Coachella 2023: Excited fans strut into Day 1 to catch their favorite acts

• April 15, 2023

For stepsisters Danielle Portney and Tamara Lett waltzing into the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival early Friday afternoon was a homecoming of sorts.

Portney, 32, of Los Angeles, and Lett, 33, of San Diego haven’t missed a festival since they were juniors in high school 16 years ago.

“It’s exciting to be back,” said Portney, who along with Lett was accompanied by Dylan Carro of Imperial Beach.

“It’s fun for me because while people complain about the festival not being like it used to be, I have the most fun just discovering bands I’ve never heard of before,” Portney said of their annual decision to buy tickets before the lineups are known.

Gates opened Friday, April 14 a few minutes after noon, letting fans rush onto the pristine green fields of the Empire Polo Club in Indio once again.

As the Ferris wheel slowly groaned into motion some fans headed straight for the merch tents, which this year included a special standalone tent for Friday’s headliner Bad Bunny. Others rushed to check out the new art installations for selfies and social media photos before the crowds arrive to spoil their perfect backgrounds.

Jordan Bibbs of Crown Point, Indiana just south of Chicago, posed for his friend Rachel Baranowski of Dyer, Indiana in front of new installation that looked like giant, shiny purple grapes hovering above the field.

Both 24, they’d driven 30 hours almost non-stop to realize a dream they’d shared since high school.

“Me and Rachel have always seen Coachella from social media, Instagram or influencers,” Bibbs said.

They knew the lineup before they bought their passes — Frank Ocean was a big draw — but said it wouldn’t have mattered if they hadn’t. Blackpink, Metro Boomin, Charli XCX, Rae Sremmurd and Gorillaz were also on their to-see list, they said

William Stone, an Australian living in Dubai, and Dominique Harrison-Bentzen, a Brit living in the same Middle Eastern nation, were also first-timers at the fest.

Their trip was a Christmas present to satisfy their bucket list goal of attending a world-famous festival, Stone, 36, said.

“You just know it’s one of those festivals that’s just going to be an epic lineup,” Stone said of buying their tickets to weekend one before the lineup was released.

“It’s more a discovery,” Harrison-Bentzen, 31, said. “We were driving listening to (Coachella acts on) Spotify and realizing. ‘Oh we know this song, we know this song.’”

That’s a big part of the fun, Portney and Lett agreed.

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“We plan to go every year,” Portney said.

“We like it more than Christmas,” Lett added.

While some fans rushed in to claim their merch or spots near the front of the Coachella stage to catch higher-billed sets, others took a more leisurely approach. They went and grabbed snacks, hopped on the Ferris wheel for a ride and walked inside the rainbow-colored Spectra Tower.

Brent Brubaker, who resides in Riverside County, is celebrating his twelfth Coachella this year.

“It never gets old to me,” he said as he was leaving his car to head into the festival from the parking lot. “I’m one of those people who really doesn’t like crowds, but after experiencing my first Coachella, I’ll never miss a year.”

This year, he’s coming both festival weekends as the event continues April 21-23. Unlike the first weekend, the second weekend isn’t sold out.

“I’m doing weekend one alone and weekend two with some friends, but either way it’s always a great time,” he said. “You meet so many people and link up with so many people you never expected to. For me, I don’t come to see anybody, I come to just be here. I love it.”

Then there are the fans that just can’t wait to get the party started. Some showed up a day early with their on-site camping passes, noting that the campgrounds are often a festival highlight.

“We’ve been camping at Coachella for the past few years and after experiencing it in 2019, we couldn’t go back to just renting a house or a hotel,” Mindy Klan of Arizona said while enjoying a slice of pizza by the Yuma Tent. “Camping here is its own party. We’ve seriously made lifelong friends with other people who happened to be camping by us, and it always ends up with all of us having after parties by our cars when the days end. Even though it can get hot, we love the luxury of just waking up, being on the grounds and escaping the madness when we want to. There’s no other festival that offers that experience.”

Noah Costales, who flew in from New York, admitted he only came to see Frank Ocean perform.

