CIF-SS boys tennis polls, March 27

• March 28, 2023

This week’s CIF Southern Section boys tennis polls were released Monday, March 27.

The voting is done by the CIF-SS Boys Tennis Committee.

CIF-SS BOYS TENNIS POLLS

Open Division/Division 1

1. University

2. Peninsula

3. Palos Verdes

4. Corona del Mar

5. Woodbridge

6. Harvard Westlake

7. Claremont

8. Loyola

9. Beckman

10. Portola

Others: Westlake, Calabasas, Brentwood, Northwood, Servite, San Marino, Arcadia, Newbury Park, Foothill, Mira Costa

DIVISION 2

1. Sage Hill

2. Huntington Beach

3. JSerra

4. Edison

5. Ayala

6. El Dorado

7. Great Oak

8. Redlands

9. Yorba Linda

10. Buckley

Others: Burbank, Chaminade, San Juan Hills, Temecula Valley

DIVISION 3

1. Cypress

2, Tesoro

3. Mater Dei

4. Santiago/Corona

5. Oaks Christian

6. Whitney

7. Cerritos

8. Campbell Hall

9. St. Margaret’s

10. Nordhoff

Others: Crossroads, Murrieta Valley, South Pasadena, Oxford Academy, Roosevelt

DIVISION 4

1. Wilson/HH

2. Mark Keppel

3. Rancho Alamitos

4. San Gabriel

5. Wilson/LB

6. Jurupa Valley

7. La Salle

8. Yucca Valley

9. San Dimas

10. El Segundo

Others: Fullerton, Oakwood, Village Christian, West Covina

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DIVISION 5

1. Schurr

2. Segerstrom

3. Whittier

4. Temescal Canyon

5. Villa Nova Prep

6. Arroyo

7. Costa Mesa

8. Garden Grove

9. Northview

10. Hillcrest

Others: Chaparral, Chaffey, Chino, Beaumont, Barstow

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County scores and player stats for Monday, March 27

• March 28, 2023

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Scores and stats from Orange County games on Monday, March 27.

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

MONDAY’S SCORES

BASEBALL

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Portola 10, University 8

Por: Wu 2-4, 2 2B, 5RBI. Lee 3-4,2B, 4RBI. Palacio 3-4, 2R.

Uni: Barnett 3-5, 2B, 2R, 3RBI. Dougherty 2-4, RBI. Weston 2-5, SB, RBI.

Beckman 2, Laguna Hills 0

Beck: Speights (W, CG, 3H, 0R, 6K), 2-3, 3B, R. Lazaruk 1-3, 2B, RBI. Kapur 0-2, RBI.

LH: Trochio (6IP, 5H, 2ER, K). Kirkpatrick 1-2, BB.

Irvine 5, Northwood 1, 8 innings

Irv: Valencia (W, 8IP, 9H, ER, K). Sasaki 2-4, 2 2B, RBI. Canoe 1-1, 2B, R, 2RBI.

NW: J. Harper 2-3, RBI.

ANAHEIM LIONS TOURNAMENT

Columbia (Id.) 17, Anaheim 2

Magnolia 6, Indian Springs 4

Columbia (Id) 15, Katella 1

Montebello 16, Magnolia 1

NONLEAGUE

Crean Lutheran 3, Orange 2

CL: Derflinger 1-2, 2RBI. Sand 2-4, 2B, R. Nichol 1-2, R.

Or: Rodriguez 1-4, 2B, RBI.

Fountain Valley 10, Newport Harbor 4

FV: Peshke 2-3, 3RBI. Moore 1-2, 2B, 2RBI. Long 2-4, RBI.

NH: Blaser 1-3, HR, 2RBI. Perez 1-3, HR, RBI.

SOFTBALL

SOUTH COAST LEAGUE

Mission Viejo 9, Dana Hills 2

MV: Uehara (W, CG, 4H, 0ER, 6K). Elliot 3-4, HR, SB, 4R, 4RBI. Ruvalcaba 2-4, 2B, 3B, R. Gald 1-4, 2RBI.

DH: Llamas 1-2, RBI.

NONLEAGUE

Esperanza 12, Yorba Linda 2

Esp: Duncan 4-4, 2 2B, 3B, 4RBI. Shumaker 3-4, 2B, HR, 4RBI. Taylor 3-3, 2 2B, RBI. Korte (W, CG 5IP 5H 2R 1ER 0BB 3K)

YL: Cartledge 2-3, HR. Gominski 2B, RBI.

Canyon 7, El Dorado 0

Can: Gallegos (W, CG, 3H, 0R, 8K). Cooper 2-4, 2 2B, 3RBI. Alcala 1-3, RBI.

