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French Open: Serena Williams still haunted by last year's triumph

PARIS — Serena Williams is still haunted by her struggles en route to winning last year’s French Open title.

After getting the flu early in the touament, Williams was in major trouble during her three-set semifinal win over Timea Bacsinszky, wrapping herself in ice towels during changeovers, breathing heavily between points, the strain etched on her face.

“I think about it a lot, and I still don’t know how I got through it,” Williams said Friday after the draw for this year’s touament. “My eyes were glassy, and I was just not doing well.”

After getting through that ordeal, she skipped practice on the eve of the final, preferring to sleep until the afteoon at her Paris apartment. It proved to be good choice as Williams overcame a mid-match slump to beat Lucie Safarova in three sets and clinch her 20th major title.

Bidding for her fourth Roland Garros title this year, the 34-year-old American will open against 76th-ranked Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia, then could meet Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals and third-seeded Angelique Kerber in the semifinals.

In a bid to avoid similar physical woes this year, Williams has made a firm pledge to take “Vitamin C every night” and to “regulate my temperature.”

That is because the weather in Paris has been overcast and somewhat chilly the past few days, and Williams — who joked that the warm weather only arrives at Roland Garros in time for the semifinals — said she put her tracksuit hood up following one practice session because she felt the cold on her ears.

Her victory in Paris last year followed successes in 2002 and 2013, and she then followed up with the Wimbledon title in July.

Williams was then surprisingly beaten by Roberta Vinci — an Italian ranked 43rd — in the semifinals of the U.S. Open and lost this year’s Australian Open final to Kerber.

It leaves Williams still needing one more major to equal Steffi Graf’s record for the Open era, which began in 1968, and three more to match Margaret Smith Court’s all-time mark of 24 majors.

The French Open is the only major Williams never has won back-to-back and she enters the touament following a confidence-boosting win at the Italian Open last weekend.

“I got the match play that I needed in Rome,” she said.

Although it was her 70th career title, it was her first anywhere in nine months.

“Four touaments and three finals is not bad for everyone else, but I’m not everyone else,” Williams said. “I want to win more than most people — ever.”

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 323 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 23:29

French Open: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal could meet in semifinals

PARIS — In his quest to complete a career Grand Slam, Novak Djokovic could have to beat nine-time champion Rafael Nadal in the French Open semifinals.

Djokovic, who will face 100th-ranked Lu Yen-hsun in the first round, was put in the same side of the draw as Nadal on Friday. The top-ranked Serb beat Nadal in the quarterfinals last year, the Spaniard’s second loss of his career at Roland Garros.

Defending champion Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray could meet in the other semifinal match.

In the women’s draw, Serena Williams’ attempt to equal Steffi Graf’s professional era record of 22 major titles includes a possible quarterfinal match against Victoria Azarenka.

Djokovic has lost in the final on the red clay in three of the last four years. But winning the French Open would give him four consecutive major championships, something no man has achieved since Rod Laver won a true Grand Slam in 1969.

He arrives in the French capital with a 37-3 record, but on the back of a loss to Murray in the Italian Open final.

Murray is seeded second for the first time at Roland Garros and will face a qualifier in his first match.

“It’s only two days out from the start of the touament and I don’t know who I’m playing against yet,” Murray said about playing a qualifier. “So you don’t have as much time to start preparing for it and that’s what makes it tricky.

“The positives are that often a lot of the qualifiers maybe have not played on the bigger courts and stuff and maybe you can capitalize a bit on that at the beginning if they are a little bit nervous.”

Because of Roger Federer’s withdrawal, Nadal has been seeded No. 4, avoiding a possible quarterfinal rematch against Djokovic. Chasing his first major title since winning in Paris two years ago, Nadal takes on big server Sam Groth in the first round.

“I need to be ready to suffer a little bit during the match, because I know it’s going to be difficult to have breaks,” Nadal said.

Djokovic should have few problems before the fourth round, where 14th-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut could be waiting.

Williams, the defending champion in Paris, will open against 76th-ranked Magdalena Rybarikova.

Before a potential quarterfinal match against Azarenka, the top-ranked American might also have to face Kristina Mladenovic and former champion Ana Ivanovic. In the semifinals, Williams could then be pitted against third-seeded Angelique Kerber, who beat her in the Australian Open final in January to win her first Grand Slam title.

Williams, who won her first title in nine months in Rome, has played only four touaments this season.

“Four touaments, three finals isn’t bad for everyone else, but then again I’m not everyone else,” said Williams, who lost to Azarenka in the Indian Wells final in March.

Margaret Smith Court (24) and Graf are the only players with more Grand Slam singles titles than Williams, who has never won back-to-back titles at Roland Garros.

In the bottom half of the draw, second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska will start her bid for a first major title against Bojana Jovanovski.

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 288 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 23:29

Kobe Bryant soaks up advice from Hollywood heavyweights

BEVERLY HILLS — Kobe Bryant is getting advice from Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams and Jerry Bruckheimer as he redirects his competitive drive from professional basketball to his publishing and production company.

One month after retiring from the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers star has a new daily routine. “I get up early and I train and I work out. Then I go to the office,” Bryant said in an interview.

He spends much of his day “kicking around ideas” with his staff of 10 full-time employees at Newport Beach, Califoia-based Kobe Inc. — and calls up those Hollywood heavyweights for guidance.

“I mean those are like unfair advantages,” Bryant said, laughing. “I can pick up the phone and speak to them and ask them questions: ‘What do you think about the story? What is this missing?’ And they’ll nitpick every single detail and I love it.”

“They respect and appreciate what I’ve done for 20 years as I respect and appreciate what they’ve done over the years. And we understand that there is a unifying force between those two things,” Bryant said. “Even though the disciplines are different, the commitment, attention to detail is absolutely the same. So even though Steven Spielberg can start speaking in film language and I won’t understand a damn thing, I understand the core, the essence of what he’s saying.”

Bryant said his Kobe Studios also includes seven more people who have been working on a project for the past two years, and another team of five writers starting a new project shortly.

The company is now making a three-to-five minute film based on the “Dear Basketball” poem that Bryant used to announce his retirement, led by longtime Disney animator Glen Keane and featuring music from John Williams.

“You have to be true to who you are,” Bryant said while making an appearance Wednesday for a watch.

“Throughout my career, I’ve been able to take dark times and dark emotions and channel those feelings to create something better,” he said. “It’s not something that I shy away from. We all have things that motivate us. Sometimes you can push those things to the side, make it fester within you. Or you can choose to use them to create something better.”

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 294 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 23:29

CIF Playoffs: Los Alamitos softball team beats Wilson; Wilson advances in boys golf

After a season full of injuries and players stepping up to contribute, it was appropriate for Los Alamitos High School to defeat visiting Long Beach Wilson, 7-3, in the first round of the CIF Southe Section Division 1 softball playoffs on Thursday, thanks in large part to a relief pitching performance.

Los Alamitos will be at Chino High on Tuesday for the second round.

