Stephen Dorman

sports writer

• My Work

Published in

NFL.com | Yahoo sports | KFFL

Acorn Newspapers Sports editor

At 10 a.m. Friday morning Bill Redell meets me in the front office at the Oaks Christian campus.Rather than sign in, as I'm asked to do like everyone else, Redell says, "He's with me," and we move through the lobby quickly without protest.Before turning down the hallway that leads to Redell’s office, he stops at a secretary’s desk and gives her an instruction that immediately piques my interest.“If Pete Carroll calls,” Redell said, “tell him I’m in a meeting and will be with him shortly.”At first, I’m thinking Redell’s putting me on, buttering me up prior to our conversation. But when we wrap up the interview less than an hour later, Carroll, the head football coach at USC, and a companion are sitting on a couch in the same lobby waiting for their turn to talk to the Lions’ head coach.Looking back, it shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise that one of college football’s most influential men wanted to meet with Redell.This sort of thing has become commonplace at Oaks Christian during the past year. Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis made the trip several months back to discuss Jimmy Clausen, the Lion quarterback who’s widely regarded as the No. 1 prep prospect in the nation. Clausen eventually made the Fighting Irish his college choice.Behind Redell and a coaching staff that includes 19-year NFL veteran Clay Matthews, the Oaks Christian football team has become a powerhouse both locally and nationally. OCHS was ranked third in the U.S. by Sports Illustrated to begin the season.The Lions have captured three consecutive CIF-SS championships and are currently riding a 33-game winning streak. The last time OCHS lost a game was against crosstown rival Oak Park during the 2003 regular season, a contest that wasn’t decided until one second remained on the clock.“They put a second back on the clock, gave them one more play and they beat us,” Redell said. “When I look back, I don’t think they deserved to win the game the way they did, but they did deserve to win the game. They outplayed us for 48 minutes. The best team won that night.”During the course of our meeting, Redell will discuss a plethora of subjects, topics ranging from coaching kids and playing in the Canadian Football League (CFL) to his time working for then California Gov. Ronald Reagan.He’ll talk about family -- Redell and his wife, Cheryl, have three sons, Randy, Ronny and Billy, and eight grandchildren -- as well as his enshrinement into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.And, ultimately, Redell will chat about the topic that seems to follow him wherever he goes: Does he recruit football players?“It’s no secret that there’s no love lost for Oaks Christian,” the 65-year-old coach said. “People feel that we have an unfair advantage because we’re a private school. And they think we recruit.”Redell will explain how Oaks Christian offers financial aid to students whose families qualify, adding that the process is all done through a third-party governing board. It’s a speech he’s delivered many times.“People think that if you can run a 10.5 (second) 100 meters, then all of the sudden there’s more money available for you,” he said. “That’s not true. So we don’t recruit. The school sells itself.”Oak Park High head coach Dick Billingsley said he has a great deal of respect for the OCHS football program, and any talk of the team recruiting players who live outside of the area is just speculation. But, he adds, tension between the two schools was evident early on when five Oak Park players decided to attend Oaks Christian in its first year.“We were a little bit perturbed about that because they decided to leave their home school to go to a private school,” Billingsley said.“I can’t speculate about what went on, but I do know these five guys decided to go to Oaks Christian, which they were free to make their choice where they wanted to go,” he said. “And they all turned out to be very good football players, by the way.”During two stints as head coach at Crespi High, where he coached his first CIF championship team, a seven-year tenure at St. Francis and seven additional years at Oaks Christian, Redell’s programs have never been found guilty of recruiting athletes. Nevertheless, Redell said, he’s given up trying to explain himself to those who question his ethics.“The word isn’t resentful, I’m disappointed,” he said. “We run a clean program and are still accused. We’re kind of guilty before being proven innocent.”The coach is quick to admit that some of his frustration from the ongoing recruiting debate stems from the fact that he’s a football lifer. He has too much respect for the game to tarnish it by breaking the rules, Redell said.“It really does make me feel bad,” he said. “I’m very ethical in regards to the game of football and everything it does.”Growing up in Pasadena, Redell was a three-sport star at San Marino High, where he earned All-CIF honors on five occasions -- three times in baseball and twice in football.Upon graduating in 1960, he considered signing with the Milwaukee Braves, but opted instead to attend USC and play football.Following a year with the Trojans, where USC head coach John McKay tried moving him from quarterback to running back, Redell transferred to Occidental College to play for his high school coach, Vic Schwenk.As a transfer student, Redell had to sit out his first season at Occidental. When he was allowed to play the following year, Redell became a jack-of-all-trades for the NAIA program.In 1963, as a quarterback, defensive back, place kicker and punter, Redell earned NAIA first-team honors on defense and was named an All-Conference quarterback.Following his college career, Redell was drafted by the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and the AFL’s Denver Broncos.“In those days, they had like 28 rounds in the draft,” he said. “There were only about 14 NFL teams back then.”After being released by the Rams in 1964, Redell played defensive back and quarterback for Edmonton in the CFL for three seasons. He was later traded to Hamilton, where his team won a Grey Cup in 1967. Hamilton later shipped Redell to Calgary, where he finished his paying career.Redell married Cheryl, a runner-up for Miss California in the early ’60s, during his third season of professional football.“I could eat corn through a picket fence, had a receding hairline and a broken nose, and she still married me,” Redell said.The couple moved to Westlake in 1977 and has lived there since.During his high school coaching career, for which he currently carries an overall record of 159 wins, 56 losses and three ties, Redell said he’s had the pleasure of being surrounded by many talented leaders.Three current Marmonte League head coaches who’ve worked under Redell at different times in their careers are Westlake's Jim Benkert, Moorpark's Tim Lins and Thousand Oaks' Mike Sanders.During an interview with Sanders this summer, he said Redell was instrumental in helping him land the Thousand Oaks gig.“He was a major player in helping me get the Thousand Oaks job,” Sanders said. “I know he made some phone calls and talked to the athletic director at the time. He was a very credible resource for me in helping me get the position.”When asked if he’ll hang up his whistle for good in a few months, Redell contemplated his answer before breaking out a big smile.“I thought I’d probably retire at the end of this season,” he said. “But my wife and I are going to sit down at the end of the year and review everything.“Heck, I may stay just to irritate Billingsley.”That one made me chuckle. I couldn’t help but think Redell just might be serious.

Westlake High’s Alex Johnson is a 6-foot-1 blonde-haired outside hitter who dominates opponents at the net.Her teammate, 5-foot-1 Cathy Quilico, is the petite brunet who drives opposing teams mad with her ability to dig almost any ball that approaches the Warriors’ back line.While their outward appearances may differ, Johnson and Quilico parallel each other from a talent perspective, so much so, in fact, that each has already earned a college volleyball scholarship -- Quilico to Penn State and Johnson to Cal State Northridge.As four-year varsity players at Westlake, the two 17-year-olds are the unquestioned heart and soul of a Warrior squad that posted 22 victories last year and advanced to the quarterfinals of the CIF-Southern Section playoffs.This season, Quilico and Johnson will serve as co-captains, positions of leadership which were easy for WHS head coach Ernest Rittenhouse to delegate.“Alex is our go-to hitter,” Rittenhouse said.“Cathy’s responsibility is huge for us in terms of her serve-receive, and she’s in the back row all the time digging up the balls," the coach added. "They do a tremendous job for us. It’s a great advantage to have them both on the floor.”Johnson, last year’s Marmonte League leader with 322 kills, prides herself in being an emotional player. When she’s yelling, pounding the floor and pumping up her teammates, that’s when she’s at her best.“When I get out on the court, I don’t know, it just comes from inside of me,” Johnson said. “It helps me play better. Being louder, being more aggressive, it just really helps my game. When I’m passive and quiet, that hurts me. I have to keep myself fired up at all times. I think it helps the team a tiny bit, too.”Rittenhouse said there’s no doubt Johnson’s an intense player, but her emotions are always projected in a way that helps others play better, rather than bring them down.“It’s very positive energy,” the coach said. “You’ve got to be careful sometimes when using the term ‘fiery’ or an ’emotional-type’ athlete. She is competitive and she is a fiery competitor, but it’s all done in a very positive way.“You never see her get down on teammates because they made a mistake. You don’t see her get angry with a teammate," Rittenhouse said. “She uses encouragement, constant encouragement, and she does so on purpose to keep the momentum of the game on our side.”Quilico, the team’s libero who finished second in the league in digs (349) and assists (359) last season, also performs with passion.“Cathy’s also a very fiery type of player,” he said. “Sometimes you’ll see her getting angry at herself, but again, it’s always a positive energy that’s done with the mindset that the team will do better.”Like many teammates who’ve competed together year after year, Quilico and Johnson share an oncourt chemistry which isn’t easily explained, but is ever-present.“Whenever I pass next to her, I always feel comfortable she’s going to be there, so I don’t have to jump in front of anybody or anything,” Johnson said. “I know she’ll get the ball every time.”The feeling’s mutual, Quilico addd.“We do much better when we’re next to each other,” Quilico said. “We’re both really good passers, and that helps the team.”While each player has accomplished a lot on both an individual and team level, there’s still one team goal that’s eluded Westlake in recent years: a Marmonte League championship.As the regular season approaches, capturing a league title remains at the top of the girls’ priority list.“I think we have a good chance at winning the Marmonte, for sure,” Quilico said.“We’ve got a lot of seniors with experience coming back. I’m not really setting personal goals this year, I just play to win.”

I only met James Street once, but it was an introduction I'll never forget.Last July, Acorn sportswriter Thomas Gase and I were covering the District 13 Little League All-Star Tournament at Colina Middle School in Thousand Oaks.Gase was working a Saturday afternoon 11- and 12-year-old title game between Moorpark and Conejo Valley East. With his team needing a win to force an elimination game on Monday, Street put the Conejo boys on his back by going 5-for-5 at the plate with three consecutive home runs and eight RBI to cap a wild 15-11 victory.“This isn’t the best game I ever had; I hit four home runs once, but this was the most fun I’ve ever had in a game,” Street said afterward.“I’m a little dazed right now, but I was really just trying to do anything to help the team win.”When Gase told me what had happened, I couldn’t wait to get out to the field the following Monday to watch the kid they called the Blond Bomber. Not since I used to sleep in my baseball uniform as a kid had I anticipated a Little League game this much.So what did Street do in his first at-bat two days later? He crushed a mammoth home run, his fourth round-tripper in a row.I remember scrambling for my cellphone, frantically trying to text Gase and another co-worker.“He did it!” I wrote. “The kid hit another bomb! Unbelievable!”Rarely in this business does the hype match the event, but on this day Street was delivering the goods, big time.Two innings later, Street had an RBI triple down the right-field line to snap his home run streak.After that, Moorpark never pitched to Street again, even walking him with the bases loaded in the sixth inning.“He’s a fabulous baseball player,” Conejo East head coach Charlie Shaw said at the time. “He would’ve hit more if they would have pitched to him.”That day was the only time I saw James Street play baseball.Street tragically passed away following a skateboarding accident near his home last week. He was 13 years old.Since I came to this newspaper a few years ago, I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing larger-than-life personalities such as Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and John Wooden. I’ve also witnessed epic CIF title games in both baseball and football.All of those moments have been thrilling, but none can surpass the pure excitement of watching Street round those bases last July. As far as I'm concerned, it was one of the greatest sports moments in the Conejo Valley during the past several years, if not the greatest.Like so many in the community, the Acorn Newspapers sends its heartfelt condolences to the Street family. Your son left a legacy that will be remembered forever.

