Bonds Splash Hits puts him in League above.

One of the most intriguing records that Barry Bonds accomplished is hitting 31 out of the first 42 balls hit out of AT&T/Chase field in McCovey Cove for splash hits. In about 1350 at bats he has hit more than all the other TEAMS in Baseball. That means that there have been tens of thousands of players at bats and no player is anywhere close to his record and never will. Opinion of the day.

Best Chicken Fried Steak and eggs in Eureka.

Over the years my taste-buds must do some resetting. Here is the top 5 places to enjoy a good chicken fried steak and eggs.

1. Oberon Grill: Not even close. They pound a New York into submission and it is very tender and tasty. Maybe a little bit pricey but well worth it. Only available on Saturdays and Sundays.

2. The Green Lily Cafe: Very consistent and available all week. The picture above is from their establishment. The setting is kind of weird. Can't put my finger on it. But the food and service is good.

3. The Golden Harvest Cafe: Portion not that great. Used to be my go to but has seemed to slide lately. Too inconsistent for my dollar.

4. The Chalet: Is it open? Do we have to go to the one on 5th? Will they forget us after they take our order? Just not worth it anymore. More than once I have driven to the location in Cutten and it was closed due to worker issues or lack of worker issues. The chicken fried steak and other food is good but not worth the hassle.

5. Kristina's: If the chicken fried steak is so good, why do I always order something else? Hmmm. I eat more meals here than most.

Others to consider Cafe Nooner in Henderson Center, Adels and Amy's Delight (Chicken Fried Pork Steak) and Village Pantry  Don't give me that Toni's argument. They are in Arcata and their chicken fried steaks have been bad last few times I went.

Humboldt Bay Harbor District approves dredging contract!

The Humboldt Bay Harbor District  approved a dredging contract with The Dutra Group to dredge Fields Landing and Woodley Island Marina with a clam shell dredge and take the spoils out to the hoods three miles offshore and dumped . The nearly $700,000 project is funded by Woodley Island resident dredging surcharge assessments. It has been over 10 years since any dredging at the Marina. Before I was even elected! This is just a start of course. Not the total solution. The Harbor District also moved forward with Request for Proposal for a new Public Dock at Marine Terminal 1. This is to land or make room for wind energy projects building platforms for 30 miles out. Lots of logistic issues. 

Fall Ball starts soon in Arcata! 10 Game season for $495 a team!

Mad River Softball Association is looking for wood bat adult teams for Fall Ball League starting Sept. 17th. Let me know if you are interested.

Humboldt Classic Senior Softball Association Champions for 2019, The Legends.

The Legends 58 and over seniors finished the 2019 season with a 4 run 6th inning rally to squeak by the Moments 4-0 and finish the 2019 season with a 20-4 record. We lost 2 extra inning games and had to come from behind numerous games. So it was a very competitive season. From left to right is Randall Floyd, David Wainwright, Patrick Vaughn, Zeke Branca, Brenda Blair-King, The Softball King, Stuart Rosenberg, Robert Ruehl, Steve Nies, Tony Hernandez, George Williamson, Jonathan and Tom Marking. Jamie Robertson was also on the team but suffered a season ending rib injury. All games were played at a renovated Samoa Field donated by Dan Johnson to the league. Lots of elbow grease by the HCSSA participants. I hope 2020 is even better!

City of Eureka squeaks by Coasties 20-9.

Each year I have had the pleasure to umpire this event. Eureka had a really strong team this year. Mike Salmon and Mike Barber also umped and we had no controversy. There were lots of people at the park and BBQ!

Humboldt Rockets helps Babes Pizza! Then gets put in place!

The Babes Pizza North Western championship team was trailing in the Northwestern 63 and over softball league to a Grants Pass team that was 10-0 and facing my 0-10 Humboldt Rocket team. We had many close games but were just coming up short. Humboldt Rockets coach Dave Lonn had a pre game speech where he said he would rather lose than not play, but he would prefer that we not make mental mistakes and play our best game. And we responded with a 17-15 win over the undefeated Grants Pass team! Then we beat the Desert Dawgs from Bend Oregon for our second straight win. We played Babes Sunday morning and they took us out 17-2. Ouch. For our team Dave Lonn only made 1 out in 5 games. Scott Wooley and Jeff Powers only made 2 outs. Larry Kuwahara hit well. Babes players, Jay Jones, Dave Denoma, Barry Oliver, Mickey Ayala (5 putouts at pitcher), Dennis Costa, George Lorentzen did good. It was nice to see Jack Nash, Jack Eldridge and others. 

6'8" Bill Sines. Man or myth? 400 ft Home Run? 10 Senior Softball teams this year.

My Marks Consulting Senior Softball Team played Porter St. BBQ last night and Bill Sines hit a ball estimated at 400 ft! He also hit another Home Run that wasn't as impressive. We fell short 14-10 but it was a fun game and sometimes chippy.

I have known Bill for years and love to have him as a teammate. He is about 6'8" and over 300 lbs and plays second. We have Mike Yancheff at about 6'5" at short and Ron denHeyer at 1st at 6''6". Not only that, you add Mickey Ayala Pitching and Tom Marking at 3rd out infield averages 62 years old!

