Friday, May 28, 2010

Texas Gulf Waits & Worries


LAPORTE -- Richard Arnhart spends much of his days monitoring wind trajectories, scientific bulletins and TV newscasts.

Parts of an oily blob three times the size of Rhode Island -- and growing -- are believed by many experts to be lumbering closer to the Texas Gulf, and Arnhart is part of the first line of defense.
As a regional director for the Oil Spill Prevention and Response Program in the Texas General Land Office, Arnhart is paid by the state to fight oil spills, and he's heavily involved in state and federal contingency planning for any possible impact on Texas from the massive oil spill lurking in the Gulf of Mexico.

Communities all along the Texas coast are making similar preparations as they join the rest of the world in tracking daily developments in one of the worst oil spill disasters in history.
No one knows for sure if remnants of the spill, which was about 160 miles east of the Lone Star State late last week, will reach Texas waters. The consensus seems to be that if there is an impact it will be in the form of tar balls or a frothy substance resembling chocolate mousse. Experts don't expect any residue to hit this far west for several weeks.

Beyond that, just what threat the spill poses for a region of the state whose economy and culture is tied to the gulf is difficult to gauge. Environmentalists warn of possibly irreversible damage to the state's fragile ecosystems and endangered wildlife. Others worry about potential losses to fishing and tourism, though local officials say they have yet to see any signs of an economic backlash.
"It's going to have an impact one way or another," said state Rep. Aaron Pena, D-Edinburg, chairman of the state House Select Committee on Emergency Preparedness, which has scheduled a Monday hearing in McAllen to examine Texas preparations for the spill. "We swim in that ocean. We eat the food that comes out of that ocean. It's part of our [committee's] charge to be prepared for emergencies, and this is certainly an emergency that Texas should be prepared for."
'No news is good news'

Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, whose office would be in charge of fighting residue from the spill and enforcing the cleanup, took steps late last week to calm fears about the oil slick.

"We're watching and waiting, but it's just not time to go to general quarters," said Patterson, who is scheduled to testify at Monday's hearing. "No news is good news."

Patterson sought to dispel TV reports that tar balls from the spill are already showing up on Texas beaches. Although tar balls occasionally wash ashore along the Texas Gulf, they may be decades old and could come from natural seepage or earlier spills, the land office said. An analysis on tar balls collected from Jamaica Beach on Galveston Island last week proved conclusively that the substance did not come from the oil slick in the gulf, said Cmdr. David Berliner of the Coast Guard.
Nevertheless, an out-of-control underwater gusher dumping more than thousands of barrels of oil into the gulf each day is impossible for Texans to ignore. Houston area residents watching TV last week, for example, might have seen ads aired by attorney Jim Adler offering his service to victims of the spill.

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Thursday, May 6, 2010

3 teams begin softball playoff series


By Evan Mohl
The Daily News
Published May 6, 2010

Three Galveston county teams remain in the softball playoffs — two in the University Interscholastic League bracket and one in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools tournament.

Santa Fe and Friendswood come from the same district and will look to advance to the third round, where the two rivals could face off.

The Lady Mustangs begin their series today, while the Lady Indians play a one-game playoff Friday.

O’Connell has hopes of advancing to its seventh straight state tournament with a win Tuesday.

Santa Fe (28-7) Vs. Houston Waltrip (18-8)

• One-game playoff: 7 p.m. Friday at Pasadena ISD Fields

• Outlook: Since they earned the second seed out of District 24-4A, the Lady Indians get an interesting area round matchup in Waltrip, a district champion.

The Lady Rams have lost just one game in the last six weeks and have scored double digit runs in their last five games.

The success led to an honorable mention in the Texas Girls Coaches Association state rankings. Santa Fe wasn’t even mentioned at all.

But rankings are flawed and the Lady Indians should prove why. Waltrip has not faced competition like Santa Fe for most of the year.

In fact, the Lady Rams lost to Lamar Consolidated, 10-0, a team that finished behind El Campo in District 23-4A.

The Lady Indians swept El Campo right out of the playoffs last week.

Waltrip has an explosive offense with eight hitters batting over .300. Santa Fe can claim the same achievement, plus one more.

And the Lady Rams do not have anyone close to a Jocelyn Tacquard taking the mound. Tacquard has thrown two straight shutouts, including a no-hitter for the Lady Indians.

Santa Fe’s coach, Trish Leidy, usually likes to play three-game series so that one fluke contest doesn’t determine the team’s playoff fate.

But with Santa Fe prom this weekend, Leidy opted for a do-or-die game so her players could enjoy their weekend.

• Mohl’s prediction: I expect Tacquard to continue to shine. She’ll need to shut down hitters like Tiffany Bender (.472 batting average) and Kennedy Rodriguez (.434), but she should not have much of a problem.

Tacquard also will get plenty of offensive help from teammates Ciara Sunseri (29 RBIs), Arin McLaren (.349 batting average) and Micaela Bouvier (four homers). Santa Fe 7, Waltrip 1.

Friendswood (24-12-1) Vs. Houston Austin

• Schedule: Game 1, 6:30 p.m. today at Barnett Sports Complex; Game 2, 2 p.m. Saturday at Friendswood; Game 3, if necessary, following Game 2

• Outlook: Friendswood got a heap of postseason experience in a hurry last week.

Making the playoffs for the first time since 2007 — and having no one on the roster with any significant experience — the Lady Mustangs pulled off a 2-1 series win over Bay City, the 23-4A district champs.

They clinched the series in a nerve-racking 1-0 extra-inning win in the final game.

That experience should pay dividends, though Friendswood may not need it against Austin.

The Lady Mustangs own a huge talent advantage over Austin, who finished third in the relatively weak District 21-4A.

On the mound, Kelly Smith, the Southern Mississippi-bound Friends-wood ace, should dominate as usual. The Lady Mustangs top of the order, with Lindsey Davis (.373 batting average, 23 RBIs) Amber Mills (.421) and Rylie Kohls (.368, 25), has also been playing well.

Friendswood must not beat itself, like it did in Game 2 of the Bay City series when the Lady Mustangs suffered from defensive lapses.

And that’s where experience should come in handy.

• Mohl’s prediction: I don’t see how Austin can keep up with the Lady Mustangs. Friendswood sweeps the series.

O’Connell Vs. Katy Faith West

• One-game playoff: 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Galveston Lassie League Fields.

• Outlook: O’Connell seems to have gotten the postseason jitters out of the way after a rough first inning against Bryan St. Joseph’s.

After a brief lapse, the Lady Bucs looked like a team that had won six straight state titles.

But now comes one of their rivals, Katy Faith West, a team that has played O’Connell tough in recent years.

The Lady Bucs will be at home, and anytime Kristin Martinez takes the mound, it’s an advantage. Martinez will play at Kansas next fall.

Still, O’Connell must be careful and find a way to get the bats going. Some players just recently took new positions, which is not always easy to do the as the playoffs start.

• Mohl’s prediction: It’s been a rough year for O’Connell, but the Lady Bucs still have loads of talent. They also are playing together. O’Connell 4, Katy Faith West 1.

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