Millikan Baseball Gives Back

Mike Guardabascio - Gazettes -

Saturday morning, the first day of LBUSD’s winter break, you can bet that 99% of Long Beach’s high school kids were sleeping in, catching up on sleep they’ve skipped during the school week, perhaps dreaming about presents to come the following Saturday. The Millikan baseball team was up, working at the Eastman Boys & Girls Club on Del Amo, where they gave away over 200 toys and served over 350 pancake breakfasts to children and their families. Duncan Smith from the B&G helped put things together at the facility for Millikan.

The Rams served all the food, bused all the tables, sang carols, played with the kids, and helped Santa hand out toys. All but two players in the whole program, and every single coach attended, with pitching coach Kevin Marchael handling Santa duties (probably the only time you’ll see a Ram in red and white this year). Syrup was donated by Hof’s Hut, milk and OJ by Rockview Dairies, sausages by Farmer John, coffee and hot cocoa by Starbucks, and pancake batter by California Waffles.

We tip our cap to the Millikan program for taking a moment out of their vacation to give back—if you know of a player or team who’s giving back, shoot me an email at mike@gazettes.com and we’ll put up a story this week.

UCLA Baseball

Junior right-handed pitchers Trevor Bauer and Gerrit Cole have earned preseason first-team Lousville Slugger All-America honors, as announced by Collegiate Baseball on Friday. Each pitcher secured second-team All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball as sophomores in 2010.

Collegiate Baseball has selected Bauer and Cole as two of its six starting pitchers to secure preseason first-team Louisville Slugger All-America honors. The Bruins' right-handed duo is joined by Danny Hultzen (Virginia), Taylor Jungmann (Texas), Matt Purke (TCU) and Noe Ramirez (Cal State Fullerton).

Bauer and Cole have excelled in UCLA's starting rotation since their freshman seasons. They are the only returning starting pitchers in the Pac-10 Conference who have earned All-Pac-10 Team honors the last two years. Cole was named a preseason first-team All-America selection by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) earlier this week.

Hailing from Valencia, Calif., Bauer went 12-3 with a 3.02 ERA as a sophomore in 2010. He led the nation with 165 strikeouts in a team-high 131.1 innings. Bauer's 165 strikeouts established the school's single-season record. The right-hander went 3-0 with a 3.60 ERA in four in the playoffs (four starts) to lead UCLA to the finals of the College World Series for the first time in program history.

With the college baseball season slated to start two months from Saturday, Bauer and Cole will return to the mound next spring with extensive resumes. Bauer has gone 21-6 with a 3.00 ERA in two seasons at UCLA, totaling 257 strikeouts and 68 walks in 236.2 innings. Cole has posted a 15-12 record with a 3.42 ERA in two years at UCLA, recording 257 strikeouts and 90 walks in 208.0 innings.

UCLA opens its 2011 schedule with a three-game series against San Francisco, beginning Friday, Feb. 18. Game time at Jackie Robinson Stadium is slated for 6 p.m.

CIF Approved Bat List

The CIF has posted an approved bat list on their web site. To check your bat for the 2011 season go to the CIF web site under helpful links on this page- then, go to the drop down list of sports and click baseball - then go to events & news releases. Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!

Approved BBCOR Bats Coming Soon

Marie Ishida, executive director of the CIF, said Wednesday that a list of BBCOR-approved bats should be available by next week from the National Federation of State High School Assns. website and should be available for purchase at Sports Authority and other commercial outlets as early as December.

Sports Authority has agreed to put a CIF label on bats that can be used for the 2011 season and beyond.

The CIF is requiring aluminum bats used in 2011 must meet new BBCOR requirements. There also will be a list of bats that have a one-year waiver and can be used in 2011but not in 2012.

Scout All Star Game

There's a terrific all-star baseball game on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Mount San Antonio College featuring numerous top high school players from Southern California. Its the PBSSC Jesse Flores All-Star Game run by professional scouts.

Included on the North team are Aaron Brown (Chatsworth), Trevor Gretzky (Oaks Christian), Kyle Raubinger (Arroyo Grande), Shane Zeile (Valencia), Austin Davidson (Oxnard), Steven Karkenny (Chatsworth), Koby Gauna (St. John Bosco) and Quincy Quintero (Valencia).

Included on the South team are Eric Snyder (Edison), Travis Harrison (Tustin), Christian Lopes (Edison), Ryan Garvey (Palm Desert), Austin Hedges (JSerra) and Brandon Martin (Corona Santiago).

Should be a good one.

When Should Scholarships be Offered?

It's pretty amazing that UCLA Coach John Savage already has much of his pitching rotation lined up for 2013 with commitments from junior pitchers Hunter Virant (Camarillo), Max Fried (Montclair Prep) and Lucas Giolito (Harvard-Westlake), among others.

Of course, there's still time for late developers, but it's clear that recruiters are identifying prospects younger and younger, accelerating the recruiting process.

This is a tough call. Parents get upset when students don't make varsity as a freshman or sophomore, fearing it's going to hurt their college scholarship chances. But sometimes playing junior varsity or freshman ball is best for a player's development.

