CHS ALL-Alumni Reunion Weekend Sept. 14-16

Every person who ever attended or taught at Claremont High School is invited to a full weekend of special activities over the weekend of Sept. 14-16.

The Claremont High School Wolfpack Alumni Society will present a special reunion event for all alumni on Saturday, Sept. 15, from 6-11 p.m. at the Old School House Plaza in Claremont. The event includes entertainment, appetizers, a no-host bar, historical exhibits and raffle prizes. The cost to attend is $30 before Sept. 10 and $40 at the door.

On Friday, Sept. 14, the Alumni Society invites all CHS alumni to a happy hour gathering at Casa de Salsa at 6 p.m., and to the Claremont High football game at CHS against Bonita High at 7 p.m.

In addition, several Claremont High classes will hold separate reunions in Claremont on Sept. 14. The Class of 1957 will hold a reunion dinner at Walter’s Restaurant. The Class of 1961 will hold a dinner party at Eureka Burger, while the Class of 1967 will gather at the home of Pat Shaner. The Class of 1977 will hold a no-host gathering at Walter’s Restaurant.

On Sunday, Sept. 16, CHS alumni are invited to a pancake breakfast hosted by the Claremont Kiwanis Club at Memorial Park from 7-11 a.m. Tickets are $5 per person.

The Claremont High Alumni Society was formed in 2010 to honor the high school’s 100-year anniversary. It held its inaugural all-class reunion in 2011, bringing together generations of CHS graduates.

To make reservations or for more information about any of the class events, visit the Alumni Society website at http://www.claremonthighalumnisociety.com.

For sponsorship opportunities or more information about the Claremont High All-Class Centennial Reunion or other Claremont High School Wolfpack Alumni Society activities, contact Sharon Esterley at esterley@aol.com or visit www.claremonthighalumnisociety.com.

Rained Out

The Claremont High baseball alumni game scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 19, has been canceled because of rain (and a lot more anticipated rain on the way). We'll try it again next year instead.

Claremont High alumni baseball game on Saturday, Feb. 19

The Claremont High baseball program will host its annual alumni game again this Saturday, Feb. 19. This is a great event, as former CHS players from many eras return to re-acquaint themselves with old teammates and guys from other eras. It's just a great day of guys hanging out and sharing a lot of laughs. This year, former longtime Claremont coach Jack Helber will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. This event has become a nice tradition, and I hope we have a few surprise participants this year. In the meantime, take a look at my post from last year with first-person accounts from former players Mil Pompa and Rob Haerr. 

Below is the press release with details about the game, and here's a story that appeared in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. If you know any former Wolfpack players who'd like to participate or just say hi to old friends (no matter when they played), encourage them to come out on Saturday.

Claremont High to host “opening day” and alumni baseball game Feb. 19

The Claremont High baseball program will kick off its 2011 season with special "opening day" ceremonies, an alumni game and a family barbecue on Saturday, Feb. 19, at Claremont High School.

The CHS varsity baseball team will take on former Wolfpack players in the annual alumni game Saturday as a preview to kick off the 2011 season. The game will culminate two days of special activities at the CHS varsity field to open the new baseball campaign.

Festivities are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., followed by the game and a home run derby.

The CHS junior varsity and freshman teams will play at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 18.

On Saturday, Feb. 19, the varsity will take to the field against Wolfpack players from the past. All former CHS baseball players are invited to participate in the game or in pre-game batting practice. Former longtime Wolfpack coach Jack Helber will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game. 

The Saturday activities also will include special opening ceremonies and introductions on the field of all players on the freshman, junior varsity and varsity team, followed by first-pitch ceremonies.

A family barbecue will take place throughout the day, and refreshments will be available. In addition, Wolfpack baseball merchandise will be on sale. A home run competition will follow the alumni game.

Alumni game participants should arrive at the CHS varsity field on the Claremont High campus by 9 a.m.

Additional details are available on the Claremont High baseball Web site at www.claremonthighbaseball.com.

Former CHS baseball players interested in participating should contact Sid Robinson at (909) 227-9589 or sid.robinson@verizon.net.

Winter Woes

A month ago Southern Californians were getting ready for the holidays while dodging the buckets of rain that drenched the Southland. Temperatures dipped into the 30s and winter arrived early.

Glad that’s over. Okay, I realize the recent springtime conditions were probably Mother Nature’s way of teasing us, since we had a little rain Sunday and there is likely more winter weather ahead. Even if the 80-degree days with crystal blue skies were only temporary, I’m ready for spring. It’s hard not to look ahead after weekends of wearing shorts, barbecuing in the back yard and driving around town with the top down on my convertible.  I’m ready for Friday nights at the Tiki Bar.

Naturally, I think that’s the way most of us sports fans feel about this time of year. With only the Super Bowl remaining on the football schedule, this is the most boring time of the year. Baseball’s spring training is still more than a month away, and both college basketball and the NBA are in the middle of the most tedious and meaningless parts of their respective schedules. At least last year we had the Winter Olympics to keep some of the monotony away. How many days until pitchers and catchers report?

I’m not complaining (okay, maybe a little). It’s this way every year, and it’s silly to whine when there really is so much to do around here and the weather is great. When we have rain, cold and no good sports, then winter isn't much fun. Either way, I'm definitely glad to be living in Southern California...