Royal's Jade Anderson is one of the best female wrestlers in the state

Respect.It’s the seven-letter word that’s taken the sports world by storm.Football players demand it, and complain fervently when they don’t receive it. In baseball, there are unwritten rules, and to break those rules is to disrespect the game.Perhaps that’s the reason an athlete like Royal High’s Jade Anderson is such a breath of fresh air. Instead of demanding respect, Anderson actually went out and earned it.“She’s a great all-around person,” Royal wrestling coach Rich Carrillo said. “She’s got a great GPA, it’s darn near 4.0. She respects her competition. She works hard. Those are all the things that earn you respect in the wrestling community.”Two weeks ago at Channel Islands High, Anderson defeated Sunny Hills’ Christen Paysee, 8-1, in the 138-pound final of the CIF Southern Regional. It was Anderson’s second consecutive regional championship. Last year she was victorious in the 132-pound final.“I wrestled 10 times better than I have in any other match,” Anderson, 17, said. “Even though I didn’t get a pin, I wrestled well, I wrestled consistent. I played it safe when I was out there and didn’t do anything risky.“I’m really happy I won my second CIF championship, especially being a senior. This is the best way to go out, knowing you wrestled your best and without any regrets.”Anderson was one of 191 girls that competed in the two-day event. Her teammate, Misty Major, finished fifth in the 108-pound division.Following her impressive victory, Anderson, the top-ranked 138-pound grappler in California, competed in the state championships in last weekend in Hanford, located in the San Joaquin Valley midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.At state, Anderson finished second, losing a controversial 5-4 decision to a wrestler from northern California.“They gave her points for an escape, but I never took her down,” Anderson said. “They also never gave me ‘back points’ after I had her on her back twice. That’s at least three points I got gypped.“I had NorCal coaches coming up to me and telling me I won the match. My coaches were telling me just to get her at nationals, which I’m going to do.”Anderson didn’t start wrestling until she was a freshman at Royal.During her first year at the school she tried playing tennis, basketball and soccer, but those sports left her feeling unsatisfied. When she discovered the wrestling team, there was an instant connection.“It was the hardest, most challenging thing I’d ever done,” she said. “I wasn’t naturally great at it. In soccer and basketball, I was pretty good naturally; it didn’t take any effort. Wrestling really pushed me. You can never, ever be the best at wrestling.“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. I’m so glad I got into it.”When she first started wrestling in girls’ tournaments, Anderson often traveled to events without a coach or teammates.“I went all by myself. It was all me out there,” Anderson said. “Slowly I got respect from coaches for my wrestling. Coaches started to come up to me and teach me because they saw that I didn’t have anyone in my corner.”After making a name for herself on the travel circuit, Anderson joined the San Diego Hot Beaches, where she began freestyle wrestling. Training with the Hot Beaches allowed Anderson to make even more contacts in the wrestling community.This year Anderson became the only female wrestler in Royal history to stay in the program for four years. It’s an incredible accomplishment, Carrillo said.“We only want certain people to represent our team,” Carrillo said, “and Jade is just the type of person we want to represent Royal wrestling.”When she’s not participating in girls’ tournaments, Anderson competes on the Highlanders’ junior varsity team, where she goes up against the boys.The biggest difference between wrestling against boys as opposed to girls is that the guys are much more powerful, she said.“The girls can be a little sloppier on technique,” Anderson said. “I’ve got some strength, but I can’t hold a candle to the guys. The thing I have to rely on is my technique. My strength won’t win me a match against the guys; my technique will.”Although she’s competed on the track and field team at Royal for the past three years, Anderson said she’s planning to sit out this season so she can focus strictly on improving her grappling skills.When she graduates from RHS, Anderson expects to attend Pacific University in Oregon. At Pacific, she wants to study medicine and, of course, continue her athletic career.“I want to help athletes -- like wrestlers -- be able to heal themselves and continue what they love to do.”

Warriors enter Lions’ den with CIF crown, state bowl bid at stake

Kenny Loggins took a highway to the danger zone.The Westlake Warriors only need to cross the street.Returning to the scene of last year’s title-game classic, Westlake’s football team has everything to lose and everything to gain heading into Friday night’s CIF-Southern Section Northern Division championship at Oaks Christian.Kickoff is slated for 7:37 p.m. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports West.AM 570 Fox Sports Radio’s Petros & Money Show will broadcast live from the OCHS campus Friday from 3 to 7 p.m.Top-seeded Westlake (13-0) can seemingly guarantee itself a spot in a state bowl game with a victory over an Oaks Christian (11-2) outfit that ended the Warriors’ section title dreams a year ago on the same slab of FieldTurf.“I’m not going to lie,” said OCHS senior linebacker/tailback Carlos Mendoza, “it would be a sad moment for (Westlake) if they lost. I’d feel kind of bad for them.“But you do what you’ve got to do to come up with a win for your team. That’s the way it is.”When the neighboring programs met at Westlake on Oct. 6, the Warriors gashed the Lions for 450 rushing yards en route to a 43-21 win.Westlake junior quarterback Justin Moore carried the pigskin 14 times that night for 235 yards.The talented tailback trio of Dashon Hunt, Jarrius Bishop and Matt Baynard all chipped in big yardage during the Warriors' ground assault.“The experience of our O-line versus the inexperience of their D-line—and even their linebackers—that really paid off for us,” said Westlake left guard Anthony Davanzo, one of four senior starters on the WHS offensive front.“I definitely think things will be more difficult this game because we got them bad. But we’re still expecting to do what we do and run the ball all over them like we did last time.”Mendoza said Oaks Christian's defense was caught completely off guard when Westlake went to an option running attack with Moore as the triggerman.“We were prepared for their spread offense—it’s Westlake, you figure they’re going to throw—but when they went to that read with the quarterback, we weren’t prepared for that,” Mendoza said.“We didn’t make the right adjustments, and it got us.”Recalling the regular-season matchup, Lions junior middle linebacker Cole Taylor said his team’s defense failed to utilize its superior speed against Westlake’s brute strength.In the two months since the beat down at Warrior Stadium, Oaks Christian’s defense has grown by leaps and bounds, Taylor added. The Lions haven’t lost since that game, and they’ve been licking their chops to get another crack at Westlake.“All we wanted was a rematch against them,” Taylor said. “Now we have them in our house, and it’s on.”In their 27-24 semifinal victory on the road against St. Bonaventure a week ago, Oaks Christian's passing attack delivered a steady diet of bubble-screen passes.Sophomore quarterback Brandon Dawkins took limited shots down the field, opting instead to quickly get the ball outside to playmakers such as Jordan Payton, Chris Davis, Francis Owusu and Ishmael Adams.When asked how to slow down a quick-pass offense, Westlake junior safety/outside linebacker Kyle Rothschiller said the Warrior secondary must strike fast.“They have a lot of speed, a lot of talent,” Rothschiller said. “Our D-line needs to get there with pressure, and the rest of us must do our jobs to contain the outside.”In seniors Justin Solis and Johnny Stuart, Westlake has a pair of University of Colorado commits on a stout defensive line that also features stalwarts Kenneth Ah-Ching and Tony Mekari.Few teams have moved the ball with any effectiveness against Westlake’s defense this season.If the Lions are going to have any success, they’ll need standout performances from left tackle Marcus Piechowski, left guard Robert McGee, center Cody Wheat, right guard Tyrone Faanono and right tackle Bryce Beaton.“We’re definitely peaking in the postseason,” Wheat said. “We did the same thing last year. It’s something that our program and our coaches emphasize, that you want to peak as the season goes along."Championships aren’t won in September; they’re won in December.”McGee, a junior, made his first start of the season at left guard against St. Bonaventure and expects to be back in the same position this weekend. He also plays defensive tackle.When discussing these programs, the topic of trash talk remains on the hot burner.After Oaks Christian beat Westlake for last year’s section crown, a music video was posted on YouTube titled “OC Anthem – Red & Gold.”In the video, the singers take several shots at Westlake’s players. The whole production didn’t sit well with a lot of folks in Warrior Country, not then and not now.“This is the CIF championship, so you don’t need much more motivation than that,” Moore said. “But (the video) is definitely something you think about, it’s definitely in the back of your mind.“It gives you a little bit of a boost during the week, something to remember what you’re fighting for—not only a CIF championship but for the respect of the people around you. That’s something we pride ourselves on.”

