Christian Walker’s power show at Dodger Stadium continues

• July 5, 2024

LOS ANGELES – Years from now, fans will be able to say they saw Babe Ruth play at Dodger Stadium. It’s just that he was wearing No. 53 for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Christian Walker seems to be channeling the Bambino every time he steps into the batters’ box at Dodger Stadium. He hit two home runs again Thursday night as the Diamondbacks beat the Dodgers 9-3 to take two out of three games in the series.

Walker hit five home runs in the series – one on Tuesday, two each in Diamondbacks wins on Wednesday and Thursday.

But Walker’s Ruthian exploits at Dodger Stadium are not just a brief residency. He seems to have a mortgage on the place.

He has hit nine home runs in nine games against the Dodgers this season including seven in six games at Dodger Stadium. In 42 career games at Chavez Ravine, Walker has 19 home runs.

When the Dodgers intentionally walked Walker in his third time up Thursday, it drew applause from the home fans who had tired of watching their team touch a hot stove.

Walker is a potential free agent this winter – a free agency Dodgers fans might want to track as zealously as Shohei Ohtani’s “flight” to Toronto last winter in hopes that Walker signs with a team that makes less frequent visits to Los Angeles.

Walker’s five home runs on this visit covered a combined 2007 feet.Thursday’s starter Landon Knack was the only pitcher victimized twice.

And the mistakes ran the gamut – one slider (from Bobby Miller on Tuesday), one changeup (from Knack in the third inning Thursday) and three fastballs ranging from Ryan Yarbrough’s 87-mph version (in the fourth inning Wednesday) to Knack’s 94-mph offering (in the first inning Thursday) to Michael Petersen’s 95-mph version (in the ninth inning Wednesday).

If Knack kept the tradition alive by giving up the homers to Walker, he also continued a more recent trend from Dodgers’ starters.

In six games since Gavin Stone’s complete-game shutout in Chicago, Dodgers’ starting pitchers have allowed 25 runs in 24 innings on 39 hits and 11 walks. Only one of them (Miller on Tuesday) completed five innings.

Not coincidentally, the Dodgers are 3-3 over those six games.

Walker’s homers and another solo shot by Joc Pederson put the Diamondbacks up 4-0 after three innings but the Dodgers responded with a three-run burst in the fourth inning. Singles by Andy Pages and Miguel Vargas (who entered the game when Jason Heyward left after two innings with left knee pain) and a walk of Chris Taylor loaded the bases with one out. One run scored on a ground out and Austin Barnes drove in two more with a single.

The Diamondbacks added a run in the fifth inning and blew it open with xxx in the ninth.

The Dodgers’ offense dwindled after that three-run uprising against Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen (who went just four innings). They struck out five times in three innings against reliever Justin Martinez with just two infield singles. Martinez, Ryan Thompson and Thyago Vieira combined to retire the final 14 Dodgers batters in order.

​ Orange County Register 

Dead mountain lion found on 405 Freeway near Getty Museum

• July 5, 2024

A mountain lion was found dead on the northbound 405 Freeway, off of Sepulveda Blvd. near The Getty Museum, California Highway Patrol officials confirmed.

Police received reports of a deceased animal around 2:31 p.m. on Thursday, July 4 and responded, a CHP officer said Thursday. They identified the animal and called the state Department Fish and Wildlife.

The animal was fatally struck by a vehicle and found in the center divider of the freeway, according to reports.

Another mountain lion was found dead on June 15 on the 101 Freeway near Agoura Hills, close to the site of the future Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, currently under construction over the freeway. The fully-landscaped crossing is designed to provide a connection between the small population of mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains and the larger and genetically diverse populations to the north.

Scientists have also pitched the idea of fencing along freeways and roadways, adjacent to rural habitat — to prevent wild animals from trying to cross busy highways.

A new study from the UC Davis Road Ecology Center, a program of the Institute of Transportation Studies, estimated that 613 mountain lions were killed from being hit by cars in California during an eight-year span, about 70 big cats a year.

The number of mountain lions killed by vehicle strikes in California is rising each year, said center director Fraser Shilling. He estimated 5% of their population is disappearing just from vehicle collisions.

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City News Service contributed to this report. 

​ Orange County Register 

A full day of fun, patriotism in OC for the Fourth of July

• July 4, 2024

In just about every corner of Orange County, communities gathered Thursday, July 4, to celebrate American independence.

There were community runs, neighborhood barbecues, carnivals and, at night, the sky was bright with fireworks celebrating the Fourth of July.

San Clemente tried something new this year with a Stars, Stripes ‘N Slides event that kept families cool and entertained.

