Media coverage of the six-alarm fire Tuesday at a Fairfield plastics manufacturing plant hints that Solano and Napa counties residents will be in trouble if a real disaster ever strikes the region.
The community newspapers that cover Vacaville, Fairfield, Vallejo and Napa were slow to keep pace with the fire that sent a huge cloud of black smoke toward highly-populated areas. They didn't get quickly changing, breaking news to residents living close to the the site of the fire.
It's not that hard these days to give readers up-to-the-second news. A Twitter account gives those newspapers, and reporters on the scene, the opportunity to hear news now and post it for residents and readers seconds later. Without a social networking site readers and residents could follow, newspapers slowly updated stories on their websites. The process of updating posted stories takes time that, eventually, a disaster in the area will not allow us to waste.
Sacramento and San Francisco television coverage was atrocious.
Anchors blabbered on and on about live video of the awe-inspiring inferno in Fairfield. Based on the locations from which they provided live remote updates, reporters couldn't have had access to decision-makers. News filters very slowly from a fire at a plastic plants near Travis Air Force Base and a safe, smoke-free spot along Air Base Parkway. One TV reporter couldn't even explain how far she was from the fire that, shown in the background, was 4, 5 miles to her east.
Residents and viewers know that fires burn really hot and that a fire so hot that it creates a mini-weather pattern of its own is really awesome. However, they need to know things like how the dark plume of smoke would affect air quality. TV anchors talked to environmental protection agencies, explaining only that the air was being tested.
By 4 p.m., 2 1/2 hours after the fire started and as the smoke began to hover over my Rolling Hills neighborhood (west of I-80) in Fairfield, there was still no word on whether the smoke presented a health risk. Viewers and residents were simply told to stay inside, with windows closed and air conditioners off, if they lived within a mile or two of the blaze.
Anchors let folks who should know the danger of smoke from a fire at a plastics plant off the hook, never pressing them to use what they do know about the smoke from burning plastic to give us some hint of what we should expect.
The TV coverage, instead, let the wrong folks talk too much about things that led us to expect the worst. KOVR Channel 13 in Sacramento had an interview with a man who owned a plastics plant that had a large fire some years back. Good idea, right?
Well, the interview aired around 2:30 p.m. and the man said a plastics fire "would burn and burn forever ... they might as well just let it burn itself out."
The fire was contained by 4 p.m.
The plastics guy said there are different kinds of chemicals that present in plastic that provide different levels of danger in a fire. He guessed that the region would be facing a toxic hazard for some time.
There was no toxic hazard reported, at any point, on Tuesday. Twenty-six hours after the fire started, there was still no toxic hazard.
To be fair, the environmental protection agencies were as slow and out of focus as media coverage.
Does it really take 2, 3, 4 hours to get a report from a hazardous materials crew? If so, what are we going to do if there's a poisonous chemical spill or worse in these parts?
The media missed even the obvious things that residents near the fire would need to know. TV coverage included worded that traffic was backing up on Air Base Parkway during rush hours because people were driving toward the fire to take photographs and shoot video. At that point, it would've been a public service to remind people that the last thing area residents and firefighters needed was to have a traffic jam caused by morons who found a potentially tragic fire a simple curiosity.
The media missed what people in my neighborhood could see. The smoke, all TV stations insisted, was headed to the south and southeast over Vacaville. There was no mention of the growing black smoke cloud that was headed west toward Fairfield's Rolling Hills and Rancho Solano ... or that the smoke cloud was potentially going to reach the Napa Valley if the fire continued out of control.
People in the Napa Valley likely had no idea that the black smoke was going to reach them, or could have reached them. Fortunately, the fire was contained and the smoke began to disappear.
If there's a disaster in San Francisco or in Sacramento, fine. The media will cover it and folks will be able to respond accordingly. If a disaster strikes Solano, Napa, Yolo or any other county without a strong media presence ... residents will be on their own.
It would've been nice to have put the fire's location to all neighborhoods in the area in some perspective.
Showing posts with label Napa Valley Register. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Napa Valley Register. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Napa Sports: Some feel entitled, but not all valley kids are soft
(Please consider expressing whatever pleasure or insight you gain from reading by clicking on the "Donate" button above and contributing a dollar, 50 cents, a little more or a little less to my PayPal account. If you find value in the work, I hope you'll consider a financial donation that will help me continue to present my work to you. -- Ted Sillanpaa)
"We stay away from Napa kids when we recruit," the community college baseball coach said. "They're soft."
One coach wouldn't be able to prove his belief correct in all cases.
