UCLA gymnastics reaches NCAA championships

• April 2, 2023

LOS ANGELES — The UCLA gymnastics team used its best performance of the season in floor exercise and two perfect 10s to finish second at the NCAA Gymnastics Los Angeles Regional final on Saturday and secure its first trip to the NCAA Championships since 2019.

The Bruins recorded a 49.700 as a team on floor at the Pauley Pavilion meet, while Jordan Chiles scored her second perfect 10 of the season on floor and freshman Selena Harris got her first career 10 in vault.

Utah took first place with a score of 198.05 and UCLA followed with a 197.925. They now move on to the NCAA Championships, which are scheduled for April 13-15 in Forth Worth, Texas, along with the top individual all-around competitor and event finishers not on a qualifying team from the regional finals.

UCLA was tied for second place with Missouri after its first rotation on uneven bars. The Bruins recorded a 49.400 in the event as a team, with Harris and Chiles the only gymnasts to score a 9.90 or above. Chiles earned her seventh 9.975 of the season and ninth score of 9.975 or over.

The Bruins slipped to third place at the midway point of the meet with a 98.725, while Utah and Missouri were tied for first at 98.925.

UCLA recorded its lowest score on balance beam since its first meet on Jan. 7, then bounced back in the third rotation with its best floor exercise score of the season and eighth-best in program history. The 49.700 gave them sole possession of second place behind Utah.

The meet ended with a 49.500 in vault thanks to a pair of 9.90s from Brooklyn Moors and Chiles and Harris’ 10.

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Gunfire wounds man in busy Belmont Shore on Saturday afternoon

• April 2, 2023

A man was wounded Saturday afternoon in a shooting in the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach.

The shooting was reported about 3:45 p.m. in the area of Second Street and Bay Shore Avenue, according to Long Beach Police Department spokesman Richard Mejia.

Arriving officers found a man suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the upper body, Mejia said. Paramedics took the victim to a hospital.

The victim and another man were in a fight, and then the man shot the victim, Mejia said. The suspect was still on scene when officers arrived and was detained.

A firearm was recovered at the scene, Mejia said. No other injuries were reported, and the investigation is ongoing.

Additional details were not immediately available.

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John Force walks away from horrific crash in Funny Car qualifying in Pomona

• April 2, 2023

POMONA – John Force, the old bull of drag racing and the sport’s biggest name, was involved in a horrific crash during qualifying Saturday at the 63rd Winternationals at the In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip.

In the day’s first Funny Car qualifying run, Force, starting in the right lane, was paired against J.R. Todd. Force lost control of the dragster right away and wildly circled around Todd’s car while banging into it several times.

After crossing the finish line, Force crashed hard into the concrete protective wall on the right side of the track, demolishing the car. Force, who turns 74 on May 4, soon got out of the car, dusted himself off, and took a few deep breaths before hopping on his scooter and heading for his pit.

After talking to crew chiefs Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi, Force was soon back at the starting line to watch John Force Racing’s Robert Hight make his first qualifying run. Meanwhile, the crew got a spare car ready for Force to make the second of the two qualifying runs held Saturday. Todd also made his second qualifying run in a backup car.

Might this be the end of Force’s amazing run as a Funny Car driver? His immediate reaction was no. But he did offer his perspective on the crash.

“It got squirrely out there, but it’s been doing that since the beginning of the season, and we think we know why,” he said. “Driving right, left, right left, I can do that, I do that all the time, trying to keep it straight.

“When it hit a bump, it blew the tires off, and it made a left turn into the other lane. I thought I just got (Todd’s) headers (exhaust pipes).” He got more than that. “Then I hit the wall hard. I’m okay, but more importantly, J.R. Todd is okay.”

Force added he would have to re-evaluate everything after studying the video.

Todd said he was anxious to see the video too.

It was a WILD ride for @JohnForce_FC and @JRTodd373 during qualifying at the @Lucas_Oil #Winternats.

