NFL season opener: Chiefs hold off Ravens in wild finish

• September 6, 2024

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes thought for a moment that the Kansas City Chiefs were headed to overtime. So did Baltimore Ravens counterpart Lamar Jackson, who had found Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone with no time left for a touchdown that appeared likely to tie the game.

In the end, the NFL’s season opener Thursday night was decided by referee Shawn Hochuli undertaking a video review.

With a capacity crowd that included pop superstar Taylor Swift waiting in anticipation, Hochuli needed just seconds looking at that final play before making his announcement: Likely landed with his toe on the end line, putting the Baltimore tight end out of bounds, and giving the Chiefs a 27-20 victory as they began pursuit of a record third consecutive Super Bowl title.

“Definitely nerve-wracking because it looked good from my angle on the sideline,” Mahomes said, “but then the first view you could see his cleat. … You have to wear white cleats next time. That’s my advice for him.”

Mahomes threw for 291 yards and with a touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy, who also scored a rushing touchdown in his NFL debut, as the Chiefs not only won the rematch of last season’s AFC title game but beat the Ravens for the fifth time in six meetings.

That lopsided ledger has been especially frustrating for Jackson, who has called Kansas City the Ravens’ “kryptonite.” He was sublime Thursday night, throwing for 273 yards and a touchdown and adding 122 yards on the ground, but that review of the final play left him to rue another missed opportunity to finally upstage Mahomes and Co.

“I thought it was a touchdown,” Jackson said. “Still think it was a touchdown.”

The Ravens were trailing 27-17 in the fourth quarter before kicking a field goal, then got the ball back at their own 13-yard line with 1:50 left and no timeouts. Jackson completed a couple of throws to Likely, who had 111 yards receiving and a score, and scrambled for a crucial first down. Two plays later, Jackson found Rashod Bateman down the sideline for 38 yards to move the Ravens to the Kansas City 10 with 19 seconds remaining.

Jackson’s first pass was a throwaway, but his second missed wide-open Zay Flowers in the back of the end zone. Then came the final throw, after Jackson had scrambled for what seemed like an eternity, and Likely looked like he had forced overtime.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh even signaled for his team to try a winning 2-point conversion, though it never got the chance.

“I thought our guys (overcame) setbacks at times, and fought like crazy to overcome. It looked like we had an opportunity there to tie the game up and try to win,” Harbaugh said. “Didn’t happen at the end, but our guys fought.”

The wild ending came after the start was delayed about 20 minutes by a storm that brought heavy rain and lightning.

The Ravens proceeded to open with an 11-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Derrick Henry, who had tormented the Chiefs in six previous meetings while he was with Tennessee, plunging into the end zone from 5 yards out for the early lead.

But the high-octane Chiefs, trying to avoid back-to-back season-opening losses, needed just two minutes to answer. Mahomes twice connected with Rashee Rice, who has so far avoided any NFL punishment for his role in an alleged street-racing crash in Dallas, before Worthy showed why the Chiefs made him their first-round pick with his 21-yard touchdown run.

After those two drives, though, the first half was mostly marked by Week 1 blunders.

Jackson was strip-sacked by Chris Jones deep in his own territory, leading to a Kansas City field goal. Flowers was stopped short of the first-down marker on fourth-and-3 near midfield on the Ravens’ next series, leading to another field goal. And even Justin Tucker, one of the league’s most accurate kickers, pulled a 53-yard field-goal attempt wide left.

The Chiefs were not immune to mistakes. Mahomes’ pass was picked off by Roquan Smith on a poor throw late in the first half, leading to a chip-shot field goal that got Baltimore – which trailed twice at halftime all of last season – to 13-10 at the break.

Yet the Ravens’ inability to get into the end zone, and swing the momentum their way, ultimately proved costly.

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The Chiefs opened the second half with an 81-yard touchdown march to extend their lead. Then, after Jackson had connected with Likely on a broken play for a 49-yard touchdown throw, Mahomes drove them 70 yards against the top-ranked scoring defense in the NFL last season for a touchdown that made it 27-17 with 10 minutes to go.