In Anaheim Hills, a community favorite cheered the crowd as pups in their best patriotic getups strutted in the Yankee Doodle Dog Show, before the annual community parade and festival offered entertainment for the rest of the day.

And what’s said to be the oldest Fourth of July parade west of the Mississippi marched down Main Street in Huntington Beach before a cheering crowd.

ANAHEIM HILLS

HUNTINGTON BEACH

SAN CLEMENTE

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​ Orange County Register 

Angels shut out for second straight day, get swept by A’s

• July 4, 2024

OAKLAND — The good feelings from the Angels’ six-game winning game streak are officially gone, eviscerated in three games against one of the few teams having a worse season.

The Angels lost 5-0 to the Oakland A’s on Thursday, getting shut out for the second consecutive game and losing for the fourth straight game since their winning streak.

While the Angels looked like they might be showing some signs of life last week – even if it was still too late for this season – they reverted to their disappointing form in Oakland.

The Angels (36-50) were held to four hits Thursday, after being blanked in a 92-pitch complete game by Joey Estes on Wednesday. It was the first time since June 2023 that the Angels were shut out in consecutive games.

On Thursday, they could place some hope in the fact that they were facing left-hander JP Sears, and the Angels have been significantly better this season against lefties.

However, one of their best hitters against lefties has been Luis Rengifo, who was out of the lineup after hurting his wrist on Wednesday night.

The Angels had two hits in five innings against Sears. They loaded the bases in the third on a singe, a walk and a hit batter, but Taylor Ward flied out to strand the runners.

In the sixth, the Angels had two on and two outs when Zach Neto was retired on a nice over-the-shoulder catch by first baseman Tyler Soderstrom in foul territory.

On the mound, Angels starter Roansy Contreras lasted only 2 2/3 innings before he was knocked out, having allowed three runs.

Contreras has been a reliever all season, but the Angels are trying him out as a starter because injuries to Patrick Sandoval and Chase Silseth and the ineffectiveness of Reid Detmers have left them scrambling.

One of the runs Contreras allowed was unearned after Ward misplayed a single in left field. He allowed the ball to skip past him, which allowed Miguel Andujar to add an extra 90 feet to his single. Andujar ended up scoring on a sacrifice fly.

A passed ball by catcher Logan O’Hoppe added another unearned run against reliever Matt Moore in the sixth.

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There were two defensive highlights, though.

Center fielder Kevin Pillar made a spectacular catch to rob JJ Bleday of a homer in the first inning. Pillar, 35, leapt and got his glove a good three feet above the top of the fence as he pulled the ball down.

Pillar took a hit from Bleday when he dove forward to snag a line drive in the fourth inning.

Pillar narrowly missed another attempt on a Lawrence Butler homer in the ninth.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Sparks look to avoid franchise-worst 9-game skid

• July 4, 2024

TORRANCE — The Sparks are trying to avoid a franchise-record nine-game losing streak. To prevent that, the Sparks must beat the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.

“We don’t want to lose any games, but obviously trying to work on process and standards,” Sparks coach Curt Miller said. “Take care of the little things that help take care of the wins and losses.”

Sparks All-Star forward Dearica Hamby always has a bit of extra motivation against the Aces, the team that traded her to the Sparks before last season when she was pregnant with her now 1-year-old son Legend.

“Yes and no. It’s not the same type of motivation but another game to get better and prove myself,” Hamby said after Thursday’s practice at the team’s training facility at El Camino College.

Hamby, a 2022 WNBA champion with the Aces, earned her third All-Star selection in four years Tuesday night before a disappointing 82-80 loss to the Washington Mystics.

“We had (the Mystics) the other night. We had a 14-point lead early in the fourth quarter and Washington outplayed us that last nine minutes,” Miller continued.

Hamby, 30, has emerged as a go-to player and is having the best season of her career by all metrics. The 6-foot-3 post player is averaging a career-high 18.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in her 10th season in the WNBA.

“Once again, we’re trying to get the monkey off our back,” Hamby said. “We have some competitive games coming up. We beat Vegas before but also the first game we played them really well. It’s an opportunity to beat them.”

The Sparks (4-15) are 1-1 against the Aces this season, including a 96-92 win at Crypto.com Arena on June 9. Hamby’s 18 points and 10 rebounds anchored the Sparks’ win against her former team. Aces center A’ja Wilson had a game-high 31 points and Kelsey Plum poured in 24 points, but the Sparks used a strong second-half surge to seize momentum in what would be the last time the Sparks won a game.

