Alexander: The veterans in the Dodgers’ clubhouse set the example

• October 4, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Yeah, go ahead and say it. The Dodgers are old. Too many years, too many additional postseason games, and sooner or later veteran canniness becomes less of an advantage as the speed and reflexes slow, right?

But there’s another way to look at it.

As the Dodgers took the lead in their National League Division Series on Saturday with a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves in triple-digit heat, their veteran core of shortstop Mookie Betts, first baseman Freddie Freeman, third baseman Max Muncy and catcher Will Smith played in their 41st postseason game together. That dates to when Freeman joined the Dodgers in 2022 and encompasses four previous seasons of ups and downs, of celebratory champagne showers and quietly pondering what went wrong.

Betts has played 71 postseason games as a Dodger, dating to the 2020 short-season championship, and 92 all told between L.A. and Boston, with four rings (three as a Dodger) to show for it. Muncy has played in 80, dating to the 2018 postseason. Smith has played in 72 and been on the roster for 76, dating to 2019.

And Freeman, who left Atlanta as a free agent and joined the Dodgers in 2022, has played in 38 of 41 playoff games as a Dodger and 83 all told, given his six seasons with the Braves. He has three World Series championship rings, one in Atlanta in 2021 and the last two in L.A.

What does all of this mean?

This is a group for which the stage isn’t too big. They understand the difference between the regular season and the postseason.

“I definitely think our experience is a real competitive advantage,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said before Saturday’s game.

“October, this stage, it’s a lot: the emotions, the intensity of the games. So I think for the guys that have been through it and have that appreciation – you know, the game can speed up on guys. To have that experience to draw from, to be able to calm that in a way to be able to perform, I think, is really helpful.”

That preparation not only helps them get themselves ready to play, it creates an example and expectation for others. The clubhouse culture in L.A., going back to Justin Turner’s days as the unofficial captain, is one of quiet professionalism, enabling these players to either meet the moment or be honest with themselves when they don’t.

“Obviously, talent matters a lot,” Friedman continued. “But coupled with that is how guys prepare, and I marvel at walking through our clubhouse and watching the way our guys prepare – out on the field doing defensive drills, in the clubhouse watching video, talking about the pitcher, game-planning. Just everywhere you go, there are guys who are focused on what to do to help you win a game that day.

“I think to have that talent and that level of preparation is a rare thing.”

Tarik Skubal noticed that when he first got here, after being acquired in trade deadline deal with Detroit.

“I think from top to bottom, I’ve said this before, they’re very much aligned with trying to win championships,” he said during Friday’s pre-series availability. “Everybody’s got one goal at hand. I fit right in with that. I think everything that I try to do is try to win as many baseball games as I can. I’m excited to start doing that in October.”

Is the game different at this time of year? On Friday, Skubal made the observation that his approach doesn’t change, saying, “How I go out and execute and how I prepare and how I game plan and all that stuff is going to be kind of the exact same. That’s kind of what I trust in any moment.”

It worked Saturday – two hits and seven strikeouts in seven innings, with a solo home run by Sean Murphy in the sixth as one of Skubal’s few blemishes.

And there was this, as well: When a questioner noted that Skubal had hit 101 mph on a 1-and-1 four-seam fastball to Austin Riley in the second inning, he quipped: “I think I was just trying to match the temperature out there.”

He grew up in Arizona, so Saturday’s extreme heat probably brought back some memories. “I played a Little League game in 127, Lake Havasu,” he said.

Much of postseason baseball is a mental battle. It could be adapting to the atmosphere of a team that expects to win. Or it could involve the opportunity to reset following a poor stretch or a poor season.

“There’s nothing I can do of the things that (did not get) done in the past,” said outfielder Teoscar Hernández, whose two-run, 431-foot missile into the left field pavilion in the fourth inning gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead and made everyone forget about his regular-season struggles, at least for the moment.

“For me, it’s not about … the regular season. It’s not about the September (hot streak). It’s about what can I do in an at-bat, pitch by pitch, to help this team win 10 more games this year?”

