Lakers fall to Suns in final preseason tune-up

• October 20, 2023

THOUSAND PALMS — The Lakers closed out their six-game slate of exhibitions with a 123-100 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night at Acrisure Arena, using the closest thing to what is expected to be their regular-season rotation as they showed at any point in the preseason.

LeBron James and Austin Reaves were both back in the lineup after previously playing two exhibitions apiece, starting alongside D’Angelo Russell, Taurean Prince and Anthony Davis.

Coach Darvin Ham wouldn’t confirm that the aforementioned unit will be the starters for Tuesday’s regular-season opener against the Denver Nuggets in Colorado, mentioning that forward Jarred Vanderbilt wasn’t available Thursday.

The lineup of Russell, Reaves, Prince, James and Davis started all three games when James and Reaves were available this preseason.

Ham said before the game that he doesn’t feel like he’s missed out on seeing anything he’s wanted to because of the varying player availability.

“It’s a long process,” Ham said. “So you’re not going to have everything figured out in the first month of the season or whatever. You just try to apply your principles, try to make sure guys are in the best possible shape to start this long haul, physically.

“We have a couple of guys dealing with some different issues. At the outset, we’re not trying to have the puzzle figured out. You want to make sure everyone is locked into the information and in a position where we can start to build on that and get even better at doing what we do.”

James led the Lakers (2-4) with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes. Davis had 15 points and six blocked shots, while Reaves added 14 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Ham subbed out the entire starting lineup midway through the third quarter. Cam Reddish, Rui Hachimura, Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes and Max Christie filled out the rest of the first-half rotation.

In addition to Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent (lower back soreness) and rookie guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (right knee contusion) weren’t available Thursday.

Vincent’s absence was described as “precautionary.”

“Give him a few extra days,” Ham added, “so he can be ready to go come Tuesday night.”

Initially, Thursday was expected to be a test run for both teams, with the Suns also playing their first regular-season game Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors.

But the Suns sat starting guards Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, the three-time All-Star they acquired from the Washington Wizards during the offseason.

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Kevin Durant still suited up and played the first half, making Thursday the first time James and Durant have played against one another since Dec. 25, 2018.

Durant finished with 21 points (8-of-14 shooting), four rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes.

The Lakers and Suns will square off again next Thursday in the Lakers’ home opener at Crypto.com Arena – in what is expected to be the first James-Durant regular-season matchup in nearly five years.

“Two iconic figures in the game of basketball today,” former Lakers and current Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “And will forever be two iconic figures in the game of basketball. They basically dominated this generation in different ways. It has been something the fans have missed out on if it’s been that long since they shared the court together.”

​ Orange County Register 

Pierre-Luc Dubois scores twice in 12 seconds as Kings beat Wild

• October 20, 2023

By BRIAN HALL The Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Pierre-Luc Dubois scored twice within 12 seconds in the first period, and Cam Talbot stopped 30 shots in the Kings’ 7-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.

Dubois scored for the second straight game, giving him three goals in four games this season. His two scores 12 seconds apart in the first marked the third-fastest two goals scored in franchise history. Ralph Backstrom had a pair of goals six seconds apart in 1972 and Jari Kurri did the same 10 seconds apart in 1991.

Carl Grundstrom and Vladislav Gavrikov each scored their second goal of the season for the Kings, who have won back-to-back road games after going winless in two games at home to start the season. Trevor Moore added his fourth goal of the season, his third straight game with a goal, midway through the third. Adrian Kempe and Blake Lizotte had empty-net goals.

Connor Dewar and Kirill Kaprizov each scored goals in a second straight game for Minnesota. Joel Eriksson Ek added his fourth goal of the season late and Marc-Andre Fleury made his second straight start after a road win at Montreal, stopping 20 shots.

The fourth lines each started the scoring for their respective teams. Grundstrom scored just 2:39 into the game and Dewar answered for the Wild less than four minutes later.

Kaprizov added his second goal of the season, deflecting in a point shot from Jonas Brodin. In the back-and-forth opening period, Gavrikov tied the score by cleaning up a scrum right in front of Fleury.

Dubois, who was acquired in June from Winnipeg in exchange for a second-round draft pick, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari and Gabe Vilardi, finished the first with a flurry.

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Dubois was sent into the offensive zone by a pass from former Wild winger Kevin Fiala and scored between Fleury’s legs. The goal was reviewed as it appeared Dubois tried to kick the puck to his stick, but never managed to get his stick on the puck while being checked by Dewar.