Both exited the car under their own power. pic.twitter.com/AbBeTsfyJw

— NHRA (@NHRA) April 1, 2023

“At first I thought maybe he just got into my chutes or something,” Todd said, “but next thing I know I see him on my left side and we’re in the left lane. You’re not supposed to be there.

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“After that, just sort of hanging on and steering away from him, steering away from the wall, and trying to get on the brake to get the thing stopped. But when the chutes are tangled up like that, you’re just along for the ride.”

Todd was driving a new car and hopes it can be repaired in time for Sunday’s elimination finals.

Force said later that the only thing hurt was his feelings.

Force has been in too many crashes to count. He had a similar one in 2018 at Phoenix. His worst was in Dallas in September of 2007. He suffered a compound fracture of his left ankle, a broken wrist, cuts in lots of places and broken fingers. With blood everywhere, he was airlifted to a nearby hospital.

At one point, he was told he may never walk again. He was in a wheelchair for weeks and later on crutches. But it is hard to keep the longtime Yorba Linda resident down.

When Force first began racing in 1977, he went 10 years without winning. Since then, he has won 20 Funny Car national championships. And he has had great success as a team owner as well. His drivers include daughter Brittany Force and Austin Prock in Top Fuel and Hight in Funny Car.

Before a good crowd that filled the east grandstands, the rest of Saturday’s qualifying went pretty much problem free.

Qualifying No. 1 in Top Fuel was Justin Ashley, the defending Winternationals champion and the event winner at Phoenix last weekend. Ashley also won the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, a new feature intended to beef up interest during Saturday qualifying. The competitors are the four semifinalists from the previous week’s event.

Seeded second for today’s Top Fuel elimination finals is Brittany Force, who had the top qualifying run on Friday.

In Funny Car, Cruz Pedregon’s run on Friday stood up and he goes into today’s finals seeded No. 1. Chad Green won the Funny Car challenge event.

This story will be updated.

​ Orange County Register 

Nothing could be easier to make than Aunt Rosie’s Eggplant Parmesan

• April 2, 2023

By Carla Vigos

Laguna Woods Globe

My Aunt Rose was a key influence for me at the beginning of my love of cooking. My mother died unexpectedly when I was 20, and even though I was always her sous chef, I never had the recipes because she cooked without them.

My Aunt Rose, who never had children, became my teacher. She taught me how to make sauces, beans, marinated crab, lentils, fava and pasta, chicken soup, baked chicken and so much more.

She also showed me a simpler eggplant parmesan without all the typical breading. She did fry her eggplant first, but I altered it to a healthier version by baking the eggplant before adding the toppings. I make a simple marinara, but you can buy your favorite pasta sauce instead.

Aunt Rosie’s Eggplant Parmesan

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds of eggplant

Olive oil

Salt

1 cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving

2 cups shredded mozzarella

MARINARA SAUCE

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 cup diced onion

16 ounces tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

PROCEDURE

Spray a ri

mmed baking or cookie sheet with oil. Peel eggplant with a vegetable peeler and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Brush with olive oil on both sides and a sprinkling of salt. You might need two baking sheets.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then turn eggplant over and bake for 10 more minutes. You want them soft but tinged with a little color.

Meanwhile, make your marinara. In a saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil on medium low heat, add onion and cook until soft. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, cover and cook on a low simmer for 20 minutes. Let sauce cool a bit before assembly.

I use an 8×11 baking pan for two layers of eggplant. Spread some sauce to thinly cover the bottom of the pan.

Place a layer of eggplant in the pan and spoon sauce onto each slice. Next, sprinkle half the parmesan and half the mozzarella on the first layer. Repeat for the second layer.

Bake at 350 degrees covered with foil for 20 minutes and then 10 minutes with the foil off. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. Top with extra parmesan and crushed red pepper if desired.

