With over forty years working for the Napa Valley Register and serving as Sports Editor, it must be acknowledged that Marty James is a treasure to the Napa Valley sports scene. The prominence, consistency and fairness of high school sports coverage by the Napa Valley Register has been incomparable thanks to James’ leadership and writing.
An unbiased and professional journalist, James has shied away from comparing local athletes and schools. Nevertheless, his readers, whether from Napa, Vintage, or Justin, always sensed a kinship and fairness when reading about high school athletes.
James’ love of football and “Friday Night Lights” made for great reading on Saturday morning. Parents and players always looked forward to the Register’s review of the game and seeing action photos. It was great entertainment and made for wonderful scrapbook material.
While James claims that football is “a game like no other” his love for all sports was always evident in his coverage of local and pro sports. After all, James’ favorite week of the year is when the PGA Tour comes to town.
James has a keen sense of community that pervades his work. He has said, “The Napa Valley is an amazing place to live and work, and the quality of life is hard to find other places.” Who else but Marty James would make time to write about two service clubs – Rotary and Kiwanis – dedicating a lunch meeting to talk about the Big Game with players and coaches?