Officials determined that the puck did go off a stick before beating Fleury. Then, with 46 seconds left in the period, Dubois was ready as Fiala intercepted Fleury’s clearing attempt and passed to Dubois for the goal.

Talbot, who played two seasons with Minnesota before Fleury joined the team, made his first start against the Wild since being traded to Ottawa for Filip Gustavsson.

UP NEXT

The Kings return home against Boston on Saturday.

​ Orange County Register 

Restored Ayn Rand film furthers her legacy

• October 20, 2023

​ Orange County Register 

California’s menthol ban: New report reveals a failed experiment

• October 20, 2023

In 2021, California legislators banned the sale of menthol cigarettes, taking a prohibition approach to reducing tobacco usage. But a new report proves something we should’ve known from history: prohibition of widely available legal products does not work and often creates more problems than solutions.

When policymakers made the decision to prohibit menthol cigarettes, their aim was to reduce the supply of these products in the market. However, an underground market was ready to ensure a steady supply and continued use of these products.

A recent study of discarded cigarette packs from across California found an unknown menthol brand called “Sheriff,” which has connections with Mexican cartels showing up frequently across the state. By analyzing the contents of public trash cans around the state, researchers were able to determine that even though Sheriff is not in the top 10 most popular menthol cigarette brands, Sheriff is the 5th most common brand found discarded. This inexplicable prominence, coupled with the cartel’s association with it in Mexico, strongly points towards their involvement in disseminating these illicit menthol cigarettes across California.

Also, shortly after the ban took effect, other new cigarette products entered the market. These cigarettes looked just like traditional menthol products, with blue and green packaging, but somewhere on the pack is a designation that they are “non-menthol.” This was clearly meant to confuse menthol cigarette smokers to continue lighting up, and it appears to be working, with the study showing roughly 7% of discarded packs were these menthol “work-around” products.

The survey found that 14% of packs discarded were still menthol despite the ban. Prior to the ban, menthol cigarettes made up 24.5% of the market. Between menthol cigarettes and the menthol “work-around” products, that number has decreased only slightly to 21%.

When a legal product gets banned, particularly one valued at $30 billion nationally, criminals are ready to take advantage of the void that’s created and use those profits nefariously. A bipartisan group of senators recently warned in a letter to Secretary of State Blinken of the financial linkage between Mexican trans-national criminal organizations and tobacco smuggling activities. Cartels use money from tobacco sales to fund a whole host of other criminal activities, including: smuggling fentanyl, human trafficking, and more.

It’s not just the Mexican cartels benefiting from prohibitionist tobacco policies, as illegal Chinese flavored vaping products continue to flood the streets.

The survey unearthed another staggering statistic—98% of discarded vapes featured flavors, despite the FDA’s lack of approval for flavored e-cigarettes. Highly flavored brands like Elf Bar, Flum, and Funky Republic, mostly originating from China, should not even be on the market and are banned at the federal, state, and often local level. Yet these illegal products remain readily available across California.

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California’s struggles with a menthol ban mirror Massachusetts’ failures, which banned all flavored tobacco products June 2020. Menthol cigarettes still run rampant, and Massachusetts’ inability to get these products off the market has led state policymakers to consider criminalizing individual possession – meaning law enforcement intervening to stop individuals smoking menthol cigarettes.

Both California and Massachusetts’ inability to successfully enforce bans on these products sets a grim precedent for the upcoming federal menthol ban.

Prohibition may seem like a quick-fix solution, but the real world is far more complex. Such bans lead to unintended consequences, like the emergence of unregulated and potentially dangerous products in the underground market that fuels cartel activity. Rather than reducing harm, such bans can exacerbate it by pushing consumers towards untested and unregulated alternatives that are more dangerous for public health.

Andrew Sarega is a retired Newport Beach police officer and Mayor Pro-Tem in La Mirada, CA. 