This makes four servings. It’s great reheated in a microwave or to make a hot or cold eggplant sandwich.

For questions or comments, email me at [email protected].

​ Orange County Register 

Brandon Ingram leads Pelicans past the Clippers

• April 2, 2023

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram scored 36 points, bringing fans to their feet with an array of clutch, mid-range jump shots, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Clippers 122-114 on Saturday night.

Jonas Valanciunas had 23 points and 12 rebounds for New Orleans (40-38), which won for the seventh time in eight games and pulled within a half-game of the Clippers (41-38) for sixth place in the Western Conference.

Los Angeles lost its second straight despite getting 40 points from Kawhi Leonard, who played 41 minutes in New Orleans after being restricted to 18 minutes during a loss at Memphis a night earlier so that he’d be more available against the hotly pursuing Pelicans.

CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III each added 19 points for New Orleans, which trailed for most of the first three quarters but maintained a slim lead throughout the fourth.

Ingram made 13 of 23 shots, including nine shots away from the rim, ranging from pull-ups to tough turnaround fades. He also made 10 of 11 free throws, and has now scored 25 or more points in nine straight games.

Russell Westbrook had 24 points and nine assists for the Clippers. Ivica Zubac added 15 points and Norman Powell 12 for Los Angeles.

Westbrook, who scored 36 in a victory over Memphis on Wednesday, had 19 in the first half in New Orleans, helping the Clippers build a lead as large as 12.

Ingram and McCollum each scored 15 in the first two periods to help the Pelicans gradually trim that deficit down substantially by halftime, when Los Angeles led 56-55.

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TIP-INS

Clippers: Eric Gordon, who had 13 points in 16 minutes in Memphis on Friday, was scratched from the lineup in New Orleans because of tightness in his right hip. … Leonard was 15 of 28 shooting, including 4 of 8 from 3. He also made all six of his free throws. … Los Angeles shot 49.4%, including 11 of 29 from deep.

Pelicans: Valanciunas has 42 double-doubles this season. He had 50 during the 2021-22 regular season with New Orleans. … Outscored the Clippers 56-50 in the paint and outrebounded Los Angeles 40-37. … Shot 48.8% (42 of 86), including 7 of 17 from 3-point range.

​ Orange County Register 

Galaxy falls short against Sounders, remains winless on season

• April 2, 2023

CARSON — The second half effort for the Galaxy wasn’t enough to erase the first and it all added up to the team still in search of its first win of the season.

The Galaxy allowed two goals in the first half in Saturday’s meeting against the Seattle Sounders. In the second half, the Sounders never threatened on goal and the Galaxy (0-2-3, three points) found a much-needed spark, but the night ended in a 2-1 defeat in front of 22,008 at Dignity Health Sports Park.

“It’s just that little this or that that gives you some momentum to get out in front of the game,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “That’s what the group needs right now.”

Late in the game, the Galaxy were denied a potential handball in the 94th minute as the cross from Mark Delgado appeared to come off of Seattle defender Nouhou’s arm. This was the third game consecutive game that Vanney believes the Galaxy has been undone by a handball or lack of a handball call.

“It was tough to get two (goals) back,” Vanney said. “Having said that, I think this is the third game that we’ve been undone on a handball. In my opinion. Three games in a row, these guys (referees) don’t know what handball is. … It’s getting to be obscene. Honestly, it’s ridiculous.

“The game is about margins. They have VAR, they have the ability, they’re the only entity in the entire game who gets a re-do. None of us get a re-do. … They get a re-do and this is three times they can’t get it right. That’s their job. Right now, we’re grinding, we’re in the margins, we deserve better, we deserve better. We controlled this game, we controlled the last game, we deserve better. Yes, we need to execute better, that’s on us, but what we deserve, we should get, that’s fair and those three (calls) were not fair.”

The Galaxy did get on the board in the 63rd minute as defender Jalen Neal knocked home a rebound after an initial shot by Raheem Edwards was blocked.

