LAFC rallies to secure a point before falling to Vancouver on PKs in Leagues Cup match

• July 31, 2024

LOS ANGELES — A frantic finish on Tuesday night salvaged the result the Los Angeles Football Club needed to advance to the knockout stage of the Leagues Cup.

LAFC didn’t earn a second point, however, ultimately losing to the Vancouver Whitecaps in a penalty kick shootout to close their two-match group stage with four points.

Playing in front of an announced crowd of 18,351 at BMO Stadium, LAFC still walked away with its most dramatic comeback of the year, completing stage one of the monthlong MLS-Liga MX competition.

Goals by Kei Kamara in the 88th minute and Mateusz Bogusz in the 95th dug LAFC out of a hole that seemed insurmountable until it wasn’t.

In the spring, when Vancouver fell to LAFC, 3-0, at BMO Stadium in an MLS regular-season contest, the Whitecaps attempted to play with the ball and dictate the game.

This time around they willingly conceded possession, focusing instead on denying space to LAFC’s wingers and limiting the Black & Gold’s potent transition attack.

LAFC didn’t get a clean look at goal until Cristian Olivera’s shot in the 25th minute.

Related Articles

By that point in the game, however, the hosts knew they would have to rally if they were going to secure at least one point.

Sebastian Berhalter’s half-volley from 35 yards put Vancouver on the board in the fifth minute.

After failing to clear the ball off a Whitecaps corner kick, LAFC goalkeeper Abraham Romero was caught by surprise and reacted late as Berhalter’s curling shot veered away from him.

Then in the 17th minute, Vancouver defender Ranko Veselinovic exploited LAFC on a corner kick by deking fullback Ryan Hollingshead near the 6-yard box before redirecting the ball past a stationary Romero, making his third start of the year for Coach Steve Cherundolo’s team.

With the final group standings hanging in the balance, Vancouver will host the team LAFC defeated on Friday, Club Tijuana, this Saturday at BC Place.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers squander another 5-run lead in 10-inning loss to Padres

• July 31, 2024

SAN DIEGO — The Dodgers don’t seem to have enough fingers to plug all the leaks they are springing.

For the third time in their past 13 games, a five-run lead wasn’t enough to get the Dodgers a victory. They scored five times in the first inning against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, then sat back and watched the lead disappear over the next eight innings.

It was only a two-run lead by the ninth inning and Blake Treinen gave up two solo home runs to tie the score before Donovon Solano’s walk-off RBI single in the 10th inning gave the Padres a 6-5 win.

“This is a game that hurts,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “You got to win this game tonight.”

There have been a few like that recently.

The loss was the Dodgers’ fourth in their past six games overall and their fourth walkoff defeat in their past six road games.

The Dodgers took a five-run lead into the ninth inning at Detroit on July 13 and lost — one half of back-to-back walkoff losses to the Tigers. Saturday in Houston, they led 5-0 after the top of the sixth and eventually lost to the Astros on a ninth-inning walkoff home run surrendered by Treinen.

This meltdown even extended to the coaching staff.

In the 10th inning after Alex Vesia intentionally walked Jurickson Profar to load the bases with one out, the Padres sent up Solano to pinch-hit for Jake Cronenworth, prompting Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior to make a mound visit — as they do virtually every time a pinch-hitter enters the game.

But Roberts then left the dugout, planning to replace Vesia with Evan Phillips to face the right-handed Solano. He was stopped by home-plate umpire Dan Iassogna and reminded that the rules do not allow back-to-back mound visits. Vesia had to face the next batter and the Dodgers were assessed a pitch-clock violation.

Three pitches later, the game was over.

“We take pride in doing the best we can. I think our bullpen has been one of the best, if not the best, over the last five years since I’ve been here,” Treinen said. “There’s obviously going to be some tough stretches. And a lot of that falls on me and two of the last few that you talked about.

“I don’t know if we really think much about it. It’s just the day of when it happens, it’s pretty frustrating.”

It was an awkward ending to a game that started so promising for the Dodgers. Buoyed by their trade-deadline boost and with a Petco Park record crowd of 47,559 on hand, the Dodgers announced their presence with authority, taking that 5-0 lead after the first half-inning Tuesday.

The Dodgers’ deadline moves are certain to shake up their roster in the weeks ahead with the anticipated return of injured players. Two of the players likely to see their roles – or team – change had big hits in the big inning. Andy Pages drove in two runs with a single and Cavan Biggio bounced a fly ball off the foul pole down the right field line for a two-run home run.

