regular season – NY Renegades

Washington Nationals vs. Miami Marlins: 2022 Grapefruit League opener – MMA Fighting

Don S. Sipe — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Although there are a limited number of games to be played this spring and a rapid build-up to the start of the 2022 regular season following the 99-day lockdown before MLB and MLBPA agree to a new CBA , Washington Nationals manager Davey Martinez told reporters every week his team showed up ready to go with six days to prepare for its first Grapefruit League game.

He didn’t seem concerned about finding the batsmen his team will need to prepare for the 162-game grind of an upcoming season.

“The good thing is that the minor leagues have started playing games as well, so we can always drop the guys and have bats there if needed,” Martinez explained as he prepared for action. live tonight in West Palm Beach, FL.

“Days off will definitely work. We’ll definitely have some of our guys playing in some of these games, especially some of our pitchers who have to pitch, but we’ll be sending hitters out there to get some at bats, so we should be – you know, the way we’ve planned things out, our players should be around 35-40-50 at bats by the end, and I think that’s a good number. When you get to 60-70 at bat I don’t think you need that much, I think these guys are ready and ready to go.

With the free agent free-for-all following the agreement on a new CBA and rosters quickly forming around the league, Martinez hadn’t picked a roster for Game 1 on Thursday afternoon, but he said that the players who would take the field tonight came to camp ready for action and ready to go from the jump.

“I said that today,” Martinez told reporters, “we’ve been around the last two days just to see where everyone’s at – you’ll see our lineup tomorrow – the guys who are playing, these guys have looking forward to playing, and they’re ready, so that’s got me a little excited on Day 1, we had pretty good training to play the game.”

Who is in this composition? :

Nelson Cruz, who signed a one-year/$15 million free agent contract this week to serve as DC’s designated hitter now that the DH is universal in Major League Baseball, is not in the roster. tonight, but the Nats skipper said yesterday the 41-year-old slugger arrived in good form as usual and will be there soon enough.

Where does the manager plan to hit the DH veteran in the middle of the lineup when he’s ready to fight? He’s not sure, or at least not saying so, so far.

“We are going to sit down and see how this all goes. You talk about [Juan] Soto, you’re talking about Cruz, for me, the guy who for me is really going to benefit and help too is Josh Bell. I mean, all of a sudden you put Josh Bell with these two guys, I think he’s going to get better. I really [do]. As I have said, [Cruz] came into this spring training in such good shape and ready, and he looks great, so having these three guys in the middle of our lineup is going to be fun to watch.

It should be fun to at least listen to some baseball tonight. The game with the Marlins at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches is available on the radio via nationals.com, so it’s time to say baseball is back, even if it’s just Grapefruit League baseball. We will take it…

It’s at 6:05 p.m. ET from WPB tonight. Radio only through MLB or Nationals.com…enjoy.

Fix the baseball so spring training in Port St. Lucie has a future

Don S. Sipe — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 11:09:52 +0000

At some point in the past two weeks, I stopped worrying about whether there would be spring training games in Port St. Lucie this year.

Now I wonder if professional baseball will survive, period.

Oh, I’m sure this labor dispute between major league baseballTeam owners and players will eventually be resolved. The two sides will agree to team payroll limits, player eligibility for free agency and other areas of dispute.

There will be a regular season and a post-season, although the World Series won’t be played until after Halloween.

Spring training games may be held at Port St. Lucie’s clover park and other stadiums around Florida and Arizona, even though they are played in weather that feels more like summer than spring.

Blake Fontenay:Mets spring training games in Port St. Lucie compromised by labor dispute

Blake Fontenay:No joy in Port St. Lucie? My first spring training does not meet expectations

Ed Killer:Greed killed spring training. Why Florida and Arizona AGs should sue MLB owners and players

But I’m looking at the long term picture here. MLB attendance hit a 37-year low in 2021, with the average attendance per game down for the fifth consecutive season (not counting the 2020 season without fans). Baseball attendance was going in the wrong direction before COVID arrived.

A recent survey conducted by Seton Hall University found that 44% of baseball fans (and 30% of all fans) said they would be less interested in baseball because of the labor dispute.

Even more troubling, the same poll found that 54% of all respondents were not interested in MLB before the lockdown began in December.

This matters to those of us who live along the Treasure Coast, even if you agree with the majority of survey respondents.

