UFC 307: Alex Pereira beats Khalil Rountree Jr. to retain light heavyweight crown

• October 6, 2024

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Alex Pereira retained the UFC light heavyweight crown by beating Khalil Rountree Jr. by TKO with 28 seconds left in the fourth round at UFC 307 on Saturday night.

It was the fourth straight title bout for Pereira (12-2) and his third consecutive successful title defense.

“You knew it was going to be a badass fight,” UFC CEO Dana White said.

Rountree (14-6) showcased his speed early and delivered several hard strikes. At one point, in the second round, he ducked under a roundhouse kick and countered with a strong hook to the face. But Pereira showed more accuracy and consistency in landing blows during the early rounds.

Stamina favored Pereira in the fourth round. He found his range and timing and put Rountree on his heels. Pereira forced him to repeatedly cover his face to block strikes and eventually backed him against the fence. He rained blows on Rountree and dropped him to his knees, leading the referee to stop the fight.

“When (Pereira) started calf kicking him, he was destroying that leg,” White said. “He was having trouble putting pressure on it and he was having trouble with his punching power, his movement, everything. He systematically just started picking him apart.”

Pereira’s victory headlined five main card fights on Saturday night.

Julianna Peña defeated Raquel Pennington via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) to reclaim the women’s bantamweight crown in a bout billed as the co-main event. Peña originally held the crown after defeating Amanda Nunes at UFC 269 in 2021 and then lost it to Nunes in a rematch at UFC 277 in 2022.

Peña (13-5) fought her first UFC bout in two years. She was originally scheduled to challenge Nunes for the title again at UFC 289 but pulled out a month before the fight after suffering broken ribs during training. The loss snapped a five-fight winning streak for Pennington (16-10) extending back to 2020.

“I am the true Ultimate Fighter,” said Peña, referencing how both fighters competed on Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter TV show earlier in their careers. “I am the last woman standing.”

Peña dominated the early rounds. She dragged Pennington to the canvas in the second and scored a repeat takedown after sweeping her leg in the third. Both times, Pennington struggled to free herself from her grasp.

Pennington briefly shifted momentum with a fourth-round knockdown off a vicious right hook. She was the better striker through five rounds, but it wasn’t enough to prevail.

“I know that I am tough,” Peña said. “I know that I am durable, and I know that I’m never out of the fight. I’m never going to give up on myself, so you’re literally going to have to kill me in there to get me to stop.”

Kayla Harrison defeated Ketlen Vieira by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in the other women’s bantamweight bout. Harrison (18-1) made a big statement while outlasting Vieira (14-4), who entered the bout as the No. 2 ranked bantamweight fighter. She bulldozed Vieira to the canvas in the first round and again in the third and kept her shoulders pinned to the floor in the third round until the final horn.

The win opens a door for Harrison, ranked No. 3 before the bout, to challenge Peña for the title. She has made a steady climb since becoming an MMA fighter after winning a pair of Olympic gold medals in judo for Team USA in 2012 and 2016.

Roman Dolidze (14-3) beat Kevin Holland by TKO in the middleweight bout, his sixth victory in eight bouts. Holland (26-12) bowed out before the start of the second round after suffering a rib injury and walked away with a loss for the third time in his last four bouts.

Mario Bautista (15-2) prevailed over Jose Aldo by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) in the men’s bantamweight bout to earn his seventh straight victory. Bautista pressured Aldo (32-9) with relentless attacks over three rounds. But he also pinned the former UFC featherweight champ against the cage for long stretches and the split decision favoring Bautista earned boos from the Delta Center crowd.

White heavily criticized the judging in multiple bouts.

“I thought the judging tonight was atrocious,” White said. “It was like I was in a boxing match in Ireland tonight.”

Carla Esparza lost a unanimous decision to Tecia Pennington, 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 and announced her retirement after the match, while expressing that she didn’t agree with the judges.

UFC reported a live gate of $5 million, second highest grossing event at the Delta Center trailing only UFC 291 in 2023. The event drew 17,487 fans.