But that was it. The Padres rolled out six relievers after starter Matt Waldron and the Dodgers had just three more hits over the final nine innings.

“They matched up with the ‘pen,” Roberts said of the disappearing offense. “I think they used five or six guys tonight. It was a different look and you saw that they got the lefties on Shohei (Ohtani) the last two at-bats. They just matched up. We just didn’t get that same look.”

Staked to that big early lead, Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow let most of it get away.

He gave up a solo home run to Manny Machado in the second inning and allowed two more runs in the third inning on consecutive hits by Luis Arraez (double), Jurickson Profar (RBI single) and Jake Cronenworth (RBI double).

Glasnow settled in after that and retired 12 of the next 15 batters he faced while completing seven innings for the first time since doing it in back-to-back starts in mid-June. Glasnow struck out eight while walking just one but said he felt “not sharp.”

Related Articles

“I think it got better as the game went on,” Glasnow said. “Just that one strange inning. But yeah, definitely not as sharp as I usually feel.

“Rhythm just feels a little foreign right now. It always happens during the course of the season and I’m definitely working through it right now for sure.”

Nonetheless, it was the longest start by a Dodgers pitcher since Gavin Stone’s complete-game shutout in Chicago on June 26 – and left just two innings for the Dodgers’ taxed bullpen to cover.

Even that was too much to ask. The Dodgers’ bullpen hasn’t had a scoreless game since July 12 and now has a 6.75 ERA in 12 games since then.

Anthony Banda got through a scoreless eighth. But Machado crushed BTreinen’s first pitch of the ninth inning for a 414-foot solo home run. Alex Bregman did the same for his ninth-inning walkoff home run off Treinen in Houston. Two batters later, Jackson Merrill tied the score with a solo home run to right field.

“I take pride in being successful for my teammates,” Treinen said. “They work hard and put up five runs on the board, gave us a chance to go out there, put their faith in me to go put up a zero and I didn’t get the job down. So I’m gonna need to be better than what I have been.”

Returning from shoulder surgery, Treinen has had diminished velocity on his fastball this season.

“I don’t know if anybody’s done damage on the fastball like Bregman did to me,” Treinen said. “Machado is a very familiar face with me. The most impressive one is probably Jackson Merrill. It’s a ball and a half inside. So I’m not going to try to reinvent the wheel. I know who I am. They give me lanes to be successful. It just comes down to execution.

“Movement patterns are great. My velo has been what it’s been this year. I know it’s gonna be a focus and talking point for a lot of people. But at the end of the day, execution and stuff will win. Velocity is a luxury. I would love to have more. But I have what I have. It’s been working for literally a year. Just a few outings have really bit me.”

The Dodgers went down quickly against Padres reliever Robert Suarez in the 10th inning, failing to even advance their free runner. In the bottom of the 10th, walks loaded the bases, the Dodgers mishandled their pitching change and Solano slapped a ground ball down the third-base line to drive in the winning run.

​ Orange County Register 

Rams rookie OLB Brennan Jackson focusing on mental aspect of game

• July 31, 2024

LOS ANGELES — As he wrapped up an interview, Rams outside linebacker Brennan Jackson made his way across the field and yelled, “Jared! Jared!”

Fellow rookie Jared Verse looked up, waiting for the reason behind this greeting. But Jackson simply waved vigorously. Verse returned the gesture and cried back, “Hey B.J.!”

The Rams remade the front of their defense in the April draft. Their first two picks were spent on Verse and his Florida State teammate, Braden Fiske. A couple of Day 3 picks went to add depth to those positions, with Jackson and Clemson’s Tyler Davis.

Over the last three months, Jackson has leaned on that group as they make their adjustment to the NFL.

“Me and Jared have created some really great friendship. We push each other every single day and just being able to take things from each other and hype each other up when we make plays,” Jackson said. “Same with the guys in the interior. All of us are taking it one step at a time, understanding that we’re all going through it together so just uplift each other.”

The rookies have had some standout moments through the first week and a half of training camp. Verse made an early impression, while Fiske has been one of the highlights since the Rams put on pads on Monday. He followed his strong first day by blowing past offensive linemen in one-on-one pass rush drills and clogging running lanes in full-team work on Tuesday.

Jackson too earned a positive review from head coach Sean McVay on Monday for his work in competitive periods as Jackson has shown off his enduring motor.

