Ducks sign 1st-round picks Beckett Sennecke and Stian Solberg

• July 6, 2024

The Ducks signed both of their 2024 first-round picks, Beckett Sennecke and Stian Solberg, to entry-level contracts, the team announced in a news release Friday.

Sennecke, 18, was selected third overall, with his rapid ascent up the prospect board throwing the draft order into flux. Solberg, 18, was acquired with pick No. 23, which the Ducks traded up to obtain.

At development camp, Sennecke demonstrated flashes of the elite skill that the Ducks found so alluring.

“That’s one of the elements of my game. I think I’m a very versatile player, and I have all these different kinds of elements. I think that’s one of the reasons why the Ducks liked me so much,” Sennecke said.

Sennecke said his experience at development camp this past week exposed him to the defensive rigors required to excel in the pro game that may have only received lip service at the junior level.

“The next stepping stone for me is learning how to play that side of the puck as well, and that’s the case with a lot of highly skilled players,” Sennecke said.

Matt McIlvane, the Ducks’ AHL coach who was on the ice this week, said Bennecke’s strengths and weaknesses were fairly transparent at this initial stage of his pro career.

“He’s a big, long guy. From there, you can see the skill: his skating skills, his puck skills, his vision. He was able to show that off a bit this week,” McIlvane said. “With most young prospects, the focus is on (physique). That would certainly be priority No. 1 for Becks, and he’s already excited about taking the next steps.”

Solberg, a more physically mature prospect with a rugged and fairly well-defined game, said his forthcoming challenge would be moving from his native Norway to play in a more competitive league.

“When you’re going to handle a new level, you have to work on everything,” Solberg said. “I’m going to play in Sweden next year, and that’s a new level from the Norwegian league, so I’m going to keep training and focusing on everything.”

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The young rearguard already got a taste of the big time when he competed on the senior level at the men’s world championships last year.

“I played with (Mats) Zuccarello, Patrick Thoresen, Andreas Martinsen, all guys who have played in the NHL,” Solberg said. “So it was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot.”

​ Orange County Register 

Shark attacks reported at Texas’ South Padre Island; 2 people bitten, at least 1 severely

• July 6, 2024

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas — Shark attacks disrupted Fourth of July celebrations Thursday at South Padre Island as two people were taken to the hospital with bites, at least one of them severe, authorities said.

Police were called for the attack on the man who was severely bitten around 11 a.m., according to Nikki Soto, the South Padre Island city secretary. He was initially treated at the beach by firefighters and police.

This image provided by Texas Department of Public Safety shows a shark close to the share in South Padre Island, Texas on Thursday, July 4, 2024. Shark attacks disrupted Fourth of July celebrations Thursday as two people were taken to the hospital with bites, at least one of them severe, authorities said. (Texas Department of Public Safety via AP)

The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department said later in a statement that two people were bitten and two more “encountered” the shark but were not seriously hurt. One of the bite victims was taken to a hospital in Brownsville, and the other was “flown out for further treatment.”

This image provided by Katie McMillan shows sharks near the shore on South Padre Island, Texas on Thursday, July 4, 2024. Shark attacks disrupted Fourth of July celebrations as two people were taken to the hospital with bites, at least one of them severe, authorities said. (Katie McMillan via AP)

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Based on witness reports and images on social media, Game Warden Capt. Chris Dowdy said, authorities believe a single shark about 6 feet long was responsible.

Beach patrol, firefighters and police were patrolling the shore and flying drones after the attacks, Soto said.

The last reported shark attack in the area was five years ago, according to Dowdy.

Texas Parks & Wildlife is assisting the investigation.

​ Orange County Register 

Kings sign Caleb Jones to a 1-year, two-way contract

• July 6, 2024

The Kings signed free agent defenseman Caleb Jones to a one-year, two-way contract worth up to $775,000, the team announced in a news release on Friday.

Jones, 27, spent last year in the Colorado Avalanche organization, skating in 25 games with the Avs and a dozen more with their top minor-league affiliate. He had five points at the NHL level and six in the minors.

In his career, he has accumulated 55 points in 242 games played for the Edmonton Oilers, who drafted him in the fourth round in 2015, as well as the Chicago Blackhawks and Colorado.