There's discussion in the NCAA about delaying when scholarships can be offered, which might lead to a last-minute stampede of decisions.

The key is parents and athletes need to educate themselves on the rules, get their academics in order and perform. Recruiters will find you.

Baseball, Softball History Celebrated

Long Beach will continue to honor its robust baseball and softball past by inducting 12 new members to the Long Beach Baseball and Softball Hall of Fame this Saturday at Blair Field in Long Beach. Some of the inductees include:

Major League Baseball super-utility player Jack Rothrock. He played for four teams and won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals. He also recorded an appearance at all nine positions over the course of the 1928 season.Jerry Gardner, who played and managed many years in minor league baseball before becoming a scout. He helped sign Barry Bonds to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dodgers beat writer George Lederer of the Press-Telegram. George also worked public relations for the Angels later in his career. Damion Easley who was an All-Star and Silver Slugger shortstop in 1998 will be on hand along with Ray McKinstry and Don Anderson who will be honored for community involvement. Dan Peters former Millikan, LBCC and CSF player will be recognized as well.

The ceremony begins at 11:30 a.m. at Blair Field, 4700 Deukmejian Dr.

Friendship Series

The Urban Youth Academy in Compton will be the site for the USA-Japan Friendship Series set to take place this weekend. The first game is Saturday at noon, followed by Sunday at 1 p.m. and Monday at 1 p.m.

Former Dodger great Steve Garvey will throw out the first pitch on Saturday.

Among the U.S. players is Garvey's son, Ryan, who plays for Palm Desert.

Also on the team are infielders Daniel Arellano (Compton Centennial), Ron Miller (Gardena Serra), Mark Silva (Paramount), Thomas Walker (Long Beach Poly), outfielders J.P. Crawford (Lakewood), Travis Harrison (Tustin), Desmond Henry (Compton Centennial), Austin Wilson (Stanford), catchers Darrell Miller (Servite) and R.J. Ybarra (Riverside Poly) and pitchers Ryan Keller (West Ranch), Kerry Kelly (Palmdale), Marcos Lara (Compton CC), Mike Martin (L.A. Cathedral), Kyle Twomey (El Dorado) and Aki Yamamoto (South Torrance).

Side Note:

Brett Kay has been given a five-year contract extension as baseball coach at San Juan Capistrano JSerra. That's pretty good job security for a private school, but Kay deserves it.

He guided the Lions to their first Trinity League title in 2009 and has steadily built the program into an elite one since taking over in 2006. And he also has attracted the attention of college coaches.

UCLA Requits

Pitchers Adam Plutko from Glendora and Zach Weiss from Irvine Northwood have rejected professional baseball offers and will enroll as scheduled at UCLA this fall.

Plutko, a sixth-round draft choice of the Astros, was offered a signing bonus of more than $1 million. Weiss was taken in the 10th round by the Pirates.

It's great news for UCLA Coach John Savage, who returns his two top pitchers in Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer but needs to find a No. 3 and No. 4 starter. Plutko and Weiss will be contenders for both spots. Also turning down a pro contract to join the Bruins was Cerritos Gahr outfielder Brenton Allen, a ninth-round pick of the Phillies.

USC lost Palo Alto High outfielder Joc Pederson, an 11th-round pick of the Dodgers who received a $600,000 bonus.

Cal State Fullerton lost Dana Hills pitcher Peter Tago, taken No. 47 overall by the Rockies. Titans outfielder Gary Brown, a first-round pick of the Giants, signed for $1.45 million.

Westlake Village Westlake first baseman Christian Yelich, taken No. 23 by the Marlins, signed for $1.7 million instead of going to Miami, according to Baseball America.

Assemblyman Withdraws Bill on Metal Bats

Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) confirmed Wednesday morning at a news conference in Sacramento that he was withdrawing his bill, AB 7, that would have imposed a one-year moratorium on non-wood bats for the 2011 season after reaching agreement with the CIF on new safety standards for metal bats.

Update: Marie Ishida, executive director of the CIF, said it will be up to the sections to vote on whether to require mandatory headgear for infielders in 2012. She said manufacturers first must develop gear that's less cumbersome.

CIF Executive Committee Rule Changes

The executive committee of the California Interscholastic Federation approved last week a motion that would require aluminum baseball bats to be used for the 2011 season to meet the new BBCOR performance standards.

It also passed a motion that would mandate the CIF to encourage member schools to voluntarily require protective headgear for baseball and softball infielders and pitchers for the 2011 season, while also proposing to the National Federation of State High School Assn. Baseball and Softball rules committees to develop standards for protective headgear in 2012.

The motions come in response to a pending bill in the State Legislature, AB 7, that would prohibit non-wood bats for the 2011 season. The bill's author, Jared Huffman, had been negotiating with the CIF, so he's expected to withdraw the bill. College baseball teams are switching to the new BBCOR performance standard next season.

Requiring infielders to wear protective headgear in baseball will not be popular. "As an infielder, I wouldn't want to wear one," Mission Hills Alemany Coach Randy Thompson said. "I could see pitchers wearing a skull cap under the hat."

