March 2009 Archives

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Softball: New rankings released, surprise surprise

By Miguel Melendez on March 24, 2009 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (29) |

STAR-NEWS TOP 10 SOFTBALL RANKINGS
Compiled by Keith Lair

1. La Salle (8-2)
Plays top area teams this week

2. La Cañada (6-1)
Gets South Pasadena this week

3. Maranatha (5-2)
Knocked off Monrovia

4. Flintridge S.H. (5-2)
Will play La Salle today

5. Temple City (4-2)
Lost pair over weekend

6. South Pasadena (3-2)
Time to get tested

7. Keppel (5-2)
Five consecutive wins

8. Arcadia (2-4)
Two consecutive victories

9. Monrovia (4-3)
Lost three of last four

10. Ramona Convent (4-0)
Three wins by shutout

SOFTBALL LEAGUE STANDINGS

CLICK HERE FOR TREVON HARMON'S CLEVELAND STATE PROFILE

BREAKING NEWS: Temple City hires Anthony White

By Miguel Melendez on March 23, 2009 4:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (205) |

UPDATED 6:46 P.M.

Temple City High School made an offer to Anthony White on Friday and he accepted the head football coaching position after a 25-minute meeting Monday afternoon, according to reliable sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because White's hiring needs final approval by the Temple City Unified School Board at a Wednesday night meeting.

According to sources, White met with Karen Reed, assistant superintendent of personnel, at the Temple City Unified School District offices Monday. White will finish the year teaching at Rosemead High until June. He's expected to meet the team Thursday and start the offseason program Monday.

White has a B.S. in political science and organizational communication and a master's degree in multi-cultural education from National University, according to documents obtained by the Star-News. White also was the president of the Associated Student Body at the University of Utah.

White was an integral part of the Rosemead coaching staff this past season when the Panthers won the Mission Valley League title and reached the CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division championship game. He coached a total of three seasons at Rosemead and had coaching stints at Hacienda Heights Wilson and Pasadena City College last year. He graduated from Utah and played every game at strong safety for the Utes.

"He'll bring a hard work ethic," Rosemead coach Matt Koffler said. "He'll bring a lot of energy, he'll bring a lot of experience and he'll bring what he learned from Utah.

"He did a great job for me. and I know he'll solidify a nice staff. He'll work hard to keep Temple City going."

White, 27, graduated from Rosemead High and won the Wendy's National High School Heisman his senior year. He'll have his hands full with spring football seemingly around the corner.

"That's big," Koffler said. "If you can relate to the players and get get every ounce of football out of them. (White's) full of energy and that's what you need. Temple City got a really good guy."

Temple City High School officials could not be reached for comment.

Basketball: Illegal uniforms cost team in playoff loss

By Miguel Melendez on March 23, 2009 3:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (60) |

Above: The black ring under the armpit was a violation of uniform policy.

Above: An example of the jersey rules from the NFHS.org website

From Rivals

Teams have lost basketball games at the charity stripe. They've lost because a referee wearing black and white stripes made a bad call.

Losing partly because of a stripe on their uniforms is a little rarer.

But that's what happened before the opening tipoff Friday at the Illinois 3A state semifinal basketball game in Peoria, where referees assessed a technical foul on North Lawndale College Prep because stripes on the sides of its uniform violated a National Federation of State High School Associations rule.

Champaign Centennial's Jeff Johnson sank one of two free throws, giving the Chargers a 1-0 lead before the opening tip. Centennial also was awarded the ball to start the game. When the final buzzer had sounded, Centennial had won by one point, 66-65.

The rule states that the torso of the jersey must be a solid color and that side stripes must center vertically below the armpit and be no more than four inches wide. North Lawndale's uniform featured black stripes that curled around the armpits into the torso.

Continue reading Basketball: Illegal uniforms cost team in playoff loss.

Top 10's, players/games of the week, etc...

By Miguel Melendez on March 23, 2009 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (67) |

Here's your chance to have your say on where we should be this week, and by "we" I mean me. Keith Lair has been relegated to the desk helping tirelessly put together the All-Area packages to be released this week. In the meantime, nominate the best baseball/softball games this week to be covered, and while you're at it nominate your athlete of the week (male/female). The top 10's should look a little different this week, too.