The Bruins (14-14) took advantage of a wild starting pitcher and grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning. However, sophomore Brianna Jewett came out of the bullpen for Los Alamitos (24-2) and stopped the bleeding while the Griffins offense came alive late.

“I had no problem bringing (Jewett) into the game because she’s been stepping up for us all year,” Los Alamitos head coach Rob Weil said. “We didn’t play up to our potential today, but we found a way to win.”

Jewett pitched six innings and scattered six hits while striking out three batters and not issuing any walks. No Bruin runner reached second base after the third inning.

Los Alamitos, the No. 3 seed, tied the game in the second inning on an RBI triple from Caitlin Ladd. But Wilson countered to go up 3-1 lead in the third inning on singles from Julia Juarez, Amanda Castro and Katelyn Howard.

The Griffins took the lead for good in the bottom of the third when back to back singles from Ariana Belarde and Jenna Holcomb set up Jenna Kean for a two-run triple. She scored on a sacrifice fly from Andrea Gonzalez for a 4-3 lead.

Wilson sophomore Joette Vega pitched well and limited Los Alamitos to just five hits before the sixth inning when the Griffins padded their lead. Catcher Mary Iakopo led off with a home run and hits from Cami Sellers, Alexa Schultz and Jade Loe gave Los Alamitos three insurance runs.

-JJ Fiddler

LAKEWOOD 2, ROOSEVELT 1 >> The Lancers opened the Division 1 playoffs at home and came up with hits in some key situations to pull out the win.

Lakewood will be at Edison in the second round on Tuesday.

“Good teams find a way to win,” said Lakewood coach Andy Miramontes. “The first one is the hardest, but our girls battled today.”

Roosevelt got out of some big innings and used that momentum to get on the board first in the top of the fifth. A Lakewood error put a runner on first base and Roosevelt’s No. 9 hitter had a triple to give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead. In the early innings,

The Lancers rallied the sixth inning. Karina Ibarra led off with a single and she stole second base to get into scoring position. Senior Montana Dixon moved her to third base with a groundball to right side and Taylor Pack followed with a RBI base hit to tie the game up at 1. After a ground ball moved Pack to second base, senior Jaci Sanchez poked one to right field to give the Lancers a 2-1 lead that they would not give back. -Paul Slater

WARREN 8. LA SERNA 3 >> Jocelyn Heandez picked up the win, Ashley Machado went 2 for 4 with an RBI double and Nina Garcia hit a three-run homer in the first inning to lead the Bears to a CIF-SS Division 3 first round win.

ST. ANTHONY 11, RIO HONDO PREP 1 >> The Saints rolled in their Division 6 opener as Angelica Ponce had 10 strikeouts and was also 2 for 3 at the plate.

Amanda McCalip (2 for 3, three runs scored), Fiona Mutu (three RBIs), Ari Santana (four RBIs) and Fayth McQueary (home run) also came up big for the offense.

Up next for St. Anthony will be Oxford Academy at Pan Am Park on Tuesday at 3:15 p.m.

Baseball

Santa Barbara 1, Bellflower 0 >>With the tying run on third, a failed squeeze play ended the game in the seventh inning for the Buccaneers in the first round of a CIF Southe Section Division 1 game.

The game was a pitchers’ duel throughout as the Buccaneers’ Ricky Ramos battled the Don’s Kevin Gowdey, UCLA commit and expected MLB first round pick, for five innings as both pitchers exchanged scoreless innings.

Sophomore Tyler Wright had the first hit for the Buccaneers (17-6) with a single to left field in the fourth inning, but he was stranded as Gowdey struck out Jorge Rodriguez and induced Aaron Orozco to ground out.

In the top of the sixth inning, Ramos found himself in trouble after he hit Lucas Grandcolas with a pitch and allowed a single to Caleb Norton. Joe Firestone delivered the game-winning run with a two-out RBI single to right field that allowed Grandcolas to score.

Bellflower had a shot in the bottom of the sixth after David Izarrez walked and then stole second. He advanced to third on a fly out by Joseph Borges.

Gowdey finished with the shutout, allowing two hits while striking out 11 and walking two.

Ramos ended his day allowing three hits, one run, while striking out two.

In the bottom half of the seventh, the Buccaneers found themselves with another chance after Anthony Garcia singled to center and then stole second and advanced to third on an error.

That brought up Ramos with a chance to tie the game. He put down a bunt for a squeeze play, but Garcia got off to a little bit of a slow start and was thrown out at home and Ramos was tagged out to end the game and Bellflower’s season.

-Matt Simon

Boys golf

Wilson took first place at the CIF-SS Team Qualifier with an overall score of 372 at Mission Lakes Country Club.

The top four teams of 14 competitors advance to the CIF State Regional on Thursday at Brookside Golf Course, beginning with the Bruins, which will move on alongside Westlake (372), Palm Desert (375) and Servite (378). Andrew Feandes paced Wilson with a 1-under 70, while Hunter Epson and Tyler Schafer each shot 74s.

La Mirada finished 12th with a 409.

There were also 60 individuals in the field competing for 28 individual spots in the CIF State Regional and Ellis Tirado of Los Alamitos (72) and Poly’s Jericho Betts (75) qualified.

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 264 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 14:16

Stan Kroenke changes the landscape, is No. 1 on Most Powerful in Southern California Sports

The most powerful sports league in the world has landed in a region already rich in entertainment, celebrity and championships.

Arrival in the Los Angeles market - and construction of a $2.66 billion complex soon to occupy 300 acres in Inglewood - doubled the value of Stan Kroenke’s NFL franchise, by Forbes’ estimate.

Kroenke’s Rams, in tu, filled a gaping hole in an otherwise dynamic Southe Califoia sports landscape.

Kroenke, the real estate titan worth an estimated $7.9 billion, makes his grand entrance into the Southland as the most powerful sports figure in Southe Califoia, beating out Wasserman sports and entertainment agency founder and L.A. 2024 Olympic bid committee chairman Casey Wasserman and AEG chairman, Kings and Galaxy owner, Philip Anschutz.

The 50 Most Powerful in Southe Califoia Sports, a collection of luminaries ranging from franchise owners and media personalities to skateboarding pioneers and Esports ambassadors, has a new No. 1 this year.

• PHOTOS: 50 Most Powerful in Southe Califoia Sports

There is no better launching pad for a career in sports than the entertainment capital of the world, whose embarrassment of riches among personalities populating nine professional sports franchises, two Pac-12 Conference universities, sports agencies and media conglomerates provides perpetual of fodder for our list.

The arrival of the NFL significantly altered the list of the 50 Most Powerful in Southe Califoia Sports thanks to Kroenke departing St. Louis with the NFL’s 28th most valuable franchise only to land in L.A. with one worth an estimated $3 billion, according to Forbes’ Michael Ozanian, the third-highest value in the league. Moving from the 21st to the second-largest TV market in the country, where he will build the most expensive stadium in the world, made the Rams Kroenke’s single largest asset.

The Rams’ owner proved that he deserved to win the hotly contested race to L.A. by crafting a plan that took full advantage of Southe Califoia’s power.