They talked about her dedication, her intensity, her sense of humor and a laugh that can be heard from the batter’s box to the outfield.But the most common theme that arose during a conversation with a trio of Christine Costello’s La Reina High teammates earlier this week was heart.Costello, they say, possesses the heart of a champion, a heart of gold.Costello, a standout senior pitcher/third baseman/shortstop for the La Reina softball squad, was honored with the school’s Athletics Award on Wednesday night at LRHS’ 30th annual Evening of Excellence ceremony in Thousand Oaks.A scholar award winner who will play softball at Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., Costello gets it done on the field, in the classroom and throughout her community.“She’s so down to earth,” said Dani Marietta, a junior shortstop/ pitcher for the Regents.“Christine’s a good leader, a sweet person, a perfect person, really. She’s a good role model for me.”The 17-year-old Costello is a four-year varsity softball member. She was selected first-team All-Tri-Valley League as a sophomore and junior.This season, Costello has been one of the TVL’s most dominant pitchers, posting a 11- 3 record and 0.68 earned run average in her first 82 2/3 innings in the circle.At the plate, Costello ranks as La Reina’s leader in hits (32), runs batted in (23) and triples (two). She’s second in batting average (.471).Costello’s best friends on the team, however, prefer to joke about the senior’s wacky laugh than talk about all those gaudy statistics.“Christine’s laugh is really funny,” said Lara Felixson, the Regents’ starting right fielder.“It’s like a little giggle, but it’s loud. It’s like, ‘Bbbccccaaa!’ It’s an outburst, but almost like a little giggle at the same time. It’s weird, like a cackle.”They kid because they care.“She has one of those personalities that everyone likes, that everyone can get along with,” Felixson added.“She’s highly respected. Everyone on the team loves her.”Costello has made a positive impact on the younger girls on the ballclub, said freshman shortstop/third baseman Marissa Marietta.“Christine is always really focused, and nothing can get her (distracted) from the game,” Marissa Marietta said. “It’s easy to learn a lot by watching her play.”The daughter of Tom and Shelly, Costello has two younger brothers, Tommy, 15, and Jack, 10. The family resides in Simi Valley.Tom Costello played linebacker at UTEP in the mid-1980s, building the foundation for what is described as a “super competitive family” by Christine Costello’s teammates.In addition to her softball prowess— the senior also competes for the SoCal Pumas 18-and-under Gold team—Costello is heavily involved in school and community affairs.She’s a member of La Reina’s campus ministry CORE team and also volunteers her time with Mi Casa de Angeles, a foundation that raises money for schools in Peru.Costello has also worked with the Challenger Baseball League in Simi Valley, helping teach disabled youngsters baseball and softball skills.Closest to Costello’s heart has been her experiences with the Amanda McPherson Foundation, where she serves as a junior board member.Costello and McPherson were childhood friends, and the families remain tight to this day.McPherson was born with velocardiofacial syndrome, a genetic birth defect. Following a lengthy health battle, McPherson died in 2003 from viral myocarditis.“I was 9 when she died, and that was hard for a 9-year-old to grasp,” Costello said.“I just want to help keep her memory alive because she touched my life so much. Through her foundation we can help so many other people.”According to the Amanda McPherson Foundation website, the nonprofit has raised an estimated $450,000 since its inception in 2004. Money has been used to build fields for Simi Valley Girls Softball and fund Amanda’s Corner for special needs children, the website reports.As for college, Costello was recruited by Iona and Harvard. She has family in New York and loves visiting the Big Apple, so the choice was pretty easy.“I just felt really comfortable when I went to the Iona campus,” she said. “It seems perfect for me.”Costello will likely graduate from La Reina with a cumulative grade-point average above 4.1. With the Regents currently sitting alone in first place in the Tri-Valley title race, she might have a league championship in her back pocket, too.She says her all-around success comes from a mindset to never give up and never settle for second best.“It’s just my personality,” Costello said. “I don’t stop until I’ve done everything I can to challenge myself and push myself to the limits. I love to push myself to the limits.“For me, it always starts with academics. If you work hard in the classroom, it’s going to carry over onto the field and into life. Work ethic carries you.”All the way to the top of the class.

NO DICTIONARY REQUIRED - Some high school ballplayers may not understand what coaches and old-timers are talking about when it comes to baseball slang, but managers and umpires continue to speak the same language, as was the case in the CIF Southern Section playoffs, circa 2006.

What we have here is a failure to communicate.According to an unscientific Acorn study conducted during a two-week span this spring, many of today’s area high school baseball players don’t know the difference between a “can of corn” and a “cup of coffee.”Uncle Charlie might as well be a distant relative to these young sluggers.Public enemy No. 1? That’s Charlie Sheen, right? Or is it Lindsay Lohan?Sitting in the bleachers these days, you’re more likely to hear “Jersey Shore” mantras coming from the dugout—“Yeah, buddy!”—than old-time baseball speak.Is the game’s antediluvian language in peril of evaporating from the ballfield entirely? Or is this new diamond dialect simply an MTV-fueled evolution of the sport at the grassroots level?Depends on who you ask.“Every generation is different, and pop culture changes with the generations,” Thousand Oaks head coach Jimmy Stueve said.“The change in baseball language isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just a new generation’s vocabulary.”Simi Valley skipper Matt La Belle, who’s led the Pioneers to a pair of CIF-Southern Section crowns, agrees that age plays a factor in the way ballplayers, broadcasters and fans communicate.“Some of us, we’re getting old,” La Belle said.“But it doesn’t matter that much. Baseball is cool because it has its own kind of language and traditions. There’s so much downtime and failure that there are a lot of ways to adapt to a game that is so challenging. It’s really like being in a club, particularly the way we talk.”Luke Dykstra, a freshman shortstop for Westlake, blames Hollywood for the communication breakdown.“Some of you guys have been watching ‘Bull Durham’ too much,” Dykstra quipped.Players, for the most part, say they’re simply adding new twists to the existing vernacular.Timeless terms such as “ducks on the pond,” “twin killing,” “Bronx cheer,” “seeing-eye single” and “took the collar” are for their fathers and grandfathers to toss around.“We don’t use those sayings on this team,” said Troy Beltran, a junior second baseman for Westlake. “No one nowadays uses those. They’re so old.”Added Simi Valley sophomore Spencer Dubaich: “We use our own vocabulary. Some of it, I’m not sure if it’s printable though.”The new-school ballplayer refers to a slider as a “ slide piece” and a long home run as a “nuke.” Difficult-to-hit pitchers are “nasty, “dirty” or “filthy,” in a good way.“As long as baseball keeps going, it’s going to keep getting new words,” said Avondre Bollar, a senior center fielder at Thousand Oaks who’s slated to play college ball at San Diego State under the guidance of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.“The old-school stuff is kind of complicated. The new stuff, it’s real quick, one-word stuff.”Westlake head coach Zach Miller has forged a reputation on toughness and telling it like it is.Miller embraces traditional baseball jargon. Some of the more recent stuff is decent, he said, but it still can’t hold a candle to the superlative parlance delivered back in the day.“It’s like they’ve created their own language for something that already exists,” said Miller of young ballplayers.“The old lingo was based more on the basics of how the game is supposed to be played—‘keep your chin on it,’ ‘keep your nose in there’ or ‘body-up.’ The players were tougher back then, mentally and physically. Nowadays, the players aren’t as tough. Tell them to ‘keep their nose in there’ and their first reaction is, ‘I could get hurt.’”Ahh, quality smack talk never dies, in any language.But Miller wasn’t finished taking his hacks.“Kids today have handshakes, they have walk-up songs,” the coach said. “The game has changed so much that it’s kind of like you have to just go with it.“But it’s still 90 feet to first base and 60 feet, 6 inches from home to the mound. It’s a round ball and a cylinder object, and they have to hit it square. And some of the kids, they don’t even understand that.”At Moorpark there exists a shining light for the old guard.Musketeer senior catcher Spencer DuBois is a true throwback. A diehard Boston Red Sox fan, DuBois can name just about every baseball expression with gusto.He pays attention to TV announcers and soaks in the terminology. DuBois even reads baseball books—although probably on a Nook or iPad.“In war, soldiers have their own slang words,” DuBois said. “It’s the same situation out here.“I’m sure the good terms will always be around, but it is a little sad that not as many people know about them. I hope they stay around for a little while longer.”DuBois’ teammate, senior pitcher/center fielder Matt Higginbotham, remains confident that the new generation of ballplayers can keep tradition alive while leaving their own legacy of language within the game.“It’s not like we lost something,” Higginbotham said. “Kids are just starting to talk like they talk in school. And the game continues to evolve, too. It’s not the same baseball that used to be played with steroids and all that.“I’m sure it will all come around again, like kids in school who bring back old fashions. Kids will hear things, realize they like them and then start talking like that. It’s just like a fashion fad.”In that case, the time is now to stock up on uniform pants with elastic belts, flip-down Oakley blades, hats with creases in the bill and two-piece catchers’ masks before prices skyrocket.Baseball, after all, loves a comeback.

On the surface, it appears Chad Swanson and Jerry Jones have little in common.Swanson, 32, a Thousand Oaks resident, works as a financial planner. Jones, 63, is the owner of the Dallas Cowboys and a man with seemingly unlimited wealth, power and fame.The two men, however, do share one similar trait: a fondness for fantasy football.Unlike Swanson, who’s served as the commissioner of the Thousand Oaks Fantasy Football League for the past 16 seasons, Jones said he’s never owned his own fantasy team, “but I’ve consulted with three or four members of my family and I’ve shown up at a couple of drafting parties as a joke and have had some success.”“I gave them some hot tips the first year on (running back) Julius Jones that they were overlooking.”Admittedly, much of Jones’ affection for the game is derived from the positive impact fantasy football has had on the NFL, and the manner in which it has helped the league continue to expand its fan base.“It creates interaction, a way to be interactive in the game, in our teams and our players,” Jones said. “It certainly benefits, to some degree, interest in the teams around.“But more important than anything, it really creates a focus on who’s on the field, and that’s been very positive,” he said. “Everything we see in the NFL, every study we do, any of the stats we see, is that fantasy football is a real plus for the promotion and the interest of the NFL.”Jones has owned the Cowboys since 1989, and during that period his teams have captured three Super Bowl trophies, but none since the 1995 season.In the same time span Swanson’s failed to win a fantasy football championship, and has been forced to watch his younger brother, Ryan, lift the league’s crown on five separate occasions.Despite the recent setbacks, Swanson, like Jones, continues the constant pursuit of a championship.“Obviously I’m looking forward to winning one for as much work that goes into it,” Swanson said. “I’d like to get the payoff for myself. But it’s just one of those things that’s a combination of luck and skill.”Times have changedIt’s generally assumed fantasy football, like the myriad of other fantasy sports now being offered online, was derived from fantasy baseball, or what is commonly referred to as Rotisserie baseball. That assumption is incorrect.In his book “Fantasyland: A Season on Baseball’s Lunatic Fringe,” Sam Walker describes how initial versions of Rotisserie baseball were developed in the early 1960s by Bill Gamson, a research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health.Over the next two decades Rotisserie baseball would remain mostly underground, until the national media began to catch on in the early 1980s.According to NFLPlayers.com, the first fantasy football league was formed in 1963 by Oakland Raiders co-owner Bill Winkenbach, Oakland Tribune sportswriter Scotty Sterling and editor George Ross, and Bill Tunnell, a member of the Raiders’ public relations office. It was named The Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League.By the 1970s, the Kings X Sports Bar in Oakland was the epicenter of the little known hobby.Fantasy football, however, didn’t start to really gain popularity until the early ’90s, and it wasn’t until the past decade that it became mainstream, said John Clayton, an ESPN pro football writer, television analyst and talk-show host.“There’s a big, big impact on what fantasy does,” said Clayton, who started covering the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1972 when he was just 17. “It’s continuing to grow, and it does help the sport.”Nowadays it’s hard to walk through the grocery store without seeing multiple fantasy football draft guides lining the shelves. Each year, around late July and early August, high-profile websites also begin to offer their fantasy services around the clock.According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA), 12.6 million adults in the U.S. played fantasy sports in 2005, 85 percent of whom (8.3 million) took part in fantasy football.Of the more than 8 million fantasy football players nationwide, 1 million were female, the FSTA reports.The increased attention from fans toward fantasy football over the past decade has affected Clayton’s job as a journalist, he said.“I do a radio show in Seattle and I do an ESPN show, and I’m constantly getting questions about it,” Clayton said.“I’m bombarded with questions to a point that every year there’s going to be a flow of people saying, ‘Hey, thanks, you helped me win my fantasy league,’ because of the information I always have. I’m consistently presenting the information they want, even though Idon’t know much about fantasy.”A study by Kim Beason, associate professor of park and recreation management at the University of Mississippi, reports fantasy sports have a $1 billion to $2 billion annual economic impact within the fantasy industry and a $3 billion to $4 billion annual impact across the sports industry as a whole.“Fantasy sports has grown tremendously the past 10 years and has reached an all-time high for participation,” Beason wrote in an e-mail. “The market has grown, but trends indicate a modest growth for the next year.”Emergence of expertsAs the number of fantasy football players has skyrocketed, the amount of so-called experts has multiplied, too.A recent Google search of the words “fantasy football” produced 61.7 million results, and many of those links take users to websites where self-proclaimed fantasy experts supply news and advice, sometimes for a nominal fee.One of the most established and well-respected content providers for fantasy information is KFFL.com. Since 1998, KFFL has provided up-to-the-minute news on its Hot Off the Wire service, information that’s distributed to larger providers such as Yahoo! and CBS SportsLine.William Del Pilar, a senior editor at KFFL, said the Internet has driven the fantasy sports revolution.“We were one of the first small companies and we’ve been lucky because we’ve ridden the wave,” Del Pilar said. “When the big companies come in and need content, we’re always one of
the first that they turn to.”To gain fame as a fantasy sports expert, you’ve got to win expert league titles and industry awards. Some expert leagues are played for bragging rights, while others, such as the World Championship of Fantasy Football held annually in Las Vegas, can garner cash prizes worth upwards of $200,000.“Three out of four years I’ve won the regular season and I’ve finished in the top 10 twice overall,” Del Pilar said. “I think that backs up a lot of what we’re trying to do and the stuff we’re trying to sell.”The reason fantasy football has been so successful in recent years is because of the natural setup of the NFL season, Del Pilar said.“Most people don’t have time to spend every day working on their fantasy team,” he said. “But football makes it great because it’s once per week and every game counts. In fantasy baseball, hockey or basketball, you can have over 100 games, so it’s a situation where games don’t have that much meaning.”Help me win my leagueMost fantasy football experts will claim the draft can make or break a season. Del Pilar says 70 percent of a fantasy player’s success will depend on his or her draft.But what about the real players? How do they feel about their potential fantasy production as the season nears?Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens believes he’ll make a huge fantasy impact this year.“I mean hey, if you want touchdowns, if you want somebody to be up there at the top of the leader board, then you know, I guess I’m the man,” said Owens, following his team’s first training camp practice in Oxnard last Saturday.Cowboys place kicker Mike Vanderjagt, a top fantasy player at his position as a member of the Indianapolis Colts the past few seasons, has no doubts his solid production will carry over to
his new team.The nine-year NFL veteran said he’s never had anything but positive reaction from the countless fantasy players who have approached him over the years.“I’ve never been blamed, I’ve always been thanked,” Vanderjagt said. “I’ve always got 100 points or more, so it hasn’t been a problem for me. It’s been positive all the time when it comes to fantasy football, but every day somebody says something about it.”The consensus in many fantasy football circles is that three running backs-Kansas City’s Larry Johnson, Seattle’s Shaun Alexander and San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson-are the top players available in this year’s drafts.Del Pilar said Alexander is the safest pick of the group, although the Seattle ball carrier could be primed for a letdown after rushing for nearly 1,900 yards last year and losing All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson during the offseason.But if you’re going for the big payday, Johnson is the best bet to help win your league, according to Del Pilar.“Johnson’s a home run hitter,” he said. “If I’m playing with a little gusto and going for the bank, going for broke, then I’ll go for Larry Johnson.”