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UFC 307: Carla Esparza has something to prove in retirement fight

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​ Orange County Register 

Swanson: There’s real upside for the Dodgers at the bottom of order

• October 6, 2024

LOS ANGELES – Buttom’s up, Dodger fans.

You have something to celebrate! A playoff win.

Saturday’s 7-5 victory over the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the National League Division Series snapped a six-game playoff losing streak and put the Dodgers back in the postseason win column for the first time since Oct. 11, 2022.

For that, you can thank Shohei Ohtani. And Will Smith, Gavin Lux, Tommy Edman and Miguel Rojas.

Together, those guys at the bottom of the Dodgers’ order ran the club’s most effective play: Put runners on base for Ohtani, L.A.’s leadoff man.

“Everybody really contributed today,” said Ohtani, the Dodgers’ $700 million 50/50 man, who went 2 for 5, scored twice and drove in three runs on a second-inning screamer into the right-field pavilion.

The runners he drove in: No. 6 hitter Smith (who’d walked) and No. 7 Lux (who’d singled).

“The entire team,” Ohtani stressed, “including the bullpen, especially.”

And sure, Shohei, the Dodgers’ relay team of relievers deserve praise for keeping the Padres’ potent offense off the board from the fourth inning on.

Everyone would be having a much different conversation – like, “Can you believe the Dodgers are paying Yoshinobu Yamamoto $325 million to give up five earned runs in three innings in his first playoff start? In this economy?!’ – if the Dodgers pitchers behind him hadn’t penned such a successful response.

And also if the bottom of the order hadn’t come through at the plate like they did, combining to score four of the Dodgers’ runs and reaching base in 6 of their 16 plate appearances.

It felt like a game that was, in recent NBA parlance, akin to “The Lonnie Walker Game,” or the Lakers’ Game 4 win against the Golden State Warriors a couple years ago, when a reserve guard exploded for 15 incredibly meaningful fourth-quarter points to help the Lakers take a 3-1 lead in their second-round Western Conference playoff series.

Great teams don’t waste those sorts of efforts, those clutch and necessary performances from unlikely heroes. Those big games that take some pressure off of the superstars who carry so much of the burden at the top of the order.

To beat San Diego on Saturday, the Dodgers didn’t need fireworks from Mookie Betts, who went 0-2 but was gifted a pair of intentional walks, including a curious free pass with the count 2-and-2.

They didn’t need Freddie Freeman to strain his sprained ankle any more than he already was in a willful 2-for-5 outing.

Because it was Smith, Lux, Edman and Rojas applying the pressure.

They worked Padres starter Dylan Cease for 22 pitches before Ohtani came up in the second inning. And Edman caught the Padres unaware with a bunt single in the fourth, when he’d scored on a wild pitch. And Lux did it in the field too, snagging Luis Arráez’s liner at second base to help the Dodgers preserve a two-run lead in the top of the ninth.

“When you see a guy like (starting pitcher Dylan) Cease, who has really big stuff, to be able to grind at-bats, that’s the hard part,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “To be able to take walks, we did that all night. Got the pitch count up, got him out of the game, got looks at some guys – that’s a credit to our guys.”

And maybe we ought to give those guys deep in the order more credit?

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In the Dodgers’ last two regular-season victories over the Padres, the batters hitting in the final four spots combined to collect eight hits, three walks and to score eight runs.

If those guys at the bottom of the order can keep feeding, can keep feasting, well … all the Dodgers’ starting pitching problems wouldn’t seem quite so stark. And all their stressing and pressing star hitters won’t have to set the tone, but just join in on the fun.

Talk about upside.

​ Orange County Register 

High school football: Orange County’s Week 6 stat leaders and top performers

• October 6, 2024

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

The top performances from the Orange County high school football games in Week 6.

