Port Orchard native Dave Villwock and the U-16 Ellstrom Plus had a scary flight during a heat at Sunday’s Thunder on the Ohio unlimited hydroplane race. Villwock came out of the flip with minor injuries — a contusion over an eye and a bruised leg.

Here’s the video of the crash on the Ohio River.

Nate Brown’s drove the U-17 Elam hydro in Heat 3A and looks like it’ll be the trailer in finals after winning a provisional heat.

We’ll provide more updates as we get them.

Villwock’s last crash was on the Columbia River in 2006. His worst crash was in 1997, also in the Columbia Cup in Richland. He was driving the Miss Budweiser and that crash cost him two fingers on his right hand. He underwent 15 surgeries at Harborview Medical Center.

Villwock currently has 59 career victories on the unlimited circuit, trailing only Bill Muncey (62) and Chip Hanauer (61). The circuit has one more race tentatively scheduled for Nov. 14 in Doha, Qatar.

S

I’m taking a few days off. Will check back Aug. 19. By then, it’ll be time to gear up for high school football and the Kitsap Stampede. Get those Wranglers pressed.

UPDATE: A 3-hole deficit after four holes was too much to overcome for Silverdale’s Erynne Lee, who lost 2 and 1 to Jessica Korda in the round of 16 the U.S. Women’s Amateur in St. Louis. Korda closed out the match on the 17th hole with a par. Lee bogeyed the hole, her fifth of the match. She also had three birdies, but Korda matched her birdies on No. 9 and No. 16.

Erynne Lee lost the first two holes and was 3 down through four holes in her round of 16 match against Bradenton, Fla.’s Jessica Korda at the
U.S. Women’s Amateur. The Silverdale teenager got back to 1 down but lost the 13th hole and is currently 2 down with fives holes to play

The winner moves on to Friday’s quarterfinals. Lee was a semifinalist a year ago. Korda and Lee are both 16 years old.

At the PGA stop in Reno, Troy Kelly’s off to a good start. He shot a 2-under 70 at the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open and is currently tied for ninth. There’s still a lot of players on the course, and he’s likely to drop in the standings. Still, it was a solid round. In relation to par, the 2-under round equals his third best score this year. His best rounds were a 4-under 66 in the Sony Open in Hawaii and a 3-under 69 at SilverRock Golf Club during the third round of the Bob Hope Classic. Those were the first two tournaments of the year. This is his 15th tournament and Kelly is looking to make his third cut.

Some of you may or may not have noticed an item in Nathan Joyce’s hydroplane notebook that published in Monday’s Kitsap Sun. It was the last note in the story and it read:

“Food Network personality Guy Fieri made an appearance at the pits, walking around in an Oh Boy! Oberto shirt. He said he has a friend in Olympia who picked up the pit passes.”

Turns out the guy was an imposter. Check out this link on a Guy Fieri fan blog.

Silverdale’s Erynne Lee defeated Natalie Sheary of West Hartford, Conn., 3 and 2, in the second round of match play at the U.S. Women’s Amateur at the Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis.

The sophomore-to-be at Central Kitsap, who reached the semifinals in this prestigious tournament a year ago, looked like she was pretty steady with two bogeys and two birdies, including one on No. 16 to close out the match.

That moves Lee into the round of 16, where she will play No. 2 seed Jessica Korda of Bradenton, Fla. That match starts at 11:40 a.m. (Pacific time). Here’s the bracket and link to the tournament’s Web site. This link will take you to the matches currently going on.

Central Kitsap grad Troy Kelly is 1-under through nine holes in the first round of the PGA Tour’s Legends Reno-Tahoe Open at the Montreaux Golf and Country Club. You can follow Kelly here. With most of the tour’s big guns playing in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, this week, it’s a good time for a breakthrough performance for the tour rookie who turned 31 on Sunday.

If you’ve ever had questions about fishing and hunting regulations, or want to keep updated on recent changes to seasons, etc., you should bookmark the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Web page. Just about everything you want to know is at http://wdfw.wa.gov.

That said, I recommend you check out the WDFW Weekender Report. Scroll down the column on the right side of the page and you’ll see it. It updates recreational opportunities and updates from regions throughout the state.

On the current site, you can read about some upcoming salmon derbies, among others things, in the South Sound/Olympic Peninsula. Here’s an example of what you’ll find on a regular basis. If you’re a hunter or fisher, you’ll like it.
South Sound/Olympic Peninsula

Fishing: Salmon fishing continues to clip along off the coast where anglers may now keep up to two chinook as part of their daily limit. Meanwhile, pink salmon are making their way from the ocean to Puget Sound, where Hood Canal recently opened to crab fishing.

From Ilwaco to Neah Bay, anglers are consistently catching their limits due to good weather and a slug of coho salmon, said Erica Crust, WDFW ocean port sampler.

“Folks are mainly catching coho, but some chinook in the 30-pound range have been caught off Westport with the coho weighing about six pounds,” Crust said. In Ilwaco, the catch makeup has been about one chinook for every nine coho, while anglers fishing off La Push and Neah Bay are catching a mix of coho and pink salmon .

