Jeremy Roenick breaks down Kings vs. Edmonton going into Game 6

• April 27, 2023

Every playoff series has had its singular degrees of separation and intersections, and ahead of Saturday’s Game 6, the Kings and Edmonton Oilers were no exception.

Edmonton winger Zach Hyman and Kings forward Trevor Moore forged deep mutual respect as teammates with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.

Kings captain Anze Kopitar and Edmonton’s top playoff producer, Leon Draisaitl, played together at the World Cup of Hockey for Team Europe while sharing the blessings and burdens of being the face of their respective national programs in Slovenia and Germany.

There’s also the mentor-protege relationship between Kings head coach Todd McLellan and Edmonton bench boss Jay Woodcroft. At the outset of their careers with the San Jose Sharks, not only did they work together, they coached former Kings center Jeremy Roenick and current Kings general manager Rob Blake, then a defenseman, as they wound down their pro tenures.

“They’re different but they’re very similar. They both have the same kind of mannerisms and the same kind of mentality in terms of their coaching styles. They’re very poised,” said Roenick, a nine-time All-Star. “Todd was one of my favorite coaches, unfortunately it wasn’t until the last year of my career.”

Roenick also lauded Blake’s ability to construct a deep, balanced roster, even making key adjustments on the fly within the season. Such meticulous preparation proved necessary when facing Edmonton, however, as the Oilers were also aggressive at the trade deadline despite getting career years from forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Hyman and, among others, their two brightest stars, Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.

“They’re built better now, and I think the coaching is fantastic. There’s a very, very smart guy behind that bench that knows the game extremely well,” Roenick said.

Roenick, whose career spanned the two decades from 1989 to 2009, estimated that Woodcroft’s captain, McDavid, would have been capable of scoring “300 points” in the ’80s and ’90s. Roenick described his prime years as an era when scoring was higher, goalie equipment was smaller, and methods of improving skating, strength and overall fitness were nowhere near where they were in the contemporary game.

“I’ve just never seen a player of his magnitude, and I’ve played against the greatest. Mario, Wayne, Messier and all the guys who are Hall of Famers and on the top of the all-time scoring lists. Not one person has the traits and the abilities of Connor McDavid on two blades,” Roenick said.

“It’s incredible to watch his speed, his accuracy, his edge work and his ability at extremely high speeds to not only handle a puck, but turn on a dime and also make plays in very, very tight quarters, to do things that most guys have trouble doing standing still.”

Yet McDavid was held off the scoresheet in the Kings’ Game 1 win and didn’t get his first even-strength points in the series until Game 4. Though he’s been effective, like his two power-play goals in 100 seconds during a Game 3 Kings victory, McDavid hasn’t flat-out terrorized the Kings or provided any signature moments where he burst across three zones and five defenders for a goal. Compared with his nearly two-points-per-game pace of the regular season, he’s been relatively well-contained.

“The fact that the Kings were able to shut him down in his own building said a lot,” Roenick said. “But they’re now down, in part, because Connor got his game back.”

McDavid and his mates have been even better than advertised on the power play, where they were only the most efficient team in NHL history this season. They’ve upped their percentage from 32.4% to an incomprehensible 57.1% during the playoffs. And yet here are the Kings, hanging tough for a second straight season in a seven-game series.

“They’ve gone through another year where they haven’t gotten a lot of attention because of other teams that have played really well,” Roenick said. “But the Kings have done a good job of putting themselves in a good position and now they’re playing a team that everybody thinks could possibly win the Cup, and they’ve played them pretty strong.”

The Kings will try to extend their campaign Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena as they seek to stave off elimination and send the series back to Edmonton for a decisive seventh game. They’ll have every player available to them with spark-plug center Blake Lizotte’s return to practice Thursday after missing three games, and were excellent this season with two or more days off, posting a 14-4-1 record in such situations.