Jones comes from an athletic family. Not only is his brother, Chicago’s Seth Jones, an All-Star defenseman, but both brothers were born in the Dallas area because their father Ron “Popeye” Jones was then a power forward for the NBA’s Mavericks. He won an NBA championship as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets last year.

Until last year with Colorado, Caleb had limited opportunities to pursue a championship of his own, having played in just two playoff games as part of Edmonton’s ephemeral showing in 2020. He skated in three postseason contests with the Avs last year before they lost in the second round.

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Jones is a two-way defenseman with puck-moving skills, a little offense in his game and some physicality as well, though he’s struggled to stick as a full-time NHL player with that package. His most frequent dressing and deployment came with Chicago in 2021-22 and 2022-23, when he averaged 62 games per campaign while playing in the same lineup as his brother.

The Kings have been reconfiguring their defense corps to a significant degree this offseason. They let Matt Roy walk in free agency (he signed with Washington), traded for Kyle Burroughs, signed Joel Edmundson and appear likely to expand the role of prospect Brandt Clarke. Like Burroughs, Andreas Englund and Jacob Moverare, Jones currently projects as a depth blue-liner who seems destined for either the minor leagues or an interstitial position as a rostered but scratched player.

​ Orange County Register 

Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal comes full circle Saturday

• July 6, 2024

Five years ago next month, Nate Diaz sketched out a circle in Anaheim that, on Saturday, is fated to close where it began.

Following a unanimous-decision victory over former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis in 2019, Diaz, the one-of-a-kind combat sports star from Stockton, Calif., stood in the Octagon at Honda Center and conjured something out of nothing.

B. Baddest. M. Mother. F. You get the gist.

The BMF belt was divined during a postfight moment that undressed the sport of mixed martial arts and many of the fighters under contract to the industry-dominating UFC, for which the pot-smoking, profanity-dropping, oft-misunderstood Diaz had morphed into an anti-hero prior to striking out on his own as a free agent in 2022.

A foil for sportsmen. A foil for meatheads. A foil for brawlers. A foil for tacticians. The guy to root for, for all the right reasons, wrong reasons … or no reason whatsoever.

Coming off a majority-decision defeat to Conor McGregor in 2016, Diaz’s MMA record stood at 18-11 prior to having his hand raised against Pettis following the co-main event of UFC 241 in Anaheim.

An emerging cult figure, Diaz proved capable of pulling off what most professional athletes with win-loss records like his never could. That made the call-out of Jorge Masvidal, who was seated inside Honda Center among a cache of fighters the night of the Pettis fight, all the more audacious.

From Diaz’s perspective, UFC title belts – the trophies fighters generally do whatever they can to have wrapped around their waists – were blah, whatever. That he wasn’t the caliber of fighter to hold a title didn’t actually matter.

From now on he was interested in fighting opponents who, like him, he said, were considered “the baddest.”

But not necessarily the best.

At the time, few fighters fit the bill better than Masvidal.

Coming off a five-second flying-knee knockout of Ben Askren, the Miami-based mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle street fighter embraced his inner Tony Montana. The world was for the taking, the Cuban-American presumed well before Diaz’s moment of inspiration, and all the Californian did was pour gasoline on an inferno.

A few months later, the UFC capitalized on the viral moment and promoted Diaz versus Masvidal in a main-event clash for the first BMF title fight at Madison Square Garden.

Masvidal walked away with the embossed belt in anticlimactic fashion when the ringside physician ended the bout after the third round due to cuts above Diaz’s right eye.

In a sporting sense, the outcome meant nothing. But as the figment of Diaz’s imagination sprang to life, not only did the title survive whatever criticism there was about the creation of UFC-trademarked vanity titles, the concept continued to the point that, a half decade on from their initial clash, the UFC has promoted two more BMF-branded contests and the BMF OGs are ready to cash in on the idea again.

Such that they exist, stakes around the bout for the pair of 39-year-old warriors have nothing to do with moving up the competitive food chain; elevating their contendership status; or claiming a title.

Diaz is fighting because that’s what he does.

“We’re ready to fight, nothing else,” Diaz said. “It’s kill or be killed. He’s done a lot of impressive [expletive], but I’m gonna be ready for him.”

Masvidal will show up for legacy – and the biggest payday of his career.