Crust reminds anglers that the limit for chinook is now two fish per day in all ocean areas. “There was enough fish remaining in the quota to ease the one-chinook limit, which is good because we’re still in the midst of some primetime fishing,” Crust said

All coastal areas are open seven days a week, including llwaco and Westport (marine areas 1 and 2), and La Push and Neah Bay (marine areas 3 and 4).

The daily limit in all marine areas is two salmon – two chinook, or two hatchery coho or a combination of both. All wild coho must be released. Westport anglers may add one pink salmon to their limit, while those fishing the north coast may add two. As of Aug. 1, all chum and chinook must be released east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line in Marine Area 4 (Neah Bay).

On the Strait of Juan de Fuca, anglers will be required to release all chinook salmon in marine areas 5 and 6 (Sekiu and the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca) after the end of the day Thursday, Aug. 6, which is earlier than scheduled. The decision to end the fishery was based on conservation concerns for wild chinook, which must be released if encountered by anglers, said Pat Pattillo, salmon policy coordinator for WDFW.

Pattillo reminds anglers that fishing opportunities for pink salmon, hatchery coho and sockeye still abound on the Strait. “The fishing has been excellent and anglers should enjoy a good season through September,” Pattillo said.

Creel checks conducted during the Aug. 1-2 weekend near Sekiu (Marine Area 5) showed 762 anglers catching 406 pink salmon and 328 coho. The salmon fisheries in marine areas 5 and 6 are open seven days a week, with a two-fish daily limit. All chum, chinook and wild coho must be released. In addition, anglers may add two pink salmon to their daily catch.

Pink salmon heading for the Puyallup River basin should help boost fishing success near Tacoma (Marine Area 11), where a creel check taken Aug. 2 at the Dash Point Dock showed 94 anglers with 20 pink salmon. Salmon fishing in Commencement Bay got under way Aug. 1.

The salmon fishery in Marine Area 11 runs seven days a week, with a two-fish daily limit, plus two additional pink salmon. The minimum size for chinook is 22 inches with no minimum limit for other species. All wild chinook must be released.

Area rivers may also be an option for salmon anglers. The Skokomish River in southern Hood canal is now open and anglers can fish from the mouth of the river to the Hwy. 101 bridge. The daily limit is one salmon; all chum must be released. In northern Hood Canal the Quilcene River opens Aug. 16 from Rodgers Street to the to the Hwy. 101 bridge. The fishery is open seven days a week through Oct. 31. The daily limit is four coho only, with a minimum size of 12 inches.

The Puyallup River, which empties into Commencement Bay, also opens Aug. 16. Before heading out, anglers are advised to check the 2009-2010 Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm for details on size and catch limits.

For those interested in winning a boat, some cash or just getting out on the water, three derbies in the Northwest Salmon Derby Series are coming up in Puget Sound. On Aug. 8, participants in the Gig Harbor Salmon Derby can try for the $1,000 first prize for catching the largest chinook or coho salmon. For more information, contact psa-gh07derby@earthlink.net .

The ninth annual Hood Canal Salmon Derby will be held on Aug. 15 and 16. Tickets are $25 and participants can try for a first prize of $1,000. Weigh-ins will be at the Port Dock near Hoodsport. Contact Clint Muns at 360-490-8482. Coming up Aug. 22-23 is the Sinclair Inlet Salmon Derby, located near Bremerton on the Kitsap Peninsula. Contact Gramdiok@msn.com for more information.

Participants in all of these derbies will be entered in a raffle for a 20-foot Stabi-Craft fishing boat, motor and trailer. For more information, visit http://www.discovernorthwestfishing.com <http://www.discovernorthwestfishing.com/>  .

In other derby news, The Westport/Grayland Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Summer Beach Perch Fishing Derby Aug. 15 along the beaches around Westport. The event starts is sponsored by Angler Charters at 2401 Westhaven Drive, across from Float 8 at the Westport Marina. Participants can register for the derby by calling 1-800-422-0425, or visit www.anglercharters.net <http://www.anglercharters.net/>  .

Meanwhile, the Hood Canal (Marine Area 12) Dungeness crab fishery is now under way and will run through Jan. 2. Marine Area 7 North (Lummi Island/Blaine) will be open Aug. 12-Sept. 30. Both are open Wednesdays through Saturdays only, plus the entire Labor Day weekend.

Crab fisheries in marine areas 6, 8-1, 8-2, 9, 10 and 11 are open on a Wednesday-through-Saturday schedule, plus Labor Day weekend, closing the evening of Sept. 7. Crabbing is open seven days a week in marine areas 4 (Neah Bay east of the Bonilla-Tatoosh line), 5 and 13 through Jan. 2.

Crab fishers may retain male Dungeness crabs only with shells measuring at least 6π inches. The daily limit is five crabs. All undersized crabs, female Dungeness crabs and softshell crabs of either sex must be returned to the water. Additional information is available on the WDFW website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/crab/ or http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regs/fishregs.htm .