“It’s about showing that the Southland is a place that any sports league, federation can’t afford not to be in,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “It wasn’t just about a team and a stadium, it was about the NFL’s West Coast headquarters. That’s why you have ESPN doing Sportscenter here. ... People realize this is the place where sports, entertainment, community as well as globalism all intersect.”

The changes in the Southe Califoia sports landscape run deep with the addition of Kroenke and the Rams.

Inglewood will be transformed with a privately financed, 80,000-seat stadium, the centerpiece of a complex that will include a 300-room hotel, 1.5 million square feet of retail and office space, 2,500 homes and 25 acres of parks.

One of four finalists for the 2024 Olympic bid, L.A.’s consideration can’t help but be enhanced by the 2019 arrival of the most expensive, technologically advanced stadium on the planet.

Considering its collection of professional sports teams and the potential to be the only city aside from London to host three Olympics, Los Angeles now lands squarely in the conversation of the best sports cities in the world, something seemingly impossible without an NFL presence.

“There hasn’t been a real opportunity to move an NFL team in a long time,” Associate Director of the USC Marshall School of Business Courtney Brunious said. “To couple that with an Olympic bid, the odds of that happening for one city are, well, slim.”

Bids have already been submitted for the Inglewood stadium to host Super Bowls in 2020 and 2021 and a Final Four in 2022 that would be the city’s first in 50 years.

Staples Center was recently awarded the 2017 NHL All-Star game and a record sixth NBA All-Star game in 2018.

The 2024 Olympic finalist cities Rome, Paris and Budapest have their work cut out to compete against a city with sports credentials difficult to match anywhere in the world.

As the region continues to make leaps noticed around the world, the inteal competition in the Southe Califoia sports scene only becomes more fierce.

The Rams carry the NFL shield into town, but in tow are nine consecutive losing seasons. Where will the newest Los Angeles franchise be slotted among storied brands like the Dodgers and Lakers?

“They could be right up there with them,” Forbes’ Ozanian said. “They have an opportunity like that in L.A. whereas they wouldn’t have in St. Louis. It’s just going to depend on the execution, the sponsorships they land and the business partnerships they form. But they’ve already traded up to get the No. 1 quarterback. They’ve already given people more reason to come, because nobody goes to see the star tackle play.”

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 329 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 14:16

Angels keep finding ways to beat Dodgers

ANAHEIM >>For all the gaps in payroll, TV exposure and farm-system raves, maybe the Angels and Dodgers might not be that different after all.

Both are dependent on their generational talents (Mike Trout in Anaheim, Clayton Kershaw up the road in Los Angeles). Both have pitching staffs with thin spots as obvious as those on a balding man. And both could have long relationships with a .500 record this summer.

The Angels beat the Dodgers again Thursday night, 7-4, to take three of four in the interleague meeting and have now won six of seven since a winless homestand against the Tampa Bay Rays and St. Louis Cardinals.

Trout drove in three of the runs, once by beating out the back end of a potential inning-ending double play, scored twice, hit his 10th home run of the season, stole a base and continued to be, you know, Mike Trout.

“You look at his numbers every year. They’re off the charts,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “But when you see him every day – beat out a double-play ball and get an RBI, you see him steal a base, you see the plays he makes in center field.

“His talent shows up regularly every night on the field, whether it’s his legs, his arm, at the plate in the batter’s box or on the basepaths. Mike’s always doing things that are helping us win.”

The Dodgers, meanwhile, could only pitch Kershaw once in the series. His masterful performance Tuesday was their only victory in the four games as his team slumped back to .500 (21-21) for the sixth time in the month of May. More disturbingly for the Dodgers, this is becoming the strongest strain running through their season. They once again looked like the sub-.500 team they have been whenever Kershaw doesn’t pitch (13-20).

Like the heartthrob paired with a cranky veteran in a buddy cop movie, Trout and Albert Pujols combined to go 13 for 29 (.448) with two doubles, two home runs (both by Trout), seven walks, 10 RBI and eight runs scored in the series. The only time they were held in check was Kershaw’s start, when Pujols had the duo’s only hit. Trout scored at least one run in each of the other games.

“I played with them and their great guys, great competitors,” Dodgers infielder Howie Kendrick said. “They were the guys who happened to beat us. I wish it wasn’t that way. But they’re big guys in this league for a reason.”

No Dodgers starter other than Kershaw even completed five innings in the Freeway Series. The unexpectedly-potent Angels lineup battered Kenta Maeda, Mike Bolsinger and Ross Stripling for 12 runs on 19 hits in their combined 13 innings.

“It’s tough on a team. It’s tough on a ‘pen and it’s tough to sustain winning ballgames,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the short starts. “When you’ve got to cover four-plus innings every night, it’s tough.”

Stripling held it together into the fifth inning, allowing an RBI single and a solo home run to Trout but taking a 4-2 lead into the fifth thanks to the Dodgers’ success against a familiar face, former Rockie Jhoulys Chacin. Kendrick had a two-run triple and Chase Utley scored three times in the first five innings against Chacin, who didn’t make it through five either.

Stripling’s trouble started there with a leadoff single by Gregorio Petit and back-to-back one-out walks to Kole Calhoun and Trout, loading the bases for Pujols. Stripling got Pujols on a called strike three – a call that Pujols disputed – but then hit C.J. Cron with an 0-and-1 fastball, forcing in a run.

Cron was the first batter Stripling has hit with a pitch in 278 innings as a professional.

“Just another frustrating game,” Stripling said. “It seems like I was always battling, couldn’t get the first guy out in an inning. I felt like I was always pitching from the stretch.

“Another outing where the best player hurt me. Matt Kemp got me. (Giancarlo) Stanton and now Trout tonight. I’ve got to find a way to get through the lineup more than twice and keep the big guys from hurting me.”

Stripling was done after the Cron pitch. But going to the bullpen has only rarely led to good things for Roberts.

Thursday was not one of those nights.

Chris Hatcher gave up a two-run single to the first batter he faced, Johnny Giavotella, and a leadoff home run to Carlos Perez in the sixth inning followed by a Petit double. Petit eventually scored on a Trout forceout, his third RBI of the night.

In stark contrast, the Angels’ bullpen rolled through the Dodgers’ lineup. Four relievers combined on 42/3 hitless innings – thanks in part to Rafael Ortega’s diving catch along the left-field line.

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 285 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 14:16

How Mayor Eric Garcetti has elevated LA as a sports city

Eric Garcetti knows well the labyrinth of rules goveing interaction with Inteational Olympic Committee members.

A slick way to pilfer some extra face-to-face when the largest gathering of Olympic officials in the U.S. since 1996 occurred in October was to expedite them through customs.

When Dr. Robin Mitchell arrived in Washington D.C., Garcetti made sure he escorted the longtime IOC member door to door.

“I surprised him and as he came off the plane, there was the mayor to greet him,” Garcetti said. “I walked him through, marvelous guy, and I didn’t try to sell our bid because that’s not the place but I just wanted to say, ‘Hey, we’re glad you’re here. What are your thoughts on the future of the Olympic movement?’”