Other nonleague scores

Anaheim 10, La Quinta 3

BOYS LACROSSE

TRINITY LEAGUE

Santa Margarita 17, Orange Lutheran 0

Goals: (SM) Messer 3, Le 2, McDermott 2, Peters 2, Muniz 2

Note: Kim (SM) won 15 of 16 faceoffs.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

University 14, Woodbridge 9

​ Orange County Register 

Brief storm to hit Southern California this week, with sunny skies forecasted after

• March 28, 2023

Did you put the umbrellas and raincoats away after the latest Southern California storm? Forecasters say you might need to take them out again.

A brief, relatively mild cold storm system will move through the region beginning Tuesday, March 28, bringing rain to most areas and snow to higher-elevation mountain communities, with conditions drying up by the weekend.

This upcoming storm is looking to be generally weaker than past storms of this winter, except for a slight chance of thunderstorms late Wednesday-Thursday . pic.twitter.com/hLuyktKXR5

— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) March 27, 2023

“It’s a nice day today, it’ll be a nice day tomorrow, but then cooler weather is coming in,” said National Weather Service forecaster Adam Roser. “It looks like we’ll get some more rain and mountain snow.”

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Rain will likely start late Tuesday night. Most areas can expect between 0.5 inches and 1 inch of rain, with mountain communities receiving the higher numbers. Snow is expected above 3,000 feet in elevation between Wednesday and Thursday, with areas above 5,000 to 6,000 feet receiving between 5 and 10 inches.

After a fun few sunny days, Mother Nature is gonna throw a little shade by Tuesday night through Thursday Light rain, snow, and windy conditions can be expected with an incoming weather system Give the graphics below a read for more info! #CAwx pic.twitter.com/ZotMOTEWbB

— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) March 27, 2023

Thunderstorms and waterspouts are possible Wednesday night, with some gusty winds predicted for most of the region as well. This system will also bring lower temperatures, with most areas not breaking the 60s on Thursday.

The storm will have mostly dissipated by late Thursday, although some rain is possible. The weekend will be sunny, dry, and cool.

​ Orange County Register 

Report: Employers would gladly replace workers with AI technology

• March 28, 2023

Feeling dispensable in a world of artificial intelligence?

Your fears are not unfounded. A new report from beautiful.ai shows 66% of workplace managers would gladly replace employees with AI tools if the technology produced comparable work.

Sixty nine percent said it would “be financially beneficial” to replace employees with AI technology, with 68% citing lower payroll costs.

“Companies are beginning to accept and adopt AI into their workflows to improve efficiency and increase output,” the report said. “In fact, 95% of those interviewed said that their teams have already started using AI tools.”

Customer service representatives and IT support technicians are among the workers most likely to be replaced by AI technology. In the future, many cubicles will probably be unoccupied. (File photo)

Beautiful.ai, which uses artificial intelligence to create corporate presentations and reports, polled 3,000 executives in management positions for “The Future of AI in the Workplace: A Survey of American Managers,” conducted Feb. 20-23 of this year.

Of the 3,000 managers polled, 34% are preparing for the adoption of AI tools by educating their employees, while 22% are self-testing AI tools they feel may be useful in the workplace.

Additional findings:

90% of managers believe AI tools will grow in popularity as layoffs continue during uncertain economic times
75% believe their employees fear the use of AI tools will lead to their eventual firing
Managers say cybersecurity is the biggest cause for concern as it relates to the use of AI tools

Another report from NetVoucherCodes says California employees are in for a double whammy because the Golden State has the largest number of at-risk jobs.

NetVoucherCodes compiled data for 199 jobs from each state using usawage.com‘s Top 200 Popular Jobs in 2022. ChatGPT, one of the newest AI technologies to enter the workplace, was then asked for each job’s relative risk from AI, automation, and the likelihood of AI increasing each job’s productivity.

ChatGPT gives strikingly human-like responses to user queries and can collate information in seconds that would otherwise take hours to gather.

The NetVoucherCodes report shows 321,900 California jobs are at high risk of being replaced by AI technology, while another 1.2 million jobs are at medium risk. In the realm of automation, more than 2 million Golden State jobs are at high risk and nearly 4 million are at medium risk.

On a broader scale, the company predicts that more than 15.7 million U.S. jobs will be enhanced by AI to boost productivity, although 19.4 million jobs will be replaced in the process.