“I tell everybody when they ask me how I’m doing: ‘Living the dream,’” Jackson said. “This is everything I dreamed of as a kid, being around such amazing players and vets that all have done a great job of giving their piece of knowledge to me.”

Michael Hoecht is the veteran in the outside linebackers room, and Jackson likes to joke that he’s become Hoecht’s shadow.

He and other Rams have emphasized the mental aspect of the game to Jackson. The rookie is working to understand his advantages and placement within the Rams’ scheme to avoid finding himself in the wrong position and at a disadvantage.

“Everybody here is so talented and so capable of doing the job right, so it really is understanding your piece in the scheme,” Jackson said. “One-on-ones are going to happen and the guy that has a slight advantage is going to be the one that wins.

While he’s had a positive start to camp, Jackson knows there will tough days, too, but he’s preparing for those moments.

Related Articles

“One of the best things Hoecht was saying, when you have a good practice, clip some of those clips and go back on those when you have a bad day,” Jackson said. “Because you’re not going to be perfect every single day. You’re in the NFL, these guys are grown men, everyone’s here for a reason. So remind yourself.”

GREAT LAKE

Third-year safety Quentin Lake had a strong day of camp on Tuesday. He recovered well to break up a deep pass to open up 11-on-11s, albeit taking advantage of an underthrow by Jimmy Garoppolo on the play. He matched up with Cooper Kupp during some drives and held his own, then used his strength to shed a block from Kupp to meet Blake Corum at the line of scrimmage on a run play.

“He’s got great versatility; so smart,” McVay said. “He really understands the defense from an all-11 perspective. … I think he can do a lot of different things in both the run phase and defending the pass.”

INJURY REPORT

The left side of the Rams’ offensive line is banged up after two days of pads. Left tackle Alaric Jackson was in street clothes Tuesday after tweaking his ankle on Monday, while left guard Jonah Jackson left practice late with an athletic trainer. McVay said he did not know yet what happened to Jackson, the Rams’ big free-agent acquisition of the offseason.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers will have riddle to solve with moving parts on roster

• July 31, 2024

SAN DIEGO — With a number of injured players expected back in the weeks ahead, the Dodgers will have a lot of moving parts.

So they added some more.

Trade deadline pickups Tommy Edman and Amed Rosario play multiple positions. Three Dodgers currently on the injured list – Mookie Betts, Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor – also play multiple positions.

When all are available, the Dodgers could have eight players capable of playing second base (including Gavin Lux, Cavan Biggio and Kiké Hernandez) and seven with experience at shortstop. Six of them also have played third base.

The addition of Kevin Kiermaier gives the Dodgers three options in center field (with James Outman, Andy Pages and Taylor) with spillover at the corner outfield spots.

All will not survive the roster shuffling to come. Something will have to give in order to create space on the roster and formulate a lineup on a day-to-day basis.

“I think this allows us a lot of different options to assess, and see how guys are coming along,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said. “And we’ll all sit down with Doc and the coaching staff in the coming weeks, and as guys start to come back, it will paint a clearer picture for us.”

Edman joined the Dodgers in San Diego on Tuesday and was surprised to be one of the players on the move at the trade deadline.

“It was very shocking,” Edman said of the trade from St. Louis. “I haven’t heard of too many guys getting traded while on the injured list, so I kind of thought that my name wasn’t going to be a part of it. But I started to hear some stuff over the past couple of days. Obviously I’m very excited that it was to the Dodgers.”

Edman had wrist surgery in October and expected to be ready for the start of the season. His recovery was slow, however, and he injured his ankle while doing defensive drills in June, pushing things back even further.

He finally started a minor-league injury rehabilitation assignment earlier this month and has played eight games, all at DH. The Dodgers plan to evaluate Edman over the next few days and formulate a plan to complete his rehab.

“It’s kind of tough to say,” Edman said when asked how much longer he might need on a rehab assignment. “I’m almost treating this like a kind of spring training. But having gotten a fair number of at-bats so far helps out with the timing factor. That’s one of the biggest issues, is getting timing back as a hitter. I’m going to try to get some live at-bats and then getting comfortable in the field as well.

“It’s tough to say exactly when that’ll be, but everything’s been feeling good so I’m excited to get back and contribute to this team.”

Edman won a Gold Glove at second base in 2021 but can also play center field, shortstop and third base. Rosario is expected to join the Dodgers in San Diego on Wednesday. He played mostly second base for them last year but has also played right field and third base for the Tampa Bay Rays this season.

