Random thoughts while wondering whatever happened to Justus Jones, 2007 CIF Southern Section Class IV-AA basketball player of the year from Ontario Christian High School.
There aren’t many who can match what Tim Salter accomplished in his 25 years as head football coach at Upland High School. That long tenure is rare enough, how many coaches have equaled that length? Here’s another indication of how unusual the tenure has been: at least 200 head coaches of the same sport have come and gone in the Inland Valley in that time span.
On Monday, Salter announced his resignation as Upland’s coach.
Upland had a history of being a solid contender prior to Salter’s arrival. These days, the road to the league championship passes through Upland and usually the CIF title path also goes through Upland.
During the football season, Salter’s office was a magnet for college coaches. They wanted his opinion on film clips he had sent them featuring his own players, and also about players across the line. Salter’s thoughts were worth the visit.
It’s a shame the Upland Chamber of Commerce never recognized the number of people Salter attracted to the city, and the money spent buying him lunch along Foothill Boulevard.
The Scots, under Salter, usually played their best in big games, and there were plenty contests of that magnitude throughout the years. Upland played in six title games, winning four. In the postseason, Salter had a 38-17 record. Many of those 200 coaches did not reach that win total in the regular season.
Under his tenure, the Scots won 10 league championships and battled for many more.
While at Upland, Salter had a 217-88-1 record, the best for an Inland Valley football coach. In his 28-year head coaching career, Salter was 237-100-1.
Those are CIF Hall of Fame numbers.
Salter certainly had his share of critics, especially in the early days. But as far as parents were concerned, he was exactly the type of coach they wanted for their sons. They sought success and the probability of being recruited.
What the future holds for Salter is unclear. He’s retiring from the classroom so a school seeking to upgrade its football program will, or should, consider him as a replacement. …
Once again, it’s a battle between the Bay Area (San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose) and Los Angeles as to which area wins the most pro championships this year.
According to the oddsmakers at www.SportsBettingDime.com, the Bay Area listed at 1/2 is the overwhelming favorite to capture at least one championship, while odds for Los Angeles (3/2), Boston (2/1) and New York (7/2) are also very good. They also don’t think Miami (55/1), Phoenix (60/1) and Detroit (70/1) have a chance. …
Drag racing fans can get hungry, especially during a rainy day.
Red Robin displayed its Forever YUMMM Food Truck at Auto Club Raceway during the Winternationals for three days. It was a magnet for fans craving some fast food as 7,200 Bottomless Steak Fry samples were served.
Imagine that — hot fries on a cold day. …
It promises to be an interesting high school softball season as 13 local teams have made the CIF-SS watch list, including four at the top of their divisions.
Chino Hills is atop Division 1, Chaffey first in Division 3, Aquinas in D4 and Apple Valley in D5. St. Lucy’s is the lone area school listed in D2 with Oak Hills and San Dimas also in the D3 poll. Rialto is also mentioned in D4 and Colony and Ontario Christian in D5.
Bloomington is listed in D6 with Granite Hills and Western Christian in D7. …
We get letters, especially in response to the CIF-SS losing a good portion of revenue at the gate the last few years: “The CIF should take a harder look at its playoff structure, especially in football with smaller schools. How many fans do you think are willing to travel to a game in, for example, Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo or Bishop, like local tams have done in recent years? The game expense is higher due to bus travel and meals. And that doesn’t include lost classroom time.
“In those cases, has the CIF ever thought of organizing a north-south in the divisions most impacted by travel?
“Another factor, and I’m sure I’m not the only one bothered by this, are starting times. Freeway travel being what it is, 7 p.m. games are almost impossible for working parents to reach on time, especially in the playoffs. With the deadlines most newspapers have today, a 7:30 starting time probably won’t get in the next day. It’s a real problem.
“And speaking of newspapers, severe cutbacks in staffing and coverage of high school sports by local newspapers (the majority in your group) has reduced the awareness of games, season records, etc., thus only relatives of players and their school mates show up at games. Minor sports have virtually no chance of coverage.” — D.B., Riverside.
Can’t argue with the first two points. They are valid.
As for the third point, it is of concern. Old-timers, such as myself, believe prep coverage is essential. However, numerous surveys have indicated the general public (readership) doesn’t feel the same way. Thus, if there are cuts to be made, it’s the high school coverage that suffers. …
Glad to see that David Hart is no longer on the unemployment rolls. Hart was left without a job when Furniture Row Racing ended its NASCAR presence at the end of the 2018 season. However, the talented Hart has landed on his feet as director of media relations at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
Hart is very familiar with our area. Long before he landed his first NASCAR-related job, he was media relations manager at Sonoma Raceway and NHRA in Glendora. He has been a frequent visitor to Auto Club Speedway, representing a number of NASCAR teams. …
I was disappointed Jimmie Johnson did not win a NASCAR Cup race in 2018. However, Johnson started the new season in fine form by finishing first in Sunday’s exhibition race. We will continue to root for him to win the season-opening Daytona 500 on Sunday, As for Thursday’s two 125-mile races, we’ll take Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson to take the checkered flags. …
He didn’t come into the newspaper office looking for me, and I was somewhat relieved. However, as he prepared to leave he walked over to my desk and introduced himself.
“Bill Alexander,” he said, sticking out his hand. “Some of the fire department guys in Fontana say you are a good guy, good for the community. Glad to meet you.”
It was the beginning of a long friendship that I thoroughly enjoyed. He was an advocate for Rancho Cucamonga, he was one of the city’s founders, a supporter of the Quakes, and proud of his role for the Ontario Fire Department, even after he retired.
We recently lost Bill; his services are set for Saturday at Abundant Living Family Church at 10900 Civic Center Drive in Rancho Cucamonga. So many knew him and respected his devotion to our communities. He shall be greatly missed.
Brewster can be reached at brewsterl1949@gmail.com.