Though home ice didn’t offer any assurance in last year’s Game 6, a potential clincher, the Kings have often made good on that advantage, both recently and historically. They had the best home record in the Western Conference this season and hoisted their 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cups on home ice.

“I think the L.A. fans are vastly underrated. People don’t understand how awesome that building can get going and how loud it can be and how passionate they are,” Roenick said.

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​ Orange County Register 

Mike Pence testifies before election probe grand jury, source tells AP

• April 27, 2023

Former Vice President Mike Pence testified Thursday before a federal grand jury investigating efforts by then-President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The person requested anonymity to discuss the private appearance before the grand jury.

Pence’s appearance before a grand jury in Washington scrutinizing the president he once loyally served is a milestone in the Justice Department’s investigation and likely gives prosecutors a key first-person account about certain conversations and events in the weeks preceding the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. It also carries significant political implications, coming as Pence hints at entering the 2024 presidential race and a potential run against Trump, the Republican front-runner.

The testimony came hours after a federal appeals court in a sealed order rejected a bid by Trump’s lawyers to block Pence’s appearance.

Pence was subpoenaed to testify earlier this year, but Trump’s lawyers objected, citing executive privilege concerns. A judge in March refused to block Pence’s appearance, though he did side with the former vice president’s constitutional claims that he could not be forced to answer questions about anything related to his role as presiding over the Senate’s certification of votes on Jan. 6.

“We’ll obey the law, we’ll tell the truth,” Pence said in an interview with CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that aired Sunday. “And the story that I’ve been telling the American people all across the country, the story that I wrote in the pages of my memoir, that’ll be the story I tell in that setting.”

Pence has spoken extensively about Trump’s pressure campaign urging him to reject Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential election victory in the days leading up to Jan. 6, including in his book, “So Help Me God.” Pence, as vice president, had a ceremonial role overseeing Congress’ counting of the Electoral College vote but did not have the power to affect the results, despite Trump’s contention otherwise.

Pence, a former Indiana governor and congressman, has said that Trump endangered his family and everyone else who was at the Capitol that day and history will hold him “accountable.”

“For four years, we had a close working relationship. It did not end well,” Pence wrote, summing up their time in the White House.

Lawyers for Pence had raised their own, more narrow challenge to the subpoena. They argued that because Pence was serving in his capacity as president of the Senate as electoral votes were being counted in Congress on Jan. 6, he was protected from being forced to testify about that process under the Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause, which is intended to protect members of Congress from being questioned about official legislative acts.

A judge agreed with that argument, effectively narrowing the scope of his expected testimony.

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The Justice Department special counsel leading the investigation, Jack Smith, has cast a broad net in interviews and has sought the testimony of a long list of former Trump aides, including ex-White House counsel Pat Cipollone and former adviser Stephen Miller.

Smith is separately investigating Trump over the potential mishandling of hundreds of classified documents at his Palm Beach, Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, as well as possible efforts to obstruct that probe. On Wednesday, Trump’s lawyers in that investigation called the Department of Justice investigation “severely botched” and “politically infected” and urged the House Intelligence Committee to step in by holding hearings and introducing legislation to correct classified document handling procedures in the White House and to standardize procedures for presidents and vice presidents for when they leave office.

“DOJ should be ordered to stand down, and the intelligence community should instead conduct an appropriate investigation and provide a full report to this Committee, as well as your counterparts in the Senate,” the lawyers wrote.

It is unclear when either of the special counsel’s investigations will end or who, if anyone, will be charged.

​ Orange County Register 

Tableside bong service? A Denver weed lounge aims to reinvent nightlife

• April 27, 2023

When Denverite Arend Richard looks at the local and national landscape for cannabis lounges, he sees a homogenous smattering of spaces designed for men. That’s why when Richard opens his own hospitality establishment this fall, the aesthetic and amenities will be specifically curated to attract women and gay individuals, as well as the canna-curious looking for a comfortable environment where they can try some of Colorado’s locally grown herb.