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County scores and player stats for Thursday, Oct. 19

• October 20, 2023

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Scores and stats from Orange County games on Thursday, Oct. 19

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

THURSDAY’S SCORES

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

CIF-SS PLAYOFFS

First Round

DIVISION 2

Aliso Niguel def. Corona del Mar, 3-1

DIVISION 3

Trabuco Hills def. Bonita, 25-14, 25-23, 25-18

Torrance South def. Villa Park, 3-0

DIVISION 4

Capistrano Valley Christian def. Westridge, 3-0

El Dorado def. Riverside Poly, 3-0

DIVISION 5

La Reina def. Whittier Christian, 25-21, 25-12, 25-15

Northwood def. Oxford Academy, 3-1

DIVISION 6

Calvary Chapel def. Westminster, 3-0

DIVISION 7

Pacifica Christian/Santa Monica def. Saddleback, 25-18, 25-11, 25-9

Indio def. Rancho Alamitos, 25-17, 25-15, 25-23

DIVISION 8

Orangewood Academy def. Faith Baptist, 26-24, 25-15, 25-17

Samueli Academy def. SLOCA, 26-24, 26-24, 25-17

BOYS WATER POLO

EMPIRE LEAGUE

Valencia 17, Kennedy 0

Pacifica 15, Tustin 8

ORANGE LEAGUE

Western 13, Savanna 3

SOUTH COAST LEAGUE

Capistrano Valley 15, El Toro 13

San Clemente 12, Dana Hills 2

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Aliso Niguel 14, Trabuco Hills 8

Goals: (AN) Geiger 6, Lynch 5

Saves: (AN) Kennedy 8, Hanson 1

NOTE: Aliso Niguel clinches Sea View League championship

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

University 14, Woodbridge 8

Irvine 13, Laguna Hills 4

Beckman 12, Portola 11

FREEWAY LEAGUE

La Habra 12, Sunny Hills 7

NONLEAGUE

Whittier 13, Segerstrom 8

El Dorado 16, California 1

GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL

NONLEAGUE

Aliso Niguel 16, Canyon 6

GIRLS TENNIS

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Beckman 10, Woodbridge 8

CRESTVIEW LEAGUE

Foothill 13, Villa Park 5

EMPIRE LEAGUE

Cypress 17, Kennedy 1

WAVE LEAGUE

Laguna Beach 17, Marina 1

GOLDEN WEST LEAGUE

Garden Grove 15, Godinez 3

ORANGE COAST LEAGUE

St. Margaret’s 17, Calvary Chapel 1

ORANGE LEAGUE

Western 15, Anaheim 3

Magnolia 15, Santa Ana Valley 3

TRINITY LEAGUE

Mater Dei 15, Orange Lutheran 3

​ Orange County Register 

NLCS: Diamondbacks top Phillies on Ketel Marte’s walk-off single in Game 3

• October 20, 2023

By DAVID BRANDT AP Baseball Writer

PHOENIX — More than 15 minutes after the game, Ketel Marte stood at his clubhouse locker, gulping water while trying to finally catch his breath after delivering the Arizona Diamondbacks’ latest clutch postseason moment.

“After my hit, I sprinted so hard,” Marte said, shaking his head.

Marte capped a three-hit afternoon with a walk-off single in the ninth, rookie Brandon Pfaadt pitched 5⅔ scoreless innings and the Diamondbacks rallied to beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1, on Thursday and close to 2-1 in the National League Championship Series.

On the verge of falling behind 3-0 in the best-of-seven matchup, Arizona tied the score on Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s RBI double in the seventh.

Gurriel opened the ninth with a leadoff walk against Craig Kimbrel, stole second base and took third on Pavin Smith’s infield single.

Gurriel was thrown out at the plate by shortstop Trea Turner on Emmanuel Rivera’s hard-hit grounder as the Phillies played the infield in. Geraldo Perdomo walked after falling behind 1-and-2 in the count and Marte – one of the few Diamondbacks who has looked comfortable at the plate this series – hit a liner that fell in front of center fielder Johan Rojas, sending the D-backs onto the field in celebration.

“I felt like I could make some pitches to get us out of it,” Kimbrel said. “Sometimes you get them. Some days you don’t. Today just wasn’t that day.”

Marte said he wasn’t nervous during his at-bat. The 30-year-old is hitting .382 with four doubles, two homers and five RBIs in eight postseason games this year and has a 12-game postseason hitting streak.

“I’m not a pressure guy,” Marte said. “I know what kind of hitter I am.”

It was the third postseason walk-off win for the Diamondbacks after series-winning hits by Tony Womack in the 2001 NL Division Series and Luis Gonzalez in the 2001 World Series. Marte has a 12-game postseason hitting streak.

Defending NL champion Philadelphia had opened the postseason 7-1 and outscored the Diamondbacks 15-3 over two games at Citizens Bank Park, hitting six homers.

Bryce Harper had put the Phillies ahead in the seventh when he scored on Ryan Thompson’s wild pitch.

“We are here at their place,” Harper said. “They played a really good game today. I thought both sides had good defense, good pitching. Just got to move on as soon as possible.”