From there, the Galaxy remained on the front foot looking for a potential game-tying goal, but were unable to get anything by Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei.

The Galaxy finished with eight shots on target, compared to just three for Seattle and those two came in the first half.

Jonathan Perez, in his regular-season debut, had the final chance on goal, firing a shot from 18 yards out that Frei secured just as the whistle blew to end the game.

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The Sounders had one good chance in the first half, but came away with two goals.

In the 21st minute, Jordan Morris continued his hot scoring start, scoring his seventh of the season. Lucas Calegari was pulled out of position, allowing Leo Chu to get behind him and send in service to Morris. Later, in the 35th minute, Chu shot from distance and Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann was unable to stop it as the ball settled into the back corner of the goal for a 2-0 lead.

“Two soft goals in my opinion,” Vanney said. “We’re here to win games and it’s been a frustrating process. When you take a step back from that, each game has had some positive things. In terms of performance, I think we have progress in some of those ways. I really liked the urgency in the second half, while it was possession-based and we controlled the game, there was some real urgency inside of the final action, which I liked, so it’s to continue to build off of that.”

The Galaxy have had their troubles against the Sounders.

The Sounders entered the game on a nine-game unbeaten streak against the Galaxy (5-0-4). Dating back to 2016, the Galaxy have just one win against Seattle in 16 meetings. The last Galaxy win over Seattle came in 2018.

​ Orange County Register 

Georgia Hall makes rapid climb up LA Open leaderboard in third round

• April 2, 2023

PALOS VERDES — Saturday was moving day at the LPGA DIO Implant LA Open at Palos Verdes Golf Club and no player in the field did more moving than Georgia Hall.

Starting the day nine shots behind the leaders, Hall went out and matched her career low score of 9-under, highlighted by a front nine 29 which included two eagles in the span of three holes. As a result of her spectacular play Hall finds herself alone in third place at 10-under 203, four shots behind leader Ruoning Yin heading into Sunday’s final round.

“I was like 7-under after 9 and I was like, wow, I’ve never had this before,” Hall said. “I was just trying to forget about my previous holes (on the back nine) and take each shot one at a time It’s been quite nice to me so far this week.”

Hall finished second at last week’s LPGA event in Arizona, losing to Celine Boutier in a playoff. She said her early season success has given her plenty of confidence coming into this week’s tournament.

“Although I lost in the playoff, I hit some really good shots and long game was really solid today,” Hall said. “So, just really pleased where I’m playing and just trying to keep it going.”

Yin fired a third round 4-under 67, giving her a two-shot cushion on Hyo Joo Kim who posted a 2-under 69 on Saturday. Hall is third, followed by a large group of players at 9 under that includes former Westlake Village resident Danielle Kang. Like Hall, Kang used a strong third round performance to put herself in contention, firing a 6-under 65 on Saturday.

Based on how well Yin has played through the first three rounds, it’s going to take a monumental effort by anyone in the field to rally from behind and catch the second-year pro on Sunday. Yin started the round tied with Kim at 10 under, and after some front nine struggles, she found herself three off the lead.

But a birdie on the ninth gave Yin some momentum heading into the back nine and thanks to a stretch where she had four birdies in five holes, Yin raced to the top of the leaderboard. Since she’s never won on the LPGA Tour, the 20-year-old professional expects to have a few nerves on the first tee Sunday but said after she hits that first tee ball it should be business as usual.

“I’ll just play my game,” Yin said. “I know I can make birdies so I just need to be patient. I will stick to my routine, wake up, go work out and then come to the course.”

Yin plans to call upon the experience she gained on the China LPGA Tour where she won three consecutive tournaments. Having confidence in her game was a key to rebounding from her slow start and getting her game on track.

“After I made a bogey on 8 with a three-putt (her second consecutive three-putt), I just told myself and I told my caddie, we just got to trust the line and putt it. We’ll make some putts,” Yin said.

