Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "fresno"

River Cats are game 4 champions, 3-2

2011-06-21T01:08:37Z

Olympians from all over northern California joined Sacramento River Cats fans Monday afternoon at Raley Field to celebrate Olympic Day and see the final game in the four-game series against the Fresno Grizzlies.

While the Cats claimed the first run of the day, the Grizzlies soon came back with two homers of their own in the top of the fifth. By the second half, it appeared the Cats might be in for another loss, but the team turned its offensive game on high, scoring once to tie during the eighth and once more at the bottom of the ninth for the big win and a final score of 3-2.

The game started off slowly. Though Cats first baseman Chris Carter gave the Grizzlies a scare in the second, tripling on a fly ball (his first for the year), designated hitter Adrian Cardenas grounded into a double play, and the scoreboard remained 0-0 until the third inning.

But fans remained hopeful as the game picked up for the Cats during that inning. The first three batters for the Grizzlies quickly struck out swinging, and though Cats right fielder Matt Carson grounded out, left fielder Shane Peterson came through for the team, doubling on a fly ball.

Finally, thanks to a sacrifice fly by River Cats third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, Peterson scored the first run of the game.

The Cats held the lead until the top of the fifth inning, when the Grizzlies’ offense fought back hard. With right fielder Brad Eldred already on first, Grizzlies first baseman Tyler LaTorre hit his first homer of the year, bringing the tally to 2-1.

Things looked grim by the bottom of the eighth when Carson started off by grounding out, but the game started to turn when second baseman Mark Ellis came to bat and doubled on a fly ball to center field, allowing Peterson to run home and tie the game at 2-2.

Tied, it was now down to the wire at the top of the ninth. The Cats once again got the first three batters out quickly. Though center fielder Jai Miller batted first and popped out, Carter, catcher Anthony Recker and Cardenas would all manage to single.

With the bases loaded, Carson came up to bat and singled on a ground ball, allowing Carter to score the winning run and win the game for the Cats.

It was fitting that it was Olympic Day, as the Cats came out champions. Determined to come back after their last two losses, the Cats fought hard, both offensively and defensively, and it showed.

By the ninth inning, pitcher Travis Banwart was making River Cats history with 12 strikeouts.

After the game, manager Darren Bush said, “(Banwart) threw the ball outstanding.”

The River Cats will take on the Tucson Padres at Kino Stadium in Tucson, Ariz. Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Photos by Ron Nabity.

Sacramento Facebookers racing to win $100,000 grant to fight hunger

2010-12-30T03:50:47Z

As part of its 2010 Holiday campaign focused on fighting hunger, Walmart launched a Facebook campaign that invites fans to select the communities that will receive $1.5 million in grants. By visiting the campaign website and "liking" a community via their Facebook account, people influence which communities will receive the funds. The community with the most "likes" will receive $1 million to fight hunger; the next 5 highest scoring communities will receive $100,000 each.

Why is this news? Because Sacramento is in now in 6th place which earns a $100,000 grant! With less than 48 hours remaining in the race, Sacramento's social media influencers are campaigning to keep Sacramento in 6th place or better.

Using social networking tools like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, the word is spreading rapidly throughout the region. An event on Facebook has even been created to help people tell all of their Facebook friends about the campaign.

Unlike other social media campaigns that only focus on raising awareness about issues, this campaign awards grant money to the top 7 regions. Fresno, which has a significant lead over all the other regions, is likely to win the $1 million grant and Bakersfield and Sacramento are currently in 5th & 6th place which earns grant awards of $100,000 each. However, Sacramento, Grand Rapids and Charleston are running a very tight race, currently in 6th, 7th & 8th places respectively. Sacramento will need to increase its social media efforts to hold 6th place.

Sacramento Press readers can help the campaign by visiting the website and "liking" our region. Anyone who has a Facebook account can participate. There is no charge to "Like" or vote; just click on the community of your choice. You do not need to "Like" Walmart in order to participate The campaign ends on 12/31/2010 at midnight EST.