After throwing 4⅓ scoreless innings against the Dodgers in the NLDS clincher, Pfaadt struck out nine and allowed two hits against the Phillies with a mid-90s fastball and a nifty sweeper that had hitters chasing.

“It was fun – I had a lot of things working,” Pfaadt said. “I was able to hone in on a few things, execute the way I wanted and get some big outs.”

Pfaadt combined with Andrew Saalfrank, Thompson, Kevin Ginkel and Paul Sewald on a three-hitter. Sewald, who got the win, stranded Harper on second in the ninth when Alec Bohm took a called third strike.

Philadelphia’s Ranger Suárez gave up three hits and struck out seven in 5⅓ innings, leaving after Marte’s leadoff double in the sixth. Suarez’s 0.94 ERA is the lowest in a pitcher’s first eight career postseason appearances.

“I was locating my pitches really well today,” Suárez said through an interpreter. “That helped me a lot.”

Harper walked against Saalfrank starting the seventh and Bohm followed with an infield single against Thompson. Bryson Stott grounded into a double play as Harper took third, and Thompson yanked an 0-and-1 slider that swerved over the left-handed batter’s box and bounced to the backstop. The ball rebounded to catcher Gabriel Montero, whose too-late throw sailed past the pitcher covering the plate as Harper slid headfirst.

Arizona had been scoreless for 17 innings until the seventh. Tommy Pham singled off Orion Kerkering and Gurriel doubled down into the left field corner. Smith singled to put runners at the corners but José Alvarado got Rivera to ground into a double play and Perdomo grounded out.

After nearly taking a 3-0 series lead, the Phillies planned to regroup.

“It could have gone either way, you know,” Manager Rob Thomson said. “What are you going to do? I’m not going to think about it that way. I’m going to think about coming in here tomorrow and getting ready and getting ready to compete.”

LATE ARRIVALS

The first two games of the NLCS were a hot ticket in Philadelphia, with fans paying hundreds of dollars just to get in the door.

Game 3 at Chase Field was much more affordable. Less than an hour before the game, seats were available on SeatGeek for as low as $18 and on StubHub for as low as $14. Prices were so low that Phillies fans claimed they bought tickets just to keep potential D-backs fans out of the stadium.

The D-backs announced a sellout crowd of 47,075 and the seats looked 99% full for a game that started at 2:07 p.m. PT.

D-BACKS CHANGES

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo shuffled his lineup significantly for Game 3 against the left-handed Suárez, flipping Marte and Corbin Carroll at the top of the order. He also batted Moreno third, dropped Pham to fifth and played the right-handed hitting Rivera at third base. Thomas – a left-handed hitter – wasn’t in the starting lineup. He was 0 for 5 in the first two games.

UP NEXT

Game 4 is on Friday at 5:07 p.m. PT. The Phillies start left-hander Cristopher Sánchez, who hasn’t pitched in the postseason. The D-backs will counter with left-hander Joe Mantiply (2-0, 9.00 ERA), normally a reliever.

​ Orange County Register 

RB Myles Gaskin ready for new chance with Rams

• October 20, 2023

THOUSAND OAKS — Last week, Myles Gaskin got a call from his parents.

The veteran running back had spent the first five weeks of the season bouncing back and forth between the Minnesota Vikings’ active roster and practice squad, after a year of limited use in Miami. His parents weren’t used to him not playing, and they wanted to check up on him and make sure he was holding up all right.

“Them just trying to tell me to keep my head up for this journey. This is what I always wanted since I was a kid, so just the ups and downs of it,” Gaskin said. “They always keep it real with me. They just told me to keep my head up, stay true to your process. My dad is always huge, but my mom is always speaking life into me.”

And speaking good things into existence for her son, too. A week later, Gaskin got the call that, after a pair of running back injuries, the Rams wanted to sign him to their active roster.

It’s an ideal situation for Gaskin. The chance to earn some snaps while Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers recover from injury. A return to the West Coast for a Seattle native.

“My eyes lit up, just very excited to be back on the West Coast, close to family,” Gaskin said. “This is a great organization and I’m just excited to help and do what I can. Being back on an active roster is very much a blessing.”

Gaskin was a productive player in his first three seasons in Miami. He gained 972 total yards in 2020 and scored seven touchdowns the following season. But a crowded backfield led to him playing in just four games in 2022, carrying the ball in two of those contests.

As he navigated that disappointment and the inability to find a spot on an active roster this preseason, he looked to former teammates like journeyman Vince Biegel for inspiration.