10 Questions with ... Pasadena's Mike McFarland

By Miguel Melendez on March 23, 2009 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (171) |

**The new thread "Behind the Feature" debuted last week and seemed to be a hit with you guys. In that spirit, I'm implementing this new thread as well and we're calling it "10 Questions with ... " The subject of this edition is newly hired Pasadena football coach Mike McFarland.**

On Thursday, Pasadena High School announced Mike McFarland would be the next football coach. A product of Arcadia High, McFarland previously coached at Muir, Keppel, Occidental College, Minnesota State University-Moorhead and most recently as tight ends coach at Missouri Western University. McFarland lettered in football, basketball and track and he earned his bachelor of arts degree in social sciences from California Lutheran University in 1997.

McFarland recently took some time from his busy schedule in St. Joseph, Mo., to talk with the Star-News about his hiring.

Question: Mike, you've bounced around from place to place and have spent a good time in the Midwest. What's it like to finally be coming back home?

Answer: It's very exciting. I'm from Arcadia and obviously spent a good portion of my time in southern California and in the San Gabriel Valley in particular. My wife (Tiffany) is from Pasadena so we're very excited to be coming home to be around friends and family. It's going to be a real positive thing to go home, that part is (a) real attractive part of (this) position.

Q: Not only do you get to come home and be with friends and family but you get to do what you love here where you grew up playing sports.

A: It is a special to go home and coach in an area that I grew up playing football. In terms of Pasadena itself, growing up I witnessed first hand the players and teams they had in football and basketball and just growing up playing youth sports having a ton of respect for the competition.

Q: Mike, how do you plan on changing the stigma that Muir is a football school and Pasadena is a basketball school?

A: I think what's funny is -- and I'm speaking out of terms because I'm not part of the older generation -- you talk to older people and they'll tell you the opposite. Pasadena was the football power, but number one I think it goes in a cycle. From a football stand point, Muir has that rivalry on lock right now because of the winning streak. When the rivalry is that one-sided, those kinds of perceptions will (come up). I coached basketball at Muir in the late 90's and we had a great team.

Q: Have you had the opportunity to meet the team and speak with them yet?

A: I haven't gotten an opportunity to meet them. That first talk I think is a little bit overrated. it's just an opportunity for players to get their first impression. in that situation the most important thing is to get their attention. I've got literally things I can't think about I'll have to do once I get out there and rolling.

Q: Such as?

A: Those things will include putting a staff and evaluating what we have and watch last season's games and evaluate what the talent level is and what we have coming back. Obviously, academically we'll have to look and see how guys are performing and make sure we finish the year strong so everybody we're counting on playing will continue to participate.

Q: How quick will we see you put a coaching staff together?

A: It's not something I'll do immediately. It's not like in college where in the off-season you have to get a staff together quickly so you can recruit. In this situation, here I think it's crucial to make sure we find the right guys that are interested. As of right now I don't have any preconceived notions about anybody. i have not had any opportunity to talk to anybody that was on staff.

Q: What immediate steps do you take once you arrive?

A: The off-season program, when it comes to strength and conditioning, that will be something we'll implement.

Q: How soon can we expect to have you in town?

A: My goal is to be out there beginning of April and if for some reason the getting-cleared takes longer then I'll have to wait it out.

Q: What will you be teaching at Pasadena?

A: Well, my degree is in social science so I imagine it'll be something in that subject whether it's history or government.

Q: Is your family coming along with you, too?

A: My family will be coming out in June. My two stepdaughters (Breanna and Brittany) are going to finish school here in Missouri. I also have a newborn (3 months) so we don't want to rush the moving part. I have friends and family who I can bum off of for a while until we get settled.

Baseball: Temple City comes up big in the sixth, beats San Marino, 3-0; Monrovia scores seven in the first, routs La Cañada, 12-0 in Rio Hondo League opener

By Miguel Melendez on March 20, 2009 7:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (45) |

Temple City (5-1) scored all three runs in the sixth inning and the Rams' Christian Cano got things started. He walked to lead off the inning and Brenden Pultz got on after getting hit by the pitcher. San Marino was keeping Cano on check at second and Chris Warren overthrew to second, moving Cano to third and Pultz to second. Ruben Jara doubled to bring hom Cano and Pultz to make it 2-0 and Morgan Hatch's triple brought home Jara from second to make it 3-0. The Titans (5-2) threatened in the seventh but to no avail as Stevie Yortsos' check swing was called a strike to record San Marino's third and final out. More on this game by staff writer Miguel A. Melendez. That would be me.

