Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA) articles from February 2005

Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA) archives from February 2005

Athletics' situation: They're brushing up on basics.
February 28, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick PHOENIX _ What's gotten into the A's? Have they undergone a philosophical metamorphosis this spring, foregoing their well-known "Beaneball" style for a little National League small ball? In the long run, probably...

Kent, now a Dodger, quietly making case for Hall of Fame.
February 28, 2005... Byline: Rick Hurd VERO BEACH, Fla. _ Here's a thought to make the blood boil: If and when former San Francisco Giants great Jeff Kent cements his Hall of Fame stature, he'll be doing so in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform. Now,...

Giants' Snow heated up when summer hit.
February 28, 2005... Byline: Gary Peterson SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. _ A really cool thing happened last summer. J.T. Snow began to hit again. It was cool in part because it helped fuel the Giants' compelling, if futile, late-season playoff push. It was cool in...

Blending grapes leads to supple, complex wine.
February 28, 2005... Byline: Janice Fuhrman You've seen them on stores shelves or wine lists _ "Legacy," "Relentless," "Virtu" _ and perhaps moved on to labels more familiar to you, such as "cabernet sauvignon" or "merlot." When these so-called proprietary...

Luxury homes plan takes hit from judge's decision.
February 27, 2005... Feb. 27--A Placer County judge has tentatively concluded that a plan to allow thousands of luxury homes in the scenic Martis Valley near Truckee should be thrown out because officials failed to adequately address environmental impacts. ...

Warriors get a real star in Baron Davis.
February 27, 2005... Byline: Marcus Thompson II OAKLAND, Calif. _ New Golden State Warriors point guard Baron Davis was surrounded by members of the media Saturday, about a dozen microphones and tape recorders consuming his mellow tone. Then, out of...

Numbers whiz from Philippines feeling at home in A's front office.
February 27, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick PHOENIX _ The Oakland Athletics have proven once again that you don't necessarily need a professional baseball background to work in their front office. They hired Farhan Zaidi last month as an analyst in their...

Attraction's contract renewal no fairy tale.
February 27, 2005... Byline: Martin Snapp Feb. 27--Willie the Whale, the Jolly Trolly, and the other attractions at Children's Fairyland will live happily -- if not ever after, at least for the next 15 years. Last Friday, Fairyland signed an agreement...

Athletics' Bradford has more back problems.
February 27, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick PHOENIX _ Sidewinding reliever Chad Bradford has another back ailment, which troubled him most of last spring and put him on the disabled list late last season. Bradford sustained the injury in workouts the day...

Talented Baron is aristocrat in Warriors' house.
February 27, 2005... Byline: Eric Gilmore OAKLAND, Calif. _ Baron Davis didn't walk on water in his Golden State Warriors debut Sunday night against the Detroit Pistons. It just seemed that way. In a sports world where reality rarely matches hype,...

A's Scutaro is distressed by kidnapping.
February 26, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick PHOENIX _ Oakland A's second baseman Marco Scutaro was relieved when he heard the news that Ugueth Urbina's mother, Maura Villarreal, was rescued by Venezuela police on Feb. 18 after she had been held captive for 5 {...

Mulder puts his best foot forward.
February 26, 2005... Byline: Rick Hurd JUPITER, Fla. _ Mark Mulder may have found the key to his hidden treasure last month in the dirt of an Arizona pitching mound. Now, what that treasure is can be open to interpretation. Perhaps it's the confidence...

Athletics general manager Beane explains shocking 72 hours.
February 26, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick PHOENIX _ For a 72-hour period in December, you wondered what in the name of "Moneyball" Billy Beane was doing. Why was one of the fiercest competitors in baseball apparently throwing in the towel and waving the...

Perhaps it's time for Bonds to provide some answers.
February 26, 2005... Byline: Neil Hayes A team of linguists, translators, interpreters and cryptographers have poured over transcripts of Barry Bonds' press conference, searching for meaning. They reached identical conclusions: Huh? Bonds may be...