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

WEEK 6 LEADERS

Passing yards

Alex Lundsberg, Canyon                 491

Tommy Acosta, Capistrano Valley   390

Tank Britton, Bolsa Grande              275

Jack McKelvy, El Toro                     267

Cash O’Byrne, Tesoro                     261

Jake Meer, Newport Harbor            239

Cullen Doyle, Brea Olinda               231

Noah Nam, Beckman                      229

Jackson Kollock, Laguna Beach     226

Xzavior Guess, El Modena              224

D. D’epifanio, Crean Lutheran         206

Carter Vestermark, Aliso Niguel      203

TJ Lateef, Orange Lutheran            202

Rudy Alcala, Troy                            188

Nate Richie, Capo Valley Christian  188

Brady Edmunds, Huntington Bch    174

Timmy Herr, San Juan Hills             167

Vanden Dugger, Dana Hills              163

Hopkins, JSerra                               162

Tristan Zale, Trabuco Hills               156

Annett, Corona del Mar                    138

Aiden Gomez, Loara                        134

Beierly, Mater Dei                             130

Fahey, Mission Viejo                         118

John Gazzaniga, Santa Margarita    110

Trudeau, Mission Viejo                     106

Andrew Waiss, Costa Mesa               97

Landon Pompey, Trabuco Hills          86

Nash Luper, Portola                           86

James Gonzalez, Santiago                79

K. Edmundson, Cypress                    70

Rushing yards

Makya Chee, El Toro                           383

Quaid Carr, Servite                              184

Jeff Brown, Estancia                            180

Ethan Mundt, Troy                               173

Noah Tagaloa, Segerstrom                  172

Taurian Nash, Crean Lutheran             170

Lilomaiava, Mission Viejo                     170

Davison, Mater Dei                              155

Elijah Ayala, San Juan Hills                 145

Chavez, Orange Lutheran                   128

Nathan Aeves, Brea Olinda                 124

Mario Carbajal, Santiago                     120

Carter Vestermark, Aliso Niguel           115

Nic Brubaker, Tesoro                            112

Curtis, Mission Viejo                             109

Xzavior Guess, El Modena                  108

Joseph Torres, Saddleback                 100

Redley Geiss, Dana Hills                       95

Gouvion, Foothill                                    92

Diego Reyna, Portola                             85

M. Czaykowski, Beckman                      81

Brodie Hitchens, El Modena                  76

Andrew Waiss, Costa Mesa                  75

James Gonzalez, Santiago                   73

TJ Lateef, Orange Lutheran                  69

Gavin Gutierrez, Servite                        67

Cade Miller, Brea Olinda                       65

Logan Rosales, Segerstrom                  64

Aidan Tran, Beckman                            63

Fahey, Mission Viejo                             60

Receiving yards

Alex Kiernan, Trabuco Hills                 173

Luke Doyle, El Toro                             173

Marc Navarro, Bolsa Grande               155

Max Krosky, Capo Valley Christian      135

Hudson Campbell, Capistrano Valley  128

Troy Foster, Huntington Beach            127

K. Rommelfanger, Canyon                   126

Noah Czaykowski, Beckman               125

Hayden Salyards, Canyon                   122

Drew Deese, Crean Lutheran              120

Vander Ploog, Troy                              108

C. Schamel, Tesoro                             103

Talon Spencer, Capistrano Valley        102

Steel Kurtz, Huntington Beach               98

Cade Fegel, Newport Harbor                 98

Dane Malloy, Aliso Niguel                      96

Sammy Stremick, Newport Harbor        91

Garrett, Corona del Mar                        90

Samuel Jackett, El Modena                   89

Kaden Hunter, Capistrano Valley           86

Luke Jolley, Laguna Beach                    85

Ia, Orange Lutheran                               83

Larry Bravo, Santiago                            78

Bell, Mission Viejo                                 73

Sean Embree Jr., Santa Margarita        72

Tanner Silber, Tesoro                             71

Deron Taylor, El Modena                        70

Noah McClary, Canyon                          70

Nicholas Cervantes, Segerstrom           69

