Brandon Benjamin, Carter Bryant, Shea Joko win John R. Wooden Award

• April 6, 2023

Three Orange County basketball players were named John R. Wood Award winners for the 2022-23 season.

The awards are presented to the most valuable player in each CIF Southern Section division and the Los Angeles City Section.

Two county boys players were chosen: sophomore Brandon Benjamin, who was the Orange County player of the year at Canyon, and Sage Hill junior guard Carter Bryant. Benjamin transferred to Mater Dei after the season ended.

Junior point guard Shea Joko of Orange Lutheran was among the girls players to receive the award.

Benjamin was boys Division I winner, Bryant the boys Division IV winner and Joko the girls Division 1 honoree.

The award is named for the late John Wooden, who coached UCLA to 10 college basketball national championships.

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​ Orange County Register 

SCNG’s Scott Reid wins prestigious investigative reporting honor

• April 6, 2023

The Southern California News Group’s Scott Reid won an Investigative Reporters & Editors Award for Sports Investigations for his reporting on allegations of emotional abuse and bullying by former Olympic and Cal swimming coach Teri McKeever.

Reid’s coverage of McKeever spanned decades of allegations by more than 40 former and current swimmers against the most successful and famous female coach in swimming history.

McKeever, who had coached the Golden Bears to four NCAA team titles during her 29 seasons and was the head coach of the 2012 U.S. Olympic women’s team, was fired by the university on Jan. 31.

Among the allegations levied against McKeever were swearing at and threatening swimmers on an almost daily basis, using racial epithets and body-shaming and pressuring athletes to compete or train while injured or dealing with chronic illnesses or eating disorders, even accusing some women of lying about their conditions despite medical records saying otherwise.

Nine Cal women’s swimmers told Reid they made plans to kill themselves or obsessed about suicide as a result of McKeever’s bullying.

The IRE judges said of Reid’s work: “The Orange County Register painstakingly illuminated the shocking actions of UC Berkeley swim coach Teri McKeever, an international icon in her field. Her abuses are recorded in revealing on-the-record interviews with frightened, reluctant sources, some of whom spoke about suicidal thoughts and mental health consequences. The paper encountered considerable resistance from the university and other official sources. Ultimately, however, the coach lost her job.”

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The IRE winners were selected from more than 400 entries. The awards, given since 1979, recognize the most outstanding watchdog journalism of the year.

Reid’s in-depth reporting on McKeever was also recently recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as among the top 10 in investigations, the 14th time he’s earned the distinction. He was also named among the top 10 beat writers in the country for his coverage of Olympic sports.

​ Orange County Register 

Shohei Ohtani shakes off rough start in Angels’ victory over Mariners

• April 6, 2023

SEATTLE — Shohei Ohtani demonstrated how good he is by how he pitched when he wasn’t good.

After having issues with his command throughout three shaky innings, Ohtani tacked on three dominant innings in the Angels’ 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday afternoon.

Ohtani walked four and hit two batters in the first three innings, but he faced the minimum over the next three, striking out the side in the sixth.

“He’s been in the league long enough where he knows what he’s doing better than anybody,” catcher Logan O’Hoppe said. “I kind of leaned on him to do what he’s capable of doing and that he could get himself out of it, which he did. It was pretty impressive.”

Ohtani and O’Hoppe, who hit a two-run homer, helped lead the Angels to their fourth victory in the first six games of the season, with the home opener coming on Friday.

“When he’s not on his game and pitches like that, we’ll take that every day,” Manager Phil Nevin said.

Ohtani got the victory on a day when it didn’t even look like he’d make it through five innings. He needed 69 pitches in those first three shaky innings, even though he allowed just one run.

In the first inning, he walked the first two hitters of the game, Julio Rodriguez and Ty France. Eugenio Suarez then poked a single into right, scoring a run. Right fielder Hunter Renfroe’s throw hit France in the back, but third baseman Gio Urshela threw France out at the plate as he tried to score.