That’s exactly what she did, using a hot putter to make three straight birdies and four in five holes, giving her the two-shot lead she holds at 54-holes, the first time in her career she has held the 54-hole lead.”

Through the first nine holes on Saturday, it looked like Kim might be the player at the top of the leaderboard by day’s end as she used a hot putter to build a three-shot lead. But when her putter cooled on the back nine, Kim had difficulty scoring, causing her to scramble to stay in contention.

Now in her eighth year on the LPGA Tour and having won five times, including the 2014 Evian Championship, Kim knows what it will take on Sunday to win. Despite being two shots down she said if she plays her game over the final 18 holes she feels she has a good chance to win.

For Kang, Sunday represents an opportunity to try to win a tournament in front of the many friends and family members who always turn out to support her when she plays in Southern California.

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Despite having to deal with mud on her ball throughout the round because of the recent rains, Kang managed to find a way to hit enough good shots to put herself in contention.

“This golf course is just testing a lot of people’s patience,” Kang said. “The greens are not as easy as it may seem. I know we have a lot of scorable holes with wedges in your hands, but, it does test all parts of your game, and I think it’s a really good place to play golf. Brad, my caddie, keeps telling me don’t get frustrated on the greens. You know you’re hitting it well. Today I didn’t hit it as well and I putted well, so that’s just how golf works.”

As for winning at home, Kang said it would be special.

“I do want to win in California,” Kang said. “Watching Max Homa win in hometowns is really, really cool, right? Sometimes you have that hometown crowd. It’s really fun to play in front of my friends and my — they call them my entourage, but it’s cool to have them come out. I know they’re a bit loud, so I apologize. It’s been fun.”

​ Orange County Register 

Biden and his 2024 campaign: Waiting for some big decisions

• April 2, 2023

By ZEKE MILLER and WILL WEISSERT

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has all but announced he’s running for reelection, but key questions about the 2024 campaign are unresolved: Who will manage it? Where will it be based? When will he finally make it official?

Advisers have long said he planned to wait until after March, when the year’s first fundraising period wraps up. That was an effort to help manage expectations because many donors who gave generously to Democratic causes during last fall’s elections were looking for a break.

But an announcement isn’t imminent even now, aides insist, and probably won’t come until at least after Biden returns from an expected trip to Ireland in mid-April.

Working on his own timeline could counter Biden’s low approval ratings and questions about his age — the 80-year-old would turn 86 before the end of a second term. It also means Biden won’t be hurried by pressure from former President Donald Trump, who’s already announced his 2024 campaign, or other top Republicans who may enter the race, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or former Vice President Mike Pence.

“He’s earned the luxury of making the timetable,” said Brad Bannon, a Democratic strategist in Washington. “The longer he can keep this thing focused on his duties in the White House, and less about the campaign back-and-forth, the better off he’s going to be.”

That said, Biden aides are mindful that Trump has been indicted for his role in the payment of hush money to a porn actor, and they say Biden will look to time his announcement to a point when he won’t share the political spotlight with the man he beat in the 2020 election.

Biden’s inner political circle is ready to begin executing on the campaign’s strategy from Day One and sees no drawbacks to the president taking his time. Biden faces no significant Democratic challenger for the nomination. The self-help guru Marianne Williamson is the sole contender at this point in the primary race.

It will also be up to Biden to decide where next year’s Democratic National Convention is held among the three finalist cities of Atlanta, Chicago and New York. But with the logistical groundwork mostly laid, there is little pressure for that decision until the president is ready to make it, organizers say.

Much of the reelection effort will be run from the White House, where Biden’s most senior advisers are expected to remain. Still, the campaign manager and top staff will be responsible for raising vast sums of money, reaching millions of voters and making the case for Biden at Americans’ doors and online while he is still occupied with governing.

