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Sports 1B Thursday March 11, 2010 Thursday Baseball — Corning, Red Bluff at Las Plumas Tourney Track — Corning, Los Molinos at Red Bluff, 3 p.m. Soccer — University Prep at Red Bluff, 6 p.m. Golf — Corning vs. Durham and West Valley NBA — Trail Blazers at Warriors, 7:30 p.m., TNT NCAA — Pacific-10 Tournament, CSN Spartans start strong By RICH GREENE DN Sports Editor The Red Bluff Spartans baseball team heads into this week- end's tournament in Las Plumas following a strong start at the Nor Cal Preseason Tournament. In four games, the Spartans outscored their opponents 39-4 and lone loss came in a 2-1 defeat to Central Valley. Red Bluff beat Yreka 11-1, Wheatland 12-1 and Trinity 14-1. Through the first four games of the sea- son, Derek Jones leads the team in hitting, going 7-for-11 at the plate with a pair of dou- bles and three RBIs. Cody Gappa is hit- ting .400 and has hit a home run. Dante Garaventa has driven in five RBIs and is batting 4-for-8 from the plate. Cliff Dais has also batted in five RBIs and on the mound he has struck out six hitters. Dais is one of eight Spartan pitch- ers to have thrown at least two innings so far this season. As a team Red Bluff has a 1.52 earned run average. Stephen Jensen and Scott Avery have each pitched four innings and allowed a total of three hits between them. Red Bluff opens up the Las Plumas Tournament, today, against Anderson. Little League Opening Night The Red Bluff Little League will host its annual sea- son opening ceremony, Friday. This year the event will be held at night, with the fes- tivities scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at the Jackson Heights Little League facility. The ceremony will start at 6:30 p.m. and is for all boys and girls playing in Little League this season. Hot dogs and hamburgers will be served and the pub- lic is invited to attend. The season's first games will be played Saturday. Red Bluff Olympic Wrestling Red Bluff Olympic Wrestling Club is having sign- ups and practice on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the high school wrestling room. For more information call David Rottenberg at 200- 5713. Shasta Magic girls AAU Shasta Magic Athletics is in the process of forming elite-level traveling teams for high school girls for the 2010 AAU Basketball Season. Tryouts are set for March 15 and 17 at Sequoia Middle School in Redding, 1805 Sequoia St. at 6:30 p.m. Spring training for all ages Courtesy photo Thirty-nine youngsters and at least three coaches took advantage of the third annual free baseball clinic for pitchers and catchers held at Red Bluff High School, Saturday. Most of the attendees were 12-and-under. Mike Goff taught proper form and Mike Weibling taught bunt coverage to everyone and then showed pick off techniques for the older players. NBA Wednesday's results Toronto at Sacramento, late Charlotte 102, Philadelphia 87 Dallas 96, New Jersey 87 Denver 110, Minnesota 102 Memphis 111, Boston 91 Miami 108, L.A. Clippers 97 Oklahoma City 98, New Orleans 83 San Antonio 97, New York 87 Utah 115, Detroit 104 Today's games Portland at Golden State, 7:30 p.m., TNT Atlanta at Washington, 4 p.m. Chicago at Orlando, 5 p.m., TNT Tuesday's late result L.A. Lakers 109, Toronto 107 NCAA Wednesday's Top 25 result No. 22 Georgetown 69, South Florida 49 Wednesday's Conference championships Big Sky Conference Montana 66, Weber State 65 Northeast Conference Robert Morris 52, Quinnipiac 50 Today's Top 25 games No. 1 Kansas vs Texas Tech, 9:30 a.m., ESPN2 No. 3 Syracuse vs No. 22 G'town, 9 a.m., ESPN No.7West Virginia vs Cincinnati, 6:30 p.m., ESPN No. 8 New Mexico vs Air Force, Noon No. 9 Kansas State vs Oklahoma State, 4 p.m. No. 10 Villanova vs Marquette,11:30 a.m., ESPN No. 14 BYU vs TCU, 6 p.m. No. 15 Tennessee vs LSU, 12:15 p.m. No. 16 Pittsburgh vs Notre Dame, 4 p.m., ESPN No. 21 Baylor vs Texas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2 No. 23 Texas A&M vs Nebraska, Noon No. 25 UTEP vs UCF, 7 p.m. Today's other televised games Iowa vs Michigan, 11:30 a.m., ESPN2 Arizona vs UCLA, Noon, CSN Indiana vs Northwestern, 1:30 p.m., ESPN2 California vs TBD, 2:30 p.m., CSN North Carolina vs Georgia Tech, 4 p.m., ESPN2 Washington vs Oregon State, 6 p.m., CSN Arizona State vs Stanford, 8:30 p.m., CSN NHL Wednesday's results Buffalo 5, Dallas 3 Chicago 3, Los Angeles 2, OT New Jersey 6, N.Y. Rangers 3 Washington 4, Carolina 3, OT Vancouver at Phoenix, late Today's games Nashville at San Jose, 