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Tuesday Baseball — American Christian Academy at Mercy, 4 p.m. Baseball — Corning at Central Valley, 7 p.m. Baseball — Red Bluff at Foothill, 7 p.m. Softball — Foothill at Red Bluff, 4 p.m. Soccer — Foothill at Red Bluff, 6 p.m Tennis — Corning at Anderson, 3:30 p.m. Tennis — Red Bluff at Foothill, 3 p.m. Tennis — Willows at Mercy, 3:30 p.m. Baseball is in the air Saturday made it offi- cial, but over the last week it became obvious — spring is here. Ah, glorious spring. Perfect weather, flow- ers blooming, birds chirp- ing — I can even look at the clock on my car radio now and not have to sub- tract an hour. Is there a better time of year? Above all else, spring brings with it baseball and the sport’s little kid sister softball, showing us that even men can enjoy dia- monds. Rich Greene While the major leagues have done their best to tarnish our beloved ball game over the past couple of decades, all it takes is a trip down to one of the local parks to remember why we love sunflower seeds, freshly cut grass and the sound of metal pinging against cowhide. Baseball is American. It’s been said a million times, but that’s because it’s so damn true. Even our nation’s politics pick from base- ball’s traits — whether you follow Don Pol- son’s logic or fall into Richard Mazzucchi’s camp there’s something there for you. It’s a sport that relies upon individual achievements to advance the collective team’s effort, but at the same time shows how a team can pull up an individual player to greatness. You need to pull a little from both sides to achieve the proper balance. Maybe that’s why I’m an independent. Right here in Tehama County we have a number of great ballplayers and great teams and it’s not just at the high school level. This area loves its baseball and softball and it shows from the 5-year-olds just learning to catch and throw to the 50 year-olds teaching them to do so. Americans love to root for the anti-hero and baseball gives us every reason to find that gray line between good and evil. We award those that steal signs, steal bases and sacrifice themselves, because we always want to see the perfect game and our players come home. Those who say baseball’s popularity is being surpassed by faster-paced sports are missing the larger point. Baseball’s best aspect is it’s use or disregard of time. Like life, it goes from mundane to forcing you to deal with a problem as quick as the crack of a bat only to settle back down into its rhyth- mic pace once more. Sure the innings go on, but there is no clock telling you when the game is going to end. All there is, is the notion that each one of us can and should do as much as we can before that final out. A lot of us can remember back to when we were kids playing tee-ball or Little League and how excited we were when an aunt or an uncle or even a grandparent came out to see us play. For many of us, that table has now been flipped and it’s our turn to go support the next generation. So if you haven’t done it yet, use your DVR and get down to a park and catch a game, some sunlight, friends, family and America’s game. Simon Cowell is British, he can wait. ********** On Friday, Red Bluff baseball coach Joe Gal- laty gave me an interesting quote following the Spartans 11-1 road win in Oroville. “We’re proud of how they represented Red Bluff High School today,” he said. I’m probably going to pull something out Gallaty’s words that he wasn’t intending, but I think it’s an important point to note. When our sports teams travel to different cities they are acting as ambassadors for our area. When you wear Red Bluff, Corning or Los Molinos across your chest you’re representing us all. For some folks the only contact they may have with our communities is through our teams that come to their home towns to compete. That’s why it’s so important for our athletes to realize they don’t only play for the Spartans, Cardinals or Bulldogs, but for Tehama County. Now I haven’t seen or heard of any incident that makes me bring this up — no this is more of just a good news report. The kids in school right now and especially the senior class of 2010 are the types of indi- viduals we want representing our area. Let’s hope that tradition continues and sup- port not just the wins our teams get on the road, but also the way they conduct themselves. Daily News Sports Editor Rich Greene wants to remind baseball and softball fans to grab their sunscreen. Those who have run into him in recent days knows he should have taken his own advice. For questions or comments not related to tanning you contact him at 527-2151, ext. 109 or by e-mail at sports@redbluffdai- lynews.com. Courtesy photo The Vista School softball team (from top left0: Coach Mike McEnaney, Hailey Reineman, Shannon Packard, Tayler Zazueta, Ashleigh Fox, Alyssa Hethcoat, Coach Teresa Salinas- McEnaney, Heather Nelson, Hailee Nichols, Cheyene Grannes, Adrienne Hinkston, Samantha Jones, Madison Waelty, Brianna Weik and Brandi Mason. The Vista School softball team took first place at the Sequoia Middle School A Girls Softball Tournament over the weekend. Vista won a close 4-2 game to open play on Thursday and then had mercy wins in both of their Saturday games. Against West Cottonwood on Thursday, Vista trailed 2-0 entering the third, but struck for four runs with Samantha Jones, Tayler Zazueta, Hailee Nichols and Heather Nelson running for Ashleigh Fox scoring. Nichols picked up the win for Vista allowing three hits and striking out eight over five innings. Vista won its first game Saturday 10-0 with Adrienne Hinkston on the mound. She struck out six. Zazueta tripled, Jones and Nichols reached base three times, Cheyenne Grannes doubled, and Hailey Reine- man had a pair of singles. Vista won the championship game 13-0 over Sequoia with Nichols once again on the mound. Zazueta scored four runs for Vista including a homer and Grannes scored three times. Nichols and Fox each had three hits. McCloughan out as 49ers GM SANTA CLARA (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have a new man in charge of personnel decisions merely a month before draft day. Scot McCloughan is out as the Niners’ general man- ager in a ‘‘mutual parting,’’ and director of player per- sonnel Trent Baalke will lead the team into next month’s draft. Team president Jed York, speaking Monday in a con- ference call from the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, said it’s in the best interest of both parties and called the move a ‘‘private personnel matter.’’ He didn’t elaborate on what went wrong for McCloughan, except to say it had more to do with the GM’s personal issues than anything on the football side of things. ‘‘Trent is leading us into the draft,’’ York said. ‘‘Trent is the point person in the draft. He is making draft decisions. ... Trent knows the draft better than anybody else and I have full confi- dence in him.’’ York, also the team’s chief executive officer, addressed the situation five days after news broke that McCloughan was on his way out. York said the team ‘‘had been prepared for this’’ but that he told McCloughan he would wait to announce it for five days. ‘‘I gave Scot my word I wouldn’t comment on this for five days,’’ York said. ‘‘My integrity is more important to me than trying to get out a story. I gave Scot five days to think about See 49ers, page 2B Courtesy photo Athletes honored at Mercy High School’s Winter Sports Athletics Dinner were (from top left): Morgan Hampton (Junior Varsity basketball co-Most Valuable Player), Maggie Keller (JV basketball co-MVP), Krystal Bennett (JV basketball Most Improved Player), Diana Van Ert (Varsity basketball co-MVP and All-League), Natasha Czajka (co-MVP and All-League), Esteban Rodriguez (JV basketball MVP), Cameron Vietti (Varsity basketball Mr. Defense and All-League), Ali Syed (Varsity basketball MIP and All-League honorable mention), Isaac Williams (JV basketball MIP),Jeremie Jones (Varsity basketball All-League honorable mention), Mitchell Lopez (Varsity basketball Mr. Offense and All-League) and Samantha Mondragon (soccer MIP). Other athletes honored and not pictured were: Camille Crowley (Varsity basketball MIP and All- League honorable mention), Benicia Grace (Varsity basketball All-League honorable mention) and Gabe Guerrero (soccer MVP and All-League) Vista wins Sequoia Tournament Sports 1B Mercy honors athletes Tuesday March 23, 2010