Hunting: The general hunting season for black bear is under way in most areas of the state. Hunters are allowed two bear during the season (Aug. 1-Nov. 15), but only one bear can be taken in eastern Washington. The general hunting season for cougar will start with a statewide archery-only season Sept. 1-25, followed by a muzzleloader-only season Sept. 26-Oct. 16. Beginning Oct. 17, hunters may use any legal weapon to target cougars in most areas of the state.

Hunters are allowed one cougar during the season. Applications to participate in a permit-only cougar hunt held after the general season are due to WDFW by Aug. 31. Check the Big Game Hunting Season and Regulations for details: http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/hunter/hunter.htm

Wildlife viewing: Spectacular views, fresh air and blooming wild flowers are bringing thousands of summer visitors to Mount Rainier. Hikers and wildlife viewers are taking to the many trails that start at the Sunrise Visitor Center on the eastern side of the mountain in search of views and alpine wildlife.

A prize sighting is the white-tailed ptarmigan , which is a small grouse that makes it home in alpine habitat. Recent visitors on the Mount Fremont Trail reported seeing a male and female ptarmigan accompanied by several offspring. The ptarmigan, which turns totally white in winter, is streaked brown and gray during the summer. Hikers also noted gray-crowned rosy finch, pine grosbeak, rock wren, young mountain bluebirds, American pipit and juncos . Sightings of several dozen mountain goats have also been reported.

No, not me.

Let me explain. I’m sitting in the office the other day and I get a call from Elton Goodwin, the former baseball coach at South Kitasp.

“I’m famous,” Elton says.

You’re what?

“I’m famous.”

Elton, it turns out, was shopping in Port Orchard recently when he bumped into Larry Nelson, a longtime coach at Cedar Heights Junior High who played for Elton in 1974. Nelson told Elton, “You’re famous.”

Nelson goes on to tell Elton that he was featured in “The Great List of Seattle Sports Lists,” written by Art Thiel, Mike Gastineau and Steve Rudman. That threesome turned to Craig Smith, who wrote the “Sideline Smitty” column for the Seattle Times for years, to produce a top-10 list of the best coaches in state high school history.

Smitty, like Elton, is one of my favorite people. He called one day to talk about the book and asked if we (Kitsap County/West Sound) had any coaches worthy of being on that list. It took about a nano second for me to shoot back: “Elton Goodwin. He really deserves consideration.” And I went on to explain why.

Elton is the best high school coach I’ve ever seen. I could go on and on about why I think that, but his record speak for itself: three state titles and a 491-136 career record from 1976-2003. As Smitty wrote on page 74 of the book: “Goodwin never stopped his quest for baseball knowledge and always grilled pros and his returning college players for tips and drills.” He produced dozens of college players — I think at one point former SK assistant Don Smith told me there were 24 former Wolves playing college baseball at the same time. Five of Elton’s former players have played at the major-league level: Willie Bloomquist, Sean Spencer, Jason Ellison, Jason Hammel and Aaron Cunningham.

Goodwin, whose final game was a win in the 2003 Class 4A state championship game, came in at No. 10 on the list.

No. 1? The late Terry Ennis, the legendary football coach from Everett who coached at Stanwood, Renton, Cascade (Everett) and Archbishop Murphy.

Who do you think is the greatest high school coach to come out of the area? The late Ken Willis, I know, would get a lot of support from players of that era (the 1940s/50s). How about Les Eathorne, the East High/Bremerton hoops coach? Or Chuck Semancik, the late West High/Bremerton football coach? Bob Moawad and Art Ellis were only here for a short time, but they certainly left their mark at Central Kitsap?

I gave by two-cents worth in a earlier post, and here’s Bruce Jenkins’ take on it. The San Francisco Chronicle writer makes some really good points. Scroll down to the The Cheers Don’t Lie headline and start reading.

You’ve got to admire Bronson Arroyo’s candor about the subject. The Cincinnati Reds pitcher told the Boston Herald he took androstenedione and amphetamines before both performance-enhancing drugs were banned by baseball. Here’s the link to a story in MLB.com on Arroyo.

Arroyo said he took andro from 1998-2003.

Arroyo said he took andro from 1998-2003, but stopped when he heard the products could be laced with steroids. Andro was banned from baseball in ’04.

“Nineteen ninety-eight was a big year for Mark McGwire. That was when he had the stuff sitting in his locker,” Arroyo said. “Everyone was aware of the fact that he took that stuff and said he was taking it. So everybody went out and tried it. I tried it in the Arizona Fall League. I thought I could hit my head on the rim (playing basketball). (Pitcher) Mike Lincoln and I would go to 24-hour Fitness every night, shoot hoops and work out until midnight-1 a.m. I felt unbelievable on this stuff. I took it through 2003, until they told me that stuff would give me a positive test. So I didn’t take it anymore.”

And how about this headline in the Huffington Post: It’s Time to Realize That Every Baseball Player in a Steroids’ Suspect. “Steroid-use thus makes fools of fans and of all non-participants who study or follow or report on the game,” writes Robert E. Murphy.  “I am thinking particularly of broadcasters and sportswriters.” The media didn’t see this story coming, and some that did, had to have decided not to investigate it. Writers work hard to develop reliable sources and reporting tough stories sometimes turns those sources off.