Flores, Orange Lutheran                        69

Dylan Prochnow, Canyon                       68

Connor Smith, El Modena                      62

Brady Stringham, Laguna Beach           62

M. Schuerger, Canyon                           61

Mekaih Felix, Cypress                            60

Tackles

J. Castner Cortinas, Estancia                 13

Thompson Foulger, Dana Hills               13

Davis Post, Newport Harbor                   13

Carlos Vasquez, Estancia                       12

M. Baya, Bolsa Grande                           12

Tony Glynn, Newport Harbor                   11

Glenn Baranoski, Newport Harbor          11

Onassis Lim, Yorba Linda                       10

Julian Muro, Estancia                              10

Weston Port, San Juan Hills                    10

Caleb Quiroz, Troy                                   10

Anthony Jones, Crean Lutheran               10

Devon Costic, El Toro                               10

Andrew Medina, Loara                              9

Greg Blomdahl, San Juan Hills                  9

Maxwell Mapstone, Portola                        9

Kaden Orosz, Portola                                 9

Isaiah Leilua, Servite                                  9

Tomas Cernius, Servite                              9

M. McCullough, Crean Lutheran                9

Akillies Segura, El Toro                              9

A. Maldonado, Yorba Linda                       8

Raddux Moscoso, Trabuco Hills                8

S. Montes De Oca, Bolsa Grande             8

F. Angeles, Bolsa Grande                          8

J. Hernandez, Bolsa Grande                     8

C. Cortez, Saddleback                               8

Aaron Nicasio, Crean Lutheran                  8

Jaden Williams, Mission Viejo                    8

Jaxon Smith, Newport Harbor                    8

Luke Anderson, Santa Margarita                8

Arlo De La Best, El Toro                             8

​ Orange County Register 

USC falls in grueling Big Ten battle with Minnesota

• October 6, 2024

MINNEAPOLIS – The sun crept beneath the city-line, a natural glow painting a gold-coated crowd of thousands, the Minnesota fans taking up their rallying cry a half-mile from the roar of the Mississippi.

Row! Row! Row! 

And the Golden Gophers swayed to P.J. Fleck’s anthem, took the field stocky and patient, and the pace of USC’s Saturday night Big Ten road battle promptly slowed to a paddle. There were no downfield shots as the clock ticked into the second half, the wind sharp and brittle, USC quarterback Miller Moss sensing a deliberate Minnesota plan to limit his program’s possessions. The days of a freewheeling Pac-12 After Dark were long gone: this was Big Ten Nightmare Hours, a clock-drain-slog in the same type of game USC lost to Michigan two weeks ago.

Of course, if Riley made one thing clear last week after a win over Wisconsin — there was never a day he didn’t feel his program could buck up in the Big Ten.

“Like, we knew we could compete,” Riley said, then. “Now, you gotta go win.”

They lost. Again.

They lost, 24-17, in a brutal late collapse where a much-improved defense was simply run into the ground by the patience of Minnesota running back Darius Taylor. They lost, as Riley, Moss and USC’s offense shot themselves in the foot repeatedly, three drives into opposing territory coming up fruitless. And they lost, just the same as they’d fallen to Michigan, on another late-down stand where a push came just shy and hearts broke on USC’s sideline.

“Came down to just inches, right there at the end,” Riley said postgame. “We’ve had a couple of those. And that’s the frustrating thing for our team right now. I mean, we’re two plays away from probably being 5-0.”

With 57 seconds left in a grueling ballgame tied 17-17, Fleck dumped his chips on the table, sending his offense back onto the field from the 1-yard line on a fourth down rather than opt for a field goal. Quarterback Max Brosmer, who’d snuck his way in for two rushing touchdowns already, took a snap and dove in with a Tush Push behind him, bodies of Minnesota brown and USC white collapsing upon each other.

The ballgame – and, potentially, USC’s (3-2, 1-2 Big Ten) College Football Playoff hopes – froze in time. As referees reviewed the call, two sidelines dueled in body-language.

Minnesota, and a vibrating Fleck, held their hands skywards in a T.