Tucker made it a one-score game with his field goal with 4:54 to go, and Baltimore quickly forced a punt. But despite Jackson’s impassioned play, he was left to trudge off the field after another disappointing loss to the Chiefs.

“It was a fight down to the end,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “When they say it’s a game of inches, might be shorter than that.”

STAR-STUDDED CROWD

Swift, the 14-time Grammy winner, wasn’t the only star attending the NFL’s opening night. Quincy Hall, the Olympic 400-meter champion, was in the crowd along with AC Milan midfielder Christian Pulisic, who will join his U.S. teammates Saturday night for an exhibition match against Canada at nearby Children’s Mercy Park.

INJURIES

Baltimore linebeacker Kyle Van Noy left six plays into the second half with an eye injury and did not return.

UP NEXT

The Ravens host Las Vegas on Sunday, Sept. 15. The Chiefs get a visit from Cincinnati the same day.

The Ravens were THIS CLOSE to scoring the game-tying touchdown #Kickoff2024 pic.twitter.com/08KjTVFHQZ

— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2024

XAVIER WORTHY HAS ARRIVED.

: #Kickoff2024 on NBC/Peacock
: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/0612BrVxlJ

— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2024

Lamar up over 80 yards on the ground tonight

: #Kickoff2024 on NBC/Peacock
: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/oaP183vAD0

— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2024

ISAIAH LIKELY SO GOOD

: #Kickoff2024 on NBC/Peacock
: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/wusReXzb9I

— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2024

Xavier Worthy is really a Kansas City Chief

: #Kickoff2024 on NBC/Peacock
: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/6fVsiolvAX

— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2024

​ Orange County Register 

U.S. Open: Jessica Pegula to face Aryna Sabalenka in women’s final

• September 6, 2024

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

NEW YORK — Jessica Pegula could do no right at the outset of her first Grand Slam semifinal. Her opponent at the U.S. Open on Thursday night, Karolina Muchova, could do no wrong.

“I came out flat, but she was playing unbelievable. She made me look like a beginner,” Pegula said. “I was about to burst into tears, because it was embarrassing. She was destroying me.”

Pegula managed to shrug off that sluggish start and come back from a set and a break down to defeat Muchova, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2, for a berth in the final at Flushing Meadows. The sixth-seeded Pegula, a 30-year-old from New York, has won 15 of her past 16 matches and will meet No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka for the title on Saturday.

Sabalenka, last year’s runner-up to Coco Gauff at the U.S. Open, returned to the championship match by holding off a late push to beat No. 13 Emma Navarro of the United States, 6-3, 7-6 (2).

It will be a rematch of last month’s final at the hard-court Cincinnati Open, which Sabalenka won – the only blemish on Pegula’s post-Olympics record.

“Hopefully I can get some revenge out here,” said Pegula, whose parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. “Playing Aryna is going to be really tough. I mean, she showed how tough she is and why she’s probably the favorite to win this tournament.”

Things did not look promising for Pegula early Thursday. Not at all.

Muchova, the 2023 French Open runner-up but unseeded after missing about 10 months because of wrist surgery, employed every ounce of her versatility and creativity, the traits that make her so hard to deal with on any surface. The slices. The touch at the net. The serve-and-volleying. Ten of the match’s first 12 winners came off her racket. The first set lasted 28 minutes, and Muchova won 30 of its 44 points.

After grabbing eight of the first nine games, Muchova was a single point from leading 3-0 in the second set. But she couldn’t convert a break chance there, flubbing a forehand volley off a slice from Pegula, and everything changed.

“I was thinking, ‘All right. That was kind of lucky. You’re still in this,’” Pegula said. “It comes down to really small moments that flip momentum.”

Quickly, the 52nd-ranked Muchova went from not being able to miss a shot to not being able to make one. And Pegula turned it on, heeding her two coaches’ advice to mix up her serves and her spins, to go after Muchova’s backhand more. Most of all, Pegula demonstrated the confident brand of tennis she used to eliminate top-ranked Iga Swiatek, a five-time major champion, in straight sets on Wednesday. Pegula had been 0-6 in major quarterfinals before that breakthrough.