That seems to be the theme throughout the Dodgers’ clubhouse, and it’s one that the veterans pass down to everyone else.

And if this team does achieve the three-peat, that knowledge and belief and attitude – boiled down to the idea that nothing on a daily basis, from March through October and into November when necessary, is more important than winning that day’s game – will go a long way toward explaining why.

And to go for a third straight championship, and to have been in postseason play for 14 consecutive years, has as much to do with culture as with payroll size.

“The amount that goes into it, the potential things that come up throughout the course of a season with injuries and the timing of things and regression in performance – there’s so many factors that to be able to withstand the 162 games and get into October,” Friedman said.

That difficulty, that randomness, helps explain why just making the postseason or winning a playoff round, prompts a champagne-drenched celebration.

And to get to October every year? Yes, it’s talent, but it’s also experience, and preparation, and it’s the elders passing those secrets down in the clubhouse.

jalexander@scng.com

​ Orange County Register 

JSerra boys water polo falls to Cathedral Catholic in Elite 8 final

• October 4, 2026

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

STUDIO CITY — The mood felt a bit somber near JSerra’s bench following the championship of the Elite 8 boys water polo tournament Saturday. Understandably, smiles from players were hard to find.

The Lions’ progress in the water, however, was easy to spot throughout the challenging three-day event.

Fourth-seeded JSerra reached its first regular-season tournament final since 2024 before falling to No. 3 Cathedral Catholic 12-9 at Harvard-Westlake High.

“As disappointing as this is, it’s a step forward,” JSerra coach Brett Ormsby said after the match. “I told (our) guys, they’ve been 5-8th (place) in all three tournaments last year. And then we were 5-8th at the South Coast (Tournament last month).”

“We’ve got to keep pushing,” the Olympian added.

JSerra (12-2) showed its drive against Cathedral Catholic (12-1) by scoring three consecutive goals in the final two minutes of the fourth period to trim the Dons’ advantage to 11-9.

Junior Christian Yonker scored on the extra man with two minutes left. Junior Dylan Park followed less than 30 seconds later with a counterattack strike off his own steal.

And after JSerra defended against a 7-on-6 chance, junior Lars Knepper scored to cut Cathedral Catholic’s lead to 11-9 with 56 seconds remaining.

The Lions’ press defense was a key part of a tournament run that included a 10-9 win against top-seeded and No. 1 ranked Newport Harbor in the semifinals Friday.

JSerra opened a 5-0 lead against Newport Harbor (11-3) but the two-time defending CIF-SS Open Division champion surged in the second half.

Knepper scored the winning goal and the Lions sealed the win by defending a 7-on-6 attack.

“We did a really good job of (pressing) yesterday,” Ormsby said. “Part of the game plan was to repeat it today, and we just didn’t go a very good job.”

Cathedral Catholic was certainly part of the reason.

The Dons found center Grayson Taylor enough that the junior could show his strength finishing and drawing exclusions.

He netted a match-high four goals, including a strike from 2 meters that gave the Dons an 11-6 cushion with 2:50 remaining in regulation.

“When you have a young man who is that big and that powerful, and has the hands, we got to do a good job of finding him,” Cathedral Catholic coach Tommy Corcoran said of Taylor, who drew two exclusions and a penalty. “Second half, we found him a little bit more.”

Cathedral Catholic also defended well in becoming the first San Diego school to claim the prestigious tournament, which began in 2016.

Goalie Luke Anderson had 10 saves and the Dons held JSerra to a 4 for 12 effort with the extra attacker. Cathedral Catholic went 4 for 9 on the man advantage.

Max Bruhn added two goals on penalty shots.

Cathedral Catholic is playing this fall without Taylor’s brother Jett, a UCLA committed senior and national team player who is competing for a team in Europe.

“A team full of warriors,” Corcoran said of his squad, which placed third at the South Coast Tournament. “They step up. Testament to the boys. Jett has lofty goals in the near-term that he’s trying to make happen. Totally support him.”

JSerra never led but tied the score twice in the first half.