Published:
Agoura Hills Acorn "The fantasy football phenomenon". Wikipedia: "Fantasy Sports"

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden spoke to a capacity crowd at Simi Valley HighSchool’s Multipurpose Room (MPR) last Saturday night.The event and dinner was a joint fundraising effort between the school’s basketball and baseball programs. In addition to Wooden’s speech, there were live and silent auctions featuring an assortment of sports memorabilia.According to Simi Valley head basketball coach Christian Aurand, the top item auctioned-an autographed Wooden basketball-fetched $1,700.“It was an extremely successful evening for both programs,” Aurand said.Wooden has two greatgrandsons, Eric Bernstein and Tyler Trapani, who attend Simi Valley High. Bernstein plays for the Pioneer varsity baseball team. Trapani was a member of the frosh/sophbasketball squad this past season.Aurand said Coach Wooden agreed to speak as long as both his great-grandsons play for benefit.“As a coach and a teacher, there’s just no better person you can have, no better role model,” said Aurand prior to Wooden’s speech. “For our student-athletes to hear the message that he’s going to bring, and for our community, it’s an exciting thing.“We’re just extremely fortunate,” Aurand said, “happy that he was so generous with his time.”Seating capacity in the MPR is 345. Aurand said they had no problem selling that many $30 tickets. “It’s a complete sellout,” he said.Before taking the stage to a standing ovation, the 95-year old Wooden visited with family and friends in a room adjacent to the MPR.There he discussed a variety of topics, including the current state of men’s college basketball, his dislike of the dunk and an upcoming novel.Wooden, who posted an .813 winning percentage (885 wins, 203 losses) during a 40-year coaching career in the high school and college ranks, said he still prefers to watch women’s
college basketball more than the men’s game.“(Women) play the purist game,” Wooden said. “They play below the rim. They’re fundamentally sound and play a better team game.”UCLA’s 10-time national championship winning coach has never been fond of players who put themselves above the team. He doesn’t like chest pounding, me-first attitudes or rim-rattling
dunks. “I’ve never liked the dunk. think it’s showmanship,” Wooden said. “I’m very much against showmanship. When I taught, I never allowed my players to dunk or dribble behind the back, unless they wanted to sit on the bench with me.”Wooden continues to be a regular at UCLA home games.“We’re playing fine defense,” he said. “Defense in almost any sport is the first requisite for a championship.”Wooden said he enjoys watching all levels of basketball, although he doesn’t attend NBA games.“It’s too much one-on-one, fancy stuff, showmanship,” Wooden said. “It rocks the crowd, I know that.”The coach said he currently has a new book “in the works,” but declined to discuss any details.When he’s not attending games, writing books or reading, Wooden said he keeps busy by spending time with his seven grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.“I like to spend time with my family whenever I can,” he said.Prior to Wooden’s arrival on stage, the crowd buzzed with anticipation.Autograph seekers clutched books hoping to land a signature, while others waited in line to bid on signed jerseys, basketballs and bats.Matt Padavick, 13, of Simi Valley, held two books in his left arm as he shuffled through the food line.“He’s a great coach,” Padavick said. “He had Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.”Padavick’s mom, Sharon, said her family couldn’t bypass an opportunity to hear Wooden speak.“He’s very inspirational,” Sharon Padavick said. “Not only was he a good coach, but he teaches good life lessons, too. That’s very important for the kids.”During his speech, Wooden discussed his Pyramid of Success-a step-by-step process he developed many years ago aimed at achieving competitive greatness. Afterwards, the coach fielded questions from audience members.Simi Valley athletic director and head baseball coach Matt La Belle said the speech was well received.“There are people here from Royal,” La Belle said. “There are people here from Thousand Oaks, from Chaminade. There are people from all different areas that came here to listen to his great message.

Published:
Agoura Hills Acorn "Coach Wooden speaks at Simi Valley High School".

A day after his 800th career victory on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour, tennis star Andre Agassi was in attendance for the grand re-opening of the newly named 24 Hour Fitness Agassi Sport in Simi Valley.Agassi, 34, made the trip during an off-day of competition in the Mercedes-Benz Cup at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, a tournament he has won three times in his career.In addition to the celebrity appearance, members and non-members of the new Agassi Sport were treated to free food from local eateries including PickUp Stix, Dakota’s Mesquite BBQ and
Steak House, and the Elephant Bar Restaurant. Gina Lorenzo and the Fat Kat Ghetto Band maintained the groove with a potpourri of saxophone solos, guitar riffs and drumbeats.But, for the most part, the day’s festivities were all about the tennis legend.Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam champion who began his professional career in 1986, spent much of the afternoon conducting interviews and signing autographs for his adoring fans,
many of whom spent several hours waiting to get a glimpse of one of America’s most popular athletes."He’s a great tennis player and a great person," 10-year-old Nathanial Fox said.Fox and his 15-year-old sister Miranda came to the club from Camarillo with tennis balls and rackets in hand."Andre Agassi is one of the greatest tennis players of our time and I think this is a perfect opportunity to meet him," Miranda said.After struggling through much of the 2004 ATP season with a chronic hip ailment that has limited him to just seven tournaments and forced him to sit out Wimbledon, Agassi conceded that becoming a member of tennis’ elite 800-win club was "something pretty special." Only five other men—John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Guillermo Villas and Stefan Edberg— have totaled more singles match victories than Agassi."I’m taking things day-to-day—one match at a time," Agassi said of his injury. "I believe, if I can stay healthy and motivated, that I have a third life left in tennis. My body feels good right now."Steve Renteria, general manager of the Simi Valley club, said the company couldn’t be happier with Agassi as its spokesman."For us he’s really a role-model if you look at the sports’ community," Renteria said. "He’s an older athlete but he’s very competitive and trains like nobody else. He just proves that age isn’t a boundary for him. Plus, he gets involved in a lot of charities and benefit type things. He’s been a great role-model for us—a real win-win situation"Agassi takes pride in the fact that he is able to endorse an industry that leads to increased energy, self-assurance, motivation and health."The message I want to get out to the whole community is how important it is to add health to your life," Agassi said.According to Renteria, over the next 90 days the tennis courts will be re-done and geared more towards a tournament-style playing surface. Furthermore, an "athletic liaison" will be hired to promote tennis clinics and give lessons. Club members who don’t enjoy chasing around the fuzzy green ball will also notice upgrades to the jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, training equipment and locker rooms.After all, whether you’re talking about Andre Agassi, a new look or pumping iron, image is everything.

Published:
Acorn Newspaper "Tenis Legend Andre Agassi pays a vist to Simi."

Tiger Woods began to get a little hot under the collar after his six-shot lead had been whittled down to two strokes during Sunday’s final round of the Target World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.When asked if the other competitors had seen him sweat as his seemingly insurmountable cushion began to evaporate, an often stoic Woods was frank- and funny.

“Yeah, I was wearing a sweater vest,” said Woods, who rebounded after Sunday’s slow start to win the Target World Challenge for the fourth time in nine years with a tournament-record-tying score of 22-under-par.Davis Love III shot 22-under to win the event in 2000.

“I wasn’t swinging very good today; I was struggling a little bit,” said Woods following Sunday’s round of 68. “I was playing very conservative, and obviously I didn’t quite feel right with my swing. But, I felt real good with the putter. . . . I felt like I could make anything.”Every golfer should have the opportunity to struggle as much as Woods did.