The actions come after lots of lobbying and publicity in the wake of several injuries suffered last season after balls hit from metal bats struck high school players in the head.

What do you think?

LAUSD Superintendent Rescinds $24 Donation Request

Ramon Cortines, superintendent for the Los Angeles Unified School District, announced Thursday that he is rescinding a request for a voluntary $24 donation from each student athlete to help pay for a $650,000 cut in transportation funding for the City Section sports program.

"After further review of the voluntary $24 per student transportation donation for high school sporting events this year, I have ordered this decision for a request for this voluntary fee be rescinded and have asked staff to go back and review other alternatives," according to the statement.

"Although this district is in a financial crisis, I am asking for other financial options to cover the $650,000 needed for the district's athletics transportation budget."

The City Section Athletics office sent an email to schools and coaches informing them of the decision.

Robert Alaniz, the district spokesman, said Cortines had been unaware of the $24 donation request and was concerned that students who could not or did not contribute would face a stigma.

Is he kidding? Two key words here: Voluntary and Request. If $24 dollars could save an entire districts athletic transportation needs (or help relieve the cost), why not try it. Coaches would find a way for their athletes to raise the money, if they could not afford the $24 dollars a year - and other options could be implemented as well.

LA Unified is not the only district facing cuts and refusing to consider minor athletic fees to keep their programs alive. In an era where most kids have at least one or more of the following items; cell phone, IPod, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, PSP, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS video games - not to mention things like; skateboards, bikes, athletic shoes and equipment - a $24 dollar fee seems like a reasonable request. What do you think?

Brewers Rosters Released for Area Code Games

Huntington Beach Edison left-hander Henry Owens has been busy pitching for the U.S. 18U national team, but that didn't prevent him from making the Milwaukee Brewers roster for the Blue team for the Area Code Games Aug. 5-10 at Blair Field in Long Beach. Also on the Blue team are Owens' Edison teammates Christian Lopes, Timmy Lopes and Eric Snyder. Lucas Giolito from North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake is one of only four juniors on the team.

The Milwaukee Brewers White team has 25 players with two coming from the 2012 class: Max Fried and Zachary Green. The pitching staff will be solid and this team will be led by Joseph Ross and Robert Stephenson. Both righties were in the low 90s consistantly at the tryout in Northern California and at the final tryout last week in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Tyler Goeddel makes this team as a third baseman. He follows in the footstep of his brother Erik, who played in 2006 for the Milwaukee Brewers Gray. That 2006 team was loaded with notable players including Michael Moustakas, Matt Dominguez and Mike Stanton.

Should be an interesting tournament.

Where's the Area Code Talent?

A blog from Baseball America about the Area Code tryouts for the Milwaukee Brewers Southern California team voices concern about the talent pool being on the "narrow side."

Well, that's no surprise, considering the best pitching prospect, Henry Owens from Huntington Beach Edison, is playing for the U.S. U18 national team, and several other players didn't try out because of commitments to other tournaments.

Among the players singled out were pitcher-outfielder Nigel Nootbaar from El Segundo, outfielder Aaron Brown from Chatsworth and third baseman Taylor Sparks from Bellflower St. John Bosco. -- Eric Sondheimer

Side note:

Pitcher Henry Owens from Huntington Beach Edison allowed one run on two hits in five innings to help the U.S. 18U National team defeat the Minnetonka Millers, 9-1, in an exhibition game Monday night in Minnesota.

Michael Lorenzen, a Fullerton grad, had three hits.

The U.S. team is preparing for the World Championships in Canada.

Composite Bats Banned for 2011

One of six new rules changes by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Baseball Rules Committee forbids the use of composite bats until they can meet the Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution (BBCOR) performance standard. The changes, which were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors, will take effect with the 2010-11 school year.

After thorough testing by the Baseball Research Center at the University of Massachusetts–Lowell, the NFHS Baseball Rules Committee voted to outlaw composite bats until they can produce consistent results through the life of the bat, be made tamper-evident and be labeled as a composite product. Under the new rule, bats with composite handles and tapers would still be legal. The stricter language applies primarily to the barrel of the bat.

A complete listing of all rules changes approved by the committee is available on the NFHS Web site at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Athletics & Fine Arts Activities” on the home page, and select “Baseball.”

Baseball is the fourth-most popular sport for boys at the high school level, according to the 2008-09 NFHS Athletics Participation Survey, with 473,184 participants nationwide. The sport ranks third in school sponsorship with 15,699 schools sponsoring the sport.

UCLA Falls in College World Series Championship

UCLA's College World Series championship hopes were dashed after South Carolina won its first-ever NCAA baseball title with a 2-1, 11-inning victory in front of 24,390 fans at Rosenblatt Stadium. The win was South Carolina's second in the best-of-three series.

The Bruins finished the season 51-17, setting a school record in wins and making their first-ever appearance at the CWS Championship Series. South Carolina finished the year 54-16.

"I'm so proud of our players and our program and the strides we've made," sixth-year UCLA head coach John Savage said. "I told the players that they've reached the pinnacle in college baseball. They've experienced the rigors of the Regionals and Super Regionals and the bracket in playing for the national championship.

