Big inning keys Toros’ win
FRESNO — The Matilda Torres Toros softball team capped off its first-ever foray into the Central Section playoffs with a Div. VI Championship after Friday’s win over Roosevelt. The fifth-seeded Toros blew the game open with 13 runs in the third inning. However, they had to hold off a six-run fourth and a two run […]
Big inning lifts Hawks to title
FRESNO — The Liberty Hawks softball team earned the Div. III Central Section championship with an exclamation mark eight-run fifth inning for a 12-6 victory Friday night. The fifth-seeded Hawks sent 10 batters to the plate in the fifth inning. They only had two hits, but drew six walks, including a stretch of watching 16 […]
Seventh inning rally leads to championship for Torres baseball team
The Matilda Torres Toros baseball team had been there before, but made sure the result was different this year at Valley Strong Ballpark in Visalia for a Central Section championship. Last year, the Toros lost in the Div. V championship to the Shafter Generals. This year, the ninth-seeded Toros found themselves in a 4-2 deficit […]
Book Talk: Chris Whitaker, ‘Tall Oaks’
I’ve now read all of Chris Whitaker’s books, published as of 2025. I read his most recent book first and his debut novel last. However, each is a stand-alone novel, so the order in which they are read doesn’t really matter. “Tall Oaks” (2016, 353 pages in paperback edition) is a small town, located in […]
‘City of Madera’ survived but ‘City of Tulare’ went down
Hugh Magee was a Navy pilot who flew A4C Skyhawks in combat over North Vietnam. Magee was attached to Lemoore Naval Air Station’s Attack Squadron 146, better known as the “Blue Diamonds.” When the Blue Diamonds were sent to Vietnam in 1965, they named their planes after towns that were near Lemoore. In that way, […]