USC, and furiously-gesturing linebackers coach Matt Entz, pointed arms toward the other end zone, far away from doom.

The loudspeaker boomed.

“After review,” a referee proclaimed, “it is a touchdown.”

And the night sky ripped open with red fireworks, and Huntington Bank Stadium shook, and a minute and a last-gasp USC drive later a sea of yellow rushed the Minnesota turf in a massive upset of 11th-ranked USC.

In the postgame presser, a reporter attempted to ask defensive lineman Jamil Muhammad if he felt Minnesota had crossed the plane. As Muhammad scoffed, slightly, Riley threw up his hand, telling the reporter “Don’t ask him that” and “next question.”

“Who cares what he says on that,” Riley continued, throwing up his hands in the middle of said next question. “Like, what, player’s opinion? Let’s ask a more professional question.”

He continued on to shrug, largely, at a later question about how USC would move on to next week against seventh-ranked Penn State, saying, “This is what we do.” But Saturday night will haunt USC, much more deeply than a valiant effort that came up short against Michigan, falling to a now-3-3 Minnesota program (1-2 Big Ten) as the Trojans’ pathway to a College Football Playoff gets squeezed.

Their own mistakes – again, the theme of a season regardless of win or loss – did them in. First came another slow offensive start, USC moving on their first drive only for a Moss third-down ball to hit off wide-open sophomore Zachariah Branch’s helmet. Second came a loose fumble at the end of a 21-yard Quinten Joyner run in the second quarter, USC down 10-7 to Minnesota and moving. Third, and most costly, came in one momentum-killing third-quarter brutality as Miller Moss hit the turf again with another turnover not of his own accord.

USC’s offensive line has seemed a problem area for months, ever since the program did little to add to a thin tackle group after Riley admitted in the spring that USC’s depth there was a slight “concern.” Left tackle Elijah Paige had struggled through growing pains for weeks, and Mason Murphy had shown flashes but was beaten a few too many times by Big Ten defensive ends. And in the fourth quarter up 17-10, with a chance to virtually put the game away on a third-and-four from Minnesota’s 35, Moss dropped back to pass in an another attempt to orchestrate an offense that had converted gutsy third down after gutsy third down.

He cocked. And just as he fired, Minnesota’s Jah Joyner –who’d dusted Murphy off the edge – walloped him, the ball flying from Moss’s hands directly into the arms of Golden Gophers linebacker Devon Williams.

After the game, Riley was asked directly if he still had confidence in the personnel on USC’s offensive line.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Riley responded. “Like, we moved the ball at will tonight. I mean, it was, again, you just can’t have those turnovers down there.”

It gave Minnesota life, and killed USC. Three minutes later, a bending USC defense broke to the continued behind-his-blockers patience of Minnesota’s Darius Taylor, and Brosmer finished off a drive on a keeper to tie the game. USC could manage but a feeble three-and-out to respond. And then came the backbreaker, a second chance at fourth-down redemption ending in a second heartbreak, and USC’s players slunk into the tunnel a few minutes later with a mucky road ahead.

Taylor finished with 144 yards on 25 carries for Minnesota. Marks had 134 yards on 20 carries for USC. Moss finished 23-of-38 for 200 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, one a deep shot to the end zone with 15 seconds left that sealed the game.

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​ Orange County Register 

LAFC shuts out Sporting KC

• October 6, 2024

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Teenage rookie David Martínez scored early, Denis Bouanga had two assists, and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris earned his league-leading 14th clean sheet of the season as Los Angeles FC breezed to a 3-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.

Martínez took a pass from Denis Bouanga in the 14th minute and scored for the fourth time this season to give LAFC (17-8-7) the lead for good. Martínez was making his third start and 15th appearance.

Cristian Olivera found the net for the sixth time, scoring in the first minute of stoppage time to give LAFC a two-goal advantage at halftime. Bouanga notched his career-high 11th assist of the campaign on the goal and Timothy Tillman added his career-best sixth.