• PHOTOS: 50 Most Powerful in Southe Califoia Sports

After initially being beaten out by Boston for the U.S. 2024 Olympic bid, Garcetti’s touch has maneuvered L.A. into position as a co-favorite with Paris to host the Games. That is just one of two historic sports distinctions for the city in less than three years under the youngest mayor of L.A. in a century.

In the past 10 months alone, Garcetti helped end L.A.’s 21-year drought without the NFL and L.A. is within a step of joining London as the only cities in the world to have hosted three Olympic Games. For his efforts in the past year, Garcetti has moved up to No. 6 on the list of Most Powerful in Southe Califoia Sports.

Proof that the Mayor makes sports ventures a priority goes far beyond the amount of sports paraphealia populating his caveous city hall office.

Readying for a picture, Garcetti raids his shelves of signed basketballs and autographed hats to display in the background. He disappears into a closet, emerging with a UCLA basketball signed by the 1995 championship team, but is miffed to discover he left his 2014 L.A. Kings championship hat at home.

Garcetti is at once an everyman - he is revered by hockey fans for raising a beer at the podium and dropping a celebratory profanity at the Kings’ championship rally two years ago - and an erudite diplomat ready to charm the upper crust.

Garcetti has expertly haessed the mash of creativity, technology and social prowess of his city, pushing “the new L.A., a city made of 100 nations, thousands of startups, and 18 million hard-dreaming people working to reinvent the city,” as stated in the LA2024 video announcing the Olympic bid.

On his first day in office, Garcetti foreshadowed his affinity for sport by sending his first official letter as Mayor to the United States Olympic Committee, making known his desire for L.A. to host another Olympics.

Neither landing the most inteationally lauded sporting event nor moving an NFL team for the first time in 19 years were high percentage plays, but only Paris, Rome and Budapest stand between L.A. achieving both under Garcetti’s leadership.

“I hope I can look back and tell my kids about what happened this year,” Garcetti said. “If we’re lucky enough to get the Olympics, my daughter would be 13 years old like I was in 1984, in 2024. And I dream of taking her there and saying - I won’t be mayor - but saying ‘Hey, daddy helped bring this for you and your generation.’”

Garcetti grew up a Rams fan in the San Feando Valley. The son of former Los Angeles District Attoey Gil Garcetti attended the Rams’ first Super Bowl, a 1980 loss to the Steelers at the Rose Bowl. The painful memory of John Stallworth hauling in the game-winning 73-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, “that robbed us of our victory,” is still vivid.

When it began to appear realistic the NFL would retu to L.A., Garcetti was suddenly a popular resource.

Chargers owner Dean Spanos and Raiders owner Mark Davis both met with Garcetti as the competition heated up last year, picking his brain for optimal methods to ea the favor of the L.A. community.

Shortly before the fateful NFL owner’s meeting in Houston where the final vote for the Rams was cast in January, Garcetti was called upon by the highest of NFL authorities. It wasn’t the first time Roger Goodell had consulted Garcetti, but the commissioner wanted to hear from a credible source if proper support for NFL football existed in L.A.

“I said ‘Absolutely, because there’s a real hunger,’” Garcetti said. “This is a great sports town and everybody thinks - and these are great places too - Boston or Cleveland or Philadelphia are great sports towns, but L.A., ‘They’re too conceed with Hollywood. They’re too conceed with being a big city.’

“B.S. We have the best fans here. We have hunger for football coming back and I just let him know that, as the owners were meeting, no matter what decision the owners made, that team would be embraced.”

Garcetti will be at the Coliseum to see the fruits of his labor when the Rams open the 2016 season. He may be there again in eight years for the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Olympics.

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 319 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 10:19

Long Beach area CIF playoff scores

CIF Playoff Schedule and Results

Thursday

Baseball, First Round

Division 2

Gahr XX, Buena XX

La Mirada 1, Ayala 0

Santa Barbara 1, Bellflower 0

Paramount XX, Moorpark XX

Cerritos XX, Rio Mesa XX

Mayfair XX, South Hills XX

Downey XX, Mission Viejo XX

Division 6

Foothill Technology 3, St. Anthony 2

Softball, First Round

Division 1

Los Alamitos 7, Wilson 3

Lakewood 2, Roosevelt 1

Huntington Beach 5, Millikan 4

Pacifica 8, LB Poly 0

Division 3

Gahr XX, Harvard-Westlake XX

La Mirada XX, Chaminade XX

Warren 8, La Sea 3

Norwalk XX, Palos Verdes XX

Mayfair 11, Beaumont 0

Redondo Union 1, St. Joseph 0

Bishop Amat 8, Paramount 0

Cerritos XX, Don Lugo XX

Division 6

Calvary Chapel 11, Crossroads 0

St. Anthony 11, Rio Hondo Prep 1

Division 7

Avalon XX, Hawthoe XX

Friday

Baseball, First Round, 3 p.m.

Division 1

Millikan vs. Hart

Wilson at Oaks Christian

Lakewood at Murrieta Mesa

Division 7

Avalon at Hillcrest

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 306 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 10:19

Who fell off the 2016 50 Most Powerful in Southern California Sports list?

Sports isn’t the most friendly profession when it comes to longevity and such is the case with the 50 Most Powerful in Southe Califoia Sports. In keeping with a trend familiar in Hollywood, there was plenty of tuover from last year’s list for a variety of reasons. Here are the 15 members of the 2015 version who did not ea a spot in 2016.

• PHOTOS: 50 Most Powerful in Southe Califoia Sports

14. Pat Haden, 63, USC Athletic Director

After nearly six years on the job, the former Trojans quarterback is stepping down in June on the heels of a rocky final year for USC football, which has cycled through two head coaches and two interim coaches in the last three years. Haden’s health has reportedly been declining and was cited as the primary reason for his retirement.

19. Mike White, 63, DirecTV Chairman, CEO and President

When DirecTV merged with AT&T last year, White decided to retire, officially removing himself from the messy negotiations with Time Waer over SportsNetLA, the Dodgers TV network. For a third consecutive baseball season, the two sides have failed to agree on a price, leaving DirecTV customers without Dodgers coverage.

20. The Rose Bowl

The most iconic stadium in the greater Los Angeles area will have more competition when Rams owner Stan Kroenke begins construction in August on the NFL’s most expensive stadium, a privately funded sports and entertainment complex set to open in 2019.

24. Eric Shanks, 44, Fox Sports President, COO and Executive Producer

Fox continues its steady climb, but Shanks has allowed President Jamie Horowitz, formerly of ESPN, to take the lead on splashy talent acquisition for FS1, including Colin Cowherd and Skip Bayless.

30. Yasiel Puig, 25, Dodgers Outfielder

After putting the league on notice with a spectacular arrival in 2014, the Cuban’s 2015 season was compromised by hamstring injuries. He remains an immense talent with star potential on and off the field, but Puig has yet to deliver consistent results.