The Lions had a chance to knot the score 5-5 at halftime but missed a shot in the final seconds on a 7-on-6 attempt. Cathedral Catholic’s Eamon Bruhn received the throw-in and alertly fired a full-court shot for a goal to beat the buzzer.

The Dons led 6-4 at intermission.

Half: Cathedral strikes from downtown for 6-4 lead v JSerra, huge swing pic.twitter.com/5JIw7kEFGj

— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) October 3, 2026

Cathedral Catholic road the momentum into the third period but JSerra drew within 7-6 on a counterattack strike by junior Cal Ulicny.

Cathedral Catholic responded with a 4-0 run to seize control.

Knepper and Ulicny each scored twice to lead the JSerra offense. Stefan Vukojevic and Gianni Alessio split time in goal for the Lions. Ronan Keane added four steals for the Lions’ defense.

In the third-place match, Miramonte defeated Newport Harbor 16-11. The Sailors edged Miramonte 11-10 in sudden-death overtime in the finals of the South Coast Tournament.

The third and final major tournament of the regular season is the North-South Challenge on Oct. 15-16 in Northern California.

​ Orange County Register 

Drew Rasmussen flirts with no-hitter as Rays beat Yankees in ALDS opener

• October 4, 2026

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Drew Rasmussen didn’t allow a hit until two outs in the eighth inning, Jonathan Aranda homered off Gerrit Cole and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the New York Yankees 1-0 in their AL Division Series on Saturday night.

Rasmussen retired 15 consecutive batters before Austin Wells doubled with two outs in the eighth inning, ripping a liner just inside the right-field foul line on an inside sinker.

He was easily thrown out on shortstop Taylor Walls’ relay to third baseman Junior Caminero of right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. ’s throw. Wells ran through the stop sign of third base coach Luis Rojas, who raised both arms before Wells rounded second.

Rasmussen dominated a lineup that scored 18 runs in a two-game Wild Card Series sweep of Boston and was still missing three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge, sidelined since Sept. 16 by a calf injury.

A 31-year-old righty, Rasmussen struck out 10 and walked two in eight innings. He threw 69 of 101 pitches for strikes, getting 23 swings and misses.

Bryan Baker pitched a perfect ninth for the save, finishing the one-hitter. He struck out pinch-hitter Giancarlo Stanton, in his first plate appearance since April 24 after recovering from calf injuries, froze Ben Rice with a changeup for a called third strike and retired Cody Bellinger on a grounder to secure Tampa Bay’s first postseason win since losing the 2020 World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Baker converted 41 of 44 saves in the regular season, including his last 30.

Game 2 of the best-of-five series is Monday night at Tropicana Field.

Aranda drove a Cole’s 2-2 changeup several rows deep into the right-center field stands for his first career postseason hit.

In his first postseason game since Tommy John surgery in March 2025, Cole allowed one run and five hits, striking out five in five innings.

A loud, boisterous, crowd rang cowbells and drowned out Yankees fans in the quirky Trop, which hosted its first postseason game since Hurricane Milton blew the roof off in October 2024. The Rays were forced to play their 2025 season across the bay at Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the Yankees.

Rasmussen was 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA for the Rays and made the All-Star team for the second straight season. The 31-year-old twice had surgery for a torn ligament in his elbow in college and needed an internal brace procedure in July 2023 that forced him to miss more than a year.

His 10 strikeouts tied Tyler Glasnow’s franchise record for the most in a postseason game.

Rasmussen has had success against the AL East rival Yankees throughout his career. He entered with a 1.81 ERA in 10 career starts and one relief appearance against New York.

Up next

RHP Cam Schlittler, the favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award, will start Game 2 for the Yankees. The Rays haven’t announced a starter. Right-handers Griffin Jax and Freddy Peralta are two options.

​ Orange County Register 

Santa Anita romp sends Bob Baffert’s Hughes to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

• October 4, 2026

ARCADIA — When Bob Baffert said something about “baby steps” after watching Hughes run in the American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday, the trainer clearly wasn’t talking about the athletic strides that kept the 2-year-old colt unbeaten in four starts.