Monrovia (5-2) recorded seven runs off La Cañada pitcher Jeff Oechsec to jump to a 7-0 lead in the opening inning. Chris Calver hit a two-run homer to cap a 3-run fifth inning and increase Monrovia's lead to 10-0 at that point. The Wildcats scored again twice in the seventh to extend their three-game winning streak and hand the Spartans (6-1) their first loss. Ironically, Monrovia recorded just one strikeout while La Cañada struck out eight. More on this game in tomorrow's sports section by correspondent Mario Aguirre.

New Rule: All anonymous comments will be deleted

By Miguel Melendez on March 20, 2009 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (43) |

Yes, you've pushed me to go this far. I'm getting stick and tired of all these anonymous posts. It's great that you post but please oh please pick a name already! Very soon, we will require you guys to register one time so you can post a comment. Once you've registered you won't be asked to register again and your posts will be "trusted" to publish. If you don't register, you won't get to comment. Since you have to register why not pick a cool name and stick to it all year? C'mon guys, get with it. I'm giving you until the weekend to come up with a blog name. Starting Monday, all anonymous posts will be deleted. This might affect our numbers but frankly I don't care anymore. You've been warned....

March Madness: Take that, President Obama!

By Miguel Melendez on March 20, 2009 9:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (16) |

Well, so much for thinking President Obama knows what he's talking about. I'm almost certain the Secret Service, CIA and FBI will come for me moments after this publishes for sticking it to our beloved president. But the truth of the matter is Mr. Obama was wrong as were the many pundits who picked UCLA to lose in the first round. Let it be known: Mr. Obama went 11-5 in his first round predictions and I went 14-2. Don't believe me? Click here to check out my bracket on ESPN.com ... Maybe I should get offered a Cabinet post. Hey, I pay my taxes! Now, all we need is for USC to lose and I'm all set. It's not too late for yall to jump on the Bruins bandwagon and ride them all the way to the Final Four. Go Bruins!

Melendez: PHS takes McFarland, but why so long?

By Miguel Melendez on March 19, 2009 7:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (33) |

MIGUEL MELENDEZ COLUMN

This column will appear on Page 3B of the Star-News sports section on Friday, March 20

Well, it's about time.

It only took four months but Pasadena High School finally has a new football coach.
He is Mike McFarland. He replaces Kevin Mills who resigned in November.

Despite word leaking on the Star-News' preps blog (www.insidesocal.com/paspreps) that McFarland was hired, Pasadena principal Derek Evans would not confirm or deny the hiring.

He said he wanted the announcement to be done in a professional matter, and by that he meant he wanted us to wait until the school sent out an official press release.

For a school that needed four months to comb through resumes, handling this in a "professional" matter seems farfetched.

Pasadena was the first school to announce a vacancy and it's the second to last school to hire a new coach.

Temple City, the second school in the West San Gabriel Valley to announce a football coaching vacancy after Pasadena, still is going through the final process and is expected to present a finalist to the school board in a meeting Wednesday.

For what it's worth, Evans explained the prolonged process.

Continue reading Melendez: PHS takes McFarland, but why so long?.

BREAKING NEWS: Pasadena hires McFarland as coach

By Miguel Melendez on March 19, 2009 3:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (50) |

Pasadena High School principal Dr. Derek Evans called to say the school has hired Mike McFarland as the new football coach. Rumors quickly spread Wednesday about McFarland's hiring. The school had set its eyes on McFarland but the background check still was not complete, thus the prolonged official announcement. Evans called three times to ask for patience until the results were in. While in a meeting with the Pasadena Unified School Board, Evans called to say the results were in and the decision to hire McFarland was approved.

Here's McFarland's bio from the Missouri Western University media guide:

Mike McFarland enters his second season on the Griffons football staff and will serve as the tight ends coach.

McFarland, originally from Modesto, Calif., came to Western after spending the 2006 season at Minnesota State University-Moorhead as the running backs coach.

He then coached the offensive line in the spring of 2007 and he also served as the primary academic coordinator for the football team.

Prior to MSU-Moorhead, McFarland was at Occidental College in Los Angeles, Calif. from 2002-2005. His duties at Occidental included coaching the offensive line in 2004-2005 and coordinating the strength and conditioning program in 2004. In 2002-2003 he served as the outside linebackers coach. McFarland also served as the head softball coach in 2004. Occidental advanced to the national playoffs in both 2004 and 2005 and made it as far as the quarterfinals in 2004 where they lost to the eventual National Champion Linfield College.

