By Ray Hamill — The St. Bernard’s boys are hoping to join an elite group of H-DNL basketball teams this weekend when they play a NorCal Division-VI semifinal at Redding Christian. A […]
barstoolfanatics
At the age of 10, having failed in his lifelong ambition to become a vigilante vampire werewolf – otherwise known as a vamp-wolf – Ray Hamill finally admitted defeat and turned his attention full-time to daydreaming instead.
A mere few decades later, the world of crime fighting’s loss is now the literary world’s gain.
Born in Dublin, Ireland, Ray moved to the United States after graduating college, spending time in Boston and San Francisco before settling among the redwoods in Northern California, where he has worked as a journalist for the past 20 years.
In that time he has published three books, including his most recent, Help, My Horse is Drowning!, a humorous look at the world of sports and the life of the enthusiastically delusional athlete in us all.
He previously published the outrageously satirical Free the Leprechauns! as well as the semi-autobiographical Help Me, Im Irish! - a book about the non-meaning of life.
Ray is also the host of a weekly sports talk radio show broadcast locally in Northern California on Blue Ox Community Radio, and a sports blog at barstoolfanatics.com.
Former Redwoods basketball coach Pete Mathiesen passes away
Former College of the Redwoods basketball coach Pete Mathiesen passed away recently at the age of 85. Mathiesen was the Corsairs’ first head coach when they began playing men’s basketball in 1966 […]
Marshall enjoying outstanding year in sports, puts Hoopa wrestling on the map
By Ray Hamill — Hoopa’s Gerard Marshall is enjoying quite a year in high school sports. After being named Little 4 MVP Lineman in football in the fall, the Warriors multi-sport star […]
Hoopa girls beat Del Norte to open new softball season
The Hoopa Warriors got the new softball season off to a winning start on Thursday, defeating Del Norte 4-2 at Hoopa. Savannah Colegrove got the win in the circle, striking out 11, […]
Medeiros places seventh at regional tournament
Former Fortuna Husky Adam Medeiros capped an impressive season on the college wrestling mats with a seventh-place finish at last weekend’s NCAA Division-III Central Region Championships. Medeiros is a junior at Heidelberg […]
Bishop excited about the next challenge and a big move
By Ray Hamill — Breck Bishop is getting ready for the next chapter in his life and a move that will will take him 2,000 miles from home. On Thursday afternoon, the […]
Disappointing night for College of the Redwoods basketball
It was a disappointing night for College of the Redwoods basketball on Thursday, as both the men’s and women’s teams lost in the NorCal playoffs. The No. 14 seeded CR women fell […]
COLLEGE BASKETBALL — McCracken gets set for NCAA tourney; Murphy closes out strong
One former H-DNL basketball standout is getting ready to help her team in the NCAA Division-III playoffs this week, while another saw her team fall just short in their bid for a […]
ATHLETES AND TEAM OF THE WEEK — State leaders, NCS champs take center stage
By Ray Hamill — It was a good week for local sports across the board with big performances on several fronts, and that is reflected in our Athletes and Team of the […]
Corsairs close out conference play, get set for first playoff appearance
The Corsairs closed out an impressive first-ever regular season in women’s tennis this week, dropping a pair of matches and finishing up 3-3 in the Big 8 North Conference. The College of […]
Loss ends ‘amazing season’ for Ferndale girls
Any time you lose in the playoffs it’s obviously a disappointing outcome, but the Ferndale girls have every reason to feel proud of their accomplishments on the basketball courts this winter. The […]
NORCAL PLAYOFFS — Crusaders keep rolling; Cubs, Cats bow out
The St. Bernard’s Crusaders continued their impressive run through the postseason on Wednesday night, but it was a disappointing night elsewhere for the H-DNL. The SB boys followed an impressive showing in […]
Injury makes Slayton stronger, as he eyes a quick recovery
By Ray Hamill — It’s been a challenging offseason for Shasta College linebacker Anthony Slayton, but that hasn’t dampened his ambition. In fact, if anything it’s hardened his resolve to succeed at […]
Several Corsairs feature among the state leaders in track and field
An impressive start to the new track and field season continued for the Corsairs at the NorCal Preview Invite at Chabot College over the weekend. Most notably, Hannah Hartwell continued her impressive […]
Cal Poly Humboldt players receive all-conference honors
Cal Poly Humboldt’s Madison Parry and Jaden Edwards each received all-conference recognition this week. Parry, a freshman guard, was named to the All-California Collegiate Athletics Association women’s first team, while Edwards, a […]
Redwood Acres’ inaugural Rhody 100 to feature large purse
The 2022 Redwood Acres Raceway season begins late next month, and one of the most anticipated races of the season is the inaugural Rhododendron 100 on opening night. The 100-lap race for […]
Odell leads impressive showing by HCMTB in season opener
The Humboldt Composite Mountain Bike Club (HCMTB) got the 2022 season off to an impressive start over the weekend after making the trip to the Exchequer Mountain Bike Park near La Grange, […]
Sophomores setting the tone as Corsairs prepare for playoff opener
By Ray Hamill — College of the Redwoods sophomore Ashley Quigley admits that early in the campaign she wasn’t sure what to expect out of this year’s team. As the lone returner […]
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS — Nchekwube leads late Corsairs charge
By Ray Hamill — The College of the Redwoods men’s basketball team advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a come-from-behind 91-83 win over Diablo Valley College on Tuesday night. […]
Corsairs dig deep, rally late in exciting playoff opener
By Ray Hamill — Playing what could very well be their final game together on the North Coast, the College of the Redwoods sophomores turned in another thrilling performance in a come-from-behind […]