The most interesting moving part in this puzzle might be Betts. With so many options at shortstop and second base, he might be better utilized back in right field, where he and Kiermaier would give the Dodgers 10 Gold Gloves side by side.

Betts has only recently started swinging a bat but he has continued to take ground balls at shortstop while waiting for his fractured left hand to heal. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Betts continues to work out at shortstop.

“I talked to Mookie today, that’s his intent. I welcome that, I support that,” Roberts said. “As we get to the middle of August when we’re expecting him back, I don’t know if that’s going to change. I really don’t.

“We have a second baseman that’s playing his best baseball in the last few years (Lux), so that shouldn’t be lost on anyone. Certainly not lost on me. And we have guys that can really defend in the outfield. So, I’m gonna have a conversation with Mookie and we’ll figure out what’s best for him and our ballclub when the time comes.”

Roberts did not dismiss the idea of Betts playing multiple positions when he returns.

“The facts are that Mookie is a superstar. He’s one of the best people and teammates I’ve ever been around,” Roberts said. “When he did play different positions – last year for example – he had one of his best years. So I don’t think that there’s a correlation to playing two different positions affects Mookie because using his words, when he plays defense, he plays defense and when he’s in the box, he’s in the box and he’s focused on hitting.

“I think the question is what’s best for the Dodgers? Where is it best for Mookie to play that is best for the Dodgers with the construction of the roster? I don’t think anyone knows that answer right now.”

FREEMAN STATUS

First baseman Freddie Freeman did not join the Dodgers in San Diego and Roberts said there is nothing to update on his status.

Related Articles

Freeman’s wife Chelsea announced on Instagram last week that their 3-year old son Maximus was hospitalized as he battled transient synovitis, an illness that has progressed from a viral infection Maximus came down with at the All-Star Game in Texas. Freddie Freeman traveled to Houston with the Dodgers last week and went through his pregame routine before Friday’s game, but he was later scratched from the lineup two hours before that game and flew home to L.A. to be with his family.

“He’s still kind of in it with Max,” Roberts said. “I don’t see him coming back for this series and we have the off day after this series and we’ll revisit. To be quite honest, I haven’t even broached that subject of him coming back, I just don’t feel it’s right.”

ROSTER MOVES

In order to clear 40-man roster spots for the two players acquired Tuesday, right-hander Jack Flaherty and Kiermaier, the Dodgers designated two pitchers for assignment – right-hander Gus Varland and left-hander Nick Ramirez.

UP NEXT

Dodgers (LHP Clayton Kershaw, 0-0, 4.50 ERA) at Padres (RHP Dylan Cease, 10-8, 3.50 ERA), Wednesday, 5:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM

​ Orange County Register 

2024 Rose Parade, Rose Bowl Game injected $245 Million into Greater LA economy, new report says

• July 31, 2024

The 2024 Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game have collectively generated a whopping $245 million for the Greater Los Angeles economy, the Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses announced in a new report on Tuesday, July 30.

This substantial economic boost, driven by the direct spending of attendees at the two iconic events, has contributed to the recovery of the regional economy, officials at the organization and the city said.

“I think what we are is really the front door to the Los Angeles region for many visitors, and they want to come back and visit again and again,” Tournament of Roses CEO David Eads said.

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy celebrates following his teams 27-20 overtime win over Alabama following the 110th Rose Bowl game in Pasadena on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester/Southern California News Group)

The 2024 Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game Economic Impact Study, conducted by Toronto-based Enigma Research Corporation, is the first such report of the Tournament of Roses since the pre-pandemic era, and it paints a promising picture.

According to the study, which surveyed more than 1,200 participants in the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl, the two events supported 2,166 full-year jobs in the region, most of which in accommodations and food services, and generated an estimated $35.7 million in tax revenue, which are nearly equally split between federal, state and local levels.

The total operational costs of the two events amounted to around $20.7 million. Their combined economic impact of $245 million is lower than the individual sums due to many non-locals attending both events, Eads said. The Rose Parade alone generated $155 million, while the Rose Bowl Game contributed $119 million.

Around 485,500, or around 62% of the 783,928 participants in both the parade and game, were Los Angeles County residents. However, their spending of $70 million is not considered in the economic impact calculation.