It took Pegula a while to play that well Thursday, but once she got going, whoa, did she ever. All told, she collected nine of 11 games, a span that allowed her to not merely flip the second set but race to a 3-0 edge in the third.

“I was able to find a way, find some adrenaline, find my legs. And then at the end of the second set, into the third set, I started to play like how I wanted to play. It took a while,” Pegula said. “I don’t know how I turned that around.”

Muchova, a 28-year-old from the Czech Republic, hadn’t ceded a set in the tournament until then. But she began to fade. After going 7 for 7 on points at the net in the first set, she went 15 for 29 the rest of the way. After only seven unforced errors in the first set, she had 33 across the second and third.

And all the while, the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd that was flat at the beginning – save for the occasional cry of “Come on, Jess!” – was roaring.

When things suddenly got quite tight in the second set of the first semifinal, and spectators suddenly got quite loud while pulling for Navarro, Sabalenka found herself flashing back to 2023, when a rowdy Ashe crowd backed Gauff vociferously.

“Last year, it was a very tough experience. Very tough lesson. Today in the match, I was, like, ‘No, no, no, Aryna. It’s not going to happen again. You have to control your emotions. You have to focus on yourself,’” said Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus who was the champion at the last two Australian Opens.

Using her usual brand of high-risk, high-reward tennis, Sabalenka produced 34 winners and 34 unforced errors – punctuating most of her groundstrokes with a yell – and, in a fitting bit of symmetry, Navarro had 13 winners and 13 unforced errors.

Navarro did not fold in the second set, despite trailing for much of it, and as the noise around her grew, she broke when Sabalenka attempted to serve for the victory at 5-4.

“I wasn’t ready for the match to be over,” Navarro said.

But in the tiebreaker that followed, Sabalenka took over after Navarro led 2-0, grabbing every point that remained.

“I kind of got my teeth into it there at the end of the second set,” said Navarro, who got past Gauff in the fourth round, “and I felt I could definitely push it to a third. Wasn’t able to do so.”

Navarro, who defeated Gauff in the fourth round, is a 23-year-old who was born in New York, grew up in South Carolina and won an NCAA singles title for the University of Virginia in 2021. This was her debut in a Slam semifinal and, while she displayed the skills and steadiness that carried her there, Navarro was not able to keep up with Sabalenka, who was in that round at a major for the ninth time.

If Sabalenka is as demonstrative as can be, often holding a fist aloft and screaming after a big point or rolling her eyes after a miss, Navarro is far more subdued, rarely, if ever, betraying a hint of emotion, whether positive or negative.

Even when she broke to 5-all, there wasn’t a way to tell what happened by looking at Navarro. The sounds from the seats were an indication. But soon, thousands of ticket-holders were saluting Sabalenka for her latest show of mastery on a hard court; she’s now into her fourth straight final at a major held on that surface.

“Well, guys, now you are cheering for me,” Sabalenka with a laugh. “Well, it’s a bit too late.”

Second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka celebrates after scoring a point against American Emma Navarro during their U.S. Open semifinal on Thursday night in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

RETIRING YOUNG LOSES IN MIXED DOUBLES FINAL

Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori won the U.S. Open mixed doubles title with a 7-6 (0), 7-5 victory over Taylor Townsend and Donald Young, who fell just short of a Grand Slam title in his final match before retiring.

Errani, who won a career Grand Slam in women’s doubles with fellow Italian Roberta Vinci, added her first career mixed doubles title to the Olympic gold medal in women’s doubles she won last month with Jasmine Paolini.

“It’s incredible for me this year. It’s amazing,” Errani said.

Townsend and Young, who have been friends since they were kids, were given a wild card into the event for what was the 35-year-old Young’s final tournament. The former top-ranked junior hadn’t played much in recent years, having made the switch to pickleball.

“Obviously wasn’t the result we wanted,” Young said, “but I can’t think of a better spot, place to go out in, having watched that as a kid, and playing with someone I’ve known our whole life. It’s pretty cool for me.”

