May 2008 Archives

Overheard a conversation between two high school basketball players (not from Daily News area) discussing how they would handle the summer practices. Both apparently also play baseball and it seems that while the basketball coach didn't say it outright he implied (or at least they inferred) that the number of team's "get togethers" this summer will be increased and might overlap some baseball workouts/games.
Both players were wondering if they would have to choose between the two.

Now that coaches have pretty much unrestricted contact opportunities in coaching their athletes, is the plight of these two athletes going to become the norm. Most coaches talk about sharing their athletes with other sports, but some of that charitable attitude may have been because the rule limited the amount of time and when they could coach their athletes.

With the restrictions lifted, it will be easier to place more demands on the athletes' time.

The newly adjusted "association" rule: Good idea, or bad idea?

Ashley Holmes' two-run home run in the first inning gave pitcher Holly Consterdine all the offense she needed and she did the rest with a 10-strikeout, no-walks perfomance that carried the Lancers to a 5-1 victory over Paloma Valley in the CIF-SS, Division III championship game.
Holmes had two hits and three rbis, Consterdine had two hits and an rbi, and sophomore Danielle Cabrera had two hits, a walk and scored a run.
La Serna finished the season with a 27-4 record and a stirring rendition of "We are the Champions" sung as a group behind the left field fence following the game.

The "non-call" in the final seconds created a huge controversy in the Lakers' 93-91 win over San Antonio Tuesday, and you hear high school coaches talk about calls made or not made in the final minutes all the time, especially in football.
Unless it's flagrant, should game officials whistle a rule infraction in the final minutes/seconds, or should they swallow their whistle and let the game take its own course?
Make the call, or non-call, that is the question.
Is their responsibility (in high school games) to officiate the entire 48 minutes (football) or 32 minutes (basketball), or is it acceptable/important to ignore an infraction/incidental contact that has/has not the potential to change the outcome in the final moments so long as neither player gained an advantage?

La Serna High School will continue its quest for the CIF Southern Section, Division III softball championship in the title game against Paloma Valley at 4:15 p.m. Friday at Deanna Manning Stadium in Barber Park in Irvine.

The rest of the championship playoff schedule:

Friday
Div. VI, 2 p.m. - Calvary Murrieta vs. Riverside Christian
Div. II, 6:30 p.m. - El Modena vs. Glendora

Saturday
Div. V, 10 a.m. - Torrance vs. North Torrance
Div. IV, 12:30 p.m. - Bishop Amat vs. Ocean View
Div. VII, 3:30 p.m. - Faith Baptist vs. Viewpoint
Div. I, 6 p.m. - Simi Valley vs. Valencia/Valencia

St. Paul and La Serna high school will play this weekend for the CIF Southern Division championships in their respective sports.

St. Paul used a bases-loaded base-on-balls in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat visiting Paraclete, 6-5, in a Division V baseball semifinal game Tuesday.

The Swordsmen will play Bishop Amat, a 17-8 winner over Bishop Montgomery, in Saturday's 7 p.m. championship game at UC Riverside.

Southern Section Championships

Thursday at Dodger Stadium
Div. III: South Hills (23-5) vs. #2 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (26-4), 4:30 p.m.
Div. II: #1 Redlands East Valley (26-3) vs. El Toro (24-7), 7:30 p.m.

Friday at Dodger Stadium
Div. IV: #1 Northview (25-4) vs. Diamond Ranch (17-11), 4:30 p.m.
Div. I: #4 Simi Valley (24-8) vs. Wilson/Norco winner, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday at UC Riverside
Div. VII: Upland Christian (19-10) vs. Avalon (15-10), noon
Div. VI: #1 San Jacinto (21-8) vs. Maranatha (18-10-1), 3:30 p.m.
Div. V: #1 Bishop Amat (26-4) vs. #3 St. Paul (22-11-1), 7 p.m.

La Serna, which stunned Division III's No. 1 seed Crescenta Valley, 3-2, in a softball semifinal Tuesday, advances to the title game to be played either Friday or Saturday at Deanna Manning Stadium in Barber Park in Irvine.
The softball playoff schedule will be posted later this week.

Whittier Christian struggled at the plate and dropped a 2-0 decision to visiting Torrance in a CIF-SS, Division V quarterfinal softball playoff game Saturday afternoon.

The loss ends the Heralds' season with a 19-9-1 record that includes the Olympic League (6-2) championship.

Pitcher Courtney McGee struck out five, walked three and gave up just four hits, but two of the hits and one of the walks accounted for the Tartars' runs in the top of the sixth inning.