"Oh, the Napa girls have skill, but they don't want to leave the valley and play basketball over here," one East Bay assistant college basketball coach said. "For every one who comes over here and plays well, two or three leave because they ... it's hard to explain ... they're soft."
Two coaches from two different colleges agreed that Napa Valley high school athletes are soft. It didn't take much to get the coaches to explain that they understood that youngsters who grow up in comfort and socio-economic safety of the valley would naturally feel entitled to a certain, more gentle way of being coached.
"They learn to play ball and play for different reasons than kids from inner-city areas, I think," one of the coaches said. "That doesn't make them bad kids. They just expect to be treated a certain way. I get it. I just can't expect a kid who feels entitled to playing time or even a roster spot to play for us."
Kids who grow up in the projects of Solano or Contra Costa counties are looking for a way out and, right or wrong, they usually think sports provides the best path. Those kids can't be soft and survive.
Don't believe it? OK. Go to a high school basketball game at Fairfield or Vallejo high schools. Now, go to a game at Napa, Vintage or Justin-Siena. See if you notice any difference.
My son played baseball for Justin-Siena this past spring. He mentioned that "people in the stands don't really get into the games." Then, we went to watch Rodriguez High's baseball team play in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship game. Instead of a small group of parents and boosters like that which followed Justin, Rodriguez filled have the Sacramento City College baseball stadium with loud, excited fans who hung on every pitch.
Wait. The intent here is not to conclude that Napa Valley athletes are self-entitled and too soft to succeed. Not at all.
A portion of the elite level athletes in the Napa Valley are, indeed, soft. They don't want to go take on the basketball or baseball worlds in most cases. There's nothing wrong with that, unless they expect to succeed as collegiate basketball or baseball players.
Napa Valley football players are far from soft. There's a disconnect between the self-entitled, soft athletes many outside Napa see in most sports and the gritty, determined football talent that comes from the Napa Valley. Napa's John Boyett stars at the University of Oregon. Undersized Jake Croxdale has built a career for himself against long odds at Sacramento State. They're just two kids who leap immediately to mind.
Two baseball players left the Napa Valley and are succeeding in places where there's no room for being soft. UC Davis sophomore CJ Blom and University of Michigan sophomore Ben Ballentine have bright baseball futures ahead of them. They're succeeding at big-time sports schools when their peers couldn't even get recruited outside the Napa Valley -- save for the kids who stream to Santa Rosa Junior College.
Guess what?
Blom and Ballentine were starters and stars for Napa High's traditionally powerful football team. Blom was an all-league lineman. Ballentine was a tall, gifted receiver. They carried the grit and determination needed to star as a Napa High football player and carried into another sport. Blom, in fact, had planned to play college football, but had such a brilliant senior baseball season that he changed his mind and is a key to the UC Davis baseball future.
Blom is a 6-foot-4, 230-pound chemistry major at UC Davis. Chemistry majors are rarely soft.
Blom pitched in 14 games, with three starts, as a freshman. He really didn't pitch a great deal in high school because Napa High had two good starters in Ballentine and Steven Nagy. When Blom had to pitch regularly in the playoffs as a senior, he was magnificent. So, he just scraped the tip of the iceberg on the mound as a college freshman.
Then, Blom became a full-time position player as a sophomore. He batted .345 in 22 games with a .379 slugging percentage and a .441 on-base percentage. Guys who pitch one year, hit the next and can probably do both just fine in college can't be soft.
CJ Blom .345 22 games 29 at-bats 10 hits 1 2B 4RBI .379 slug .441 OBP 6-4 230 lefty sophomore chemistry major
Ballentine led Michigan with a 3-1 record in 18 starts this spring. It's ironic that a pitcher from football-crazy Napa would wind up pitching in the football-crazy Big Ten Conference.
Ballentine, who is a 6-foot-7 righty, made 18 appearances. He struck out 46 and walked 21 with a 4.91 ERA. He made consistent progress after making 11 appearances as a freshman. His victories came over Notre Dame and Penn State after striking out three in two innings against powerful Texas Tech. The pitcher is enrolled in the university's School of Kinesiology as a physical education major.
Blom and Ballentine aren't the only athletes who disprove the general theory that Napa Valley kids are soft. Heck, there are dozens of kids coaches named whose college performances show that, perhaps, growing up playing in the valley did leave them too soft to compete elsewhere.
As is usually the case, two things can be equally true. Napa Valley basketball and baseball players can fall short in the area of desire, work ethic and toughness. However, CJ Blom and Ben Ballentine prove that Napa Valley athletes can succeed anywhere if they really work at it.
It must be the football.
That doesn't sound like the effort of a kid coaches would consider soft.