One thing I’m not doing this winter for the first time in 16 years is watching at least one of my sons prepare for an upcoming baseball season. I admit it’s not been easy. Even last year, when Sam eventually transferred his attention to volleyball, he was still taking daily batting practice and focused on baseball in January and early February. But his attention is elsewhere this year, for the right reasons. He’s doing the things that matter to him.

And completely aside from sports, one thing clearly weighing on his mind is graduating from high school. I know he’s excited about headed to college next year, wherever that might be, but I also suspect he’s a little sad realizing his four-year run at Claremont High is about to end. No question he’s enjoyed CHS. We’re all hoping the next chapter reads as well as this one. Naturally, Beth and I continue to think about his college choices daily. Sam would rather wait until all the notifications come in and he can decide among those universities that want him.

He doesn’t know it yet, but he has a lot to look forward to, no matter where he decides to go to college. His summer is already almost full, with hopes for a summer job wedged between several summer trips. And that doesn’t event take into account his and the other graduation parties that await. Yeah, it will be a fun summer for all of us. For now, I’ll just look forward to the seasonal opening of the Tiki Bar instead.

Friday Night Lights, College Gameday, The NFL Today

The best thing about the fall is that every weekend is filled with football. And this time of year, the football feast goes well beyond the weekend, with NFL games on Thursday nights, too.

Fridays mean high school games, and I go to a prep game almost every Friday night. I saw most of Claremont High’s games this year, but skipped a couple to catch Upland High and watch some of the kids who played baseball with or against Sam when he was younger. Both teams advanced to the CIF-Southern Section playoffs, and I opted to stay closer to home for the Upland game against Temecula Chaparral instead of traveling to Eastvale (near Corona) for the Wolfpack’s game against Roosevelt High. Both the local teams faced tough challenges in the first round. Claremont lost its game to Roosevelt, 28-21, and apparently had a chance to tie the game late. Roosevelt was the regular-season second place team in the league that was won by nationally ranked Corona Centennial. This was the best season for the Pack in several years, finishing with an overall record of 7-4.

Meanwhile, Upland outlasted Chaparral, 40-35, but was clearly the better team, despite the close score. The Highlanders gave up a pair of touchdowns on turnovers, but also took advantage of very questionable coaching decisions on the part of the Pumas. Upland moves on to host Corona Centennial on Nov. 26.

Saturdays are reserved for college football. When UCLA has a home game, that eats up the entire day, which is set aside for hours of tailgating, plus the game itself. There is plenty of college football action on TV when the Bruins are on the road, although I’d just as soon forget about their performance Thursday night at Washington. Ouch.

It’s actually hard for me to sit down and watch an entire NFL game on Sundays, mainly because I have a need to use my time constructively, even if that’s doing chores and running errands. The only thing that matters anyway is how my fantasy guys are doing, and those updates are available all day. 

I love when it rains on the weekend. It’s the perfect excuse to sit and watch football and not feel guilty about not being productive around the house. That lack of guilt only goes so far, because the rain also means that I should sit down and update my blog.

Tonight I’ll turn my attention to women’s volleyball and hope that Cal State San Bernardino wins the NCAA Division II West Regional. If the Coyotes beat Seattle Pacific, they’ll advance to the national tournament Dec. 2-4 in Louisville for a shot at the university’s elusive first national championship.

Our Own Field of Dreams...

I think most people I know do some kind of volunteer work. For some, it’s helping a cause they find worthy or assisting a non-profit organization. It might be helping with an event or just donating a little time or money. And most of us tend to jump in where our kids are concerned, helping out in classrooms or with their sports teams or other extra-curricular activities. The fun starts when you take that extra step and volunteer for a PTA committee or to be the coach of your kid’s team. The next thing you know you find yourself on the board of directors. It becomes part of your life, so you just keep going when they move along to high school.

This year I’m the president of the Claremont High baseball booster club. Overall, the ride’s been pretty fun, but a couple of weeks ago my son Sam decided he wasn’t interested in playing baseball at the high school anymore. He just wasn’t having fun playing anymore. Given my tremendous passion for the game and Sam’s truly natural talent, I’m sure the decision wasn’t easy for him. But it was his decision, and I’m proud of the way he handled it. I’m sad he won’t be playing baseball, but it feels good to see him happy. When the game is no longer fun, it’s time to find other adventures.

Nevertheless, I’m still the baseball booster club president, and that’s still something I enjoy. So as we embarked on the busiest part of our pre-season preparations, I had doubts as to how much I’d still enjoy my role.

Then came our alumni game and opening ceremonies on Saturday, Feb. 20. This event was something I helped revive last year, and I’ve been in charge of getting the former players back to participate in the game. Given the weather forecasts, we figured we’d be rained out. As much of the Bosson family gathered at our house on Friday night to celebrate Marilyn’s birthday, and with the rain pouring outside, we turned up the volume on the birthday party. But the overnight rain cleared on Saturday morning, and I was shocked to find myself headed to the ballpark for what will probably be the highlight event of the season for me.