Cirrus Social Club, opening in Denver, combines Richard’s experiences teaching people to smoke weed on YouTube under the moniker The Gay Stoner and working in high-end restaurants. And the way he describes it, the 420-friendly lounge is posed to be unlike anything else in Denver with lavish decor, custom furniture and florals, and a pink Steinway & Sons player piano to help set the ambiance.

Arend Richard is founder of Cirrus Social Club, a lavish new weed smoking lounge coming to Denver in fall 2023. (Provided by Coryn Nelson Photography)

Think of the aesthetic as the “Ritz Carlton of the cannabis industry,” he said. The club will offer a tea service during the day and shared plates at night, both of which come with “seshware” like bongs and volcano vaporizers served tableside.

“I love cannabis, I love everything about the plant,” he said. “But my one true love and my one true specialty has always been getting people high and making sure they have a great time.”

Cirrus Social Club will be among the first marijuana hospitality lounges to open in Denver and while patrons will not be able to purchase cannabis products there (you bring your own), they can receive a discount on their check by shopping at one of Cirrus’ partner dispensaries. (His partners are TBA, Richard said.)

While Cirrus Social Club isn’t expected to open until September, a recent pop-up he held in Los Angeles offers some insight into what’s to come. Cirrus Social Club’s 4/20 High Tea welcomed cannabis enthusiasts to enjoy finger foods while puffing on bongs and vapor bags. The place was glamorously adorned with pink, white and yellow flowers, long colorful candlesticks, stemware and artisanal-looking china.

Locals can expect the vibe to be similar at Cirrus Social Club permanent home in Denver. The 1930s building will feature a communal lounge with personal living room spaces around the edges that fit up to six people, Richard said. One of the walls will feature a big bar, but instead of displaying liquor, it will display handblown glass smoking pieces, including several Cirrus has custom-made for its brand.

The lounge’s centerpiece will be a 10-foot floral arrangement overflowing with flowers like a fountain, Richard said. He’s working with floral designer Conner Nesbit, who recently won the HBO competition series “Full Bloom,” to bring his vision to life.

Additionally, Cirrus Social Club will have a private room that holds up to 12 guests and another 3,000-square-foot ballroom, deemed the Rose Room, where Richard anticipates booking private events and hosting vendor pop-ups.

“I am pretty uncompromising in bringing something beautiful to the world. It’s not just trying to develop a beautiful business for the cannabis industry, I’m trying to take over social nightlife,” Richard said. “I’m literally trying to convince the world there’s an alternative to alcohol and socialization, and it’s a better one.”

Cirrus Social Club will offer high tea service from 11 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. daily, during which time guests can sample three teas and then choose one to pair with snacks like scones and miniature sandwiches, including a peanut butter-and-jelly-and-Cheetos sandwich – one of Richard’s original recipes he invented when he was a kid. After 4:20 p.m., the lounge will offer snack and seshware pairings in three tiers. (Seshware is a term Richard coined to describe the tools used for a smoking session, akin to dinnerware or flatware.)

The first tier is expected to include one shared plate and access to one volcano or bong, including PuffCo products for patrons who bring concentrate. The middle tier includes two shared plates, plus chocolate fondue for dessert, and access to two pieces of seshware. And the top tier features the same food offerings plus access to Cirrus’ premium glassware collection with pieces exceeding $1,000 each.

Instead of paying a cover, patrons pay a flat fee for the experience they want and close out at the end of their session. Cirrus Social Club will not permit smoking joints or blunts, but will allow flower for smoking in pipes and bongs.

If a lot of this plan sounds like a dance club, Richard assures there will be no dress code. And while Cirrus Social Club will be a safe space for LGBTQ+ locals, it’s not billed as a gay club.

“I want everyone and their mother – literally their mother – to come be able to experience and I want them to come as they are,” Richard said. “As a gay business owner, as a person with a team led mostly by women and queer people, we understand what being judged is like and we want every single person who walks through the door to feel very much embraced however you come.”

