Corona del Mar boys volleyball sweeps Edison to begin Division 1 playoffs

• April 27, 2023

NEWPORT BEACH – Corona del Mar was too big and too quick for Edison on Wednesday, as the Sea Kings swept the Chargers in three sets, 25-13, 26-24, 25-17, in their CIF Southern Section Division 1 pool-play match at Corona del Mar High.

Sea Kings 6-foot-5 junior outside hitter Sterling Foley had 14 kills. George Bruening, a 6-9 senior opposite hitter, had 12. Many of their spikes were launched from two feet above the net.

Corona del Mar junior setter Ryan Gant contributed 26 assists and five digs, and sophomore libero Brogan Glenn had 10 digs.

The Division 1 playoffs have a pool-play format this season. Corona del Mar (18-8) and Edison (19-9)  are in Pool A with No. 1 seed Loyola and Beckman. Loyola (18-1) swept Beckman (29-5) in three sets Wednesday.

Pool B is composed of Huntington Beach, Mater Dei, Mira Costa and defending Division 1 champion Newport Harbor.

Newport Harbor defeated Huntington Beach 25-16, 23-25, 25-18, 25-27, 15-12 in a Pool B match Wednesday.

When pool play resumes Tuesday, May, Corona del Mar will be at home against Beckman. Edison is at Loyola.

Sea Kings coach Katey Thompson’s post-match assessment was that while the team’s performance was not a work of art it was enough to get the win.

“I liked that we were able to play ugly,” she said. “It wasn’t our most precise volleyball. We definitely didn’t adjust as quickly as I wished we would have. But we ended up adjusting and we were able to just dig our way out of it.”

Bruening, who signed with UC Santa Barbara, kick-started the first set for the Sea Kings, scoring on a vicious spike and a block and quickly it was 5-1. Some of Bruening’s kills were not so vicious, simply redirecting the ball softly to an opening on the court on the other side of the net.

A block by Corona del Mar senior middle blocker Kaden Kavanaugh provided the set winner.

Blocks and kills by Bruening, Foley and senior middle blocker Cade Alacano led the Sea Kings to a 26-24 win in the second set.

Edison had a 6-3 lead in the third set. Corona del Mar went on a 10-3 run to take control and get the 25-17 win to conclude the match.

Foley felt the Sea Kings hit a high level of energy early but might have lacked that edge later.

“Your first CIF game you’ve always got to come out with a lot of energy,” said Foley who has played on USA Volleyball’s 19U team. “The first set was pretty good, we had a good, fast start, but the other two sets we didn’t really come out that hot.”

Bruening expects the Sea Kings to keep the energy high during Division 1 pool play.

“Recently we’ve been doing better at kind of kicking off our speed and doing what we’re supposed to do,” Breuning said.

In Pool B on Wednesday, Mira Costa defeated Mater Dei 3-0.

Tuesday’s Pool B schedule has Mira Costa (26-3) at Newport Harbor (31-2) and Mater Dei (27-11-1)  at Huntington Beach (22-7).

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Brea man pleads guilty to providing medical procedures without a license

• April 27, 2023

A 62-year-old Brea man pleaded guilty Wednesday and was immediately sentenced to four years in prison for providing various medical procedures without a medical license.

Elias Renteria Segoviano was released last year on a separate case on his own recognizance but, “Not more than one day after his arraignment, Elias Segoviano continued to engage in unlawful medical practices including the performance of invasive medical procedures that were delineated and recorded through undercover operations,” Orange County District Attorney’s investigator Thomas Hoang said in court papers seeking to have the defendant’s bail increased from $35,000 to $1 million.

Segoviano was arrested on July 19 last year at his business, Botox in Anaheim, at 935 S. Brookhurst St., according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. He performed procedures such as injecting victims with suspected counterfeit Botox, fillers, anesthetics and other drugs.

