Sat 1/22
George and Gordon Gund’s Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment and their San Jose Sharks seem to be sitting out the ice hockey season, but hey, we have the San Jose Stealth‘s pro lacrosse to keep us warm. Lacrosse? SVSE, which also owns the San Jose Grand Prix, HP Pavilion, and the Cleveland Barons NHL team, evidently thinks professional lacrosse, which most sports fans associate with New England prep schools, is about to break out into major popularity. In 2003-04 the first-year Stealth finished 11-6 overall, the most successful of the fledgling National Lacrosse League’s expansion teams. And so we get one Canadian sport instead of another. The Stealth plays its second home game of the new season Saturday evening (7:30) against the Minnesota Swarm at HP Pavilion — led by defensemen Jim Moss and Cam Woods and forward Gary Rosyski. The Stealth’s Western Division also includes Anaheim, Calgary, Arizona, and Colorado; there are ten teams in the NLL. For tickets ($15-$50) and info: 408-999-5700 or SJStealth.com— Kelly Vance
Catch the San Jose Stealth’s first home game of the season on Saturday. Jessica Lawson and the Cal women’s basketball team play Thursday and Saturday.
Wed 1/19
Old and Grizzly
David Miln “King of the Risk Takers” Smith was the first man to swim from Africa to Europe. He has traversed the Sahara Desert alone on foot, kayaked 2,000 miles down the Nile River, and run a marathon through the Khyber Pass. The professional storyteller and inspirational speaker, who talks tonight (Wednesday, 8 p.m.) at Berkeley’s Hillside Club under the banner of Grizzly Peak Cyclists, is, alas, no longer a young dude. Maybe that’s why his presentation is called “The Aging Athlete: How to Turn Each Moment into an Adventure.” Wanna come listen? Call 510-527-0450. — Kelly Vance
1/20, 1/22
Frenetic Frosh Frisson
Cal’s women’s basketball team has a few good things going for it this season, especially at center. Senior Khadijah Coakley is having her best year with the squad, and freshman center Jessica Lawson is proving to be a true star. 6’3″ starter Lawson, who played her prep ball at Jones High School in Edgewood, Florida, is a scoring machine with plenty of mental toughness. The Bears will need her help to make some headway in the second half of the season against teams like USC and UCLA. Both teams visit Haas Pavilion this week: USC at 7 p.m. Thursday; UCLA at 2 p.m. Saturday. Come out and watch the future arrive. CalBears.com — Kelly Vance
