The San Benito High School Baler Backers Athletic Organization
has scheduled this year’s fund-raising event, Baler Summer Nights –
Tahitian Paradise, for Aug. 22 at Bolado Park Pavilion in Tres
Pinos.
The San Benito High School Baler Backers Athletic Organization has scheduled this year’s fund-raising event, Baler Summer Nights – Tahitian Paradise, for Aug. 22 at Bolado Park Pavilion in Tres Pinos.
This year’s Baler Summer Nights Dinner, Dance and Auction will feature the sounds of The Shan Johnson Band, with dinner catered by Thyme Market.
Hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction will begin the night at 6 p.m., with a dinner buffet, live auction and dancing to follow. Tickets are $65 per person, or a table of eight for $500. Advance ticket purchase is required and you must be 21 years or older.
Be sure to get your tickets early as this year’s event will sell out quickly. Tickets can be purchased by calling (831) 637-5831, ext. 350, or by stopping in at Mars Hill Coffee House, Dimensions of Style, Bay Area Glass & Door or Tres Pinos Ranch Supply.
The San Benito Baler Backers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that supports and encourages student participation in Baler athletics by providing financial support to all the programs of the SBHS athletic department.
For more information, call (831) 637-5831, ext. 350.
GHS hires Johnny Ramirez as new baseball manager
Gilroy High baseball will continue to be led by one of its own, as Johnny Ramirez was named new manager of the varsity squad on Wednesday.
Ramirez, 40, lives in Gilroy with his wife and stepdaughter and works as an account manager for soft drink company 7 Up. He graduated from GHS in 1986 and takes over a program that was formerly managed by Clint Wheeler, a fellow GHS alum, the past 10 seasons.
Ramirez spent the past four years as an assistant for the baseball team at Anchorpoint Christian in Gilroy and said he couldn’t be more excited to take over a program he once played for before moving on to play at Gavilan College and Sonoma State.
Ramirez said he already has a new brand of baseball he intends to implement at Gilroy.
“My thing, and I know it sounds funny, I call it Panic Baseball,” he said. “We’re going to put pressure running the bases. We’re not going to hit the long ball every time. We’re going to go back to the fundamentals. Putting the ball on the dirt and taking that extra base when we have to. I think the kids will like that. I think that’s Gilroy High – that aggressiveness.”
While a rivalry between GHS and Christopher High is sure to be created in the coming seasons, Ramirez said he has his sights set on dethroning old-time rival San Benito, which has won four straight Tri-County Athletic League championships.
“I expect us to win a league title. I really do. Coach (Michael) Luna is a good friend of mine. I still talk to him, and I told him, ‘If I get this job I’m coming after to you,'” Ramirez said. “I think it’s time that title came back to Gilroy.”
MVC hires Mooney as head coach
Monte Vista Christian School in Watsonville named Dan Mooney head varsity basketball coach for 2009-10, Athletic Director David Reese announced last week.
Mooney, who was an All-American player at the University of New Paltz in New York, was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in ’82 but opted out to play in Germany. He returned to the United States and had stints with several other NBA and CBA teams. In 1989 he went back to Germany, and played in five different basketball clubs until 2002, when he retired from the sport.
After he returned to the United States, Mooney began volunteering at Bethany University in Scotts Valley, where he worked in their public relations office and coached men’s and women’s basketball for five years. This past summer he developed two AAU teams, U14-U16, directed his own “Back to the Basics” camp, and coached JV and varsity basketball summer league games. In 2007, he stepped down from his coaching positions, and continued serving in the administration at the university, most recently as interim director of admissions.
“It’s important to me to mentor the kids, to develop their enthusiasm, and to help them as they grow into team players,” Mooney said. “There are three things that I always tell my players are the most important while they are in school. Number one, serve God. Number two, learn everything you can in the classroom. Number three, enjoy the things you are passionate about.”
Reese said that Mooney will be a great asset to the athletic program.
“As a basketball coach he believes in strong fundamentals, discipline and hard work,” Reese said.
Mooney and his wife, Valerie, have seven children. Six of them are adults, and the youngest, Josh, will enroll as a sophomore at Monte Vista.
YMCA announces sign-ups for four sports
The YMCA of San Benito County recently announced sign-ups for four sports, including Introduction to Bicycling, Soccer, Co-ed Soccer, as well as the YMCA’s Sharks and Parks Youth Hockey League program.
The youth hockey league is for boys and girls in grades first through eighth – there will be three divisions – and is tentatively slated to begin Saturday, Sept. 19, at the basketball courts at Veterans Memorial Park. Cost is $80,
The intro to bicycling program is for boys and girls ages 3- to 5-years-old, and is scheduled to run from Aug. 1-Aug. 29 on Saturday mornings at Maze Middle School. Cost is $40.
