 4:30 p.m., NBCSN — Denver at Nebraska-Omaha NBA •5 p.m., CSNB — Golden State at Philadelphia • 7:30 p.m., CSNC—Sacramento at L.A. Lakers • 7:30 p.m., ESPN — L.A. Clippers at Phoenix NHL • 4:30 p.m., NHL NETWORK—N.Y. Rangers at Tampa Bay Ski report Mt Shasta — Thu 12:11 pm 27 new packed powder machine groomed 40-66 base 32 of 32 trails 100% open, 4 of 4 lifts, Mon-Wed: 9a-4p; Thu-Fri: 9a- 9p; Sat: 9a-9p Sun: 9a-4p Spring Schedules Th March 1 at Durham Th-S Mar 8-10 Glenn Cox Tourney Tu March 20 vs Biggs, 4 p.m. Th-S Mar 28-30 at Biggs Tourney W April 11 at Hamilton, 4 p.m. F April 13 vs Quincy, 4 p.m. Tu April l17 at Williams, 4 p.m. F April 20 vs Portola, 4 p.m. Tu April 24 vs Esparto, 4 p.m. F April 27 at East Nicolaus, 4 p.m. Tu May 1 at Biggs, 4 p.m. F May 4 vs Hamilton, 4 p.m. Tu May 8 at Quincy, 4 p.m. Los Molinos High Baseball F-S Mar 9-10 at Small Schools Tourney Tu March 20 vs Biggs, 4 p.m. Th-S Mar 15-17 LM Tournament W April 11 at Hamilton, 4p.m. F April 13 vs Quincy, 4 p.m. Tu April 17 at Williams, 4 p.m. F April 20 vs Portola, 4 p.m. Tu April 24 vs Esparto, 4 p.m. F April 27 at East Nicolaus, 4 p.m. Tu May 1 at Biggs, 4 p.m. F May 4 vs Hamilton, 4 p.m. Tu May 8 at Quincy, 4 p.m. Softball W March 14 Tehama County, 3:30 p.m. W March 21 MTVL at U-Prep S March 24 Burt Williams Classic at Central Valley, 10 a.m. W March 28 MTVL at Red Bluff S March 31 Black Butte Invitational at Orland, 10 a.m. Track & Field S April 14 John Frank Invitational at Central Valley W April 18 MTVL at Red Bluff F April 20 WestValley/Chico Invite at Chico State, Noon W May 2 MTVL at U-Prep F May 4 Gary Burton Invitational at Corning, 10 a.m. Th May 10 MTVL Finals F May 18 Division-IV Finals at West Valley F May 25 NSCIF Finals at West Valley, 4 p.m. MMarch 19 League at Esparto at Yocha Dehe, Noon Th March 29 League at Durham at Bidwell, Noon Golf M April 23 League at Williams at Arbuckle, Noon W April 25 League at Colusa at Colusa, 11 a.m. M April 30 League at Willows at Willows, Noon M March 5 at Lincoln Invitational at Brookside Country Club M March 12 at Oroville Par 3 at Table Mountain M March 19 at PV Invitational at Bidwell Park Th March 22 League at Las Plumas at Table Mountain, 1:30p.m. M March 26 at Wolfpack Invite Th March 29 League at Red Bluff at Wilcox Oaks M April 2 at Skyway Challenge Tu April 17 at LP Invitational Th April 19 League at Oroville at Table Mountain, 1:30 p.m. Tu April 24 Paradise Invitational Th April 26 League at Paradise at Tuscan Ridge, 1:30 p.m. M April 30 at Weed Invitational Th May 3 League at Lassen at Diamond Mountain Tu May 8 at EAL Playoffs at Tierra Oaks Tu May 15 at Masters at Lake Shastina Red Bluff High School Golf By TRAVISSOUDERS MediaNews Group CHICO — Brian MacInnes, the CEO of the Chico Outlaws' parent com- pany Diamond Sports and Entertainment, confirmed exclusively to the Enter- prise-Record on Wednesday afternoon that the baseball club that has called Nettleton Stadium home since 2005 will not be playing there, or anywhere else, in the 2012 season. Courtesy photo In his 41st year of playing city league basketball, Joe Dominick's Red Bluff City League basketball team captured the 2012 American League Basketball championship. Dominick's Civil Engineering and Land Surveying team is made up of Joe Dominick, Rob Brownfield, JD Dominick, Ryan Stephens, Jon Tenney, Mike Weibling, Gavin Gormley, Ethan Darnall, Jason Vine and Kris Darnall. Weeks learning valuable lessons PHOENIX (MCT) — Jemile Weeks' rookie season ended last September, but his baseball education con- tinued into the winter. The Oakland Athletics' second baseman found a valuable tutor in Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin. They live near each other in Central Florida, and Larkin dishes out whatever wisdom he can offer. He has found Weeks to be an eager pupil. "He's like a sponge," Larkin said in a phone inter- view. "He takes any kind of information, and you can see him applying it. I think the world of him as a per- son, but I think he has a tremendously high ceiling because of his ability to make adjustments and add things to his game." Weeks made quite a first impression in 2011, batting .303 with 26 doubles, eight triples and 22 stolen bases in 97 games following his June call-up. His batting average led major league rookies with 350 or more plate appear- ances. But more than any- thing, Weeks' speed and exciting play provided a shot in the arm for a team — and fan base — that suffered through a 74-88 record. A's general manager Billy Beane proceeded to trade away several high-pro- file players during the off- season, but he labeled the switch-hitting Weeks as the one untouchable player on his major league roster. "He's a great talent, a unique talent," Beane said. "And he's only got a half- year in the major leagues. He's a guy who is very much part of our long-term The confirmation came a day after MacInnes informed Chico State Uni- versity, which owns Nettle- ton Stadium, that the club could not conduct its busi- ness under the one-year deal the university proposed. "We will not be playing in Chico this year," MacInnes said. "We've had a one-year lease before, we had one last year, and it's just not a way for us to run a See CHICO, page 2B Bochy considers rotation SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (MCT) — Tim Lincecum will start and pitch one inning in Saturday's exhibi- tion opener and is lined up to take the mound opening day, manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday. But the pitcher who throws a day after Lince- cum's April 6 start against the Arizona Diamondbacks could be a bit of a surprise. Madison Bumgarner, not Matt Cain, will start one of Sunday's split-squad games, and Bumgarner's position behind Lincecum might become long term. "That's a possibility," Bochy said. "I talked to Matt (Cain), I gave him the scenario." MCT file photo Oakland Athletics infielder Jemile Weeks is still learning after his rookie year. future." Now the key is whether Weeks, 25, can build on his breakout season, which was hardly flawless. His 13 errors led Ameri- can League second base- men even though he spent roughly the first two months of the season in the minors. Weeks' glove work has been his weak spot since the A's drafted him 12th overall in 2008 out of the University of Miami. He worked extensively with A's infield coach Mike Gallego after his promotion last June. And despite the errors, A's manager Bob Melvin said he thought Weeks actually made more progress defensively in 2011 than offensively. So far this spring, Weeks ALAMEDA (AP) — The Oakland Raiders placed the franchise tag on safety Tyvon Branch on Thursday, guaranteeing him about $6.2 million for 2012 to keep him off the open market in free agency. ''We are pleased that Tyvon will return to the Raiders in 2012,'' Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said in a state- ment. ''Tyvon is a talented, productive player who we hope will be wearing the Sil- ver and Black for many years to come. We will con- tinue to work on a long-term deal to make that happen.'' Branch, a fourth-round pick in 2008, has started every game the past three seasons and led the Raiders in tackles the past two years. He had 78 solo tackles, one sack, one interception, four passes defensed and one fumble recovery last season. has impressed Melvin in turning the double play. "His mechanics are so much better," Melvin said. "I think a lot has to do with his confidence, coming into camp confident based on what he did last year." Credit an assist to Larkin, who will be inducted into Cooperstown in July. He began working sever- al years ago with Weeks' older brother Rickie, who plays second base for the Brewers. Jemile said he has bene- fited greatly from Larkin's tutelage over the past two winters. "He's given me a number of drills that I can stick with," Weeks said. "He's talked to me about different aspects of the game, how to He also was much improved in pass coverage, cutting his completion percentage against from 67.4 percent in 2010 to 55.7 percent last season, according to STATS LLC. The move to lock up Branch means running back Michael Bush will likely be able to test the free agent market starting March 13. Bush led the Raiders with 977 yards rushing last sea- son, stepping into the start- ing role when Darren handle myself. Everything that comes out of his mouth is important." While breaking into the majors with the Reds in the mid-1980s, Larkin said he tapped into the wisdom of veterans such as Buddy Bell, Dave Concepcion and Tony Perez. Now he's happy to take on the mentor role, and he said many of the techniques that served him well as a shortstop can help Weeks as a second base- man. He has worked with Weeks to get the most out of his athleticism defensively. "He's a young exciting player," Larkin said. "I wish I had a chance to play with him, to be honest. I love his makeup and love the way he plays the game." Raiders place franchise tag on S Tyvon Branch McFadden went down with a season-ending foot injury. Bush has expressed interest in becoming a starter and might leave Oakland to do it. The decision to keep Branch is one of many key ones coming for the Raiders in the next few weeks. Pro Football Talk reported recently that the Raiders were more than $20 million over the projected 2012 salary cap even before plac- See BRANCH, page 2B The impetus behind the switch is hypothetical: If right-hander Ryan Vogel- song, the No. 4 starter, suf- fers a setback in his recov- ery from a back strain, the Giants would move left- hander Eric Surkamp into the rotation. That scenario would leave the Giants with left-handers in the final three rotation slots: Bum- garner, Surkamp and Barry Zito. Bochy said he likely would split up right-han- ders Lincecum and Cain if that's the case. Vogelsong suffered the strain before reporting to Arizona and hasn't thrown off a mound since. Cain will start Monday, and Zito will start Tues- day's game. Brian Burres, a non-roster invitee, will start the other split-squad game Sunday. Bumgarner went 13-13 with a 3.21 ERA last sea- son and certainly would fit in nicely between fellow hard throwers Lincecum and Cain. But he was unim- pressed by the possibility. "It was fun to pitch behind them, too," he said. Bumgarner, 22, pitched to minor leaguers Wednes- day and continued to impress coaches and team- mates. He said he feels more focused this spring and is "ahead of schedule." "It's been better than usual," he said. "I definitely feel good with where I am." 1B Friday March 2, 2012 Outlaws won't play in 2012