Dan Straily was sent down three days ago to make room for the long-awaited return of Brett Anderson. Straily did nothing wrong. In fact, he could be called back to the big club very soon. And after his strong start in Sacramento on Thursday, that call could be very soon indeed. Straily went five strong innings and helped the Sacramento River Cats win their fourth in a row by beating the Salt Lake Bees 6-3 at Raley Field on Thursday evening. “He threw the ball well,” said Cats manager Darren Bush. “He moved the ball around, changed speeds and was aggressive. He looked good!” The first couple of innings flew by for both teams. As for Straily, he even struck out the side in the second, d

Fear and fortune are the themes for this year’s Sacramento Film & Music Festival. The Sacramento Film & Music Festival opens at the Crest Theatre on Wednesday, Aug. 15 at 6:30 in the evening. 21 teams of local filmmakers gathered at the Crest Theatre on Aug. 2 to pick the phobia and fortune their original short film would be based on. They had 10 days to write, shoot and edit the films for the Sacramento Film & Music Festival’s 10 x 10 film competition. When asked how the 10 x 10 film competition provides a forum for local creativity, Nathan Schemel, co-organizer for the festival, explained that it will “elevate the level of everyone in town.” “If you tell people to make things, they

The River Cats were sailing along on this eight-game homestand. As winners of the first five, things seemed to be on cruise control. But this is the Pacific Coast League, where anything can happen — and quite frequently does. The Nashville Sounds came to town for a four-game stop and, after losing the first contest, found their stride and took the next game from Sacramento. On Tuesday evening the Cats would lose their second game in a row to the Sounds 5-4 on a wild pitch by Merkin Valdez in the top of the ninth inning. On Wednesday afternoon, the River Cats were looking to end their small two-game losing streak, and did so when Daric Barton was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in t

Sacramento gets its musical groove on for the 5th Annual SacWorldFest in Old Sacramento coming October 6-7, 2012, with an impressive line-up of live musical performances, visually-exciting ethnic dance, engaging storytellers, a dynamic Global Village and much, much more. The annual SacWorldFest extravaganza is designed to celebrate and share the region’s rich and remarkable cultural diversity.  In fact, since the inaugural festival in 2008, SacWorldFest has hosted more than 120 performances from more than 500 performers reflecting more than 40 ethnicities, cultures and nations. SacWorldFest 2012 kicks off the first Saturday evening in October with a very special international headliner pe

Does garlic ward off werewolves? Or is it holy water? Can you spot a vampire if he doesn’t make a reflection in a mirror? Or is it if he can’t enter a house uninvited? For answers to these questions and more, join the Van Helsing Foundation on August 11th when Generation Next Media presents its family-friendly show, How to Defend Against a Creature of the Night. This hour-long participational presentation features three members of the “Van Helsing Foundation”—Rupert Van Helsing, Phaedra Frankenstein, and Jeffrey Jekyll—who travel around the world educating the public on how to spot and defend against a host of fearsome supernatural creatures. The Van Helsing Foundation members are descend

'50 Shades of Grey ' If you have read the trilogy you have feelings about them. The good, the bad. The possibly pornographic nature of the content. Let me say that I read the trilogy. The books were unlike anything I had ever read, but as a (relationship) writer and an avid book reader, I felt the need to figure out what they were all about. I was not prepared for what I read, but I, like half the women on earth, was gripped by the story. I must have read all three books in less than four days. Although controversial in nature and seemingly improbable in theory, I believe this to be the reason women have been falling over themselves about the possibility of a movie being made out of the

With rumors swirling that Cats phenom pitcher Dan Straily would be called up to the big club at any moment, Tyson Ross got the call to replace Straily in the starting lineup for Thursday’s tilt against the Memphis Redbirds. With nearly the same type of clutch hitting as the night before, Ross’s fine performance and solid relief from James Timmons, Pedro Figueroa and Rich Thompson out of the bullpen, the Sacramento River Cats beat the visiting Redbirds 4-3 in front of 8,762 faithful in another exciting contest at Raley Field. Even though it was the late clutch hitting of the Cats that helped pull out the victory, Cats manager Darren Bush couldn’t let the performance of his starter go unno