River Cats Still Tied with Grizzlies

2010-07-29T09:35:04Z

On Tuesday, July 27, The Sacramento River Cats played the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. The River Cats entered the game tied with the Fresno Grizzlies for the division lead. Strong performances both on the mound and at the plate helped the River Cats win, while the Grizzlies lost that same night. The result gave the River Cats a 1.5 game lead entering their game against the Sky Sox on Wednesday, July 28. Unfortunately, the River Cats lost the second game of their home stand against the Sky Sox on the 28th, while the Grizzlies rallied to defeat the Tacoma Rainiers in the 10th inning on the same night. Thus, the battle for the division lead continues. The River Cats play the Sky Sox again on Thursday night at Raley Field in West Sacramento. With only 39 games remaining, including 5 at home versus Fresno scheduled for August 25-29, the post-season may be in view, but every win is critically important. As images from the past two games illustrate, Sacramento's Boys of Summer have made River Cats baseball exciting, entertaining, and well worth witnessing.

River Cats declaw Grizzlies in extra innings Friday night

2010-07-04T06:11:08Z

The Sacramento River Cats defeated the Fresno Grizzlies 4-3 in the 11th inning Friday night, putting them 5 games behind first-place Fresno in the Pacific Coast League South Division. The River Cats play Fresno again Saturday night, leaving eight games before the All-Star game.

Following are some photos from Friday night.

River Cats mascot Dinger poses for pictures with young fans before the game in front of Raley Field.

Pitcher John Halama (#48) about to release.

Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson (center) dispenses wisdom to outfielder Corey Wimberly (right).

A Grizzlies player (left) leading off first base waits for a hit from his teammate before taking off.

Raley Field

Outfielder Michael Taylor (#52)

Members of the River Cats ground crew "The Groove Crew" shake it for the fans during the 7th inning stretch.

Rickey Henderson (left) signs a baseball for a young fan.

Outfielder Matt Watson hit a homer and game-tying single in the eighth.

River Cats manager Tony DeFrancesco (center) giving third base umpire Jeff Latter (right) a piece of his mind after being ejected from the game by home plate umpire Darren Budahn (not pictured). DeFrancesco was ejected after arguing balls and strikes during a Matt Watson (#22) at-bat.

Grizzlies outfielder Ben Copeland (#12)

Outfielder Corey Wimberly (#3) gets ready to connect.

A young fan hopes a Grizzlies player will look her way and toss her a baseball souvenir.

Rickey Henderson coaches at first base. The Oakland A's roving instructor and Hall of Famer holds the major league records for career stolen bases (1,406), runs scored (2,295), unintentional walks (2,129), and leadoff home runs (81 games).

River Cats mascot Dinger entertains the crowd during a changeover.

First baseman Chris Carter (#33) lets one fly.

A Grizzlies coach (right) plays a prank on a Grizzlies player in the dugout: the coach is holding shut the door to a small storage room, and there is a player in the room who can't get out. A crowd manager said that it smells awful inside the room.

Two fans both hope to catch a foul ball.

The River Cats congratulate third baseman Dallas McPherson (#8) after he scores the winning run in the 11th inning.

Hmong New Year celebration

2009-11-30T06:14:33Z

Thanksgiving Day usually means eating turkey. But for thousands of local Hmong, it means eating Hmong sausage, grilled pork and sticky rice while attending the Sacramento Hmong New Year celebration at Cal Expo.

More than 40,000 people are expected to attend the four-day celebration which begins Thursday and ends Sunday, said John Thao, Hmong New Year Committee board member. The board formed six years ago and consists of one representative from each of the 18 Hmong clans which make up Sacramento's community of approximately 26,000 to 28,000 Hmong. Hmong come from the mountainous regions of China and other countries Southeast Asia.