Following a 10week competitive layoff, Woods showed as much rust as a Teflon tool set at Sherwood. He opened with a 69 Thursday and followed that performance with a tournamentrecord 62 Friday afternoon. On Saturday, Woods posted a 67.Colin Montgomerie, who finished tied for eighth place with Vijay Singh at 6-under-par, said taking time off never seems to faze Woods.“Doesn’t help us, does it?” said Montgomerie, in reference to the two-and-a-half-month layoff. “If he took a bloody year off, it would help. Never mind 10 weeks.”Zach Johnson finished in second place with a four-day total of 15-under-par. Johnson took home $840,000 for his effort.“A lot of positives this week,” Johnson said, “and certainly as I look to a couple times over the last two or three days, I think it’s given me a little bit of confidence with what I’m doing, and it’s certainly going to help me going into ’08.”Jim Furyk, who was partnered with Woods on Sunday and narrowed Woods’ lead to two strokes after the ninth hole, finished third at 13-under-par. Furyk was paid $570,000.As he always does, Woods donated his $1.35-million winner’s purse to the Tiger Woods Foundation. In nine years as tournament host, Woods has earned $6,947,500. He’s given every penny to the foundation.“The foundation has been just a huge winner this week,” Woods said.Woods, who finished the season with one major title- the 13th of his career at the PGA Championship- and was named the PGA Tour’s Player of the Year for the ninth time, said 2007 was a great campaign, both personally and professionally.Woods’ wife gave birth to the couple’s first child, Sam Alexis, six months ago. Sam Alexis was on hand to meet a smiling Woods as he finished up at the 18th green Sunday.“This year, on the golf course, it’s been a great year,” Woods said. “Off the golf course it’s been the greatest year I’ve ever had. As I’ve said before, it’s been a polar 180 of last year.”

Odds and endsIt was a record-shattering week at the Target World Challenge.With near-perfect weather and a strong field of 16 of the world’s top players, per day attendance records were set on Wednesday (6,839 fans at the proam), Thursday (11,953), Friday (12,974), Saturday (14,836) and Sunday (18,633).Sunday’s crowd of 18,633 was the largest in Target World Challenge history.Rory Sabbatini, who was set to enter Sunday’s final round in last place, cleaned out his locker, withdrew from the tournament and flew to Hawaii late Saturday, Woods said.Sabbatini, the man who made several comments about Woods being more beatable than ever this year, reportedly was suffering from shin splits, but the move was frowned upon by most golfers in attendance, including Fred Couples, who told the Associated Press that Sabbatini should give his last-place check of $170,000 back to the foundation, adding, “He’s messing with the wrong man,” in reference to Woods.“I think it’s poor taste, poor judgment,” Couples said.“Tiger deserves a little better than that.”Finally, next season looks pretty good for Woods, too.In the previous years Woods won the Target World Challenge, he’s come back the following season to win at least one major championship on two occasions.

Published:
Acorn Newspapers "Woods Wins Once Again"

In a league loaded with left handed sluggers, Westlake High first baseman Christian Yelich may be the best of the bunch.Only a sophomore, Yelich has begun the 2008 campaign with a bang, cranking out four home runs in the Warriors’ first 11 games.While his talent has always been immense- Yelich was All Marmonte League honorable mention as a freshman outfielder last year- his early-season power surge has been a bit of a head-turner.“It’s actually been a big surprise, but a welcome one,” Yelich, 16, said.As a freshman, Yelich batted .373 with 12 RBI, but he didn’t have a home run in 67 official at bats. With the assistance of first year head coach Zach Miller, Yelich hit the weight room hard during the off season, trying to add muscle to his lanky 6-foot-4 frame.The results have been palpable- a .400 batting average, 12 RBI and an off-the-charts slugging percentage of .800 to start the year. And then there are the home runs, several of which have been long bombs to the opposite field.“He’s very heavy-handed, and he completes his swing,” said Miller, who’s guided Westlake to an 8-3 overall record and a 3-0 mark in league.“Most kids just initiate contact, but Christian makes sure that he explodes through contact. He practices hitting the baseball where it’s pitched, to all fields. We work on that repeatedly on a daily basis.”When the season started, Yelich was batting third in the Warrior lineup, behind lead off hitter Cutter Dykstra and third baseman Shane Kroker, both of whom are highly touted seniors who’ve already accepted scholarship offers to major college programs- Dykstra to UCLA and Kroker to Wake Forest.

Hitting behind Dykstra, however, proved to be a bit of a challenge for Kroker, who sometimes found himself distracted by Dykstra’s base-running prowess.Kroker suggested to Miller that he and Yelich swap positions in the order, and the coach obliged. The move also gave Westlake a power-packed righty-lefty-righty combo at the top of its lineup.“He’s only a sophomore, but he looks like a big leaguer to me,” Kroker said of Yelich. “He’s so calm up there, and with his ability to take pitches, it’s unbelievable. . . .“In the second spot, Christian just keeps getting on base, and now it’s my job to drive him in. The plan is working to perfection,” Kroker said.Calm was also the way Dykstra described Yelich’s approach at the plate.“The key to hitting is to have a good eye, and (Yelich) is so calm that he rarely offers at bad pitches,” said Dykstra, the team’s starting shortstop.“His swing is incredible. It’s going to be amazing to see how much power he’s going to have as he continues to develop.”Yelich said he’s benefited from the lineup switch as well.“I’m seeing some really good pitches,” he said. “If (Dykstra) gets on, the other pitchers worry about him running. And with (Kroker) behind me, nobody wants to walk me. Guys are coming right at me. It’s a good spot to be in in our lineup.”Yelich, however, is much more than just a slugger. He can flash the leather, too.In the field, he can play just about any position, including in the outfield, at third base, shortstop and first base. While he’s starting at first base this season, Yelich often practices at shortstop, a position he may take over next year when Dykstra graduates.“We’ll see what happens with that,” Yelich said. “I’m not totally sure about what I want to do next year. Coach and I will have to sit down and talk about that and see what would be best for the team.”When you put up numbers like he’s putting up, college and pro scouts quickly take notice. Yelich said he’s already received recruiting letters from universities across the nation. When he has questions about the recruiting process, Yelich often turns to Dykstra and Kroker for advice.“All the time,” he said. “I’ll ask them about what they do in practice and the things they’ve done to get noticed. I keep it all in mind as a way to help myself.”Personal goals aside, Miller said Yelich is a quiet, selfless, consummate team player. Like the rest of his teammates, the sophomore works on improving his game seven days a week. Such dedication to his sport has allowed Yelich to quickly gain Miller’s respect.“He comes from the model we’re trying to put out here: ‘Put up or shut up,'” Miller said. “He lets his actions speak for themselves, and does what he can to help this team win.“Believe me, I’d love to have a team of 16 Christian Yeliches.”

Published:
Acorn Newspapers "Yelich Pounding the Baseball"

The rigors of professional baseball can be taxing on a young player’s body. Former Camarillo High standout Justin Frash knows this well.Frash, who after graduating from ACHS in 2002 played collegiately at Oxnard College and the University of Hawaii, is getting his first taste of pro ball with the Vancouver Canadians, a short-season Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.Following two highly successful seasons at Hawaii, Frash was selected in the 27th round of June’s First-Year Player Draft by Oakland.Since reporting to Vancouver a month ago, the third baseman has batted .198 in 25 games through Wednesday. He has 16 hits in 81 at-bats.Frash said the biggest adjustment from college to the pros has been learning to get his body ready to take the field each and every day, as opposed to college where teams generally play three games per week.“I’ve talked with everybody on the team, and most of us say that we never thought pro ball would be like this when we thought about playing,” Frash said.“It’s a grind on your body every day. It’s hard. You’ve got to get your sleep and eat right because it’s difficult to be ready to play day after day. You really have to get yourself physically prepared. That’s what I’m trying to get used to.”After playing in all 59 games for Hawaii as a senior, Frash only had a little bit of time off before joining Vancouver. All told, the Canadians will play 76 games in 79 days this season, with their campaign wrapping up on Sept. 5 against the Everett AquaSox.“You look forward to the offdays,” he said.Luckily for Frash, he’s got a few mentors that he can call for advice at any time, day or night. His father, Roger Frash, has been coaching at Oxnard College for the past 10 years. His cousin, Josh Towers, pitches for the Toronto Blue Jays, and his uncle, Steve Santora, once played in the San Francisco Giants organization.The elder Frash knows something about playing minor league baseball, too, having been the second player selected overall by the New York Mets in the 1980 draft. In those days, Major League Baseball had two separate drafts, one for high school players and another for college players.In three years in the Mets’ minor league system, Roger Frash competed with guys like Billy Beane, Darryl Strawberry and Kevin Mitchell. Beane is now Oakland’s general manager. He undoubtedly had the final say in drafting Justin Frash this year.“It’s the perfect situation for my kid,” Roger Frash said.“Billy (Beane) is a guy that looks for players who can run the count deep, guys who don’t swing and miss a lot, can put the bat on the ball, draw walks and hit balls into the gaps. He doesn’t care about body styles . . . If you can play the game, he doesn’t care how you look.”Justin Frash stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 190 pounds, which aren’t prototypical numbers for a power-hitting position like third base. Still, his body measurements have never negatively affected his play on the field.He was an All-CIF selection as a member of the 2002 CIF Southern Section Division I champion Scorpion baseball squad. At Oxnard College, after redshirting his first year, Frash earned All-Conference honors in 2004 and 2005.Frash said winning the conference championship at Oxnard College in 2005 was his greatest on-field memory to date.“Peter Reveles, a teammate, was shot early in the year and died,” Frash said. “We ended up with 28 wins, and that was his number. Everything was for him that year.”Frash was recruited by UCLA, Arkansas and Hawaii after helping Oxnard College capture the conference title in ’05.“When Hawaii called me the first night, I was like, ‘There’s no way I’m going there,'” Frash said.After visiting with the Rainbows’ coaching staff, Frash quickly changed his mind.“I just fell in love with the philosophy they had there. It was a great place for me.”In his junior year at Hawaii Frash started all 60 games and finished with a team high .359 batting average. He was second on the squad with 59 RBI and posted 25 multiple-hit games. Frash earned All-WAC Tournament and All-Regional Team honors in 2006.This past season he batted .346 in 59 games, good for second on the team. Frash had 35 RBI and 106 total bases.“It wasn’t bad,” he said. “I could’ve hit a little better. I think I did better last year at the plate, but that’s the name of the game. You just keep playing every day and don’t take an at-bat off.”When his season is complete in Vancouver, Frash will return to Hawaii to try and complete a degree in criminal justice. He has one semester remaining at the university.Frash said he’s eager to improve while in Vancouver, with the hopes of being invited to Oakland’s instructional camp during the winter. In a perfect world, he’ll spend the early part of 2008 at the Athletics’ spring training complex, working out with the big leaguers.“A lot of people don’t get to play pro baseball,” he said. “I’m going to take as much as I can out of it.”