To say the Oakland A’s have an eye for pitching talent and like to have lots of live arms is like telling a 35-year-old that Santa Claus doesn’t exist. Duh! Graham Godfrey is one of those live arms that for one reason or another hasn’t been able to find his mark when called up for duty. Godfrey thinks he may have found what ailed him over his last few starts, when his earned run average skyrocketed from 1.21 on June 15 to 3.29 prior to the game on Wednesday evening. “I’ve been battling an injury and you can kind of notice the dip in my numbers,” said Godfrey. “It was something I was trying to pitch through, but I just needed some time off. I was able to rehab it and get it strong again

Looking for an alternative to the Monday workday routine? Grab your wheelbarrow and join other park lovers as we mulch the trees of McKinley Park. Mulching around trees suppresses weed growth, reduces labor and Maintence costs by reducing the need to apply herbicides around the trees, a common practice in Sacramento area parks. Mulching enhances soil structure, improves plant vigor and health. Mulch improves nutrient and water retention in the soil, and encourages favorable microbial activity and worms. Ken Decio, California Integrated Waste Management Board says, ”Not only does mulch keep green material out of landfills. It also controls weeds, reduces erosion, conserves water, adds orga

It started with an office joke gone slightly bad. Devin Blankenship told the folks at work that co-worker Darrin May’s attempt at writing a novel was a lackluster one at best. “He had read my latest one and he was giving me a hard time about it,” said May. “And I got mad and said that was harsh. I put like two years into this thing.” Of course, he was only joking, but soon realized that his comments kind of bothered May and, as time went on, Blankenship felt worse and worse about his attempt at humor. “It’s still, to this day, one of the crappiest things I’ve ever done in trying to get a cheap laugh,” said Blankenship. The irony here is that Darrin May is his boss. Fast forward to th

A female winner, a Kawasaki on top of the podium, and Barry Weiss from the pop culture television hit, “Storage Wars,” completed a night of surprises at the 47th running of the Sacramento Mile on Saturday night at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds. A packed house saw some exciting races - especially in the two main events - as both the 12-lap AMA Pro Singles main event and the 25-lap AMA Pro Grand National Championship Twins main event both came down to a drag race on the front stretch. In the Pro Singles races, Honda would be the dominate manufacture as Dominic Colindres and Shayna Texter won the heat races and Cole Crowley won the last chance qualifier. In the Pro Singles main event, Texter, a

The Sac Mile is back! The familiar catch phrase was reintroduced last year after a 12-year hiatus away from the Capital City area. And the fans showed up like the event had never left. It’s that time again this year, as the “big bikes on the big track” are back at Cal Expo for what looks like another exciting Sacramento Mile on Saturday, July 28. Long gone are the stars of the past like Bart Markel, Mert Lawwill, Hank Scott, Gene Romero, Jay Springsteen, Ricky Graham and Bubba Shobert. Even stars from the not-so-distant past have hung up the riding boots. Two of the sport’s most popular and famous riders — Chris Carr and Scott Parker — made their mark in SacTown. The two battled it o

Q. Three weeks ago I got married to my girlfriend, “Ruby.” As soon we got married, I knew it was a big mistake. How do I get the marriage annulled? I just want out! -Bill A. I’m sorry to hear about your troubles. And I’m sorry to have to tell you that you probably can’t get an annulment (which California calls “nullity of marriage”). The good news is you may qualify for a “summary dissolution,” which is a quicker, easier way to get divorced than the standard dissolution process. People often think that annulments can be used to “cancel” any very short marriage. In California, however, annulment is totally unrelated to the length of the marriage. It’s only available when the marriage itse