ISO worker placed on leave for leaking confidential data.
February 25, 2005... Byline: Rick Jurgens Feb. 25--An employee suspected of leaking confidential data has been placed on leave by the California Independent System Operator, the non-profit traffic cop for the statewide network of electricity-transmission...

Schwarzenegger plan aims to ease highway congestion through privatization.
February 25, 2005... Byline: Mike Adamick Feb. 25--Motorists would be able to pay a toll to skip poky commutes, highway projects would be built faster and transportation dollars would be secure in two years, under a three-pronged attack on traffic congestion...

Safeway's sales up, but earnings off.
February 25, 2005... Byline: James Temple Feb. 25--Safeway Inc. swapped a year-ago loss for fourth-quarter net income of $202.7 million as sales perked up, but the nation's third-largest grocery chain missed analysts' earnings expectations by two cents per...

Healthy Giambi starts anew after disastrous 2004 season.
February 25, 2005... Byline: Rick Hurd TAMPA, Fla. _ Ever wake up with a hangover? Or, for those smart enough not to have experienced one, with a case the flu? Ever done it every single day for months on end? Now you have a glimpse into Jason...

Doctor's 'positive cancer' spreads hope among teens.
February 25, 2005... Byline: Jessica Yadegaran WALNUT CREEK, Calif. _ Two things happened when Barbara Staggers was 18 that determined her purpose in life. As a peer counselor at Cal State Hayward in the 1970s, she watched a pimp walk into one of her...

Moises Alou looks to clean up with Giants.
February 25, 2005... Byline: Gary Peterson SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. _ San Francisco Giants manager Felipe Alou recalled Wednesday walking along the beach with his son Moises when the younger Alou was 13 or 14 years old. "This was when I was still young enough that...

Moss, Raiders perfect partners.
February 25, 2005... Byline: Eric Gilmore PICTURE IT. Randy Moss wearing Raiders silver and black. The NFL's bad boy playing for Team Outcast and Al Davis, the man with a million lawsuits. An unrepentant rebel playing for an owner who collects...

Panel provides wish list to cities vying for new stem cell research institute.
February 25, 2005... Byline: Sandy Kleffman Feb. 25--SAN FRANCISCO -- Cities battling to host the prestigious new stem cell research institute should be near an international airport, leading universities and a talent pool of thousands of biomedical...

Is Woodson trying to force Raiders into a trade?
February 25, 2005... Byline: Steve Corkran ALAMEDA, Calif. _ Oakland Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson accomplished in three days what took him more than six months to do last year by signing the Raiders' one-year, franchise tender Friday, according to an...

Around the remote: TV picks for Feb. 27-March 5.
February 24, 2005... Byline: Chuck Barney DON'T MISS: THE 77TH ACADEMY AWARDS: Will first-time Oscar host Chris Rock bring the pain to the Kodak Theatre? Well, let's hope he can do something to shake things up at this overbloated and overwrought yearly...

Group says rail project threatens state park.
February 24, 2005... Byline: Amy Chen Feb. 24--A nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the state park system says a proposed high-speed rail system would endanger Eastshore State Park in Alameda County and 21 other open spaces. The California...

Bush plan for guest worker program would allow legal stay for some.
February 24, 2005... Byline: Jack Chang WALNUT CREEK, Calif. _ The success or failure of President Bush's proposed plan to grant temporary work permits to millions of illegal immigrants hinges on key factors that have doomed past attempts to fix what many...

San Pablo, Calif., council backs Indian casino.
February 24, 2005... Byline: Tom Lochner Feb. 24--Challenging critics to come up with alternatives but finding no takers this week night, the San Pablo City Council unanimously endorsed the establishment of a downtown Indian casino. The council on...