Since the Sparks defeated the Aces (11-6), the two-time defending champions have returned to full strength, adding guards Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young back to the team’s starting lineup. They, along with Wilson and Plum, were named to the U.S. women’s basketball national team ahead of the Paris Olympics, giving the Aces’ franchise one-third of the players on Team USA.

“They’re a really talented group,” Miller said. “There’s a reason they went back-to-back for the first time since the Sparks did it (in 2001 and 2002). But we’ve played really well against them.”

“We haven’t seen them with Chelsea, we saw them once before without Jackie, but I think we should have a lot of confidence going into this game,” Hamby said.

Sparks sign Dangerfield

The Sparks made a move to get back to 10 active players ahead of Friday’s game against the Aces by signing guard Crystal Dangerfield, the WNBA’s 2020 Rookie of the Year, to a seven-day hardship contract, which includes the team’s remaining three games (Aces, Mercury, Lynx) on a four-game homestand that runs through Tuesday.

“Just coming in and doing what I do, being confident and rubbing off on others and playing some winning basketball,” said Dangerfield, who flew to Los Angeles from Atlanta on Wednesday.

“It sounds funny but I’m excited to have 10 people,” Miller said with a genuine smile on his face. “It’s just crazy. You think about my almost 60 regular-season games now (with Sparks) and we have played with a full (12-person) roster. We played a lot of games with 10 or less.”

The Sparks have three players sidelined who all attended Thursday’s practice: Cameron Brink (ACL), Lexie Brown (Crohn’s disease) and Azurá Stevens (left arm). Stevens, who practiced, told the Southern California News Group on Sunday she expects to make her season debut within the next two weeks.

Dangerfield, from the University of Connecticut, was selected in the second round by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2020 draft.

In the 5-foot-5 guard’s best season as a rookie inside the WNBA’s Wubble in Bradenton, Florida, she averaged 16.2 points and 3.6 assists per game.

Dangerfield is joining her sixth team in five WNBA seasons. She has already played for the Lynx (2020-21), Indiana Fever (2022), New York Liberty (2022), Dallas Wings (2023) and Atlanta Dream (2024), and has started 88 of 135 career games.

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That would mean she’s played for half of the league’s teams in under five seasons.

“It sounds ridiculous,” Dangerfield continued with a smile on her face. “But that’s neither here nor there, whatever my situation is I know that there are a lot of people that would wish they were in my shoes being in the league in general, so I’m grateful for every opportunity.”

LAS VEGAS (11-6) AT SPARKS (4-15)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Crypto.com Arena

TV: ION

​ Orange County Register 

Warren WR Jace Brown commits to UCLA football

• July 4, 2024

Warren receiver Jace Brown announced his commitment to football coach DeShaun Foster and the UCLA Bruins on Thursday.

Brown was on campus for his official visit the weekend of June 22.

“It was a great visit,” Brown said. “It is home. It’s great to be out here with all those great guys and coaches. They really want the best for me.”

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound receiver rounded out that weekend back in Westwood for the Bruins’ 7-on-7 tournament. Brown was joined by his Warren teammates, including quarterback Madden Iamaleava.

Iamaleava committed to UCLA in May and had talked with Brown of the duo continuing to play together at the college level.

“I’ve definitely been in his ear a lot,” Iamaleava said in late June. “We have a special connection going on at Warren, so why not take it on to college.”

Brown had a productive spring and caught the eye of UCLA offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy during Warren’s college showcase event.

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Bieniemy’s experience as a former coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Commanders didn’t go unnoticed by Brown.

“It plays a really big factor because he has the knowledge and experience of the place that I want to go to, which is the NFL, so it’s great to be around a guy like that,” Brown said.

Brown also had offers from Arizona, Colorado State, Fresno State and Kansas.

​ Orange County Register 

Rams bring back John Johnson III for third stint

• July 4, 2024

John Johnson III is back with the Rams. Again.

The veteran safety has agreed to his third stint with the Rams, the team announced Thursday, one year after a successful return. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Johnson, a third-round draft pick out of Boston College in 2017, started four seasons for the Rams. He left as a free agent in 2021, signing a three-year, $33.75 million deal with the Cleveland Browns.

Released after two seasons, Johnson signed a one-year contract to come back to the Rams on Aug. 7 last year.

Johnson, 28, played in all 17 regular-season games last season, eventually starting eight games as well as the Rams’ wild-card playoff loss to the Detroit Lions while helping oversee a defense loaded with untested youth. On the season, he recorded two interceptions – his first coming during a 36-19 victory against Cleveland on Dec. 3 – and 42 tackles.