If MLB’s popularity continues to decline, it stands to reason that interest in spring training will also decline, perhaps to an even greater degree proportionally. This means less expense for people traveling here for gaming.

St. Lucia County is on the hook for debt payments for the next 20 years on improvements to Clover Park carried out primarily for the benefit of the stadium’s main tenant, the New York food.

For the sake of the sport and our local economy, here are five changes America’s national pastime should make to avoid being relegated to fringe sport status.

• First, permanently shorten the season by 162 games.

It’s obvious from the deliberate pace of these negotiations that team owners aren’t too worried about a few games being canceled in April. Especially in northern cities where spring comes late, it can be difficult to get fans to these games, anyway.

Moreover, we have entered the period of the year when National Basketball Association and National Hockey League games are starting to matter. A later start would mean less competition for MLB against those two professional leagues.

Also, the end of the Major League season and its playoffs must go head-to-head with the start of the college and professional football seasons, which is not a game that will end well for baseball. .

A schedule of 120 or 100 baseball games would make individual games more meaningful. Quote from PT Barnum about “always leaving them wanting more” applies to baseball as well as circuses.

• Next, place the pitchers on the clock. I read this week that a 14 second step clock is one of the ideas being floated during these collective bargaining. If pitchers knew they had little time to throw the ball into dangerit would dramatically speed up the pace of the games.

I know pitchers need to be able to hold runners close to keep them from stealing bases. However, a pitcher should be able to throw, either toward home plate or one of the bases, in reasonable time for play to continue.

• Next, limit visits to mounds by players. A manager may only call a time out and speak to a pitcher once per inning before that pitcher must be substituted. Still, catchers and other players seem to have unlimited opportunities to slow down play by talking to pitchers. Stop letting them do this.

• Next, set a time limit for replays. Yes, it is important that referees respond correctly to calls. But if they haven’t been able to see enough video evidence to cancel a call after, say, two minutes of watching slow-motion replays from different angles, then the call made in the field should stand.

• Finally, “bump” the baseballs again.

At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a player nicknamed Baker “Home Run” though he never hit more than 12 homers in a single season. Nor was it a facetious reference. He is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

In those days, hitting a home run was more of a feat than it is in the current “live ball” era. Sure, fans love seeing the homers, but it’s less special when even light shortstops are able to knock the ball out of the park.

Dodgers: Los Angeles fans react to proposed 14-team playoff format

Don S. Sipe — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 16:00:38 +0000

A big point of contention between MLB and the MLBPA has been the expansion of the playoffs. The players’ association prefers a 12-team playoff format, while the owners want a 14-team format. Yesterday, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the MLBPA is open to revisiting the discussion of the 14-team playoff format to restart CBA negotiations.

Dodgers fans have shared their thoughts on the prospect of a 14-team playoff format.

@DodgersNation i hate it i hate it i hate it i hate it i hate it i hate it i hate it i hate it i hate it i hate it i hate it i hate it i hate it i hate it i hate it i hate it i I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it

A fan used it as an opportunity to take a shot at the arch-rival San Francisco Giants.

AGAINST – it devalues the regular season. We no longer need 88 winning teams stealing the World Series because they get hot at the right time.

—Tom (@la4052101) March 4, 2022

Primarily, baseball fans aren’t thrilled about the prospect of letting slightly above-average clubs make the playoffs.

@DodgersNation 100% against. My concern is not the income of the owner, it is the product in the field. The current format has the best teams in the playoffs. I don’t need to see the second tier rewarded with a playoff birth. Division winners and wild cards suffice. Don’t add mediocrity

@DodgersNation Vs. This waters down the playoffs and only benefits mediocre teams. Unless they get ultra creative and make sure a crap team isn’t upset by a team that’s performed better for an entire season.

@DodgersNation Against . Almost half the league. No thanks. Why play 162? Shorten the season and get straight to the point. It’s a joke. That’s all.

The ever-positive Gail Johnson is ready for anything that will end MLB’s lockdown.

@DodgersNation I’m all for anything that gets major league baseball players back to work.

One fan simply accepted the inevitable that a 14-team playoff would come to fruition.

@DodgersNation Vs. However, I can tell you from experience as a former professional sports league employee that television rights deals are vital. I don’t want more games from a product standpoint, however, the revenue generated from extended playoffs is too much for ownership to pass up.

Let us know what you think of the idea of MLB implementing a 14-team playoff format below!