Prior to Occidental, McFarland was a special education teacher, assistant football coach and basketball coach at John Muir High School in Pasadena, Calif. In 1998-2000 he was a special education teacher, assistant football coach and head softball coach at Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra, Calif.

McFarland graduated from Arcadia High School where he lettered in football, basketball and track. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in social sciences from California Lutheran University in 1997.

McFarland resides in St. Joseph, Mo. with his wife, Tiffany and stepdaughters Breanna and Brittany.

(UPDATED) Rumor Control: Pickens staying put

By Miguel Melendez on March 18, 2009 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (37) |

(UPDATED at 2:37 p.m.)

Rumors quickly spread on the Star-News' preps blog when it was discovered the CIF-Southern Section's website listed Marshall was looking to fill a varsity football coaching vacancy. After calling Marshall assistant principal Steve Gustin to ask if he was fired, Marshall football coach Rickey Pickens was told the complete opposite. "I told him that is now how we handle business here at Marshall," Gustin said. "I told him 'It's your job and you're not going anywhere.'" The school posted an ad in the "coaches wanted" section but the website accidentally listed an ad for a varsity coach. It was later changed to assistant coach. The school indeed is looking for several lower-level football assistant coaches and two varsity assistants to join Pickens' staff. Persons interested can contact Marshall athletic director Jason Taylor at (626) 396-5810.

======================================

(Originally posted at 12:39 p.m.)

Oh, boy. You silly rabbits have gone at it again starting rumors where there is nothing there. I put in a call to Marshall football coach Ricky PIckens. Check that, I sent Ricky Pickens a text this morning and bluntly asked, "Is it true you're gone from Marshall?" Moments later, Pickens called back and said it was not true and that he was there to stay. He is, however, looking for five coaches to join his football program. He needs three assistants for JV and two for varsity. Pickens also went on to say he feels Marshall can be one of the best programs in Pasadena and added the program needed much less turnovers and more continuity to move the program in the right direction. So folks, Pickens is here to stay. Over on the Temple City and Pasadena front: No official word yet. I've put in a call to Principal Derick Evans and I'm waiting for a call back to confirm if the school hired Mike McFarland.

Star-News/Tribune All-Star Classic set for April 4

By Miguel Melendez on March 18, 2009 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (9) |

Above: Pasadena's Keion Bell throws down one of his four perfect 10's in last year's dunk contest.

The sixth annual Tribune/Star-News All-Star Classic is coming soon. Rosters will be finalized by the end of this week and coaches will be notified soon. For the east, Nogales coach Ricky Roper will coach the boys and Sierra Vista's Keith Locklear will coach the girls. The West coaches will be announced soon but here are some quick facts about the game.

When: Saturday, April 4
Where: Azusa Pacific University
Girl's game: 5:30pm
Boy's game: 7:30pm
Admission: $8 adults, $5 students/children
Girls 3-point contest: Three Girls from each team.
Boys Slam Dunk contest: Three boys from each team.
Boys 3-point contest: Three Boys from each team.

SERIES RECORD
Boys: Star-News leads series, 4-1
Girls: Tribune leads series, 3-2

JORDAN BELL ..... Behind the Feature .....

By Miguel Melendez on March 18, 2009 8:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (34) |

It's been at least a month or two since I've written a feature on one of our student-athletes. I know a lot of you out there enjoy the human interest stories that have sprung in the sports pages of the Star-News this season. Not sure why these stories are not regularly written but it is my aim to bring you stories of our athletes who do and have gone through so much more beyond the world of sports. These stories are different. They are not the usual game stories/notebooks we write on a daily basis. Lots of thought go into writing these potentially sensitive stories. But they're stories that, if written well, can have a positive impact on the reader. Many parents and coaches tell me all the time they enjoy the "human interest" stories I've written since I've started working here seven months ago. I'm humbled by their words. It's those kind of stories that I'm most proud writing about and the kind of stories I will continue to look for and write along with my gamers, notebooks and the spicy columns.

On that note, I bring you this new thread I'm calling "Behind the Feature." More often than not, readers ask how I found a particular story and what went into writing the piece, and I'm always happy to oblige with a response. This new thread will focus on what went into writing the feature, any hurdles that had to be jumped and the angles I considered. This thread will either be popular or it'll fizzle like my "High School Heisman" thread that didn't last more than four weeks during football season.

