Former Mt. SAC QB Kevin Craft makes one of his throws that helped UCLA beat Tennessee on Monday.

UCLA may be in Westwood, but the Bruins football team certainly has some San Gabriel Valley flavor.
Of its top players, three have a Valley connection - Mt. San Antonio College's Kevin Craft, Los Altos' Brigham Harwell and Charter Oak's Aaron Perez. All three played key roles in UCLA opening the season with a 27-24 victory over Tennessee at the Rose Bowl on Labor Day.
Harwell was a monster inside, constantly blowing up the Vols' offensive schemes from his defensive line position. Perez, a two-year starter at punter, allowed UCLA to win the field-position battle, and Craft was the talk of the nation after following a four-interception first half with stout second half in which he led UCLA to a pair of TD drives that eventually led to the 27-24 victory.
Keep up the good work, Valley stars!

Former Los Altos star Shaun Cody, left, hopes to keep working on Sundays.

The National Football League, as a business, can be quite cruel.
There are no provisionals in the NFL. The best players play, and those who don't fit that criteria, must look elsewhere.
Former Los Altos High School star Shaun Cody finds himself right in the middle of that world. Cody, who after earning All-America status at USC and being regarded enough for the Detroit Lions to select him in the second-round of the 2005 NFL Draft, is now playing with his roster spot on the line this exhibition season.
It's a system that Cody truly understands.
"I don't take it as pressure," Cody told Detroitlions.com. "I just take it as a chance to compete for a spot. I know we've got a lot of defensive tackles and the reality is you can only keep so many. All you can do is go out and compete.
"If you put pressure on yourself, that's when guys tend to worry about it. You can't lose sleep over it, but go out there and compete. If you're the guy for the spot and they think you can perform and play to what they want you to, that's the only thing you can hope for."
Cody, who played in all 16 games, starting two his rookie year in 2005 and 15 games last season, has played in all of the team's three exhibition games, recording four tackles. Cody, who is listed as the team's No. 2 nose tackle, gets his last chance to state his case when the Lions travel to Buffalo to face the Bills on Thursday.
"I need to go out there and produce," Cody said. "I know I've had a good camp up to this point and now it's just time to prove it. That's when you've got to prove it. It doesn't matter what you do in practice. In the end, it's what you can put on tape and what you can show on film."

Brigham Harwell, a former Los Altos star who is now at UCLA, returns to the football field this season.

This is expected to be a special Labor Day for former Los Altos High School football star Brigham Harwell, who is now at UCLA.
Sept. 1 is the day the Bruins open the 2008 season with a home encounter against Tennessee at the Rose Bowl. But it's also signifies the end of Harwell's long wait. The senior missed all but one game last season. But now he's ready to return.
"I really can't wait for the season to start," Harwell recently. "Last year was very difficult for me. I had never missed a season. My Saturdays were spent watching UCLA on TV, and not playing.
"I'm really excited about the year. I've worked real hard, getting my timing, watching film and just preparing to perform on Saturdays."
And the general consensus is that he will not only perfom on Saturdays, but do it quite well. He is considered to be one of the top players at his position, not just in the Pac-10, but in the nation as well. He begins the season on the watch list for the Outland Trophy, which is awarded to the top lineman in the country.
"I don't think there's any question that to play great defense, you have to be able to create a pass rush and disruption with your front four," UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said. "When you have the benefit and advantage of a guy like Brigham to start your defense, it's a nice place to start. It gives us hope to be a very, very strong defense."
Now Harwell is ready for a banner season, and the view from here says he will have one.

Oregon's Walter Thurmond, a former star at West Covina High School has become one of the top defensive backs in the country.