Ohtani was also called for his first pitch timer violation in the first inning when umpire Pat Hoberg ruled that Ohtani began his delivery before the hitter was ready.

Ohtani and Hoberg spoke on the field for a couple of minutes after the inning, and then again after the game was over. The issue is that Ohtani pitches from the stretch all the time, with very little movement before his delivery starts, so there was a conversation about when the hitter is sufficiently prepared for him to start.

“I talked to the umpires after the game and cleared things up,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “I should be fine.”

Ohtani worked around trouble in the next two innings, getting A.J. Pollock on a groundout to leave the bases loaded in the third.

“The biggest thing for me was I couldn’t command my fastball,” Ohtani said.

Over the next three innings, though, Ohtani locked down. He mixed in a few more cutters and even threw his first curveball of the season. He eventually got command of the sweeper, which is his go-to pitch.

He gave up a leadoff single to Jarred Kelenic in fourth, but he was erased on a double play. Ohtani pitched a perfect fifth, finishing with 93 pitches. Normally, that might have been enough.

Nevin said he could tell from the way Ohtani was acting in the dugout between the fifth and sixth that he wanted to go back. With Aaron Loup warming in the bullpen, Ohtani began the sixth.

Ohtani struck out the side, finishing with 111 pitches, tied for the third most in his career. No Angels pitcher had thrown that many pitches in April, when pitchers are typically on shorter leashes, since 2016.

“I’m not so much worried about a number as I am about how he’s feeling,” Nevin said. “If he tells me he’s good, like I’ve told you guys a million times, I’m going to trust when Shohei tells me he’s feeling alright.”

Just after Ohtani was done, the Angels finally got some insurance.

They hadn’t scored since O’Hoppe’s second-inning two-run homer. They wasted a two-on, no-out situation in the sixth.

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In the seventh, though, they parlayed three soft hits and a walk into two runs.

The Angels needed those runs because the Mariners answered with two in the bottom of the seventh. Matt Moore gave up an infield hit, and then Jimmy Herget allowed a double and a single, cutting the lead to 4-3.

Herget got through the eighth with the help of a diving stop by first baseman Brandon Drury.

Left-hander José Quijada pitched the ninth, picking up the save. Nevin said he gave the ball to Quijada because Carlos Estévez had pitched on Sunday and Monday.

“He had thrown back-to-back days, thrown a lot of pitches,” Nevin said. “I’m just not going to do that to any of my guys this early in the season.”

​ Orange County Register 

Boombox Cartel headlines Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach’s 1st Fiesta Friday since ’19

• April 5, 2023

DJ Boombox Cartel — a Los Angeles entertainer known for his singles “B2U,” “Supernatural,” and 2017 EP “Cartel” — will headline the 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach’s first Fiesta Friday since the coronavirus pandemic, the event organizers announced on Monday, March 20.

The last Fiesta Friday was in 2019.

The entire Grand Prix was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. The three-day event returned to downtown Long Beach in 2021 and 2022, but the Fiesta Friday concert did not, because the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach struggled with the logistics of doing so those years, said GPALB spokesperson Chris Esslinger.

Though the Grand Prix typically takes place in April — the 2023 iteration is set for April 14 to 16 — the 2021 race was moved to September amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19. The 2022 race returned to its usual spring slot — but that gave organizers just six months to plan the entire event. The Grand Prix Association also had difficulty finding a Fiesta Friday sponsor for the event both years, Esslinger said in a Monday interview.

“(Because) of all of those things combined,”  Esslinger said, “we just weren’t able to have one the last two years.”

But now, with the Grand Prix’s schedule back on track, Fiesta Friday is making its return.

The evening event, scheduled to take place at 6:30 p.m. April 14, will close out the first day of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The show will be held in the plaza of the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, part of the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.