From an event-planning standpoint, it was a great success, and the entire board and many volunteers who participated made that a reality. What made the event a true success and my day so fulfilling was that so many former players showed up. I felt absolute joy seeing the smiles on the faces of the guys in the alumni team dugout, while they jarred their memories for old stories and shared a lot of laughs.

The real stars of the day where the former CHS players who came back to reminisce and try to make the plays on the field.  A few of them had trouble staying on their feet, and I know there were a lot of sore muscles the next day. I sense the experience was probably worth it.

The highlight for me was seeing Ed Wolfe from the class of 1953 throw out the ceremonial first pitch, and then later watching him hit a line drive to second. He told me later that was first time he’d used an aluminum bat.

There were a number of guys who played in the alumni game last year, but quite a few new players this year. The event brought back generations of former players spanning eras from the 1970s through last year, with an especially strong turnout from the mid-1970s and from the class of 1992.

Here are some photos from the day (see the link).

Rather than let me tell the story, I’ll let a couple guys from the class of 1976 reflect on their experiences, as posted on their class Yahoo forum. This isn’t to give myself a pat on the back, but rather to share the events of the day through the eyes of two friends who really enjoyed themselves on Saturday...

From Rob Haerr…

“It all started with Sid Robinson ingesting mass quantities of spiritual nectar and performing anti-rain dances the night before and into the wee hours of the morning. The ceremony was disguised as a birthday party for Marilyn Bosson, but the rain during the night did a superb groundskeeping job in preparing the infield with the perfect amount of moisture. Sid's sacrifice for the team does not go unnoticed. Beth (Bosson) Robinson said his last words at 3 a.m. were..."I-love-you," or something like that. His energy was sapped.

I woke up at about 5 a.m. ... too dark to get up. My return to sleep took me into a dream of seeing some of the CHS ‘75 guys at the game...Matt Weinberg, Tim Helton, Danny Thomas, David Aguilera. To my surprise...Danny Thomas did show up. I immediately told him about the dream...funny stuff. Tim Helton passed away shortly after high school from a brain cancer I think...but lots of stories started flowing...great stuff. Other guys from '75 also showed...Brian Fitzgeralls, Mark Robertson. Both look great and it was very cool to catch up with their history.

I woke up again at 7 a.m. and the sun was shining! Before I was fully awake, I checked Facebook...Sid and Mil (Pompa) both said..."GAME ON SPREAD THE WORD!"

Coffee, oatmeal...Aleve.

The highlight of the day was meeting with CHS ‘53(!!!) baseball alumnus, Ed Wolfe. He warmed up with Danny Healey and I. We talked about how these kids have 3 or 4 uniforms, batting cages with pitching machines, nice park, dugouts, etc. He said, "I wore the exact same uniform my dad had worn 20 years earlier in 1932. Had his name still inside. It was about ‘this thick,’ made of wool." He threw out the first pitch. When his turn to bat came up...he hit a line shot to second base. Great stuff. I meant to ask him if our old Pony League field was the field they played on.

Other CHS ‘76ers Mike Woodley, Rocky Smith showed up and hung in the dugout. CHS ‘77ians Danny Brehaut, Dave Bosson (actually 1978), Paul Sokolowski came out (and Brian Zell was there, too). Great to see Paul...he still has a sweet swing. My brother, Kenny, was the lone CHS ‘78er to show up...he pitched and inning and played 3rd.

Brett Vondereith and Trish Young were there. Man, they look great. I have encouraged them both to chime in here. They were up for Mr Young's funeral. Mr Young was a fixture and wonderful man around all of our practices and games in our youth.

My (Ravelers) bandmates, Martie and Hai even came to give me a razzing and a birthday card. There was a nice crowd...and it was very nice to see Paul Sokolowki's parents...also fixtures at practices and games thru our youth.

I lasted an inning. Got a base hit, stole second (that catcher should get razzed for the rest of this season for that), then scored on a base hit down the right field line. As I started to round third, I felt a ‘pop’ in my left calf...pulled it pretty good. It's not like I was rippin' up the base path or anything...one small attempt at a burst of acceleration took it's toll on my 52-year-old original springs and bushings. My suspension parts are not what they used to be.

While warming up, Danny Thomas asked me, "Haerr, can you still run?"

"No." And I proved it.

Sokolowski did the same thing. Nurse Debinator gave Paul some information if he had torn his Achilles tendon or not. Hopefully he just pulled something like I did. Paul's Mom, "Mrs. Sok" was just shaking her head as she would have 35 years earlier...priceless. Mr. Sokolowski was always a hitting coach to all of us.

Mil looked great on the mound. I will let Mil tell more about the day from his view.

Looking forward to next year and who might walk up.

This is a great tradition that Sid has started!

Rob

...and Debi enjoyed making fun of our "glory days".

Mike Woodley so aptly said..."our brains are writing checks our bodies can't cash."

And here’s the day from Mil Pompa’s vantage point …

“On Wednesday when I did my last work out I had to do what any man would do. Make sure to watch Jackie Johnson on TV. Watch her weather report of course. I don't know what anyone else could be thinking? As she delivered her gloomy report of rain on Friday, drizzle on Saturday with rain till Sunday I knew there was only one thing to do. Yes, I check in with Swedish Thunder (the late Jon Erickson from CHS '76) and asked for a simple favor. In return I promised to dedicate one inning to him. Deal.