Berkeley, Calif., sues university over development plan.
February 24, 2005... Byline: Eric Kurhi Feb. 24--BERKELEY -- The city of Berkeley has sued the University of California to challenge a development plan it claims is deliberately vague and will allow the campus to expand without accountability. The suit,...

A's place focus on bullpen.
February 24, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick PHOENIX _ Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane certainly is no copycat, but when he went about the arduous task of remaking his team after it became clear he could not keep Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder and remain...

Davis acquisition is worth the risk.
February 24, 2005... Byline: Gary Peterson The Golden State Warriors make a big trade Thursday, with the only team in the Western Conference further south in the standings than themselves, for a player with injury and attitude concerns. And you say:...

Busy Warriors land a Baron.
February 24, 2005... Byline: Marcus Thompson II OAKLAND, Calif. _ Thursday was a big day for news in the NBA, what with the noon trade deadline. A lot of big names moved, a lot of teams were active. Whaddyaknow... the Golden State Warriors were right in...

Brazilian superstar gets kick out of coaching in U.S.
February 23, 2005... Byline: Bill Kruissink WALNUT CREEK, Calif. _ Soccer great Sisleide Lima do Amor _ known simply as Sissi the world over _ was in her native Brazil when she got the word. The Women's United Soccer Association and the team she played for,...

Fines loom for flea treatment sellers.
February 23, 2005... Byline: Dan Laidman Feb. 23--Regulators are seeking $3 million in fines from 13 pet products firms, including two based in the East Bay, for allegedly ducking state fees by selling unregistered foreign flea treatments. The California...

Title insurance firms under fire.
February 23, 2005... Byline: Rick Jurgens Feb. 23--California's three largest title insurance underwriters inflated premiums charged to home buyers by as much as $1,000 and used part of that money to pay kickbacks to real estate agents, lenders and home...

A's Byrnes plays amid trade rumors.
February 23, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick PHOENIX _ When Eric Byrnes wasn't personifying his "Captain America" image to his adoring fans in the Dominican Republic or making the rounds on the radio and TV talk show circuit in the United States, family and...

Trade rumors fly for Warriors, who defeat Hawks.
February 23, 2005... Byline: Marcus Thompson II OAKLAND, Calif. _ Some 15,000 fans showed up at the Arena on Wednesday night to see two of the worst teams in the NBA. Many no doubt wanted to see a dunk-off between two-time Slam Dunk champion Jason Richardson...

Raiders gathering Moss?
February 23, 2005... Byline: Steve Corkran ALAMEDA, Calif. _ Ronald Curry led the Raiders in receptions and touchdowns when he sustained a season-ending injury Dec. 5, but he might be an afterthought if the news holds true that the Raiders agreed to trade...

Centerville, Calif., woodworker turns out baseball bats for young players.
February 23, 2005... Byline: Eric Gershon Feb. 23--CENTERVILLE -- The billets of ash and maple stacked in Tom Bednark's workshop look like so many spare railroad ties. But as Bednark feeds a 38-inch maple square to the saws, you see he's got something more...

Custodial parent does chauffeuring.
February 22, 2005... Byline: Jann Blackstone-Ford and Sharyl Jupe Q: I have been having a few problems with my ex-wife about whose responsibility it is to pick up and drop off our daughter. My view is that one picks up, the other collects and vice versa....

Will he run in `06? Schwarzenegger spurs guessing game.
February 22, 2005... Byline: Laura Kurtzman CONTRA COSTA, Calif. _ He's on top of the world, with a lofty approval rating and more daily attention than he commanded even as a movie star. After only two years, could California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger...

St. Mary's basketball program gets many assists from afar.
February 22, 2005... Byline: Neil Hayes MORAGA, Calif. _ Randy Bennett likes to tell the story of his latest international recruit's first visit to St. Mary's College. Rafael DaSilva had never been on a plane before. He had never been outside of Sao...

Substance strikes out at Barry Bonds news conference.
February 22, 2005... Byline: Gary Peterson SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. _ The art of conversation is dead. Barry Bonds and several dozen of his closest media pals saw to that Tuesday afternoon. There is nothing left to say _ leastways, nothing left to say about...

