I've heard in the last week that numerous teams at Douglas High are battling the flu to various degrees.
This is something that I've seen somewhat often when it comes to winter sports, but for fall sports - in early October no less - this is fairly new.
Regionally speaking (and by regional I mean California, Arizona, Nevada, Guam and Hawaii), the CDC reported a 38.5 percent increase in positive flu cases last week and 8,159 cases of H1N1 this season.
The CDC said the influenza season official began on Sunday, so this is probably to be expected.
As an athlete it is a hassle to go out and try to compete while you're under-the-weather.
The effect on Douglas, which seems to be in the middle of it right now, won't be near as damaging for the teams that are just hitting the midway point of their schedule as it could be for the teams entering the first round of the playoffs (tennis).
We'll just have to wait and see what happens.
I'm planning to be at these games this week, so check online for updates (Cover It Live is the tool we use to post automatic updates during games and also allows for comments and questions from fans during the game, so be sure to check out our Web site if you can't make it to the games I will be posting from.):
Tuesday: Douglas vs. Carson volleyball, 6 p.m. (Cover It Live); Douglas vs. Galena girls' soccer, 7 p.m. (Cover It Live)
Wednesday: Maybe Douglas vs. Whittell volleyball, if I can break out of the office in time; For sure Douglas vs. Galena boys' soccer, 7 p.m. (Cover It Live)
Thursday: If the Tiger girls' tennis team advances, I'll be covering the second round of the regional playoffs in Minden at 3 p.m.; Douglas vs. Fallon volleyball, 6 p.m. (Cover It Live)
Friday: If the Tiger girls' tennis team advances, I'll be at the Caughlin Club in Reno for the regional championships at 3 p.m. (Cover It Live); Douglas football vs. Wooster, 7 p.m. (Cover It Live)
- With Friday night's slow start against Damonte, the Douglas football team has now been outscored 50-17 in the first quarter this season. Those 50 points account for 40 percent of opponents scoring against Douglas.
- Now that it's all said and done, the game - on paper - was one of the Tiger defense's best in at least the last seven years. The minus-20 rushing yards was the lowest total given up since at least 2003. Douglas gave up only five first downs and both of Damonte's scores on offense came on drives that started inside the Douglas 43-yard line.
- The 297 yards rolled up on the ground was the most for the Tigers since Douglas put up 394 rushing yards at Carson in 2007. The 62 team carries was the most in at least five years (when I began keeping those stats).
- Driving away from Damonte Ranch on Friday night, I saw something I can add to my list of "Never seen that before." A herd a wild horses was lined up along the side of the road on Steamboat Parkway, grazing the landscaping.
- I made a remark on the live blog that Damonte's pregame music was recorded marching band music, mostly college fight songs. It was ironic because the Mustangs' band was sitting right there. Even more ironic, the real band went about a minute over on their halftime show, forcing Damonte to incur a five-yard delay of game penalty to start the second half.
- Douglas boys' soccer forward/midfielder Edgar Arceo went scoreless last week along with the rest of the Tiger squad, but his career total is still at 45. The school record is 60, set by Mike Gransbery. The season record is 31, set by Jeremy Louthan in 1999. Arceo has six goals so far this season.
Arceo also has three assists on the year and 23 in his career. The Northern 4A and school record is 35, set by Eddie Vega.
- The girls' soccer 4A state record for shutouts in a season is 13, held by Douglas' own Ashley Sulprizio (1999). Tiger sophomore Brianna Randall has posted seven shutouts in 14 games so far this season.
- The girls' soccer state and school record for goals in a season is 26 (Morgan LeFever, 2006). Alex Laing has 11 in 14 games so far. Teammates Katie Dry and CJ Baumgartner each have seven.
- Let just say for a second that I'm a head coach of a professional or college football team. On my list of things to do before every season starts is to sit down with the entire training staff and have this basic conversation:
"Listen, some of our guys are going to get hurt this year. You know that. They know that. Your job, the entire time you're taking care of them, is to not look at them like you're watching a battle scene from Band of Brothers. That's all I'm saying."
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Overall, not a great week for me, but not a bad week either. Let's just leave it at that.
Congratulations to Sean Marler, who picked a perfect 14 out of 14 games and lost out on the national tiebreaker to some guy from Wisconsin who picked the exact score of the Steelers-Chargers game.
Here are my picks for week 5:
Bengals over Ravens (Okay, I'm starting to believe)
Bills over Browns
Panthers over Redskins
Steelers over Lions
Cowboys over Chiefs
Giants over Raiders
Eagles over Tampa Bay
Vikings over Rams
49ers over Falcons
Cardinals over Texans
Jaguars over Seahawks
Patriots over Broncos
Jets over Dolphins
Tiebreaker: Colts 35, Titans 14
Regular Season Survivor: Vikings
Last week: 9-5. Season: 43-19. Season Survivor: Still alive.
Celebrating Edd Roush, the only player ever ejected from a Major League Baseball game for sleeping in the outfield.
- Just some follow up on the biggest E.R.A.S. of all time: The New York Daily News is reporting that the former head of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation - you know, the place that severed and froze BoSox slugger Ted Williams' head after he died - wrote a book recently that states Williams' head was abused at the facility.
The author claims that an Alcor technician took "baseball-like" swings at Williiams' frozen head with a monkey wrench. Just when you thought that story couldn't get any more bizarre ...
- The World Stone Skimming Championships were held in Scotland last week. That's stone skimming as in skipping smooth rocks across the water. Seriously.
The winner is the person whose stone travels the greatest distance after skipping three times across the water.
The 14th annual event attracted 316 competitors from as far away as New Zealand and Canada.
I'd like to be there to see the Canadian tell his wife he's going to Scotland for the next week to become the greatest rock-skipper in the world.
In other news, I'd like to announce my entry into the world ditch-digging championships.
- Speaking of shovels, Edmonton Eskimos (of the good ole' Canadian Football League) defensive tackle Xzavie Jackson charged toward a teammate while wielding one after a recent brawl at a team practice.
The Associated Press reported Jackson stomped off the field after the brawl and returned several moments later brandishing a shovel.
Jackson and his teammate, center Aaron Fiacconi, came to blows and no teammates intervened. Jackson reportedly yelled, tore his practice jersey off and walked past a nearby dumpster, where he happened to see a long-handled metal shovel.
He grabbed it and headed back toward Fiacconi before the team's general manager stepped in his way to stop him.
Just as a side note, and as part of my continuing list of reasons to drop the team, Jackson used to play for the Cincinnati Bengals.