I'd be happy to hear your thoughts and if this is something you'd be interested in reading.

For our first "Behind the Feature" post I bring you the story of St. Francis boys soccer keeper Jordan Bell.

CLICK THREAD TO CONTINUE READING

Continue reading JORDAN BELL ..... Behind the Feature ......

Jordan Bell's brother gone in body, not in spirit

By Miguel Melendez on March 18, 2009 7:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (48) |

Above: Kyle Bell, top, pictured when he was 16, hugs his younger brother, St. Francis High School goalkeeper Jordan Bell, who died in 2008 of sudden heart failure.

By Miguel A. Melendez
Staff Writer

This story appeared in page 3B of Star-News sports section on March 18

His chubby cheeks, frizzy, curly hair and infectious smile never were difficult to spot from the sidelines.

St. Francis High School boys soccer keeper Jordan Bell, patiently waiting for the action to come his way, always felt, saw and heard encouragement from older brother Kyle Joseph Bell standing from afar.

Regardless of the play's final outcome, Jordan never once second-guessed he'd lose interest from his No. 1 fan.

But then came Aug. 29, 2008. What was supposed to be a routine Friday was anything but.

That morning, Jordan's father, Jim Bell, went to Kyle's room to wake him. The frantic effort was in vain. Kyle, 22, died in his sleep. Sudden heart failure was the culprit.

This came just as Jordan was getting ready for the upcoming 2008-09 season.

Although his physical presence no longer was on the sideline, Jordan made a conscience effort to feel his spirit.

The initials "KJB" are written on the side of Jordan's cleats, just as they are on his captain's armband. And just before he settles into the goal crease, Jordan bends over and, with his right index finger, tries to inscribe his brother's initials in the grass, A simple gesture becomes a great tribute, and Kyle again is there providing comfort.

"There were many times this season when I could see him smiling and laughing," Jordan said. "I could feel him over my shoulder."

Continue reading Jordan Bell's brother gone in body, not in spirit.

Football: Temple City, Pasadena nearing decision

By Miguel Melendez on March 17, 2009 6:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (26) |

Word on the street (and by street I don't really mean an actual street) is that Pasadena High might make an announcement tomorrow to finally end the saga that's dragged on for much too long. They will name the new coach football coach four months after Kevin Mills resigned. When I find out I promise to let you all know. Over on Lemon Ave., according to an extremely (and I mean extremely) reliable source, Temple City should be making its choice to succeed the fired Randy Backus. Temple City is down to three finalists. The source I talked to said the last candidate was given a tour of the school Monday. I've also confirmed the three names but I've decided to not publish them until after the school board approves the candidate I know will be chosen.

Baseball: Who's going to step up for No. 10 Alhambra?

By Miguel Melendez on March 17, 2009 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) |

There's no need to panic.

Yet.

Three games into the season and the Alhambra High School baseball team is looking from the bottom up with a sub .500 record as they await Almont League action to begin Friday at home against a sizzling Bell Gardens team.

The Moors (2-3) opened at No. 2 in the preseason top 10 rankings but after an inconsistent week they've dropped to No. 10, possibly the biggest drop ever.

The problem stems from a lack of hits and the same can be said even when Alhambra does win.

In a 7-4 win over Mountain View, the Moors mustered only four hits. In the season-opener, Alhambra managed only three hits and allowed 12 in a 6-1 loss to South Pasadena.

It's hard to pinpoint what's attributing to the dry spell, but a combination of mental mistakes, a young makeup of the team and an early slump have been contributing factors.

"I thought we'd start a little slow but not this slow offensively," Alhambra coach Steve Gewecke said. "Nobody wants to be 2-3 especially when they thought they had a better club than that. "The deal is you can't be bummed on the field. You have to keep working on it.

"In baseball you'll slump all year but we're working to get better, and we have to get it done starting Friday."

Continue reading Baseball: Who's going to step up for No. 10 Alhambra?.

Baseball: Brace yourselves ... New top 10 released!

By Miguel Melendez on March 17, 2009 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (22) |

OK, guys. No need to over do it. You only moved up two spots.