Richard and his partners are currently in the midst of a $3.5 million build out to bring Cirrus Social Club’s historic building up to the cannabis hospitality code in hopes of opening in late September. Until then, Cirrus will be hosting pop-ups in other states where marijuana is legal to build hype. Eventually, Richard wants to expand the brand beyond Denver, too.

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Cirrus Social Club joins JAD’s Mile High Smoke, Tetra Lounge and The Coffee Joint in allowing locals and tourists access to a public place where they can smoke weed. (Tetra Lounge is currently closed to upgrade its ventilation system to permit smoking inside) Bed-and-breakfast The Patterson Inn is also in the midst of building an onsite cannabis lounge.

Other hospitality companies are also popping up in Denver, such as The Cannabis Experience tour bus, which takes patrons toking tours around the city.

The city of Denver is issuing new marijuana business licenses exclusively to social equity applicants, meaning folks who have been directly impacted by a marijuana arrest or conviction; individuals who have lived in an economic opportunity zone for at least 15 years between 1980 and 2010; or those whose household income falls 50% below the state median.

Richard previously co-founded and co-owned WeedTube, one of the largest social networking platforms for the marijuana community, which registered significant losses during the pandemic before folding permanently earlier this year. Richard qualified under the social equity income stipulation.

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​ Orange County Register 

Powerful new obesity drug poised to upend weight loss care

• April 27, 2023

As a growing number of overweight Americans clamor for Ozempic or Wegovy — drugs touted by celebrities and on TikTok to pare pounds — an even more powerful obesity medicine is poised to upend treatment.

Tirzepatide, an Eli Lilly and Co. drug approved to treat type 2 diabetes under the brand name Mounjaro, helped people with the disease who were overweight or had obesity lose up to 16% of their body weight, or more than 34 pounds, over nearly 17 months, the company said on Thursday

The late-stage study of the drug for weight loss adds to earlier evidence that similar participants without diabetes lost up to 22% of their body weight over that period with weekly injections of the drug. For a typical patient on the highest dose, that meant shedding more than 50 pounds.

Having diabetes makes it notoriously difficult to lose weight, said Dr. Nadia Ahmad, Lilly’s medical director of obesity clinical development, which means the recent results are especially significant. “We have not seen this degree of weight reduction,” she said.

Based on the new results, which have not yet been published in full, company officials said they will finalize an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for fast-track approval to sell tirzepatide for chronic weight management. A decision could come later this year. A company spokeswoman would not confirm whether the drug would be marketed for weight loss in the U.S. under a different brand name.

If approved for weight loss, tirzepatide could become the most effective drug to date in an arsenal of medications that are transforming the treatment of obesity, which affects more than 4 in 10 American adults and is linked to dozens of diseases that can lead to disability or death.

“If everybody who had obesity in this country lost 20% of their body weight, we would be taking patients off all of these medications for reflux, for diabetes, for hypertension,” said Dr. Caroline Apovian, a director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “We would not be sending patients for stent replacement.”

Industry analysts predict that tirzepatide could become one of the top-selling drugs ever, with annual sales topping $50 billion. It is expected to outpace Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic — a diabetes drug used so commonly to shed pounds that comedian Jimmy Kimmel joked about it at the Oscars — and Wegovy, a version of the drug also known as semaglutide approved for weight loss in 2021. Together, those drugs made nearly $10 billion in 2022, with prescriptions continuing to soar, company reports show.

In separate trials, tirzepatide has resulted in greater weight loss than semaglutide, whose users shed about 15% of their body weight over 16 months. A head-to-head trial comparing the two drugs is planned.

Mounjaro was first approved to treat diabetes last year. Since then, thousands of patients have obtained the drug from doctors and telehealth providers who prescribed it “off-label” to help them slim down.