One thing I appreciate about Bill is you get no bull. We have had long conversations about life, family and community. Oh, and lots of local sports talk.

Above is a pic of Bill with his son Jesse who is serving our country in the Army.

As a side note, there are about 130 Humboldt Classic Senior Softball Association softball players playing on 10 teams out in Samoa. That is as many teams as the City of Eureka's mens league! Check out HCSSA!

Mad River Softball Association Meeting Tonight Monday, May 20th at 6pm Arcata Community Center!

The Mad River Softball Association will be hosting a managers meeting Monday May 20^th at the Arcata Community Center at 6pm. 

League starts June 17th. Fees of $1065 due by June 10th. Contact Richard Marks at 707-496-9043 ore-mail Samoafog@aol.com for more information.

Eligibility: The Board reviewed past meeting notes regarding Player Eligibility.

"Starting this year, players can only play for a total of 2 teams during playoffs. Players will choose their 2 teams for post-season participation in either “A” and “B”, “B” and “C” or “C” and “D” divisions. A player must have at least 6 regular season games played to qualify for his or her team’s playoff roster. Players will sign up for no more than 2 teams to play for during the post-season when initial liability forms go out at the beginning of the regular season. If managers do not comply, their teams will be removed from playoffs after one warning. The only exemption would be if a team has less than 8 players confirmed to play, and both team managers respectively agree that a non-qualified player can join to avoid forfeit. Once that agreement is made, neither team can have a justified grievance after the conclusion of the game."   

Humboldt freezing over? No global warming this month.

I was checking out the Weather and noticed that we had only met our average daily temperature 2 times in May. And that was 59 and 60 degrees! The other 12 days in May were all in the 50's and below our average! So are we witnessing global cooling in Humboldt? Can I somehow blame this on Game Thrones?

My old home in Cutten on fire!

John Chiv does a story on house fire in Cutten. Thankful that all made it out OK. This house is significant to me in that my father James Marks used to own it and I had many great memories in my youth. I went to Cutten for Kindergarten and 1st Grade. Then later went back for 3rd, 4th and 5th. I loved having the freedom to explore the woods surrounding Winship. At one time we had my sister Kathy and her husband Fred with kids Colleen and Jimmy in the Cottage in the back. My Brothers and sisters, Roy, Mary, Mike, and, of course Tooter in the house.

Knock that dust off the old glove! Mad River Softball about to begin! Rain be Damned!

Mad River Softball Association is about to begin! Well, if the rain only stops. 

Public Service announcement:

Non-Profit organization Mad River Softball Association (MRSA) is announcing the start of Adult Spring Wood Bat League on Saturdays beginning April 27th. Players must be at least 16 years old and games are at the Arcata Community Center or Pacific Union. Summer League will start in early June with games being played Monday, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. For more information please contact Richard Marks at 707-445-3432 or e-mail samoafog@aol.com.  

Samoa to go from 350 population to 1,400 by 2025? Homes for sale!

Last night there was a town meeting for Samoa. Standing room only. Dan Johnson gave a quick update on the Samoa Town Project. (Check out the link for the complete project overview.) Dan said his company is investing 45 million to this project. He has offered a path forward for people who live in Samoa to purchase there homes by about 2022. (All of Samoa is renters.) Chris Driscoll from Umqua bank was present to help the town of renters with the homeowner purchase paperwork. Each renter will be expected to put up a $200 deposit to show their interest to Danco. This will not stop outside people from purchasing houses in Samoa. The town has a historical designation that will allow the homes to be sold as is.

Right now homes are being treated for lead abatement and repainted. Water and sewer lines (new water treatment facility) will be replaced by October 2020. Lots will be split. The new low income family apartment complex will be one of the first new construction projects. The Samoa block will have a grocery store and gas station. There will be a three mile trail around the town. High end three story houses will be built to the west. The Samoa softball field will be renovated for senior softball and soccer.

The Community Service District that was voted on by the residents of the Peninsula will be funded by Danco until they can manage the towns infrastructure of, water, sewer, fire protection and recreational projects.

Robin and I have lived in Samoa for nearly 40 years and have enjoyed our stay. Both of us worked for years on the Peninsula and would like to see things spruced up a bit. Lots going on in the next few years.   

Death & Carnage by Cell Phones. Why?

It is one thing for older adults like Giants CEO Larry Baer to fight with his wife Pam over a cell phone in public, but the recent murders in Humboldt County of Lawson and Brocious over cell phones just has me perplexed. And how many other fights ending with death or ruined lives have there been over cell phones? Am am sure we would all agree that these are senseless. Oh wait! I have to go, my phones ringing!  

Find that glove! Batting practice at Samoa Field tomorrow Sunday March 17th at 10am!

Time to knock off a little rust for the upcoming season. Over 48's and 58's softball start in May! Open Spring League in April! Regular Mad River softball season in early June!

Practice at the Samoa Field across from the Cookhouse tomorrow March 17th at 10am! Come one, come all ages!

Just how much rain is enough?