7:30 p.m., CSNCA Tampa Bay at Toronto, 4 p.m. St. Louis at N.Y. Islanders, 4 p.m. Boston at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Pittsburgh at Carolina, 4 p.m. Atlanta at Columbus, 4 p.m. Edmonton at Montreal, 4 p.m. Minnesota at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Florida at Colorado, 6 p.m. Ottawa at Calgary, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday's late result Columbus 5, Anaheim 2 RB Outlaw Kart's biggest weekend Special to the DN This Friday and Saturday, the famed indoor track at the Tehama District Fairgrounds in Red Bluff will host the fifth annual West Coast Outlaw Kart Nationals. For five years this event has been recognized as the biggest, most important event in Outlaw Kart racing. Since its inception, each year hundreds of the finest kart racers in the world make a pilgrimage to Red Bluff to compete for the highest honor in the sport — the West Coast Nationals Gold Eagle Championship. Racers from across the country have pre-registered to come out and do battle in the bullring. Missouri, Iowa, Mon- tana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and of course, California all have drivers representing their states. "This is simply 'the' race." As one low-tow racer said last year. "We wait all season to come out here just to compete in this amazing event." This is also counted among the high-paying purse events at any venue. With 100 percent pay-out purses sweetened by additional sponsorship monies and bonuses, this is a race well worth attending. But the prestige of earning the giant golden eagle trophy is the greatest draw for anyone. For many drivers and their families its not just another race, but a grand social event. Aside from just the racing, there are barbeques, a free tri-tip dinner, games, bench rac- ing and more than anything the chance to meet new enthusi- ast, and make new friends. The little dirt track situated in the Pauline Davis Pavilion is famed not due to its rightful claim as the birthplace of the Outlaw Karts, but is known far and wide as the toughest track to tame. Unlike many Outlaw Kart tracks around the country, Red Bluff's configuration is a tight-cornered, nar- row, and incredibly high-banked dirt-clay track that changes and morphs moment to moment during races — all which adds up to the most challenging and most exciting racing a driver can ever expect. The two-day event accommodates five divisions of Out- law Karts: • Beginner Box Stock Division — featuring youngsters from age five to eight running high-tech restrictor plate motors • Box Stock Division — one of our strongest classes in terms of skill and kart count • Intermediate Division — 10 to18 year-olds racing roar- ing 250cc four-stroke powerplants • Open 500cc Division — the premier division, where nearly anything goes, and features some of the fastest, most exciting racing anywhere on the planet. • Sportsman Division — very popular and just as com- petitive, this class is designed for drivers over 21 years-old, and those adults who are either new to the sport, or are returning to relive the excitement. Following the two days of racing, the Red Bluff Outlaws Indoor Winter Series — celebrating its incredible 30th Anniversary of racing — will hold its annual Awards Cere- mony. Come and enjoy free food and help us celebrate the accomplishment of these amazing drivers. Scoreboard Scoreboard Sandoval hits grand slam, Giants beat Cubs MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Pablo Sandoval now has bragging rights over Carlos Zambrano, the pitcher he grew up idol- izing back home in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela. Still, the Giants third base- man isn't ready to boast just yet. ''I'm not going to tell him any- thing,'' Sandoval said Wednesday after his grand slam off Zambrano led San Francisco to a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs. ''I don't want to remember that. That's spring train- ing.'' Sandoval said if he homers off Zambrano during the season, ''I'm going to call him and say, 'I got you!''' He said Zambrano was talking trash when the two recently had din- ner together, but there wasn't much Sandoval could say back. In their only matchup last season, Sandoval went hitless in four at-bats. ''It's different in the season,'' Sandoval said. ''He's one of the best pitchers in the National League.'' With three All-Star Game appearances, Zambrano used to be just that, but he won only nine games last season. So he worked out hard over the winter and