34. Tommy Trojan

The USC brand suffered last year when football coach Steve Sarkisian was fired mid-season amid allegations of alcohol abuse. Athletic Director Pat Haden later announced that he would step down at the end of the school year.

36. Bill Simmons, Multimedia Sports Personality

Simmons has been off the radar since an abrupt departure from longtime employer ESPN in 2015, but he has a loyal following, a podcast and could be on his way to building a new empire with an HBO talk show launching in June and new website, The Ringer.

37. Gillian Zucker, 46, Clippers President of Business Operations

Tied to new Clippers jerseys and a new mascot that made underwhelming debuts this season, Zucker made the most headlines during her year and a half with the Clippers for an alleged rift with coach Doc Rivers this season that was never confirmed.

38. Long Beach Poly High School

The boys basketball team reached the state championship game, but one of the most storied athletic programs in the country uncharacteristically dropped off in football with a 4-6 record in 2015 while the girls track team finished 63rd in the state following last year’s state title.

39. Casey Close, 52, Sports Agent

Matching the $700 million in contracts he negotiated during the previous offseason, a baseball record, seemed an impossible task this year. But Close did land pitcher Zack Greinke a $206 million deal in December, just not in L.A. with fellow client Clayton Kershaw.

42. Robbie Keane, 35, Galaxy Striker

Keane followed an MLS MVP campaign and the Galaxy’s league-leading fifth championship in 2014 with a career-high 20 goals in 2015, but the Irishman’s touches continue to decline and his position was significantly altered this season as the Galaxy continue to re-tool.

43. Kathryn Schloessman, 53, L.A. Sports and Entertainment Commission President

Schloessman is still is attempting to land Dodger Stadium its first all-star game since 1980, but L.A. has secured the NHL all-star game in 2017 and record sixth NBA all-star game in 2018.

45. Darryl Sutter, 57, L.A. Kings Head Coach

Despite a talented roster with young coerstones, Sutter hasn’t followed championships in 2012 and 2014 they way the hockey world thought he might as the Kings missed the playoffs in 2015 and exited in the first round this season.

46. Patrick Soon-Shiong, 63, Doctor and Lakers Minority Owner

The billionaire is one of the most obvious candidates to purchase a professional sports team in L.A., were one to come available - he bid on the Dodgers and AEG when both were recently up for sale - but when that will happen is anyone’s guess.

47. John Force, 66, NHRA Driver

The 16-time NHRA champion has lost some sponsors and switched from Ford to Chevy in the last two years, but retirement is not his vocabulary, despite the fact that he tus 67 in May.

sport world...

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 304 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 9:14

Long Beach area CIF playoff scores

CIF Playoff Schedule and Results

Thursday

Baseball, First Round

Division 2

Gahr XX, Buena XX

La Mirada XX, Ayala XX

Santa Barbara 1, Bellflower 0

Paramount XX, Moorpark XX

Cerritos XX, Rio Mesa XX

Mayfair XX, South Hills XX

Downey XX, Mission Viejo XX

Division 6

Foothill Technology 3, St. Anthony 2

Softball, First Round

Division 1

Los Alamitos 7, Wilson 3

Lakewood 2, Roosevelt 1

Huntington Beach 5, Millikan 4

Pacifica 8, LB Poly 0

Division 3

Gahr XX, Harvard-Westlake XX

La Mirada XX, Chaminade XX

Warren 8, La Sea 3

Norwalk XX, Palos Verdes XX

Mayfair 11, Beaumont 0

Redondo Union 1, St. Joseph 0

Bishop Amat 8, Paramount 0

Cerritos XX, Don Lugo XX

Division 6

Calvary Chapel 11, Crossroads 0

St. Anthony 11, Rio Hondo Prep 1

Division 7

Avalon XX, Hawthoe XX

Friday

Baseball, First Round, 3 p.m.

Division 1

Millikan vs. Hart

Wilson at Oaks Christian

Lakewood at Murrieta Mesa

Division 7

Avalon at Hillcrest

sport world...

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 310 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 9:14

Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell makes NBA All-Rookie Team

D’Angelo Russell overcame a rocky start to his rookie season to finish fifth among first-year players in scoring and fourth in assists. He set a Lakers rookie record with 130 3-pointers.

On Thursday, the second overall pick in last year’s draft was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie second team, an award voted on by the media.

Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns and Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis were voted unanimously to the first team. Denver center Nikola Jokic, Philadelphia forward Jahlil Okafor and Phoenix guard Devin Booker filled out the first team.

Unlike with All-NBA voting, the All-Rookie teams are not position specific.

Russell finished seventh overall in voting, with 142 out of a possible 260 points, including 25 first-team votes.

Lakers rookie forward Larry Nance Jr. eaed three points, while 32-year-old rookie Marcelo Huertas eaed one second team vote.

Russell averaged 13.2 points and 3.3 assists in 80 games, including 48 starts. He often clashed with former coach Byron Scott, who moved him out of the starting lineup for two months in the middle of the season.

The most notable moment of Russell’s rookie season, however, came off the court, when a video apparently recorded by the point guard in which teammate Nick Young seemed to discuss intimate relationships with women other than his fiancée, rapper Iggy Azalea, went viral.

The incident caused a rift in the Lakers locker room, damaging Russell’s credibility with some teammates who felt Russell has violated a code of the locker room.

sport world...

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 434 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 9:14

Los Alamitos honors college-bound student-athletes

LOS ALAMITOS >> On Thursday during a lunchtime ceremony in the Los Alamitos High School gym, the school honored 15 of its 47 scholarship student-athletes who are moving on to play their respective sports at the next level.

The Griffins’ soccer program was well-represented at signing day with five of the 2016 signees. Four were from the girls team: Annmarie Alvarez (Biola), Angelique Anguiano (UC Merced), Bryn Chesser (Vanguard), and Madison Slade (Vanguard). The lone player from the boys team was first-team All-Sunset League and first-team All-CIF selection Julian Guerrero, who will be continuing his playing career at Marymount University.

The track and field team was represented by Ariana Ford (Tuskegee University) and Alison Parsons (Cal State Fullerton). Parsons capped off her illustrious Griffins career as Sunset League champion in the long jump, triple jump, and 100 meter hurdles. She also took home the title as Orange County champion in the long jump and Sunset League Field Athlete of the Year.

“It was great getting to tell everyone all of the things I’ve accomplished this year,” said Parsons. “I was glad that all my hard work was acknowledged.”

Senior Sophia Schade not only committed to play Division 1 lacrosse for the United States Naval Academy, she also accepted her appointment to protect our country as a Midshipman. The lacrosse All-American will be playing for Cindy Timchal, the career wins leader in the sport of lacrosse across any division.

“I’m really excited to be playing lacrosse in college and doing something that I love,” Schade said. “The Naval Academy is going to be tough, but I know it’s really going to push me.”

Some of the other Los Al seniors that signed their letters of intent were: Cade Denyer (baseball, Occidental), Molly Herrera (lacrosse, Linfield), Kelsey Cunningham (volleyball, Belmont Abbey College), Jonathan Frenzel (volleyball, Stevens Institute of Technology), Kylie Osgood (volleyball, Cal State Dominguez Hills), Natalie Rojes (volleyball, UC Riverside) and Will Boudreau (rowing, Boston University).