"Every player in our locker room now knows what it feels like. We can sit there and be very proud of our entire program. The bar has been raised, and we look to be back as soon as possible. This team can say they're the best team in UCLA history, which has a long and rich tradition. I'm proud of every single person who has been a part of this program."

GO BRUINS.

UCLA Advances to the Finals

UCLA advanced to the finals of the College World Series after a convincing 10-3 win over TCU in 100-degree temperatures today. The Bruins scored five runs in the first inning, and Trevor Bauer (12-3) struck out 13 batters while allowing just four hits and three runs (two earned) in eight innings.

UCLA will play in a best-of-three championship series starting on Monday, June 28 against the winner of tonight's CT Clemson-South Carolina game.

The Bruins chased TCU starter Kyle Winkler (12-3) quickly after just nine pitches in the first inning. With his team up 1-0 after a Bryan Holaday solo home run, Winkler faced three batters and failed to get an out, giving up a three-run home run to Blair Dunlap, his sixth of the year, before Paul Gerrish came on in relief. Gerrish did not fare much better, allowing an RBI double by Jeff Gelalich and an RBI single by Dean Espy, as UCLA increased its lead to 5-1.

UCLA improves its overall record to 51-15, while TCU ends its season at 54-14.

UCLA Baseball

The UCLA baseball team has advanced in the winner's bracket after earning victories in the College World Series against Florida (11-3) on Saturday and TCU (6-3) on Monday. Trevor Bauer struck out 11 on Saturday, and Gerrit Cole notched 13 strikeouts in eight innings on Monday, as each sophomore right-hander notched his 11th win of the year.

The Bruins (50-14) have reached the 50-win mark for the first time in school history and will play either TCU or Florida State on Friday, June 25 at 1:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. CT at Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium. UCLA must defeat either TCU on Friday or (if the Bruins lose Friday) on Saturday to advance to the College World Series' championship series (best-of-three format, June 28-30).

Go Bruins!

UCLA Baseball to Host Super Regional

The UCLA baseball team continues its postseason run at home this weekend in the NCAA Super Regionals against Cal State Fullerton. The Bruins (46-13) have already established the program's new record for most wins during the season (46) and now seek their first berth to the College World Series since 1997. Game 1 on Friday is slated for 7:30 p.m., and each contest at Jackie Robinson Stadium will be televised live across the nation on ESPN2.

UCLA and Cal State Fullerton were each awarded No. 1 seeds in their NCAA Regionals last weekend and held serve at home to face each other this weekend. The Bruins swept three games against Kent State (15-1), LSU (6-3) and UC Irvine (6-2) to advance to their second Super Regional in four years. Cal State Fullerton won four consecutive games in three days after losing a 3-1 decision to Minnesota in Game 1 on Friday. This weekend's meeting marks the third time in the last four years that UCLA will play Cal State Fullerton in the postseason.

As of 4 p.m. on Thursday, there remain roughly 250 tickets for Games 1 and 2 of this weekend's Super Regional. All-Session Reserved packages cost $42 for adults and $30 for students/youth. All-Session General Admission packages cost $30 for adults and $20 for students/youth. Single-reserved tickets cost $16 for adults and $13 for students/youth. Single-game general admission tickets cost $11 for adults and $9 for students/youth. Should there be a decisive Game 3 on Sunday, tickets for that contest will go on sale after Game 2 on Saturday night. At that time, fans will be able to purchase tickets for Game 3 by logging online to tickets.ucla.edu.

LOS ANGELES SUPER REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, June 11 - 7:30 p.m. (PT), TV: ESPN2
Cal State Fullerton (visitor) - Noe Ramirez, RHP, So. (11-1, 2.63)
UCLA (home) - Gerrit Cole, RHP, So. (10-2, 3.11)

Saturday, June 12 - 4 p.m. (PT), TV: ESPN2
UCLA (visitor) - Trevor Bauer, RHP, So. (10-3, 2.72)
Cal State Fullerton (home) - TBA

Sunday, June 13* - 7 p.m. (PT), TV: ESPN2
Cal State Fullerton - TBA
UCLA - Rob Rasmussen, LHP, Jr. (10-2, 2.90)
*if necessary (home/visiting teams TBA)

UCLA legend John Wooden Dies

Wooden's accomplishments during his 27-season tenure with the Bruins made him one of the greatest coaches in sports history. He also created the 'Pyramid of Success' motivational program that is used by coaches and leaders in various vocations to this day.

In his 40 years of coaching in high school and college, Wooden had only one losing season — his first. He finished with 885 wins and 203 losses, and his UCLA teams still hold an NCAA record for winning 88 consecutive games from 1971 through 1974.

Wooden died Friday evening of natural causes at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, but his legend will live on. The values he instilled in his players, coaches and anyone he came into contact with, will be his legacy...to all of us.
Thanks coach.

We shall not see his likeness again.

CIF Div. I Finals Set

Dana Hills and Mater Dei will battle it out in the CIF Div.I Finals Saturday, June 5, 2010 - 7:30 PM at Strom Stadium in Lake Elsinore.