In California, Matthew Barlow, a 48-year-old health technology executive, said he has lost more than 100 pounds since November by using Mounjaro and changing his diet.

“Psychologically, you don’t want to eat,” said Barlow. “Now I can eat two bites of a dessert and be satisfied.”

Rather than relying solely on diet, exercise and willpower to reduce weight, tirzepatide and other new drugs target the digestive and chemical pathways that underlie obesity, suppressing appetite and blunting cravings for food.

“They have entirely changed the landscape,” said Dr. Amy Rothberg, a University of Michigan endocrinologist who directs a virtual weight loss and diabetes program.

Research has shown that with diet and exercise alone, about a third of people will lose 5% or more of their body weight, said Dr. Louis Aronne, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine. In the latest tirzepatide trial, more than 86% of patients using the highest dose of the drug lost at least 5% of their body weight. More than half on that dose lost at least 15%, the company said.

​ Orange County Register 

Douglas Schoen: America’s primary system needs reform

• April 27, 2023

The likely prospect of Donald Trump – an extreme, twice-impeached, unpopular ex-president – winning the Republican Party’s presidential nomination for the third time in a row is illustrative of a broader problem with the U.S. primary election system that goes far beyond Trump himself and the Republicans who still support him.

Most states adhere to the first-past-the-post principle in primaries, which requires candidates to win only a simple plurality of the vote in order to win their party’s nomination. Many also have a closed primary system, which prevents Independent and unaffiliated voters from participating, ensuring that only the most partisan voters have a say in the nominating process.

This ultimately paves the way for extreme politicians with loyal followings to prevail over consensus candidates with whom most voters can find common ground, especially in primary races with three or more candidates. The end result? Gridlock instead of good governance, chaos instead of conciliation, and partisan rancor instead of results.

There is no one individual whose political ascendancy is more emblematic of this flawed system than Donald Trump. While Trump certainly has more baggage now than when he first sought the nomination in 2016, he was still vastly outside of the mainstream of the GOP at the time, and won the nomination by appealing to a small plurality – not majority – of the Republican Party against a crowded primary field.

Since then, Republican leadership has kowtowed to the Trump-wing of the party, clearly cognizant of the electoral consequences of not doing so. Indeed, most Republicans – i.e., Liz Cheney – who spoke out against the MAGA movement lost their subsequent primary elections.

To be sure, Trump is just one embodiment of this flawed primary system. In last year’s midterm elections, many Republican candidates who were either outside the mainstream or unqualified for office advanced to the general election by winning a small plurality in the primary, only to lose to a Democrat.

The Pennsylvania Senate race provides one glaring example of this. In the closed-primary state, the Trump-endorsed Senate candidate, Dr. Mehmet Oz, who was widely viewed as inexperienced and held extreme positions on issues like abortion, won the Republican primary with just 31.2% of the vote. Put another way, Oz was able to advance to the general election even though two-thirds of Republicans didn’t vote for him.

Furthermore, Oz garnered just 951 more votes than the 2nd place finisher, David McCormick, a hedge fund manager who was seen as a more moderate Republican and stronger general election contender. In the end, despite facing a relatively weak Democratic opponent in John Fetterman, Oz ended up losing the general election by five-points.

To be sure, this system has impacted Democrats as well. Had the Democratic Party not made the decision to coalesce around Joe Biden following his victory in South Carolina in 2020, the party very well could have been left with a far-left progressive – the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders – at the top of the ticket, likely handing the general election to Donald Trump.

Ultimately, both parties should be motivated – if not to help democracy, then at the very least to help their party win more general elections – to implement changes to the primary system that put an end to the elevation of extremists, and instead, elevates consensus-builders.

Ranked choice voting – which some states and localities have already adopted – would be a starting point. This is a more democratic and representative system because it allows voters to rank candidates in an election, rather than select only one, thereby ensuring that no candidate is able to win their party’s nomination without being ranked by a majority of voters.