“Only thing I’ve ever brought to combat sports is violence and a little technique,” Masvidal said. “That’s how I get my hand raised.”

That volatile combination defines the intrigue of their rematch Saturday, a 10-round boxing contest in the light heavyweight division that fronts a $49.99 pay-per-view presented by Fanmio, a digital platform that stumbled into the combat sports business in 2021 when it was involved with an exhibition boxing bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Logan Paul.

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Originally scheduled for June 1 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood with a pay-per-view price point of $79.99, the promotion backed off that date less than a month before the fighters were set to step in the ring due to sluggish ticket sales and the fact that they would have run head-to-head against the UFC.

Without the UFC promotional machine, the most attention the rematch received came last month following a brawl between the fighters’ camps in front of Honda Center, where, fittingly, Diaz’s BMF concept took flight.

​ Orange County Register 

Anime Expo brings thousands of fans, cosplayers to the LA Convention Center

• July 6, 2024

For fans of anime and Japanese pop culture, art, fashion and entertainment — the Los Angeles Anime Expo is in town.

The expo, now in its 33rd year, kicked off on July 4 at the Los Angeles Convention Center and ends Sunday, July 7. Thousands of fans and entertainers gathered for four days of programming and showcases, organized by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation. Many came decked out in cosplay of their favorite characters, movies and series, with plenty of fun interactions.

Jewyls Bui, who came to Anime Expo weekend from Stockton, said that she and her friends were taking Friday to explore the shopping opportunities, dressed as characters from the Sanrio franchise.

Amy Villegas said this was her third time at Anime Expo, this time with her two children Nami and Michelle, who were also dressed up as characters from the anime “Demon Slayer.” They were excited to attend a panel where they learned to make origami rings and balloons.

Anime Expo is the largest celebration of Japanese pop culture, music, video games and popular art in North America, taking place every year since 1992, organizers said. Programs included professional industry panels, talent shows, autographs with voice actors, a comedy show, tabletop gaming, a “butler” and “maid” cafe, cosplay contest and more.

Kim Saleem, who came dressed as Eve from “Stellar Blade,” said she has been going the expo with friends since 2010, and sees it as a place to show off cosplay creations, and to go shopping.

“I feel like dressing up adds a different level of fun,” Saleem said.

Li Nguyen, 20, said he would be going to five more panels before the end of Friday, and was looking forward to attending special previews for new anime projects over the weekend.

This year’s Anime Expo lineup included exclusive premieres, celebrations, panels, talent appearances and more, along with special guests including creators like Ryōko Kui, Shōji Kawamori, director Katsura Hashino and Studio Ghibli’s Yoichi Nishikawa.

The event continues through Sunday, July 7. For more information, visit www.anime-expo.org.

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​ Orange County Register 

Ducks’ development camp provides look at a promising future

• July 6, 2024

IRVINE — The Ducks wrapped up their development camp on Friday with a high-scoring three-on-three scrimmage that offered perhaps the most illuminating glimpses of the franchise’s future this week.

It also had some links to the organization’s history as Scott Niedermayer’s team, led by Cutter Gauthier and Yegor Sidorov, edged Ryan Getzlaf’s squad, which featured both of the Ducks’ first-round picks in last weekend’s draft, Beckett Sennecke and Stian Solberg.

The 6-foot-3 Sennecke grew five inches and further expanded his offensive game, catapulting him from fringe first-rounder to the third overall selection. His wide-eyed, slack-jawed reaction first became a meme and then a t-shirt, with “What the Duck?” shirt preorders opening this week.

“It’s been a whirlwind, for sure, but it finally settled down here the last couple days. It was a pretty demanding trip, but it was fun,” Sennecke said.

“The expectation is the big thing. I’m a third overall pick now, so that comes with a lot of high expectations, not just from everyone else but from myself as well,” he added.

Matt McIlvane, the coach of the Ducks’ top minor-league affiliate, was on the ice with the Ducks’ prospects, as were Niedermayer and Getzlaf.

“How do you not look at Ryan and listen to what he has to say?” McIlvane asked. “He’s a legend of the game and the organization. With that experience comes great knowledge, and also instant credibility for the players.”