He was talking about how Hughes continued to check boxes on his way to Breeders’ Cup contention.

The winner of the 7-furlong Del Mar Debutante in August stretched out to 1¹⁄₁₆ miles, showed the ability to relax after some anxious early moments, and rallied from behind other horses for the first time before cruising to a six-length victory with jockey Juan Hernandez in the Grade I American Pharoah.

Antonio Garcia-trained Net Par ran second at 18-1, and it was a long way back to Baffert’s Imperial Honor, Domus and Emancipate and Doug O’Neill’s Dang Son.

Hughes, a son of Into Mischief, paid $2.60. His clocking, 1:43.22, was the third fastest in the dozen runnings of the race now called the American Pharoah since American Pharoah himself won the then-FrontRunner Stakes in 1:41.95 in 2014.

“It was good schooling for him,” Baffert said of Hughes. “He fits well in the Breeders’ Cup.”

The American Pharoah, which rewarded Hughes with a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, was one of three stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday that rewarded winners with places in some of the 14 Breeders’ Cup races Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland, in Lexington, Ky.

Domain Expansion and jockey Adrian Escobedo sprang the upset of the 100-degree-plus afternoon in the Grade II Oak Leaf Stakes, a qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, and Thought Process and Hector Berrios dominated the Grade II Rodeo Drive Stakes, moving on to the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

Leonard Powell-trained Domain Expansion, a maiden sent off at 14-1 odds, laid the kind of beating on Baffert’s trio of fillies that Baffert’s young horses usually lay on other people’s. It was 39-year-old jockey Adrian Escobedo’s first graded stakes victory and Powell’s first at Grade II or better since Anisette’s run of success in 2023-24.

After tracking Baffert’s Deluge early, Domain Expansion (who paid $31) took the lead in upper stretch and pulled away to win by seven lengths over Baffert’s Holmby, with Baffert’s Quattro Passi third and Deluge fading to fifth. The winner covered 1¹⁄₁₆ miles in 1:44.44, third-fastest of the past 11 Oak Leafs.

Powell had watched the daughter of Speaker’s Corner run second, with excuses, in her debut at 1 mile on turf at Del Mar, and was confident sending her up against stakes winners Saturday.

“As soon as we started breezing her at Del Mar, she showed things that your usual 2-year-old doesn’t show,” Powell said of the daughter of Speaker’s Corner. “Baffert had three horses in there. You never know how good they are. For a smaller outfit like me, it’s hard to go against him, but we did that today and (we) came out on top.”

Four-year-old Thought Process (who paid $3.60) won the Rodeo Drive by 4¼ lengths over Vronti after leading from the start in her first test at 1¼ miles and opening up on the field of 11 on the turn for home. The last part is what trainer Phil D’Amato complained about Berrios not doing when Medoro handed Thought Process her first loss of 2026 in the John C. Mabee Stakes at Del Mar.

“I think last time I got beat because I fought her too much,” Berrios said. “This time, I let her break, she settled, and I dropped my hands. She liked it. When it was time to run, she showed her power. I think I learned something last time.”

The day’s five stakes began with Our Moonlight ($17.40) and jockey Tiago Pereira winning when Paradise City and Kazushi Kimura were disqualified after finishing first by a neck in the Grade III Chillingworth Stakes.

Pereira objected, and the stewards reviewed video for a long time before voting 2-1 that Paradise City crossed in front of Our Moonlight and forced Pereira to check near the rail on the backstretch of the 6½-furlong sprint for fillies and mares. Kimura walked away saying he was surprised by the DQ.

“He (Pereira) tried to force (his way) in there,” Kimura said. “I was already clear. I had position.”

It was Our Moonlight trainer Dean Pederson’s first graded stakes victory since a 2007 race at Bay Meadows. It was Paradise City trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.’s first bad luck in a while at Santa Anita, where Forged Steel’s victory in the Goodwood Stakes last weekend was the eastern barn’s third at the Grade I or II level in 2026.

Emisael Jaramillo leads Hernandez in wins at Santa Anita, 7-6, after each rode two winners Saturday.