More spring training games canceled as negotiations drag on between owners and MLB players

Don S. Sipe — Sat, 05 Mar 2022 15:28:00 +0000

Video above: A sausage vendor near Boston’s Fenway Park is feeling the bite of the MLB lockdown Major League Baseball on Friday canceled spring training games until at least March 17 as negotiations over a new collective agreement between the league and the players’ union is dragging on. On Tuesday, MLB postponed Opening Day on March 31 and canceled the first two sets of regular season games after a deal was not finalized. A collective agreement determines the conditions of employment of the players. Players will not be paid for canceled games, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred noted. bad for our fans, bad for our players and bad for our clubs,” Manfred told reporters earlier this week. “I want to assure our fans that our failure to reach an agreement was not due to a lack of ‘efforts on the part of either party.’ The league had originally canceled all spring training games through March 7, and MLB’s Opening Day was scheduled for March 31 March The commissioner said the games have been canceled and not postponed because it is not possible to reschedule interleague games The first spring training games could currently start on March 18. The players’ union criticized on Tuesday the league’s decision to postpone Opening Day and the cancellation of regular games for reason, saying in a statement that players – and fans – have been “disgusted, but sadly not surprised.” of these negotiations, the objectives of Players have been consistent – promoting competition, providing fair compensation to young players to maintain the integrity of our market system,” the union said. “Amid growing revenues and record profits, we are looking for nothing more than a fair deal.” The league locked out players Dec. 2, barring them from using team facilities and preventing free agents from signing new contracts. The shutdown stems from disagreements over how to distribute about $11 billion in annual revenue. most recent. Players, meanwhile, have seen their salaries drop in recent years, especially for non-star players. The union has pushed to change the league’s restrictive free agency rules and reduce financial penalties for high-spending teams.

Video above: A sausage vendor near Boston’s Fenway Park feels the bite of the MLB lockdown

Major League Baseball on Friday canceled spring training games until at least March 17 as negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players’ union drag on.

On Tuesday, MLB postponed Opening Day on March 31 and canceled the first two sets of regular season games after a deal was not finalized.

A collective agreement establishes the conditions of employment of the players. Players will not be paid for canceled games, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred noted.

The league has indicated it is ready to continue negotiations while the union said team owners are trying to break up the players’ united front.

“We worked hard to avoid a result that was bad for our fans, bad for our players and bad for our clubs,” Manfred told reporters earlier this week. “I want to assure our fans that our failure to reach an agreement was not due to a lack of effort by either party.”

The league had originally canceled all spring training games through March 7, and MLB Opening Day was scheduled for March 31. The commissioner said the games had been canceled and not postponed because it was not possible to reschedule interleague games.

The first spring training games could currently begin on March 18.

The players’ union on Tuesday criticized the league’s decision to postpone opening day and cancel regular games, saying in a statement that players – and fans – are “disgusted, but unfortunately not surprised”.

“From the beginning of these negotiations, the players’ goals have been consistent: to promote competition, to provide fair compensation to young players and to maintain the integrity of our market system,” the union said. “Amid growing revenues and record profits, we are looking for nothing more than a fair deal.”

The league locked out players Dec. 2, barring them from using team facilities and preventing free agents from signing new contracts. The shutdown stems from disagreements over how to distribute about $11 billion in annual revenue.

The owners say they have been battered by declining in-person attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and they have been pushing to sign a new collective agreement similar to the most recent one.

Players, meanwhile, have seen their salaries drop in recent years, especially for non-star players. The union has pushed to change the league’s restrictive free agency rules and reduce financial penalties for high-spending teams.

Sailors open spring training complex to fans

Don S. Sipe — Sat, 05 Mar 2022 01:54:49 +0000

PEORIA, Ariz. — After nearly two full years — 724 days to be exact — Mariners fans will once again be allowed to walk through the side door of the team’s spring training complex and wander into the backyards to watch daily baseball practices.

The Mariners have announced that the complex will be open to fans from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. MST, beginning Saturday morning and through the remainder of minor league spring training, April 3.

Fans have not been allowed access to the complex’s backfields since Major League Baseball canceled spring training on March 12, 2020, as a precaution due to COVID-19.

After playing a shortened 2020 season without fans for the regular season, MLB has decided not to allow fans into team complexes out of safety for players who often have to walk among fans to get to certain areas. of the complex.