“The experience here at Los Al has been great,” said Boudreau. “We’re lucky to be surrounded by great friends and great teammates.”

This was the final signing day of the year for the Griffins, who celebrated their fall sport athletes earlier in the year.

sport world...

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 302 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 8:04

Long Beach area CIF playoff scores

CIF Playoff Schedule and Results

Thursday

Baseball, First Round

Division 2

Gahr XX, Buena XX

La Mirada XX, Ayala XX

Santa Barbara 1, Bellflower 0

Paramount XX, Moorpark XX

Cerritos XX, Rio Mesa XX

Mayfair XX, South Hills XX

Downey XX, Mission Viejo XX

Division 6

St. Anthony XX, Foothill Technology XX

Softball, First Round

Division 1

Los Alamitos 4, Wilson 3, 3rd

Lakewood 0, Roosevelt 1, 5th

Millikan XX, Huntington Beach XX

LB Poly XX, Pacifica XX

Division 3

Gahr XX, Harvard-Westlake XX

La Mirada XX, Chaminade XX

Warren XX, La Sea XX

Norwalk XX, Palos Verdes XX

Mayfair XX, Beaumont XX

St. Joseph XX, Redondo Union XX

Paramount XX, Bishop Amat XX

Cerritos XX, Don Lugo XX

Division 6

Calvary Chapel XX, Crossroads XX

St. Anthony 9, Rio Hondo Prep 1, 5th

Division 7

Avalon XX, Hawthoe XX

Friday

Baseball, First Round, 3 p.m.

Division 1

Millikan vs. Hart

Wilson at Oaks Christian

Lakewood at Murrieta Mesa

Division 7

Avalon at Hillcrest

sport world...

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 282 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 8:04

Stan Kroenke changes the landscape, is No. 1 on Most Powerful in Southern California Sports

The most powerful sports league in the world has landed in a region already rich in entertainment, celebrity and championships.

Arrival in the Los Angeles market - and construction of a $2.66 billion complex soon to occupy 300 acres in Inglewood - doubled the value of Stan Kroenke’s NFL franchise, by Forbes’ estimate.

Kroenke’s Rams, in tu, filled a gaping hole in an otherwise dynamic Southe Califoia sports landscape.

• PHOTOS: 50 Most Powerful in Southe Califoia Sports

The Rams’ owner proved that he deserved to win the hotly contested race to L.A. by crafting a plan that took full advantage of Southe Califoia’s power.

The changes in the Southe Califoia sports landscape run deep with the addition of Kroenke and the Rams.

One of four finalists for the 2024 Olympic bid, L.A.’s consideration can’t help but be enhanced by the 2019 arrival of the most expensive, technologically advanced stadium on the planet.

Bids have already been submitted for the Inglewood stadium to host Super Bowls in 2020 and 2021 and a Final Four in 2022 that would be the city’s first in 50 years.

Staples Center was recently awarded the 2017 NHL All-Star game and a record sixth NBA All-Star game in 2018.

The 2024 Olympic finalist cities Rome, Paris and Budapest have their work cut out to compete against a city with sports credentials difficult to match anywhere in the world.

As the region continues to make leaps noticed around the world, the inteal competition in the Southe Califoia sports scene only becomes more fierce.

The Rams carry the NFL shield into town, but in tow are nine consecutive losing seasons. Where will the newest Los Angeles franchise be slotted among storied brands like the Dodgers and Lakers?

sport world...

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 285 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 8:04

Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell makes NBA All-Rookie Team

D’Angelo Russell overcame a rocky start to his rookie season to finish fifth among first-year players in scoring and fourth in assists. He set a Lakers rookie record with 130 3-pointers.

On Thursday, the second overall pick in last year’s draft was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie second team, an award voted on by the media.

Unlike with All-NBA voting, the All-Rookie teams are not position specific.

Russell finished seventh overall in voting, with 142 out of a possible 260 points, including 25 first-team votes.

Lakers rookie forward Larry Nance Jr. eaed three points, while 32-year-old rookie Marcelo Huertas eaed one second team vote.

The incident caused a rift in the Lakers locker room, damaging Russell’s credibility with some teammates who felt Russell has violated a code of the locker room.

sport world...

ما را در سایت sport world دنبال می کنید

برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 399 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 5:53

Mark Walter trending down as Dodgers still seek TV, championship breakthroughs

Three years ago, Mark Walter wasn’t just living large. He was owning it.

On a 2013 list of the most powerful people in baseball as constructed by Sports Illustrated, the Dodgers chairman and controlling owner sat at No. 2, just behind then-commissioner Bud Selig. On the SI list of the most powerful in all of sports, Walter fell in at No. 11 as he was “redefining the baseball world” and was making a play to purchase AEG.

“How does an owner who hasn’t been in the game for even a year become so powerful?” asked writer Tom Verducci. “Easy: Just get your hands on a $7 billion windfall, which is what Time Waer Cable agreed to pay the Dodgers over 25 years to broadcast their games.

“After Frank McCourt ran the Dodgers into bankruptcy, Walter, the chief executive officer of Guggenheim Partners, a privately held global financial services firm, led a group that purchased the club for a record $2.15 billion. The value of the club was tied to the 2013 expiration of the Dodgers’ current TV deal -- a great accident of timing as rights fees for regional sports networks have been exploding.

• PHOTOS: 50 Most Powerful in Southe Califoia sports

“Now Walter has the highest payroll in the game, a refurbished beauty in Dodger Stadium, and the rest of baseball complaining that only a fraction of his TV money actually counts toward revenue-sharing and luxury tax formulas.”

But if you’re crunching numbers into formulas in 2016, is Walter crush-proof in the sports world?

With big money comes big responsibility. There are not only games unseen – unless you’re in the TWC/Charter Cable subscriber territory for the last three years – but championships unrealized (aside from NL West titles, which seem like consolation ribbons to many.) Those tend to speak louder to a fan base than do piles of mortgaged promises in the nation’s entertainment capital.

On the inaugural list last year of the Top 50 Most Powerful in L.A. Sports, Walter was a regal fit at No. 5. This go around, he slips three spots.

It could have been worse. Dodgers oweship frontman Magic Johnson plummeted from No. 3 to No. 19.

But it could have been better. Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully has become the franchise’s highest-ranked person, up from No. 6 to Walter’s previous No. 5.

For those into trendspotting, on the 2012 list of the “Most Influential People in Sports Business,” the Sports Business Daily placed Walter at No. 8. The next year, he was at No. 16. He didn’t make the 2014 or 2015 lists.

A recent editorial in the L.A. Downtown News under the headline, “Dodgers Owners Have Failed The Fans,” echoes the new narrative for the Dodgers and the failing SportsNet LA distribution issue: “The Dodgers would like you to believe that fault to date lies with the mammoth communications companies. This page, however, lays the blame on the shoulders of the Dodgers owners. The problem is, simply, greed. Given the current situation, it is clear that the owners — Mark Walter, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Stan Kasten, Peter Guber, Bobby Patton and Todd Boehly — have failed the fans.”