“I bought a three-day festival pass before I knew who else would be on the bill — but I knew Frank would be playing since he couldn’t back in 2020 since COVID happened — so it was a done deal,” Costales said. “If I’m being honest, I wasn’t as impressed with this year’s lineup as I have been in the past, but I couldn’t miss the opportunity to catch Frank Ocean.”

 More Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival news

Coachella 2023: Set times and schedule announced — plus a surprise guest

Coachella 2023: Where to go for breakfast, lunch or late-night snacks pre-and post-festival

How Day Club Palm Springs’ poolside parties offer a unique concert experience

Desert Gold’s free music event returns to Palm Springs during both Coachella weekends

Coachella 2023: How to livestream performances from all of the festival stages

Coachella 2023: 5 Southern California artists making their festival debut

What to pack for the 2023 Coachella and Stagecoach fests — and what to know before you get there

Coachella 2023: Weekend Two hasn’t sold out yet. Here’s why that’s good for you

​ Orange County Register 

Boy, 14, arrested in Irvine gunpoint robbery

• April 15, 2023

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of a robbery in Irvine, police said Friday.

Police were called at 8:37 p.m. Wednesday to Passage and Nightshade regarding the robbery, Irvine police Sgt. Karie Davies said. The victim was walking home from the Quail Hill shopping center when two males robbed her, Davies said.

One of the suspects threatened her with a gun, prompting a struggle over the victim’s belongings, but the robber with the gun managed to take one of her bags, Davies said.

The suspects fled in a black car, but police were able to track down the teen because they took an electronic device that had the ability to be tracked, Davies said. By tracking the device police were able to obtain surveillance footage, the sergeant said.

Police tracked the device to San Bernardino County on Thursday, where a suspect was seen leaving an apartment in Hesperia, Davies said.

The suspect got into a stolen vehicle and police followed him to a shopping center in Apple Valley, where the 14-year-old was arrested without incident, Davies said. Police also recovered the electronic device.

Police also recovered more of the loot, a handgun without serial numbers and ammunition, Davies said. He was booked into Orange County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of robbery, possession of stolen property and assault with a deadly weapon.

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​ Orange County Register 

Angels pitchers have quickly become fans of catcher Logan O’Hoppe

• April 15, 2023

BOSTON — Tyler Anderson started to walk away after a brief interview in which he was complimenting rookie catcher Logan O’Hoppe’s work behind the plate.

Then, the veteran left-hander turned around and returned to add one more comment.

“He’s really good, and he wants to be good,” Anderson said. “Some players are good because they’re good, and some players are good because they want to be good. They care a lot. He cares a lot.”

Anderson described why Angels pitchers have grown so fond of the 23-year-old so quickly.

“I just feel like the first couple times I talked to him, he was already good, but I feel like he’s just made a lot of strides,” said Anderson, a 33-year-old in his eighth major league season. “Anything you tell him, he soaks it in. … He works his butt off. He’s just working to get better at everything he does. From the first bullpen he caught in spring, to the first game, he continues to get better every time and he was already solid.”

Left-hander Aaron Loup, a 35-year-old in his 12th major league season, had similar feelings about O’Hoppe.

“He works his (butt) off,” Loup said. “He makes it a point to go around to most of the pitchers and see what they like to do and how they like to pitch and then he takes that, applies that to the scouting reports he’s got and figures out the best way to go about it. He’s been really good. I’ve been very impressed.”

Manager Phil Nevin said O’Hoppe has worked especially well with Shohei Ohtani. Even though Ohtani calls his own pitches, Nevin said O’Hoppe takes what he learns from Ohtani’s games to his game-calling with the other pitchers.

“There are going to be times where (the game) speeds up a little bit, but they’ve been few and far between, and a lot less than what I anticipated,” Nevin said.

Through the first 12 games, the Angels had a 2.90 ERA in the 10 games that O’Hoppe started.

“Behind the plate, I feel great, but that’s because of the pitchers,” O’Hoppe said. “I only feel as good as they throw.”

The Angels believe O’Hoppe’s primary job is what he does with the pitchers, but he’s also providing a bonus at the plate.

