Dodgers welcome back Will Smith and Max Muncy, place J.D. Martinez on injured list

• April 29, 2023

LOS ANGELES ― Two steps forward, one step back.

On the same day the Dodgers welcomed Will Smith and Max Muncy back to their lineup, designated hitter J.D. Martinez was placed on the 10-day injured list with lower back tightness.

Martinez was scheduled to take batting practice at Dodger Stadium on Friday afternoon, a last-ditch effort to avoid the injured list after missing the last three games. The “irritation” Martinez first felt in his back on Sunday knocked him out for the entire three-game series in Pittsburgh and ostensibly did not let up in time for the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Dodgers backdated Martinez’s IL stint to Tuesday, making him eligible to return next Friday (May 5).

Smith had not played since April 12 because of a concussion. Muncy, last week’s National League Player of the Week, missed three games while on paternity leave. Each was among the team’s hottest hitters when they last took the field; Smith batted third and Muncy fourth on Friday against St. Louis.

The lineup frequently suffered without the two stars. The Dodgers went 6-7 in Smith’s absence. They scored only three runs across their previous two games in Pittsburgh.

“If you look at what’s transpired … the roster’s been in flux for so long,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It certainly makes more sense why we haven’t had any consistency but when you’re mired in it, you don’t try to let that bleed into your mindset. You’re trying to figure out the 26 guys you have available that night and try to win a game. That’s where we’re at.”

Martinez’s injury means the Dodgers must wait at least another week before their full Opening Day lineup is healthy.

The veteran said he “should’ve spoken up sooner” after experiencing pain in his back running out of the batter’s box in the fourth inning Sunday in Chicago. His back was still ailing during each of his next two plate appearances, including one that resulted in a home run in the sixth inning.

“Honestly it was me being dumb trying to be a hero,” said Martinez, who is batting .250 with four home runs and 15 RBIs in 23 games this season.

Michael Busch and David Peralta alternated at DH in Martinez’s absence before Smith returned as the designated hitter Friday. Roberts said Smith is likely to DH again Saturday against the Cardinals and might catch as early as Sunday.

To make room for Muncy on the active roster, the Dodgers optioned infielder Luke Williams to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Williams had one hit, a single, in 10 at-bats.

BULLPEN SHUFFLE

The Dodgers also activated right-handed reliever Brusdar Graterol from the paternity list and optioned left-hander Justin Bruihl to Oklahoma City.

Bruihl allowed one run in five appearances spanning five innings. Graterol had not allowed a run in his last six appearances prior to the birth of his daughter. He figures to return to a high-leverage role immediately.

Through Thursday, the Dodgers’ bullpen had a 5.18 ERA, which ranked 14th in the National League.

“There’s only been consistency from a couple guys, where our expectation is that wasn’t going to be the case,” Roberts said. “A lot of it is looking for consistency. I think partly you have had that in years past. But I expect that to change given what these guys have done in the past.”

Roberts cited Graterol, Evan Phillips, Caleb Ferguson and Shelby Miller by name as the consistent pitchers in the group. Phillips, Miller and Graterol (and Andre Jackson, who was later optioned to Triple-A) have all recorded saves in the absence of a designated closer this month.

ALSO

Shortstop Miguel Rojas (left hamstring strain) took live batting practice Friday and is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment Saturday. He could return as early as Monday, Roberts said.

UP NEXT

Dodgers (LHP Clayton Kershaw, 4-2, 2.32 ERA) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (LHP Jordan Montgomery, 2-3, 3.81 ERA), Saturday, 6:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM

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​ Orange County Register 

Sierra Canyon’s Madelaine Debs voted Southern California Girls Athlete of the Week

• April 29, 2023

Southern California Girls Athlete of the Week

Athlete: Madelaine Debs

School: Sierra Canyon

Sport: Baseball

Noteworthy: Debs was stellar in Sierra Canyon’s two Mission League wins last week, going a combined 5 for 6 with two homers. She went 3 for 3 with a home run and an RBI in a 6-1 win over Alemany before going 2 for 3 with home run, a double and two RBIs in a 7-5 win over Chaminade.

​ Orange County Register 

Aliso Niguel’s Colin Barker voted Southern California Girls Athlete of the Week

• April 29, 2023

Southern California Boys Athlete of the Week

Athlete: Colin Barker

School: Aliso Niguel

Sport: Lacrosse

Noteworthy: He scored five goals and had one assist in a 12-11 win over San Juan Hills as the Wolverines clinched the Sea View League championship. Barker totaled nine goals and 14 points over Aliso Niguel’s three wins during the week. Aliso Niguel went into this week 13-5 overall and 5-0 in league. The CIF-SS boys and girls lacrosse brackets will be released Saturday.