This system incentivizes consensus-building, discourages negative campaigns, and forces candidates to campaign by appealing to the broadest majority of voters, not just their base.

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Additionally, every state should allow open primaries. Allowing Independents to vote in one of the party’s primaries would ensure that general election candidates are more representative of the electorate, and would blunt the ascendancy of extreme candidates.

So many of the problems with the U.S. political system – ranging from extremism to gridlock – stem from our flawed primary election system, which has been hijacked by extreme candidates who feel no need to appeal to a majority of voters.

This is part of the reason why the majority of Americans believe democracy is broken, and on the brink of collapse.

These proposed reforms are a significant – but necessary – step in the right direction. They are necessary to blunt the growing power of both the far-left and the far-right, and to reverse the hollowing out of our nation’s political center.

Douglas Schoen is a longtime Democratic political consultant.

​ Orange County Register 

Lakers take another crack at closing out Grizzlies in Game 6

• April 27, 2023

OK, let’s try this again.

The Lakers need a victory in Game 6 on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena to eliminate the Memphis Grizzlies from their first-round playoff series. They’re roughly in the same position they were in going into Game 5 on Wednesday in Memphis, and you might remember how that turned out.

Poorly.

So, after five games, where do things stand?

The Lakers lead the series 3-2 and can dispatch the Grizzlies with one more victory and advance to face either the Golden State Warriors or the Sacramento Kings in the second round next week. The Warriors also hold a 3-2 lead going into their Game 6 on Friday.

The Grizzlies seized back the momentum in the series with a 116-99 victory in Game 5 at FedEx Forum after the Lakers had taken control with victories in Games 3 and 4 in Los Angeles. Now, is the pressure on the Lakers to close out the Grizzlies? Or is it on the Grizzlies to force a Game 7 on Sunday?

“There’s no pressure,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “It’s just basketball.”

Said Lakers center Anthony Davis when asked the same question: “I think the pressure is on both teams. Obviously, we’re looking not to come back here for a Game 7. In Game 7, anything can happen. Who knows? We’re still in control right now and we’ve got to take care of business on Friday.”

In fact, the Lakers have been in a pressure cooker for months, rallying from a 2-10 start to the season to a play-in game victory that gave them a 10-2 mark going into their first-round series against the Grizzlies. The Lakers advanced as the seventh-seeded team against the second-seeded Grizzlies.

The Lakers haven’t lost two in a row since March and haven’t dropped three consecutive since February. Their third straight loss coincided with the Feb. 9 trade deadline, when their roster makeover was complete and they began a charge to the playoffs that has them where they are presently.

Close-out games are the toughest of them all, especially on an opponent’s home floor. The Lakers acknowledged the difficulty of eliminating a team as young, talented and spirited as the Grizzlies (the best home team in the NBA this season), who turned a close game into a rout in a matter of minutes in the third quarter of Game 5.

The Grizzlies exposed some of the Lakers’ glaring weaknesses, especially their inability to contain Memphis’ guards Desmond Bane, who had 33 points Wednesday, and Ja Morant, who had 31. The game turned in the Grizzlies’ direction when they scored on 15 of 16 possessions during a 26-2 run.

“Those guys were spectacular tonight,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said after Game 5. “We’re going to need even more and better from them in Game 6.”

Bane promised the Grizzlies would beat the Lakers in Game 6 and return Sunday for Game 7.

“I’ll say it again, we’re going to be back for a Game 7 in front of the best fans in the NBA,” he said.

Davis scored a Lakers-leading 31 points on 14-for-23 shooting and tied his career high for rebounds in a playoff game with 19 in Game 5. LeBron James was “(expletive),” in his words, after scoring only 15 points on 5-for-17 shooting, including a 1-for-9 showing from 3-point range.

James, who is 6 for 36 from behind the arc in the series, also had a team-high five turnovers.