Nov. 14 and 15, Hmong already celebrated the new year at home with their immediate families and close relatives, Thao said. The celebration at Cal Expo is more than a New Year celebration - it's a festival of unity, a way to show wealth, meet new faces and come together to show support for the Hmong community in Sacramento, he said.

At 10 a.m. Thursday, General Vang Pao, will be cutting a ceremonial ribbon and giving a speech during the celebration's opening ceremony. A Hmong American born in Laos, the General fought in the Royal Lao Army and is revered by both Hmong in the U.S. and Asia. He was recently released of conspiracy charges.

His speech will kick off four days of events including a Miss Hmong California pageant, a Hmong Idol singing competition and a play reflecting on why the Hmong celebrate the new year.

The celebration will include local and international performers singing, playing music and dancing, said Tony Moua, the event's entertainment chair. Hmong people from China, Thailand and Laos, as well as other Asian American groups from Sacramento, are expected to attend the festival.

Moua and Thao both said they were excited that General Vang Pao will attend the celebration.

"He doesn't visit the area very often, (so) this is a wonderful event for Sacramento," Moua said. "It means the whole world to me, and it means that the region is strong and dynamic."

"It's important to all the Hmong, he's a hero to the people," Thao added.

Sacramento and Fresno both have about the same population of Hmong, the largest in California. Thao said that Fresno's Hmong International New Year celebration will be held Dec. 26 - Jan. 2, and will hold the Miss Hmong International pageant.

He also said he was looking forward to watching the play, which will reflect the history of why Hmong people celebrate the new year. This will be the first time the play will be produced, and it will be held on the first day of the event.

One New Year tradition is playing "Swb Pob", pronounced "pah-bah," which Moua said has similar rules to an egg toss. It acts as a way to socialize and meet new people.

Competitors wearing traditional Hmong clothing begin standing 10 feet apart while tossing a ball to each other. Each team must back up five feet every three minutes until they are 35 feet apart. The last person still tossing at the end will win a $100 cash prize.

"It's a celebration of life and for people to meet each other and promote culture," Moua said. "We are extending our hands to reach out and we would hope others do the same."

Hmong New Year takes place from 10 a.m. until an unspecified evening closing time, Thursday through Sunday at Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd. Click here for the full schedule.

Photographs credit Lou Lo Photography. Photos show My Tzer Lao, last year's Miss Hmong California.

The River Cats Return to Raley Field For Their Final Homestand Of The Season

2009-08-22T18:25:22Z

The Sacramento River Cats return home for the final home stanza of the regular season after an amazing road trip in which they went 7-1.

The homestand begins Saturday night with a four-game series with the Portland Beavers. The River Cats will be honoring three local heroes in Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker and Chicago Cubs first baseman Derek Lee. The first 1,500 people in attendance will get to choose from the three bobbleheads. The person whose bobblehead runs out first will be named the 2009 River Cats High School Hero.

The fans in attendance should be excited to see Dana Eveland (8-4, 4.94) take the mound for Sacramento against Wade LeBlanc (3-9, 4.11).

The Highway 99 rivalry comes to a close for the 2009 season beginning Wednesday. The River Cats will take on the Fresno Grizzlies in the most anticipated series of the season. As of August 21 the River Cats have 12.5 game lead over Fresno for the PCL Pacific South Division lead with just 17 games left to go in the regular season. Sacramento’s magic number to win the division is at five games. Coincidently, their series with Fresno is a five-game series.

The Highway 99 series will be a busy five days at Raley Field. Wednesday’s 7:05 p.m. start is German Heritage Night, Thursday night is Happy Hour with Miller Lite’s ‘Que & Brew, Friday is the River Cats’ Summer of ’69 celebration on top of 49ers Faithful Night, Saturday the River Cats will honor their affiliate the Oakland Athletics with a tribute to their 1989 World Series title over the San Francisco Giants, the Fresno Grizzlies affiliate. The River Cats final home game of the season is on Sunday August 30. Not only is it Kids Day at Raley Field but it is also Fan Appreciation Day to honor all the River Cat faithful for all their support this season.