The Lake Elsinore Storm is a Class-A Advanced Minor League Baseball Affiliate of the San Diego Padres. In the 15 years of Storm Baseball there have been 75 former Storm players to reach the upper echelon of professional baseball. The 2008 season saw 13 former Storm make their Major League Debut. Storm Baseball home games are played at the Diamond, a state-of-the-art facility that is continually voted one of the finest ballparks in all of the Minor Leagues. Truley a great place to see a ball game.

For more information on "Storm Baseball and the ball park go to: http://www.strombaseball.com.

Ohlone Renegades State Champs 2010

State Tournament Games

Game 1: Ohlone (No. 2 North) 13, El Camino (No. 1 South)0
Game 2: Rio Hondo (South 2) 18, San Mateo (North 1) 6
Game 3: San Mateo 15, El Camino 14
Game 4: Ohlone 11, Rio Hondo 2
Game 5: San Mateo 16, Rio Hondo 4
Game 6 (Sunday): Ohlone 16, San Mateo 10
The Ohlone Renegades: win the 2010 State Title


For All-State Team selections, go to the Spinco Stats link on this page under helpful links.

Community College Baseball

2010 State Tournament Schedule May 21-23
Fresno City College, Fresno
Double Elimination Tournament

Teams:
North No. 1 San Mateo (32-8-1); North No. 2 Ohlone (34-10)
South No. 1 El Camino (32-9); South No. 2 Rio Hondo (31-10)

Friday, May 21
Game 1: Ohlone vs. El Camino, noon
Game 2: Rio Hondo vs. San Mateo, 6 p.m.

Saturday, May 22
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4

Sunday, May 23
Game 6: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 4
Game 7: Rematch Game 6 , if necessary

Jordan's Christian Hurtado Needs Your Help

Christian Hurtado, injured by a comeback hit to the head in the Panthers' game against Wilson; with Hurtado still in the hospital and his jersey hanging in the dugout, the Panthers pulled off an emotional win over Cabrillo, with the hope that Hurtado would be out of the hospital with a clean bill of health shortly after.

He's been released, but due to the trauma to his head (which left him with high blood pressure and blood in his brain), he needs further care and testing. Both of Christian's parents were laid off recently, and the family does not have health insurance—we will keep you updated on fundraising efforts, but for now anyone who's interested in helping the Hurtado family can contact Jordan coach marc Prager at mprager@lbschools.net.

JC Playoffs Continue

The JC Playoffs will continue with the Super Regionals, May 14-16. Two Four-Team Double-Elimination Tournaments where the highest seeded regional winners host. That means #1 Santa Ana and #5 El Camino for the Southern Section.

The Northern section is still to be decided as #16 Sierra at #2 San Mateo will play again on Monday.

The State Tournament, May 21-13, at Fresno Four-Team Double-Elimination Tournament Super Regional Tourn. Winners (Two North, Two South)

JC Playoffs Begin

Round #1 of the JC Playoffs begin this week. The Southern California Regional will feature some new faces (Compton/Golden West) to go along with the old. Here's how they will match-up.

#18 Compton at #1 Santa Ana
#16 Questa at #2 San Diego
#14 Palomar at #3 Oxnard
#13 Hancock at #4 Chaffey
#12 LA Pierce at #5 El Camino
#11 Bakersfield at #6 Golden West
#10 Desert at #10 Cypress
#9 Rio Hondo at #8 LA Valley

The teams will play a Best-of Three-Series with the winner advancing to Round 2 Playoffs (Super Regional Tournament)next week May 14-16.

Ruiz, Paez deliver again for Bishop Amat

So much for the thinking if you're a multiple-sport athlete, you can't do two things at once. On Sunday, Rio Ruiz of La Puente Bishop Amat took a day off from baseball and played quarterback at the Nike football training camp at USC.

He was back playing baseball on Wednesday and belted a 400-foot three-run home run in the first inning to help the No. 1-ranked Lancers beat West Covina South Hills, 4-3, at Mount San Antonio College. Pitcher Paul Paez improved to 10-0, striking out 12.

Ruiz, a sophomore committed to USC, raised his batting average to .492.

Bishop Amat (21-2) will face No. 2 Lakewood on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Redondo in the championship game of a bracket of the Redondo tournament.

Frank McCourt Helps LAUSD Close Sports Funding Gap

Faced with a $1.3-million cutback to the high school sports program in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the LA84 Foundation and Dodgers owner Frank McCourt have helped spearhead a fundraising drive that will enable more than 700 coaches to be paid and 75 high schools to maintain their sports programs for the coming school year. LA84 then came forward to make a grant of $252,600 and began encouraging other community members to participate. McCourt pledged that the Dodgers Dream Foundation would help support baseball and softball. Steve Soboroff, chairman of the Weingart Foundation, said his organization is donating $150,000. Other community members will be sponsoring additional sports, such as Chivas USA for soccer and Nike for basketball.