“We got to make shots,” Davis said of winning Game 6 and avoiding Game 7. “I think a lot of the guys struggled tonight shooting the basketball. But … we’re going back home. Guys are going to make shots. LeBron will play better. After Game 2, when I played like crap, I had my head down and he was telling me to keep my head up. And I kind of just relayed that same message to him: ‘You have the most points scored ever, you’re the best basketball player to ever touch the court.’

“So, it’s fine. He’ll be fine. He’ll adjust. He’ll get better. Our team will get better and Friday is another opportunity to close the series.”

INJURY UPDATE

Davis said his achy hip was “fine” and gave him no trouble during Game 5.

“Just trying to get treatment around the clock and to make sure that I’m able to go,” he said. “I would play regardless, but where it’s feeling good and where I’m not in so much pain, going out there and limping. So, I’m doing everything I can to make sure I’m able to play and be on the floor to help the team.”

MEMPHIS AT LAKERS

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Crypto.com Arena

TV/radio: Spectrum SportsNet, ESPN, 710 AM

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​ Orange County Register 

Angels’ Zach Neto gets a well-deserved day off

• April 27, 2023

ANAHEIM — First it was Mike Trout who received the rest treatment on the days when Shohei Ohtani pitched, with that honor going to rookie Zach Neto on Thursday.

Call it at least a small sign of Neto’s rising profile that the Angels are comfortable taking him out of the equation in the hopes that Ohtani’s pitching can rule the day. It worked in the opener of the homestand when Trout sat against the Kansas City Royals and Ohtani guided a 2-0 victory.

Neto has delivered a solid start to his major league career, shoring up the left side of the Angels’ defense with his play at shortstop, along with some promising trips to the plate.

After playing 12 consecutive games since he was recalled from Double-A Rocket City, Neto was given time Thursday to bask in all he has delivered so far.

“(Manager Phil Nevin) came up to me saying I had the day off and just to just sit down in the dugout and kind of learn,” Neto said Thursday morning. “Kind of just sit back and just watch the game, learn things, just be a spectator. Later in the game, I might come in for defense or base running or hitting role.”

Neto showed Wednesday that he is settling in, changing to a two-strike approach early in an at-bat in order to combat the quick approach from A’s starter Luis Medina and ripped an RBI double to right-center in a five-run second inning.

Instead of his typical high leg kick as the pitcher delivers, Neto put his left toe down quickly then drilled a 96-mph fastball into the gap.

“I love his two-strike approach, I really do,” Nevin said. “I know everybody is going to strike out, I get that, this is a tough league. But I really like his two-strike approach and I don’t think it takes anything away from his power or the way his hands fly through the zone. … For him to make those adjustments as a rookie, in your first couple of weeks here, is impressive.”

As of now, Neto has no plans to abandon the high leg kick permanently, preferring to change things out of necessity, as he has been doing. If that makes him something of an unpredictable at-bat for opponents, even better.

“Yeah, for sure,” Neto said. “I think I think pitchers are expecting you to go straight to the big leg kick and being able to counter, with me just going straight to my two-strike (approach), I feel like it kind of throws them off a little bit. It might not. It might. But just being able to feel comfortable, that’s (the goal).”

Arriving as the roster replacement on the day fan favorite David Fletcher was sent down only added to the expectations placed on Neto, but last year’s No. 13 overall draft pick has handled it well.

“I’m definitely starting to feel more comfortable,” Neto said. “I’m starting to talk more with the guys, conversations with everybody: pitchers, hitters, catchers, everybody. I’m at that point now where last series against Kansas City, that’s where I felt more comfortable. It’s a new series now and I’m feeling even more comfortable. I’m just trying to keep being where my feet are and just go out there and keep producing.”

DECISIONS, DECISIONS

The underlying benefit of Patrick Sandoval throwing seven innings on Wednesday, and new-arrival Chase Silseth adding two more innings, is that Nevin had a fresh bullpen heading into Thursday afternoon’s game against the A’s.