Game Schedule
August 22 –7:05 p.m.
August 23 – 1:05 p.m.
August 24 – 7:05 p.m.
August 25 – 7:05 p.m.
August 26 – 7:05 p.m.
August 27 – 7:05 p.m.
August 28 – 7:05 p.m.
August 29 – 7:05 p.m.
August 30 – 1:05 p.m.

River Cats Begin The Dog Days of Summer With a Big Home Stand

2009-08-06T01:59:52Z

August is the month where they separate the men from the boys. The Sacramento River Cats look to be one of the upper-tier teams in the Pacific Coast League. Tickets for the first round of the playoffs went on sale Wednesday at Raley Field. Even though Tony DeFrancesco’s club has a 7.5 game lead over their rival the Fresno Grizzlies in the Pacific South Division, Sacramento still feels they must always look in the rear-view mirror to see which team is creeping up behind them. The River Cats begin an eight-game home stand tonight that will go a long ways in deciding who they might face down the road in the playoffs.

Sacramento begins its home stand against the Oklahoma City RedHawks. As of Wednesday, Oklahoma City (55-54) is 5 games behind the Albuquerque Isotopes for the American South Division lead. James Simmons (6-5, 5.38) takes the mound Wednesday against Elizardo Ramirez (7-8, 4.19) in what promises to be a run-scoring affair. Happy Hour on Thursday begins with Miller Lite ‘Que & Brew at Raley Field. Friday and Saturday are big nights for the River Cats. Friday is Library Night and Raider Nation Night at the ballpark. Kids who participated in the River Cats Summer Reading Program can enjoy a night at the stadium, while in the process meet Raiders legend Jim Otto who will be signing autographs during the game. Sacramento finishes up their series with the RedHawks on Saturday. Saturday is Elk Grove Night Featuring Brad Kilby and Family and Faith Night at Raley Field. Kilby will be honored before his hometown fans and Radical Reality will give a pregame demonstration of strength with River Cat players.

The River Cats begin a four-game series on Sunday with another team from the American South Division. Sacramento will host the New Orleans Zephyrs to rap up the home stand. Shawn Chacon (4-4, 6.94) is scheduled to start for the River Cats Sunday evening. Chacon will look to forget his previous outing at the Portland Beavers Monday with a fast start on Sunday against New Orleans. Against Portland Chacon gave up six hits and six runs in just 3.2 innings of work in the loss. The series finishes up on August 12 with US Bank AAA School Day Schools will be going to Raley Field for a fun, safe and educational field trip in the morning and some midday baseball afterwards.

The River Cats are happy to be home after splitting a four-game series at the Portland Beavers. The series was full of emotions for both teams as the margin of victory in each game was never higher than two runs. Catcher Eric Munson delivered with a two-run home run in the top of the ninth on August 2 to help Sacramento win game one of the series 4-2. Less than 24 hours later third baseman Brett Wallace lifted the River Cats to victory with a go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth off of Edwin Moreno as Sacramento won 2-1. The Beavers salvaged the series with back-to-back wins. Center fielder Drew Macias continued his timely hitting with a line-drive single to left off of Jay Marshall for the game-winning run as Portland won 3-2 in 12 innings. As of August 5, Sacramento is 13-4 in extra inning ballgames. The series wrapped up with Chacon’s 6-5 defeat. Sunday was just not a smooth ballgame for the River Cats.

Sacramento added more depth to their pitching staff on Wednesday with the signing of veteran Brett Tomko. Tomko will look to provide some veteran leadership as the River Cats look to make a run down the stretch.

Game Schedule
August 5 – 7:05 p.m.
August 6 – 7:05 p.m.
August 7 – 7:05 p.m.
August 8 – 7:05 p.m.
August 9 – 6:05 p.m.
August 10 – 7:05 p.m.
August 11 – 7:05 p.m.
August 12 – 11:35 a.m.

