JJ SAYS: Once again help wanted

Who says California doesn’t have seasons?|

Who says California doesn’t have seasons? You might not be able to tell by our T-shirt weather as Thanksgiving approaches, but it really is fall, fast approaching winter. I can tell because the vineyards have a golden hue and I’m sleeping an hour longer in the mornings.

I can also tell because football is over and it’s time to move inside for basketball and wrestling. Of course, California has its quirks. Winter also, inexplicably, brings with it soccer and a chance for players, coaches and fans to be miserable as they compete in the wet and frost that comes with playing a fall sport in December.

With the change in seasons comes a change in our local sports. We now move inside, just in time to avoid the really cold nights that can make football playoffs miserable.

And, with the change comes my annual plea for help.

My trusty partner in vandalism on the English language, George Haire, and I can’t be everywhere simultaneously, but we would like to report as many sports results as possible. There are two reasons for putting results in the Argus-Courier and online at Petaluma 360. One is to let people know how local teams are doing. The other is to give credit where credit is due.

In truth, the latter is more important than the former, because by the time we get scores online or in the newspaper, most of those who follow a particular team already know who won. What they don’t know, and what is important, is who played well and who deserves recognition for their effort.

Also what people don’t know is that George and I don’t know which players are deserving of recognition. That’s where coaches, parents or even players come in. We need someone to report the results.

It only takes a couple of minutes for coaches or someone they designate - a team mom, a manager, the family pet - to phone, text or email the results.

Reporters can leave a voice mail at 776-8466 or 806-9831. A text can also be sent to the 806-9831 number. Email can be sent to johnie.jackson@arguscourier.com. A strong shout from the backyard might also work.

What we need are the names of the teams playing, where the game was played, the final score, game highlights and outstanding players.

Player names are particularly important, and please write legibly and spell correctly. You would be surprised how many ways there are to spell Betty, Bettie, Bette, Betie or William, Will, Bill, Billy, Willie.

We will accept photos, but players should be recognizable. Team photos shot directly into bright sun or with caps pulled over the nose usually won’t work.

Also note that we want youth, junior varsity and freshmen games. Naturally, varsity games will be given bigger write-ups because more people are interested, but we would also like to give the kids, junior varsity and freshmen players credit.

It is going to be a long winter. With your help, we can make it a memorable one for our young athletes.

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