Segoviano pleaded guilty to perjury, procuring or offering false or forged documents to be filed, registered or recorded as well as seven counts of unauthorized practice of medicine, all felonies. He also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of false indications of a medical license, falsely representing a license, misrepresentation of qualifications and impersonating a nurse

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Man convicted of day-time drive-by killing in Santa Ana

• April 27, 2023

A 25-year-old man was convicted Wednesday of gunning down a 20-year-old man in a mid-afternoon drive-by shooting in Santa Ana.

Edgar Macias Martinez was convicted of first-degree murder with special circumstances of a drive-by shooting and murder for the benefit of a gang. He was also convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm with a sentencing enhancement for discharge of a firearm causing death.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Gary Paer will hold a hearing Thursday to confirm the defendant’s prior convictions, which will affect his punishment when he is sentenced May 19.

Martinez was convicted of killing 20-year-old Alex Ruiz of Garden Grove on Aug. 15, 2022.

Martinez and another man “drove into the heart of his rival gang territory… with the intent to shoot at whatever gang member he came across,” Deputy District Attorney Mallory Miller said in her opening statement of the trial.

Surveillance video showed the killer leaning out of the passenger side window of a Chevrolet Equinox at 3:19 p.m. and opening fire on Ruiz, who was with his friend, Andres Ponce, at 1726 N. Spurgeon St., between Main Street and the 5 Freeway, less than one block north of 17th Street.

Ruiz, who was shot in the chest once, was taken to OC Global Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 4:05 p.m.

“Mr. Ruiz ultimately bled to death,” Miller said, referring to massive internal bleeding the victim suffered.

Police managed to determine part of the car’s license plate number from surveillance video, Miller said. They also used surveillance video to track its movements before and after the shooting, she said.

A detective recognized the car from a separate crime, which led police to the registered owner, the defendant’s sister, Miller said. When they went to Martinez’s residence they saw the suspect’s car there, she added.

The defendant’s sister told detectives Martinez borrowed her car that afternoon and when he returned home it appeared he had been to a local fitness center, Miller said. Police obtained surveillance video of Martinez arriving at a fitness center at Main Place Mall minutes after the shooting, Miller said.

“Mr. Ponce is going to have to deal with being with his friend when he was shot to death for the rest of his life,” Miller said. “This is a classic drive-by gang murder.”

Martinez’s attorney, Jonathan Lynn, said Ponce picked someone else out of a lineup. Lynn also noted that police did not test Martinez’s hands for gunshot residue.

“There’s no murder weapon that was found,” Lynn said.

Lynn also said there is nothing on social media that would indicate that Martinez had any gang connections.

Martinez was out on bail at the time of the shooting on a felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon and being a prohibited person owning ammunition as well as bringing or sending drugs into jail, according to court records.

Martinez pleaded guilty in April 2021 to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Martinez pleaded guilty in February 2017 to participating in gang activity and conspiracy to commit assault with a semiautomatic firearm with a sentencing enhancement for gang activity. When he was 17 he was convicted in juvenile court of robbery in May 2015, according to court records.

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Brandon Drury continues big week in Angels’ blowout victory against A’s

• April 27, 2023

ANAHEIM — A few days before Brandon Drury continued his offensive explosion in the Angels’ 11-3 victory over the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night, he wasn’t feeling so great about himself.

Drury stood on the field during a pregame ceremony on Sunday and accepted his 2022 Silver Slugger Award, which he’d earned as the best-hitting utility player in the National League.

At the time, Drury’s 2023 batting average stood at .182, so he quipped to Manager Phil Nevin that he didn’t deserve the hardware.

Things have taken a dramatic turn since then.

Drury homered, doubled and drove in three runs on Wednesday night. Over his past three games, he is 6 for 13 with three homers. He lifted his OPS from .477 to .730. He has hit four homers this season.

“Love the way he’s swinging the bat right now,” Nevin said. “Driving with authority, going out there with a purpose. It’s good to see.”

In the relative blink of an eye, Drury has gone from a horrible start to exactly what the Angels expected. He has a career .734 OPS. Last season was the best year of his career, with 28 homers and an .813 OPS, good for his first Silver Slugger.