As noted, Alhambra made the biggest drop in the latest top 10 rankings released today. But others made significant jumps. After an impressive run, including winning the Southern California Invitational, La Cañada (5-0) moved from No. 10 to No. 3. Temple City (4-1) moved up two spots. Its lone loss is a 5-1 defeat to No. 1 Arcadia (5-0) in the championship game of the Elks Tournament. After playing Walnut tough in the season opener, San Marino (4-1) moved up three spots to No. 5. La Salle (4-1) debuts this week at No. 8 and Gabrielino (3-3) dropped out after opening at No. 7.

STAR-NEWS TOP 10 BASEBALL RANKINGS
Compiled by Miguel A. Melendez

1. Arcadia (5-0)
Rutherford, Tuck on a roll

2. Maranatha (4-1)
Ready to take on anybody

3. La Cañada (5-0)
Better than we expected? Yes

4. Temple City (4-1)
Rams can hold their ground

5. San Marino (4-1)
Played Walnut tough in opener

6. St. Francis (3-1)
Lost close one to Temple City

7. Monrovia (3-2)
Win over Alhambra is suspect

8. La Salle (4-1)
Lone loss is to Temple City

9. South Pasadena (3-2)
Wins over Alhambra, Pasadena

10. Alhambra (2-3)
Moors start inconsistent

Softball: Say hello to your new No. 1 team, La Salle

By Miguel Melendez on March 17, 2009 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (29) |

STAR-NEWS TOP 10 SOFTBALL RANKINGS
Compiled by Keith Lair

1. La Salle (4-1)
Third-place in Duarte Tourny

2. La Cañada (3-1)
Lone loss to La Salle

3. Temple City (1-0)
Beat Schurr, 10-0

4. Maranatha (3-1)
Only loss to La Salle

5. Monrovia (3-2)
Up and down start

6. Flintridge S.H. (2-2)
Needs work vs. better teams

7. South Pasadena (2-2)
Faced tougher Duarte Tourney teams

8. Keppel (3-2)
Three consecutive wins

9. Arcadia (0-2)
League opener today at Burroughs

10. San Marino (3-0)
Titans return a lot of players

La Cañada break-in last Thursday was second in a week

By Miguel Melendez on March 17, 2009 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) |

Turns out last Thursday's break-in to the La Cañada locker rooms wasn't the first time. As you know, the baseball team arrived Friday morning to find out their equipment (jerseys, cleats, bats, balls, gloves) were stolen along with some equipment from the golf and wrestling teams. No electronics were stolen, only someone's iPod and wrestler's scales. Well, turns out that on Tuesday night someone broke into the golf shed. More details as they become available, but it seemed odd that La Cañada was hit twice in one week.

Former Star-News POY Trevon Harmon going Dancin'

By Miguel Melendez on March 17, 2009 9:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (62) |

Former Star-News boys basketball Player of the Year Trevon Harmon scored six points in helping Cleveland State upset No. 16 Butler, 57-54, to win the Horizon League Tournament championship last week. The Vikings make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1986 when they reached the Sweet 16 that year. Harmon scored the opening basket for Cleveland State off an assist by Cedrick Jackson who finished with a game-high 19 points.

I never met the kid and I only knew about him because Fred Robledo and Andrew Campa told me about him. He had offers from Oregon State and Arizona State but after each of those schools made coaching changes, Harmon opted for a year at Pasadena City College. He transferred to Cleveland State where he was forced to sit out a year because of NCAA transfer guidelines. It's always nice to see a kid one covered go on to, as they say, the Big Show.

Cleveland State is the 13th seed and will play fourth-seed Wake Forest in the Midwest Regional.

CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL BOX SCORE ON ESPN.com

Prediction: Memphis to win 2009 NCAA Championship

By Miguel Melendez on March 17, 2009 8:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (15) |

For those not in the know, I'm a huge UCLA fan. I'm more of a basketball fan than I am of football, though watching my boy Todd Golper suit up in Blue & Gold next season might change that.

Despite the Bruin' Hatin' I pegged my beloved Bruins to reach the Final Four for the fourth straight season.

Outrageous? Yes.

Out of the question? No.

So much for writing any great, err, decent articles, what with a TV sitting right in front of me....Yes, the life of a sportswriter sometimes has its rewards. OK, always...