Defender Aaron Long found the net in the 69th minute to complete the scoring. It was Long’s first goal since he scored four for the New York Red Bulls in 2022. Fellow defender Eddie Segura snagged his first assist this season and his first since he had two for the club in 2021.

Hugo Lloris totaled four saves in his shutout effort for LAFC.

Tim Melia saved one shot for Sporting KC (8-18-7).

LAFC will travel to play the Vancouver Whitecaps next Saturday before hosting the San Jose Earthquakes for a Decision Day match on Oct. 19 to close out the regular season.

Sporting KC will end its season with a road match against FC Dallas on Oct. 19.

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​ Orange County Register 

Verdugo lifts Yankees over Royals in ALDS Game 1

• October 6, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Verdugo hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning and saved at least one run with a sliding catch along the left-field line, boosting the New York Yankees over the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Saturday night in their AL Division Series opener.

New York’s Gleyber Torres and Kansas City’s MJ Melendez hit two-run homers in a back-and-forth game in which the Royals wasted leads of 1-0, 3-2 and 5-4 and the Yankees failed to hold 2-1 and 4-3 margins. It was the first postseason game with five lead changes, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Kansas City pitchers tied their season high with eight walks, forcing in a pair of runs in the fifth inning. The Yankees were just 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position before Verdugo lined a single off loser Michael Lorenzen.

Verdugo’s hit scored Jazz Chisholm Jr., who singled leading off and stole second on a play allowed to stand following a video review. Yankees manager Aaron Boone started Verdugo in left over rookie Jasson Domínguez in a defense-influenced decision. Verdugo entered the game in a 2-for-34 skid at the plate

With the Yankees trailing 3-2, Verdugo made a sliding catch on Michael Massey’s fourth-inning fly just inside the line to strand two runners. The ball hit Verdugo’s right wrist just below his glove and bounced off his chest before he grabbed it with his bare left hand.

Chisholm, playing third base this year for the first time after the Yankees acquired him from Miami at the July trade deadline, made three fine defensive plays, two with the help of first baseman Oswaldo Cabrera, starting because of Anthony Rizzo’s fractured fingers.

Four Yankees relievers combined to allow only an unearned run over four innings after ace Gerrit Cole came out, unhappy with his performance. Clay Holmes, dropped from his closer’s job last month, worked 1 2/3 innings for the win. Luke Weaver got four straight outs for the save in his postseason debut.

Yankees star Aaron Judge went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, and Royals standout Bobby Witt Jr. was 0 for 5, barking at plate umpire Adam Hamari after a called third strike in the ninth.

Juan Soto went 3 for 5 and threw out Salvador Perez in the second inning trying to score from second on Melendez’s single to right. Kansas City first baseman Yuli Gurriel threw out runners at the plate on grounders in the first and fifth.

After a day off between Games 1 and 2, the series between the AL-best Yankees and wild-card Royals resumes Monday night. These teams met in four playoffs from 1976-80, with the Yankees winning the first three and getting swept in the last.

Cole allowed four runs — three earned — and seven hits in five-plus innings. Royals starter Michael Wacha gave up three runs, four hits and three walks in four-plus innings.

Tommy Pham hit a second-inning sacrifice fly, and Torres put the Yankees ahead 2-1 in the third with a 339-foot home run just over the right-field short porch.

Melendez’s two-run homer in the fourth gave Kansas City a 3-2 lead, but Royals pitchers issued four seven-pitch walks in the fifth, forcing in runs with walks by Angel Zerpa to Austin Wells and by John Schreiber to Anthony Volpe. The Yankees had not gotten a pair of bases-loaded walks in a postseason game since Bullet Joe Bush and Joe Dugan against the New York Giants’ Rosy Ryan in Game 6 of the 1923 World Series.

Volpe’s throwing error at shortstop set up pinch-hitter Garrett Hampson’s two-run, sixth-inning single through a drawn-in infield that put the Royals ahead 5-4. Wells’ two-out RBI single off Lorenzen tied the score in the bottom half.