“Baseball’s a crazy game,” Drury said. “You start thinking a little bit too much and trying a little bit too hard. So it’s one of those games where you just gotta keep going because you never know. You take that one swing or see that one pitch and you remember, ‘That’s it. That’s what it was.’ For 60-70 at-bats, I was in there just grinding as much as I can just to get that feel back.”

Drury said the one at-bat that told him it was clicking came in the second inning on Monday night. He got a changeup from Oakland left-hander Ken Waldichuk and hit it over the fence in left-center.

“It’s a swing that I had in the past where I was out front, and able to stay through it a little bit, which I hadn’t had the whole year,” Drury said. “So that kind of brought me back a little bit to the feeling of just kind of being myself. I got a little bit lost in there trying to do so many different things at once. Now I’m just trying to keep it simple. There’s still room for improvement. I’ve been having good at-bats, but there’s also been some bad ones too. So gotta keep going.”

On Wednesday night, Drury’s second-inning double drove in the Angels’ first run of the game against right-hander Luis Medina, who was making his major league debut. Matt Thaiss and Zach Neto followed with doubles as part of a five-run inning.

Neto’s double was significant because he took a first-pitch swing without his distinctive, exaggerated leg kick. Normally he only abandons the leg kick when he has two strikes. Nevin said that was an adjustment specific to Medina, who was getting the ball to the plate so quickly out of the stretch that Neto would not have had time to get his leg down.

The Angels then padded their lead on Hunter Renfroe’s team-leading seventh homer of the season, in the third, and Drury’s two-run shot in the fifth. Shohei Ohtani, who had been in a week-long slump, hit a two-run homer in the eighth.

The beneficiary of the offensive explosion was Patrick Sandoval, who gave up two earned runs in seven innings. He is the first Angels starter other than Shohei Ohtani to make it through the seventh this season.

Sandoval bounced back nicely from allowing five runs in his last start, a loss in New York. He walked a career-high six in that game, and he didn’t walk any this time.

“Never want to walk anyone,” Sandoval said. “So it’s cool. Hopefully, I can keep this rolling on to the next one.”

Chase Silseth, who was just promoted from Triple-A earlier in the day, worked the final two innings as the Angels finished off their first victory by more than two runs since April 8.

Sandoval believes the Angels pitchers can have a cushion often with the way the lineup could produce.

“It’s awesome,” Sandoval said. “We rake, one to nine. We are nasty. The guys are getting hot. It’s going to be fun.”

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The third Home Run of the series for Brandon Drury @Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/UQNTXVPB6l

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) April 27, 2023

Shohei squeezes in an HR before the start tomorrow @Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/C0zYT7aqNs

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) April 27, 2023

Patrick Sandoval, Nasty Changeup.

Ready whenever you are…. pic.twitter.com/qgfaRMRNC5

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 27, 2023

Hunter Renfroe wears the Kabuto more than his regular hat
(106.7 Exit Velocity btw)@Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/InluZ9emDY

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) April 27, 2023

Thaiss Thaiss Baby A Ground Rule Double opens things up@Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/S03vdjIfbI

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) April 27, 2023

​ Orange County Register 

Tesoro baseball tops Capistrano Valley in extra innings to win South Coast League title

• April 27, 2023

MISSION VIEJO — The Tesoro baseball team clinched the outright South Coast League championship by beating Capistrano Valley 9-8 in eight innings Wednesday at Capistrano Valley High.

Tesoro (19-8, 9-2) won the CIF-SS Division 2 championship and a CIF SoCal Regional championship last season, but it hadn’t  won a league championship since 2018 when the Titans won the Sea View League title.

“I’m so proud of our boys. We had so much grit today and that has been the story of our season,” Tesoro coach Tony Nieto said. “We missed out on it the last two years and we were one win away in 2021. This was our goal from the very beginning and we had the right guys coming back from last year.”