My Final Four: Louisville, Memphis, UCLA, Oklahoma
Fred's Final Four: Louisville, UConn, Duke, North Carolina

FIRST ROUND WINNERS
Midwest Region -- Louisville, Ohio State, Utah, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Kansas, Boston College, Michigan State

West Region -- Connecticut, BYU, Purdue, Washington, Marquette, Missouri, Maryland, Memphis

East Region -- Pittsburgh, Oklahoma State, Florida, Xavier, UCLA, Villanova, Texas, Duke

South Region -- North Carolina, LSU, Illinois, Gonzaga, Arizona State, Syracuse, Michigan, Oklahoma

SWEET 16
Midwest Region -- Louisville, Wake Forest, Kansas, Michigan State
West Region -- Connecticut, Washington, Missouri, Memphis
East Region -- Pittsburgh, Xavier, UCLA, Duke
South Region -- North Carolina, Gonzaga, Syracuse, Oklahoma

ELITE EIGHT
Midwest Region -- Louisville, Kansas
West Region -- Connecticut, Memphis
East Region -- Pittsburgh, UCLA
South Region -- North Carolina, Oklahoma

FINAL FOUR
Louisville (Midwest) vs. Memphis (West)
UCLA (East) vs. Oklahoma (South)

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Memphis 89, Oklahoma 78

Baseball: Arcadia is all too familiar with Burroughs

By Miguel Melendez on March 16, 2009 8:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) |

Tuesday's game at Burroughs will be no walk in the park for Lemas and the Apaches

Nick Lemas has been Arcadia's baseball coach three seasons now, and every time the Apaches have faced Burroughs, well, lets just say he remembers each meeting.

Take last season, for example.

The Apaches (5-0) lost to Burroughs, 3-2, in the first game and needed extra innings to beat the Indians the second time.

While most teams start league play on Friday, the Apaches, who won this past weekend's Arcadia Elks Tournament, dive into Pacific League action Tuesday against -- you guessed it -- Burroughs at 6 p.m.

Arcadia has known about the schedule, so playing Burroughs so early doesn't come as a surprise. The Indians are 3-2 so far, but Lemas knows by experience they're dangerous.

"We're not only jumping right into league but we're facing one of the better teams in league," he said. "It's tough to look at a team's record and determine how tough they are, but I've seen them play this year so we're expecting a quality team."

Wish I could be there.

Softball: Got lost on my way to San Marino's field

By Miguel Melendez on March 16, 2009 8:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) |

Lets get one thing clear. When my editors said I knew the area well they assumed I knew where every high school was located in the WSGV. Well, that's usually the case but not for every school. See, I know the area well (specifically Pasadena) because I spent a lot of my free time here when I wasn't working as a reporter at the Orange County Register. My ex-gf lived in Rosemead, so I know Rosemead Blvd. and Mission Road pretty well; I spent plenty of days eating out in Pasadena with the ex; and after my traveling days I would spend many nights in old town living the good 'ol single life.

Now that I'm here to stay I'm making it a habit to remember where its best to park when I'm on certain assignments. For example, I know that if I want to cover South Pasadena soccer I need to not park on Fremont since there's more parking and better access on that other street that separates the school and the football field/gym.

Today, I headed to San Marino to check out the Titans. They beat Alhambra, 9-5, and I'll have a story in Tuesday's paper. But the point of this thread is that it took me a while to find the softball field. I finally did and fortunately the game started at 3:30, not 3:15...If there are any other softball/baseball fields that are tricky to find and you have tips on how to get there and where to park, shoot them my way via comment. By the way, beautiful field at San Marino. The parents there were great, too.

San Marino is led by first-year coach Hilda Valencia. She previously coached at Lincoln High. We'll both learn since its our first season working here in the WSGV.

Football: Temple City down to three finalists

By Miguel Melendez on March 16, 2009 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (87) |

Temple City brought back two of the three finalists for a second interview last week and they will interview the third finalist for a second time later today. Once the school makes a decision they will recommend its selection to the Temple City Unified School Board. Temple City is expected to make an announcement sometime next week. I've heard two of the three names but until I can confirm I won't post them. But the fact Temple City has really got things moving is a good sign. I would call Pasadena to get the latest over on its end and hiring progress, but I wonder if that would be a waste of time ...

Baseball: How the Top 10 fared last week ...

By Miguel Melendez on March 16, 2009 8:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (24) |

This is how the Star-News preseason Top 10 poll looked last week. If we run a poll this week, things will change. Here's how they ranked and what they did last week. Who belongs? Who doesn't?

1. Arcadia (5-0) -- Won the Arcadia Elks Tournament by beating Gabrielino, Western Christian, Monrovia, San Gabriel and Temple City by a combined 47-2.