There is also a fan-generated documentary, “Moneyball Too” by Tom Wilson, that shines more of a spotlight on “King” Walter and his Guggenheim group as one that doesn’t quite comprehend the ramifications of their actions upon the Dodgerland peasants.

Walter doesn’t shy away from wearing a crown.

An L.A. Weekly story last October points out that in the 2015 book, “The Best Team Money Can Buy,” advances the idea that this team’s ownership team has been a saving grace and notes Walter’s own quote that “I’m nothing special … just the king of common sense.”

But the story also pointed out some “troubling aspects” of Guggenheim’s holdings that have emerged in insurance filings and in a class action lawsuit, which was filed and “then mysteriously” dropped last year. Using insurance money to buy a team, “the ultimate toy for the super-rich, seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen,” said financial writer Andrew Ross in the New York Times.

The 55-year-old Walter sports a net worth of about $2.2 billion, almost double from what it was in 2012. He was No. 810 on Forbes’ ranking of world billionaires, up from No. 1,006 in ’15.

Will Mark Walter become the next Walter O’Malley? We need a larger sample size, which will happen over time.

Marc Ganis, president of the sports business consulting firm Sportscorp, does business in Chicago, the same city where Walter lives and works on Guggenheim holdings (and owns season seats to the Cubs at Wrigley Field).

Naturally, Ganis is interested in watching the Walter stock trend but doesn’t see it as any reason to start selling off.

“What has happened is a very natural progression, in life as well as in sports and business, where no one is exempt,” said Ganis.

“When he first came in, the deal he made for the Dodgers was breathtaking. It not only set the baseball world but the sports world on its ear as a result of the way it was done and the source of funding. He was enormously influential by example if not by his personal relationships.

“Then he gets this regional sports network deal – again, record-breaking, structuring it to mitigate revenue sharing and providing an assured revenue stream to adjust the way the team was funded. Again, enormously influential. The team makes big trades, is doing well on the field. And Guggenheim looks to buy AEG – which didn’t happen (as Phil Anschutz took the company off the table after hearing several bids for it).

“So he’s had a run over three years that was trailblazing and ground breaking. But then consider – the guy has a day job of actually running one of the largest investment funds in the country.

“Had the Dodgers won a championship, he’d still be up on anyone’s list. Had the Time Waer distribution deal gone better, he’d be up there. But those are events that haven’t happened. And now all that he did before, he’s not alone. The Cubs are selling a minority interest and they’re getting up to that $2 billion level.

“The sports scene in Los Angeles is changing with the NFL. With change, things elevate and drop. But that’s all very natural in the evolution and arch.”

sport world...

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 314 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 5:53

UCLA softball hosts NCAA Regional with team-first attitude

Coming off the program’s first College World Series berth since 2010, UCLA softball head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez was confident her team could retu. The 10-year head coach and former Bruin catcher always believes a deep postseason is possible, but a particularly difficult nonconference stretch shook even her own confidence.

Injuries decimated the lineup in February as an inexperienced roster faced an onslaught of ranked opponents. Life without ace pitcher Ally Carda, a two-time Pac-12 Player of the Year who graduated last year, was rough as two inexperienced sophomores were left to step into the circle.

“At that point, we could truly believe that we were going to be a team that would not go to postseason,” Inouye-Perez said. “We had this thought ‘Jeez, we couldn’t beat anybody.’ And then as a result from that, we’ve made some great decisions.”

The Bruins decided to play aggressively as a team. They worked together, played strong defense behind their pitchers and focused on “the process, not the outcome,” the head coach said.

In the end, the outcome was a second-place finish in the Pac-12 and a No. 12 overall seed in the NCAA touament.

“This team has been on a path where they truly believe they can be a team that can compete with anybody else in the country,” Inouye-Perez said. “If you would have asked us that in February, we would have given because things are really hard. Now I’m thankful that they experienced that because without that, you don’t become who you are today.”

Today, the Bruins are postseason bound, opening NCAA regional play at Easton Stadium this weekend. UCLA hosts the Los Angeles Regional and faces Cal State Bakersfield at 6 p.m. Friday, with Fresno State and Cal State Fullerton filling out the four-team regional bracket.

With the pressure of the postseason building, the Bruins are focused on staying true to the character that brought them here. Just continue to be the team that was strengthened through the nonconference struggle.

“It’s nine-on-one,” senior outfielder Allexis Bennett said. “We’re all in it together. It’s all of us together, not just one person. And for us, we’re going to stick to that.”

Bennett was named first-team All-Region and All-Pac-12 after winning the conference batting title with a .437 batting average this season. She is part of a senior class responsible for helping a group of freshmen grow up quickly when they needed to step into the starting lineup immediately.

Inouye-Perez commended the team’s ability to lift the freshmen during the beginning of the season when the pressure to perform was high. The rookies responded.

Paige Halstead is batting .301 and has started every game for the Bruins. Brianna Tautalafua came back from a nonconference injury to ea two Pac-12 Freshman of the Week awards and one Pac-12 Player of the Week honor.

“They taught us to go after every pitch like it’s our last,” Tautalafua said of the senior class’ influence. “Just going hard every time on the field, and when it comes at the plate, you want to be relaxed and you don’t want to be thinking too much. They’ve helped us with our mentality and our approach to the game.”

Although the goal is to get back to the Women’s College World Series, Inouye-Perez doesn’t see many similarities with this team and last year’s. This team is unique in its team-first approach, but the coach is hoping the results carry over.

“The fact that we’ve been playing like last year’s team is pretty amazing,” Inouuye-Perez said. “This team has finally gotten to the point where we are not talking about what we lost. We’re really focusing on who we are.”

NCAA Softball Los Angeles Regional

Who: No. 12 UCLA (35-13-1), Fresno State (41-10-1), Cal State Fullerton (43-14), Cal State Bakersfield (16-32)

When: Friday through Sunday. First round: Fresno State vs. Cal State Fullerton at 3 p.m.; UCLA vs. Cal State Bakersfield at 6 p.m.

Where: UCLA’s Easton Stadium

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 286 تاريخ : جمعه 31 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 5:53

Phil Mickelson named, not charged, in SEC insider trading complaint

NEW YORK — The Securities and Exchange Commission has sued professional golfer Phil Mickelson, saying he profited from an insider trading scheme conducted by a former corporate director and a professional gambler.

The SEC also alleged in its civil suit filed Thursday that a gambler named William Walters received tips and business information about Dean Foods Co. from former Dean Foods director Thomas Davis between 2008 and 2012.

In 2012, the SEC says, Walters called Mickelson, who owed him money, and urged him to trade Dean Foods stock. The SEC says Mickelson did so the next day and made a profit of $931,000.

The SEC also sued Davis and Walters, accusing them of “repeated and very profitable insider trading” by Walters based on tips he received from his long-time friend Davis. The agency is seeking injunctions and fines against them.