As it started to rain on Friday night I knew it was only going to be the pre-field dusting we would need. I finished my chicken dinner, mashed potato's and green bean dinner went upstairs and gazed out at the rain.

I woke up around 3 a.m. with a crazy dream of Sid Robinson and most of the Bossons huddled around a black cauldron smoking like the vile of Dr. Frankenstein. They were dressed in traditional Native dress and were dancing in a circle around the cauldron waving some smoking sage as they chanted and danced with desire. Beth Robinson read from some old tablet and a giant blue flash made me jump up out of my mid-nocturnal male testosterone period deep sleep. Uh, that's another story...anyway, I looked at the clock; it read 3 a.m. I gazed out of the window and saw the sky. The clouds seemed to be scooted along by some spiritual hand clearing off a table of cotton balls. I could see the stars start to twinkle and had that feeling that my simple favor had been granted and now it was up to me to keep my end of the deal.

My Saturday was filled with the pre-game ritual I had performed for over 22 years in Northern California: Two packs of Oatmeal, 1/2 cup of coffee, 1 cup of juice, two slices of peanut butter toast. Now off to La Puerta to take my daughter to her Opening Day Ceremony for her first softball game. My wife's helping me coach my daughter and due to the fact that we only found out two weeks ago there was no one to coach our team, My wife and I volunteered to coach. I wanted someone who wanted to coach, who wanted to teach the girls (6 and under)  and most of  all, make sure they all have a good time!

I arrived at the high school just as the this booming voice came over the P.A. system, "all alumni who have not signed in please do so by the cages, thank you." I walked through the gate, sign in and look up to see Danny Thomas! I HAD TO PINCH MYSELF! Then I see Brian Fitzgeralls! ANOTHER PINCH! Then I see Mark Robertson! ONE MORE PINCH AND NOW I BELIEVE IT! Then Rob, Ken, WHAT THE @#%$(*!!, Paul Sokolowski walks up, "hey old man!" What a sight!!

I have traveled back into time to see some of the best athletes come home. It now doesn't matter if I played or not. This was too good to be true and I am so upset with myself for not playing the year before. I now see Rocky (Smith), Mike Woodley and everyone else starts to file in: Davey (Bosson), George (Hernandez)… I could just go down the list! Meeting all the players and getting to sit in the dugout. That would of done if for me. I can't believe it's all real and the feeling of being back in the dugout brought back that old long-wristed magic.

The opening ceremonies were priceless and watching Eddie Wolfe throw out the first pitch was like I had stepped into a lost scene of Field of Dreams. We had a wonderful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by a local Claremont girl (Stephanie Inglese) who sang very well.

Game on:

Now what I have not said is that Sid Robinson has been in five places at once all during this time. He's taking pictures, he's making the lineup, he's getting everyone all the information at once. He's over by the announcer. That dream of the smoking cauldron came back for a flash, how did you do it Sid?! No doubt, the MVP!!!

The game started and it was interesting to see the method of pitching to ourselves. Simply put, when we batted, our pitcher pitched when the high school team was on the field and their pitcher pitched when they were at bat, we were on the field. Runs were scored on both sides and the show got going when it seemed one-by-one we started pulling up lame!! Ha Ha. Rob first, but hey don't think he didn't show up to play! He gave his all, hustled (cough, cough) out to second and I'm pretty sure made the first out defensively for us fielding a ground ball and throwing to first.  Ken Haerr hustles out, takes his cuts, throws an inning - what else could he do?!! Oh yeah, give 110% and pull a thigh muscle! BASEBALL - GOTTA LOVE IT!!

Paul Sokolowski was the best hitter I ever played with. Todd Ervin was the best, but I only got to play one year with him and no, he was not at the game. Paul was willing to pitch if we had no one to go. He was willing to go to first or just sit and hit. And hit he still can. His second at bat he singles to right. And during a delayed steal, he collapses in between first and second. He's puzzled why it felt as though during his attempt at a delayed-steal, the catcher threw the ball and hit him in the ankle? When he collapsed, I ran out to help him and in and this is what he told me. He then realized he pulled and Achilles when he tried to walk on it. It was funny ‘cause he was tagged out and ended the inning and Dan Brehaut tried to get the fans and teammates to forgive him for falling flat on his face innings earlier while fielding a very routine ground ball! I know there's pictures of that!

Ok, now my turn: I've been waiting to pitch cause I was hoping my wife and kids would arrive from the softball ceremonies to see me play but it's now the fifth inning and we have more than enough guys to pitch. I've been preparing for a month. Throwing the rock in my back yard, the same one I threw at my little brother in high school. Having a little brother was cool cause he was always up to a game of, "Dodge Rock." I also was doing push-ups in the shower and sorry Carrie, the damn camera lens kept fogging up to prove to you I was really doing them! Two trips around the park soccer field and 200 jumps on the jumping stick, everyday, I'm ready.

As I strut out to the mound I have this routine that I do but this time it was different. I just couldn't get that dream picture out of my mind, "those clouds being swept like cotton balls."