Published:
Acorn Newspapers "Frash adjusting to life in minor leagues"

Published:
NFL.com " Hard-hitting Lynch has a soft spot - NFL.com - Stephen Dorman"Denver Broncos "Broncos News Briefs - Monday, June 26"

David Wu wants to give you $100,000.The 36 year old is the co-founder and CEO of RotoHog.com, a fantasy sports website. Wu, who lived in Thousand Oaks for 27 years before moving to Simi Valley last year, and his business partner, Kent Smetters, spent almost a year fine-tuning the online project. Earlier this month RotoHog was finally launched.“We just wanted to create a lively game,” Wu said. “It’s something that made sense to us. We really wanted to create the standard for the industry, like ‘American Idol’ or the ‘World Series of Poker.'”What Wu and Smetters helped develop was an innovative way to play fantasy sports, one where players control the market by buying and selling athletes like stockbrokers on a trading floor.“It’s like an IPO,” said Wu, who’s scheduled to receive his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in two months. “We set the initial price. After that the market takes over.”According to Smetters, players don’t need to know much about how the stock market operates to be successful in this game.“The stock market is part of it, but we tried to make that very, very simple,” said Smetters, a professor at Wharton who once served as deputy assistant secretary of the United States Treasury.“We don’t have bid spreads or complicated stuff like that. If you can balance a checkbook, you can play the game. You have a budget to start with, prices for different players, and you just make decisions.”In standard Rotisserie or head-to-head fantasy baseball leagues, players build teams through the draft, by trading with other players, or via free agency.There are rules in place, such as specific roster positions to fill and salary cap limits to adhere to. Scoring systems often differ between leagues, but are generally predicated on athletes’ success in various statistical categories.At RotoHog things are a little different. There are still structured rosters, a draft, and a salary cap. One essential disparity is that trading isn’t allowed.“There is some unfairness built into the traditional model,” Wu said. “Trades can sometimes open up collusion and unfair tactics.”RotoHog players build a team by utilizing a global fantasy marketplace where athletes’ monetary values are in a constant state of flux due to supply and demand.The most productive baseball players, like St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols for example, may cost a prospective buyer upwards of $50 on any given day- a good portion of a team’s $275 salary cap. A major league benchwarmer, though, can often be snatched up for 25 cents, the RotoHog minimum salary. “Prices are reflected by players’ performance and by demand,” Wu said. “The stock element is standardized by the value of each player.” For every 12 registered teams in the RotoHog system, an athlete’s name is released just once. So, if there are 120 teams total, then there would be 12 Pujolses available for purchase. Realistically, one league could have several teams with players who own Pujols, while other leagues could be Pujolsless.It’s not an entirely new concept.Protrade.com has run marketplace-driven fantasy leagues since 2005. The dissimilarity between Protrade and RotoHog, Wu said, is that the two companies have vastly different scoring systems. RotoHog is also more of a globally based system, he added.In RotoHog’s inaugural year, the company is offering a $100,000 grand prize for the team that can score the most points throughout the baseball season. There are many other cash rewards being dolled out as well, including $25,000 for second place, $10,000 for third and $10,000 to the person who refers the grand prize winner.When a user signs up for one or more public or private RotoHog leagues- it’s free, but limited to one team per player- their team is automatically entered into the global competition and is eligible for weekly and season-long prizes. RotoHog is capping the total baseball teams this year at 100,000. The number of teams during football season will be unlimited.Wu said they’re offering free registration and large sums of money as a way to increase traffic on the website.“Demographics attract advertisers,” he said.RotoHog also provides some free fantasy news content. For a one-time fee of $9.95, users can upgrade to a premium package.Even in winter, Wu eagerly anticipates that crisp autumn day in late September when his new company can finally crown a global fantasy baseball champion.“It’s going to be awesome,” he said. “Imagine knowing you’re the best fantasy baseball player in the whole world.”

Published:
Acorn Newspapers "Fantasy baseball’s new marketplace"

The untimely death of Randy “Macho Man” Savage last month got two old friends to texting.For many like us who slowly matured from snot-nosed kids to terrible teens in the late 1980's and early ’90s, Savage was a defining figure in what now must be considered the golden age of professional wrestling.Back in those days life was much simpler.People smoked cigarettes on airplanes, voted Republican, played beach volleyball in tight jeans— “Top Gun,” anyone?—wore overalls with only one clip fastened and chose between blue Beta or red VHS tags at the video store.In pro wrestling, you either followed the World Wrestling Federation or the National Wrestling Alliance.There was no middle ground (and no World Wrestling Entertainment). It was one or the other. Black and white. WWF or NWA.For a pair of lifelong pals like us—Acorn sports editor Stephen Dorman and San Diego-based businessman Josh O’Rourke— the WWF was where all the compelling storylines came to life.We owned the rubber WWF action figures and 18-inch ring where the stars could battle.We ordered Wrestlemania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series and Royal Rumble on pay-per-view.We read the magazines, played the Nintendo game and watched “Saturday Night’s Main Event” religiously.Bottom line: Our heroes wore spandex, knee-high boots and face paint, and that was the coolest thing ever.Kids of the ’70's had KISS. We had the British Bulldogs and Big John Stud.So, who were the most memorable characters to grapple in the WWF (known today as WWE) during that rock-star period?Sixty- five texts and three dozen YouTube clips later, we have our answer.You won’t find Hulk Hogan (too predictable), Tito Santana (not flashy enough) Lex Luger or Sting (primarily NWA guys at that time) on this list. But you will find a bunch of freaks and, hopefully, conjure up a few childhood recollections of your own.Now, let’s get going on this back-breaking trip down memory lane.10. Honky Tonk ManHe’s cool. He’s cocky. He’s bad.The Honky Tonk Man, with his thick black chops, swiveling hips, ready-to-break guitar and Elvis-like wardrobe was often flanked by his punky manager, Jimmy “The Mouth of the South” Hart.Once Honky got his greasy paws on the WWF Intercontinental Championship belt—by virtue of a shocking victory over Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat—he maintained possession for more than a year by getting disqualified from matches or counted out of the ring, cowardly infractions that cost Honky wins but not the title.Almost exclusively cast as a heel, Honky had epic feuds with Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake and Savage.His signature move, the Shake, Rattle and Roll, made many good grapplers sing the blues.9. Bad News BrownBad News Brown didn’t have a friend in the world.Like Lorenzo Lamas in “Renegade,” black-clad Bad News was an outlaw hunting outlaws.He once countered Jake Roberts’ snake with a bag of rats. He’d one-finger gesture the crowd, referee and TV cameras without remorse. He turned his back on teammates twice at SummerSlam.Bad News even tried to fight WWF president Jack Tunney once. Dude was straight from the gutter.Bad News’ finishing move, the Ghetto Blaster, was devastating. Why he referred to everyone as “beer-bellied sharecroppers,” we have no idea.8. George “The Animal” SteeleThis guy was around for eons and remained relevant during pro wrestling’s golden age.While Generation X evolved from embryo to elementary school, George “The Animal” Steele led the WWF in turnbuckles consumed and back hair.Steele was more circus sideshow than human being, and for that he was beloved by the masses.Watching Steele fall for Savage’s girl, the exquisite Miss Elizabeth, taught many of us what true love was all about—pounding your chest and chasing the prettiest woman in the building until her boyfriend arrives to save her.When you have a few minutes at the office, gather some coworkers and watch the Steele vs. Kamala match on YouTube.Seriously, this is why the Internet was created.7. “Rowdy” Roddy PiperHe was bad. He was good. Bad. Good. Bad. Good. On and on it went.Although we never cared much for his movies—“They Live” was decent—“Rowdy” Roddy Piper has been a fixture on TV for decades, including a recent performance on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”His regular segment on WWF, “Piper’s Pit,” was always must see stuff, including the time Andre the Giant humiliated Hulk Hogan on the Pit set, actions that led to the Hogan-Giant epic at WrestleMania III.Hot Rod, with his kilt and bagpipe walk- up music, was supposed to retire after beating Adrian Adonis at WrestleMania III. Thankfully, he grappled for years and years afterward.6. Iron SheikSay this about Iron Sheik: The strongman from Iran loved his country.The flag-waving America hating monster competed with curly-toed boots and a chip on his shoulder. He perfected the Camel Clutch, using the move to claim the WWF World Championship in 1983.When Sheik teamed with that red communist, Russian powerhouse Nikolai Volkoff, to form Foreign Legion, American fans had to endure the Soviet national anthem on a regular basis, and our disgust toward the tag team, and rival countries, continued to expand.Sheik, who became a fixture on the “Howard Stern Show” later in life, had an all-time grudge with Sgt. Slaughter in the mid- ’80s that strains relations between Iran and the USA to this day.5. “Ravishing” Rick Rude“Ravishing” Rick Rude was a Caucasian gigolo, the selfproclaimed “sexiest man alive.”The flowing, curly locks were Daniel Day Lewis-esque. The way he admired himself in the mirror reminded us of Richard Simmons. The perfect moustache would make Nietzsche proud, and his airbrushed spandexes were more insane than anything Lady Gaga struts around in.And the chest-shaving confidence. Oh, the confidence.Before each match, Rude would blast all males in attendance for being fat and lazy and then proceed to remove his robe over the course of minutes, not seconds, revealing a perfectly chiseled physique.To influential young men across America, Rude was every woman’s dream. One lucky lady would even get to enter the ring and kiss Rude after he put down his foe with his patented Rude Awakening.Because he was so good looking and so smart, we’re ignoring the fact that Rude’s career later reached its zenith in World Championship Wrestling.4. “The Million Dollar Man,” Ted DiBiaseEverybody has a price.We loved to hate The Million Dollar Man.Ted DiBiase had everything us peons didn’t—classic cars, cashmere, boats, babes, mansions and mounds of cash.He had so much cash, in fact, that he used to stick $100 bills in an opponent’s mouth after dropping them to the canvas with his Million Dollar Dream maneuver.The Million Dollar Man was betrayed by his bodyguard, Virgil, and later formed a sweet tag team with Irwin R. Schyster.DiBiase feuded with everyone, bought the world championship from Andre the Giant, created his own world title belt and had the most obnoxious laugh on TV.The guy was money.3. Brutus “The Barber” BeefcakeOur lives changed the day “Outlaw” Ron Bass took his spur to Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake’s face and carved it up so bad that the television broadcast had to put a large X censor across the screen.As kids, we weren’t ready for that graphic display—both literally and figuratively.But looking back now, Beefcake probably had it coming.Always dressed to the nines in a bow tie and strutting with the utmost style, Beefcake would carry custom garden sheers into the ring as a promise of what was to come—a free haircut.And he usually delivered on that promise.Utilizing a world-class sleeper hold, Beefcake, often cast as a good guy, would put his foe out cold and then proceed to snip away. His haircuts were awful, but that was the whole point.2. Randy “Macho Man” SavageEasily the most popular WWF wrestler not named Hulk Hogan.Savage played so many roles well—the psychotic boyfriend, the heel, the reluctant hero, the king of the ring, the high-flyer, the play-byplay commentator and, of course, the bell-wielding back-stabber.Pimping beef jerky and classic on-camera diatribes helped make Savage a brand name outside the arena. Inside the ropes, however, he was one of the best showmen the sport has ever known.When Savage climbed to the top turnbuckle and delivered that big elbow of his, opponents rarely recovered.The best Savage feud of all-time had to be his bitter spat with “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, who claimed to have had previous relations with Miss Elizabeth.Savage crushed Flair, turning Nature Boy’s bleached white mane into a sea of crimson. We ate up every second of this made for TV drama.1. Ultimate WarriorHailing from Parts Unknown, Ultimate Warrior took the WWF by storm in the late 1980s.In his epic prematch tirades, Ultimate Warrior would channel energy from all the warriors who came before him.Then, with veins popping from his ridiculous biceps, paint covering his face and streamers flowing from his limbs, he would rush the ring, begin shaking the ropes like a maniac and rapidly annihilate any opponent who crossed his path.In a federation full of crazy characters, Ultimate Warrior was the sickest of them all, a certifiable madman.At WrestleMania VI, he pinned Hulk Hogan to claim the Intercontinental and World championships. Hogan’s act was so tired at that point that we immediately embraced Ultimate Warrior as our hero.In the end, only that blowhard Vince McMahon could take Ultimate Warrior down. It doesn’t matter, though. To this day, Ultimate Warrior remains No. 1 in our book.Just missed the cut: Razor Ramon, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, King Kong Bundy, Andre the Giant, Big John Stud, Big Boss Man, Mr. Perfect, Doink the Clown, Junkyard Dog, Hillbilly Jim, Blue Blazer, Yokozuna and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan.