Torrance pitcher Jessica Moon gave up a leadoff double to Rebekah Kikuchi in the bottom of the first inning, and Nicole Fett's bloop single that landed just inches fair inside the right field line in the bottom of the seventh. In between, Moon struck out 16, including 11 in a row.

The Heralds' loss leaves the area with two teams still in postseason play.

La Serna will be on the road Tuesday to face unbeaten Crescenta Valley (29-0) in a Division III softball semifinal game. The Lancers edged Beckman, 2-0, in Friday's replay of Thursday's game that was halted after one inning due to rain and lightning.
Crescenta Valley, the division's No. 1 seed, blanked Santa Monica, 3-0, to advance.

St. Paul will be home Tuesday to host Paraclete in a Division V baseball semifinal game. The Swordsmen downed Serrano, 6-2, as Gabriel Encinas struck out 11 Friday.
Paraclete advanced via a 15-1 rout of Hesperia.

Whittier Christian's softball game against visiting Torrance in the CIF-SS Division V playoff quarterfinals has been rescheduled a second time.
The game was to have been played Thursday, and then was pushed back to Friday due to wet weather.
Now, it is set for a 2:30 start Saturday ... that is, Mother Nature permitting.

Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary's softball season ended abruptly when athletic director Pete Smolin and ;principal David Chambers opted not to pursue a protest the coaches had filed against Marymount following a 3-2, nine-inning second round playoff loss Tuesday.

Assistant coach Oscar Alvarado said the protest was filed because he and head coach Alex Blanco felt the Sailors had broken the rule concerning pre-game batting ;practice.

Asked Thursday morning if the protest had been acted upon, a CIF Southern Section spokesperson said that "Cantwell has withdrawn it's protest."

Contacted later Thursday mornring, Smolin said he had received a fax from the CIF-SS office explaining the ;protest had been denied, and that the school could appeal the decision if so desired.

"We have decided against filing an appeal," Smolin said

Smolin said gthe decision then was made not to appeal the decision.

CIF-SS Baseball playoff schedule:
Division III
Second round
Crespi at La Serna
Westminster La Quinta at California
Division V
St. Paul at Azusa

CIF-SS Softball playoff schedule:
Division III
Second round
La Serna at Garden Grove
Division V
Temple City at Whittier Christian
Schurr at San Dimas
Division VI
Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary at Marymount

All games initially scheduled for 3:15 p.m. starts.

Downey led for only 12 minutes of a two-hour baseball game, but it was
enough to bring a premature end to El Rancho's baseball season in
Thursday's CIF-SS Division III first round playoff contest.

Trailing 3-0 after six innings as Dons' right-hander Chris Villalobos'
dominant one-hit effort on his way to a 10-strikeout
performance, the Vikings took advantage of a break in focus and belted a
pair of two-run home runs in the top of the seventh to win, 4-3.

In other area baseball games Thursday;
(Division III)
California upset No. 3 seed Cajon, 4-2, behind left-hander Tyler Leibert;
La Serna rallied for a come-from-behind 6-1 victory over visiting Montebello;
La Mirada lost to Paloma Valley, 6-1;

(Division V)
Host St. Paul got big relief from Bobby Santoyo in downing Montclair Prep, 16-6;
Whittier Christian lost to Bishop Montgomery, 5-0;

An outstanding performance Wednesday by freshman pitcher Kayla Klein
pushed La Habra into Friday's first round of the CIF-SS, Division III
softball playoffs.

The Highlanders will travel to Irvine to face
Beckman, the Pacific Coast League champion, ranked No. 4 in the final
CIF-SS poll and seeded No. 4 in the division for the playoffs.

Klein scattered four hits, tied her season high with 12 strikeouts and walked
one in leading a 2-1 win over visiting Quartz Hill. Klein also had the game-winning hit, a two-out, bases-loaded, RBI-single in the sixth inning that broke a 1-1 tie.

In Wednesday's other wild card game involving an area team, California rolled over host Westminster La Quinta, 16-3, and will be on the road to face Ocean League champion, Santa Monica (21-8) Friday.

Other softball games scheduled Friday:
Temescal Canyon (21-6) is at La Mirada (20-7)
Wild card winner between Burbank/Burroughs (13-12)-La Reina (13-11) at
host La Serna (20-7)
Santa Fe (14-12) at Laguna Hills (20-6)
St. Paul (16-10) at Chaminade (15-10)
WC winner between Mark Keppel (14-5)-Duarte (10-12) at Whittier Christian (17-8-1)
Flintridge Prep (12-7) at Schurr (16-6)
WC winner between La Canada (12-12)-Ridgecrest Burroughs (16-10) at
Montebello (11-14)
WC winner between Arroyo (14-8)-Sacred Heart of Jesus (7-9) at Cantwell
Sacred Heart (17-9).