Raiders retain Porter, put franchise tag on Woodson.
February 22, 2005... Byline: Steve Corkran ALAMEDA, Calif. _ Oakland Raiders wide receiver Jerry Porter isn't going anywhere, after all. Neither is cornerback Charles Woodson, for the time being. Porter signed a contract extension Tuesday that prevents...

UC Berkeley seeks 10 millionth volume at international antiquarian book fair.
February 21, 2005... Byline: Matt Krupnick Feb. 21--SAN FRANCISCO -- Checking his mental shopping list, Tony Bliss moved swiftly from booth to booth Saturday at the California International Antiquarian Book Fair. As the rare-books curator at UC...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., bankruptcies column.
February 20, 2005... Feb. 20--BANKRUPTCIES:The following businesses filed for legal protection from creditors in the federal bankruptcy court in Oakland. Companies most commonly file for protection under three chapters of the bankruptcy code: Chapter 7, which...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., business bulletin column.
February 20, 2005... Feb. 20--Monday, Feb. 21 International Management Consultants-USA, East Bay Network, holds a breakfast meeting and discussion on "Operating Plans and Looking For New Opportunities," 7:30-9 a.m. at Crow Canyon Country Club, 711 Silver...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., business listing column.
February 20, 2005... Feb. 20--BUSINESS NAME FILINGS: The following individuals or corporations filed fictitious-business-name statements in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The Times makes every effort to ensure accuracy but cannot be held responsible if there...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., people in motion column.
February 20, 2005... Feb. 20--Jeannette Delagarza of Oakland, manager of commercial mortgage servicing for the past 10 years, has been tapped to lead Wholesale University, the recruiting and training group for all of Wells Fargo Wholesale Banking. Pieter...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., Tapan Munroe column.
February 20, 2005... Byline: Tapan Munroe Feb. 20--Two of the most frequently asked questions I face on the lecture circuit these days are: Is there a housing bubble? And when will it burst? In the past several years, home prices have skyrocketed in...

Single mother began trend in organic produce delivery.
February 20, 2005... Byline: Jessica Guynn Feb. 20--Thirteen years ago, Kathleen Barsotti was a single mother trying to make ends meet while raising four sons and collective consciousness about the benefits of locally grown organic produce. Searching for...

Kendall looks forward to fresh start.
February 20, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick PHOENIX _ It rained once again in Arizona, but, apparently, not on A's catcher Jason Kendall. His outlook on the season is as shiny and bright as the new white cleats he slipped on for the first time Sunday morning....

Speaker-service founder tapped her inner orator.
February 19, 2005... Byline: Dan Laidman Feb. 19--SAN RAMON -- Some people overcome their obstacles. Sharyn Abbott hijacked hers. Abbott did not stop after she expunged the stuttering that hobbled her through childhood. She became a professional public...

PG&E's revenues, profits grow.
February 19, 2005... Byline: Rick Jurgens Feb. 19--Higher rates and cold weather translated into increased revenue from the sale of electricity and transportation of natural gas and into more fourth-quarter profits at PG&E Corp., the San Francisco-based...

A's aren't in a rush to play Ellis.
February 19, 2005... Byline: Joe Roderick PHOENIX _ Although the A's are encouraged by the progress of second baseman Mark Ellis, he will be monitored closely after missing last season with a dislocated right shoulder. Ellis, who lives in nearby...

NHL can't save season after all.
February 19, 2005... Byline: Gary Peterson On Saturday morning, they were referring to it as a "Miracle on Ice." By Saturday evening they were calling it "Revenge of the Re-Dead." The truth, as Don Cherry likes to tell us, lies somewhere in between. For...

Arum not sold on Bay Area potential.
February 18, 2005... Byline: Jay Heater Feb. 18--BURLINGAME -- Legendary promoter Bob Arum was visiting the Bay Area last week but not to promote a local event. That's in contrast to November 2001, when Arum promoted the WBC super featherweight title bout...