"I'm not so old I can't remember high school sports myself," he said. "They were a huge part of my upbringing and kept me on the straight and narrow. I'm the father of four boys who played three sports. It was a great way to help them stay healthy, stay out of trouble and learn about life."

McCourt mentioned former major leaguers who grew up in Los Angeles and played high school sports, including such Dodgers stars as Don Drysdale, Eddie Murray, Willie Crawford and Willie Davis. "I think the kids today deserve to follow in those footsteps," he said.

Finally, someone sees the value of HS sports for kids!

"Let Them Make the Mistakes"

Crespi came away with a 7-6 victory over Orange Lutheran on Wednesday in a semifinal game in the Diamond Sports National Classic at Placentia El Dorado. It was worthy of a championship game, with each team making no errors and refusing to go down without a fight.

Crespi broke a 3-3 tie with four runs in the top of the seventh. The Celts took advantage of bases-loaded walks to Josh Mason and Ryan Brockett, plus a two-run single by Alex Gonzalez.

The key to victory for Crespi was its pitchers throwing strikes. Because the tournament is using wood bats, home runs have been rare. Only two had been hit in three days. That means keeping runners off the bases is crucial. Starting pitcher Madison Dang walked none in four innings. Heineman walked three over three innings. In contrast, three Lutheran pitchers had nine walks.

"They helped us out a little bit," Muckey said. "That's our philosophy: Go out and play the game of baseball and let them make the mistakes."

Crespi advances to tonight's 7 p.m. championship game at Cal State Fullerton, where it will play El Dorado, which beat Edison, 2-1. It will be the second time in three years that the Celts will try to win the tournament title.

Despite losing ace Ryon Healy last month because of a muscle strain in his forearm, the Celts keep finding pitchers. Dang and Heineman are Nos. 5 and 6 on the Celts' staff, and a seventh pitcher, Chad Tobin, is expected to start tonight.

They all follow the Muckey credo: Throw strikes.

Pitching, defense key in National Classic

The best tournament in Southern California, the 16-team Diamond Sports National Classic, begins on Monday, and the key to emerging as the champion on Thursday at Cal State Fullerton is pitching depth and defense, especially this season, because wood bats will be used.

La Puente Bishop Amat (11-1) and Encino Crespi (11-3) would appear to have the edge. Bishop Amat, however, has to decide when to use ace Paul Paez. Will he throw in the first round against Arizona's Notre Dame Prep?

Crespi won't have its ace, Ryon Healy, available for pitching duties because he has just begun rehab from a strained muscle tendon in his forearm. But Ryan Brockett (3-0, 1.61 ERA) and John Kearns (4-0, 2.97) are ready to go, and closer Josh Mason could end up starting.

Many of the teams are expected to promote junior varsity pitchers this week in case they are needed playing four games in four days, and the player to watch for Crespi could be sophomore JV pitcher Christian Johnson, who might be put on the mound and asked to come through.

Huntington Beach Edison is expected to use its ace, Henry Owens, in Monday's 10 a.m. opener against Palm Desert at El Dorado. But what do the Chargers do in a possible second-round matchup against Bishop Amat? That's the dilemma every coach in this tournament will be facing. When do you use your big gun and who is the first pitcher off the bench?

National Classic

The schedule has been finalized for the National Classic that begins on April 5 in Orange County. Baseball teams participating in the National Classic next week in Orange County will only use wood bats. The decision was made after tournament organizers polled coaches following a suggestion by Marin Catholic to use wood bats.

Marin Catholic switched from aluminum to wood because of a serious injury suffered by pitcher Gunnar Sandberg, who was struck in the head by a line drive. The school will be providing 15 wood bats for each team, according to an e-mail sent by Steve Gullotti, the tournament organizer. Marin County Athletic Director Rick Winter said he will be transporting more than 200 wood bats to be distributed to teams.

Action begins on April 5. Perhaps the best opening matchup has Valencia West Ranch playing Orange Lutheran at 1p.m. at El Dorado. The championship game is set for April 8 at 7 p.m. at Cal State Fullerton.

An update on the condition of Sandberg can be found at
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/gunnarsandberg/

Millikan vs Lakewood

The only undefeated team in the area, top-ranked Lakewood (10-0) will host Millikan (3-5) on Wednesday and then on Friday night, the Lancers will face off with No. 2 Wilson at Blair Field at 6:30.

It's likely that Lakewood's Jeff Yamaguchi (2-0) will go head-to-head with the Moore League's reigning MVP, Josh Frye, on Wednesday, before sophomore Shane Watson (4-0) takes on the Bruins' Chase DeJong or Stefan Miladinovich. Watson, who was 9-0 on the Lakewood freshman team and is 13-0 in his career, hasn't allowed an earned run thus far in 18 innings in 2010.

Poly and Millikan will meet in Friday's first of two Moore League games at Blair Field at 3:30. Likely starter for the Rams will be Matt Clampitt. Big week for the Moore League.

UCLA

At some point you run out of adjectives to describe the Bruins' 13-0 start to the season. I think I've read hot, fast, quick, blazing, flying, awesome, fantastic, tremendous and incredible. Truthfully, you can't praise the team and coaching staff enough for what they've accomplished to this point. Everything you could have wanted from the team, they have done and their recent jump up all five rankings indicates that people are taking notice.