Jaramillo’s first winner was Arctic Wolf, who shipped in from Kentucky for trainer Jack Sisterson to pay $5.40 in the Speakeasy Stakes for 2-year-old turf sprinters after pulling away from 40-1 Fumano’s Fire. Favorite Omaha Spirit ran third.

Sunday’s card wraps up two weekends packed with stakes for Breeders’ Cup hopefuls.

Umberto Rispoli should continue a lucrative start to the Santa Anita autumn season and book more Breeders’ Cup mounts when he rides favorites Repo Man in the Zuma Beach Stakes for 2-year-olds on turf and Vanta in the Surfer Girl Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on grass.

Rispoli won last weekend with Atitlan in the Grade II John Henry Turf Championship and Sorrento Sky in the Grade II Eddie D. Stakes.

​ Orange County Register 

After a cold summer, Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernandez starts October hot, as usual

• October 4, 2026

LOS ANGELES — After a preview in September, Teoscar Hernandez demonstrated that he’s ready to have his normal October.

A few months ago it looked bleak for the Dodgers outfielder, who came back from a hamstring injury to a summer of struggles.

A switch flipped in September, and he carried that into his first game of October, with a two-run homer to spark the Dodgers to a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

“It just built the confidence,” Hernandez said of the month leading up to Saturday’s performance. “Obviously, I know what I’m capable of. It was just a matter of time. The work that I was putting in before September, all the routines, all the extra work that I was doing, it was about time to have those successes.”

Hernandez hit .212 with a .592 OPS in the 49 games immediately after returning from his hamstring injury, a stretch that had Dodgers manager Dave Roberts publicly talking about platooning him. In September, though, Hernandez hit .341 with a .965 OPS.

In his second plate appearance of October, he stepped up with the game scoreless in the fourth inning. The Dodgers had been blanked for three innings by Braves left-hander Dylan Dodd, who got the ball first in a bullpen game.

Right-hander Victor Mederos followed Dodd to the mound, and he issued a one-out, four-pitch walk to Freddie Freeman. Three pitches later, he threw a 92 mph cutter over the middle of the plate, and Hernandez did what a major league hitter is supposed to do.

He hammered it some 431 feet into the left-field bleachers for a two-run homer. Hernandez stood at the plate and admired the arcing drive before hurling his bat almost all the way into the Dodgers’ dugout.

The euphoria of those moments have always driven Hernandez, with little regard for the downside that can come in those spots.

“I think Teo is good in big moments because he’s not afraid to fail,” Roberts said. “I think that he has a short memory, in the sense of if some something doesn’t go well, he has a way to just kind of reset, recalibrate. And I think he just focuses a little bit more.”

Hernandez agreed with Roberts’ assessment of why he’s been so good in those moments.

“I don’t care if I strike out in big situations,” Hernandez said. “I always want to be the guy to be in those moments. I worked really hard for it. I think the bigger the moment, the more focused I get, just trying to put together a good at-bat for the team. Hopefully, I get a good pitch to hit, just trying to put a good swing.”

Hernandez, 33, has now hit nine homers in 34 postseason games with the Dodgers, with an .809 OPS. His regular-season OPS in those three seasons is .784.

Last October, Hernandez hit a three-run homer to put the Dodgers on top in the seventh inning of Game 1 of their NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies.

He hit five homers in the postseason last year, helping the team to its second straight World Series title.

The year before, he hit a grand slam in a Game 3 loss to the Padres in the NLDS, and he drove in two runs in the World Series-clinching victory over the New York Yankees.

When Hernandez connected on his no-doubt homer on Saturday, the ballpark exploded. Hernandez rewarded all the fans who had braved the 100-degree heat, and who had stuck with him when he was cold.

“It feels good to have the support from them,” he said, “even though I had a really, really tough regular season, until September.”

​ Orange County Register 

The life and legacy of bald eagle Jackie are celebrated in her home territory of Big Bear

• October 3, 2026

Jackie, the famed Big Bear area bald eagle who became internet famous with her mate, was honored Saturday, Oct. 3, in a ceremony that drew about 2,000 fans and watchers.

