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.
It was a good start to 2026 for seventh-grader Jade Lysander, as the Humboldt Composite Mountain Bike Team traveled to Monterey for the opening event of the season last weekend. Lysander led […]
By Ray Hamill — The smallest school in the Big 5 packs quite a punch when it comes to boys basketball. This year, the McKinleyville Panthers claimed a first-ever outright Big 5 […]
By Ray Hamill — On to the state playoffs. On Friday night, the St. Bernard’s girls got back to winning ways to extend their season on the basketball court with a dominating […]
By Ray Hamill — The next generation of Crusaders appear well equipped to continue to keep their boys basketball program on a successful path. With the varsity team set to graduate eight […]
The H-DNL wrestlers continued to make their presence felt at the CIF state championships on the second day of tournament action on Friday. Arcata freshman Taylor Bell and Del Norte brothers Thunder […]
For the second consecutive season, the Cal Poly Humboldt men’s basketball team is headed to the CCAA Tournament. The Jacks secured a spot in next week’s tournament with a 93-82 victory over […]
By Ray Hamill — Less than a week after their season ended, the Del Norte Warriors are already getting excited about their prospects for next year. The Warriors were one of the […]
It was good opening day for the three H-DNL wrestlers competing at the state championships on Thursday. Del Norte brothers Thunder and Wyatt Lewis qualified for the prestigious tournament in Bakersfield, along […]
By Ray Hamill — The dates and times for this weekend’s North Coast Section basketball playoff games involving local teams have been finalized. Heading into the weekend action, two H-DNL teams are […]
Because kindness matters. A group of Fortuna student-athletes recently surprised a rival school to celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day. Organized by the Huskies’ Student Athletic Advisory Council (SAAC), seven Fortuna student-athletes […]
By Ray Hamill — It was a successful winter on the wrestling mats for Ferndale High School in more ways than one. Not only did the Wildcats feature their biggest roster in […]
By Ray Hamill — Freshman Taylor Bell will close out an outstanding debut season on the high school wrestling mats at this week’s state championships in Bakersfield. The young Arcata standout is […]
The Ferndale Wildcats will get the opportunity to play for a second straight North Coast Section championship and a third in five years after a dominating 54-27 win in their Division-6 semifinal […]
By Ray Hamill — A competitive and back-and-forth game got away from the College of the Redwoods women in their playoff opener in basketball on Wednesday night. The CR women welcomed Hartnell […]
It was a tale of two very different games for the College of the Redwoods men in their conference openers against Lassen in baseball over the weekend. CR hosted the Cougars for […]
By Ray Hamill — The Cotter name is synonymous with the game of basketball here on the North Coast, and it will be front and center once again on Wednesday night. Former […]
The last remaining H-DNL boys team in the North Coast Section basketball playoffs will look to make some history this weekend. On Tuesday, the Loggers held on late to beat Redwood Christian […]
By Ray Hamill — A late rally came up just short for the Crusaders in their North Coast Section Division-3 girls basketball semifinal against Miramonte at St. Bernard’s on Tuesday night. The […]
By Ray Hamill — The future of the Hoopa boys basketball program appears to be in good hands. The Warriors’ season ended last week in a North Coast Section Division-5 loss at […]
The 40th annual Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics Auction will take place on Saturday, April 11. The annual fundraiser will be held at the Sapphire Palace inside Blue Lake Casino, beginning at 6 […]