arrived to camp in top shape. He said he wasn't the least bit dis- couraged after giving up five third- inning runs on three soft singles, a hit batter and Sandoval's homer. ''They got lucky with bloopers, and their big man ... obviously, he's a good hitter. I have to give him credit,'' Zambrano said. ''This is spring train- ing. Just get my work in and build my arm. My fastball is running good and all my pitches are good.'' While Zambrano struggled in 2009, the 23-year-old Sandoval was a revelation in his first full big-league season, batting .330 with 25 homers and 90 RBIs. He already has driven in eight runs this spring. ''I've been watching him since he was 7, 8 years old; I knew that guy had something special,'' said Zambrano, who is five years older than Sandoval. ''He's going to be one of the best hit- ters in the National League, and he proved it last year.'' Jonathan Sanchez allowed three singles, walked none and struck out five in three shutout innings for the Giants, who are 7-1. ''My fastball was jumping out of my hand, I had a good split and my curveball was working,'' said Sanchez, who pitched a no-hitter last July 10 and finished the season with 177 strikeouts in 163 1-3 innings. ''I'm not ready, but I'm close.'' P H O E N I X (AP) — Ben Sheets still looks like a pitcher who hasn't worked at the big league level in nearly a year and a half. His command isn't quite there and his fastball velocity is slightly down. He is unfazed, because Sheets has never been one to post big spring numbers. Oakland's new $10 mil- lion ace still considered his short outing in a 9-5 loss Wednesday to the Chicago White Sox a step in the right direction. He regularly threw his change-up. Sheets, who missed all of 2009 recovering from elbow surgery, allowed six runs — five earned — on five hits with a walk in 2 2- 3 innings of his second spring start. ''I'm trying to mow them down. It just don't go down,'' Sheets said. ''I'm not trying to give up five or six runs. It's March 10 and you have bad days. I don't think it's outside the ordi- nary. I think this is a normal s p r i n g training for me. I haven't had much success down here. I just try and get better every time out. I'm definitely not result-oriented.'' The Athletics got a big lift from their other come- back kid: Eric Chavez. He hit his first two home runs of the spring, including a two-run shot in the first off winning pitch- er Daniel Hudson and then a sixth-inning solo drive. Chavez, a converted first baseman and six-time Gold Glover at third, was forced to switch positions following five operations since Sept. 5, 2007. Two of those were microdiscec- tomy surgeries in different spots in his back, and he also has undergone three shoulder surgeries. So, his powerful swings were a positive sign to say the least. Even if they don't really count. For Chavez, he knows he still has it in him. He is still in pain and fears what might happen next, the setback that could derail his career for good. ''I'm completely confi- dent,'' he said. ''I just never know what's in store for tomorrow. I'm just at peace with waking up every day coming to the field and enjoying myself, and I'm in no position to start predicting what's going to happen tomor- row.'' Chavez appeared in only eight games in 2009. He had one hit in his last 22 at-bats and was in an 0- for-15 stretch. He hit .100 with one RBI. That's after he played in only 23 games in 2008, and 90 in '07. Manager Bob Geren said Chavez looked loose and strong during perhaps his best batting practice yet since the team arrived in the desert last month. White Sox right fielder Jordan Danks made a pret- ty diving catch on Rajai Davis' hard liner leading off the fifth, giving manag- er Ozzie Guillen plenty to think about when it comes to where to send the club's top-five prospect. He might be headed for a pro- motion to Triple-A Char- lotte — and his defense already is considered good enough to be at the major- league level. He went 1 for 2 with a walk Wednesday and scored a run, and also stung the ball on a lineout to left in the fourth. Danks is the brother of Sox start- ing pitcher John Danks. NOTES: New Oakland CF Coco Crisp is nursing a strained left hamstring and is expected to be side- lined for at least a few days. ... The A's shut down RHP Joey Devine for about a week because of elbow soreness and forearm tendinitis. He is recovering from Tommy John surgery last April and is still considered ahead of schedule. Sheets gets his work as A's lose to White Sox