He and Townsend made their way through the draw, knocking off defending champions Anna Danilina and Harri Heliovarra in the quarterfinals.

But Errani and Vavassori, the No. 3 seeds, dominated the tiebreaker and then won the match by breaking Townsend’s serve.

Errani hadn’t played a mixed doubles event for eight years before partnering with Vavassori at Wimbledon. They were knocked out in the first round, then reached the quarterfinals at the Olympics before coming to New York.

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Young’s parents coached Townsend, who lost in the women’s doubles semifinals with Katerina Siniakova after they won the Wimbledon title.

The 28-year-old Townsend said after the match that she hoped fans seeing two Black players in the finals, after Coco Gauff won the women’s title in Flushing Meadows last year and Frances Tiafoe is in the men’s semifinals on Friday, would inspire more of them to play.

Young was then presented with a framed collage of photos of himself playing at the U.S. Open.

“For me, Donald and I, we go so far back. I mean, in life in general,” Townsend said. “It’s not the end. We both live in Atlanta, so I’m going to see him a ton and follow what he’s doing in the next chapter. But it’s cool to be able to close the book this way. Again, being able to leave here with some hardware when a lot of people didn’t, that’s the most special thing.

“So, I mean, it’s fantastic. I’m glad to be able to do it by his side.”

AP sports writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this story.

Americans Taylor Townsend, left, and Donald Young hold up the runner-up trophy after losing to Italians Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori during the U.S. Open mixed doubles final on Thursday in New York. It was the final match of Young’s career. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

​ Orange County Register 

Gavin Newsom returns to his duties in California and finds his status has diminished

• September 6, 2024

Gavin Newsom’s flirtation with national political status ended abruptly when Vice President Kamala Harris, often depicted as his rival, became the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate.

For months California’s governor had been soliciting national media attention, making campaign-like visits to other states and otherwise acting like an aspirant for the White House — all the while insisting that he had “sub-zero” interest in such a goal.

Virtually ignored at the Democratic National Convention, Newsom’s disdain for the party’s rapid embrace of Harris was evident in a podcast interview.

“Now we went through a very open process, a very inclusive process,” Newsom responded to a question about party leaders’ anointment of Harris. “It was bottom-up, I don’t know if you know that. That’s what I’ve been told to say.”

Moreover, as he returns to gubernatorial duties and reality, Newsom is finding that his status in California has also taken a beating.

A poll the Public Policy Institute of California took in June found that 62% of adults believe the state is headed in the wrong direction and only 44% approve of Newsom’s performance as governor.

Newsom’s diminished popularity and the simple fact that his governorship is beginning to wind down manifest a declining ability to dominate the state’s political playing field.

One example is the presence of two major measures on the Nov. 5 ballot that he opposes, Propositions 35 and 36.

Prop. 35, if passed, would make a tax on health care plans permanent and direct its proceeds and the extra federal money it would draw into higher reimbursements for those providing care to Medi-Cal recipients. Indirectly, it prevents Newsom from using the funds, billions of dollars, to close chronic budget deficits.

Prop. 36 toughens penalties for some crimes, modifying Prop. 47, a landmark measure voters passed in 2014 that reduced penalties. Newsom tried — and failed — to head off Prop. 36 with a rival measure.

Earlier in his governorship, when he enjoyed high approval ratings, Newsom could pretty much dictate legislation and thwart adverse ballot measures, but he clearly lacks such domination now.

Newsom’s much-diminished influence was apparent in the closing hours of the 2024 legislative session last week.

Newsom habitually proposes last-minute legislation to be passed with only cursory examination, but his eleventh-hour demands to force gasoline refiners to maintain larger reserves and to give token refunds to electric power ratepayers fell flat this year.

Newsom was whipsawed by the Legislature’s two new leaders, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire.

Rivas refused to take up the legislation, saying it needed more scrutiny, and asked Newsom to call a special legislative session. McGuire was willing to put the package to a vote before adjournment Saturday night but opposed a special session.