"We stay away from Napa kids when we recruit," the community college baseball coach said. "They're soft."
One coach wouldn't be able to prove his belief correct in all cases.
"Oh, the Napa girls have skill, but they don't want to leave the valley and play basketball over here," one East Bay assistant college basketball coach said. "For every one who comes over here and plays well, two or three leave because they ... it's hard to explain ... they're soft."
Two coaches from two different colleges agreed that Napa Valley high school athletes are soft. It didn't take much to get the coaches to explain that they understood that youngsters who grow up in comfort and socio-economic safety of the valley would naturally feel entitled to a certain, more gentle way of being coached.
"They learn to play ball and play for different reasons than kids from inner-city areas, I think," one of the coaches said. "That doesn't make them bad kids. They just expect to be treated a certain way. I get it. I just can't expect a kid who feels entitled to playing time or even a roster spot to play for us."
Kids who grow up in the projects of Solano or Contra Costa counties are looking for a way out and, right or wrong, they usually think sports provides the best path. Those kids can't be soft and survive.
Don't believe it? OK. Go to a high school basketball game at Fairfield or Vallejo high schools. Now, go to a game at Napa, Vintage or Justin-Siena. See if you notice any difference.
My son played baseball for Justin-Siena this past spring. He mentioned that "people in the stands don't really get into the games." Then, we went to watch Rodriguez High's baseball team play in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship game. Instead of a small group of parents and boosters like that which followed Justin, Rodriguez filled have the Sacramento City College baseball stadium with loud, excited fans who hung on every pitch.
Wait. The intent here is not to conclude that Napa Valley athletes are self-entitled and too soft to succeed. Not at all.
A portion of the elite level athletes in the Napa Valley are, indeed, soft. They don't want to go take on the basketball or baseball worlds in most cases. There's nothing wrong with that, unless they expect to succeed as collegiate basketball or baseball players.
Napa Valley football players are far from soft. There's a disconnect between the self-entitled, soft athletes many outside Napa see in most sports and the gritty, determined football talent that comes from the Napa Valley. Napa's John Boyett stars at the University of Oregon. Undersized Jake Croxdale has built a career for himself against long odds at Sacramento State. They're just two kids who leap immediately to mind.
Two baseball players left the Napa Valley and are succeeding in places where there's no room for being soft. UC Davis sophomore CJ Blom and University of Michigan sophomore Ben Ballentine have bright baseball futures ahead of them. They're succeeding at big-time sports schools when their peers couldn't even get recruited outside the Napa Valley -- save for the kids who stream to Santa Rosa Junior College.
Guess what?
Blom and Ballentine were starters and stars for Napa High's traditionally powerful football team. Blom was an all-league lineman. Ballentine was a tall, gifted receiver. They carried the grit and determination needed to star as a Napa High football player and carried into another sport. Blom, in fact, had planned to play college football, but had such a brilliant senior baseball season that he changed his mind and is a key to the UC Davis baseball future.
Blom is a 6-foot-4, 230-pound chemistry major at UC Davis. Chemistry majors are rarely soft.
Blom pitched in 14 games, with three starts, as a freshman. He really didn't pitch a great deal in high school because Napa High had two good starters in Ballentine and Steven Nagy. When Blom had to pitch regularly in the playoffs as a senior, he was magnificent. So, he just scraped the tip of the iceberg on the mound as a college freshman.
Then, Blom became a full-time position player as a sophomore. He batted .345 in 22 games with a .379 slugging percentage and a .441 on-base percentage. Guys who pitch one year, hit the next and can probably do both just fine in college can't be soft.
CJ Blom .345 22 games 29 at-bats 10 hits 1 2B 4RBI .379 slug .441 OBP 6-4 230 lefty sophomore chemistry major
Ballentine led Michigan with a 3-1 record in 18 starts this spring. It's ironic that a pitcher from football-crazy Napa would wind up pitching in the football-crazy Big Ten Conference.
Ballentine, who is a 6-foot-7 righty, made 18 appearances. He struck out 46 and walked 21 with a 4.91 ERA. He made consistent progress after making 11 appearances as a freshman. His victories came over Notre Dame and Penn State after striking out three in two innings against powerful Texas Tech. The pitcher is enrolled in the university's School of Kinesiology as a physical education major.
Blom and Ballentine aren't the only athletes who disprove the general theory that Napa Valley kids are soft. Heck, there are dozens of kids coaches named whose college performances show that, perhaps, growing up playing in the valley did leave them too soft to compete elsewhere.
As is usually the case, two things can be equally true. Napa Valley basketball and baseball players can fall short in the area of desire, work ethic and toughness. However, CJ Blom and Ben Ballentine prove that Napa Valley athletes can succeed anywhere if they really work at it.