Walter Thurmond III left West Covina High School a few years ago as one of the top players in Valley. He will return to the Southland later this fall as one of the nation's best.
The junior cornerback, who is now a key member of the University of Oregon's 'Gang Green,' is considered one of the top defensive backs in the country, and was recently placed on the watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the top defensive back in the country.
Expect big things from the former All-Area player, who will return to SoCal when Oregon faces USC at the Coliseum on Oct. 4. Thurmond had a team-high 75 solo tackles in 2007 and returned both a fumble and an interception back for scores. He's been described as a touchdown waiting to happen.
"He's a playermaker," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. "He has unbelievable quickness. He's not the biggest guy. But he's very physical. He's a great tackler, and he's a track athlete in terms of his speed and athleticism.
"But he's become a mentally tough player, and his involvement with Jairus Byrd and Patrick Chung gives us one of the best secondaries in the nation."

Former Mt. SAC quarterback to be the one at UCLA.

Kevin Craft, the highly-touted former Mt. San Antonio College quarterback who is now at UCLA, will be the Bruins starter when UCLA opens the 2008 season at the Rose Bowl against Tennessee on Sept. 1.
Craft was announced the starter earlier this week by coach Rick Neuheisel.
I personally believe Craft will do quite well. He has the tools to be a serviceable quarterback at the Division I level. He has adequate arm strength, makes good decisions and I love his pocket presence.

Former Mt. SAC QB Kevin Craft could start for UCLA on Labor Day.

Sometimes, sports is all about being in the right place at the right time.
In the case of former Mt. San Antonio College quarterback Kevin Craft, opportunity is definitely knocking.
Craft, two years removed from starting five games for San Diego State before enjoying a monster year at Mt. SAC last season, is the front runner to be UCLA's starting quarterback when the Bruins open the 2008 season in three weeks against Tennessee in the Rose Bowl.
Craft, who threw for more than 4,000 yards and 44 touchdowns in leading the Mounties to the CCCAA state title game last season, got his opportunity when senior Ben Olson re-injured his foot this past Saturday, and will miss the next two months.

Craft, who is battling redshirt freshman Chris Forcier for the job, appeared to earn some brownie points after enjoying a solid practice Tuesday morning.
My impression of Craft, while he was at Mt. SAC last season, was that he will do quite well at the Division I level. Now, for Bruins fans, don't expect miracles, but the junior has nearly every thing to be successful. He has a decent arm, solid pocket awareness and good football sense that most coaches' sons usually enjoy.
He also has something else on his side - Karma. Fred Robledo tells me that when UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel was in then his first season at Colorado, his quarterback was Mt. SAC transfer Mike Moschetti. Now that the former Bruin star is back in his first season at his alma mater, his quarterback may be another former Mountie, this time Kevin Craft.
What comes around, goes around.
Besides isn't it better for a quarterback to be CRAFTy, then to FORCIER it?

UCLA's Bret Lockett, a former Diamond Bar High star, is expected to be suspended for UCLA's season opener against Tennessee at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 1.

Former Diamond Bar High School football star, projected to start  at strong safety for UCLA this fall, is expected to be suspended for the Bruins' season opener against Tennessee at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 1 after violating the team's academic policy.
Lockett, a former All-Area player, has 21 tackles in three seasons as the team's No. 2 strong safety the past two seasons.
He will be allowed to participate in training camp in August and in practice and will be eligible for UCLA's road game against Brigham Young on Sept. 13.

The 2008 MLB All-Star game will be special for Bishop Amat fans.
The 79th Mid-Summer Classic, scheduled for Tuesday at Yankee Stadium in New York, will feature two former Lancers - pitcher Dan Haren of the Arizona Diamondbacks and infielder Michael Young of the Texas Rangers. Both are having killer years.
To read more of from Lancers to All-Stars, click the thread

