New Coach

As I had hoped and pretty much expected, the Claremont Unified School District Board of Education at its Monday meeting officially approved the appointment of Steve Jackson as the new head varsity baseball coach at Claremont High School.

I suspect there will be people in the program who are unsure about this selection, but I think it is an incredible hire for CHS. Six months from now those people will understand. Claremont is fortunate to have him. Steve is a fantastic coach, a bright baseball mind and a good person. And he's fair.

The Claremont Unified School District press release with the announcement is now posted on the Claremont High Baseball Web site.

Not So Endless Summer

It’s hard to write the blog when you’re on vacation, and just as hard when you return. This really does take a kick in the butt to get going again. The thing I’ve learned in the brief time I’ve been writing this is that you have to dedicate time to keeping it updated. And while I have several longer blogs in the works, those can take a back seat to current events, including the Olympics (stay tuned). In the meantime, here are a few random notes.

• The beach is a great place to vacation. It’s less than an hour’s drive, but it’s a world away. Gazing at the Pacific from the deck of our Newport Beach boardwalk rental is a good way to spend a week. The view of sunbathers on the beach and passers-by on the boardwalk is ideal from our perch on the second-floor. And it is the perfect place to ride our beach cruisers – easily one of our smarter investments. The sunsets and the reflection of the moon on the ocean at night are breathtaking. Last week was particularly fun, because we got to spend time with friends who were vacationing, too. The DesCombes have a place on Balboa Island, and the Moores and Brehauts also had rentals for the week. Plus, Dave came down for a day, and there were assorted others. I’ll mention them all in an upcoming Olympic opening ceremonies blog.

• Sam is getting an early taste of college life this week, spending time with his brother at Sid’s apartment in San Marcos. I’m glad they love spending time together, and I’m sure it’s good for both of them. Sam will return to enjoy about three more weeks of summer before classes start at Claremont High on Sept. 3, while Sid gets his fall semester started on Aug. 25 at Cal State San Marcos…I think all of us could use an extra month of summer. I wonder if Sam has mastered beer pong yet.

• Following his outstanding performance at the Elite 11 camp, as well as those at other showcase events, UCLA-commit Richard Brehaut from Los Osos High has jumped to No. 4 on the Rivals.com national rankings of class of 2009 high school quarterbacks. Last week at the beach, he was just another high school senior enjoying the summer before football practice starts again. He’s a good kid and deserves the success that is coming his way.

• Claremont High is expected to announce its new baseball coach next week, following the school board’s approval at its meeting on Aug. 18. Hopefully the Claremont parents will stand by Principal Brett O’Connor’s judgment on this one, and support the new coach and by letting him do his job. My hunch is that this will surprise some people, but it will be a great hire.

• The Iggy Biggie Football League will hold its annual draft on either Saturday, Aug. 30, or Sunday, Aug. 31. As usual, the draft will be held over Labor Day weekend in advance of the NFL’s opening day, which this year is Thursday, Sept. 4. Remarkably, this is the 26th year we’ve been doing this (more blogs about Iggy Biggie to come, too).

• It’s a kick watching Manny Ramirez. He gives the Dodgers a chance to win every night (if the pitching can hold up), and there is anticipation and electricity every time he comes to bat. The final six weeks of the season will keep people watching baseball through the end of the September. I hope the four-game sweep over Philadelphia kicks off the kind of run the Dodgers will need to win the Western Division and advance in the playoffs.

• I love the Olympics. I have several upcoming Olympic blogs in the works, so I’ll just make a quick mention of a few highlights so far. The opening ceremonies really were spectacular, and the events are great—especially since I’ve been watching stuff at 5:30 a.m. and throughout the day on my office TV. I’m not a big gymnastics fan, but last night’s women’s all-around final performance by Nastia Liukin was probably the best gymnastics display I have ever seen. She won the gold medal, but I think her scores weren’t nearly as high as they could have been. Must have been the Soviet judge.

• The college football season starts in two weeks. The NFL season kicks off in three.

• The Los Angeles County Fair opens on Friday, Sept. 5. It used to be that I counted the days until it started – and then until it ended. That was back when I didn’t get to enjoy my summers and take off for the beach in July and August. It was the most frustrating and tiring job I’ve ever had, and easily the hardest I ever worked. But it was also my most rewarding, fun and satisfying job, too. I know what the staff is going through right about now and I wish them well. Their summers ended months ago.

Top Quarterback in the Land, Updated

Los Osos High quarterback Richard Brehaut, who has given a verbal commitment to play at UCLA in fall 2009, won the Golden Gun Accuracy Challenge at the national Elite 11 quarterback competition that concluded Thursday. He also won several other awards, and was camp MVP runner-up to Georgia-commit Aaron Murray.