Boombox Cartel, née Americo Garcia, rose to fame in 2015 and put out his first EP, called “Cartel,” two years later, the association’s announcement said. The artist embarked on a U.S. tour in 2019, and has since been featured in Billboard Magazine, Noisey, Complex and DJ Mag.

“Blurring the lines between electronic and hip-hop with Latin influences,” the announcement said, “internationally recognized Mexican American producer act Boombox Cartel has risen the ranks as an unparalleled force in the world of dance music.”

Fiesta Friday has historically featured Latin artists.

Jim Michaelian, the president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, has said previously that it’s among the organization’s efforts to attract a younger, more diverse audience of racing fans. Other musical acts that have headlined the Friday show include El Tri, Fobia, Belanova, Maltina Vecindad and Ozomatli.

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“I’ve always been super passionate about cars and race cars — it’s been a part of my life since I was a kid, going to rally races in Mexico and being a mechanic growing up,” Boombox Cartel said in the announcement. “It’s so special that two of my favorite things will be coming together for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach — music and racing.”

Tickets for the event are available on the Grand Prix website. Friday general admission tickets start at $38 and include access to Friday Fiesta, the Grand Prix’s Lifestyle Expo and all racing events that day.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers’ level-headed Will Smith keeps getting better

• April 5, 2023

LOS ANGELES — They have become baseball’s unicorns – catchers who handle the difficult defensive responsibilities of that position while also contributing offensively.

Last year, catchers across MLB combined for a slash line of .228/.295/.368. Each of those parts – batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage – as well as the OPS of .663 were the lowest for any position on the field and it wasn’t even close. Only three catchers had an OPS over .800 last year – Philadelphia’s J.T. Realmuto, Baltimore’s precocious Rookie of the Year runner-up Adley Rutschman and the Dodgers’ Will Smith.

“I think he’s one of the top three catchers in all of baseball,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who began putting Smith in that ranking during the 2021 season. “I think him, you’ve got to put Realmuto and Rutschman in that conversation. … Given his ability to post and work both sides of the baseball, hit in the middle of the order – you don’t find guys like that.”

Not often these days.

On Opening Day this season, more catchers batted eighth or ninth in their teams’ lineups (13) than batted in the top five (12). Only four batted in the top three – Kansas City’s Salvador Perez, Rutschman and the Team USA tandem from the World Baseball Classic, Realmuto and Smith.

Now entering his fifth major-league season (and third full season), Smith has been a catcher who hits since he arrived in MLB. The Dodgers’ first-round pick from their ultra-productive 2016 draft (14 of their first 16 picks have made the big leagues) has a career OPS of .866. His bat has become so valuable to the Dodgers that Smith started 24 games as the DH last year.

And he only seems to be getting better. Smith started this season with a four-RBI game in the season opener, has driven in 10 runs in the first five games while going 8 for 19 (.478) with home runs in each of the past three games.

“It’s a sign that his swing is in a good place and he’s making good swing decisions,” Roberts said.

Smith has shown an ability to do that in the clutch throughout his career.

In at-bats deemed high-leverage, Smith is actually a better hitter – a .281 career average and .926 OPS with 44 of his 75 career home runs coming with the score tied or within one run. With runners in scoring position, he has hit .296 with a .921 OPS.

“He still looks like he’s 15 but he carries himself like a veteran,” Roberts said of the 28-year-old husband and father who still looks like he should be headed to study hall to cram for mid-terms. “He has since he got here.”

Roberts has repeatedly cited Smith’s “slow heartbeat” and calm demeanor at the plate as a key component of his success.

“That’s the big part of it,” the manager said. “When you’re in a position of failure in the sense of hitting, how do you combat knowing you’re going to fail more than you’re going to succeed? The way you do that is you’ve got to have some type of calm and be able to turn the page. He does that as well as anyone from pitch to pitch, at-bat to at-bat, game to game.”

It’s an innate part of his personality, Smith said, one that his parents cultivated.