Dan Brehaut was first up. He begged me and bribed me to be easy on him and not bring it in on the hands (darn!) I couldn't help but smile as I took my warm ups with the high school catcher. I kind of felt weird flashing back to Cahuilla Park for a moment. Dan Brehaut scooted out of the way on the first pitch, which I tried to throw high and in but came in low! He moved pretty good and I wondered if his big bro, my buddy the late Burt Brehaut played Dodge Rock with him?!!

A couple of pitches later, he ground's out to third, one out. The next alum up I got to strike out on four pitches and the last hitter struck out on five pitches.

I thought to myself as I walked off the field, (geez Thunder, I think I was suppose to let them hit!) It was in slow motion and strangely silent as I walked off the mound. I raised my cap in thanks and got a huge roar from the fans and teams. There's no crying in baseball.

BS.

What a great day! Great weather! Great friends! And topping it off I got to meet Leslie, Robyn Floyd came up and said hello, Jennifer was there as well as lots of kids and to see the Sokolowski's, Rob's true in his words. Growing up in Claremont, if you played baseball, you knew the Sokolowski's! It had to be. There had to be. I'm not going to be convinced easily on this thought: Trish and Bret come to the game. Mr. Young, my mentor, his service was that day. I asked them why they came? "We were in town." No, Mr. Young and Thunder hooked up, made our day and brought together so many wonderful people!! No other way to explain it. Don't try.

Did I say there's no crying in baseball?

I can't wait for next year!

Moonlight (with a little help) Mil

CHS Baseball Alumni Game, Opening Ceremonies Set for Feb. 20

The Claremont High baseball program will kick off its 2010 season with special "opening day" ceremonies, an alumni game and a family barbecue on Saturday, Feb. 20, at Claremont High School.

The CHS varsity baseball team will take on former Wolfpack players in the annual alumni game Saturday as a preview to kick off the 2010 season. The game will culminate two days of special activities at the CHS varsity field to open the new baseball campaign.

Festivities are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., followed by the game and a home run derby.

The CHS junior varsity and freshman teams will play at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19.

On Saturday, Feb. 20, the varsity will take to the field against Wolfpack players from the past. All former CHS baseball letter winners are invited to participate in the game or in pre-game batting practice.

The Saturday activities also will include special opening ceremonies and introductions on the field of all players on the freshman, junior varsity and varsity team, followed by first-pitch ceremonies.

A family barbecue will take place throughout the day, and refreshments will be available. In addition, Wolfpack baseball merchandise will be on sale. A home run competition will follow the alumni game.

Alumni game participants should arrive at the CHS varsity field on the Claremont High campus by 9 a.m.

Additional details are available on the Claremont High baseball Web site.

Former CHS baseball players interested in participating should contact Sid Robinson at (909) 227-9589.

Claremont Baseball to Host Annual Golf Tournament Jan. 29

The Claremont High School baseball program will host its Seventh Annual Golf Tournament and Auction on Friday, Jan. 29, at San Dimas Community Golf Course.

All proceeds support the Wolfpack baseball program and will help fund current and future projects, including field improvements, equipment purchases, uniforms and other projects.

Golfers and event sponsors can download a registration form and find more information at the Claremont High baseball Web site.

For additional information or to donate an auction item, contact Bob Miletich at (909) 621-2345. Or contact me and I'll make sure you're part of the group. Thanks.

Back to Blogging

After another long hiatus away from blogging, it’s time to pick it up again, especially with the start of the holiday season. This time, I decided to lay low for a little while and give priority to the many other assorted activities in my life that keep me busy. I’ll try to get the postings back on track as time permits…

Although the UCLA team managed only a 6-6 record this year, I absolutely loved having season tickets. There’s nothing quite like college football, and the tailgate parties before every home game at the Rose Bowl were tremendous fun, especially with our good friends. Those season tickets were an incredible birthday present from Beth – and they’ll be the gift that keeps on giving, since I’m sure we’ll continue to renew. Maybe one of these days we’ll get an R.V. and park it out there early and really do it up right. Beth’s response is, “Not a chance in hell!...” For now, I’ll enjoy the comfort of my fold-up chair and ice chest…and we’ll have more tailgate parties at home, too, when the team is on the road…

Thanksgiving really is a special holiday – maybe my favorite. The daylong activities at Dave Bosson’s are hard to top, including the annual Turkey Bowl football game. I’ve resigned myself to being a spectator in recent years, but now it’s especially fun watching my boys play along with their cousins and uncles, instead of just trying to keep up with the older guys. They aren’t the little guys any more, and they’re very happy to share their on-field exploits with anyone who’ll listen…

A couple of Sid’s classmates and friends from Upland High distinguished themselves when they were named to the All-Pac 10 women’s soccer team. Both Lauren Barnes (UCLA) and Alyssa Davila (USC) earned second team honors…

A big happy 21^st birthday to Sid on Dec. 14…

Best wishes to Upland High’s football team, which escaped with a narrow victory over Claremont in the final game of the regular season and finished fourth in the Baseline League to earn a wild card berth in the CIF-Southern Section Central Division playoffs. The Highlanders then beat Damien and Colony to advance to the division semi-finals against Chino Hills on Friday. The winner of that game will play either Los Osos or Rancho Cucamonga – two other Baseline League teams – in the championship game next week…