The Rams have also brought back defensive back Darious Williams on a three-year deal. Their secondary will have some new faces like former Washington safety Kamren Curl, former Buffalo cornerback Tre’Davious White and rookie safety Kamren Kinchens, a third-round pick out of Miami.

Training camp begins July 23 at Loyola Marymount University in Westchester.

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​ Orange County Register 

U.S. investigating Chinese swimmers’ doping tests

• July 4, 2024

GENEVA — The international swimming federation says its top administrator has been ordered to testify as a witness in a U.S. criminal investigation into the case of 23 Chinese swimmers who failed doping tests in 2021 yet were allowed to continue competing.

The news comes just three weeks before the Paris Olympics, where 11 of the Chinese swimmers who tested positive for the banned heart medication three years ago are set to compete.

The swimmers won three gold medals for China at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, just weeks after the World Anti-Doping Agency declined to challenge Chinese authorities’ explanation of food contamination at a hotel to justify not suspending them.

Those decisions, which World Aquatics separately reached also, were not revealed until reporting in April by the New York Times and German broadcaster ARD.

A House Committee on China asked the Justice Department and the FBI on May 21 to investigate the case under a federal law that allows probes into suspected doping conspiracies even if they occurred outside the U.S.

World Aquatics confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday that executive director Brent Nowicki was subpoenaed to testify in the investigation.

“World Aquatics can confirm that its executive director, Brent Nowicki, was served with a witness subpoena by the United States government,” the federation said in a statement to AP. “He is working to schedule a meeting with the government, which, in all likelihood will obviate the need for testimony before a Grand Jury.”

World Aquatics declined to answer questions about where and when Nowicki was served his subpoena and didn’t say which office was handling the investigation.

“Per our standard practice, the FBI does not confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation,” the bureau said Thursday in an email reply.

The Chinese swimmers case could become the highest-profile use so far of a U.S. federal law passed in 2020 in fallout from the long-running scandal of Russian state-backed doping in sports.

The 23 swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine in January 2021 and those were filed weeks later in the global anti-doping database. They included Zhang Yufei, who went on take Olympic gold in the women’s 200-meter butterfly and 4×200 freestyle relay, and Wang Shun, the men’s 200 medley champion.

A later investigation by Chinese state authorities said traces of the substance were found in the kitchen of a hotel where the team stayed. No explanation has been given about how and why the drug prescribed in pill form got there.

WADA accepted the theory which allowed the Chinese swimmers to continue to compete, and has since described it as “a relatively straightforward case of mass contamination.”

The agency has since defended its handling of the case that was kept secret in 2021, saying it had no way to independently disprove the theory during the COVID-19 pandemic when travel to China was not possible.

Lawyers for WADA said in April this year they did not have evidence to win separate appeals against the 23 swimmers before the Tokyo Olympics. Any appeals seeking suspensions for the swimmers would have been heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where Nowicki was a long-time senior counsel before joining World Aquatics in 2021.

“This scandal raises serious legal, ethical, and competitive concerns and may constitute a broader state-sponsored strategy by the People’s Republic of China to unfairly compete at the Olympic Games in ways Russia has previously done,” the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party said in the letter to the Justice Department and FBI.

The case was also raised at a congressional hearing last month in which swimming great Michael Phelps said athletes have lost faith in WADA as the global watchdog trying to keep cheaters out of sports.

Officials from the Montreal-based agency declined an invitation to come to the hearing, saying it would be “inappropriate to be pulled into a political debate before a U.S. congressional committee regarding a case from a different country, especially while an independent review into WADA’s handling of the case is ongoing.”

That review report is pending from a WADA-appointed former public prosecutor in the Swiss canton of Vaud that is home to the International Olympic Committee and governing bodies of many Olympic sports.

U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart suggested to The Associated Press an ongoing federal investigation could make sport officials traveling to the U.S. “fearful that they may have to answer questions about their activities from the FBI.”

The U.S. will host the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, and in Paris on July 24 the IOC should confirm Salt Lake City as host for the 2034 Winter Games.

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The Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, named for a whistleblower who exposed Russian state-backed doping, passed with bipartisan backing. It received broad support from the global sports world for its aims to criminalize doping.

However, WADA lobbied against what it saw as a risk of overreach from the “extraterritorial” jurisdiction it could give to U.S. federal agencies, and the IOC also voiced concerns.

The Rodchenkov Act, Tygart said, “was enacted in 2021 with broad athlete, sport and multinational governmental support because WADA could not be trusted to be a strong, fair global watchdog to protect clean athletes and fair sport.”

​ Orange County Register