Sennecke joked that Getzlaf gave him “a shootout move to do, and it didn’t work out,” though he did score with a gorgeous hesitation move on a breakaway.

He said he felt the Ducks were attracted to him because of his multifaceted game, particularly on offense.

The Toronto native sprouted nearly half a foot in roughly a year, which lengthened his stride but also required some adjustment in terms of balance and coordination, among other benefits and detriments.

“I was smaller, so I had to play that small game, really shifty, quick on my feet and avoiding checks. Then, when I grew, I kept that small person’s game and had a bigger body,” Sennecke said. “My bones grew faster than my muscles could keep up with, so I’m a little leaner.”

Sennecke said he was able to connect with Gauthier, with the duo now considered the top two prospects in one of the NHL’s elite young talent pools.

“He’s a great person off the ice and a really skilled player. He’s strong and powerful. It’s good to learn from those guys who have been through it before,” Sennecke said.

Gauthier, who was a lottery pick by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2022, had been through the experience with his prior club. He was traded to the Ducks in January, playing only Game 82 for the club after going all the way to the NCAA title game with Boston College.

“On our very first day, we had a meeting with our mental performance coach,” McIlvane said. “When she asked what were a couple of things we could focus on for the week, what Cutter said right away was, ‘I want to be a leader for the guys that are experiencing camp for the first time.’”

Another player experiencing development camp and an NHL setting for the first time was defenseman Stian Solberg, whom the Ducks traded up to select 23rd overall.

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Solberg started out playing soccer but moved from the pitch to the ice. Similarly, he transformed from a skill-oriented player – he scored a goal in Friday’s scrimmage and had multiple eye-catching outlet passes – into a waking nightmare for opponents.

He showed off his ability to use his physique and formidable mean streak earlier in the week. While Sennecke was quick to offer that defense and physical strength were his main developmental emphases, Solberg displayed both in spades during a drill where players had to defend without a stick. His positioning was flawless as he won the battle sans stick then tossed his opponent to the ice.

“I just really like to play hard. I really enjoy the physical part of the game. Really, it comes naturally, I don’t see why not to play hard,” Solberg said. “One day I just started and I’ve been developing the game from that time.”

​ Orange County Register 

Angel City FC hosts Gotham FC in final game before Olympic break

• July 6, 2024

The NWSL regular season is moving quickly and, just like last season, Angel City Football Club is in a fight for the playoffs.

This season, instead of six of 12 teams qualifying, there are eight headed to the playoffs in what is now a 14-team league.

Angel City (4-8-3, 15 points) enters the final week before the Olympic break in 11th place, but just three points behind Bay FC for the final playoff spot.

Angel City has 11 games remaining, including Saturday’s second meeting against defending champion NJ/NY Gotham FC.

“You have to set yourself up going forward with momentum,” ACFC defender Merritt Mathias said after Sunday’s 3-0 loss against Orlando. “We have to show up in our best form. That is what we’re signed up for as professional athletes. If you drop points against teams you shouldn’t drop points against, then you find yourself in a really tough position and that’s where we are now. I think we have to buckle up and get ready for the ride that’s to come.”

Of the final 11 games, Angel City has six at home (Gotham, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Washington and Utah) and five on the road (San Diego, Racing Louisville, Seattle, North Carolina and Portland).

“I think there’s an understanding that at some point people will stop investing if you don’t win games,” Matthias said. “That’s what we’re in the business of. … We want to win, it’s not for a lack of trying, a game like this (last Sunday) and then next against Gotham, it becomes evident that you have to pick up points against Bay … you have to win those games and set yourself up going forward with momentum.

“It puts a lot of pressure on us as a team, but we have to show up. We’re halfway through and we have to start putting points on the board.”

International duty calls

The NWSL has a mandatory break starting Monday through July 14. It will be a busy one for several Angel City players due to international call-ups.

Ali Riley will be departing to join New Zealand for the upcoming Olympics. Alyssa Thompson (USWNT), Claire Emslie (Scotland) and Rocky Rodriguez (Costa Rica) will be joining their respective national teams during the break. Also, Gisele Thompson will join the U.S. U-20 team for games against Mexico and Kennedy Fuller will be with the U.S. U-17 team for a camp in Atlanta and games against Brazil.

Summer Cup upcoming

Angel City will soon turn its attention toward the inaugural NWSL-Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.