​ Orange County Register 

NFL draft: Chargers select USC DE Tuli Tuipulotu

• April 29, 2023

A kid from Hawthorne will be playing his home games in Inglewood.

The Los Angeles Chargers selected former USC defensive end Tuli Tuipulotu in the second round of the NFL draft Friday night, using the 54th selection on the former Lawndale High standout.

Tuipulotu was a three-year starter at USC and two-time first-team All-Pac-12 selection. He was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous first-team All American as a junior in 2022 after recording 46 tackles, 22 for loss and 13.5 sacks.

The 6-foot-4, 266-pound Tuipulotu provides needed depth at defensive end for the Chargers, but also should give the Chargers more versatility up front after moving around the defensive line for USC and even moving back to a blitzing linebacker at times for the Trojans.

More to come on this story.

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​ Orange County Register 

NFL draft: UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet selected by Seahawks in 2nd round

• April 29, 2023

UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet is headed to Seattle after being drafted by the Seahawks in the second round of the NFL draft (52nd overall) on Friday.

The 6-foot-, 214-pound Charbonnet rushed for 2,496 yards and 27 touchdowns in his two seasons (22 games) with the Bruins, after transferring from Michigan following the 2020 season. With 397 carries at UCLA, he had just two fumbles (losing one).

He’s the fourth running back drafted in as many years under the guidance of position coach DeShaun Foster.

Charbonnet has also displayed his ability as a receiver out of the backfield, completing 61 catches for 518 yards.

At the NFL combine, Charbonnet showed off his athleticism – running a 4.53 40-yard dash, posting a 37-inch vertical leap, a 10-2 broad jump and 18 bench press repetitions.

“I’m going to be the hardest worker in the building and do whatever I can to be the best player,” Charbonnet said after his on-campus pro day in March. “I’m excited.”

Charbonnet was confident in how the draft process worked out for him. He said he and his coaches made the decision not to compete in any all-star games after the season concluded.

More to come on this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Montana latest to ban gender-affirming care for trans minors

• April 29, 2023

By Amy Beth Hanson | Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. — Montana became the latest state to ban or restrict gender-affirming medical care for transgender kids Friday when its Republican governor signed legislation that exiled transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr told fellow lawmakers would leave “blood” on their hands.

Montana is one of at least 15 states with laws to ban such care despite protests from the families of transgender youth that the care is essential.

Debate over Montana’s bill drew national attention after Republicans punished Zephyr for her remarks, saying her words were personally offensive. House Speaker Matt Regier refused to let Zephyr speak on the House floor until she apologized. She has not.

Zephyr decried the bill’s signing, saying “it is unconscionable to deprive Montanans of the care that we need.”

“I know that this is an unconstitutional bill. It is as cruel as it is unconstitutional. And it will go down in the courts,” Zephyr said. To trans youth she added: “There’s an understandable inclination towards despair in these moments, but know that we are going to win and until then, lean on community, because we will have one another’s backs.”

On Monday, Zephyr had stood defiantly on the House floor with her microphone raised as protesters shouted “Let her speak,” disrupting House proceedings for at least 30 minutes. Zephyr was then banned from the House and its gallery and voted on bills from a bench in the hallway outside the House on Thursday and Friday.

Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Montana have said they would file a court challenge against the ban, which is set to take effect on Oct. 1, starting a five-month clock in which Montana youth can try to find a way to work around the ban or to transition off of hormone treatment.

“This bill is an overly broad blanket ban that takes decisions that should be made by families and physicians and puts them in the hands of politicians,” the Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics has said.

Gov. Greg Gianforte signaled his willingness to sign the bill on April 17 when he offered some amendments to make it clear that public funds could not be used to pay for hormone blockers, cross-sex hormones or surgical procedures.

The bill “protects Montana children from permanent, life-altering medical procedures until they are adults, mature enough to make such serious decisions,” Gianforte wrote in his letter accompanying the amendments.

Debate over the amendments led Zephyr to admonish supporters the following day. House Majority Leader Sue Vinton said Zephyr’s language was “entirely inappropriate, disrespectful and uncalled for.”