LAUSD-All District High School Honor Band performs during the 135th Rose Parade in Pasadena on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. (Photo by Libby Cline-Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)

In addition, more than 90% of non-local attendees expressed a desire to return to the Los Angeles region, a positive sign for the local tourism industry as it continues to recover and thrive, city officials said.

“It’s a great time in Pasadena when families come into town, some for the first time and some turn it into an annual tradition dating back many generations,” Pasadena’s Economic Development Director David Klug said. “This helps boost our local economy including: hotels, restaurants, rental car companies, markets and basically all businesses thrive while welcoming visitors from all over the world.”

The report highlights that visitors come for the full Los Angeles experience, with the impact of the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game resonating throughout the Greater Los Angeles area.

“It’s nice that the report acknowledges that the spending is much greater outside Pasadena than within Pasadena, not to belittle the amount spent in Pasadena. We appreciate that very much,” said Paul Little, president and CEO of Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and Civic Association.

After attending the parade and game in Pasadena, many non-local attendees ventured out to explore the region, with Downtown LA, Hollywood, and Santa Monica, Disneyland and Universal Studios being among their favorite destinations.

The Jackie Robinson statue during a celebration at the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium in honor of the legendary Jackie Robinson’s 105th birthday with tour, interactive displays, explore rare memorabilia and birthday cupcakes in Pasadena on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

“The reality is that the New Year’s events in Pasadena support a lot of local jobs in the region, not just Pasadena, but L. A. County, all the way down to Orange County and Newport Beach,” Little said.

Although it’s too soon to say that the tourism industry is back to pre-pandemic levels, the report indicates that the region is recovering.

“You can’t necessarily judge by New Year’s in Pasadena, because people plan for this well in advance,” Little said. “But I think in general, tourism has been picking up again since 2021, and I think we’re going to continue to see that.”

Compared to the Tournament of Roses’ 2018 study, which reported a combined economic impact of $198.2 million, the 2024 figure is slightly higher. However, this also reflects higher costs, Eads said.

Related Articles

“Things cost a little bit more money now than they did in 2018, so you’ve got the normal cost of living increases that you’ve seen in spending,” he said. “But again, I think it shows that we have come out of COVID, and that people do want to travel. They want to go to large, unique events, like the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl game and we’re past that shadow of the COVID pandemic.”

And one thing is clear.

“It’s always nice to remind people that Pasadena is a fun place to be on New Year’s Day, and it’s even more fun if they bring their credit cards,” Little said.

​ Orange County Register 

Angels’ Mike Trout sent for further evaluation after a setback in his rehab

• July 31, 2024

ANAHEIM — A week after Mike Trout seemed to be on the verge of returning to the Angels, it’s now unclear how much longer he’ll be out.

General Manager Perry Minasian said on Tuesday that Trout had “a setback” and was being sent for further evaluation on his left knee.

Trout had surgery in early May for a torn meniscus. The rehab time is typically one or two months, but Trout has now missed three months, with no return in sight.

“I’m not going to get into details,” Minasian said when asked to elaborate. “He had a setback.”

Trout, who turns 33 in just over a week, has now missed significant time in each of the last four seasons. Trout suffered a strained calf in 2021, a back injury in 2022, a fractured hamate in 2023 and now this knee injury. In all of those cases except for the back injury, his rehab time took significantly longer than expected.

The news came on the same day that the Angels had to place third baseman Anthony Rendon on the injured list because of back tightness.

Rendon had been out for more than two months with a torn hamstring, returning for a few weeks before the latest injury.

Minasian said “hopefully it’s a shorter-term thing,” referring to Rendon’s back.

Rendon has also missed significant time four years in a row.

“Obviously these two guys, they’ve been banged up and I understand that they’re both disappointed they both want to play,” Minasian said. “It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is. We’ll just keep going.”

The Angels called up infielder Michael Stefanic to replace Rendon one the active roster.

SETBACK FOR SILSETH

Right-hander Chase Silseth has been shut down at Triple-A to get an evaluation on his elbow, Minasian said.

Related Articles

Silseth missed a couple of months with an elbow issue earlier this season, and since returning he’s posted a 6.35 ERA in seven starts at Triple-A.