As a relief defendant, Mickelson is not accused of participating in insider trading, only of receiving money as a result of the scheme.

From 2008 through 2012, the SEC said, Davis passed Walters highly confidential information on Dean Foods, including sneak previews of at least six of the company’s quarterly eaings announcements and advance notice of the spin-off of its profitable subsidiary, WhiteWave Foods Co.

In 2013, Davis also gave Walters inside information that Davis had gotten from a group of investors who confidentially shared their plans to buy stock in Darden Restaurants Inc., the SEC said.

Based on the tips, Walters reaped illegal trading profits and avoided losses of at least $40 million, according to the regulators.

The SEC said that on Aug. 8, 2012, Mickelson sold all the Dean Foods shares he had purchased on July 30 and 31, netting him a profit of around $931,000.

The agency wants Mickelson, Davis and Walters to retu “all ill-gotten gains” they received.

Mickelson was not in the field of the Byron Nelson Classic in Irving, Texas, where play began Thursday moing. Calls to his representatives were not immediately retued.

In May 2014, Mickelson confirmed that FBI agents investigating insider trading questioned him as he finished playing a round at the Memorial Touament in Dublin, Ohio.

Mickelson wouldn’t discuss details about his relationship with Walters, a multimillionaire who owns several golf courses and auto dealerships. He wouldn’t talk about stock tips he received, but reiterated that he did nothing wrong.

“And that’s why I’ve been fully cooperating with the FBI agents, and I’m happy to do in the future, too, until this gets resolved,” he said two years ago.

Mickelson, 45, was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011. He has won 42 tour events, including five majors three Masters, one PGA Championship and one British Open.

Mickelson has long had a reputation for being a gambler, though he has said he scaled back his habit after his son, Evan, was bo in 2003. The most publicized payoff was when Mickelson and friends won $560,000 on a preseason bet (28-1 odds) that the Baltimore Ravens would win the 2001 Super Bowl.

He has a history of playing money games during the practice rounds. He occasionally gets a group of players and caddies together for dinner and small wagering during the NBA and NHL playoffs, and prominent fights.

A spokesman for Dean Foods, based in Dallas, said Thursday that Davis resigned from the company’s board of directors last year and is no longer affiliated with the company. Dean Foods said it is cooperating with the govement investigation.

sport world...

ما را در سایت sport world دنبال می کنید

برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 320 تاريخ : پنجشنبه 30 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 23:34

Long Beach area CIF playoff schedule and results

Valley Christian's Giovanni Morandini (18) spikes the ball against Quartz Hill's Tyler Stephensen (21) during the first game of the CIF-SS Division 3 Semifinals, at Valley Christian. Cerritos Calif., Wednesday, May ,17, 2016. (Photo by Stephen Carr / Daily Breeze)

CIF Playoff Schedule and Results

Wednesday

Boys tennis, Semifinals

Division 3

Cypress 13, Cerritos 5

Division 5

Rosemead 10, Downey 8

Boys volleyball, Semifinals

Division 3

Valley Christian 3, Quartz Hills 0

Baseball, wild-card round

Division 1

Lakewood 10, Notre Dame 7

Poly at Edison

Today

Baseball, First Round, 3 p.m.

Division 2

Buena at Gahr

Ayala at La Mirada

Santa Barbara at Bellflower

Paramount at Moorpark

Cerritos at Rio Mesa

Mayfair at South Hills

Downey at Mission Viejo

Division 6

St. Anthony at Foothill Technology

Softball, first round, 3 p.m.

Division 1

Wilson at Los Alamitos

Roosevelt at Lakewood

Millikan at Huntington Beach

LB Poly at Pacifica

Division 3

Harvard-Westlake at Gahr

Chaminade at La Mirada

La Sea at Warren

Norwalk at Palos Verdes

Mayfair at Beaumont

St. Joseph at Redondo Union

Paramount at Bishop Amat

Cerritos at Don Lugo

Division 6

Crossroads at Calvary Chapel

Rio Hondo Prep at St. Anthony

Division 7

Hawthoe at Avalon

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برچسب : نویسنده : جمشید رضایی sporty بازدید : 287 تاريخ : پنجشنبه 30 ارديبهشت 1395 ساعت: 15:56

Injury-plagued Angels find way to beat Dodgers

ANAHEIM >> Even as the roster is falling apart, the Angels are inexplicably playing their best baseball of the season.

With an 8-1 victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday night, the Angels have won five of their last six games, despite earlier in the day placing their 10th player on the disabled list.

“The dust has settled,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “We know some guys are out of the lineup. What’s left is, we feel, a pretty good team.”

The players who are left have come together – for a week anyway – the way they must if they are going to contend.

“It (stinks) to have guys go down,” Mike Trout said. “A lot of teams go through it, and we’re just going through it all at once. We’re just trying to get wins. That’s all we can do.”

The offense has been fairly consistent, producing 45 runs in the past seven games.

Trout started it off with his eighth homer and added two singles, lifting his average to a season high .320. Albert Pujols also continued to come out of his slump with two more hits and two walks, improving to 11 for 29 (.379) in his last seven games.

The starting pitching, which was the primary issue during the six-game losing streak that preceded this stretch, has seemingly settled down. Angels starters have finished six innings in four of the past six games, and in the other two the starter left after five.

Nick Tropeano finally reached the magical six-inning barrier Wednesday night. In his first seven starts, he had come up short, more because of a high pitch count than ineffectiveness.

“It was just me trying to be too perfect with my pitches and not trusting my mechanics and letting the defense work,” Tropeano said.

This time, he did. He made it through seven innings on just 96 pitches, starting off easy – nine outs on 22 pitches – and spending the later innings getting himself into and out of trouble.

Tropeano got into jams in the fourth and fifth, but his most impressive escape was in the seventh. The Dodgers loaded the bases with no outs, and he got out by striking out Kiki Heandez and getting Justin Tuer to hit into a double play.

Meanwhile, the Angels put the game away with a five-run inning that looked like the work of a team going the right way. They parlayed one clean single and two walks into five runs, with the help of some breaks.

After Yunel Escobar led off with a single into center and Kole Calhoun popped out, Trout and Pujols both walked, loading the bases.

C.J. Cron hit a grounder into the hole. Shortstop Corey Seager gloved it but had no play. Johnny Giavotella then squibbed a ball toward first, but Howie Kendrick bobbled it for an error.

Rafael Ortega then dumped a blooper into left, just beyond the dive of Trayce Thompson, for a two-run double.

Carlos Perez followed with a sacrifice fly, completing the five-spot to put the Angels up, 6-1.

One of the walks and two of the hits came at the expense of Louis Coleman, who had not allowed a hit in May.

Coleman allowed two inherited runners to be charged to starter Mike Bolsinger, making his 2016 debut. After missing the first quarter of the season because of an oblique injury, Bolsinger allowed nine baserunners in 4-2/3 innings.

The Dodgers dropped to 13-19 in games started by someone other than Clayton Kershaw. They are 8-1 when their ace takes the mound.

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