The local ties to the MLB All Star Game, scheduled for Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, will be limited to former Bishop Amat stars Michael Young of the Texas Rangers and Dan Haren of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
We just feel that the list should also include former South Hills star Jason Giambi, who now plays first base for the New York Yankees, and ex-Glendora standout Aaron Rowand, who now patrols the outfield for the San Francisco Giants.
The fans voted for former Rio Hondo College star Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays and Corey Hart of the Milwaukee Brewers. Both are good players, but  we think the nod should have gone to Rowand and Giambi.
Giambi looks like the clear choice in the American League. He  and Longoria have solid numbers, but I just tend to like his long-ball potential, which this season features 18 homers and 54 RBIs, which are slightly better than Longoria's 16 and 53. Plus, it would be nice to see a Yankee play in the final All-Star Game in Yankee Stadium.
On the National League side, Hart is solid with a .292 average and 15 HRs. I just happen to like Rowand's overall game, which includes his speed and his ability to make every play, even if it means running through a wall.
Hart probably deserves to be there, but does the Cubs' Kosuke Fukudome?
Rowand's numbers are slightly better, and he has more speed and power potential. But I guess that's what we get when fans are allowed to stuff the ballot box.

Major League Baseball's All-Star Game Final Vote features some local flavor.
Of the 10 players on the National and American League ballot, two once called the San Gabriel Valley home.
On the American League side is former South Hills standout Jason Giambi, who has been solid for the New York Yankees this season, with 18 home runs and 53 RBIs. Also on the  AL ballot is Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays. Longoria played locally at Rio Hondo College.
On the National League side is former Glendora star Aaron Rowand, who is in first season playing for the San Francisco Giants. He is hitting .300 with 47 RBIs.
Lets back our locals, so get out there and vote.

Glendora's Aaron Rowand is back on the left coast

Glendora's Aaron Rowand left here nearly 15 years ago with his thoughts on a dream that would end with a life of playing Major League Baseball.
His dream has become a reality, and now he gets to prove it near home as the chief star for the San Francisco Giants, who he signed with in January as a free agent.
The move to the left coast hasn't hurt Rowand, who is doing fine in his first season in San Francisco.
Rowand, who had his number retired at Glendora earlier this decade, came to San Francisco after spending stints with the Chicago White Sox, who he helped win a World Series in 2005, and the Philadelphia Phillies. He hit .309 with 27 home runs for Philadelphia last season, and has nearly picked up where he left off,  hitting .305 with eight homers for the Giants. He also has hit 18 doubles and has a .523 slugging percentage.
Rowand is also a good bet to make the MLB All-Star game this season. He returns to Southern California at the end of July when the Giants visit Dodger Stadium for a three-game series.

Former Los Altos star Brigham Harwell looks to make plays like this for UCLA this season.

This coming football season is an important one for former Los Altos High School star Brigham Harwell, who is not only coming back from an injury that forced him to miss most of 2007, but he will also fill an important role for the UCLA football team: Harwell was  one of two players named team captain last week, joining tight end Logan Paulson.
Harwell, a sack machine at Los Altos, has been a key player for UCLA's defense, starting 23 of 25 games during his sophomore and junior seasons. His return from knee surgery will be key for the Bruins, who lost several starters on the defensive side from last season.
UCLA begins its season Sept. 1 with a home game against Tennessee.

Former Northview star Chris Woodward, far right, looks to celebrate in the Major Leagues like this again.

When I think what former Northview High School baseball star Chris Woodward has had to endure this season and why he keeps coming back for more, my thoughts turn to Steve Carlton.
Carlton, arguably one of the top pitchers of all time, by his own admission, hung on to his life in the Major Leagues way too long. Carlton, after earning 313 victories in his first 20 seasons in the big leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies, was a dismal 16-37 during his final four seasons while being cut, released or having his contract not renewed during stops with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins.
A reporter asked Carlton, who truly had already cinched his spot in Cooperstown, why he continued to hang on with really nothing more to prove?
Carlton's answer was quick and to the point: "The life," he said, referring to what baseball gave him - a good salary and the life of five-star hotels and restaurants.
No one knows that more than Woodward, who after stops with the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, is trying to work his way back to the Major Leagues.
But its been a long and winding road this season for Woodward, who hit just .199 for the Braves last season.
It started with the New York Yankees, who he signed a minor-league contract with before the season. He made it to the final cut in spring training before being released in March.
He signed another minor-league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies and played the first month of the season with the Lehigh (Pa.) Iron Pigs, hitting just .206 with an RBI in 19 games before being released on May 2.
But there is no giving up in Woodward, who again signed another minor-league deal two weeks ago, this time with the Milwaukee Brewers.
All signs are looking good as Woodward is off to a solid start for the Nashville Sounds. He is hitting .286 with an RBI in his first six games for the Pacific Coast League Triple-A team.
Here's hoping Woodward can make it back to the cathedrals of Major League Baseball.