The significance, of course, is that this clearly distinguishes him as one of the top high school quarterbacks in the United States. I'm sure there will be plenty written about him in the coming months, too.

A great story appears in today's Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, as well as others on ESPN.com, Los Angeles Times and other media outlets. Click on the links to read those accounts. Pretty big-time stuff. Congratulations to Richard on this tremendous accomplishment, and best wishes for a great senior season at Los Osos.

One of the Best

The kudos continue to follow Richard Brehaut, who is turning heads this week at the Elite 11 camp in Mission Viejo. The national competition featuring the top high school class of 2009 quarterbacks in the country comes to an end today, and Richard is establishing himself as one of the best of the best.

According to coverage on ESPN.com, he stood out on the third day of the competition, setting an Elite 11 record in the accuracy competition with 24 points. The article indicates Richard is among the quarterbacks separating themselves from the rest of the elite group. Here is the account from Greg Biggins of ESPN.com.

After two solid workouts, Richard Brehaut was spectacular on Wednesday. His arm was strong, he was deadly accurate and his athleticism was off the charts. He moves around effortlessly and has a great body for the position.

The unique thing about Brehaut is he does his best work in the pads. Some quarterbacks look better in shorts and shirts, but Brehaut can run over guys, improvise, scramble and make plays off the cuff -- and those skills aren't really showcased at this camp.

So Brehaut has had an incredible week in an environment that doesn't even show what he's really about. He set a new Elite 11 record with 24 points in the Accuracy Challenge and is now just five points off the lead with one day to go.

"I thought he was incredible today," ESPN.com national recruiting director Tom Luginbill said. "In 7-on-7 action, he threw some great balls and has been one of my favorite quarterbacks all week.

"If I had to pick my three favorite guys, Brehaut would definitely be one of them and I would put Aaron Murray and A.J. McCarron in that group as well."

Richard is the first quarterback from the Inland Empire to compete in the prestigious Elite 11, and clearly he is making a mark not only as the No. 1 QB locally, but one of the best high school QBs in the United States. We'll try to have more here Friday with the event wrap-up.

The Best Things in Life

Okay, this one is for my own peace of mind, so please bear with me on this one… Maybe some of you who have been there can relate, and those who are headed there will be forewarned...

It sounds cliché, but the simple pleasures in life really are the best. I had one of those “moments of realization” just last week as I watched the Major League All-Star Game with my son Sid. It was a simple thing, but it truly was one of the things in life that makes me happiest…and all we did was watch a baseball game on TV together.

For the past eight or nine years, I really haven’t been able to sit down with my family and watch the All-Star Game, since we always seemed to have conflicts with Little League all-star games or practices. It wasn’t a big deal, but with those commitments in the past, I knew I’d get the chance to watch this one.

Sid remembered a tradition of “keeping with the theme” that we had when he was young, so he grilled some hot dogs and had them ready for when I got home from work. Sam had friends over, but they were preoccupied with other things (and he’s doing what a 15-year-old boy should be doing—goofing around with friends). Beth wasn’t really interested in a meaningless exhibition baseball game. So Sid and I just watched the game, which got better and better with one great play after another until it dramatically ended in the 15th inning with another American League victory. We were disappointed in the outcome, but both clearly delighted that we experienced a great game together – and each other’s company.

I bring up this otherwise insignificant story because my son Sid is moving back to school this week for his second year at Cal State San Marcos. The realization that my buddy is going away again is just a little hard for me.

Actually, last year it kicked my butt. I was excited for him to be going away to college and really didn’t give it much thought up until about three days before he had to move. Then reality hit me hard and I was a mess. But it was for all of the right reasons. My boy was going to college. I was –and still am, of course – about as proud as a dad could be. It just hit me: “How did we get to this point so fast?”

The truth is that he had a great first year in college and experienced the things you are supposed to. I wouldn’t want it any other way. He lived on his own and learned to play beer pong (even if it’s not the same game of skill that we played). He ran on the university’s track team and joined a fraternity. And he made some friends that will probably be some of his best friends for life.

And it will be even better for him this year. He may have even stumbled onto a job that will lead to a career that lasts him well after he has finished college.

He’s a great young man, and I love him (I recently told him that I think he is a great guy, and he asked if I was drunk). Yep, he’s still my buddy.