He was leading the team with four home runs and 11 RBIs heading into Friday’s game, to go with a .936 OPS.

“I feel alright at the plate,” O’Hoppe said. “I’m working on a few things. I don’t think I’ve hit a groove yet.”

HOMECOMING

O’Hoppe said this trip to Boston and New York is special for him because he grew up on Long Island. He has plenty of friends and family who will be watching him in person this week.

O’Hoppe said he was at Fenway Park for Derek Jeter’s final game in 2014, and he also played in the park once while he was in high school. He said he actually had the same locker that he was assigned this weekend.

Yankee Stadium will be even more emotional for O’Hoppe.

“It’s special for me and my parents,” O’Hoppe said. “They took me to games growing up and I went alone when I was old enough to drive. Every game I went there, it reminded me that I want to be here and play in games for real, so it’s going to be pretty surreal when I get to do it.”

WALSH UPDATE

Nevin said first baseman Jared Walsh has left the facility in Utah where he was undergoing treatment for headaches and insomnia, but they still will not have more clarity on a timetable for his return until sometime in the middle of next week.

Walsh has missed the first two weeks of the season so far. His baseball work has been limited, so he’ll need some time to get up to speed before he can return to the active roster.

NOTES

Nevin said a few days ago that he expected Mike Trout to get a day off during this four-game series, but on Friday he wasn’t sure if he would do that. “We’ll see how it goes,” Nevin said. He added that, if they are going to give Trout a day off, it might make sense to do it on Monday, because the Patriots’ Day game starts at 11 a.m., which is 8 a.m. PT. That’s the game Ohtani is scheduled to pitch. …

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Gio Urshela got the day off on Friday. Nevin said he felt Urshela, 31, could benefit more than the other infielders from getting two straight days off, including Thursday’s off day. …

David Fletcher was credited with a hit via a scoring change. Fletcher reached on a bunt on April 7. The play was initially scored as a sacrifice and an error. …

Matt Thaiss is scheduled to start at catcher on Saturday. It would be his third start of the season.

UP NEXT

Angels (LHP Tyler Anderson, 1-0, 4.22) at Red Sox (RHP Nick Pivetta, 0-1, 0.90), Saturday, 1:10 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM

​ Orange County Register 

CONCACAF Gold Cup draw groups USA with Jamaica, Nicaragua

• April 14, 2023

The busy summer for the U.S. men’s national soccer team continued to take shape Friday.

The U.S., which will face Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal June 15, learned its group opponents for the CONCACAF Gold Cup at the tournament draw Friday at SoFi Stadium.

The Gold Cup begins June 24, with the times and dates to be announced at a later date.

In group play, the U.S. will face Jamaica, Nicaragua and the winner of a four-team qualifier between Curacao, St. Kitts and Nevis, French Guyana and Sint Mararten. The winner of the Curacao vs. St. Kitts and Nevis will meet the French Guiana vs. Sint Maarten winner. The last team standing will advance into the group with the U.S.

The four-team preliminary round will be played June 16-17, then the winners face each other June 20.

“I think there’s other pots that are probably, slightly easier, but I think our group is a tough group,” U.S. coach Anthony Hudson said. “Jamaica especially is a really tough team, strong team, done well in the past and then as I’ve said all along, we know there’s no easy games.

“People think you can walk through these teams … you have to be your best in every game, but that aside, we are confident and we aim to get out of the group and go as far as we can.”

The group stage will be played June 24-July 4, followed by the quarterfinals July 8-9, the semifinals July 12 and the final July 16 at SoFi Stadium, the site of Friday’s draw.

“What you find with these games is the contrasts in styles of play and types of players,” Hudson said. “You play against Jamaica and there’s a certain style and it’s a physicality and it’s aggressive and you have to match that. And then you have to play against Nicaragua and it’s different, so that’s the uniqueness I think of this tournament.

“There are so many different styles of play and you have to be prepared to go against that.”

Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica were the top seeds in the three other pools.

Hudson, who is still serving as coach of the national team in place of Gregg Berhalter, will lead a predominantly MLS-based team into a game Wednesday against Mexico in the newly created AllState Continental Clasico.