Runners, walkers and outdoor enthusiasts of all ages are invited to run wild on Saturday, September 22, 2012 at the 4th Annual Gold Rush Fun Run on the El Dorado Trail in beautiful El Dorado County. Area nonprofit INALLIANCE is once again hosting the event that sends participants on a tour through the Sierra Nevada Foothills in 10 mile, 10K, 5K and 1 mile races along what used to be the Michigan California Lumber Company railway corridor, but now boasts lush vegetation and scenic vistas. Following the races, guests will enjoy a Finish Line Celebration featuring snacks, wine and hard cider sampling, music, raffle prizes, and awards ceremony. Races will be chip timed, and medals will be awa

Q: I know that my boyfriend wants to get married and I think he wants to propose soon, but I have talked with my dad and he said that if my boyfriend asks, he won't give his blessing. It really hurts to know my dad doesn't approve of him, but I love my boyfriend so much. He is exactly the kind of man I have always wanted to marry. I love my dad, but I don't want him to dictate how the rest of my life turns out. I don't know how to make peace with my dad but still marry the man I love. A: That is a really hard situation to be in. I can understand how hurt you must be that your father does not accept the feelings you have for your boyfriend or the decisions you have made. Having a parent's

Nicole Young, a two-time women’s triathlon champ in Eppie’s Great Race, fell and nicked herself while jogging on the El Dorado Trail in October of 2010. The deceivingly innocent cut, requiring only three stitches, rapidly turned into a fight for her life. Young was training early for Eppie’s Great Race, an event she describes as a vibrant piece of Sacramento history. Eppie’s Great Race, a triathlon now in its 39th year, is the largest paddle event in the country. At 8 a.m. on Saturday, more than 2,000 participants will gear up for a 5.82-mile run, 12.5-mile bike ride and 6.35-mile paddle across the American River Parkway in Rancho Cordova and Sacramento.  Individuals can form a three-p

It’s crunch time for the negotiations over a new food truck ordinance: The city, food trucks operators and restaurant owners will hold what all parties see as a potentially decisive meeting Friday. Brad Wasson, manager of the city's revenue division, will present a proposal with the hope of obtaining approval from both parties.  “We've put together a kind of straw man proposal for them to look at,” Councilman Jay Schenirer said. “My hope is that it's something they could both live with, and if so, we figure out how to go forward and implement it." Under the current Sacramento city code, food trucks can stay on the street until 6 p.m. in winter months and 8 p.m. in summer months with a 3

Come on out and celebrate the conclusion of Sacramento’s Fleet Week on Navy Day at Raley Field. Naval simulators and a Navy band will be on Ballpark Drive prior to the game, and the River Cats will honor the men and women who serve during an on-field enlistment and re-enlistment ceremony.

“Real Relationships.” It’s back. I took a short hiatus because life has been hectic for me. As you may have guessed, this isn't a full-time job for me; actually it isn't a job at all, more like a labor of love. I took a few months off because I didn't have time to manage everything I have going in my life, and this was the easiest thing to toss away. I realized that I can make a very obvious, if not lame, comparison to relationships here. Sometimes we get busy. If you are like me, it is more like occasionally you are not busy, but most of the time you are. It pained me, as I was thinking about how much I missed this little weekly installment, that I was so cavalier with it. Why didn't I t

Between Batman, Spiderman and the “Twilight” craze, ghouls and iconic heroes  are everywhere, but what Sacramento Bee reporter Ed Fletcher, 37, really wanted to see was zombies – dancing. He got what he wished for, and Sacramento is about to see the results. Fletcher wrote and produced a new movie called “Dance Steps of Death,”  which is scheduled to premiere on Aug. 18 at the Crest Theatre during the Sacramento Film and Music Festival. The action comedy is set in Sacramento and tells the tale of three renegade superheroes, the “Adventure Patrol,” and their fight against killer zombies. After a series of  reported  dog maulings, the superheroes decide to investigate, and in the process t