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Newsom called the special session, supposedly to begin immediately, and Rivas agreed. But McGuire said the Senate would not return to the Capitol until the new biennial session begins in December, when it will have dozens of new members from the Nov. 5 election.

“We won’t be convening a special session this fall, but we look forward to continuing conversations with the governor and speaker about this critical issue in the days and weeks to come,” McGuire said.

Newsom spokesman Izzy Gordon said in a statement late Saturday, rejecting McGuire’s position, “The special session has already begun.”

While Newsom can call special sessions, the Legislature is not legally required to do anything and can simply adjourn without acting. Non-action would be the best outcome, because both proposals are nothing more than virtue-signaling tokens by a governor trying to recapture what he has lost.

Dan Walters is a CalMatters columnist.

​ Orange County Register 

Real Housewives of Orange County: Tears, tumult and toots

• September 6, 2024

Emily Simpson and Katie Ginella are side-by-side in separate hot tubs at a Sonoma County spa when Emily turns to Katie and sums up the situation.

“This is dirty, it’s salacious, it’s gross,” she says, and for the record, she’s not talking about Gina Kirschenheiter’s audible toot earlier in the episode. “It’s like the worst, longest, most-traumatic breakup –”

“– ever,” Katie interjects

“– ever,” Emily agrees.

You can take “The Real Housewives of Orange County” out of Orange County, but the drama lingers in the air like Gina’s – well, you get the picture.

All the housewives but Jenn Pedrano fly to Sonoma County in Heather Dubrow’s private jet on this week’s episode to taste wine, relax at the spa, and attend a charity event for Family Equality, an LGBTQ+ non-profit that Heather has supported for years.

Shannon Storms Beador and Alexis Bellino have fought almost every episode this season. When Shannon’s ex-boyfriend John Janssen dumped her he took up almost immediately with Alexis. Now there’s more bad blood between them than poured out of elevators of the Overlook Hotel in “The Shining.”

Heather thinks she’s got the situation under control. She’s made a seating chart for the short flight north that will keep Shannon and Alexis apart, and she’s kept them apart in the activities she’s planned too.

“If I can keep Shannon and Alexis separate on this trip I think we’ll be OK,” Heather tells the cameras early on. Yet while she does manage to keep them mostly separate, things fall apart spectacularly for Shannon, though she ends up the more sympathetic character by the end of episode.

The day of the trip is Shannon’s deadline to reply to John’s demand to pay him $75,000 that he says was a loan and Shannon says was a gift.

At lunch at the Dawn Ranch resort, Shannon tells Emily, Gina and Katie that she’s instructed her attorney to offer John about half what he’d demanded to resolve the situation without going to court.

A few episodes back, Alexis revealed that John had Ring doorbell videos of Shannon moments after she left his house and crashed her car in a 2023 accident that resulted in her pleading no contest to a charge of driving under the influence.

To be specific, she revealed this to all the housewives except for Shannon, but Shannon’s blissful ignorance is about to end.

Emily, Gina, Shannon and Katie arrive at the resort spa for a bit of pampering that starts with healing teas. Gina opts for a “clarifying” tea, which Emily helpfully informs us is because Gina is “backed up.”

Cut to a scene 30 minutes earlier where our close forensic analysis of the video – rewinding and replaying over and over – reveal what may be the first audible flatulence ever heard on “The Real Housewives of Orange County.”

“Oh, God, too many problems in the old torso today,” Gina says. Remarkably, none of the other housewives react, which goes to show you that sometimes the housewives are more mature than we give them credit for.

At the spa, Gina gives the others an update on her relationship with boyfriend Travis, who has moved out of her house after several years, while trying to keep their romance alive and their blended family of six kids together. Gina is stressed out, she says.

“This is why I have gas,” she adds.

Shannon, who had stepped out of the spa to consult with her attorney for a minute, returns just in time to hear this.

As it turns out, John rejected her offer to pay a portion of the money he demanded, and Shannon told her attorney to proceed to court once the lawsuit was served. (In the world outside of the show, the lawsuit did get filed and is still pending in civil court.)