Seemingly unnoticed in Upland’s come-from-behind victory against Colony was Cole Chapman’s huge gain on a draw play as the final seconds ticked away, setting up the eventual winning touchdown with less than a minute to play…

It’s been so long since I last blogged that I never did post the pictures of Sam as the guy who crowned the Homecoming queen at Claremont High. Dressed as a king, he crowed state hurdles champion Kori Carter as this year’s queen. Coincidentally, I had the honor of crowning the queen when I was at Claremont High, dressed as Superman. As Sam noted, we were both “men in tights.”…

No matter what logic you use, Pete Carroll was wrong. The fact that Rick Neuheisel called time out didn’t mean it was okay to run up the score. Sure, Carroll had the right to run any play he wanted. But a coach with any amount of class would have continued to run out the clock. He should have continued to play and gone for a first down. Having quarterback Matt Barkley (the next Jeff George -- incredibly talented and over-hyped) throw deep was inexcusable. I know I’m a UCLA fan, but I don’t dislike USC, where I earned my master’s degree. My time there was not only valuable, but also enjoyable. I still have many friends from when I attended USC, so I try to see these things from both sides and I just can’t in this case.

Some people have said Neuheisel shouldn’t have called time out. As a coach, what choice does he have? He can’t throw in the white flag, if for no other reason than for the morale of the team. I bet all but a handful of coaches in America – Carroll included – would have called time out in that situation, too. The difference is that most opposing coaches in America would have understood the logic and would have continued to run out the clock. Any self-respecting coach wouldn’t have thrown deep, then pumped his fist, leaped in the air like a loon and celebrated like he just won the national title. This game was already over.

I compare this to a baseball team stealing bases with a 10-run lead in the ninth inning, just because the pitcher throws over to first base a couple of times to keep the runner close. Does that all of a sudden make it the right thing to do? Of course not.

Given the score, time remaining and field position at that point of the game Saturday, Neuheisel’s time out call was inconsequential. It wasn’t necessary, but it wasn’t the wrong thing to do. I don’t think the coach or anyone else on the UCLA sideline felt there was a chance to win the game at that point (especially after the awful game by the interim quarterback and the senior backup). The time out wasn’t about trying to win the game. It was about not throwing in the towel.

Carroll, on the other hand, was wrong. No excuses. No justification. No reason. Just go ahead and run up the score.

The victory was not in doubt. Carroll simply showed a complete lack of character and class. Even though I root against USC when they play UCLA, I often root for the Trojans, especially in non-conference games. I always root for them against Notre Dame, and they've brought positive attention to the Pac-10. Sports in Los Angeles as a whole has benefited from USC's success. I always respected their program and their coach. Not anymore.

I'm sure I sound like a bitter fan, but this is more than a game. This was just wrong. And it's time for people to stop saying it was okay because Neuheisel "started it by calling a time out." That's only an excuse. It was a blatant display of what not to do. Heck, I accepted the loss, but when Carroll threw it in UCLA's faces, I was outraged. The whole thing certainly filled my passion bucket.

I suspect there are a few high school recruits out there who might be thinking twice about playing for a coach with that kind of judgment and character, especially after USC’s comparatively disappointing season. Things are definitely starting to get interesting once again in our local major college football battle.

Wait Until Next Year

The longer your team plays into the postseason and advances in its port, the harder it is to accept when it finally loses. So I felt the pain a bit sharper when the Dodgers dropped the National League Championship Series to the Phillies on Wednesday, missing out on a trip to the World Series. Actually, the hurt really set in on Monday, when Jonathan Broxton blew the save and Philadelphia took a commanding three-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven series before clinching the title in the fifth game.

Longtime Dodger photographer Jon SooHoo (who was the team photographer when I worked for the ballclub many years ago) posted several shots on his Facebook page shortly after the game. This one says it all.

I suppose if the Dodgers had beaten the Phillies and then lost in the World Series, then it would have been even harder to stomach. But I’ll take the heartache at the end any day over the season-long torture of being a Giants or Padres fan.

I still hold out hope for the Angels – my second-favorite team – to give it their best shot, but it sure looks like a Yankees-Phillies World Series. If that's the case, I’ll still watch, because I love baseball. But I’m not really as interested. This World Series is the post-game show.

As Dodger fans have said for decades after so many seasons have come to a heartbreaking conclusion, dating back to the 1940s and ‘50s in Brooklyn, “Wait ‘til next year.”...

While we wait, there’s good reason to think a bit more about football. The prospects of an NFL team returning to our area figure to take a huge step forward today. Gov. Schwarzenegger is expected to sign the environmental impact exemption, which clears the stadium project from its current legal battles and will allow developer Ed Roski and partners to start to move forward with the stadium project in the City of Industry.

The next major step will come immediately after the season, when Roski is able to court NFL teams to move to the new Los Angeles Football Stadium. I wouldn’t be surprised if a verbal deal is already in place. I’m open to just about any organization moving to Los Angeles, except the Raiders, who should stay in Oakland where they belong. They are an undeniable dysfunctional organization, and would only put a black eye on a great new start for professional football in Southern California…

The CIF is scheduled to approve re-leaguing proposals today, and the most likely scenarios move Claremont High from the Baseline League to the Sierra League, beginning in 2010-2011. The move is supposed to provide relief—especially in the major sports of football and basketball—but the Wolfpack will have its hands full against the likes of Charter Oak, Chino Hills, Ayala and Damien/St. Lucy's high schools, and probably South Hills (or it could be Glendora). This doesn’t look like the relief Claremont wanted… stay tuned...