One top Biden adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a reelection campaign that hasn’t yet been announced, noted that Biden’s 2020 bid was a $1.7 billion operation and that the effort this time would be larger. The adviser said a key will be finding “validators,” or non-Washington voices who can spread the campaign’s message at a time when many people have lost faith in everything political.

Aides and allies are discussing how to build the appropriate 2024 race infrastructure. The circumstances are different from 2020 for Biden, whose race then was conducted while the country was largely shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The political environment is different, too, as technological and cultural shifts have continued to change how people communicate. Biden’s advisers are preparing a new model of campaigning fit for the moment to activate his base and identify and woo the persuadable center — essentially a customized communication strategy for each target voter.

Aba Blankson, chief marketing and communications officer for the NAACP, said her organization is nonpartisan but found success mobilizing Black voters — an important part of Biden’s base — before last November’s elections using similarly targeted political messaging. That included text messages, radio ads and knocking on doors to promote “peer-to-peer” organizing in areas capable of swinging pivotal races.

“I think his timing is what his timing is,” Bankson said. “But, for us, it is an every-year reality.”

The choice of Biden’s campaign headquarters has been narrowed to Philadelphia, the 2020 location, and Wilmington, Delaware, where his home is and where the president spends many weekends away from the White House. While Biden tends to prefer Delaware on all matters, some top Democrats worry that recruiting top campaign talent to Wilmington will be difficult.

The Biden adviser downplayed the importance of choosing between the two immediately. And Biden waited until weeks after the start of his 2020 campaign to announce that he had settled on Philadelphia, making a commitment to an important battleground state.

More challenging has been filling the job of campaign manager. Some potential candidates view it as a thankless task, with so much of the decision-making confined to the White House, though the adviser said whomever is ultimately chosen will be empowered with wide latitude to run 2024.

Jen O’Malley Dillon, Biden’s 2020 campaign manager, is now a deputy White House chief of staff and plans to remain in her job. Many potential candidates have expressed interest in the campaign manager position, but among those on the short list are Julie Chavez Rodriguez, director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and a deputy campaign manager of Biden’s 2020 campaign, and Sam Cornale, executive director of the Democratic National Committee.

Quentin Fulks, campaign manager for Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock’s reelection victory last fall, has been mentioned.

Biden led Democrats to a stronger than expected midterm performance in 2022 by urging voters to reject “extreme” adherents to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement. So bringing in an outsider who ran successful Democratic campaigns last fall is a possibility. But party leaders acknowledge that breaking into Biden’s famously tight inner circle has at times been challenging.

An exception is O’Malley Dillon, who was a late 2020 entrant to Biden’s orbit after leading former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s failed presidential bid.

Trump hasn’t named a campaign manager despite announcing his candidacy months ago. But others aren’t waiting to staff up.

Republican Nikki Haley, Trump’s U.N. ambassador and a former South Carolina governor, picked Betsy Ankney, executive director of Haley’s Stand for America political action committee, to manager her presidential campaign . The super PAC linked to DeSantis brought on former Trump aide Matt Wolking and strategist Jeff Roe, the architect of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s 2016 presidential campaign and Republican Glenn Youngkin winning campaign for Virginia governor in 2021.

Even with the unanswered questions about his campaign structure, the outlines of Biden’s pitch to voters are forming.

From the State of the Union address in February to speeches to donors, the president has begun making the case that Americans should let him “finish the job” he started. He’s also tried framing the race as a choice between himself and “MAGA Republicans” who, he argues, will undermine the nation’s core values.

Biden has spent recent months traveling to promote what he sees as his administration’s key policy accomplishments, including a bipartisan public works package, and plans more of the same going forward. That would let him use this year to test political messaging that can best resonate in 2024, aides said.

“He’s not going to win reelection or lose reelection based on what happens in his campaign,” Bannon predicted. “He’s going to win it based on his performance as president and the performance of his opponent, whoever it is.”

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