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Fastballs, Fly Balls and Fungos

There are rhythms in baseball that echo the seasons of the year. In spring, hordes of aspiring players descend on warm-weather locales in Arizona and Florida. Coaches hit thousands of fly balls with fungo bats, a very light bat designed to be easy on the muscles of those who hit endless practice balls and are a little older than the average player.
     All these athletes are accompanied by phalanxes of sports photographers, camp followers and would-be ball players — Boys of Spring — whose financial success has allowed them to attend fantasy baseball camp for a few days.
     While Opening Day for the Triple A Sacramento River Cats won’t come until next month, this picture of Oakland Athletics ace hurler Rich Harden loosening up last year at training camp will start the hearts of local fans. The photo was shot by one of the Bay Area’s preeminent baseball photographers on assignment for Sports Illustrated but never used. The image captures the iconic essence of spring training, from the blue sky to the handful of devoted fans to the effort required to be a major league pitcher.
     Harden pitched for the River Cats (the A’s farm club) for part of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 seasons, moving up to the major leagues each year.
     Unfortunately, in spite of strong outings in “the show,” he injured himself midway through the 2005 season and again early in 2006. Primarily a fastball pitcher, with a unique split-finger fastball that has been called a “ghost pitch” thanks to its unpredictability on the way to the plate, Harden promises to once again be the ace of the A’s pitching staff — if he can stay healthy.

PHOTO BY BRAD MANGIN

Marching Amid Memories

This year’s Martin Luther King Day March in Sacramento was all about the memories, and not just the memory of the slain civil rights leader, whose birthday has been celebrated as a national holiday since 1986. For Linda Marie Anderson, who was walking with friends along 12th Avenue, it was the memory of far too many sons and daughters who have been lost through senseless violence.
     The march had a definite homespun flavor. There were no big, city-sponsored floats or streams of politicians, although state Sen. Darrell Steinberg did start the parade off in Oak Park. Among the groups were Sacramento Peace Action, 100 Black Men of Sacramento and the Kennedy High School marching band. A group of local community activists — the 100 Minds Network — was canvassing the crowd and local shop owners to learn their priorities for cleaning up Martin Luther King Blvd., one of the city’s less-appealing thoroughfares.
     Though the morning was cold and frosty, there was a festive air to the whole thing. Most of the thousands of participants were representing no one other than themselves and their families. The route went past Sacramento City College, ending at the Sacramento Convention Center for a job fair and live entertainment. It was a day steeped in recollection to fuel the future.

View more photos of the MLK Celebration

PHOTO BY STEVE YEATER

High-Flyers, Fashion and Fish

Mikuni kicked off its 20th anniversary year by celebrating Japanese food and culture with an “Exotic Sushi Night” fundraiser Jan.30 at the Empire, in Midtown. The entire Arai family, who still operates their first restaurant in Fair Oaks, participated in the event, highlighted by the company’s marketing poster boy, Taro Arai, via bicycle.
     The evening’s edge proved as sharp as a sushi knife, with live music and fire dancers, two fashion shows featuring clothing by Serendipity and Miosa Couture, body painting; traditional Japanese readings and rave culture accessories assembled to appeal to the sensibilities of Sacramento’s urban elite. Acrobats from the San Francisco-based Vau de Vire Society wowed the 500-plus crowd with their performance. A sushi chef competition and an all-you-can-eat buffet from Mikuni and Thunder Valley left attendees fully satisfied.
     In addition to the evening’s entertainment, the restaurant group unveiled an electric-blue 2007 FJ cruiser, donated by Folsom Lake Toyota, to be given away in May.
     Mikuni, one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in Sacramento, also took the opportunity to announce the launch of the Mikuni Charitable Foundation. The restaurant has donated more than $1 million to local organizations over the years, and all proceeds from the evening’s celebration will go to the Sutter Cancer Center’s Nurse Navigator Program and to culinary scholarships. 

View more photos of Exotic Sushi Night
 
PHOTOT BY CHARR CRAIL

Quarry Pond: Hand-Tooled Retail

If you’re looking for food, fashion and a bit of fun, it might be worth your while to visit one of the region’s newest retail outlets in Granite Bay: Quarry Pond, at 5550 Douglas Blvd. Modeled after Europe’s traditional open-air markets, regional boutiques, fresh meats, produce and breads from specialty grocers and four upscale restaurants are situated around a charming infill gold quarry.
     “I’m trying to bring European simplicity and convenience to Granite Bay residents,” explains owner/developer Lisa Powers of Powers Equity. She took a hands-on approach when selecting tenants for the space.
     “No corporate food, no chain restaurants, no test-kitchen restaurants; I made sure they are chef-owned and chef-managed,” says Powers, who credits the establishment’s unique experience to the “nothing corporate” mantra.

There’s a New Concierge in Town

“Do you prefer limo, private jet or helicopter?”
     Whether it’s business or pleasure bringing travelers to Sacramento, Ron Berger, general manager of Radisson Hotel Sacramento, and John Riga, owner of California Limousines, plan to keep them busy. Guests at the Radisson Hotel Sacramento now have exclusive access to an all-in-one concierge service provided by the hotel and California Limousines.
     The partnership highlights a spa/resort setting in a multipurpose hotel with the convenience of accessible luxury transportation. The kicker? A concierge makes all the arrangements, from dinner reservations to event tickets, as well as transportation to or from the airport.
     Increasingly, out-of-town business travelers are staying an extra day or weekend. “Once they’re done with the meetings and conventions,” Riga says, “business travelers are taking trips to San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Napa, even Monterey and Carmel.” 

Google at UC Davis

Google’s senior VP Shona Brown (right), sits with long-time friend and colleague Prof. Kimberly Elsbach (left), at a UC Davis Graduate Scool of Management Business Partnership event. Brown spoke to more than 150 attendees, including graduate students, faculty and community leaders, about the global giant’s inner workings, including Google’s “20 percent rule” that allows employees to spend time on any project they like (an idea that led to Gmail) and company promotions (self-nominated and determined by peer review). Add in an on-call chef and self-determined hours, and it’s no wonder Google topped Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies To Work For.” 

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