The Montana Freedom Caucus deliberately misgendered Zephyr, using male pronouns in a letter saying she should be censured. After Monday’s protest, the caucus said she should be further disciplined.

Under the new law, health professionals who provide care banned by the measure could have their medical licenses suspended for at least a year. They could also be sued in the 25 years following a banned procedure if a patient suffers physical, psychological, emotional or physiological harm. Physicians could not hold malpractice insurance against such lawsuits. The law also prohibits public property and employees from being involved in gender-affirming treatment.

During hours of emotional committee hearings, opponents testified that hormone treatments, and in some cases, surgery, are evidence-based care, supported by numerous medical associations and can be life-saving for someone with gender dysphoria — the clinically significant distress or impairment caused by feeling that one’s gender identity does not match one’s biological sex.

Parents of transgender children testified that the bill infringed on their parental rights to seek medical care for their children.

Opponents also noted that treatments such as puberty-blockers and breast-reduction surgery would still be legal for minors who are not suffering from gender dysphoria, a difference they argue is unconstitutional.

In the letter to legislative leaders accompanying his proposed amendments, Gianforte said he met with transgender residents, understands that their struggles are real and said Montanans who struggle with gender identity deserve love, compassion and respect.

“That’s not what trans Montanans need from you,” Zephyr said as the House considered his amendments. “We need access to the medical care that saves our lives.”

This was the second legislative session in which Sen. John Fuller brought the bill to ban gender-affirming care for transgender children. In 2021, when he was a member of the House, he brought a bill to ban surgical and hormone treatments for transgender children, which was voted down. He brought a second bill to ban surgical treatments which was also rejected. He was successful in 2021 in passing a bill to ban transgender females from participating in girls and women’s sports. The part of the bill that applied to colleges was ruled unconstitutional.

​ Orange County Register 

Then and Now: Photos of Casa Romantica show damage caused by landside

• April 29, 2023

After Thursday’s landslide, Casa Romantica and several condominium units farther down the hillside were red-tagged, which means they were declared unsuitable for occupation. The number of residents who were displaced is not clear at this time.

Related links

San Clemente officials closely monitoring slope beneath historic Casa Romantica
4 apartment buildings in San Clemente are red tagged due to landslide
Federal officials get up-close look at coastal erosion threats to key rail line
Landslides raise concern, warning for coastal blufftop living
San Clemente landslide after rains triggers federal emergency declaration

​ Orange County Register 

Stagecoach 2023: Country music fans, performers brave the heat and cut loose during Day 1

• April 29, 2023

It was already 100 degrees by the time the gates opened for the three-day Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio at noon on Friday, April 28.

While cowboy hats, denim and country music were the familiar sights and sounds, the festival has a new layout this year. The scorching heat had fans walking in slowly, navigating the fresh territory and in carrying lawn chairs as they searched for the perfect view of the expanded Mane Stage, where the headliners — Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and Chris Stapleton —will perform throughout the weekend.

But the heat didn’t stop the party. Even a few Mane Stage performers braved the elements and sweating off their makeup to hang out with fans in the Shein Saloon activation early in the day. “Just About Over You” singer Priscilla Block helped guests pick out accessories for their outfits and said she was loving her first time at Stagecoach.

“It’s wild and I wish I would have come as a fan prior,” she said. “Everyone is so excited and it’s country music and we’re in the desert … it’s just a whole vibe.”

“Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” and “America’s Sweetheart” singer-songwriter Elle King, who played the Palomino at Stagecoach back in 2017, said she’s just happy they let her back in the gates.

“I consider it a real honor,” she said of graduating to Mane Stage status in 2023. She was also in the Shein Saloon, doing Cowboy Karaoke with some lucky fans who were hanging out and getting custom cowboy hats and bandanas made. They got a little taste of what was to come as she belted out her 2015 hit “Ex’s & Oh’s” karaoke-style.

“Thank God that was the song,” she said with a laugh. “It’s the only one I know the words to and they still had the lyrics up there for me!”

Outside the air-conditioned saloon, fans made their way into the event and up to the Mane Stage, pausing to enjoy the cool mist coming from misters wrapped around palm trees that worked overtime to bring them some relief. Many found spots to spread out blankets on the dead, hay-like grass that was once lush and green during its sister event that happened over the past two weekends, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Elsa and Wyatt Parker of Burbank have been coming to the festival for five years and said they were fine with the head, noting that it’s now expected of the festival weekend.