For the two summer tournaments, Hudson hopes to have the option of picking from a wider pool of players.

“Once we get this game out of the way next week against Mexico, I think we’ll start and we’ve already started conversations (about players) … we need to sit down and make sure that we put out the best possible teams we can for both the Nations League and the Gold Cup,” Hudson said. “While still respecting and taking into account individual situations of players and making sure we do the right things by the players, but also putting out our best teams.

“It’s not necessarily a core pool (of players), it’s more a core group that are able to go through both tournaments and I think that helps us with consistency and not turning up on Day 1 of preparation for the Gold Cup with a completely new group.”

The U.S. is the defending Gold Cup champion after defeating Mexico 1-0 in 2021. The U.S. hasn’t won consecutive tournaments since 2005 and 2007.

Mexico is in Group B and is paired with Haiti, Honduras and Qatar, who is competing as a guest country.

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Costa Rica is grouped with Panama, El Salvador and the winner of the Martinique, St. Lucia, Suriname and Puerto Rico four-team qualifier.

Canada has Guatemala, Cuba and the winner of the Trindad and Tobago, Guadeloupe, Guyana and Grenada qualifier.

“These players, every year, they want to get one better and for us, one better would be getting to the final,” Canada coach John Herdman said. “We want to embrace that expectation.”

​ Orange County Register 

Ficker Cup, qualifier for Congressional Cup regatta, begins in Long Beach

• April 14, 2023

The race for the final two spots in the “grandfather of match racing” has set sail.

The Ficker Cup, a three-day regatta in Long Beach that acts as a qualifier for last available slots in next week’s Congressional Cup, got underway on Friday, April 14.

The Ficker Cup will continue on Saturday and Sunday.

Eight sailing crews took their Catalina 37 yachts on to the waters off the Belmont Pier for the first of two round robins on Friday. A second round robin — during which every team sails against each of the other competitors one at a time — will take place on Saturday.

The semifinals and the finals will take place on Sunday.

Through Saturday’s first five flights — there are seven total in each round robin — only the crew led by American Jeffrey Petersen had a perfect record, as of about 3 p.m. Five other crews — those captained by Peter Holz (USA), Nicole Breault (USA), Pearson Potts (USA), Megan Thomson (New Zealand) and Christopher Weis (USA) — were tied with three wins each.

The teams led by Dave Hood (USA) and Ruairi Finnegan (Republic of Ireland) had not yet won a match.

But there was still plenty of time for them to catch up.

The Congressional Cup, meanwhile, will take place from Tuesday to Saturday, April 18 to 22.

​ Orange County Register 

Tyonn Lue, Clippers face series of adjustments against Suns

• April 14, 2023

PLAYA VISTA — It’s the playoffs, where a team has potentially seven chances to get it right. Seven games to find the right matchups, to figure out the most effective schemes, the right defense and the best offense.

Seven games, if that’s what it takes, for another chance.

The Clippers (44-38) open their best-of-seven playoff series against the Phoenix Suns (45-37) on Sunday with an eye on moving forward, on another opportunity to win their first NBA title. But like any game of chance, the Clippers need strategy, skill and a whole lot of luck to get past Kevin Durant and Co.

“We’ve just got to see how it goes,” Coach Tyronn Lue said. “I think just seeing how a team tries to attack on both ends, who they try to attack defensively and how they try to attack us offensively.

“You put a lot of prep into just one game because once the first game is over, things are going to change. You’ve got to prepare for it, and so our biggest thing is we just want to see the first game and see how they try to attack us, and then just kind of go from there.”

What’s not going to change is the Suns’ talent level. They are loaded with future Hall of Famers, All-Stars and former MVPs at key positions, all of whom are poised to give the Clippers problems if they don’t correct their mistakes in a hurry. But first, they need to focus on Durant.

The Suns are 8-0 when the two-time NBA champion has been on the court since being acquired from Brooklyn. He averaged 26 points and shot 57% from the field in those eight games, and given his length, Durant’s mid-range jumper is nearly impossible to guard, a task that will take a team effort.