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UP NEXT

New York’s Carlos Rodón (16-9, 3.96 ERA) starts against the Royals’ Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.14) in a matchup of left-handers. Rodón made a pair of postseason appearances for the Chicago White Sox, in relief against Oakland in 2020 and a start against Houston in 2021 which he pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing Carlos Correa’s go-ahead, two-run double. Ragans won the Wild Card Series opener at Baltimore on Tuesday with six scoreless innings of four-hit ball.

​ Orange County Register 

Southern California events mark the 1-year anniversary of Hamas attack on Israel and war in Gaza

• October 6, 2024

Several protests and rallies marking Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the ongoing war in Gaza have been planned in Southern California for this weekend and the days ahead.

Thousands of people gathered at Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon to protest the year-long war in Gaza and call for a ceasefire. Oct. 5 also was promoted as an international day of action for those across the globe protesting an end to what they described as Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.

The LA protesters called for an arms embargo against Israel as they marched through the downtown streets chanting for a “Free Palestine” and  “Money for jobs and education, not for wars and occupation.”

While many of those marking the anniversaries want to see peace in the region, the FBI has issued a warning of possible increased violence in upcoming days.

“As we mark one year since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East calls for vigilance by the FBI, our law enforcement partners, and members of the public,” the FBI said in a news release. “It is essential to be watchful for threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities and institutions and to immediately contact law enforcement to report any suspicious activity.”

At USC, where campus-wide protests led to the cancellation of the all-university commencement ceremony in May, the school’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine is staging a walkout at 11:30 a.m. Monday morning.

That evening, Jewish student organization Hillel is hosting a commemoration of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, where Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 people hostage. More than 100 hostages remain in Gaza.

There will be speeches, music and prayers, with an expected 200 people in attendance, according to David Carlisle, chief of USC’s Department of Public Safety.

“We’re going to be fully staffed and we also worked in partnership with LAPD, who’s going to have additional staff around the university, and we’ve increased our patrols over our houses of worship in the campus community,” Carlisle said.

Israel’s retaliation against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry there.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, California, was planning a news conference to address the ongoing conflict.

“We hope to do something that takes us into recognizing the root cause of the issue we’re dealing with, so we’re not just mourning one event after the other,” Enjy El-Kadi of the Council’s California chapter said. “We’re tired, we’re emotionally tired, and enough is enough.”

Other protests and demonstrations were scheduled for the weekend leading up to Oct. 7.

On Sunday,  Inland Empire CODEPINK, Ontario United for Liberation, and Redlands 4 Palestine are gathering for a Day of Remembrance.

“The event marks one year since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza, highlighting the lack of action by the U.S. government,” the news release said. “As the coalition reflects on the past year, they emphasized the urgency of building a stronger, more unified community within the Inland Empire.”

The event will be held in Ontario at 1 p.m., though an exact location had not been announced as of Saturday.

And the group Jewish Voice for Peace is planning to host a ceremony on Sunday at Echo Park Lake, where attendees will participate in Tashlich, “a powerful new year’s ritual designed for individual and collective reflection, repair and recommitment to our higher selves” by symbolically casting stones into the water.

That group is also calling for a ceasefire and for the U.S. to stop selling weapons to Israel.

Israeli military officials have said they try to minimize harm to civilians in Gaza, and that Hamas is to blame for using civilians as human shields by storing weapons under homes and businesses and launching rockets from residential areas. Hamas has denied that.

​ Orange County Register 

Bob Baffert, Martin Garcia ring up another big win at Santa Anita

• October 6, 2024

ARCADIA – The skills of jockey Martin Garcia and trainer Bob Baffert have combined to produce victories in some of America’s biggest races over the past 15 years.

With the addition of a little luck, they ended up in the Santa Anita winner’s circle together again Saturday, posing for pictures with Citizen Bull after the 2-year-old’s front-running victory in the $300,000, Grade I American Pharoah Stakes.