NetVoucherCodes lists the top 10 U.S. jobs at high risk of being replaced by AI:

Cashier (more than 3.3 million)
Customer service representative (more than 2.7 million)
Bookkeeper (991,047)
IT support technician (690,525)
Billing clerk (477,349)
HR assistant (384,826)
Paralegal assistant (336,250)
Compliance officer (334,340)
Claims assessor (314,300)
Executive assistant (304,678)

The report doesn’t give a timeline for when all of those jobs could be highjacked by technology, but the numbers indicate heavy employment losses are inevitable.

Amazon already has a deep foothold in the AI world. The company’s Amazon Fresh grocery stores in Southern California are equipped with “Just Walk Out” technology that’s based on AI, image recognition and sensors.

It allows customers to enter the store by scanning the in-store QR code in their Amazon app, using Amazon One, or by inserting a credit or debit card to open Just Walk Out gates.

Anything a shopper takes off the shelf is automatically added to their virtual cart, and whatever they put back comes out of it. When they’re finished shopping they simply scan or insert their entry method again to exit the store.

Tracy Brower, a sociologist and author of “The Secrets to Happiness at Work,” acknowledged that AI is precise and lightning fast while people can be “slow and plodding.” But in a recent guest article in Forbes, she said humans still hold some distinct advantages.

“Humans are creative — designing something from nothing, intuiting, inferring, adapting and functioning with nuance,” Brower said. “People are also uniquely curious — imagining, exploring and wondering.”

​ Orange County Register 

Angels’ Jared Walsh, Max Stassi to begin season on injured list

• March 28, 2023

ANAHEIM — An ongoing bout with headaches and insomnia will put Angels first baseman Jared Walsh on the injured list to open the season.

Walsh is set to see a specialist to help him through the issue, with Manager Phil Nevin conveying a positive outlook.

“It’s a two-week program so he’s not going to start the year with us,” Nevin said. “He is really encouraged about the program he’s going to and he’s able to still do baseball activity. We’ll see how (long) the duration is, but obviously that puts him on the IL to start the season. So yeah, we’re gonna miss Walshy for the first part.”

Walsh, 29, was in the midst of a strong spring, batting .400 with a 1.197 OPS to go along with two home runs and six RBIs. He is coming off a disappointing 2022 when he had a .642 OPS in a season when he was bothered by thoracic outlet syndrome.

In 2021 Walsh was an American League All-Star for the first time with an .850 OPS, 29 home runs and 98 RBIs in 144 games.

Nevin suggested the lack of sleep and accompanying head pain shouldn’t be an ongoing issue.

“This is a quality of life thing; this isn’t baseball-related,” Nevin said. “… We’ve known about this for a little while, and he’s just been reaching out to some places that he thinks he can help and, and he’s found a spot and he’s relieved about that.

“I think us as a team, and as a support group, need to be relieved as well that he feels comfortable that he’s gonna be back with us soon and in a good place in his mind.”

The IL move for Walsh means veteran infielder Jake Lamb is expected to make the Opening Day roster. Lamb, who has nine years of major league experience, batted .419 with a 1.013 OPS in 16 Cactus League games and had two home runs with nine RBIs.

But Lamb was a late scratch from Monday’s starting lineup with glute tightness. Preston Palmeiro started at first base instead.

STASSI TO IL

The hip soreness that surfaced Sunday for Max Stassi will land the catcher on the IL to open the season. Top prospect Logan O’Hoppe now will begin the season on the roster.

Stassi, who had been away from the club for personal reasons, experienced the soreness in a minor league game in Tempe, Ariz.

O’Hoppe will not only make his first Opening Day roster, after appearing in five late-season games for the Angels in 2022, but he will be behind the plate for Thursday night’s season opener on the road against the Oakland Athletics.

“I’ve let him know that and it was a good conversation,” Nevin said.

MORE ROSTER PLANS

Nevin said right-hander Andrew Wantz will be on the roster to start the season, with the No. 6 starter spot still undecided.

The club is high on both left-hander Tucker Davidson and right-hander Griffin Canning for the sixth spot, with Davidson out of minor league options.

Infielder David Fletcher remains out with a groin injury but might return for Tuesday’s Freeway Series finale.

GETTING IN LINE

The Angels’ Opening Day lineup will look fairly similar to what they had on the field in Sunday’s Freeway Series game, although Shohei Ohtani will be the pitcher and Anthony Rendon will be at third base.

Otherwise, O’Hoppe will be the catcher, Brandon Drury will be at first base, Luis Rengifo will be at second and Gio Urshela will get the start at shortstop. Taylor Ward will be in left field, Mike Trout will be in center and Hunter Renfroe will be in right.

Ward, Trout, Ohtani and Rendon will be at the top of the order, followed by Drury, Renfroe, Rengifo, Urshela and O’Hoppe.