“I think I’ve always kind of had that, probably from a young age,” he said. “I think my parents raised me a certain way – to be confident but don’t boast, if you fall, get back up. I think that was instilled in me from a young age.

“I’ve seen how that can translate into being a big-league baseball player. It doesn’t work for every guy but it works for me.”

The other component of handling the defensive responsibilities of a catcher and still contributing offensively is to keep the two separate, Smith said.

“I just compartmentalize the two,” he said. “Every day I can go out there and be super-prepared to call a game. It’s easier to control a lot more when I’m catching. I obviously can’t control where the pitcher is putting the ball. But I can control being prepared every day, catching the ball and all that.

“Hitting, sometimes you’re feeling good, sometimes you’re not. You know that going into the year. You just try to stay steady. Separate the two and treat it like two different jobs.”

Not letting momentary successes or failures at one job bleed over into the other is Smith’s strength, Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said.

“One thing that makes him great is he’s just so level-headed. He doesn’t ride the emotions,” Prior said. “Even when he’s going really well, you might get a smile out of him. And when things are maybe not going as well for him, you never see a ton of frustration. I just think his emotional maturity is ahead of what his age and experience is. I think that’s why he plays so well.”

Handling the defensive responsibilities at catcher has been a bigger challenge with Smith slowly smoothing the rough edges of his defensive game.

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“I think it was the beginning of ’21 you could see there were – not mistakes but some inexperience things,” Prior said. “I think we saw a huge step from the beginning of ’22 to the end of ’22 and he’s just continued that. It’s really just being in situations, understanding what the gameplan template is. And that’s literally just a template. Once we get into a game, we see what they’re doing, you see what your pitcher has and his ability to execute or not execute. And he’s been really good at adjusting on the fly. I think that’s where the growth is, not being too constricted or restrained by, ‘This is what we’re going to do.’”

Youthful as he might look five years into his big-league career, Smith is playing a position that tends to age players at a rapid rate with exposure to injury on every pitch and wear and tear that no other position creates. Maintaining himself physically is a matter of establishing “a good routine” with the idea of doing “as little but as much as possible” from day to day, Smith said.

“It’s listening to your body,” he said. “If I’m feeling worn out, I’m not going to go in the cage and hit a ton. I’ll save my bullets for the game. It’s having the confidence and knowing that you don’t need to take 200 swings before every game. Do 10 flips and be ready to go take an at-bat. Having the confidence to do that, over the long run, is good for your body.”

​ Orange County Register 

15 displaced after fire rips through Buena Park apartment complex

• April 5, 2023

Fifteen people, including four children, were displaced after fire ripped through multiple apartments at a complex in Buena Park early Wednesday, April 5, authorities said.

Orange County firefighters responded to the complex in the 7700 block of 10th Street, just west of Beach Boulevard, shortly past 1 a.m., Capt. Thanh Nguyen said.

The fire started on a first floor apartment and quickly spread to second story units, then to a second building, Nguyen said.

It took more than 40 firefighters about 50 minutes to extinguish the flames, the captain said.

No injuries were reported and the Red Cross was assisting five families, Nguyen said.

The fire, which was caused accidentally by unattended cooking, caused an estimated $2 million in structural damage and about $250,000 in damage to personal property inside the units, Nguyen said.

It wasn’t known specifically how many apartments were damaged by the fire, or how many of those units were occupied when the blaze erupted.

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​ Orange County Register 

Kings prepare to face Vegas and possibly Jonathan Quick

• April 5, 2023

What could have resembled a winner-takes-all tilt with a Kings franchise legend facing his former team for the first time Thursday might have seen its luster diminished with Tuesday’s loss, but there are no small games at this time of year.

The Kings have just four opportunities to make a push skyward, toward home ice in the first round and potentially even throughout the Western Conference playoffs, beginning with a joust against the Pacific-pacing Golden Knights in Vegas and, potentially, former franchise goalie Jonathan Quick.