Published:
Acorn Newspapers "‘Macho Man’ was great, but he wasn’t the greatest"

Cheating in baseball—as American as apple pie.There are players who didn’t cheat Major League Baseball during its lie-to-our-faces performance-enhancing drug era, and on this Fourth of July weekend we should take a minute to honor those brave ballplayers instead of hailing the return of a fake like Manny Ramirez.Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that the performance-enhancing drug era began around 1990, a nice, round number. That was, after all, the season Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire and the rest of the Oakland Athletic Bash Brothers made their third consecutive World Series appearance.If nothing else, we know Canseco was filling needles on a regular basis because he admitted it, and proudly so, in his page turning novel, "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big."While some like to argue that the performance-enhancing drug era has run its course because MLB now tests for banned substances, it’s tough to buy into that theory when superstars are still coming up dirty, a la Ramirez or even Rafael Palmeiro in 2005.So, from 1990 until the present day, who were the baseball players that we can be 99 percent sure, almost without a doubt, didn’t use the juice or some other type of performance-enhancer?Honestly, it’s nearly an impossible task because everyone is a suspect and physical appearances can be deceiving—F.P. Santangelo admitted to using human growth hormone, and that guy couldn’t hit a lick.Position by position, however, I’ll take my chances with the following players and hope they don’t eventually let us down by being named in a leaked steroid document somewhere, like so many other fan-favorites have already done:Catcher: Craig BiggioThere are too many questions surrounding Mike Piazza to put him on this list. Instead, let’s go with Biggio, a versatile player who had 3,060 career hits with the Houston Astros.Biggio started his career as a catcher before moving to the outfield and then second base. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame soon.On the bench: Joe Mauer.First base: Albert PujolsNow that Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, McGwire and Ramirez have all been tainted in their own ways, Pujols and Ken Griffey Jr. rank as the premier sluggers of the era.Pujols is baseball’s most feared hitter, and he’s making a legitimate run at the National League Triple Crown this season.The St. Louis first baseman has been remarkably consistent since his 2001 rookie campaign, averaging 43 home runs and 129 RBI per season. Because of his gaudy numbers, though, there will always be doubters.On the bench: Fred McGriff, John Olerud, Jim Thome and Mark Grace.Second base: David EcksteinThe 2006 World Series MVP with St. Louis looks like your younger brother and has probably never shaved.The guy’s career-high RBI total is 63 as a member of the 2002 Anaheim Angels, and he’s never hit more than eight round-trippers in a season. Others have put up better numbers than Eckstein, but he’s the prototypical overachiever, and every team needs a guy like that.On the bench: Chase Utley and Ryne Sandberg.Shortstop: Ozzie SmithNever do you hear, "Boy, that guy is playing some incredible defense these days. He must be on the juice."The Wizard of Oz may have been the finest glove man of all-time, but his offense was suspect. Seven times during his 19-year career he failed to hit even a single home run in a season, and that isn’t easy for a guy who was getting about 600 plate appearances per year. Still, his game was pure beauty.On the bench: Cal Ripken Jr., Derek Jeter and Omar Vizquel.Third base: Larry Wayne"Chipper" JonesIt’s a tough call between Jones and Wade Boggs, the poster child for Medical Hair Restoration. I’ll stick with Jones because guys who go by the nickname "Chipper" typically don’t mix well with burly, intense steroid dealers.On the bench: Wade Boggs.Left field: Rickey HendersonRickey is all-time great—he’ll tell you so. Rickey loves Rickey.Although the Hall of Fame outfielder may be guilty of referring to himself in the third person on too many occasions, it’s impossible to believe Henderson’s career is tainted.The man played 25 major league seasons, from 1979 to 2003, but never made an All-Star team after the 1991 campaign. During his final four years in the league, while players were blowing up to cartoon-like status, Henderson’s body remained the same and his batting average never finished above .233.On the bench: Bo Jackson.Center field: Willie McGeeHave you ever seen Willie McGee play? Is there any doubt that his 6-foot1, 175pound thin-as-a-rail frame was all natural?This speedster was a National League MVP with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985, a four-time All-Star and two-time batting champ. Oh, and he hit a grand total of 30 home runs in the 1990s.If McGee, who retired after the ’99 season, was dirty, then everything we know about performance-enhancers must be a lie.On the bench: Ken Griffey Jr. (only because McGee was less obvious).Right field: Tony GwynnNo way. No how.Gwynn was a lifetime .338 hitter in 20 MLB seasons. In his worst statistical year for average, during his rookie campaign in 1982, Gwynn still batted .289.Even as his body broke down late in his career—not a sign of steroid use but rather age, balky knees and weight issues—Gwynn could handle the stick as well as anyone. Despite his incredible, consistent numbers, there never was a dramatic drop-off for No. 19.On the bench: Ichiro Suzuki, Andre Dawson and Dave Winfield.Starting pitcher: Fernando ValenzuelaI’ll take my chances with "El Toro."Aside from Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and, to a lesser extent, Eric Gagne, star pitchers have gotten off pretty easy when it comes to the steroid debate.Valenzuela, who tossed an astounding 20 complete games in 1986, certainly got bigger throughout his career, but not in the same way Bonds’ cranium expanded. El Toro’s physical development was centered near the gut, rather than the arms, chest and head areas.From 1995 to the end of his career in ’97, Valenzuela posted earned-run averages of 4.98, 3.62 and 4.96. The only juice he was on was Albert’s Famous Mexican Hot Sauces.Other starters: Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Tim Wakefield, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling.Reliever: Rich "El Guapo" GarcesYou don’t need to be some pale-faced diehard from Red Sox Nation to love El Guapo.Generously listed at 6 feet and 250 pounds, the massive right-hander played 10 seasons in the majors and locked down a grand total of seven saves.His 1.55 ERA in 1999 with Boston raises some eyebrows considering he sported a 3.74 ERA for his career, but, seriously, who are we trying to kid?This is El Guapo, a legend, an everyman—like Babe Ruth or George Costanza. If El Guapo did steroids, it’s time we all switch to soccer.In the bullpen: Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman and Lee Smith.

Published:
Acorn Newspapers "‘Cheating in Baseball"

Eliav Appelbaum and Stephen Dorman debate the player most deserving of baseball's highest honorAppelbaumThink of all the pitching careers Tommy John has indirectly saved.If John never recovered from ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery on his pitching elbow, and if he didn’t win even one of those 164 games after that radical procedure, the game of baseball would be very different.Just ask A.J. Burnett if Tommy John surgery saved his career. Burnett signed a five year contract for $82.5 million from the Yankees in December.Future Hall of Famers John Smoltz and Mariano Rivera have had the surgery; so have former All-Stars Ryan Dempster, Jose Canseco and Eric Gagne.Yet John, the man who has a surgery named after him—yes, that Tommy John surgery—is not a member of the Hall of Fame.This is a travesty.In this, his final year on the ballot, John received only 171 votes (31.7 percent), far below the required 75 percent needed to enter the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Looking at his career stats, he should’ve been a shoo-in years ago.John has more wins (288) than any eligible pitcher not in the Hall of Fame. He has more career wins than Hall of Famers Robin Roberts, Fergie Jenkins and CarHubbell. Randy Johnson has 295 wins, and he’ll probably get elected in his first year of eligibility. Pretty nice company, huh?If John didn’t miss the entire 1975 season—or need the surgery at all—he would have easily eclipsed the 300-win plateau which typically is the voters’ magic number for automatic entry through the Hall’s doors. Remarkably, he had all three of his 20-win seasons after his surgery, with the Dodgers in 1977 (207) and with the Yankees in 1979 (219) and 1980 (229). He was a four-time AllStar in three different decades—1968, 1978, 1979 and 1980.And it’s often overlooked, but the former southpaw went 6-3 with a 2.65 ERA in the postseason, including a 2-1 mark in three World Series.John started his career in 1963 with the Indians, and he also pitched for the White Sox, Angels and Athletics.When he returned to the mound after the surgery in 1976, he went 10-10 with the Dodgers and was named the National League’s Comeback Player of the Year.Think of his comeback this way: John’s 164 post-surgery wins are one fewer than the legendary Sandy Koufax had in his entire career.An argument can be made about many players deserving of the Hall of Fame—notably Andre Dawson and Jack Morris—but John underwent a radical medical procedure that could have ended his career, and his determination and talent helped him thrive.

DormanA decent case could be made for several guys getting the proverbial Hall Call from the baseball scribes, notably pitcher Bert Blyleven, a 287-game winner, slugging outfielder Andre Dawson and do-it-all speedster Tim Raines.For my money, though, the guy getting stiffed is starting pitcher Jack Morris, who received only 44 percent of the latest Hall of Fame vote. A player needs at least 75 percent of the vote to be elected.Remember Mount Morris? That intense scowl. His nasty splitter. The flowing mustache.Morris won 254 regular-season games and four world titles during his 18-year career. He was a five-time All-Star—starting a trio of Mid-Summer Classics—who posted 20 or more victories on three occasions.According to BaseballReference.com, the guy’s 162-game per-season average was 16-wins and 241 innings pitched.A true workhorse who went on the disabled list only twice in his career, Morris struck out 2,478 batters and holds the MLB record with 14 consecutive Opening Day starts. He also threw a ton of wild pitches, 206 to be exact.In crunch time, Morris was usually money. A 7-4 career postseason record and 3.80 playoff ERA serve as proof, as does his 1991 World Series MVP trophy.Morris started 13 career postseason games for the Tigers, Twins and Blue Jays, and finished five of them. He worked as staff ace for two consecutive World Series winners—’91 Twins and ’92 Blue Jays.And, Morris won more games than any other pitcher in the 1980's. That, for me, is difficult to believe, but it’s true—the all-time ’80’s win list reads Morris (162), Dave Stieb (140) and Bob Welch (137).Why does Morris get overlooked by the voters? I don’t know. Several of my buddies—average Americans with pint-sized baseball brains—think I’m crazy for backing Morris.Perhaps he was a complete jerk to anyone who dared cross his path. Or maybe he was way too nice to people, especially sick kids, and voters couldn’t stomach it. We can eliminate facial hair and whirling fist-pumps as the culprits because Morris was a rock star in those departments.Who knows why these people vote the way they do for their sacred Hall. Babe Ruth didn’t receive 100 percent of the vote. Neither did Rickey Henderson, Tony Gwynn, Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron or Willie Mays. No one does. It’s laughable.Let me put it this way: If my team needed to win one game and I could choose between Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Randy Johnson or Morris, I’m taking Mount Morris. The other three will be in the Hall of Fame. Morris should be, too.