TEE TIME

Plans were unveiled Monday for a new golf course in south New Jersey to be owned by Trout and designed by Tiger Woods.

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Trout National-The Reserve is set to open to members in 2025 and be located in Vineland, N.J., less than an hour south of Philadelphia.

Trout said he hasn’t played a round of golf with Woods yet, but the pair have connected on planning conference calls. One of the Trout National golf holes will have an island green.

Expect the course to have some length. Trout said he can hit a ball 340 yards off the tee with a driver and was asked if he can hit one 400 yards on occasion.

“When I try to let it eat,” Trout said, “but it might not be straight.”

​ Orange County Register 

Newsom displays penchant for shiny new things on California tour

• March 27, 2023

As a species, politicians love news conferences and other events that celebrate new programs or public works projects.

The syndrome may explain why officials often ignore long-festering problems in existing programs, such as the Employment Development Department and the bullet train project. Simply making things work better doesn’t have the political appeal of something new and shiny.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is particularly prone to the affliction, declaring early on his love for “big, hairy audacious goals” and later adding, “I’d rather be accused of (having) those audacious stretch goals than be accused of timidity.”

That proclivity led him, as a candidate, to pledge that he would try to solve California’s housing crisis by building 3.5 million new houses and apartments by 2025 and make California the first state to embrace single-payer health care.

Later, when both proved to be unattainable, he declared them to be “aspirational” rather than firm promises.

Newsom’s tendency toward the grandiose was very evident this month when he once again shunned a traditional State of the State address to the Legislature and instead toured the state for serial announcements.

One is converting San Quentin prison into a laboratory to test whether a softer approach to preparing felons for release, modeled after a program in Norway, will be more effective in steering them away from crime. Newsom boasted that the renamed San Quentin Rehabilitation Center will be the “most innovative rehabilitation facility” in the nation, displaying another characteristic, his obsession with being the first to do something.

The splashiest of Newsom’s new things is a multi-billion-dollar plan to house thousands of homeless and mentally ill Californians in new facilities that would combine shelter with treatment for their afflictions.

The project would be financed mostly by a bond issue in the $3-5 billion range to be placed before voters next year and would be an adjunct to Newsom’s “Care Court” program that allows the mentally ill to be compelled to accept treatment.

“It’s unacceptable what we’re dealing with at scale now in California,” Newsom said. “We have to address and come to grips with the reality of mental health in our state and in our nation.”

Even if implemented as hoped, the two mental health projects would make only a relatively tiny dent in the state’s homelessness crisis. California still lacks a comprehensive approach and is mired in finger-pointing among state, county and city officials over who’s responsible for dealing with it.

Billions of dollars have been spent by all three levels of California government, plus no small amount of federal funds, but the number of unhoused Californians continues to climb, officially approaching 200,000 but probably much higher.

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The exchanges between Newsom and county officials have been especially pointed. He’s accused counties of dragging their feet on effectively spending state grant money while county officials say they need a dedicated and predictable revenue stream for long-term programs.

As Newsom was touring the state, the California State Association of Counties, or CSAC, issued what it said is a comprehensive approach to homelessness embracing housing, social services, education and employment with clear lines of responsibility and accountability for outcomes.

“No one level of government is solely responsible for the homelessness crisis,” CSAC president Chuck Washington, a Riverside County supervisor, said in a statement. “But any and all efforts to address homelessness will fail without a comprehensive system in which roles and responsibilities are clear.”

Fundamentally, CSAC is calling for making the systems and services already in place work better. That doesn’t have much political appeal but is, to use one of Newsom’s favorite words, “foundational” for progress on the homelessness crisis.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County softball Top 25: Los Alamitos ranked No. 1 heading into Carew Classic, March 27

• March 27, 2023

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The Orange County high school softball rankings for this week:

Notable this week: Los Alamitos remains No. 1 entering the Michelle Carew Classic this week. … Santa Margarita moves up one spot to No. 10 following an 8-1 triumph against Rosary in the Trinity League. … Irvine breaks into the rankings at No. 25 after upsetting Fountain Valley 11-2 in the Alan Dugard Classic.

SOFTBALL TOP 25

(Records through March 26)

1. Los Alamitos (7-2): The Griffins, sidelined since March 11 because of rainouts, are scheduled to play at Corona del Mar on Tuesday in a tune-up for their Carew Classic opener against Santiago of Corona on Wednesday.

Previous ranking: 1

2. Esperanza (12-2): The Aztecs could be riding a six-game winning streak into their Carew Classic showdown against Marina on Wednesday.