I’m better prepared for his departure this year, but I’m sure it will get me. I already know I’ll miss terribly the time we spend together watching Dodger games or football games. Or comparing fantasy football lineups or just talking about track times or baseball scores or the things that really matter or nothing at all. And I’ll miss the “completeness” that is missing from our family when one of us is away. There is a certain dynamic that happens when Beth, Sid, Sam and I are all together. It’s special to us, and we all feel it, but it’s different when a piece is missing and the unit is not intact.

Okay, maybe I’m being I wimp. He’ll only be a little more than an hour’s drive away. He’s not back east somewhere. And he’s assured us he’ll be coming home a lot more on weekends this year.

And he’s not really fully moving this week, since he’ll be with us for our upcoming family vacation and for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics (another crazy and wonderful family tradition).

Actually, I’m fine, and still very proud. And I’m thrilled for Sid. I just know I’ll be sad when the Dodgers come on TV and the recliner next to me is empty.

Already, I can’t wait for him to be home, and he hasn’t even left yet.

End of Summer Concerts

As mentioned here a few days ago, the Los Angeles County Fair did indeed officially announce today the lineup for this year’s End of Summer Concert Series. The Fair runs from Sept. 5-28 at Fairplex in Pomona.

As in the past, the lineup includes a diverse variety of acts. VP Dale Coleman does a good job of finding something to appeal to most musical tastes. And along with the concerts are a host of other events, like monster trucks, bull riders and motocross championships.

War returns to open the Fair on Friday, Sept. 5. For many years the band was the traditional opening night act, even back to the days when I worked there. After a break of a couple years, they’re back. War puts on a solid, entertaining show and is worth seeing.

The Doobie Brothers return on Sunday, Sept. 7, along with Grand Funk Railroad. The two groups paired for a Fair show in 2006, reminiscent of those old concerts of the 1970s (like when I saw the Doobie Brothers at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino in 1976). They still put on a great show, especially with Grand Funk as the opening act.

There are several other shows of note, including the legendary Smokey Robinson (no relation) on Friday, Sept. 12; The Bangles, Berlin and the Motels on Friday, Sept. 19; and Lifehouse and Gavin Rossdale on Sunday, Sept. 28. Also, Jessica Simpson is slated to perform on Saturday, Sept. 20 (Tony Romo and the Cowboys are in Green Bay the next day, so I doubt there will be any celebrity sightings of the Dallas quarterback at the Fair).

I’ll be back doing the “house” announcements before each show, so be sure to listen for “Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the End of Summer Concert Series at your Los Angeles County Fair.” If you make it to any of the concerts, be sure to look for me at the sound board right around 8 p.m.

Also, there is usually a lot of great music elsewhere around the Fair, and it goes well into the night on weekends. It’s kind of nice to keep checking out good music after the grandstand shows. I hope the popular Ravelers will be back at the park stage, and there is usually good music in Avalon, the restaurant across from the grandstand. Click here to see a Ravelers clip. They'll be at the Fair's Stage in Park Square on Sept. 19.

Here’s 2008 the grandstand stage and sports lineup:

• Sept. 5, War
• Sept. 6, Sugarland
• Sept. 7, Doobie Brothers and Grand Funk Railroad
• Sept. 11, Monster Truck Madness
• Sept. 12, Smokey Robinson
• Sept. 13, KC and the Sunshine Band and Village People
• Sept. 14, Jaguares
• Sept. 18, American Daredevils
• Sept. 19, The Bangles, Berlin and The Motels
• Sept. 20, Jessica Simpson
• Sept. 21, Mariachi USA Fiesta
• Sept. 25, Guilherme Marchi Classic Professional Bull Riders
• Sept. 26, Charlie Wilson and the Gap Band, with Rose Royce and Lakeside
• Sept. 27, LG World Championships of Freestyle Motocross
• Sept. 28, Lifehouse and Gavin Rossdale

Local Star -- International Stage

Congratulations to Cal State Fullerton outfielder Josh Fellhauer, who recently completed his sophomore year playing for the Titans. He was named to the 2008 USA Baseball National Team (collegiate division).

A former Upland resident, Josh played baseball and football at Rancho Cucamonga High School, and he is one of just four outfielders on the 20-man national team roster, which is playing in Europe this summer.

Of course, most significantly is that he was my top draft pick when I managed the Upland National Little League Minor “B” Dodgers when he was 8 years old. He helped lead that team to the league title, although nobody outside of the players, families and coaches really cared – or remembered.

He comes by his talents honestly, with a couple of athletically gifted parents, Julie and Bob Fellhauer, who were outstanding local athletes and were Josh's coaches through most of those youth seasons, except the one year Josh and brother Justin were on different teams in different divisions, and I got to draft Josh.