The event in the San Bernardino Mountains was called Wings Over Big Bear, and it took place on the patio of Bear Mountain ski resort in the city of Big Bear Lake.

Jackie, the female half of the pair Jackie and Shadow, died in August after parenting several eaglets under the watchful eyes of YouTube, live-streamed by an eagles nest cam set up by conservation group Friends of Big Bear Valley.

“For me, what we are celebrating is her influence,” said Shelley Egan, interim director of the organization.

“Somewhere along the way, people went from watching an eagle, Jackie, to caring about an entire ecosytem,” said Stacy Gorin, executive director of the Southern California Mountains Foundation, during the 90-minute program. Her organization was one of several nature groups that set up information booths at the event, including the Sierra Club.

Approximately 2,000 people attended the event, according to Visit Big Bear representative Dan McKernan. Attendees began showing up more than two hours early.

Laura Wentz from Goodyear, Ariz., was one of the first in line. She hit the road around 3:30 a.m. for the five-hour drive.

Tianna and Doug McLauglin drove in from La Cañada, squinting into the sunrise on the 210 Freeway. They were celebrating Tianna’s birthday.

“We‘ve been watching Jackie since 2017, so I wasn’t going to miss this,” Tianna said.

Mary Hohenbrink, 70, of Sacramento, drove 11 hours to attend the event.

“I was crying and almost had to pull over,” she said, recalling how she had a second computer screen at work so she could watch Jackie over the past four years.

Several people wore Jackie and Shadow T-shirts, and some carried mementos. Angela Scott of Santa Clarita sat in the front row cradling a floral arrangement of pine branches made by her mother. Pine cones represented the eagles and their chicks.

The program took place on a stage in front of Bear Mountain’s sporting goods shop. MountainTop Strings of California, a local youth ensemble, played classical, folk and pop tunes for an hour before it began with members of the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation performing songs of celebration.

A skywriting plane created a valentine in the air above.

The ceremony ended with the presentation of an 18-by-24 inch painting by local artist Jillana Marshall showing an eagle soaring near a pine tree. It will go on display at the Big Bear Visitor Center, 40824 Big Bear Blvd.

The painting is a gift to honor Jackie, the Yuhaaviatam people and the Big Bear Valley community, attendees were told Saturday.

It was inspired by Jackie and the Yuhaaviatam, the “People of the Pines,” and the landscape woven into their creation story.

A story on the meaning of the painting by Tara Antongiorgi, head of the Big Bear Plein Air Competition, was read by the announcer at the event.  According to the story, the painting is the story of Big Bear and a remarkable eagle who brought the world there.

Pine trees are reflected in a quiet pool of water. The reflection extends eastward to the landscape surrounding Baldwin Lake in the Big Bear Valley and the sacred land held by the Yuhaaviatam. Across the painting rise the mountains that created the landscape Jackie called home. To the west is the area of the tree and nest shared by Jackie and Shadow, the window to their world.

Beyond the mountains the sky moves from night to day, representing the connections Jackie made far beyond Big Bear — bringing together people from around the world who followed the lives of she and the other eagles in the nest, according to the story.

Jackie was born in 2012. Fourteen years later, she died in the early morning hours of Aug. 10, with the cause of death remaining unknown.

Jackie’s fanbase has extraordinary reach, with fans tuning in from nearly every continent. Since the first installation in October 2015 and a second in 2021, Friends of Big Bear Valley’s social media has grown to about 2.4 million followers, including over 1 million on Facebook and nearly 400,000 in a private group. Posts typically garner thousands of comments, likes, and shares.

Sandy Steers, the former executive director of Friends, said showcasing the bald eagles’ daily lives was part of the nonprofit’s goal of increasing environmental awareness.

“Protecting and conserving Jackie and Shadow’s unique and irreplaceable habitat through monitoring, education and advocacy and also helping humans connect with nature,” Steers said by email in January.