NOTES

Manager Ron Washington said right-hander Ben Joyce will get some closing opportunities now that Carlos Estévez and Luis Garcia have been traded, but he won’t necessarily be the full-time closer. Veteran right-hander Hunter Strickland could also get some chances, Washington said. …

The Angels offered third-round draft pick Ryan Prager well above the $948,000 slot value for his spot before Prager turned them down to return to Texas A&M, a source said. The Angels will get a compensation pick at the end of the third round in next year’s draft because of failing to sign Prager. They still have around $400,000 they can spend on the draft before Thursday’s deadline. Mississippi State shortstop David Mershon, their 18th-round pick, also remains unsigned.

UP NEXT

Rockies (LHP Kyle Freeland, 2-4, 6.23 ERA) at Angels (RHP Davis Daniel, 1-2, 5.82 ERA), Wednesday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM

​ Orange County Register 

This week’s bestsellers at Southern California’s independent bookstores

• July 31, 2024

The SoCal Indie Bestsellers List for the sales week ended July 28 is based on reporting from the independent booksellers of Southern California, the California Independent Booksellers Alliance and IndieBound. For an independent bookstore near you, visit IndieBound.org.

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. All Fours: Miranda July

2. The God of the Woods: Liz Moore

3. Long Island Compromise: Taffy Brodesser-Akner

4. James: Percival Everett

5. The Book of Elsewhere: Keanu Reeves, China Miéville

6. Demon Copperhead: Barbara Kingsolver

7. The Women: Kristin Hannah

8. Funny Story: Emily Henry

9. The Bright Sword: Lev Grossman

10. Sandwich: Catherine Newman

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. The Creative Act: A Way of Being: Rick Rubin

2. Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World: Anne Applebaum

3. Play a Bigger Game: Seven Universal Principles to Experience True Fulfillment and Win at Life: Markus Kaulius

4. The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir: Griffin Dunne

5. The Art of Encouragement: How to Lead Teams, Spread Love, and Serve from the Heart: Jordan Montgomery

6. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder: David Grann

7. The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality: Amanda Montell

8. The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War: Erik Larson

9. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness: Jonathan Haidt

10. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: Charlie Mackesy

MASS MARKET

1. 1984: George Orwell

2. Mistborn: The Final Empire: Brandon Sanderson

3. Fire & Blood: George R.R. Martin

4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Douglas Adams

5. Dune: Frank Herbert

6. And Then There Were None: Agatha Christie

7. The Brothers Karamazov: Fyodor Dostoyevsky

8. True Love: Thich Nhat Hanh

9. Hyperion: Dan Simmons

10. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: Agatha Christie

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

1. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow: Gabrielle Zevin

2. A Court of Thorns and Roses: Sarah J. Maas

3. The Midnight Library: Matt Haig

4. The Alchemist: Paulo Coelho

5. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: Taylor Jenkins Reid

6. Never Let Me Go: Kazuo Ishiguro

7. The Exchange: John Grisham

8. The Thursday Murder Club: Richard Osman

9. Pineapple Street: Jenny Jackson

10. Trust: Hernan Diaz

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

1. Hillbilly Elegy: J.D. Vance

2. The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession: Michael Finkel

3. All About Love: New Visions: bell hooks

4. The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017: Rashid Khalidi

5. Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir: Dolly Alderton

6. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI: David Grann

7. The Artist’s Way: 30th Anniversary Edition: Julia Cameron

8. Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted: Suleika Jaouad

9. Crying in H Mart: A Memoir: Michelle Zauner

10. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life: Anne Lamott

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Andy Benesh, Miles Partain looking to end U.S. men’s beach volleyball medal drought

• July 31, 2024

PARIS – For Andy Benesh and Miles Partain, the road to Centre Court at the Eiffel Tower Stadium and the Olympic Games beach volleyball competition is marked by a series of missed exits.

“We’ll start talking about volleyball when we’re driving and we’ll get so into the conversation,” Benesh said, “that before we realize it, we’ve missed our exit.

“That’s happened multiple times.”

Benesh and Partain stayed on course to advance to the Round of 16 in what Partain has called “the Games of a lifetime” with a 21-12, 28-26 win against Morocco’s Mohammed Abicha and Zouheir Elgraoui Tuesday afternoon as temperatures reached the upper 90s.

“I think we were ready for a three-set battle if it went there (but) it’s always nice to get it done in two,” Benesh said.

The Americans needed just 19 minutes to dispatch Abicha and Elgraoui in the first set. But the Moroccans hung tough through a second set that was extended on a controversial ruling following a video review of what initially appeared to be match point for Team USA.

The video review concluded that Benesh’s arm touched the net on what appeared to be a match-winning block.