With more than 90% of Mariners minor league players fully vaccinated and COVID-19 cases slowly declining, safety guidelines don’t have to be so strict. The Mariners haven’t issued any backcourt rules, but marked off areas — like in previous years — have been put in place to maintain distance for players.

Of course, these workouts will only feature minor league players. With MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association locked in a bitter battle over a new collective bargaining agreement, and MLB owners instituting a player lockout Dec. 2, big league players and prospects minor leaguers on the 40-man roster, including top prospect Julio Rodriguez, are not allowed on the premises.

Still, for fans who are interested in the future of the organization and want to see big leaguers or potential stars up close, or for fans who just miss baseball, practices offer a chance to see baseball from close.

According to multiple outlets, the Mariners have one of the best farming systems in MLB — ranked No. 1 by Baseball America and No. 2 by The Athletic and Baseball Prospectus and No. 6 by ESPN — led by the ultra-talented Rodriguez , who looks like a budding star and is considered one of the top three prospects in all of baseball.

To protect him from a Rule 5 draft that may not happen now because of the lockout, the Mariners were forced to put Rodriguez on the 40-player roster in December, making him part of the MLBPA and ineligible. to participate.

But looking at the Mariners’ top 30 prospects in the organization by MLB Pipeline, only Rodriguez (#1), right-handed pitcher Matt Brash (#10), right-handed pitcher Juan Then (#14), outfielder Alberto Rodriguez (#21) and left-handed pitcher Aaron Fletcher (#23) are on the 40-man roster.

That leaves a slew of prospects in the camps, including top pitching prospect George Kirby, who is ranked 12th overall MLB prospect by Baseball America and leads a group of hard-hitting prospects. Fans will also be wowed by Noelvi Marte, the 20-year-old shortstop prospect that Baseball America ranks as the No. 18 prospect in baseball.

Kirby threw a fastball that hit 98 mph and a vanishing change during a live batting practice Thursday while Marte provided jaw-dropping moments during the current minor league minicamp, including including a laser one homer against the Padres in a scrimmage game.

Speaking of games, the minor league spring training games start March 14. But details as to the exact locations of the games and whether fans will be able to attend – they usually take place in the afternoon after morning practices – have yet to be determined by everyone. team.

Other Seattle top 30 prospects who will participate in practices:

No. 4: Emerson Hancock, RHP
No. 5: Harry Ford, C
No. 6: Zach DeLoach, DE
No. 7. Brandon Williamson, LHP
No. 8: Connor Phillips, RHP
No. 9: Levi Stoudt, RHP
No. 11: Edwin Arroyo, SS
No. 12: Adam Macko, LHP
No. 13: Milkar Perez, 3B
No. 15: Michael Morales, RHP
No. 16: Starlin Aguilar, 3B
No. 17: Gabriel Gonzalez, OF
No. 18: Isaiah Campbell, RHP
#19: Kaden Polcovich, SS-2B
No. 20: Bryce Miller, RHP
No. 22: Jonatan Clase, OF
No. 24: Sam Carlson, RHP
#25: Taylor Dollard, RHP
No. 26: Tyler Keenan, 1B-3B
No. 27: Cade Marlowe, OF
No. 28: Patrick Frick, SS
No. 29: Luis Bolivar, OF
No. 30: Juan Pinto, LHP

Also

The Mariners saw two players suspended for violating the minor league drug prevention and treatment program.

Right-handed pitcher Luiz Baez received a 60-game suspension for testing positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the program.

Bernie Martinez, also a right-handed pitcher, received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for LGD-4033 and Ostarine, performance-enhancing substances in violation of the program.

Baez, 21, was 2-2 with a 5.08 ERA in appearances for the Arizona Complex League Mariners in 2021. In 28 1/3 innings, he struck out 41 batters and walked 31.

Martinez, 25, pitched in 28 games for three different affiliates, posting a 4-2 record with a 7.31 ERA. In 56 2/3 innings, he struck out 52 batters with 23 walks. He pitched most of the season at High-A Everett, making 25 appearances where he had a 6.70 ERA. He was an undrafted free agent who left Incarnate Word University in 2019.

Ryan Divich:
206-464-2373 Where rdivish@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @RyanDivish. Ryan Divish covers the Mariners in Seattle and on the road. Look for his “Extra Innings” podcast and weekly Sunday mailbag during the season.