Going beyond their perfect record (Arizona St. is the only other team in the country still undefeated), the Bruins have won games at home and done it away from Jackie Robinson Stadium. They have handed #18 Vanderbilt team their only loss of the season and Sunday's defeat of #16 Oklahoma was just the Sooners' second loss of the year. UCLA's 2.00 team ERA is second in the country and their .188 batting average against is best in the nation, as is their 173 strikeouts. The Bruins lead the Pac-10 in every major pitching category, including walks despite their high strikeout total. The Bruins also rank in the top three in the conference in every major hitting category except for doubles and triples and they lead the Pac-10 in home runs with
18.

The team has done just about everything and yet, there are skeptics. The last few years of UCLA baseball has been an exhibition in underachievement. Time and time again the Bruins have fallen short of expectations, never more so than in 2008 when the Bruins struggled to make the postseason after entering the season #1 in some polls. As a result, observers are being ultra-cautious with this year's team and will make UCLA prove they are an elite team two, three and 20 times over before they acknowledge that this year's team is not a UCLA team of the past. Well, the Bruins chance to prove themselves is quickly approaching and if they can prove themselves in early April, all skeptics will disappear. Go Bruins!

Baseball: CIF-SS finals will be in Lake Elsinore

With Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium unavailable, the Southern Section baseball finals for its top divisions will be held June 5 at the The Diamond, home of the Padres' Class-A affiliate, the Lake Elsinore Storm. The Diamond seats over 6,000 and has a capacity of up to 8,000 for baseball. The Division 5-7 finals will take place at UC Riverside on June 4.

The Dodgers are playing at home that weekend, while Angel Stadium will be setting up for U2 concerts on June 6 and 7.

LB State Game Moved Back

The time of today's game against Washington has been moved from 5:30 p.m. to noon in an attempt to beat an anticipated rainstorm expected to hit Southern California ... Drew Gagnon (1-1, 2.31) starts today and Branden Pinder (0-2, 7.27) Sunday (1 p.m.)

Thie weekend series has a local flavor in that Washington head coach Lindsay Meggs was the head coach at Long Beach City College for three years (1991-93), going 75-51-1 and winning three league titles before moving on to Chico State, where he won two NCAA D-II titles. He was the coach at Indiana State for three years before being hired by the Huskies.

His pitching coach, Greeg Moore is connected to Long Beach as well. As a player, Moore began his career as a pitcher at Long Beach City College before transferring to USF. A right-handed pitcher and catcher, he won the team's most inspirational player award in back-to-back years and the award is now named after him. He was also named to the WCC All-Academic team in 2001. Moore comes to the UW after eight seasons as an assistant at the University of San Francisco.

CWS games to start later for World Cup

College World Series fans could have the World Cup to thank for some possible late nights at Rosenblatt Stadium in June.

In order to accommodate ESPN's coverage of the soccer tournament in South Africa, the CWS will revise start times for games on three days of the double-elimination portion of the baseball tournament. It also plans to start the two or three games of the championship finals a half hour later.

The CWS has had start times of 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. in recent years for days when two games are scheduled. The start times will remain unchanged for the first two days of the tournament but will switch to 3:30 p.m. for the first games on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. The second games on those days will begin at 8 p.m.

The start times for the championship finals games will be 6:30 p.m., 30 minutes later than in previous seasons. So, we will just have to wait and see, who will be playing later than usual. Go Bruins!

Corona Santiago Pitcher has Cancer

Corona Santiago left-handed pitcher Nick Hurtado, who signed with Cal State Fullerton, has found out he has cancer in his knee and won't be able to pitch this season, Coach Ty De Trinidad said Thursday. Hurtado will need to undergo chemotherapy and possible surgery, but De Trinidad said Hurtado addressed the team this week and displayed optimism and courage.

Hurtado was complaining about soreness in his knee in December and January, and it got worse. He went to a doctor, was given an X-ray, then an MRI, and a tumor was discovered. He was supposed to be the No. 1 pitcher for the Sharks. His teammates will now be supporting him as he undergoes treatment.

LB Poly Answers the Call For Help

When Long Beach Jordan put out a plea for help earlier this month, requesting donations for baseball equipment and money to replace old uniforms, Moore League member Long Beach Poly stepped up to the plate.

Thursday, at D & D Sporting Goods, a check for $4,720, as well as equipment, will be handed over to the Jordan program as a result of a two-week fundraising drive that was organized by the Long Beach Poly Baseball Booster Club, with support from former Poly pitcher James McDonald III of the Dodgers and Sluggers Sports.

Poly Coach Toby Hess and the entire Jackrabbits program deserve kudos for showing what true sportsmanship is in these tough economic times, helping a rival school. Now that's Pursuing Victory With Honor if I've ever seen it.