“I am almost positive the ball came off my arm and then took the top of the tape,” Benesh said. “I was trying to re-challenge it and try to get a different angle because I am positive that I did not touch the net.

“But it happens, they are doing the best they can and there are some optical illusions where maybe it looks like I did (hit the net).

“It’s pretty easy to roll over when stuff like that happens but Miles was supporting me and I think I did a good job of staying in the moment.”

With Cuba beating both Benesh and Partain and Brazil’s George Souto Maior Wanderly and Andre Loyola Stein in its first two matches, Thursday’s match between the U.S. and the Brazilians, the bronze medalists at the 2022 World Championships, will likely decide which team advances to the Round of 16 with the second spot out of Group D.

The U.S. men haven’t won a beach volleyball Olympic medal since 2008.

“The rest of the world has gotten really good at beach volleyball since the last time we won a medal,” Benesh said.

But Benesh and Partain’s fifth place finish at last year’s World Championships suggest the Southern California natives are headed in the right direction.

“It was big,” Benesh said. “We shot up really quick last year. It’s sort of crazy to think about the trajectory we took last year. I think at Worlds it wasn’t too unexpected but taking a step back it’s pretty cool to get fifth at World Champs.”

The pair also had six top 10 finishes on the Beach Pro Tour in 2023 including winning the Gstaad tournament and finishing second in Montreal.

Dain Blanton, who won the Olympic beach gold medal with Eric Fonoimoana in 2000, calls Benesh, 29, “one of the best blockers in the world.”

“Definitely a force to be reckoned with,” Blanton said.

Partain is the best young American beach talent in years. At 22, Partain is the youngest U.S. beach player ever to compete in an Olympic Games, breaking the record of 23 years, 48 days set by Misty May-Treanor at Sydney 2000.

PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 30: Andrew Benesh of Team United States looks on during the Men’s Preliminary Phase – Pool D match against Team Morocco on day four of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Eiffel Tower Stadium on July 30, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Benesh grew up on the Palos Verdes Peninsula where he is remembered as a standout athlete and student at Silver Spur Elementary and Palos Verdes Intermediate School. He focused on volleyball at Palos Verdes High School after getting cut from the basketball team for as he put it, being “too short and scrawny.”

It was at Palos Verdes High Benesh met Cole Fiers. The two bonded over volleyball.

“We played backyard grass volleyball all the time,” Benesh said.

Benesh grew to be 6-feet-8 and as Fiers headed off to Stanford, Benesh stayed closer to home at USC. After USC he played half a professional indoor season in Lausanne, Switzerland, before back injuries sent him home.

“I thought I would get a normal big boy job,” he said, “but it took a different course.”

Benesh was living at home with his parents while starting out as a financial advisor.

“And I was not a very good salesman,” he said laughing. “A lot of rejection.”

Nine months into the job, Fiers called and asked him to play in a qualifying tournament for an AVP event.

“I was working 12 hours a day. We had a tracker system. We had to cold call 300 people a day,” Benesh said. “Living at home in RPV. It was all on commission and being a bad salesman, I wasn’t really getting paid anything. I know that beach volleyball players don’t make a lot of money but I’m not making a lot of money doing this so I might as well try it.”

Benesh first spotted Partain, when he was playing beach while still at Palisades High School. Partain was just 15, when playing alongside older brother Marcus, then 17, he became the youngest player to make the main draw of an AVP Tour.

Partain was an All-American as a UCLA sophomore but left the Bruins 10 matches into the 2023 season to pursue the beach game, joining Benesh.

“He kept getting better and better every year,” Benesh said of Partain. “It was kind of a no brainer to try and get him. He was the best defender and the World tour is really young too. So he had the youth and the athleticism and physicality. Definitely more modern playing style than a lot of other American players.”

Related Articles

Partain and Benesh in October 2022 in Dubai became the first American players to win on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour, the successor to the FIVB World Tour, and the first men’s team on the tour to win after going through qualifying.

“We feel really close,” Benesh said. “We spend a lot of time together. Miles has become a really good friend. And that’s a huge blessing. There are a lot of teams where the partners don’t enjoy spending time together. It’s almost 50 percent of the chemistry. You have the on-court chemisty and the off-court chemistry and they kind of bleed into each other sometimes.

“We’ve gone through a lot together. But a lot of good and but some harder times. But we’ve been there for each other so it’s been a blessing to have him on my team.”

​ Orange County Register