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The competition will run from July 18 until Aug. 24, with NWSL play on a break. All 14 NWSL teams will compete, along with six Liga MX clubs (Tigres, America, Chivas, Monterrey, Pachuca and Tijuana)

Angel City is in Group B, along with San Diego Wave FC, Bay FC and Club America. Angel City will open July 20 against Club America at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium. The second game will be on the road against Bay FC on July 26. The final group stage game is Aug. 1 back at Titan Stadium against San Diego Wave FC.

NJ/NY GOTHAM FC at ANGEL CITY FC

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.

Where: BMO Stadium

TV: ION

​ Orange County Register 

Wisconsin Supreme Court changes course, will allow expanded use of ballot drop boxes this fall

• July 6, 2024

By TODD RICHMOND

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Friday that officials can place ballot drop boxes around their communities in this fall’s elections, overturning its own ruling two years ago limiting their use in the presidential swing state.

The court limited the use of drop boxes in July 2022, ruling then that they could be placed only in local election clerks’ offices and no one other than the voter could return a ballot in person.

Conservatives controlled the court at that time, but Janet Protasiewicz’s election victory in April 2023 flipped the court to liberal control. Seeing an opening, Priorities USA, a progressive voter mobilization group, asked the court in February to revisit the decision.

At least 29 other states allow for absentee ballot drop boxes, according to the U.S. Vote Foundation, and expanded use in Wisconsin could have major implications in the presidential race.

Wisconsin again figures to be a crucial swing state after President Joe Biden barely won it in 2020 and Donald Trump narrowly took it in 2016. Democrats believe that making it easier to vote absentee will boost turnout for their side.

The justices announced in March they would review the ban on drop boxes but wouldn’t consider any other parts of the case. The move drew the ire of the court’s conservatives, who accused the liberals of trying to give Democrats an advantage this fall. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in April urged the court to again allow drop boxes.

The court ruled 4-3 on Friday that drop boxes can be utilized in any location.

Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, one of the court’s four liberal justices, wrote for the majority that placing a ballot in a drop box set up and maintained by a local election clerk is no different than giving the ballot to the clerk, regardless of the box’s location. Local clerks have great discretion in how they administer elections and that extends to using and locating drop boxes, she added.

“Our decision today does not force or require that any municipal clerks use drop boxes,” Bradley wrote. “It merely acknowledges what (state law) has always meant: that clerks may lawfully utilize secure drop boxes in an exercise of their statutorily-conferred discretion.”

All three conservative justices dissented. Justice Rebecca Bradley wrote that the liberals are simply trying to advance their political agenda and criticized them for ignoring the precedent set by the 2022 ruling.

“The majority in this case overrules (the 2022 decision) not because it is legally erroneous, but because the majority finds it politically inconvenient,” Bradley wrote. “The majority’s activism marks another triumph of political power over legal principle in this court.”

The popularity of absentee voting exploded during the pandemic in 2020, with more than 40% of all voters casting mail ballots, a record high. At least 500 drop boxes were set up in more than 430 communities for the election that year, including more than a dozen each in Madison and Milwaukee — the state’s two most heavily Democratic cities.

Trump and Republicans have alleged that drop boxes facilitated cheating, even though they offered no evidence. Democrats, election officials and some Republicans argued the boxes are secure and an Associated Press survey of state election officials across the U.S. revealed no cases of fraud, vandalism or theft that could have affected the results in 2020.

Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature intervened in the case, arguing that the justices should leave the 2022 ruling alone. Their attorney, Misha Tseytlin, didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday.

Matt Fisher, a spokesperson for the state Republican Party, called the decision a “setback.”

“This latest attempt by leftist justices to placate their far-left backers will not go unanswered by voters,” he said in a statement.

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Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley weighed in as well, saying in a statement that the decision “gives Democrats a green light to dismantle election security safeguards and invite election fraud.”

Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell, who administers elections in the state’s most Democratic county, called drop boxes a “common sense tool.” He said they make the election process more convenient and easier for rural and disabled voters and help reduce that number of ballots that arrive after election day too late to be counted.

“Having drop boxes in place for the 2024 elections in August and November will encourage civic participation in our democracy,” McDonell said in a statement.

​ Orange County Register