Fans and vendors react to MLB spring training lockdown

Don S. Sipe — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 01:00:00 +0000

MESA, AZ — Spring training remains in limbo as MLB officials announced plans to cancel games early in the upcoming season.

Fans at Sloan Park in Mesa were hoping to see the Cubs take to the field. Instead, they visit the gift shop.

“Disappointed – we had tickets and everything,” Cubs fan Lee Pedraza said.

“We came from Illinois outside of Chicago to see the Cubs and spend a week here and that’s not happening, but at least I was lucky enough to get a cap,” he said. he adds.

Lizzy Kinasz was also in town from the Chicago area. She wanted to watch a game and celebrate her birthday. Unfortunately, the lockdown meant there were no games until players and owners reached an agreement.

“Bored because we had tickets for tomorrow, we were excited to come — we’re Cubs fans,” she said.

On Tuesday, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced the sport would scrap some regular season games due to a labor dispute for the first time in 27 years.

“My deepest hope is that we reach an agreement soon,” Manfred said.

“I’m really disappointed that we didn’t find an agreement,” he added.

“Today is a sad day,” said union leader Tony Clark.

“The reason we’re not playing is simple: a lockdown is the ultimate economic weapon,” Clark added.

Still, fans said they were disappointed with the lack of games and found other ways to enjoy their time in the Valley.

Jim and Michele Hunt spent Tuesday touring stadiums and buying fan gear.

“I love sitting in the chair, drinking a nice cold beer and watching baseball,” Jim said.

“It’s the American thing to do. We’re disappointed, but hopefully they can figure it out today and come to a conclusion and get back to baseball.”

Michele shared the same sentiment.

“I’m sad. I was so excited. We had tickets ready and a trip planned and I love baseball,” she said.

The ongoing lockdown will also prevent vendors like the Chuckies Food Truck from coming to the Valley.

Chuckies owner Chuck Cox told ABC15 he was already having trouble getting supplies, but made the decision not to come after hearing about the lockdown.

“I live in Iowa where it’s colder than hell and I can’t wait to go to spring training,” he said.

“I love Arizona and I love the Cubs,” he added.

Cox has been serving his famous tenderloin sandwiches at Cubs spring training games for about 15 years.

He said if all goes as planned, he will be back next year.

“Where can you go to work, earn money and watch football in the winter,” he added.

It’s still unclear how spring training will be handled this season.

No date for the resumption of negotiations has been announced, but the earliest start of the season is April 8.

MLB lockdown cancels 2022 spring training games, businesses face again

Don S. Sipe — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 11:00:41 +0000

MLB lockdown cancels 2022 spring training games, businesses face again

From restaurants to hotels, a washout of the spring training season would hurt businesses in Arizona and Florida that depend on it.

MLB’s lockdown isn’t just bad news for fans, but for the businesses they support each spring.
Arizona and Florida each estimate that games bring in more than $600 million in revenue each year.
But for the third year in a row, companies are wondering if things will return to “normal”.

After hoping to finally hit a financial circuit, companies that cater to fans who flock to baseball’s spring training are beginning to wonder if they’ll face another strikeout.

A labor dispute between Major League Baseball and its players’ union that began with a lockout in December has left restaurants, hotels and other fan-dependent businesses in limbo. Management has set a Monday deadline that will cause regular season games to be canceled if an agreement cannot be reached.

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Yankees News: MLB postpones spring training again to March 8

Don S. Sipe — Sat, 26 Feb 2022 05:00:00 +0000

MLB | Marc Feinsand: About a week ago, MLB announced the postponement of spring training games until March 5. As CBA negotiations continue in Jupiter, Fla., the league has announced that exhibition games will not be played until March 8 at the earliest.

Despite the approach of an agreement on a proposed amateur lottery after a face-to-face meeting between MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and labor leader Tony Clark, progress on fundamental economic issues has been minimal and an agreement will not does not seem close to being concluded. They will meet today with the late February deadline looming to avoid regular season cancellations.

NJ Advance Media | mike rosenstein: MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reminded us of what we now know: that the Yankees “brought in Carlos Correa” before the lockout. He says, however, that “the probability is unclear because it looked like Seager was higher on the wish list, and Correa was looking for even more dollars than Seager got ($330 million to $325 million). dollar).”

One part is clear, however: there will be plenty of competitors for Correa’s services. