This weekend marks the fourth game of the season for the UCLA football team as it travels to Stanford. It will likely put to rest my earlier prediction that Richard Brehaut would be the Bruins’ starting quarterback by the fourth game. I’m not giving up hope that he will be the quarterback by the weekend – just not in the starting role. Unfortunately, unless Coach Rick Neuheisel decides to have Richard split duty with senior Kevin Craft, then the only way Richard takes over the job is if Craft is injured or has a terrible game. Neither seems like a good outcome for Bruin fans. Let’s just hope the coaching staff wants to see their true freshman QB in a game situation and that he has the opportunity to shine… Son Sid and a group – including Karli Moore – are headed to Palo Alto for the game 
and to hang out with Megan Moore and friends, who are also going to the game. And I understand UCLA freshman Lauren Seligman is headed north for the game and weekend activities, too. Ahh, I loved college road trips. Hope it’s a great time…
Along with the UCLA-Stanford game, this should be a great college football weekend, with USC taking on Cal on the road at Berkeley. SC freshman Kristen DesCombes is driving up with friends for that game, while Cal alumnus Gordon, along with Sus and Jack, will be at the Homecoming game for the Bears… I love college football season and look forward to being at the Rose Bowl the next two weeks for Bruin games against Oregon (Oct. 10) and Cal (Oct. 17)…
Friday nights are alive with plenty of high school football. Claremont, which won only two games over the previous two years, is already 2-1 and is hoping for two more wins before starting Baseline League play on Oct. 16. The Wolfpack’s Oct. 9 Homecoming game is against Chino High, which is coached by Claremont High graduate Greg Setlich (although he and his family are legendary in Chino)…
Son Sam is having a blast as part of the CHS ASB group organizing a lot of the Homecoming activities. Today he donned his sports coat to introduce the court at the Homecoming rally on campus. Doesn’t seem that long ago that I was doing that stuff…
Hopefully the baseball season will still be going for a few more weeks for the Dodgers, who have sputtered down the stretch against inferior teams. Even though they’re guaranteed a spot in postseason play, it would be awfully embarrassing to 
lose such a huge Western Division lead and finish second in the division to Colorado, who they have owned throughout 2009 entering the regular season’s final weekend. More importantly, it would be a discouraging way to enter the playoffs, where the teams that seem to have the most success just happen to get hot at the right time. The Dodgers were very hot just over a week ago, but right now they can’t hit the ball…
Can’t say I am terribly surprised that the 2016 Olympics have been awarded to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After all, this will be the first Olympic Games ever held on the South American continent. I was surprised, however, that Chicago was the first of the four final cities to be eliminated from consideration. When the voting reached its final round, Rio received more than twice the votes as runner-up Madrid. Maybe the USOC will finally put Los Angeles back into the running for 2020...
Happy birthday Len…
This is also the final weekend of the Los Angeles County Fair, which concludes Sunday, Oct. 4. I get the impression that the experiment of extending to five weekends is getting mixed reviews, but it’s really tough to give a fair evaluation in this economy. Hopefully those people making the hard decisions will consider the event a success, despite the tremendous challenges this year…
I enjoyed my visits to the Fair again this year, not only doing the house announcements before the End of Summer Concert Series shows, but as a participant in Upland Day (including a ride in the parade) and also watching Jack Harper honored as a community hero at Claremont Day. Upland High's band is among three finalists to win a spot marching in the 2011 Tournament of Roses Parade. Those are the kinds of activities that really get local people involved and make the Fair special. Another high point was the annual Child Development Center auction, which is still going strong after its inception in 1992, when I was part of that first organizing committee (and still working for the Dodgers at the time). A year after that I was back working at Fairplex and putting together slide shows for the CDC auction…
Very sad news came from the Fair over the past couple of days. Our prayers are focused on Wendy Talarico and her family right now. Wendy, who replaced me when I left Fairplex in 2000 and has been the public relations manager there ever since, gave birth to a healthy son just a little over a week ago. But shortly afterwards, it was discovered Wendy has a unique heart condition and suffered what was reported to be a heart attack. She’s currently in critical condition, battling with all she has as she awaits a heart transplant. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
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Here's the latest update on Wendy Talarico. She reportedly came through her surgery Friday very well. She successfully had an artificial pump installed. Apparently, the right side of her heart, which had stopped functioning, started working with incredible strength as soon as they put the pump into the left side of the heart. Because she responded so well, the surgery was 3-1/2 hours shorter than planned. Her oxygenation is higher than doctors expected, and her neurological functions better than they typically see during this type of procedure.
Wendy had an uneventful night after surgery, which is good. She is scheduled to begin a rehabilitative process that ultimately will have her standing and walking. At that point, she will be placed on the transplant list with high priority. She will remain in the hospital until the procedure is complete.
We miss you! Hurry up and write more.
Here's the latest news about Wendy Talarico, as of Oct. 22 ... According to word from my friends at Fairplex, she continues to get better at an amazing pace, and has been up walking and has even ventured outside. Most importantly, she has been able to spend time with her family, including her baby boy who was born in September.
Wendy is eating, e-mailing, sitting up and getting stronger every single day. So much so, that she has been declared as a top priority on the list for a heart transplant within the next 30 days. She moved to the top because of her age, health and the condition of her current heart. Once a potential heart is found, the next step is a process to make sure it is a good match. Then, within hours, the heart is transported and the transplant operation takes place. Within two days of the surgery, they will try to have her up and walking.
Wendy will be carefully monitored to make sure her body accepts the new heart, and with all good progress, she should go home within 10 days after the surgery. She will be monitored by USC Medical Center staff indefinitely after the transplant.
Reports from Fairplex indicate her family is doing well and they appreciates all of the thoughts and prayers.
Hello Sid,
I went to HS with Wendy and only just yesterday did I hear of her passing....I am so saddened by this. I know that she is now gone, but would you mind posting more of what happened after October last year? It really does help with the grief process. She was such a beautiful person, inside and out.
Thank you and God bless,
Leslie
Hello Leslie,
Rather than me chronicle all of what happened with Wendy, you might want to check out this site:http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/wendytalarico
Click on the journal section and you will see a number of entries that were posted between the time she had her initial heart attack and then her stroke on April 2.
Also, please write back to let me know you saw this, and provide your e-mail. You can write me directly at sid.robinson@verizon.net. Thanks.
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