I’m not ready to say I jumped the gun on my predictions of Richard Brehaut taking over as the UCLA quarterback. He hasn’t emerged as the starter, but he has looked pretty good in his brief time on the field. His body language shows the confidence that the Bruins need in their quarterback, and his mechanics look to be far superior to those of Kevin Prince and Kevin Craft. As soon as Richard gets a better feel for the offense, including the way he judges his offensive line protection, he’ll be in the lineup for keeps…

In the 26 previous years of our fantasy football league, I’ve always managed to put together a pretty competitive team, and I’ve even finished first a number of times, including last year. Well, not this year… The season is six weeks old and I’m already looking ahead to next year. It’s just one of those (really bad) seasons…

Finally, this blog isn’t just about sports. I learned recently that the annual Victoria’s Secret college vote is well underway, with the winning school being added to the campus collection of logo merchandise (yes, they have a campus collection). Looks like Claremont is well represented, as Harvey Mudd College has an insurmountable lead. And Scripps College is in third... Start ordering that lingerie with the Claremont mark soon…

Odds and Ends - October

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…

Enjoyed celebrating Jim and Andi's "100th" birthday last week as they both hit 50 (actually, Andi's birthday is today!). Judy Devens Seligman joined the club a couple days ago, as did Danny Brehaut. Cheers to all of you half-century-old New Year's Eve babies...

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.

End of the Season

Odds and ends as we enjoy one last weekend at the beach as the summer comes to an end. It’s nice that the Southern California coastline is less than an hour from home, but a world away (and 20 degrees cooler). It makes for a great escape. Along with our annual week at Newport, we’ve been very fortunate to have generous friends who allow us to stay at their incredible place on Balboa Island, As always, thanks so much...

And an even bigger thanks to the DesCombes for including Sam on their trip to Kona. Sam and Jack have spent the week entertaining each other endlessly while Jack’s oldest sister Lauren is interning in New York City and sister Kristen is rushing sororities in her first week as a freshman at USC. I look forward to hearing the stories from Hawaii, especially to know if the boys ever worked up the nerve to actually talk with Leighton Meester, the Gossip Girl actress who was sunning at the pool while vacationing at the same resort…

The diminished crowds at the beach are a good indication that summer is winding down (although you wouldn't know by the temperatures). There were still a lot of people out on the sand, but the boardwalk was considerably lighter than it was just three weeks ago. Looks like people were at Newport to get away from the sizzling temperatures hitting Southern California this week, and not so much for the weekly rentals. It appears that season is just about over…

Of course, there are plenty more signs that fall is upon us. Labor Day is just ahead and schools will all be back in session. In fact, some have already begun, which I still think is a little early. August and September are historically the hottest months of the year in Southern California, and you’d think the schools would want to stretch summer in to September. The old traditional schedules make a lot more sense to me, and I’m glad the Claremont school district hasn’t buckled to those who’d rather start earlier. It’s August and it’s summer. Let it stay that way…

Sam will take a day to rest after his return from Hawaii before jumping back in the pool for water polo two-a-days, and then the start of school Sept. 9. Meanwhile, Sid kicks off the fall semester at Cal State San Marcos on Monday, although he’s also taking a class at Palomar College that started last week. Given how hard it is to get classes at universities because of cutbacks from the state budget shortage, it’s become necessary for students to try to pick up a few general education classes at the local community college, too.

Hope Sid and his friends are doing better following the recent tragic death of one of their fraternity brothers. Their benefit carwash last weekend drummed up more than $2,000, and the memorial service was scheduled for Saturday.

With Labor Day comes our annual fantasy football draft Sunday evening at the Robinson draft headquarters. This will be the 27^th year of the Iggy Biggie Football League. We were doing this a long time before it got popular. The majority of our owners have been here since the early years, including several of us who were among the charter group that held our first draft in 1983 at the Kinsey home in Claremont. The picture above is from 1985 at Dave's old place on Baseline, with our fancy draft board. Our draft has changed a lot since then, but it’s still one of the most fun events of the year. Draft night is the best, because it pretty much determines how each of us will watch NFL football over the next four months. I guess I ought to do a little research soon if I want to defend my championship…

Labor Day weekend represents a couple more milestone events this year, too. For the first time ever, dating back to 1922, the Los Angeles County Fair will open on Labor Day weekend. With hopes of taking advantage of people looking for something to do over the holiday weekend, the Fair opens on Saturday, Sept. 5, and will be open through Labor Day before resuming its normal Wednesday through Sunday schedule all the way through Oct. 4. That’s five weekends – and 23 total days of the Fair. Way back when I worked there, we had several years when the Fair was 24 straight days. Those were tough. These days, I'm there to do the house announcements at the grandstand before the concerts, but I'll miss a few of those this year for other special events, including football games, Beth's class reunion and nephew Jeff Bosson's wedding to Jackie Linton...

With the Saturday opening, the Fair’s annual premiere party will be on Friday, Sept. 4. This is a great fundraiser for their Education Foundation, complete with a lot of good food and tons of award-winning wines (and beer). Even at $125 a pop, it is well attended and worthwhile.

Throughout the Fair, local communities have their own special day. Claremont Day is Sept. 24, and Upland Day is Sept. 30. There are community celebrations for most of the nearby cities as well. As part of the celebration, each city honors a community hero, and one of those in the spotlight from Claremont this year will be longtime friend Jack Harper (see this story). He’s a deserving recipient, considering all he’s done as a teacher, administrator and coach at Claremont High, as well as his skill as a team owner in the Iggy Biggie Football League…

Among Jack’s many jobs at CHS is as the defensive coordinator for the Wolfpack football team. CHS kicks off its season with a scrimmage against Capistrano Valley on Sept. 4 and then the official season opener on Friday, Sept. 11. The non-league highlight of the season comes on Friday, Oct. 9, when Claremont hosts Chino High and great friend and coach Greg Setlich, a 1977 Claremont High grad who grew up in Chino and has been a fixture in that community for most of his life...

Upland High opens against A.B. Miller on Sept. 4. Word on the street is that a new quarterback transferred to Upland during the past few weeks and will challenge for the starting job. I haven’t had confirmation from anybody with the program, so I don't have details and I am not sure who it is. But the guy who told me is reliable. Sounds like a situation straight from the “Friday Night Lights” television series (by the way, the best show on TV)… I know a number of the kids playing for Upland (and Claremont, too) this year and wish them all well. You can be sure to find me at a prep football game every Friday night over the next few months, and I'll post a few observations along the way…

Another former Claremont High 1977 graduate looking forward to Labor Day weekend is Danny Brehaut, whose son Richard will officially put on the powder blue and gold uniform for the UCLA Bruins when they host San Diego State on Sept. 5. Right now, Richard is penciled in as the No. 2 quarterback behind Kevin Prince. I’ve had the chance to see a couple of Bruins’ scrimmages, and it’s hard to give a true evaluation of Richard’s progress. When he’s been in there, he’s looked pretty good. My take is that coach Rick Neuheisel and offensive coordinator Norm Chow would prefer for Prince to succeed so that Richard can red-shirt and take more time adjusting to college and gaining a better command of the playbook and the speed of Pac-10 football. But the times I’ve seen him, Prince has not looked good, and that seems to be the consensus among those watching practice every day. Last year, when Kevin Craft bombed, UCLA had nowhere else to turn for relief, since Craft was already the third-string QB. This year, if Prince gets hurt or is ineffective, the coaching staff has options. I still think they’d rather preserve Richard’s red-shirt year, but I get the feeling Craft hasn’t exactly been knocking anybody’s socks off in practice. So Richard may get his shot as a true freshman after all, although not with the fanfare of Matt Barkley over at USC. If not this year, then I don’t think it will be long (although I stand by my prediction that he’ll be starting by the fourth game this season)...

I look forward to spending Saturdays at the Rose Bowl during the fall watching the Bruins. Those season tickets were an exceptional 50^th birthday present from my wife. Thanks Beth. And I look forward to spending time with my dear longtime friends the Moores (yep, more CHS ’77 grads) at the UCLA tailgate parties and games. And despite what I’m sure will be Jim’s protests, I’ll try to visit the Coliseum for USC games on some of those other Saturdays when UCLA is on the road…

Speaking of college football, did you ever notice how when local kids go away to play at a university outside of Southern California, you rarely ever hear about them unless you make an effort to follow them or they otherwise establish themselves among the nation’s elite? They probably gain notoriety in their new locations, but not at home. Most seem lost to the Southern California hometown media...

The start of September also means the final month of Major League Baseball’s regular season. I still remember when I worked for the Dodgers, and they trailed the Braves by a game in the 1991 NL West standings. Both teams were spectacular in September -- each winning more than 20 games during the month and tied for first entering the season’s final weekend. The Dodgers closed the season by losing two of three games at Candlestick Park and finished a game behind Atlanta—the first of many consecutive division championships for the Braves. Naturally, it was heartbreaking for us Dodger fans (and employees). I just hope that they don’t leave us frustrated this year, after a largely successful season. There are too many signs that they could crash early. The pitching has actually held together better than expected, despite not having a staff ace (although the starters have struggled lately, except for Randy Wolf, who has been great). What is especially frustrating is that the Dodgers don’t hit with runners on base. James Loney, Russell Martin and Rafael Furcal have been awful offensively, although their numbers don’t look that bad. Even the team batting numbers are respectable, but that’s because they pad their stats with big 11-4 wins, and then come back and barely win, 3-2 in 12 innings the next day. Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp have carried the offense, but Manny hasn’t been Manny, and lately he’s shown considerable ineptitude in the outfield. He’s not the Hall of Fame hitter that he was last year and before he was caught cheating this season. The Dodgers have played better with Juan Pierre in the lineup, but it’s hard to bench Manny or any of their other outfielders. Los Angeles has a favorable schedule over the final month, but they have to play a lot better baseball all the way around if they want to keep playing in October.

Hope you had a chance to watch the Visitors video in the previous post.

I’m ready for some football… but first let me enjoy this one more summer weekend at the beach.