Along the way to finding that importance the players also discovered little smiles, pure joy and genuine love for the game.

The Edison Chargers helped produce that, as players from the freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams volunteered to coach and play with kids from the Challenger Division of the Huntington Beach Little League.

“Before we got here, I told them they are going to work with kids who have special needs,” Lambright said. “I try to teach them baseball through life lessons. Now they are out here and working with these kids. They are helping and providing encouragement. That’s what it’s all about.”

…Continue reading “Virgen’s View: Edison Chargers hit a home run”

“I don’t cash any checks until we put money in the bank,” Sumner said, using a metaphor as an example that he doesn’t make predictions.

All the hard work the Sea Kings have put in paid off Friday at Irvine High, where the boys’ team won the PCL title with an impressive team effort and standout performances from John Swigert and Nick McGuinness.

The CdM girls’ team finished third at the PCL finals.

“I like to be confident and we had every position to win the league title,” Sumner said. “But you still have to run the races.”

The CdM 4×100-meter relay team certainly ran hard and quick. Thomas Testini, Nick Willard, Cole Cottrell and Swigert broke the school record, winning in 42.69 seconds. They broke the previous record (42.76) set in 1972 by Joe Tosti, John Miles, Matt Cox and Carlo Tosti.

Swigert, who scored 25 points, also won the 200 in 22.49 and the 400 in 49.42. Plus he was on the victorious 4×400 relay that won in 3 minutes, 25.25 seconds and also included Troy Hardy, Ryan Rodrigues, Swigert and Kyle Iverson.

“The team came together,” Sumner said. “They all knew they had a shot at [the PCL title].”

McGuinness scored 26 points with high finishes in three events. He won the 300 hurdles in 39.36 and took second in the 110 hurdles (15.49) and high jump (5 foot, 10 inches).

CdM’s Braden Brahs won the high jump, clearing 6-1.

Alex Imani was also a league champ for the Sea Kings with his big win in the discus (158-6).

“The secret to us winning is not a guy, but it’s several guys doing multiple events,” Sumner said.

The longtime CdM coach was thrilled his boys’ team won the league title. It adds to a great year the school is having in athletics. Plus it’s impressive since the small school has so many standout athletes in other sports such as lacrosse and volleyball, both having superb seasons.

The CdM boys grabbed the league title with 166 points. Woodbridge was second with 142.

On the girls’ side, CdM scored 74.5, finishing behind champion Woodbridge (175) and runner-up Irvine (116).

Kristen Rivera won the 800 in 2:16.19 for the Sea Kings. Karléh Wilson also a league champion for CdM, winning the shot put (40-1½). She was second in the discus (126-9).

Ashlee Powers finished second in the 3,200 in 11:01.80 and third in the 1,600 in 5:09.03.

The CdM league champs and others who qualified for the CIF Southern Section Division 3 preliminaries will compete Saturday at Jim Scott Stadium.

“Sit up straight,” Niedermayer said.

For 18 years, Niedermayer was looked to as a leader on his teams. Now he’s mainly the leader of his family. That family, which includes wife Lisa, and sons Logan, 12, Jackson, 11, Joshua, 8, and Luke, 3, has been grateful that Niedermayer is now away from the game. They follow his direction. They get to spend more time all together, as a family, said Niedermayer, a Newport Beach resident.

…Continue reading “Q & A with Scott Niedermayer”

Friday

Newport Beach Country Club

First round groupings & starting times

Tee No. 1

10:30 a.m. – Jim Thorpe, Don Pooley, Sandy Lyle

10:39 – Fuzzy Zoeller, Dave Stockton, J.L. Lewis

10:48 – Jim Colbert, Gary McCord, Bobby Clampett

10:57 – Doug Tewell, Chip Beck, Tom Byrum

11:06 – John Jacobs, Joey Sindelar, Stan Utley

11:15 – Bruce Lietzke, Chien Soon Lu, Mark Brooks

11:24 – Tom Jenkins, Wayne Levi, Bill Glasson

11:33 – Russ Cochran, Jeff Sluman, David Frost

11:42 – Fred Funk, Larry Mize, Mark Calcavecchia

11:51 – Jay Haas, Mark McNulty, David Eger

12:00 – Corey Pavin, John Cook, Mark O’Meara

12:09 – Fred Couples, Nick Price, Bernhard Langer

12:18 – Brad Faxon, Gary Halberg, Tom Kite

12:27 – Jeff Hart, P.H. Horgan III, Ben Bates

Tee No. 10

10:30 a.m. – Andy Bean, Dana Quigley, Bob Tway

10:39 – Gil Morgan, Tommy Armour III, Hal Sutton

10:48 – Tom Purtzer, Bobby Wadkins, Jim Carter

10:57 – Craig Stadler, Peter Senior, Jim Gallagher Jr.

