Top Ten All-Time Humboldt Baseball players.

10. Billy Olsen: Living legend. Was hearing about this guy’s dominance when he pitched against my brother Roy Marks in the early 60’s. Said to might be the best Crab Pitcher ever. 
9.   Barry Scarpellino: I witnessed some monstrous Home Runs by Barry while playing for the Crabs. Over the Highway sign and out onto the Highway and over the Highway down the left field line.  
8. Scott Eskra:  Anyone who comes from Humboldt and does really well in SEC for Ole Miss is a step above others. Left way to early in life. RIP. 
7.  Greg Shanahan: Wish he would have played for the Giants instead of the stinking Dodgers! Been a great baseball ambassador to Humboldt County High School players for years. 
6.  Randy Niemann: Had a decent pro career.  That is saying a lot! Not too many players from Humboldt have stuck around in the pros this long!
5. Rick Lundblade: Dominated the Pac division in 1985. Batted over .400 and led the league in almost all categories with Barry Bonds in the league. I wish he had more chances at the minor league level to reach the big leagues. But Stanford Grad with law degree? Not too shabby. 
4. Dane Iorg: Dane had some great playoff experience and won a world series. 
3.  Garth Iorg:  Had great long career and is now a base coach with the Brewers. Life is good for the Iorg's. Lee Iorg must be ready for the Humboldt Senior League! Give me a call Lee!
2. John Jaso:  More home runs and RBI's than any players from Humboldt. First player to hit for cycle at PNC park. Caught 23rd perfect game in Major league history by Felix Hernandez. This should leave him as the best ever.....right?
1.  Joe Oeschger:  Once pitched 21 innings in a game. Was a 20 game winner one year.  3.81 ERA.  535 K’s.  Early 1900’s though. It does kinda matter to me since players of color weren’t allowed.

 Others considered: Steve Van Deren, Gary Young, Gary Wilson,  Sam Dugan, Ned Yost, David Stone, "Bookie" Harrington,  Layfayette Henion, Eddie Kearse, Bill Kentworthy and Roy Partee. 

Best Eggs Benedict in Eureka.

Sometimes I like good Eggs Benedict for breakfast. There are very limited places to get a decent order here in the Eureka area. So I will rate the best so you don’t get too disappointed. Here goes:

5. Golden Harvest Cafe: They will ask you if you want to substitute a biscuit for the muffins. Don't be tempted. Neither one is that great. Not the worst, but not the best. Top 5 barely. 

4.  The Chalet: If you are all set on the one in Cutten, be sure they are open. We have seen staffing problems there. Kind of inconsistent. Service is usually good.

3. Kristina's: One of my favorite breakfast spots. Had Prime Rib and eggs on Monday for $9.95. That was awesome. Their Eggs Benedict are good, not great. But the seasoned potatoes makes this meal worth it. 

2. The Cafenooner: Is consistently good no matter what you order up. I always seem to want whatever I see on someone else's plate. The Eggs Benedict are good but not good enough to be the best.

1. The Greene Lily: Best Eggs Benedict in Eureka hands down. Not even close. Great service and Robin would say they have the best cooked omelets. So why are you waiting? Go get some breakfast! 

A Senior softball story.

Mike and Buzz have known each other for nearly 60 years. Mike plays shortstop and Buzz plays second.  Bee that way since they played Little League in Blue Lake, Babe Ruth, Legion ad High School. They ended up playing college ball together and then played 4 years each for the Humboldt Crabs. As life moved on they played in the local softball league into their senior years. They were inseparable to the point they joined the same Senior Travel league and while on the road in the car they made a pact ; if one of them died before the other they would send a message to the one left behind about the existence of heaven and whether there was softball in the afterlife. Buzz was hit by an errant ball in the head while he was stretching a single into a double. He was mourned greatly by the Senior Softball community.  Mike waited patiently for some sort of sign from Buzz whether there was indeed softball in the afterlife. Months went by, but out of the blue Buzz showed up in a dream. When Mike saw him he was excited and asked quickly, well Buzz, is there softball ball in heaven? Buzz answered, “I have some good news and bad news for you. What would you like to know first?” Mike thought about it and then asked, “How about the good news?” Buzz answered, “Yes there is a great never ending softball tournament in heaven. The competition is always equal and the snack bar is always open.” Mike thought about it a second, then asked, “What is the bad news? Buzz looked at him and replied with a smile, “You are starting at short tonight!” ( Thanks to Mike Carroll for  story.) 

Can you be rewarded for bad credit? Shopping at Red Bluff Dodge you can!

Robin was reading the Times Standard this morning and pointed out that there is a Jeep Renegade with Altitude Package sale with rebates over $7,000 brings the price in at $15,777. (That includes back up camera, Air Conditioning, cruise, Tilt, Custom Wheels, Power heated mirrors and 31 MPG!) She then pointed out that we aren't eligible for $2,250 of the rebates because our credit is to good. She said to check out the small print and sure enough it says to qualify for some of the rebates you have to have a credit score under 619! 

How is that so? You have to have rotten credit to be eligible for a  "Non-Prime rebate" which is term for loan types that do not fit into the restraints of government lending standards known as Prime, Agency, or A-Paper Lending and defined as Qualified Mortgages. Non-Prime loans are also known as temporary or fixer loans for borrowers who are on their way to Prime but need a little help before they qualify. Non-Prime loans characteristically are made to borrowers who have had a past credit event or events in the form of Foreclosure(s), Bankruptcy(ies), Short Sale(s), late payment(s), collection(s), charge-off(s), etcetera.  

A reward for bad behavior. No wonder times seem so weird.

Hailey Dolcini last of the Division 1 players from Humboldt County? Big West player of the week!

Maybe the most dominate softball player in Humboldt County history. She seemed to really enjoy playing and that seems to have followed her to UC Riverside where she is pitching for the Highlanders. Her overall record so far this Freshman season is 8-2 with an overall Earned Run Average of 1.52. That seems to be a pretty good start......but get this, she is 5-0 with and ERA of .18 in her last 6 games pitched! She has only given up 1 earned run in her last 38 Innings pitched! And she has struck out 32 D1 batters in those 6 games. She was named the Big West player of the week! Nice to see local girl playing at such an outstanding level.

Am I missing any other local athletes playing D1 ball anywhere?