“After this long of a wait, it feels amazing to be able to stand on the top of this hill,” senior catcher Carter Jorissen said. “There are so many great teams in this league, so winning it feels great.”

The Titans gave up six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to lose a four-run lead.

Capistrano Valley (13-13, 7-4) scored runs on a hit by pitch and an error to cut Tesoro’s lead to 6-4.

With the bases loaded, Long Beach State signee Reid Montgomery hit a grand slam over the right field wall to give the Cougars an 8-6 lead.

The score stayed that way until the top of the seventh inning.

Owen Faust hit a leadoff single to give the Tesoro dugout some energy. Jorissen hit a game-tying, two-run home run over the left field fence to tie the score.

“We have the guys in the lineup and all we had to do was get the first guy on base,” Jorissen said. “I knew from the first at-bat against him that I saw every pitch he had. I just wanted to get a ball to drive in the gap and I hit it well I guess.”

Junior Tanner Tobias hit a run-scoring single for Tesoro in the eighth inning to put the Titans in front 9-8.

Junior Ryan Rios pitched the eighth inning and shut the door for the Titans.

“Who says baseball isn’t romantic? We brought up Ryan Rios from the junior varsity team last year to pitch a game against Capo Valley and he got the big win to launch us into the playoffs,” Nieto said. “He came up big today in another big moment.”

Tesoro had a 5-2 lead after two innings. Northwestern signee Jackson Freeman hit two home runs in the first two innings to drive in four runs. Freeman has hit 11 home runs this season, which is a school-record.

Caden Chergey hit a run-scoring double to give Tesoro a 6-2 lead in the third inning.

Rhett Chisholm hit a two-run single for Capo Valley in the first inning.

The Cougars have clinched second place in the league standings.

“I think this is the top public school league in the county,” Nieto said. “All these teams are good. This is good baseball down here and for us to win shows that we have a culture where the goal is hanging banners and we hung a banner today.”

The two teams will complete the three game series Friday at Tesoro High.

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Esperanza softball holds off Canyon to capture outright Crestview League title

• April 27, 2023

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ANAHEIM — One of Orange County’s most consistent softball programs brought clarity to the ultra-competitive Crestview League on Wednesday.

One of the county’s most surprising teams made it close in typical Crestview fashion.

Esperanza reliever Mia Sanchez got Carson Cooper to line out to center fielder Taylor Shumaker with the tying run at the plate in the seventh inning to close out a 6-4 victory at Canyon High that delivered the Aztecs the outright league title.

“It doesn’t happen very often,” Esperanza coach Ed Tunstall said with a chuckle of an outright champion in the Crestview. “Everybody beat each other this time.”

Esperanza (19-6, 7-2), ranked fifth in Orange County and eighth in CIF-SS Division 1, entered Wednesday with a one-game lead against No. 10 Canyon (17-10, 5-4) in a finale between two playoff-bound squads.

Last season, the Crestview produced a three-way tie for first place between Esperanza, Canyon and Villa Park. The logjam led to a coin-flip for the league’s No. 1 playoff entry (won by Villa Park) and a playoff spot for the No. 2 entry (won by Esperanza).

After Canyon missed the playoffs because there were no at-large playoff entries for Division 3, the Crestview shifted to three rounds of play this spring.

Esperanza followed its offense — which had been a bit quiet in recent games — to the decisive victory. Shortstop Sharyn Duncan highlighted a four-run third inning with a three-run home run, her seventh, to open a 4-0 lead.

Duncan, a four-year starter, finished 4 for 4, including a key RBI single in the seventh that made it 6-1.

Shumaker went 2 for 4 with an RBI double. Freshman Calista Van Artsdalen added an RBI double as the Aztecs finished with 11 hits in support of Charley Duran, who pitched 6 1/3 innings for her seventh win.

“This is our third time seeing this pitcher (Jessalyn Gallegos) and we kind of knew what she was going to be throwing and we adjusted,” Duncan said of the senior who fired a no-hitter Monday.

Esperanza claimed a fifth consecutive league title.