Former Temple City star Ryan Tucker was impressive Sunday in his MLB debut.

If you back up your dream with work, it will eventually come true.
Just ask Ryan Tucker.
The former Temple City High School baseball star, who was compensation pick by the Florida Marlins in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, got his call to the Major League's Saturday and passed with flying colors, winning his Major League debut in the Marlins' 9-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.
Tucker, who spent the first portion of the season going 4-2 for the Double-A Carolina Mudcats, limited the Reds to just two hits and one run with six strike outs in five innings. He also walked five.
"I was still a little nervous in the first two innings, but I did what I can to settle down and control the walks," Tucker told MLB.com. "I just told myself to relax, take a deep breath and make pitches.
"I'm going to stay as long as they want me, and hopefully, I could keep giving them wins."
Reports also indicate that Tucker's stay with Florida may be a long one.
"He's been dominating Double-A, and he's improved his pitches," manager Fredi Gonzalez told MLB.com. "He deserves to come up here and pitch in the big leagues.
"We'll take it one day at a time, but I don't foresee him being a spot starter or anything like that. I think we're going to give him an opportunity to stick around."

Arizona State softball players were all smiles after winning the Women's College World Series.

Kristen Miller is No. 1.
Miller, a former Diamond Bar High School softball star, helped Arizona State win the school's first softball national title earlier this week after sweeping Texas A&M in the championship series at the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Miller was the team's starting catcher and one of the Sun Devils top hitters.
Way to bring it home, Kristen.

The NCAA's Road to Omaha and the College World Series included two former area prep baseball stars this past weekend.
The Fullerton Regional not only featured a battle between local rivals Cal State Fullerton and UCLA, but also former local players Gary Brown of Diamond Bar and Rob Rasmussen of Pasadena Poly.
Fullerton, and Brown, had the last laugh, scoring a 5-4 victory Monday night to advance to this weekend's NCAA Super Regionals.
Brown, who went 1 for 3 Monday, including 0 for 1 in a head-to-head battle against Rasmussen,  hit .353 during the regional and scored five runs with five stolen bases. Rasmussen, who had been hampered my injuries for much of the season, got the start in the pivotal game Monday night. He got the loss to finish 0-2 on the season after giving up six hits and three runs in the three innings.
The Bruins had their season end at the hand of the Titans for the second consecutive season. Fullerton swept a two-game series in the Super Regionals last season.
Fullerton, which has won four national titles, advances to host Stanford in the Super Regionals, beginning Friday.

The road to the softball College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla. has been long and winding for former Diamond High School star Kristen Miller.
But that won't matter at all to Miller when she and her Arizona State teammates go for the collegiate softball crown, beginning Thursday.

The senior catcher, who began her collegiate career at nearby Long Beach State, has played a big part in the Sun Devils rise to the top, hitting a solid .329 with 16 home runs and 56 RBis. That followed last season's break-through campaign when she hit 11 home runs with 26 RBIs and a .507 slugging percentage.
Miller, the younger sister of former Diamond Bar baseball player Dustin Miller who helped Cal State Fullerton to the College World Series in 2003, and her teammates open the Women's College World Series against Alabama at 4 p.m. All games are on ESPN HD.
Here's to bringing home the title for this former Valley star.