“The biggest thing I took away from that was just stay true to your process, stay true to your work,” Gaskin said. “That’s what got you to the league and that’s what’s going to keep you in the league.”

When he got the call early Monday morning that he was going to be a Ram, Gaskin began to pack immediately.

“I was like let’s get this going, let’s get up out of Minnesota,” Gaskin said. “I love Minnesota, I appreciate everything over there but I was excited to come to L.A. and the opportunity I’ve been afforded.”

Gaskin has some familiarity with the Rams’ offensive system. Head coach Sean McVay and his Miami counterpart Mike McDaniel stem from the same coaching tree, while Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell was the Rams’ offensive coordinator from 2020-2021.

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While he is comfortable with some of the concepts and verbiage, Gaskin is trying to treat the playbook with an open mind as he goes about learning the new offense.

“He’s been a good player in this league,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. “I’ve been hearing from McDaniel about what kind of guy he is, [assistant head coach] Jimmy Lake about what kind of guy he is. In the 24 hours I’ve known him, it’s holding true right now. So if he gets his opp, I know the game’s not going to be too big for him.”

He’s one of four options that could handle the football for the Rams on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Gaskin is happy to be in consideration after how his season began.

“Just ready to make plays and whatever Coach asks me to do, I’m more than willing to do it,” Gaskin said. “I feel like the stars aligned for me to get here. I was just talking to my parents about the situation and all that stuff just about a week ago so it’s crazy to end up in L.A.”

​ Orange County Register 

Palos Verdes Estates blufftop compound seeks $35 million

• October 20, 2023

An oceanfront compound on the westernmost point of Palos Verdes Estates is on the market for $35 million.

If it gets close to the asking price, it will surpass the Andalusian-style home in the guard-gated city of Rolling Hills purchased for $22.4 million in October 2018 as the Palos Verdes Peninsula’s most expensive house ever sold.

Located in the quiet enclave of Lunada Bay, the recent listing features two Santa Barbara Spanish-style homes for a total of 12,474 square feet with seven bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.

A pool and spa marry two properties combined to create the lush, 1-acre-plus grounds, backdropped with unobstructed coastline views from Redondo Beach to Malibu.

Palos Verdes Estates is one of four cities on the peninsula that Britt Austin of Vista Sotheby’s International Realty calls a best-kept secret.

“In Palos Verdes Estates and Rolling Hills, which is a guard-gated city, you get some really big lots,” said Austin, the co-listing agent. “It’s a beautiful place. I don’t know why prices are (undervalued), but I think that will change.”

Records show the first of the two properties sold in July 2007 for $4.9 million to a trust managed by Tim Armour, the outgoing chairman and CEO of the Capital Group, who retires October 25 after 40 years with the financial services company.

When the neighboring house came on the market, records show the same trust scooped it up in March 2011 for $4.5 million.

Each of those times, the owner replaced the original home with a new two-story construction, first in 2008 and then in 2016. They include a 7,022-square-foot main house and a 5,450-square-foot guest house with an entertainment pavilion, each curated by celebrated interior designer Tim Clarke.

His touches include reclaimed wood-beamed ceilings, vintage Italian chandeliers and antique French fireplace mantles.

At the five-bedroom main house, the front door opens to reveal the living room with a fireplace and built-ins.

It leads to the formal dining room, which connects to the eat-in kitchen and breakfast room via the butler’s pantry. Design elements in the kitchen include countertops of aged Massangis limestone, a patinaed copper sink and high-end appliances and fixtures.

The kitchen overlooks the family room where disappearing glass walls extend the interior to expansive grounds by landscape architect Art Luna that feature sprawling lawns, limestone hardscape and pergolas.

Elsewhere, there’s a home office, screening room and primary suite with direct access to an outdoor spa. It also boasts a fireplace in the bedroom, a separate shower and tub in the bathroom, and a walk-in closet with floor-to-ceiling built-in storage and an island.

The guest retreat includes two bedrooms, a 1,200-bottle wine cellar, a gym, an office and an expansive family room referred to in the listing as the entertainment pavilion with retractable glass walls.

Garage parking for seven rounds out the highlights.

More than well-appointed, the listing also boasts Savant home automation and next-level security. While the designer furniture and home furnishings are not included in the price, they are available for purchase outside escrow.

Austin shares the listing with her mother, Cari Corbalis, also of Vista Sotheby’s International Realty.

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​ Orange County Register