And if Ohtani delivered the kind of outing the Angels were expecting, it would mean opening the road trip Friday at Milwaukee with a full arsenal of relievers.

Late-inning left-hander Jose Quijada hasn’t pitched since he struggled Sunday, giving up five runs in two-thirds of an inning. Late-inning right-hander Carlos Estevez was available again Thursday after a five-out save on Tuesday.

“It makes my decisions a little bit easier during the game, obviously,” Nevin said about handling his bullpen. “Or maybe it doesn’t. Now I have a lot of guys to pick from so I won’t know what to do today.”

I think our starters are getting better, they’re working on a lot of things and learning how to pitch deeper into games.”

WHO ARE YOU?

The Angels’ upcoming three-game series against the Brewers will pit the teams against each other for the first time since 2019 when the Angels pulled off a three-game sweep. It is also the first time the Angels have played in Milwaukee since 2016.

In the last 10 games between the teams, the Angels have won eight of them.

UP NEXT

Angels (LHP Tyler Anderson, 1-0, 7.20) vs. Brewers (LHP Wade Miley, 3-1, 1.96), Friday, 5:10 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM

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​ Orange County Register 

Texas police say man continued dinner date after fatal shooting over $40

• April 27, 2023

By JUAN A. LOZANO

HOUSTON — A Texas man has been accused by authorities of pausing his dinner date to fatally shoot an individual who had allegedly posed as a parking attendant and scammed him out of $40, according to court records.

Erick Aguirre has been charged with murder in the April 11 death of 46-year-old Elliot Nix.

During a court hearing on Thursday, Aguirre’s bond was set at $200,000. His attorney, Brent Mayr, declined to comment.

Police say Aguirre, 29, and his date had parked their vehicles near a downtown Houston restaurant when Nix approached them, saying it would cost $20 each to park their cars, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Aguirre paid the $40 but was later told by a restaurant employee that Nix didn’t work for the parking lot and had scammed them, police said.

An employee at a nearby smoke shop later told police he saw Aguirre run back to his car, grab a pistol and go after Nix. The employee said both men went out of his view but he heard a gunshot before 8 p.m. and then saw Aguirre “nonchalantly walking back to his car with the gun in his hand” before putting the gun back in his car and walking back across the street to the restaurant and going inside with his date, according to the affidavit. Nix was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Aguirre’s date later told police she did not see or hear what he had done and was only told by Aguirre that “he had just scared the guy and everything was fine,” according to the affidavit.

Aguirre’s date said the couple then started walking to their table but they left and ate at another restaurant after Aguirre looked uncomfortable and suggested they go someplace else, according to the affidavit.

Aguirre’s date contacted police two days later after police had released photos of the couple, who had been identified by tips to Crime Stoppers.

“She wanted to do the right thing. She wanted to make sure that she came forward and told the police what she knew,” Rick DeToto, the woman’s attorney told KPRC.

Aguirre, who lives near Corpus Christi, located about 200 miles southwest of Houston, was arrested earlier this week. He remained jailed Thursday.

Houston criminal defense attorney Grant Scheiner, who’s not affiliated with the case, said that under state laws related to protection of property, Aguirre’s attorney will likely be able to make an argument that the use of deadly force was justified.

But the circumstances related to this case, including retrieving a weapon when there was no immediate danger and then continuing with one’s dinner after the alleged shooting, will not help Aguirre, Scheiner said.

In 2021, Texas lawmakers approved legislation allowing people to carry handguns without a license, and the background check and training that had gone with it.

“The problem is that guns are just so widely available and there’s a lot of misinterpretation on when you can use deadly force,” Scheiner said. “You have a lot of guns and not very much knowledge.”

Nix’s fatal shooting comes after several high-profile incidents around the U.S. where nonviolent situations — going to a mistaken address, getting into the wrong car or going into a neighbor’s yard to retrieve a basketball — devolved into shootings.

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