Jackie was born to Ricky and Lucy, two Big Bear eagles named by the U.S. National Forest Service. She fledged the summer of 2012 from a nest in Fawnskin, a small community in Big Bear. When the Friends group installed its first livestream camera, the nest was empty. In fall 2016, an adult female began visiting the nesting site while the camera was running. The group concluded she was roughly Jackie’s age and had feather patterns similar to Jackie’s before fledging in 2012.

Jackie later moved into the nest, mated with a previous partner, “Mr. B,” and raised eaglets in 2018. Shadow arrived later that year, and Mr. B left the area. Since then, Jackie and her latest mate, Shadow, have continued laying eggs and raising eaglets.

Sandy and Luna, this year’s eaglets, have flown from the nest and were last seen on July 23, Friends reported.

This summer, for nearly four weeks, a flock of virtual bird watchers shifted their attention from the nest to a Ventura County-based wildlife center that was caring for Jackie after she was found grounded in mid-July following a fight with two other young adult eagles.

Ojai Raptor Center, the rescue and rehab site providing medical care for Jackie, said the cause of death remains unknown. Ojai staff  that Jackie had likely been suffering from anemia before being found grounded, and their veterinarians investigated what may have caused the condition while Jackie was under their care. Prognosis later identified a reduced red blood cell count.

A California Department of Fish and Wildlife news release on Aug. 11 offered further insight into Jackie’s health challenges. The report said that she suffered from large blood clots in both wings and her kidney. After the raptor’s death, she was transferred to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance for a necropsy. Jackie was then to be moved to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Eagle Repository in Colorado. The procedure follows federal law and sends the remains to a facility that provides feathers and wings to Native American tribes.

Friends stated they have no role in managing Jackie’s remains, according to an Aug. 11 Facebook post.

Despite an outcry from some of Jackie’s fans who are seeking to circumvent federal law by returning her remains to Big Bear, the Friends group has other hopes.

Friends of Big Bear Valley spokesperson Jenny Voisard said, “We would prefer that the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation have the remains. We ask that people honor and respect tradition and process,” Voisard said by text in August.

Staff photographer Terry Pierson contributed to this story.

​ Orange County Register 

Bruno Mars’ The Romantic Tour makes fans swoon at sold-out SoFi Stadium show

• October 3, 2026

When Bruno Mars released “The Romantic,” his first solo album in a decade, it was clear that the Hawaii-born Filipino-Puerto Rican was tracing his roots.

During his Oct. 2 performance, the second night of five sold-out shows at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Mars centered his latest album and delivered a powerhouse set that paid homage to part of his heritage alongside classic Bru Bru hits.

The show began with a video of Mars in a church, praying for everyone’s safety and a memorable show for fans, before he walked out in a radiant red charro suit that matched a lovely set design in the same color palette, full of heart shapes.

Mars opened with “Risk It All,” a Mexican-style bolero beefed up by a Mariachi group and The Hooligans, his backing band. He followed by jumping behind the congas and channeling his Puerto Rican lineage for “Cha Cha Cha,” where he showed off his salsa rhythm drumming and made people’s hips sway.

Perhaps the night’s most celebratory Latin music moment was “Something Serious,” which opened with Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe’s “La Murga,” then transitioned into the classic riffs from “La Bamba” and “La Pulga,” followed by a guitar rendition of the iconic repetitive beep of “El Sonidito.”

Although Latin music may be Mars’ more recent focus, he’s consistently championed the contributions of Black soul and R&B artists through his music. In songs such as “Treasure,” The Hooligans and Mars danced in seamless synchronicity, delivering a stage presence that oozed Motown-era inspiration.

“Just Might” was full of rhythmic hip thrusts, a freestyle funk dance move that defined the ’70s era of Black cultural expression. The sexy finesse Mars and his band brought to the move drew roars from the crowd. On “Perm,” Mars rocked a James Brown-style cape with “The Romantic” across the back, another nod to the era.

In the spirit of nostalgia, Mars also had a vintage cherry-red Cadillac rolled onto the stage for a tribute to some of his favorite slow jams, including The Chi-Lites’ “Oh Girl” and Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” which led into his own song, “Please Me.”