“We just have girls who really want it,” said Shumaker, a junior who is committed to Florida. “We have girls who work really hard.”

Canyon scored three runs in the seventh, including a bases-loaded, two-run double by leadoff batter Sam Gresham (2 for 4).

The Division 2 Comanches, who were unranked in the O.C. preseason poll, are headed to CIF playoffs for the first time since 2019.

“It’s always exciting to make the playoffs, and for this team especially because its so young,” Canyon coach Jess Carbajal said.

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Henry Winkler advises find a passion and stick with it, no matter the stage of life

• April 27, 2023

Henry Winkler, actor, producer and director, has played many roles since his iconic turn as “The Fonz,” and each time, he said, he finds something new inside with which to bring the most current character to life.

Winkler, 77,  said it’s all about the passion and joy he gets from his art and the experiences he’s lived in the 50 years since landing his role in the 1970s sitcom “Happy Days,” which started with six lines, an Italian accent and some imagination and turned into a 10-year run that aired in countries around the world.

“There is life; life completely informs your work as an actor,” Winkler said during a visit Wednesday to Crestavilla, a Laguna Niguel senior living community, where he shared his message of inspiration with a group of local drama students and then with dozens of seniors eager to learn the New York-born actor’s life story.

“You have to be open,” he said. “I enjoyed it, and I’m never bored by it. I do not take it for granted and all of that fuels the wonder of discovery every day.”

Winkler said he knew he wanted to become an actor as soon as he was “old enough to reason,” but didn’t get a lot of support from his parents when he was young. Dyslexia also didn’t make his young life any easier, he said.

Winkler attended Emerson College and went on to study acting at the Yale School of Drama. He joined the Yale Repertory Theater and got his first paying job as an actor in 1970. Later, he joined an improv group, tried out plays on Broadway and then decided it was time to move to Hollywood. His first gig there was on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

When an opportunity for “Happy Days” presented itself, Winkler said he made the most of it by changing his voice and adding some dramatics. When he was done with his audition, he threw the script in the air and left. Two weeks later, he was asked if he wanted the part. He agreed, he said, on the condition that he could play the role of Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli by showing his emotional side.

To create The Fonz, Winkler said he used his imagination as the basis of the character.

“The basis was everybody I wanted to be and who I wasn’t,” Winkler said. “You take the words that are written; like Robin Williams, who would suck the script into his body and then spit it out and Williamize it, and that’s what you do. You churn it up and put it back into the world with your spin, and all of it has to be coded in courage.”

“Your job as an actor is to illuminate the character and illuminate life,” he added.

And, by bringing The Fonz character to life, Winkler became a household name. But, that would also become a problem, he said, explaining that it took seven or eight years before he was cast into a new role.

“I was shocked how popular I was,” he said. “It was beyond the human condition. It was big. I had no idea. I had six lines when I started. All I was doing was doing the best job I could as a professional.”

In his career, Winkler was cast in a series of character roles, including Arthur Himbry in “Scream,” Coach Klein in “The Waterboy,” Barry Zuckerkorn in “Arrested Development,”  Eddie R. Lawson in “Royal Pains,” Dr. Saperstein in “Parks and Recreation,” Stanley Yelnats III in “Holes,” Uncle Joe in “The French Dispatch,” Al Pratt in “Black Adam,”  and now, most recently, he wrapped up the fourth season of the HBO dark comedy “Barry,” in which he plays acting coach Gene Cousineau.

In 2016, Winkler also became a reality television star on the NBC series “Better Late Than Never.” Winkler’s accolades include a Primetime Emmy, two Daytime Emmys, two Golden Globe Awards and two Critics Choice Awards.

In meeting with each of the two age groups, Winkler did his best to inspire them to be their best selves.

The students, who are opening a production at Aliso Niguel High School on Thursday, hung on his advice. “If it’s not your passion, you’re in the wrong place,” he told them.

“This is an industry of more no’s than yes’s, but you’re a Weeble Wobble, people will say no and you’ll get back up. If you’ve got talent and joy that comes shooting out of your body, somebody will choose you.”