Around the remote: TV picks for Feb. 20-26.
February 17, 2005... Byline: Chuck Barney DON'T MISS: "LIVE FROM NEW YORK: THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": It may be hard to believe, but it's been almost 30 years since Chevy Chase uttered the now-inimitable phrase, "Live from New York,...

Congress splits on SBA budget.
February 17, 2005... Byline: Dan Laidman Feb. 17--Larry Chevez often paid $100 a day to rent machinery in the early years of his janitorial business. When the Pittsburg man sought bank loans he was turned away because his company was not established enough,...

West Contra Costa, Calif., board OKs plan to reformat oversight of 10 schools.
February 17, 2005... Byline: Shirley Dang Feb. 17--The West Contra Costa school board has unanimously approved an amended plan to restructure oversight of 10 schools that continually miss federal achievement targets. If the schools again post inadequate...

California legislator pushes election, budget process reform.
February 17, 2005... Byline: Lisa Vorderbrueggen Feb. 17--Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla, D-Pittsburg, has joined the rush to reform how California elects its leaders and makes spending decisions. The leader of the Moderate Democratic Caucus has introduced...

Battleship swamped by competing interests.
February 16, 2005... Byline: John Simerman WALNUT CREEK, Calif. _ The Battleship Iowa counts more than a few notches on her 16-inch gun turrets. "The Big Stick" attacked in the Marshall Islands and repelled Japanese air raids in the Battle of the...

Finally, Warriors get their reward with victory over Sonics.
February 16, 2005... Byline: Joe Stiglich SEATTLE _ The players along the Golden State Warriors' bench looked like college students about to charge the floor as the final seconds ticked off the clock. Wednesday's 117-110 victory over the Seattle...

Hockey misses the mark with public.
February 16, 2005... Byline: Neil Hayes Maybe the key in life, as well as sport, is understanding who you are, or in this case what you are, and what you can reasonably expect. That type of self-awareness might have saved the NHL season. Instead,...

Gasoline prices rising again.
February 16, 2005... Byline: James Temple Feb. 16--After three months of declines, pump prices are on the rise again. The California average for a gallon of regular unleaded was $2.09 Monday, up 15 cents from Jan. 18, according to the AAA of Northern...

Home prices flat last month.
February 16, 2005... Byline: Rick Jurgens Feb. 16--Bay Area house and condominium prices remained flat during a midwinter slowdown in sales, a real estate information firm reported Tuesday. Half of the 7,509 units that changed hands in January cost more...

Ex-Raider seeks different kind of glory off gridiron.
February 15, 2005... Byline: Linda Davis DUBLIN, Calif. _ Number 26 is carrying the rock for the Big Man now. Not so long ago, Napoleon Kaufman was an Oakland Raiders running back. But the world of Hail Mary passes has given way to one of Hallelujahs,...

Event regulation at stake in battle over backyard concert.
February 15, 2005... Byline: Peter Felsenfeld Feb. 15--Local government leaders statewide are anxiously awaiting the outcome of talks this week between West Contra Costa community leaders and a Kensington man who has held illegal concerts at his house. ...

SEC steps up probe of Chiron.
February 15, 2005... Byline: Judy Silber Feb. 15--A decision by the Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct a formal investigation of Chiron Corp.'s actions during the flu vaccine crisis places the threat of fines, corporate governance changes and...

$1 million InVision settlement with SEC.
February 15, 2005... Byline: George Avalos Feb. 15--InVision Technologies has agreed to pay $1.1 million to federal securities regulators to settle a complaint the East Bay maker of bomb-detection systems allowed improper payments to foreign officials in...

NASCAR has made its point.
February 15, 2005... Byline: Joe Stiglich When Kurt Busch clinched last season's Nextel Cup title in the final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 21, his fellow competitors probably wasted no time mapping out strategy for 2005. NASCAR teams never...