In The Heat Of Summer The River Cats Are In The Middle Of A Sizzling Pennant Race

2009-07-01T00:27:15Z

As the Sacramento River Cats finish up a four game-series with the Las Vegas 51s, the Fresno Grizzlies and Reno Aces are in Sacramento’s rear-view mirror in the PCL Pacific South Division standings.

The River Cats are in the middle of a pennant race, and July will go a long way in deciding who wins the division. Sacramento plays Fresno and Reno eight times each in July.

Sacramento begins the month with a three-game series at Raley Field against Fresno. As of Tuesday, the River Cats are six games ahead of the Grizzlies in the division. Sacramento then goes on the road for their longest road trip of the season, starting with four in Reno. The Aces trail the River Cats by seven games in the division. On July 8 they travel to Fresno to take on the Grizzlies in a humongous five-game series.

The River Cats get a much-needed three-day break, as the All-Star break is July 13-15. The second half of the season kicks off at Raley Field when the River Cats play Reno in a quick three-game stanza before hitting the road again for eight games.

Sacramento will begin their series with Fresno on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. Shawn Chacon (1-1, 3.46) will take the mound for the River Cats and Ramon Ortiz (1-1, 2.96) will be pitching for the Grizzlies in what should be a great pitching matchup.

Although the River Cats do not play the Reno Aces until July 4, manager Tony DeFrancesco and his squad are already trying to figure out how they are going to stop center fielder Alex Romero. As of Tuesday Romero is batting .348 with a slugging percentage of .879.

The River Cats will play the winner of the Pacific North Division in the first round of the playoffs. At the moment it looks like that will be the Sky Sox or the Bees (5 games behind). The Portland Beavers (9.5 games behind) and the Tacoma Rainiers (10 games behind) are still in the picture but are fading fast.

Sacramento has won 32 of their last 47 games since beginning the season 15-15. The River Cats hope the great pitching and timely hitting they have received thus far continues through the second half of the season.

Cats Win Big Series, Head Home For Bigger Home Stand

2009-06-18T20:03:39Z

The Sacramento River Cats are back home beginning tonight for the start of an eight-game home stand. They begin their four-game series with the Salt Lake Bees tonight as former River Cat and now Oakland A’s second baseman Mark Ellis returns to Sacramento as a River Cat for a rehab assignment.

The Bees have suddenly exploded as one of the top-tier teams in the PCL. Sacramento has a much-needed day off Monday before they finish their home stand with another big four-game series with another squad from the PCL Pacific North Division, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. Sacramento split their last four-game series with Colorado Springs just two weeks ago.

The River Cats finished up a quick three-game series at the Fresno Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

Sacramento and Fresno have been battling for first place in the PCL Pacific South Division all season long. The series did not begin well for the River Cats. The Grizzlies jumped to an early lead. The River Cats tried to come back but fell just short as they lost 6-5.

The next night was a classic. Sacramento trailed early 3-1 when left fielder Danny Putnam tied the game with a home run off of Ramon Ortiz deep into the left field crowd. Sacramento would take a 5-3 lead in the eighth inning. Ryan Webb struggled in the bottom of the inning. He gave up a single and then hit a batter. Catcher Nestor Rojas then doubled to center field to bring home both runners.

It looked as if Sacramento had won the game again when Aaron Cunningham and Eric Munson hit back-to-back doubles to make the score 7-5 River Cats. The lead was short-lived. Left fielder John Bowker hit a two-run home run off of Jerry Blevins to tie the game once again.

Patterson stepped up in the clutch again for Sacramento in the 10th. With Matt Carson on third, Patterson flew out to center field to bring him home. Jeff Gray quickly closed out the game in the bottom of the inning to end the game.

The rubber-match of the series was never in question for the River Cats. They hit an amazing eight home runs in the game as they cruised to a 19-3 victory. Sacramento is now five games ahead of Fresno for the division lead.