2. Alhambra (2-3) -- Inconsistency seems to be the word that best describes the Moors' season thus far. They lost to South Pasadena; beat Duarte; lost to La Salle; beat Mountain View; and lost to Monrovia.

3. Monrovia (3-2) -- Got off to a good start with two wins before falling short against Arcadia. They lost to Walnut and beat Alhambra, 2-1.

4. Maranatha (4-1) -- Give the Minutemen credit. They opened the season against an L.A. City Section powerhouse. Sure, they lost but they went on to win four in a row and scoring 39 runs against solid teams in the Southern California Invitational. I can see Maranatha moving up in the rankings pretty soon.

5. St. Francis (3-1) -- Lost a close one to Temple City in the season-opener but beat Pas Poly, Sierra Vista and South Pasadena.

6. Temple City (4-1) -- Some of you said the Rams would get blown out by Arcadia. Uh, no. The Rams held their ground against the Apaches in the Elks Tournament finale. I should know. I was there.

7. Gabrielino (2-3) -- How do you get shutout in the first three games of the season by a combined 36-0?!?!? Thanks for visiting, Eagles...

8. San Marino (4-1) -- Look for the Titans to move up especially after hanging in there against Walnut in the season-opener.

9. South Pasadena (3-2) -- With so much talk about how good Pasadena supposedly is this year, the Tigers probably recorded a solid 1-0 win over the Bulldogs.

10. La Canada (5-0) -- Did anybody have the Spartans pegged to be unbeaten thus far? I didn't think so. Now, lets hope the L.A. County Sheriff's Department catches the punk who broke into the La Canada locker rooms. Oh, Spartans make a significant jump come next top 10 rankings.

Obviously, I can't be everywhere. If your team played significantly well and think your team deserves some ink, shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment. Don't be afraid to suggest a game of the week. Talk to yall peanut lovers later ...

BASEBALL LEAGUE STANDINGS

CLICK HERE FOR DEL REY LEAGUE

CLICK HERE FOR DELPHIC LEAGUE

Softball: Should we expect any movement in top 10?

By Miguel Melendez on March 16, 2009 8:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (23) |

I've covered one softball game so that entitles me to at least talk about any possible movement in the new top 10 rankings that will be released either this or next week. OK, here is how the top 10 rankings started last week and how each team fared. For the record, staff writer Keith Lair ranks softball but I'll let you guys go at it until he finalizes something soon. Have at it, chkyrslf ...

1. Flintridge Sacred Heart (2-2) -- Huge wins vs. Alverno (11-1) and Pasadena Poly (9-1) but close losses to La Salle (3-2) and Maranatha (1-2).

2. La Canada (3-1) -- I saw the Spartans against Pasadena Poly. No doubt La Canada has talent but enough to move up to be No. 1? Well, not quite. FSHA and the Spartans both lost to La Salle, so does that make the Lancers the new No. 1 team? La Salle beat La Canada, 6-4, to finish third in the Duarte Freeway Tournament.

3. La Salle (4-1) -- The Lancers' lone loss is to Monrovia, 8-0. So much for my theory above.

4. Temple City (1-0) -- Really? Just one game played so far? That would be a 10-0 win over Arroyo.

5. Arcadia (0-2) -- A 10-1 loss to Northview and 2-1 loss to Wilson sums up the season. The Apaches open Pacific League play Tuesday at Burroughs.

6. South Pasadena (2-2) -- The Tigers lost to Crescenta Valley 5-0. That's actually a pretty good score considering CV's prowess, no? Other loss is to South Hills. Wins over Covina and Schurr.

7. Keppel (3-2) -- Lost to Lawndale and Marymount. Wins over Pasadena, St. Anthony and a 23-0 win over this school called LACES.

8. Alverno (0-4) -- The scores look so bad I don't want to tell you guys that the Jaguars lost by a combined 52-14. Alverno scored 11 runs in a 16-11 loss to Baldwin Park.

9. Pasadena Poly (1-3) -- Hmmm..Panthers secured a 10-6 win over Baldwin Park in the season opener but lost 4-1 to South Hills, 8-0 to La Canada and 9-0 to Flintridge Sacred Heart. At least they had a tough sked....

10. Flintridge Prep (1-3) -- Lone win is a 5-2 decision over Santa Clarita Christian. Two losses to Louisville and Ramona Convent.

SOFTBALL LEAGUE STANDINGS