“I mean, he’s a great player. These are the fun parts of it,” Clippers star Kawhi Leonard said. “Just going out there, getting to compete against a guy like him that’s been doing it year after year. Everybody is going to have to take the challenge, not just me. It is a team sport, so …”

Guards Chris Paul and Devin Booker also could make the Clippers pay with their ability to find the open man or shoot the ball themselves. Booker leads the team in scoring (27.8 ppg) and is dishing out 5.5 assists per game. Paul, a playoff veteran, is averaging 13.9 points and 8.9 assists.

“They’ve got a lot of great scorers on their team that can put the ball in the basket at a very high level and have been doing it for a very long time, between Kev, Book, CP, even T-Ross (Terrence Ross) – a lot of guys that are great isolation scorers,” point guard Russell Westbrook said. “We’ve just got to do a good job of guarding and finding ways to help each other out.”

The Clippers, however, have their own talent pool, starting with Leonard, who finished the regular season not only healthy but strong. In his past eight games, he averaged 24.3 points, shot 52.2% from the field, grabbed 7.5 rebounds and had 4.7 assists.

Guard Norman Powell came back from a shoulder injury and picked up where he left off. The one-time Sixth Man of the Year candidate scored in double figures in the six games since his return and is averaging 17 for the season despite missing nearly a month of games.

Westbrook has continued his campaign to fit in with the Clippers with his aggressive play and leadership.

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Lue said he is confident his players can withstand whatever the Suns throw at them.

“I think we’ve got to be the more physical team because if we allow those guys to run around and get to their spots, with Booker shooting 50-something percent from mid-range, KD shooting almost 60 percent, CP shooting 50 percent. We’ve just got to be physical.

“I think that’s going to help our defense, just being physical, being into bodies, not let those guys move around and roam freely, so that’s got to be our mindset going into Game 1.”

CLIPPERS VS. SUNS

First-round series schedule (best-of-seven), all times PT

Game 1: at Suns, Sunday, 5 p.m.

Game 2: at Suns, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Game 3: at Clippers, Thursday, April 20, 7:30 p.m.

Game 4: at Clippers, Saturday, April 22, 12:30 p.m.

x-Game 5: at Suns, Tuesday, April 25, TBD

x-Game 6: at Clippers, Thursday, April 27, TBD

x-Game 7: at Suns, Saturday, April 29, TBD

x – if necessary

​ Orange County Register 

Kings and Oilers brace for another superb playoff clash

• April 14, 2023

Last year’s first-round clash between the Kings and Edmonton Oilers was such an entertaining, edifying series that it only seemed fitting that they would meet again.

On Monday, they’ll square off in Canada for Game 1 of a series that should be spellbinding if last year’s postseason offered any indication.

That confrontation saw the maximum number of lead changes, four, with the Kings at one point responding to an 8-2 onslaught by Edmonton with a 4-0 shutout. Their 3-2 series lead evaporated as Edmonton captain Connor McDavid took over Game 7, a 2-0 clincher on the same ice where this series will begin.

“We’re in a good spot,” Kings forward Trevor Moore said. “We’ve been doing it for 82 games now and I feel like we know what we’re doing; whoever we get in the playoffs I think has a big challenge.”

Invaluable experience

For the Kings, their lineup last season was brimming with first-time competitors in the playoffs, while the Oilers were looking to make the leap from invitee to guest of honor.

They did just that, leaving behind a strenuous bout with the Kings and advancing all the way to the conference finals, where they lost to eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado. McDavid has credited the Kings series with helping Edmonton’s growth as a group and now hoped to draw on that experience during the rematch.

“I think just being older, a little more experienced in these games. Playing a series against L.A., we know the game that works against them.” said McDavid after the second of two recent Edmonton victories over the Kings that evened the season series.

Arms race

McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have dominated the scoring race and most valuable player voting alike since 2017, and this year has been no different.