The night also included a Silk Sonic performance with Mars’ pal Anderson .Paak, who performed earlier that night, before Raye, under his alter ego DJ Pee Wee. Funk superstar Bootsy Collins introduced the set, which kicked off with the out-of-this-world space-alien track “Blast Off,” sung by the group’s keyboardist in autotune.

Paak and Mars then appeared in all black, delivering fierce performances of “777,” “Fly As Me,” “Smokin Out the Window,” and the song that kickstarted Silk Sonic, “Leave the Door Open.” On their final track, they battled with vocal solos and playfully jabbed at each other with jokes about who was the better singer and who could rock the unbuttoned shirt best.

After the duo’s performance, Mars took fans back with “Marry You,” and then went solo on the piano for some of his most heartfelt songs, including “It Will Rain,” “Talking to the Moon,” “Grenade,” and “When I Was Your Man.” The set also featured other notable hits, including “24k Magic,” which had fans raising their pinkies with swag, and closed out with “Locked Out of Heaven” and “Uptown Funk.”

Mars has clearly proven he’s a showman who can steer a crowd of any size. The production, full of pyro, fireworks and shots of confetti, felt like an exclamation point on the music. The set design and tailored floral-pattern suits also gave the whole package an extra zest that felt naturally suave.

The stadium show wasn’t just about Mars channeling and celebrating the inspiration of Latin and Black artistry in “The Romantic.” It was a homecoming for fans wearing red bandanas, streetwear and dresses to commemorate Mars’ latest work. It was also a showcase, with a strong sense of community on display. Despite the stadium being packed in tight from a sold-out show, people still found ways to groove between seats and aisles.

Before Mars took the stage, fans were invited to share romantic dedications with their photos that would appear on the monitors after scanning a QR code. Some of the messages were full of love, including posts about best friends, siblings and romantic partnerships.

Others used the opportunity to shout out the San Francisco 49ers, which drew roaring boos from the Los Angeles Rams’ home turf.

Several people polled the crowd about getting married, and during Mars’ performance of “Marry You,” an actual wedding proposal took place in the crowd. The touching moment was broadcast on the monitors, showing a gleeful woman in tears flaunting a ring in disbelief.

By the end, the experience Mars prayed for in the video that opened the show seemed to come full circle for fans who walked out with hearts full of love and a night of music and celebration they won’t forget anytime soon.

​ Orange County Register 

Wildlife education events in honor of bald eagle Jackie continue Sunday

• October 3, 2026

As a bookend to Saturday’s celebration of the famous livestreamed Big Bear bald eagle Jackie, who died in August, the tourism organization Visit Big Bear invited people to participate in wildlife education activities on Sunday, including birdwatching, seed collection and guided hikes.

“Wildlife Education Day,” as Visit Big Bear spokesperson Dan McKernan put it, was “aimed at getting people outdoors and into nature to learn how wildlife lives and thrives in our community and how humans can help protect them and recreate responsibly to ensure our environment stays as healthy as possible.”

Participants were invited to walk along Big Bear Lake, guided by naturalists from the Big Bear Discovery Center to learn about native and migratory bird species.

The Southern California Mountains Foundation also volunteered to help eventgoers collect native seed for future restoration projects in the San Bernardino National Forest.

San Bernardino National Forest Spokesperson Lyn Sieliet said in a Thursday news release that the agency mourns the loss of Jackie.

In mid-July, the world-renowned raptor was found grounded for hours after a fight with two younger eagles.

The Ojai Raptor Center, a wildlife rehab facility in Ventura County, provided medical care for Jackie for nearly a month until she died on Aug. 10. The center noted that Jackie had been suffering from health issues, including large blood clots in both wings and a kidney, but the cause of death remains unknown.

“She will be remembered through ongoing conservation work and the community’s deep appreciation for wildlife. We are deeply grateful to everyone who assisted Jackie in her time of need. To all who have watched, supported and advocated for Jackie and all eagles and wildlife conservation, we extend our sincere appreciation,” Sieliet said.

​ Orange County Register