Previous ranking: 2

3. Pacifica (9-3): The Mariners are scheduled to open the Carew Classic against JSerra in an intriguing matchup Wednesday.

Previous ranking: 3

4. Orange Lutheran (8-4): The Lancers, the runner-up in the Carew Classic last season, are scheduled to open the tournament against Valley View of Moreno Valley on Wednesday.

Previous ranking: 4

5. Villa Park (12-4): The Spartans aren’t playing the Carew Classic but are scheduled to play at Capistrano Valley on Thursday and play host to Bishop Gorman of Nevada on Saturday.

Previous ranking: 5

6. Marina (14-1): The Vikings have won six consecutive games in convincing fashion since losing to El Modena in the Dave Kops Tournament of Champions.

Previous ranking: 7

7. Huntington Beach (5-3): The Oilers, who haven’t played since March 11, are scheduled to play two Sunset League games before opening the Carew Classic against Yucaipa on Wednesday.

Previous ranking: 8

8. Mission Viejo (7-6-1): The Diablos are scheduled to play two South Coast League games before they open the Carew Classic against Vista Murrieta on Wednesday.

Previous ranking: 9

9. JSerra (12-2): The Lions will carry an eight-game winning streak into their Carew Classic opener against fifth-seeded Pacifica.

Previous ranking: 10

10. Santa Margarita (10-4-1): The Eagles bounced back from Trinity League losses to Orange Lutheran and JSerra by beating Rosary 8-1.

Previous ranking: 11

11. El Modena (8-4)

Previous ranking: 6

12. Tesoro (8-3-1)

Previous ranking: 14

13. Foothill (9-4)

Previous ranking: 15

14. Canyon (8-4)

Previous ranking: 16

15. Capistrano Valley (8-1)

Previous ranking: 17

16. Aliso Niguel (11-3)

Previous ranking: 19

17. Fountain Valley (6-7)

Previous ranking: 12

18. Mater Dei (7-7-1)

Previous ranking: 13

19. Edison (9-6)

Previous ranking: 18

20. Whittier Christian (13-4)

Previous ranking: 20

21. Sonora (5-7)

Previous ranking: 21

22. Cypress (8-2-1)

Previous ranking: 22

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23. Kennedy (8-4)

Previous ranking: 23

24. Fullerton (14-1)

Previous ranking: 24

25. Irvine (8-4)

Previous ranking: unranked

Also considered: Trabuco Hills

Please send feedback on the county rankings to Dan Albano at [email protected] or @ocvarsityguy on Twitter

​ Orange County Register 

Bake It: Cinnamon Shortbread with Chocolate Hazelnut Drizzle

• March 27, 2023

This cookie recipe combines the satisfyingly crumbly texture of a classic shortbread with all three of my favorite gelato flavors — cinnamon, hazelnut and chocolate. Who says you can’t have it all? This cookie is the perfect pairing for that afternoon coffee or steamed chai latte. And the secret to the shortbread’s crunchy texture is — you’ll never guess — Cream of Wheat.

The Cream of Wheat adds a lovely crunch to the dough, but you can substitute cornmeal or cornstarch for a similar crumbly texture. Not a fan of hazelnuts? Try toasted almonds or walnuts instead.

Cinnamon Shortbread with Chocolate Hazelnut Drizzle

Makes 12 to 14 cookies

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup whole hazelnuts

1¾ cups flour

½ cup Cream of Wheat (uncooked)

½ cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup butter, room temperature

½ cup chopped semisweet chocolate

Sea salt

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 300 degrees.

When the oven is hot, place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake them for 5 to 8 minutes or until fragrant. Wrap up the hot hazelnuts in a clean dish towel and rub them vigorously to flake off the skins. Finely chop the hazelnuts and set aside.

In a food processor (or in a large bowl with a fork), mix together the flour, Cream of Wheat, sugar and cinnamon. Add the butter and pulse to form a crumbly mixture.

Use your hands to bring the dough together, then press it into an 8-inch square baking pan. Press the dough down firmly to create an even surface, then prick it all over with a fork. Bake on the center rack for 30 to 40 minutes or until a very pale golden color on the edges. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

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Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler. Drizzle the shortbread with the melted chocolate and scatter the chopped hazelnuts over the top, finishing with a light sprinkling of sea salt. Cut the shortbread into fingers in the pan, then carefully remove them to let them finish cooling on a wire rack.

Once completely cool, store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Registered dietitian and food writer Laura McLively is the author of “The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook.” Follow her at @myberkeleybowl and www.lauramclively.com.

For more food and drink coveragefollow us on Flipboard.

​ Orange County Register