McDavid’s 153 points were the most by any player in a single season since Mario Lemieux’s 161 in 1995-96, the 15th most in NHL history and the second most by any player other than Lemieux or Wayne Gretzky. That made him a lock for the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award with the Art Ross Trophy and his first Maurice Richard Trophy already in his back pocket. McDavid concluded the campaign on a 16-game scoring streak and Edmonton ended on a 15-game points streak.

Draisaitl finished 15 points ahead of the next non-Oiler in scoring and fourth in goals this season, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had his first 100-point campaign at age 30.

“I don’t think there’s anything that sets you up for Edmonton, it’s a different monster,” said Kings coach Todd McLellan, who coached the Oilers from 2015-18.

That trio was historically productive on the power play, an area where the Kings improved vastly but fell short of Edmonton’s lethal quickstrike ability. Yet the Kings kept Edmonton’s NHL-leading unit and its top three power-play producers off the board entirely in the first three meetings of the season.

Firing back

The Kings bottled up Edmonton at times last spring thanks to a hermetic 1-3-1 system and the defensive savvy of their top centers, Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault. But Kings general manager Rob Blake knew they’d need to potentiate their attack to get deeper into the playoffs.

Enter winger Kevin Fiala, who held the team lead in scoring until Game 82 despite missing 13 games with a lower-body injury. His acquisition via trade and the emergence of Gabe Vilardi as a goal-scoring force gave the Kings unparalleled scoring depth in their top nine, creating advantageous matchups galore.

While the Kings may or may not have Fiala (lower body) or Vilardi (upper body) for Game 1, their defense is much healthier than last season and their top six has been carrying the mail of late. Kopitar overtook the team scoring title and did so, in large part, setting up Adrian Kempe, whose hat trick in the season finale made him the first 40-goal scorer for the franchise in nearly 30 years.

The second line, which was integral to the Kings’ success last season, showed more signs of cohesion during the Kings’ final two games of the season, both victories.

“They looked as good as they’ve looked in a long time,” McLellan said. “They had some pace to their game, their tenacity of puck pursuit was at an elite level and they were responsible defensively.”

Fortified at the deadline

The Kings and Oilers meandered at times early in the season, each seeking to stabilize their defense and goaltending for a substantial portion of the campaign.

Fiala and new power-play guru Jim Hiller were as advertised for the Kings, elevating their attack and making their man-advantage unit among the best in the league, a foreign feeling to Kings fans. But Cal Petersen ended up toiling in the minors, Jonathan Quick struggled to find consistency and Pheonix Copley was the only man standing between the Kings and a potential meltdown between the pipes. Meanwhile, a left-hand-shooting defender with some heft to his game was an apparent need, so Blake filled both holes in one fell swoop, with the acquisition of Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo from Columbus.

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For the Oilers, Stuart Skinner offered an internal solution in goal, while the additions via trade of rugged defenseman Mattias Ekholm and towering center Nick Bjugstad made them harder to play against.

The result of these deals? From March 1 until the close of the season, the Kings had the NHL’s sixth-best points percentage while Edmonton’s staggering .881 mark was 63 points better than that of any other club.

“That’s the regular season. Now’s the time to really play,” McDavid said. “It was a good regular season, individually and for the team, but now it’s the fun time.”

​ Orange County Register 

Student athletes at Buena Park school showcase skills at their first Special Olympics

• April 14, 2023

Cheered on by their fellow students and families, dozens of students at Pendleton Elementary in Buena Park showed off their athletic skills at the school’s first Special Olympics on Friday, April 14.

Forty-one special education students teamed up with 51 buddies from the general education classes as they kicked soccer balls, jumped over bars, walked on balance beams and danced with hula hoops.

“We are excited for our community to see our young athletes persevere through challenges and support one another in truly beautiful ways,” Principal Loriann Leota said prior to the event, which was attended by the entire student body.

The students prepared all year for the Special Olympics, the first of what’s planned to be an annual happening on campus. Pendleton is home to one of two programs for children with disabilities in the Buena Park School District.

“I’m very proud of the work done by the Pendleton team,” said Julie Linnecke, the special education director. “This amazing program has proven to be so valuable for our students. It’s such a pleasure to see the students interacting and having so much fun together.”

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​ Orange County Register