River Cats Return Home for Big Series

2009-06-10T03:58:41Z

After a quick four-game road trip against the Salt Lake Bees in which they won three of four, the Sacramento River Cats returned home for a crucial eight-game stand.

Sacramento first are currently taking on the Colorado Springs Sky Sox in a four-game series. The series featured the top two teams in the Pacific Coast League. The festivities kicked off Saturday night at Raley Field with Youth Baseball and Softball Night, and Boy Scout Night.

Things did not go the River Cats’ way to begin the series. Starter James Simmons struggled early. He gave up eight hits and seven runs in five innings of work. The River Cats have had a knack for late-game heroics in 2009. They tried to pull off another comeback Saturday, but lost 6-5. Sunday afternoon was Bark in the Ballpark, in which fans were allowed to bring their dogs to the game. Sacramento took Game 2 of the series 6-4. They scored all six of their runs in the first inning, and starter Dana Eveland had a great outing to improve to 3-0.

On Monday, the River Cats took the early lead but once again lost it in the final few innings. However, left fielder Larry Cobb hit an RBI single to center in the bottom of the ninth to win the game 3-2.

After a day off Wednesday, the River Cats return to Raley Field Thursday for the start of a four-game set with the Tacoma Rainiers. The festivities continue with a pre-game concert featuring Michael Sea and Island Fever.

Friday June 12 is All-City High School Awards Night. The River Cats will recognize the student athletes who were selected to the Sacramento River Cats All-City High School Sports Teams.

The homestand concludes June 13 with Green Awareness Weekend and Kids Day. The River Cats need to have a good homestand because the Fresno Grizzlies trail them by only three games in the Pacific South Division. Sacramento travels to Fresno to take on the Grizzlies in a critical three-game series of this young season beginning June 15.

Review: Monsters vs. Aliens

2009-03-28T19:16:17Z

Monsters vs. Aliens
Directed by Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon

by Tony Sheppard
Capitol Weekly

This is an interesting release for Sacramento, for a couple of reasons. For starters, it’s set in California, with the initial action taking place in the Central Valley and the climax in San Francisco. But it’s also a bit of a departure from the established norm in this market, in that it’s being released in 3D on the giant IMAX screen on the same day as it hits the multiplexes – so you can pick your format without having to wait.

Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) lives in Modesto, where she’s about to marry the local TV weatherman Derek (Paul Rudd). Derek is waiting to expand his horizons with a move to an anchor position in the larger Fresno market, but he isn’t quite ready for Susan’s expansion into giant womanhood, brought on by a direct meteor strike on their wedding day. Naturally, the newly enormous Susan is captured by the military, who house her with an odd assortment of previously found monsters, including a genius man/cockroach, an amorphous blue blob, an evolutionary missing link (Link), and a giant insect larva. The last of these is the least well developed, but also the subject of a cute running joke that has it guided around by a bright light suspended from a helicopter.

The monsters seem destined for a life of containment until a megalomaniacal alien arrives, intent on recovering the powerful substance from the meteor that has given Susan her strength and size. The basic story is very much geared towards children, with an interesting mix of animation that includes realistic objects such as chairs, tables, and machinery, but also very generically cartoony vehicles (unlike the perfect rendition of a VW Beetle in the recent “Coraline”).

Hidden within the kids’ storyline are a few small nuggets of humor for the adults, including stabs at San Francisco’s Tenderloin district and outsourcing to India. At one point, Link ponders whether the earth has become warmer and refers to what he perceives to be a desirable warming trend as a “convenient truth.” The movie also offers some appeal to older siblings by having the President voiced by Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert – who is also in the news this week for winning the popular vote in the bid to name a room on the international space station.

“Monsters vs. Aliens” is a fun ride for younger kids, and is just amusing enough to keep the rest of the family entertained. There are several scenes that are set up to benefit from the 3D effects, but the basic appeal of the movie would be preserved in 2D. That said, some of the multiplexes have a surcharge for 3D screenings that cut the price differential compared to the IMAX – so it’s mostly a matter of taste and magnitude.