Published:
Acorn Newspapers "Showdown: Who was snubbed by the Hall of Fame vote?"

I borrowed my buddy’s Ford F150 to drive to the Sherwood Country Club for last Friday’s second round of the Target World Challenge.Sure, I could have rolled up in my former automobile—a salmon colored ’83 Toyota Corolla that my grandpa gave me back when I was riding the bus to work—but I figured that might’ve been a little too flashy for the folks at Sherwood.I always wanted to make a bumper sticker for that car that read: “Everything I touch turns to salmon.” That brilliant idea, however, never panned out.Since the salmon days I’ve upgraded to a ’98 Ford Contour, and I’m beginning to feel like I’ve really gained people’s respect.On this day, however, I’d be behind the wheel of an F150. I felt classy driving the beast.I wanted to make a bold statement.This was going to be the first time in my career that I covered a professional golfing event. I was excited and nervous about the opportunity.“Act proper,” I told myself. “Respect the game. . . .Don’t sneeze. . . .Avoid pocketing loose golf balls. . . .Say ‘great shot’ and clap every time, no matter what happens.”I threw out all of those preconceived notions about how to act approximately 18 seconds after parking the F150.That’s right about the time some random guy approached me about selling my ticket.“Got any extra tickets for sale, man,” the 30ish-looking gentleman said.“Sorry dude, I don’t,” I said to the man, whom I presumed to be a Raider fan because of the simple fact that he had a libation in his hand and it wasn’t even noon on a workday.After brushing aside the man’s repeated attempts to purchase my precious ticket, I proceeded to the Will Call window to pick up a small piece of paper that would later be used to get my credentials.The nice lady inside called me “baby” multiple times before handing over the paperwork. I think she liked the fact that I was the only guy there who hadn’t shaved. She then instructed me to board the Bluesky bus outside. The bus, she said, would take us to the course.Now anybody who’s attended a golf event knows that cell phones are an absolute no-no. That’s why it was so hilarious when a phone went off inside the bus and everyone on board chimed in with an “ohh” and “ahh” and whatever other wisecracks they could conjure up.It ended up being the bus driver’s cell phone that rang, so no one got in trouble or was scolded. Oh well, I was hoping for a huge cellular confrontation where some guy takes on four security guards over his right to use his mobile-to-mobile minutes, but the flap ended quietly.When the bus let us out, I found myself facing the most ridiculously awesome clubhouse I’d ever seen. With its huge white pillars and massive entrance ways, they might as well call this place the White House West.It’s no wonder it costs $200,000 for residents ($300,000 for non-residents) to become a member at Sherwood. Seriously, how else are they going to pay for all that gorgeous paint?My next move was to check in at the media tent.Upon arrival at media headquarters, I looked around and saw a booth for the Associated Press and Los Angles Times, but to my dismay there was no setup for The Acorn.My first question to the lady in charge was obvious.“Do you know who I am?” I asked.She didn’t, nor did anyone else in the building for that matter.With my Generation X wardrobe, full head of hair and positive attitude, the kind lady didn’t seem to believe I was actually a member of the working sports media. I couldn’t blame her.After I prodded her and presented some photo identification the lady agreed I was in the correct place and gave me a press pass for the tournament.And with that, The Acorn’s sports editor was turned loose at Sherwood Country Club.After looking at the day’s pairings, I decided to catch up with the first group that went out during the morning—Davis Love III and Colin Montgomerie.Montie, as he is so often referred to, didn’t disappoint.In the day’s signature moment I saw the Scotsman get his ball lodged in between several television cables off the fairway on the 16th hole.There was a large group of people watching intently as Montie and an official pulled the cables away from the ball so he could play the shot.“You won’t have any sound on this shot,” Montie joked.That comment might classify as a knee slapper across The Pond, but it seemed to fly right over the heads of this crowd.Likewise, there was nothing funny about the shot itself, as Montie played it left handed with his iron inverted so that the butt of the club struck the ball, knocking it safely onto the fairway.It was a brilliant shot and the crowd let Montie know it.After the Montie experience, I decided it was time to follow Tiger Woods, the real master of the links.I caught up with Woods and his playing partner, David Howell, on the fabulous 15th teebox, which, according to those in the know, is truly Sherwood’s signature hole.According to one bystander, Wayne Gretzky has a house that overlooks the 15th. I told the man that it was actually my place and that if he didn’t stop pointing and telling everyone within earshot that it was Gretzky’s pad I’d have him escorted off the property. (Don’t worry Wayne, you can repay me some other time, buddy.)Then, as Tiger lofted his drive over the water and onto the green on 15, I finally experienced that true pro golfing nirvana I’d been searching for all day.“Get in the hole!” a man yelled.And there it was, the first “get in the hole” of my sports writing career. Life for me was now nearing completion.Pursuing Tiger and his massive entourage proved to be a difficult task. You really have to make a decision whether or not to watch Tiger’s every shot because moving inside his large following is a daunting task.After Woods finished his round of 72, several of us reporters got to ask him questions.While everyone was focused on talking about how he played and the course, and all of that type of stuff, I was busy stewing over what question to ask one of the world’s most famous people.My photographer had told me only minutes before that she saw Woods at the Hootie & the Blowfish concert at the Canyon Club the previous night.Armed with that insightful knowledge, I came at Woods with the most thought provoking question I could ask.“Tiger,” I said, “did you enjoy the concert last night?”He was quick to respond.“Always,” Woods said. “Darius (the lead singer) is one of my best friends. If we’re in the same city we’re always going to hang out, and if he’s playing I’m definitely going to see him.”And that was that. It was perhaps the only time I’ll ever interview the greatest golfer on the planet and I asked him about Hootie & the Blowfish.Looking back now I still can’t believe what an idiot I am.

Published:
Acorn Newspapers "‘Chasing Tiger and other misadventures at the Sherwood Country Club"

It's almost Memorial Day, time for Thomas Gase and Stephen
Dorman to debate the best sand game.Since I’ve spent most of the last few years living in San Francisco, my favorite beach sport lately has probably been running. As in, “I just went into the water where the temperature is colder than a freezer, and now I’m running out of it as fast as I possibly can to try and get warm.”But as a kid growing up in sunny Los Angeles I had another favorite sport at the beach. Although the game has no official rules and half the people I have talked to thought I was making up it up on the spot, smashball is the best sport to ever be played on the sand.No, smashball is not a drinking game, although the title may suggest it. It’s a sport that combines tennis, racquetball and ping pong.Although there is no definite way to play the game, the most common method is to take a wooden paddle and hit a rubber ball shaped like a racquetball at another person and his or her paddle and keep the volley going as long as possible.
My friends and I would usually hit the ball just far enough away from the other person that they would have to dive in the sand for it to try and keep the volley going.Later in life, when I would play baseball, I would attribute any great diving stop at second base to my time spent playing smashball. If there’s anything the sport teaches, it’s quick hand-eye coordination.You can also play smashball by yourself. I can still hear my mom telling me it was time to go and yelling back at her, “No, not yet! I’ve hit the smashball 946 straight times without it touching the ground. In another 10 minutes I’ll have a new record!”So, because I had as much balance as an elephant on ice skates, I decided not to learn how to surf and instead focus all my time on smashball. I figured the girls would still come running.At the beach I tried to imagine that I was playing in a huge stadium with thousands of fans, and each time I hit another volley, the crowd would roar with approval.It didn’t matter that the sport had as much of a future as Michael Richards’ comedy career, because I figured if the luge and biathlon- skiing with a rifle, which is an epic athletic endeavor onto itself- were Olympic sports, then I had a chance to get a gold medal in smashball.Instead of becoming a star, though, I’m now writing a story on this great, legendary game. Nevertheless, I still think I’m the best smashball player ever. Don’t think so? Just wait until Ken Burns’ documentary comes out.– Thomas Gase

We’ve spent all this time together, Tom, and only now do you inform me that you’re a regular John McEnroe with the smashball paddle in your grips.Talk about being in the presence of greatness.Look, regardless of your lifelong smashball success- and what an uplifting tale it is- the No. 1 beach sport is, and has always been, horseshoes. Surfing and skimboarding don’t count; they are water sports.Bocce ball is awesome. Football on the sand can be a riot. Volleyball players look really fit and have great tans. But please, if you want to be king of the beach this summer, you better have your horseshoe game on lockdown.I’m serious, man, because I’m a natural-born hustler with the steel in my hand, and I promise you there are many40plusyear-old dudes without jobs and alligator skin faces who’ll be looking to take money from you on the north side of the Santa Monica Pier over the next few months.Be wary.I may not be a card-carrying member of the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association, but I still take this game very seriously. If you’re on my team you better bring it or I’ll dump you for someone else. So what if you’re my friend? This is business, playa’.Some people might not appreciate my in-your-face attitude on this subject. But I’ll tell you something, I grew up on the rugged shores of Pacific Beach, La Jolla and Del Mar, and if you can’t throw the ‘shoes in those places, well, you’re of little use to anyone, really.Greatness on the sand is directly determined by your ability to toss a horseshoe and wrap that baby around a metal pole lodged into the pit.Oh sure, they’ll give a point for being closer than the competition, but that’s just a consolation prize. The real horseshoe studs go for the ringer every time. Losing is not an option for people like us.Any advice, you ask. Here’s a tip: It’s all about balance and options.For example, learn to toss with a beverage in your hand. In my case it’s throw with the left, sip with the right and talk smack out of both sides of the mouth.If someone wants to call it a “friendly game” and then proceed to cross over the foot-foul line on all of their throws, call them out and challenge their ethics. A little unexpected sand in the eye never hurt anyone, either.And always remember, close doesn’t count in horseshoes and hand grenades. The only thing that counts in those circumstances is winning.– Stephen Dorman

Published:
Acorn Newspapers "‘Camarillo Acorn’s summertime sports at the beach showdown"