It must be the football.
That doesn't sound like the effort of a kid coaches would consider soft.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Fairfield natives Keown, Sciacca earn Napa baseball honors
http://napavalleyregister.com/sports/high-school/all-county-baseball-first-team/article_5a8168ec-a3b2-11e0-a404-001cc4c002e0.html
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Fairfield baseball stars Alex Keown and Tony Sciacca have been placed on the All-Napa County baseball team by the Napa Valley Register. (The full set of first team selections can be found at the link above. Ideally, I'll figure out how to embed links directly soon.)
Keown was, without question, the best player on the Justin-Siena High team that struggled in Marin County Athletic League play. He was honored by the Napa newspaper as sort of a utility player, but had a banner season as Justin's No. 1 pitcher. The junior threw four pitches for strikes only to have his won-loss record marred by a shakey Justin-Siena defense and lackluster offense.
Keown was the team's lead-off hitter. The newspaper all-star selections, which are based on coaches' individual all-league nominations, don't reflect that Keown is one of the finest receivers and throwers to go behind the plate this spring. His quick release and powerful, accurate throwing arm helped the Braves stay in the MCAL playoff race.
Keown also saw extended action in the middle infield during a chaotic season at Justin where his leadership helped maintain a semblance of order in a campaign that ended with the dismissal of head coach Scott Wright.
While Keown played in the Tri-Valley Little League in Fairfield, Sciacca played for Fairfield Pacific. The sophomore pitcher-infielder had an outstanding season in Napa for tiny Trinity Prep. He also starred for coach Bob Greene's varsity as a freshman.
Fairfield connections go deeper at Trinity Prep. Greene graduated from Armijo High, is a lifetime Fairfield resident and coached JV baseball at Armijo High before former varsity head coach Marcus Franco was inexplicably sent packing after one glorious season at the helm at Armijo.
Keown played in the Bay World Series invitational tournament as a pitcher and catcher. He spent the summer playing for the Napa American Legion team that finished second in District I in tournament play at Laurel Creek in Fairfield.
Sciacca plays summer baseball for the best-kept secret among the many summer programs. He is in his second season for Solano Community College baseball coach Scott Stover's Solano Junior Falcons squad that features players, like Vanden star Elway Santisteven, from throughout the region. Stover's club includes players from Fairfield schools, Trinity Prep, Justin-Siena and other schools.
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Contact Ted Sillanpaa at tsillanpaa1956@gmail.com
--
Fairfield baseball stars Alex Keown and Tony Sciacca have been placed on the All-Napa County baseball team by the Napa Valley Register. (The full set of first team selections can be found at the link above. Ideally, I'll figure out how to embed links directly soon.)
Keown was, without question, the best player on the Justin-Siena High team that struggled in Marin County Athletic League play. He was honored by the Napa newspaper as sort of a utility player, but had a banner season as Justin's No. 1 pitcher. The junior threw four pitches for strikes only to have his won-loss record marred by a shakey Justin-Siena defense and lackluster offense.
Keown was the team's lead-off hitter. The newspaper all-star selections, which are based on coaches' individual all-league nominations, don't reflect that Keown is one of the finest receivers and throwers to go behind the plate this spring. His quick release and powerful, accurate throwing arm helped the Braves stay in the MCAL playoff race.
Keown also saw extended action in the middle infield during a chaotic season at Justin where his leadership helped maintain a semblance of order in a campaign that ended with the dismissal of head coach Scott Wright.
While Keown played in the Tri-Valley Little League in Fairfield, Sciacca played for Fairfield Pacific. The sophomore pitcher-infielder had an outstanding season in Napa for tiny Trinity Prep. He also starred for coach Bob Greene's varsity as a freshman.
Fairfield connections go deeper at Trinity Prep. Greene graduated from Armijo High, is a lifetime Fairfield resident and coached JV baseball at Armijo High before former varsity head coach Marcus Franco was inexplicably sent packing after one glorious season at the helm at Armijo.
Keown played in the Bay World Series invitational tournament as a pitcher and catcher. He spent the summer playing for the Napa American Legion team that finished second in District I in tournament play at Laurel Creek in Fairfield.
Sciacca plays summer baseball for the best-kept secret among the many summer programs. He is in his second season for Solano Community College baseball coach Scott Stover's Solano Junior Falcons squad that features players, like Vanden star Elway Santisteven, from throughout the region. Stover's club includes players from Fairfield schools, Trinity Prep, Justin-Siena and other schools.
----
Contact Ted Sillanpaa at tsillanpaa1956@gmail.com
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