Josh Frye To Become a Dirtbag

Millikan had the season to remember last year, and it had a lot to do with the pitching of junior Josh Frye. Before he starts his senior season in about a week, Frye officially signed his letter of intent yesterday to attend Long Beach State and become the next Moore League Dirtbag pitcher. Junior Jake Thompson from Wilson will be an every-weekend starter this year.

"I committed because I grew up a Long Beach State fan," said Frye. "I basically lived across the street and they have had so many great players and pitchers coming out of there."

Frye signed before coach Troy Buckley officially returned to the Dirtbags, but Frye says, "Coach Buckley coming back has made it so much more of a bonus."

UCLA Plays USC At Dodger Stadium

The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Dodgers Dream Foundation will celebrate the return of baseball to Dodger Stadium by hosting the inaugural Dodgertown Classic on Sunday, February 28. The Vanderbilt and Oklahoma State baseball teams will play at Dodger Stadium at 10:00 a.m., followed by USC and UCLA at 2:00 p.m.

All four teams are annually recognized as some of the best in college baseball and both games will count towards NCAA baseball standings. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Dodgers Dream Foundation to help build Dodgers Dreamfields for children. The Dodgers Dream Foundation will also extend invitations to the Dodgertown Classic to local children and families and provide an interactive forum for children and tournament participants.

Tickets for the event will cost $5 and can be purchased in advance at www.dodgers.com/classic and in person at USC and UCLA campus box offices. Day of game tickets can be purchased at Dodger Stadium for $10. Each ticket will permit access to both of the day’s games. There will be no charge for parking at Dodger Stadium for the event. Fans are reminded that tailgating will not be permitted in any of the parking lots.

Fans that purchase tickets for the Dodgertown Classic at www.dodgers.com/classic have the option to purchase ticket packages that include a USC-themed Night on April 29 or a UCLA-themed Night on April 30. The first 20,000 fans at those games will receive LA-logo hats in USC or UCLA colors, respectively.

Last season, the Dodgers hosted USC and UCLA-themed nights in their My Town section. Dodgertown, USC Night on September 14 sold out last season and the evening’s highlights included The Spirit of Troy USC Marching Band performing the National Anthem and God Bless America and band director Dr. Arthur Bartner throwing out a ceremonial first pitch.

USD, SDSU Staffs To Host Baseball Coaching Clinic

San Diego State head coach Tony Gwynn has teamed up with University of San Diego head coach Rich Hill to host a coaching clinic on Sunday, February 14, at both campuses.

Baseball coaching staffs (Varsity, JV, and Frosh) are invited for a marathon day of coaching inistruction and expertise. Participating coaches will be part of interactive practices at nationally acclaimed SDSU and USD where they will learn hitting drills from Tony Gwynn, and learn practice drills and organization from Rich Hill.

The morning session with Coach Hill covering practice preparation and drills will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the University of San Diego's Cunningham Stadium and run until 1:00 p.m. Following a break for lunch, the scene shifts to San Diego State where Coach Gwynn and his staff will cover the hitting portion of the day's activities.

The cost of the camp is $110.00 per coach, with checks being made payable to USD baseball. Every coach in your group after the third one is free. In order to register, download the clinic brochure below, fill out the registration form and mail it back to USD at the address on the form.

For more information, contact Ramon Orozco at ramono@sandiego.edu or (619) 260-7486.

Legendary coach John Stevenson Dies

John Stevenson, the winningest coach in California high school baseball history who recently completed his 50th season at El Segundo, has died from an apparent heart attack, while driving Monday night in the Marina del Rey area. Longtime assistant coach Craig Cousins will take over the coaching duties on an interim basis. A memorial will be held for Stevenson on Jan. 23 in the El Segundo High auditorium.
He was 76.

Stevenson coached George Brett and a handful of other major leaguers. His wife, Gail, died in September at age 68 after a 4 1/2-year battle with ovarian cancer. Our thoughts and prayers go out to family and friends at this most difficult time.

Gillespie in ABCA Hall of Fame

UC Irvine head coach Mike Gillespie was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame Friday. Gillespie was honored at the ABCA’s annual convention in Dallas, Texas

Gillespie, who took over the reins of the UC Irvine Baseball program in the fall of 2007, has had a storied career. Ranked 24th in victories among active coaches at the Division I level, Gillespie holds an 850-504-2 record with a .627 winning percentage.

In 2009 Gillespie was named the Big West Coach of the Year after leading UCI to its first-ever conference title with a 22-2 mark to boast the second-best winning percentage in conference history at .917. The team was ranked No. 1 during the regular season for the first time, holding the spot for six straight weeks. The program also played host to an NCAA regional for the first time in school history.

In his first season with the Anteaters, Gillespie led UC Irvine to its third consecutive NCAA postseason appearance, as the team recorded the second-highest number of wins in the school’s Division I history with 42. UCI went undefeated in regional action prior to falling in three games in super regional play.

Gillespie’s coaching fame includes a 20-year career at USC, where he recorded a 763-471-2 (.618) mark and guided the Trojans to 15 postseason appearances, four College World Series appearances (1995, 1998, 2000 and 2001) and a national title in 1998 for which Gillespie was named National Coach of the Year by Collegiate Baseball and the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Congratulations!