“It just feels so vindictive,” Gina says to the camera. “Why do you want to hurt someone so bad when you’re so happy in your new relationship? Take the (bleepin’) check and go live your life.”

The others urge Shannon to just pay the full amount to end the stress this is causing her. Especially, Gina adds for inexplicable reasons, because of “the video thing.”

“What video thing?” Shannon asks with a look of alarm on her face. Then she asks four more times until Katie tells her what Alexis had told the others: There’s apparently Ring camera footage of Shannon either during or right after the crash that led to her DUI arrest.

She starts to sob, and ultimately leaves the spa to return to her cabin and sob some more.

“This is not as relaxing as I thought it would be,” Gina says in the understatement of the week.

Heather, Alexis, Tamra Barney, and Jenn, who flew up separately after a hearing in her divorce case, all are tasting wine in downtown Guerneville, and frankly, not much of interest happens there. But after Heather returns to the resort, Shannon shows up at her door looking like she’s been crying all afternoon, which, of course, she has been.

Elsewhere on this week’s episode:

— As Heather packs for the trip, we learn that she wraps clothes she’s already bought and worn in white tissue paper so that they don’t get wrinkled and seem as fresh as when they came home from stores wrapped in white tissue paper for the first time. “I’ve been packing like this for years,” she tells an assistant of some sort. “My friends make fun of me.” As they should, Heather, as they should.

— Jenn, meanwhile, is her usual dizzy self, talking with Katie on FaceTime while trying to get ready herself. “God only knows what I’m throwing in this damn suitcase and I don’t care,” she says. “I’ll drink wine in sweats if I have to.” Relatable.

— Katie is invited on the trip despite Heather’s anger at her in past episodes over a paparazzi kerfuffle. “I’m actually shocked that I’m not below where they put the dogs,” she says as she finds her place on Heather’s seating chart for the private jet.

— The spa provides consultations with a perfumer, who asks the housewives to describe their favorite scents and why. “Like tacos?” asks Emily, God bless her taco-loving heart.

“You can do tacos but you have to tell me why?” Jess the perfumer replies after a barely imperceptible pause to make sure she really heard what she heard.

“Oh, because they’re very meaty and juicy, like carnitas,” Emily replies. “It’s like a perfect scent.”

Related links

Real Housewives of Orange County: A stormy night of murder!
Real Housewives of Orange County: Pickleball and OnlyFans
Real Housewives of Orange County: Spats, spills and stepping right into it
‘Real Housewives of Orange County’: Shannon and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad episode
‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ swings from dirty dancing to fancy pantsing

​ Orange County Register 

Rich Homie Quan, the Atlanta rapper known for trap jams like ‘Type of Way,’ dies at 33

• September 6, 2024

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. and ANDREW DALTON

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rich Homie Quan, the Atlanta rapper who gained mainstream fame through the trap singles “Type of Way” and “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh),” has died. He was 33.

Quan, whose legal name is Dequantes Devontay Lamar, died at an Atlanta hospital, the Fulton County Medical Examiner confirmed to The Associated Press. The medical examiner was informed of his death Thursday, said Jimmy Sadler, senior medical examiner investigator. The cause of death was not immediately available, with an autopsy scheduled for Friday.

Quan was one of the biggest names in hip-hop in the mid-2010s. He released a slew of mixtapes before he broke through in 2013 with the infectious “Type of Way.” The song became such a success that several other rappers jumped on the remix, including Jeezy and Meek Mill. He maintained his momentum, appearing on a YG track with Jeezy and releasing the London on da Track-produced song “Lifestyle” through his Rich Gang rap collective that included Young Thug and Birdman.

Quan followed up with “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh),” a song produced by DJ Spinz and Nitti Beatz. It became his highest charting solo single at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He also featured on Lil Dicky’s viral “$ave Dat Money.”

In 2018, Quan debuted his first and only studio album “Rich as in Spirit,” which mostly went without any features — except for “Think About It,” a single with Rick Ross.