How about Cal State SGV, er Fullerton.
The Cal State Fullerton baseball team, which has shown some San Gabriel Valley flavor for much of the past decade and beyond, has turned around what early appeared to be an average season and is suddenly on fire, rising from outside the Top 25 to inside the Top 10, dropping into the No. 8 slot in this week's Baseball America ranks.
It looks to be like another Omaha summer for the Titans.
And again the Titans have some SGV roots to thank. In the past it was such former area players as PJ Pilitterre of Bishop Amat, Dustin Miller and Danny Dorn of Diamond Bar, Brett Pill of Covina, Sergio Pedroza of Northview and Wes Roemer of Glendora.
Now Gary Brown, of Diamond Bar, is bringing that 626 flavor to the 714, being a steady .285 hitter with a speed persona on the base paths with 16 steals in 19 attempts. Brown has also shown some power, hitting five home runs with 24 RBIs.
He will be action when Fullerton hosts San Diego State in a nonconference series this weekend before closing the regular season against rival Long Beach State at Blair Field in Long Beach.

This blog is usually about keeping up with the sporting careers of our past area prep stars. But in the wake of former area prep star Felipe Aguilar being named just the fourth football coach at Los Altos last week, I thought what better time than to discuss how in 2000 I picked Aguilar over Shaun Cody, who is now with the Detroit Lions, as this area's football Player of the Year.
A variety of different people have asked me over the years how I could make such a decision when Cody had more upside potential for future greatness of the two.
But my view of Player of the Year, as does college football's Heisman Trophy, is not all about what player has greater potential, but who had the better season that year and who is more valuable. That's always been my criteria, and will continue to be.
It's the same reason I didn't didn't select Charter Oak's Chuck Tiffany first team all-area during his junior season. While he was clearly the player in the area with the most talent, he didn't play enough due to injury that season, in my mind, to warrant first team all-area. But that's an argument for another post.
Back to the topic.
Cody was clearly the most-talented player in the area in 2000. You knew he had the potential to be a collegiate All-American, and to eventually play in the NFL. But again, I've always judged it by what happens on the field, not potential or talent.
The Aguilar argument:  He had arguably the single-best season ever by a Valley quarterback, matching Pat Haden's Valley record of 42 TD passes and coming within 67 yards shy of Mike Smith's passing yardage mark. He also  marched  Los Altos back from playoff elimination, leading them on an 80-yard TD drive with less than two minutes to play in a 28-27 victory over  California in the divisional semifinals.
The Cody argument: From an athletic standpoint, the most talented player in the area in 2000. He would later become an All-American at USC and play for the Detroit Lions of the NFL. He was a sack machine at Los Altos, getting 33 his junior year and backing it up with 23 in 2000. He also was the top tight end in the area, and also showed is worth as bull-dozing fullback near the goal line. He also came up big in Los Altos' victory over Charter Oak in the divisional finals.
The final decision: As far as I was concerned, there was no wrong decision here. Cody, like stated above, was clearly the most-talented player in the area, but matching a Valley record that was held by arguably one of the area's all-time players, was hard to overlook, and in the end, I couldn't. Also, Aguilar leading Los Altos on the drive in the semifinals ranks, on the high-school scale in my mind, right up there with John Elway's "The Drive." It's what quarterbacks are expected to do, and when they do, they are rewarded. I did the same with Aguilar.
Final thoughts: I still have no regrets and stand by my decision to this day.
I've never heard any arguments from either player, so I will take that as approval.
Thoughts?

Former Bishop Amat High School softball star Lauren Mirabal may have just one plate appearance for No. 4 ranked UCLA, but the freshman is still a key contributor for the Bruins in another way - on the base paths.
Mirabal, who has played in 28 of the team's 46 games, is amazing 8 for 8 in steals and has scored 13 runs. The eight steals ties her for the team lead with Amanda Kamekona, a former Ayala star who transferred to Westwood from Cal State Fullerton.
Mirabal should be a key contributor this weekend when UCLA (41-5) concludes its home season with games against Arizona and No. 1 Arizona State. The Bruins face the Wildcats on Friday with encounters against the Sun Devils on Saturday and Sunday.