The YMCA soccer program will be for boys and girls ages two and a half to five years old. Two session dates are scheduled, with the first session slated from Sept. 12-Oct. 17, and the second session scheduled from Oct. 24-Dec.12. The soccer program will be held on Saturday mornings. Cost is $45 per session.
The YMCA will also have a co-ed soccer program for grades kindergarten though fifth, with a tentative start date scheduled for Sept. 12. Cost is $80, or $75 if registered before Sept. 5.
The YMCA’s programs are to encourage a love for the game and companionship between players through the teaching of skills, development of positive attitudes about fair play, teamwork and reinforcement of the YMCA core values through caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.
For more information, visit the YMCA of San Benito County at 339 Fifth Street in Hollister, call (831) 637-8600, or e-mail sports coordinator Kristie Agan at: [email protected]
Babe Ruth Fall Ball registrations slated for August
San Benito Babe Ruth will hold two registration dates for Fall Ball, a training and developmental fall baseball league open to players 12- to 15-years-old.
The season is scheduled to run from Sept. 12-Oct. 25, with games and practices held at the Babe Ruth field at Veterans Memorial Park in Hollister.
Registration will be held at Veterans Memorial Park on Aug. 8 and 15, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Babe Ruth field. Cost is $40.
Salinas Storm to hold tryouts in August
The Salinas Storm girls fastpitch softball team will hold tryouts for ages 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U and 18 Gold at the Salinas Sports Complex, located at 1160 North Main Street in Salinas.
The 10U tryouts will be held Sunday, Aug. 16, at 12 p.m.; the 12U tryouts will be held Sunday, Aug. 16, at 9 a.m.; the 14U tryouts will be held Saturday, Aug. 15, at 10 a.m.; the 16U tryouts will be held Saturday, Aug. 8, and Sunday, Aug. 16, at 10 a.m.; and the 18 Gold tryouts will be held Sunday, Aug. 16, and Sunday, Aug. 23, at 1 p.m. for pitchers and catchers, and 2 p.m. for position players.
For more information, call Bob Grummons at (831) 596-7421, or visit online at: www.salinasstorm.org
Hollister Little League Fall Ball registrations upcoming in August
The Hollister Little League has one early registration date left for Fall Ball, which is scheduled to begin Sept. 14 and run approximately seven weeks.
Fall Ball is strictly instructional and no games are scored. Games will normally be played on weekdays only, while the Junior League for 12- to 14-year-olds will be offered.
Hollister Little League will hold sign-ups on Aug. 8 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park in Hollister. If registration is missed on Aug. 8, player will be placed on a waiting list. Cost is $50.
For more information, call the Hollister Little League hotline at (831) 644-8185, or check out the league’s Web site at: www.eteamz.com/hollister
Parks and Rec offering tennis, swim lessons
The Hollister Parks and Recreation Department is offering a tennis and swim camp at San Benito High School this summer. The camp includes 90 minutes of tennis instruction, a 30-minute lunch break, followed by one hour of supervised swimming.
The camp runs weekly, Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The cost is $125 a week.
For more information or to sign up, contact the Hollister Parks and Recreation Department at (831) 636-4390.
USPTA pro offering beginner tennis lessons
Ridgemark Golf and Country Club tennis professional and San Benito High School boys tennis coach Chris Yoder is offering beginning tennis lessons to juniors on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., or on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Ridgemark also offers a complete tennis development program for players of all ages and abilities, with a special adult beginner class on Saturdays from 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Lesson fees are $15 per class.
For more information, contact USPTA pro Chris Yoder at (831) 637-0748.
Tri County Running Club off and running
Runners of all ages looking to stay in shape and run some races during the summer months can join the Tri County Running Club, which will be held from now until Aug. 7.
The club will meet at 9 a.m. three times a week: Mondays at Manzanita Park in Prunedale, Wednesdays at Toro Park in Salinas and Fridays at Nisene Marks Park in Aptos.
There will also be an afternoon session at San Benito High School in Hollister every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4 p.m., as well as a kids’ group at Castroville School on Wednesdays and Fridays at noon.
Cost is $75, or $25 for kids 12 and under. Cost includes a club T-shirt and uniform use.
For more information, visit the club’s Web site at: tricountyrunningclub.tripod.com, or contact Gustavo Ibarra at 831-524-1283; Jess Morales at 831-801-7138; or Francisco Cornejo at 831-794-2516.
San Juan Oaks to host spring, summer golf clinics
The San Juan Oaks Golf Club will host three golf clinics through the spring and summer months, where golfers can fine-tune specific areas of their game to help improve scores.
One clinic will be offered each month, with clinics focused on full swing (Aug. 22), putting (Sept. 26) and pitch shots (Oct. 17).
Classes will be held on Saturdays from 12 to 1 p.m. Cost is $25 per person.
For more information or to sign up, visit the golf shop at San Juan Oaks or call 831-636-6115.