Quick started Tuesday, losing in overtime to the Nashville Predators. The prior two games, both wins over the Minnesota Wild, and the third period of another match went to another Vegas netminder, Laurent Brossoit. Whom Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy tabs Thursday probably won’t be known until the morning skate, but the Kings have pondered the prospect of facing Quick since the winningest goalie in team history was traded late on a fateful February night.

“We’re still going to go out there and try to win. That’s for sure. I would love to score on Quickie,” said fellow two-time Stanley Cup champion Drew Doughty while the bitter aftertaste of the trade still soured his palate. “But it’ll be tough if we have to play against him, I’m not going to lie.”

The Kings trail Vegas by four points for first place in the division and are also trying to get on the right side of Edmonton. The Oilers blanketed the Kings with two victories in five days by an aggregate score of 5-1, but all that wool only left them hanging by a thread, leading the Kings by just one point.

The Kings will split their remaining games between Crypto.com Arena and the road, while Edmonton has just one home game remaining. The Kings will face Vegas and defending champion Colorado before wrapping up the year by hosting Vancouver and visiting the lowly Ducks. Edmonton has a softer schedule, with Colorado as its only playoff-bound opponent mixed into a meeting with the Ducks and two with the cellar-dwelling San Jose Sharks.

While figures, percentages, measures and statistics, both basic and advanced, have proliferated in recent years, much of the stretch run and playoffs has always hinged on the unquantifiable and barely seen – the fire in bellies and desire in eyes.

“I think all of those intangibles that you can’t open up the newspaper and read are at a fairly high point with our team right now,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. “The focus is there, the attention to detail is there quite a bit, the drive to win, the game management, we’re in a good spot. We have to continue to build on that and make sure that we’re keeping our gas tanks full.”

A full tank is one thing and a complete roster is quite another. The Kings were without defensemen Mikey Anderson and Alex Edler as well as top point-producer Kevin Fiala and natural goal-scorer Gabe Vilardi on Tuesday. McLellan declined to provide any injury updates, and all four players should be deemed doubtful for Thursday, especially given that the Kings recalled another defenseman, Jordan Spence, from the minors Wednesday. Fiala’s lower-body injury has been the most mercurial, as he returned to the lineup and then vanished anew.

Without Fiala and Vilardi, the Kings’ once-robust power play has continued to sputter, even as they have thrived in their own zone and prospered in the standings. Absent a four-for-five performance against St. Louis, the Kings have converted on just 7 of 45 power plays since the game after the Quick trade on March 2, the sixth-worst clip in the NHL during that span.

On Tuesday, the Kings’ man–advantage savvy faltered once more with an 0-for-4 showing, while Edmonton broke their season-long drought against the Kings on the power play, as both goals allowed by Pheonix Copley came with the extra man.

“The thing that would stand out was special teams. Vilardi and Fiala are kind of key guys for us in that aspect,” said defenseman Sean Walker, who this time last year was among several injured Kings. “But again, on the back end, losing two solid defensemen like that isn’t great for us, but it’s something that we’ve dealt with before. So, next man up, and do your job.”

The next task will be confronting Vegas, which has led the division practically wire-to-wire this season, though the Kings have taken both meetings since the Golden Knights’ opening-night victory.

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The Vegas attack is led by centers Jack Eichel and Chandler Stephenson, but their lineup has often been improvised. Already entering the year with long-term injuries to center Nolan Patrick and goalie Robin Lehner, Vegas has had to use four different netminders due to injury (they currently have two goalies sidelined). Among other injuries, they’ve also been without a top defenseman, former Duck Shea Theodore, for a good portion of the season between two separate stints on IR, and he remained sidelined Wednesday.