Baseball games Thursday:
California (17-11) at Cajon (22-3)
La Mirada (18-12) at Paloma Valley (21-3)
Montebello (15-8) at La Serna 18-8)
Downey (18-10) at El Rancho (20-4)
Bishop Montgomery (15-10-10 at Whittier Christian (16-10)
Montclair Prep (16-10) at St. Paul (18-11-1)

Baseball game Friday:
Santa Maria St. Joseph (12-12) at La Habra (14-9).

Chris Vargas' no-hit pitching and a sparkling defensive effort, despite three errors, carried El Rancho to a 3-1 victory over La Serna and a second consecutive DRL baseball championship.
The Dons turned four double plays, highlighted by second-baseman Mike Manriquez's pivot at the bag and impressive play all around.
Marcus Aldecoa, limited to designated hitter responsibilities due to a still-sore groin pull, set the offensive tone when he drew a two-out base on balls in the second inning, and when La Serna second baseman Raymond Morrill muffed Carlos Cabrera's ground ball, Aldecoa never hesitated in hustling safely all the way to third base.
He drew a futile throw from right fielder Nathan Garcia that sailed over the fence behind third base, and Aldecoa was awarded home plate and El Rancho's first run that tied the score.
La Serna's Victor Soto was impressive in defeat. With no offensive support, he limited the Dons to two hits, and struck out five, four of them in the last three innings to help keep the game close and give his team a chance to win.

Baseball and softball playoff pairings will be announced Monday. El Rancho, La Serna and California will represent the Del Rio League in that order.

Ray Madrid, El Rancho's fine wide receiver, has indeed been added to the West team (as per Anonymous' original post). Apparently former coach Gene Parsons did not respond to the inquiry letter sent by the game administrators that asks for nominations.
New coach Rick Zepeda has remedied that and look for an additional El Rancho player, to be named later, to be added at that time.
Other additions: Warren linebacker Anthony Lopez to the West squad; and Norwalk tackle Uaita Emosi to the East squad; who actually was on the original list but inadvertently omitted from the latest list.

So the CIF Southern Section has eliminated its "association" rule that restricted the amount of time high school coaches could work with their athletes during the off season, which opens the door for what basically could become year 'round programs.

A down side to this is that some observers feel this will create situations that limit an athlete's participation to just one sport and force them to specialize because coaches will be able to require more time of them.

An upside is that athletes who want to specialize will be able to spend more time with their coach and, at least theoretically, develope their skills more quickly.
No more assciation restrictions, more freedom to coach.

Good idea, or bad, for coaches and/or student/athletes?

For one of his team's most important games of the season, California
High School baseball coach Tony Nieto will not be at the Condors' game
against El Rancho today (Friday).
And it's not because he's disinterested in the outcome.
Nieto engaged in a discussion with the plate umpire late in Wednesday's
Del Rio League encounter with El Rancho, and ultimately was ejected from
the game.
There can be some assumptions offered as to why Nieto was thrown out,
and while not all of the conversation was audible to
onlookers/listeners, it did not appear Nieto's tone was threatening nor
imtimidating.
In fact, he was given the heave-ho while he was returning to his team's
dugout, apparently for something he said after the umpire felt the
discussion had been terminated.
In any case, the penalty for a player or coach being ejected is that the
person must sit out the team's next game, whether it be regular season
or post-season playoff.
In Nieto's situation, it did not appear the umpire had an ax to grind,
or any personal agenda.
That is not always the case.
And therein lies the point to all this.
Game officials rarely are held accountable for their actions. Game over,
they often are seen sprinting to their lockerroom or cars.
Coaches are not supposed to question their authority, their competence
or their performance.
If they do, it most often is considered the sourgrapes of a poor loser
and bad sportsmanship. If the evaluation is made more publicly than just
personally, the coach often receives an official reprimand.
In Nieto's case, there seemed to be justification for at least
questioning at some level a pair of the umpire's decisions late in the
game. Nieto didn't appear to be belligerent in his approach nor animated
in his delivery.
At some point, perhaps a warning would have been in order, but ejection,
at that time in the game, at that point in the season, seems more over
reaction than functional.
Especially when Nieto was walking away.
It would have been more prudent had the umpire merely turned and walked
away, also.