Biological dad shouldn't be secret.
February 15, 2005... Byline: Jann Blackstone-Ford and Sharyl Jupe Q: When I was 20 years old I had a daughter. Her father had no interest in having a child, and we lost contact soon after I told him I was pregnant. Two years later I met a wonderful man. We...

Canseco's story undercut with wild inconsistencies.
February 15, 2005... Byline: Rick Hurd You don't need to peruse a list of Jose Canseco's motives to find fault with the credibility of his sorry contribution to pop culture. Jose is more than happy to do that for you even before he drops the name, "Mark...

UNLV, Pacific refused to quit in unlikely wins.
February 15, 2005... Byline: Jonathan Okanes The combined deficit was 18 points. The total time remaining was just over one minute. But in two venues Saturday separated by more than 800 miles, UNLV and Pacific brought the art of a comeback to new heights....

Warriors' smaller lineup comes up little in loss to Mavericks.
February 15, 2005... Byline: Marcus Thompson II OAKLAND, Calif. _ Once again, the Golden State Warriors and their small lineup mounted enough offense to win. For the fourth consecutive game they topped the century mark, their longest such streak since back...

Is Dunleavy the solution or the problem for the Warriors?
February 15, 2005... Byline: Marcus Thompson II WALNUT CREEK, Calif. _ Oooh, to see Warriors small forward Mike Dunleavy at his best. To see him weave his way to the basket and convert an off-balance layup. To see him curl off a screen and snap the net...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., business bulletin column.
February 14, 2005... Feb. 14--Experience Unlimited of Pleasant Hill, a no-fee, nonprofit volunteer organization sponsored by California Employment Development Department to help professionals seeking new jobs, holds an orientation, 8:30 a.m. at 367 Civic Drive,...

Couple's assets need a stretch.
February 14, 2005... Byline: James Temple Feb. 14--For most people, wealth would be the answer to their financial woes. For Holly Taylor, it is the source. After the networking company she co-founded went public in the late 1990s, Taylor became a paper...

Alaska resort provides opportunity to view northern lights.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Anne Chalfant The sublime does not issue guarantees. I bought an airline ticket to head north to Alaska during prime aurora borealis viewing, knowing full well the dancing lights might evade me. I was a seeker, drawn by...

Moonbow phenomenon a popular attraction at Cumberland Falls.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Howard Shapiro CORBIN, Ky. _ Chasing down Mother Nature's phenomena can be maddening. I had arrived here, at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, on a clear morning but now, clouds appeared overhead. If I were to see the big deal...

Storm enthusiasts enlist in tour groups to chase tornadoes.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Michael Martinez VALENTINE, Neb. _ We knew it was coming. We had seen the clouds gather for most of the afternoon as we drove up the highway from North Platte, near central Nebraska. By the time we checked into our motel and...

Dread badge of courage: Hang gliding over Rio de Janeiro.
February 14, 2005... Byline: James Temple RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil _ I glimpsed the spotless sky through the hotel window and pictured the sun-kissed bodies amassing on the white sand beach outside, so naturally I spent my last morning in Rio de Janeiro pacing...

Cost certainty is costing a season.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Gary Peterson Any minute now, assuming it hasn't happened already, National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman will step to a microphone and put an official end to the season-that-never-was. When he speaks, he doubtless will...

Move beyond vanilla when exploring whites.
February 14, 2005... Byline: Janice Fuhrman You'll probably never pour yourself a nightly glass of Gruner Veltliner or Muller-Thurgau (two German wine grape types), but you can still break away from your chardonnay, that vanilla of the wine world, and...

Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif., people in motion column.
February 13, 2005... Feb. 13--William D. Vaughn of Moraga has joined U.S. Trust in San Francisco, a wealth management company, as a senior vice president and senior portfolio manager. --Kevin Wilk of Walnut Creek has been named director of strategic...