Well, in Humboldt we are more than safe from a drought year. As a matter of fact, right now the State of California is 112% over historical levels. Did you know that 30% of all of the water in California is supplied by Snow Pack? On April 1st the state does the official measuring of snow and calculates how it will affect the Reservoirs. Locally it only takes a few inches of rain to cause Ruth Dam to overflow. But to our east the Trinity Lake depends on Snow Pack to supply 70% of that lake's water! Only 30% comes from rain! But further to the east at Shasta lake they depend on rain fall to supply 70% of their levels and only 30% by Snow Pack. You would think it would be just the opposite! Well, now you know!

Kamala Harris early front-runner for President?

The Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee recently had a new Headquarters Grand Opening at 527 4th Street in Eureka and a Presidential poll popped up. So local Dems in the know have chosen Kamala as the candidate of Choice. Below is the results and the candidates information. Click on the names to check out their websites.

1. Kamala Harris                53.2%

2. Elizabeth Warren            19.1%

3. Cory Booker                     9.0%

4. Julian Castro                     4.0%

5. Tulsi Gabbard                   2.0%

6. Pete Buttigieg                   2.0%

None of the other declared candidates garnered support from the Humboldt Democrats.

Nate Silver thinks that Amy Klobuchar could be a challenger, but she has gained little support since her recent announcement. Kamala is leading nationally. That could change if Biden or Bernie join the race.

Oakland Port to now accommodate 1,300 foot Ships carrying 18,000 containers!

The SF Chronicle did a story about the Port of Oakland expansion project that was completed recently. They can now dock and unload ships up to 1,300 ft long carrying 18,000 20ft containers. To put that into perspective, the largest models for Humboldt only show the maximum capacity to dock a 900 ft ship. And did you know that over 90% of all world trade is done by sea? Just for your information.

Best Humboldt Basketball players in the 70's. Simon Abittan the best?

I love basketball. I really was fortunate to be able to play in youth and adult Recreation Leagues all during to 70's. I would spend Saturday afternoons at either Zane, Winship or Jacobs challenging in for a chance to play. Or I would be outdoors facing up against the dreaded Victor Boutan who would wipe the asphalt on the short baskets at Marshall Elementary. I was on the courts at Lafayette most other time that I was off school or work. I worked at Duck's Market off and on from 72' to 75' and then at Bazar until they closed. I could shoot pretty well and held my own for the most part. But who were the best players I saw during that time? When I was at St Bernard's I would say that Zach Barnes was really a notch above as was Gary Mendenhall. Jim Berning from Eureka was the best shot blocker by miles. Ron Webb was smooth and Don Snowton was forceful. Tim Ison was probably the best shooter. Frank Powers from Arcata was almost mythical with his height. Mark and Matt Nilsen were a great brother duo. Bill Lund from Del Norte was the best near the border.

The one player that was almost legend when he played at Eureka was Simon Abittan. Had a nice little baseline 10ft jumper and not intimidated with the moment.

It seems like a blur after all of these years. I can'r remember too many others. Was the 70's just a lean time for players?

Department of Defense and Army Corps (USACE) Announce Pilot Dredging projects.

Above is suction dredge unloading to barge

The Department of Defense along with the Army Corp of Engineers announced the Selection of the 10 Pilot Projects Pursuant to Section 1122 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016 for Beneficial Use of Dredged Material.

The USACE received 95 proposals for beneficial use of dredged material. Based on criteria set in Section 1122 10 projects were selected as having high likelihood of delivering environmental, economic and social benefits described in the proposals, and exhibit geographic diversity.

An Environmental Assessment and findings of no significant Impact was prepared and available to the public by email at Section-1122-Beneficial-Use-Of-Dredged-Material@usace.army.mil.

10 project goals for the beneficial reuse are;

Reduce storm damage to property and infrastructure; promoting public safety; protecting, restoring and creating aquatic ecosystems habitats; stabilizing stream systems and enhancing shorelines; promoting recreation; supporting risk management adaptation strategies; reducing the cost of dredging and dredge material placement or disposal, such as projects that use dredged materials for-Construction or fill material-civic improvement objectives-other innovative uses and placements alternatives that produce public economic or environmental benefits. 

The ten recommended pilot projects are:

California: Restoring San Francisco’s bays natural Infrastructure with Dredged Sediment-Strategic Placement.

Hawaii: Haleiwa Small Boat Harbor Maintenance Dredging and Beach Restoration.

Illinois: Public Beach Protection pilot in 4 Illinois Coastal communities.

Mississippi: Deer Island Lagoon Project.

New Jersey: Beneficial Use Placement Opportunities in the state of New Jersey Using Navigation Channel Sediments-Barnegat Inlet.

Puerto Rico: Condado Lagoon.

South Carolina: Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary.

Texas: Hickory Cove Marsh Restoration and Living Shoreline.

Washington: Grays Harbor South Jetty Sand Placement Pilot Project.

Wisconsin: Mississippi River Upper Pool 4, Pierce County Islands and Head of Lake Pepin Backwater Complex-beneficial use of dredged material.

Let us hope that all these projects show just how important sediment reuse is and use the findings for future targets here in Humboldt.