Quavo, Lil Boosie and Playboi Carti are some of the music artists who paid tribute to Quan on social media.

“Rest in Peace my brother Rich Homie Quan,” said singer Jacquees, who also called him a “legend” on X. “I love you for Life.”

Quan spoke with The Associated Press in 2022 about returning to music after an abrupt hiatus. At the time, the rapper said he was going through litigation with independent label T.I.G. (Think It’s a Game Record), but was prepared to make a comeback.

During that time, Quan ended up in a feud with his old collaborator Young Thug — who along with rapper Gunna — were among a group indicted on charges of conspiracy to violate Georgia’s RICO Act and also accused of participation in a criminal street gang.

Quan said there was no beef between him Young Thug and was open to having a conversation with him if the opportunity presented itself. He said he hated to see Young Thug locked up, adding that rappers were being targeted by law enforcement.

“I wouldn’t say unfairly targeted because at the same time, some of these rappers are putting guns in videos and, you know, it’s like social media — it goes back to the social media thing,” he said.

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“I think we showing too much, I think they’re showing too much, you know what I mean. Like that’s the difference in my music, I’ma tell a story but I ain’t going to tell you how I did it,” he added. “It’s still Black art, but we’re definitely being targeted. So that’s why I’m mindful of what I say in my music.”

Landrum and Dalton reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Gary Gerard Hamilton contributed to this report from New York.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County scores and player stats for Thursday, Sept. 5

• September 6, 2024

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

Scores and stats from Orange County games on Thursday, Sept. 5

Click here for details about sending your team’s scores and stats to the Register.

The deadline for submitting information is 10:45 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 p.m. Saturday.

THURSDAY’S SCORES

GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL

NONLEAGUE

Orange Lutheran 27, Roosevelt 6

BOYS WATER POLO

NONLEAGUE

Santa Ana 14, Garden Grove 12

Aliso Niguel 18, Dana Hills 10

Tustin 16, Whitney 10

Rancho Alamitos 17, Valley View 1

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

SUNSET LEAGUE

Newport Harbor def. Fountain Valley, 25-13, 25-16, 25-18

Corona del Mar def. Edison, 25-15, 25-20, 18-25, 25-19

NONLEAGUE

Pacifica def. Bolsa Grande, 3-0

Sonora def. Esperanza, 3-1

​ Orange County Register 

Kyle Frey’s self-imposed break, subsequent treatment lead to ‘biggest day’ as jockey

• September 6, 2024

DEL MAR — Kyle Frey had the best day of his riding career last Saturday.

The jockey rode 22-1 long shot Mixto to victory in the $1 million Pacific Classic five races after winning the Grade II Del Mar Handicap aboard Gold Phoenix.

“This is the biggest day of my racing career,” said Frey, who won $780,000 for connections. “No doubt. This is so sweet. This is a tribute to the glory of God.”

Frey was not at Del Mar a year ago for the Pacific Classic. He was on a seven-week, self-imposed break from the sport to get better control of his mental health.

Had he been riding at Del Mar last summer, Frey said he might not be alive today.

“To be honest, hadn’t I stepped back and away, I’d probably be dead now,” said Frey. “Over the last year and a half, two other riders that I had known … one of them being like a little brother to me … got into the ups and downs of internal conflict. The struggle that we face, a lot of it is pride-driven. We feel like we should be doing better and it shatters our finite identity of ourselves and you feel less than everybody around you, as opposed to just being happy to be alive.”

Frey said he was rocked by the suicide death of 23-year-old jockey Avery Whisman in January of 2023 – which was just one of the events that led him to step back and seek help and health. Frey said his faith helped him realize his plight and build a path for the future.

“I’m totally sure God can cure all things,” said Frey. “The one true way for me is Christianity and Jesus Christ.”

It was after the first weekend of the 2023 summer season at Del Mar that the signals became clear to Frey.

“I was feeling very discontented for a couple years,” he said. “But I’d have a couple good weeks and I’d shrug it off. Six months before I walked away, I moved down slowly but progressively. Then things snowballed in that direction.”