11:06 – Morris Hatalsky, Peter Jacobsen, Steve Pate

11:15 – Scott Simpson, Vicente Fernandez, Steve Lowery

11:24 – Ted Schulz, Jay Don Blake, Curtis Strange

11:33 – Dan Forsman, Michael Allen, John Hutson

11:42 – Tom Lehman, D.A. Weibring, Ben Crenshaw

11:51 – Olin Browne, Brad Bryant, Loren Roberts

12:00 – Lonnie Nielsen, Bob Gilder, Hale Irwin

12:09 – Mark Wiebe, Rod Spittle, Mike Goodes

12:18 – Jim Rutledge, Greg Bruckner, Greg Hopkins

Newport Harbor's Taury Hlinka, left, celebrates with teammate Jill Messersmith. (Photo by Kevin Chang / Daily Pilot)

Newport Harbor High will play for its fourth straight Los Angeles Field Hockey Assn. Tournament of Champions title after scoring a 2-1 semifinal victory at Glendora Wednesday.

Senior Madison Wooters and junior Jill Messersmith scored one goal each, while Kirsten Rohan added an assist for Newport Harbor (19-4-2).

Senior Kelly Conant stood out on defense for the Sailors.

Newport Harbor will play against Huntington Beach at Edison Thursday at 3 p.m. for the TOC crown. It is the fourth straight time the teams have met in the TOC final.

The Oilers beat Harvard-Westlake, 2-0, in the other semifinal Wednesday.

Poker pros Michelle Lau, David Moskian and Joe Sebok will also be on hand for the fifth annual Ante Up for Autism “Gala and Casino Night,” that will benefit Talk About Curing Autism.

TACA is a national non-profit organization that provides support and resources to families across the nation.

More celebrities and athletes are expected for the event that raised more than $222,000 last year for families who are touched by autism. The event starts at 5 p.m. with photos on the red carpet.

UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake, left, with Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant has made a cameo in a UC Irvine Athletics music video for its Welcome Week. It can be seen here.

He’s with the men’s and women’s cross country teams at the 1:55 and 5:05 marks. Love Shack, baby!

It’s not the first time the Los Angeles Lakers star has appeared in a promotional video for UCI. He also pumped up Anteater fans for the beginning of the UCI men’s and women’s basketball seasons. That can be seen here.

So what’s the connection to UCI for Bryant?

He does live close by in Newport Coast. Also, Bryant has his workouts coordinated by Ryan Badrtalei, a UCI men’s basketball assistant coach, according to a blog by ESPN reporter Diamond Leung. Bryant has been seen on the basketball court at UCI, lifting weights in the gym, running on the track, or swimming in the pool.

Bryant also shared “A Night with Kobe,” when he held a Q&A session at the university last year.

He has become a friend of UCI. But don’t expect him to change his nickname to the Black Anteater.

Sary, who has verbally committed to USC, was among 646 players from 38 states named to the Watch List, which serves as the starting point for the Under Armour All-American selection process.

In November, the AVCA will name 48 players as an Under Armour All-American, with 24 players being selected to both a first team and a second team. Each of the 24 players on the first team will be invited to play in the Under Armour All-American Volleyball Match & Skills Competition. The event will be held Dec. 16 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, in conjunction with the 2011 AVCA Annual Convention.

For more information on the Under Armour Girls’ High School All-American volleyball awards program, visit www.avca.org/awards/all-america/high-school/.

Sary is the only Newport-Mesa player on the AVCA All-American Watch List. The setter was named to the Daily Pilot Dream Team the past two years. Last year, she led the Sailors (22-13, 7-3 in the Sunset League) with 774 assists and 120 blocks and finished with 230 kills, 176 digs and eight service aces.

She earned first-team All-CIF Southern Section Division I-AA honors, as well as first-team All-Sunset League recognition.

In July, Sary led the Orange County Volleyball Club 17 Blue team to the 17s national division title in the USA Volleyball Junior National Championships.

Sary was named MVP after helping OCVC to an 11-0 record in the tournament formerly known as the Junior Olympics.

She led Newport Harbor to three pool-play wins in the Ann Kang Tournament at ‘Iolani High on Honolulu, Hawaii Thursday.

Bell, now 42, is a volunteer coach for the Costa Mesa High football team. He recently dealt with a near-death experience and vowed to give back to the community. He wanted to coach football. He says he doesn’t want to be paid.

Bell, a Costa Mesa resident the past two years, starred at Iowa before landing with the Raiders. He is regarded as one of the top backs in Hawkeyes history, helping Iowa to the Rose Bowl in 1990 against Washington, the winner.

Bell said he went to coach the Costa Mesa Mustangs on a whim. He wants to make an impact.

Continue reading: Mesa welcomes Bell

Stewart Hagestad

USC’s Stewart Hagestad of Newport Beach is the leader after the first round of the 39th annual Will Jordan Classic a.k.a. the Costa Mesa City Championship.

Hagestad, who qualified for the U.S. Amateur last month at Big Canyon Country Club, shot a 10-under-par 62 at the Mesa Linda Course Saturday to lead the championship flight.

Jason Bittick, the 2009 Costa Mesa City champion, is one stroke back at 63. Issei Suenaga, who shot a 65, enters Sunday’s final round at Los Lagos in third.

For the rest of the scores, click here.