As Baffert tells the story, Garcia, who has been riding in Kentucky, phoned just to say hello on the morning that entries were being drawn for the American Pharoah and other races on a card full of races with implications for next month’s Breeders’ Cup. As it happened, Baffert had more horses than available jockeys for the American Pharoah and the $200,000, Grade II Oak Leaf Stakes. And here was the answer to his problem.

“I go, ‘Hey, I’m glad you called. What are you doing Saturday?’ ” Baffert said. “He said, ‘Nothing! I’m there.’”

Citizen Bull (who paid $8.60) scored his second win in three starts and his first stakes win the 1 1/16-mile American Pharoah by two lengths over Getaway Car and Juan Hernandez, with McKinzie Street and Kazushi Kimura nearly six lengths farther back in third.

Citizen Bull and Getaway Car are both trained by Baffert and owned by a partnership headed by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables, and Baffert also had fourth-place Emerald Bay in the American Pharoah.

The winner, a son of Into Mischief, is Baffert’s and Garcia’s first Grade I winner together since 2020, but joins a long list that includes Bayern in the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic, Lookin At Lucky in the 2010 Preakness, and New Year’s Day in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

The $2 million Juvenile, on the first day of the Nov. 1-2 Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar, is the next target for Citizen Bull and presumably Getaway Car, while Baffert also has Del Mar Futurity winner Gaming, with whom the trainer opted to skip the American Pharoah.

The Del Mar race was a disappointment for Citizen Bull’s connections. He finished third as a 13-10 favorite after dropping back to sixth with Mike Smith riding. Smith was away Saturday, taking mounts at Keeneland.

“I always say things happen for a reason,” Baffert said of the chance reconnection with Garcia.

Said Garcia: “He (Baffert) just told me, ‘Let him run how he wants to run, and you will take a picture today.’ And that’s exactly how it came out.”

It was Baffert’s 13th win in the American Pharoah.

Earlier Saturday, the Hall of Fame trainer won the $200,000, Grade II Oak Leaf Stakes for 2-year-old fillies for the 13th time as Non Compliant ($4) and Hernandez led a Baffert trifecta with early leaders Nooni and Tenma finishing a game second and a weakening third.

Garcia rode Nooni, after Hernandez had chosen Non Compliant, and Baffert was especially pleased with the improved effort by the $1.8 million filly whose previous start was a green fifth-place finish behind Tenma in the Del Mar Debutante.

“At least she tried today,” Baffert said of Nooni. “She’s very skittish, for some reason. She’s getting better.”

In between Baffert’s stakes wins with 2-year-olds, it was a day of upsets amid mid-90s temperatures that prompted Santa Anita to shorten pre-race exposure to the heat by having jockeys mount up in the shade of the saddling enclosure instead of the walking ring.

Two of California’s best fillies saw winning streaks ended emphatically by Phil D’Amato-trained opponents.

Three-year-old Iscreamuscream cornered badly and finished fourth at 3-2 odds behind D’Amato’s Hang the Moon ($21.80) and Kimura in the $200,000, Grade II Rodeo Drive Stakes at 1 1/4 on turf.

Four-year-old sprinter Sweet Azteca led early but faded to fourth and last at 1-10 odds behind D’Amato’s One Magic Philly ($9.60) and Antonio Fresu in the $100,000, Grade III Chillingworth Stakes.

Both beaten favorites’ jockeys said their horses seemed OK physically after those races.

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The long-shot winner of the day was Pali Kitten ($29.80) in the $100,000 Speakeasy Stakes at 5 furlongs on turf. Rallied by Kimura from last early in a field of four 2-year-olds, Doug O’Neill-trained Pali Kitten beat slow-starting Smash It by a neck as front-running favorite Dreamaway faded to third.

Sunday, the second and last weekend of Breeders’ Cup prep races at Santa Anita concludes with D’Amato-trained 2-year-olds favored in two Grade III stakes on turf, Iron Man Cal in the $100,000 Zuma Beach and Thought Process in the $100,000 Surfer Girl.

​ Orange County Register