Frey said he went through extensive therapy, including for alcohol abuse. But what carried him most was his faith.

“What that did was give me enough power that I was able to see the truth. I did a deep dive into mental health from different aspects, including religious faith,” he said. “With me, and an alcoholic tendency, the use was to celebrate or self-medicate. If I was doing good, it was a good reason to go party. If I was going bad, it was a way to shrug it off. I’m what I call a recovered alcoholic. I saw things from a warped perspective.”

Frey said he’s in a much better spot than he was 14 months ago. And he was pleasantly surprised upon his return that he had the support from other jockeys and trainers.

“I’m forever grateful to be able to step back and then come back and do very good,” said Frey. “That’s a testament to what I felt was calling me to step away and get myself right. That was a very difficult decision to make as a father of two, a husband and an athlete.

“If you have that little voice telling you to do something, the Holy Spirit, follow it and things will work out in the end. I totally believe that.

“Then, to return and learn how many people were very supportive of the decision that I made. Not only that, but other people who might have questions about where they are mentally have approached me. For a long time, what the reaction might be from people in the sport weighed on my thoughts when I contemplated seeking help. And they had my back.”

And now Frey has the best memory of his career … as well as a punched ticket to the Breeders’ Cup.

Notable

Graduation Stakes winner R Heisman is the 6-5 morning-line favorite going into Friday’s I’m Smokin Stakes — a six-furlong dash for Cal-bred 2-year-olds. But trainer Peter Miller could scratch R Heisman from the $100,000 race and run him in the Grade I Del Mar Futurity on Sunday. That would leave Shea Brennan (Frey) as the horse to beat in a field reduced to five.

• Hot Girl Walk wasn’t disqualified from her win in Sunday’s Generous Portion Stakes, but jockey Antonio Fresu drew a three-day suspension for altering course without sufficient clearance on the far turn.

• Jockey Juan Hernandez (44 wins) and trainer Bob Baffert (21 wins) lead their respective races going into the final three days of the summer meeting. The pair have combined on 19 wins – 43 percent of Hernandez’s total and all but two of Baffert’s wins.

• Diamond Bar Gal ($3.10, Armando Ayuso) won Thursday’s feature —  a five-furlong, $76,000 allowance for older fillies and mares.

First post Friday is 3 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

​ Orange County Register 

Angels fall to Rangers, clinching 9th straight losing season

• September 6, 2024

ARLINGTON, Texas — It has been a rough decade for the Angels.

The team, which last played in the postseason in 2014, clinched its ninth consecutive losing season with Thursday night’s 3-1 loss to the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.

It’s the longest active streak of sub-.500 finishes in MLB and the longest in the franchise’s six-plus decades.

The Angels (58-82) last had a winning season in 2015, when they finished 85-77 and third in the American League West. Their last postseason appearance was the season before, when they won 98 games and were swept by the Kansas City Royals, 3-0, in an AL Division Series. It has been 16 seasons since they reached an ALCS and more than two decades since they last played in the World Series, when they won their only championship in 2002.

Their previous long streak of sub-.500 finishes was seven consecutive seasons from 1971 to 1977.

Angels right-hander Jack Kochanowicz settled down after a rough first inning, which included four hits, including Adolis García’s three-run homer. Kochanowicz’s 0-and-1 sinker hung up in the zone and García hit it out to right-center.

Kochanowicz escaped more damage in the first with an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. He held Texas scoreless on three hits, including two infield hits, and a walk and a hit batter, over the next five innings and left after six innings with the team trailing 3-1.

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Rangers left-hander Cody Bradford held the Angels to a run on two hits and two walks over six innings.

After Zach Neto’s RBI single scored Taylor Ward to pull the Angels within 3-1 in the third, Bradford retired the final 11 batters he faced.

The Angels turned to their bullpen in the seventh. Ryan Zeferjahn worked a perfect seventh and after a couple of two-out singles in the eighth, third baseman Charles Leblanc made an inning-ending, over-the-shoulder sliding catch down the left-field line in foul territory.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register