Kings at Vegas

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

TV/Radio: Bally Sports West/iHeart Radio

​ Orange County Register 

Red tags expected to be removed from three San Clemente landslide buildings

• April 5, 2023

Red tags are expected to be removed in the coming days from three oceanfront apartment buildings in San Clemente, where a landslide in mid March sent debris, parts of concrete patios and furniture down the slope and onto a beach path below, Mayor Chris Duncan said.

Residents and short-term renters of 20 units in four apartment buildings in north San Clemente were swiftly evacuated following the storm damage on March 15 that sent sections of hillside sliding several hundred feet toward the ocean. Duncan said he was told geology reports have deemed three structures safe and residents will be allowed to move back in.

One building remains red tagged, but is in the process of completing the necessary paperwork required by the city, Duncan said.

“We’re very excited,” said Clayton Robinson, owner of one of the buildings with his wife, Kim. The couple, who live in Long Beach, bought their property 20 years ago and use it as their primary income. “We’ve been working with the city all week long, we knew it was coming.”

The sudden scenario of possibly losing their property has been a “nightmare,” but the city has been on top of the process, Clayton Robinson said, while he worked around the clock with geologists to ensure all the paperwork was in place.

“We’re just so thankful it’s progressing in such a way,” he said. “We were afraid we were going to lose everything.”

Buildings along Buena Vista are still red tagged in San Clemente, CA, on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. The landslide in North San Clemente forced families out of their apartments a few weeks ago. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Insurance typically does not cover landslide damage, so the loss could have been in the millions.

The San Clemente landslide helped spur a federal emergency declaration for Orange County, which should help fund some of the city’s and the county’s response, but financial help has been limited for the residents who needed to suddenly find new temporary housing until the buildings were deemed safe.

The popular beach trail that runs from North Beach along the damaged area, where heaps of dirt still remain, will stay fenced off to the public until it can be cleaned up, Duncan said.

To have the red tags removed, the property owners had to get geology reports done and submitted to the city for review, Duncan said. There will be additional fixes needed to the back patio areas of two of the properties, where pieces of the concrete patio broke off, to ensure the areas are safe, he said, but that can happen later.

Buildings along Buena Vista are still red tagged in San Clemente, CA, on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

He called it “really good news for our residents.”

“I am very pleased with the city staff that they’ve been processing these reports submitted by the building owners’ geologists expeditiously,” he said. “Safety comes first, so we will make sure everything is in place.”

Duncan said he has been inspired by how the residents came together to help each other during the past month, even as their lives were disrupted.

“They acted in a very professional and calm manner, despite the seriousness of the situation and tragic nature of being forced out of their homes,” he said. “I hope soon all of them will be able to be back home.”

Robinson said there’s still work to be done in the damaged area – installing a fence and other safety measures – before the units closest to the ocean can be rented out again.

“The geologist assured us it was just the face that fell, but that the hill is stable, the ground is not going anywhere,” he said. “From his perspective, there’s no threat to the property at this point.”

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The pool, which came inches from falling down the slope, is helping to stabilize the area, he said. “The pool, the geologist feels, is working like a retaining wall, holding the rest of it together. He said, ‘Don’t use, don’t fill, don’t empty … leave it alone.’”

Robinson said he plans on working with a geologist, the city and the California Coastal Commission on any possible further steps that could be taken to shore up the property in the long term.

Buildings along Buena Vista are still red tagged in San Clemente, CA, on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. The landslide in North San Clemente forced families out of their apartments a few weeks ago. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The city will also be asking those questions for the rest of San Clemente’s coastal bluff tops as part of a coastal erosion study currently in the works, Duncan said. “As part of that, I know we want to focus in on the bluff failure and landslides like this as well; it’s all linked. That is something we will be continuing to look at.”

Since the landslide happened a month ago, the Robinsons’ faith has kept them optimistic about the future, Clayton Robinson said.

“We declared our faith on the first day, we trusted the city and the process,” he said. “Our faith has been proven sound and we’re happy and thrilled we got it back. Even if we lost everything, we wouldn’t let it shake our faith.”

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​ Orange County Register