“I have to make sure I bring bottles of sunscreen every time,” Elsa said. “It only lasts from the car to the gate, then I got to reapply again by the time I get to the gate because we sweat it off.”

And for sister duo and longtime Stagecoach veterans Laura and Marie Wilkonson, the heat is “the worst it’s ever been.”

Making the trek from Santa Ana to attend Stagecoach has been a tradition for the family since 2012, and they can’t recall the last time the sun beamed so severely.

“Honestly, you kind of know what you’re getting yourself into every year when stepping into Stagecoach,” Marie said. “The heat is like the price you pay to see great country acts.”

Yet, the two add it might affect who they may see throughout the day since some stages, such as the Mane Stage, don’t have many shaded areas for people to cool down.

“That’s the hardest part of coming, sometimes the heat just forces you to sit down for hours.,” Marie said.

Madison Amoth, who flew in from Idaho a day before the festivities began, said that the heat is something she’s enjoying considering the grueling winter her state has endured.

“For me, I can take the heat,” she said while waiting in line at a lemonade stand. “I’m enjoying it because back where I live, we used to pray for this kind of weather. I’m not saying it’s easy to be in this kind of heat at a festival, but I’m grateful and just so excited to see Tyler Childers and Chris Stapleton.”

Returning attractions at the Yee-Haw include Nikki Lane’s Stage Stop Marketplace and the Compton Cowboys, a group of ten Black horseback riders whose small ranch is one of the very last in a formerly semi-rural area of Compton.

DJ and producer Diplo, who is also hosting Late Night in Palomino on Sunday, has curated the Honky Tonk for the very first time and is bringing prominent EDM artists like Girl Talk, Dillon Francis, Lost Frequencies, Cheat Codes and more to that stage.

Alexander Colman of San Diego said he isn’t surprised to see more EDM acts at Stagecoach.

“I tell people all the time that it brings different music together even though it’s a country festival,” Coleman said. “I think you’ll be surprised how much of an overlap of different music you’ll find out here.”

Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is also back with his barbecue setup over at the expanded Guy Fieri’s Stagecoach Smokehouse, which will include cooking demos with pitmasters and performers including ZZ Top, Jon Pardi, Old Dominion and more scheduled throughout the weekend.

New features at Stagecoach include the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch from the popular TV series “Yellowstone,” which offers plenty of photo opportunities and yard games. The festival also debuted the 1 Million Strong Wellness Retreat, which allows fans to relax, recharge and enjoy non-alcoholic drinks with other sober attendees.

For hundreds of attendees, RV camping is the true way to experience Stagecoach as they can set up camp just outside the festival gates and get the party started early with their neighbors.

San Diego resident Laurisa Galeazzi said she feels right at home in the campgrounds.

“For us, RV camping means meeting new people and making new friends, some of which we plan to meet up with later this evening for Stapleton,” Galeazzi said of plotting out their festival strategy, which includes seeing Sunday headliner Chris Stapleton.

“We couldn’t say no to coming to see (him) perform,” she added. “We actually won tickets for Stagecoach last year from our local radio station, and it was our first time coming. We loved it so much we had to come back, regardless of whether we had to pay.”

Stagecoach continues on Saturday, April 29 with headliner Kane Brown and sets from Old Dominion, ZZ Top, Gabby Barrett, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Bryan Adams, Niko Moon, Keb’ Mo’ and others. Sunday, April 30 is topped by Stapleton along with Brooks & Dunn, Tyler Childers, Turnpike Troubadours, Parker McCollum, Lainey Wilson, Ryan Bingham and more.

Stagecoach is also streaming all the performances on the Mane Stage live on Amazon Prime throughout the weekend.

(Kelli Skye Fadroski also contributed to this story). 

More Stagecoach Country Music Festival news

Stagecoach 2023: How to livestream the country music festival from home

Stagecoach 2023: Brooks & Dunn return to the desert and they’re ready to party 

Stagecoach 2023: Everything you need to know about the country music fest 

Stagecoach 2023: Guy Fieri’s barbecue, sushi and lots of drinks on the menu 

Stagecoach 2023: When to see Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Chris Stapleton and more 

Stagecoach 2023: See who will be grilling with Guy Fieri

Stagecoach 2023: Girl Talk, Dillon Francis, Lost Frequencies hit the Honky Tonk 

Stagecoach 2023: Trixie Mattel, Nelly and Diplo host Late Night in Palomino 

Stagecoach 2023: Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and Chris Stapleton will headline the country fest in Indio 

​ Orange County Register