25 Years Ago in L.A.

This isn’t an Olympic year, but Los Angeles is celebrating anyway. It’s hard to believe that it was 25 years ago when L.A. hosted the Olympic Games. But then again, it’s hard for me to believe I just turned 50. I was fortunate to be right in the middle of things back in 1984 as I finished up my master’s degree at USC and then worked several pre-Olympic events and the Games themselves...
The Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games and the Los Angeles Sports Council are hosting a celebration at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, July 18, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Los Angeles Games. At $184 a pop, I’m going to pass, but it’s still nice to remember when Southern California truly was the center of the world...

While I’m reminiscing about the Olympics, the Games in Beijing last summer were incredible. Then again, as is evident from many past posts here, the Olympics have always held a special place for my family, my friends and me. Check out some of these pictures, courtesy of the Moore family, from our traditional Opening Ceremonies party and competition last summer at Newport Beach...

Gotta love those 1984 shorts...and hair.

Maybe I shouldn't use "borrowed" artwork to include with my blog, because it seems to have been taken literally. Yeah, the tiki bar is open, but better check in first (see below)...

Claremont High hasn’t had a lot to celebrate in recent years when it comes to football, but the Wolfpack should be proud of its passing league championship this past weekend. The tourney, held at CHS, featured schools from throughout Southern California, including some powerhouse programs. The Pack beat Orange Lutheran on Friday, and then came back to beat the Lancers in the championship game Saturday to finish the tournament with a perfect 8-0 record. Orange Lutheran finished first last year in the mighty Trinity League (which includes Mater Dei, Servite and others), and came within a game of the Pac-5 Division championship game. USC quarterback Aaron Corp is a graduate of Orange Lutheran, which knocked off a strong Upland High team in the semi-finals. Claremont’s victories came against decent competition, including Bonita and Crescenta Valley, among others. I don’t know how this will translate to September, when they put on the pads, but it has to be a good sign. Regardless, it's worth celebrating now. Congratulations…

Upland High has also enjoyed passing league success this summer, and making the final four of the Claremont tournament shouldn’t be dismissed. The Highlanders should again be a formidable foe for defending league and CIF Inland Division champion Rancho Cucamonga for the Baseline League crown this year. As always, the Baseline League should be a battle. Rancho returns most of its team from last year and is the probable favorite. Upland and Los Osos lost starting their QBs to NCAA Division I programs, but both should be competitive again this year. And Etiwanda looked strong in the Claremont passing tournament. If Claremont can find big bodies for the line, the Pack could pull off a few surprises. Football season is less than two months away…

I’ve missed seeing results of local Little League tournament games in the newspaper. But with the way newspapers are shrinking, it’s not a surprise. Too bad. But Upland National Little League has links to brackets for all divisions in District 23, and those are updated daily. Claremont Little League does a good job of keeping track of the District 20 results, too...

It’s time for Major League Baseball’s All-Star break, and the Dodgers are sitting pretty atop with National League West with the best record in baseball. That makes me happy. But they definitely need more pitching for the second half and postseason. I like the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin’s trade proposals to acquire Roy Halladay from Toronto. It might take a five-for-one proposition to bring the best pitcher in baseball to Los Angeles. I’m fine with the names he mentions, as long as they don’t throw Clayton Kershaw in the mix. As soon as he gains a better command of the strike zone and stops walking so many hitters, he will be the best pitcher in baseball. It took Sandy Koufax six years to master his control, and for six years that followed he was so dominant that he is still considered by many to be the greatest left-handed pitcher to ever play in the big leagues. Not that Kershaw is Koufax, but watch this guy. I have a feeling we'll remember him for a long time.