He also said that he believes if “they put ‘Happy Days’ on now at 8 p.m. on a day of the week, children would find it in exactly the same way. It would absolutely bloom again because it’s timeless.”

To the seniors, he said, “There is no right time.

“You’ve talked yourself out of doing something, you’ve said you can’t do it, because you’re too busy, it’s not the right time, you’ve passed it,” he said. “I’m saying to you, all you have to do is put one foot in front of the other and try.”

Winkler said he has treasured each role he’s had and poured his passion into them all. He’s sad to see “Barry ” end, and said he will tremendously miss all who he worked with.

“I love these people so much,” he said. “I am grateful that I get to do what I get to do every day.”

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John Phillips: London Breed could be on Newsom’s shortlist if Sen. Feinstein steps down

• April 27, 2023

Ever since California’s senior U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein announced that she would not be seeking another six-year term in 2024, conventional wisdom has been that the battle for her replacement would be among three Democrats: Burbank Congressman Adam Schiff, Orange County Congresswoman Katie Porter, and Oakland Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

In reality, all of the recent metrics indicate that Schiff is running away with it.

Campaign donations are a reliable barometer of enthusiasm for a particular candidate.

According to the most recent fundraising numbers, Barbara Lee has generated only $1.4 million.

That puts her just slightly ahead of David DePape.

Comparatively, Schiff brought in $6.5 million and Porter raised $4.5 million.

In terms of endorsements, 20 current Democratic members of the California House delegation have endorsed Schiff, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Two have endorsed Barabra Lee.

None has endorsed Katie Porter.

Ouch.

I guess we now know why Porter goes after the banks so aggressively — she couldn’t find a co-signer if her life depended on it.

Schiff also claims to have lots of evidence that he’d be the most prepared senator – but so far he hasn’t shown it to anybody.

Go figure.

The way I see things, this contest is now a two-person race.  Not between Schiff and Porter or Schiff and Lee….but between Schiff and Newsom.

If Dianne Feinstein were to vacate her seat before her term expires, Newsom would have the responsibility of appointing her successor.

He has already gone on-the-record saying if that were to occur, he would appoint a Black female.

In March of 2021, MSNBC’s Joy Reid asked Newsom if he would commit to naming a Black woman to the Senate were Feinstein to step down, and whether he had thought of particular replacements.

Newsom told Reid, “I have multiple names in mind. We have multiple names in mind — and the answer is yes.”

And we can definitely count on Newsom to keep his word.  Just ask anybody who works at the French Laundry.

Conventional wisdom is that if a vacancy were to occur, the seat would belong to Barbara Lee.

But, not so fast.

Bear in mind (pun intended): Newsom’s pick would not be intended to please the people of California. He can’t run for governor again, which in California makes him a lame duck l’orange.

Whether he admits it or not, Newsom is running for president…and the new Democratic primary calendar has South Carolina voting first.  Whatever decision he makes will be intended to please that audience, not the people of California.

If elected, Barbara Lee would be in her eighties during her freshman term, which would likely make her a short-term senator.

However, if Newsom were to pick a younger Black woman for the seat, he could make the argument to the majority black South Carolina Democratic primary electorate that, thanks to him, Black women would have representation in the U.S. Senate for decades.

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The youngest, most politically ambitious Black female in California politics is currently 48-year-old San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

As mayor of San Francisco, Breed shares a political pedigree with both Newsom and Feinstein, and it probably doesn’t hurt that she also comes from the same Willie Brown political machine that produced Newsom.

If appointed, Breed would be bringing her unique brand of leadership with her to Washington.

Meanwhile, America braces for a severe shortage of tents.

Oh yeah, she’d also have all of the power that comes along with incumbency, including widespread name identification, franking privileges, and the support of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

To my eye, this race is a two person battle all right. But only one of them is an actual candidate.

So far.

John Phillips can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on “The John Phillips Show” on KABC/AM 790.

​ Orange County Register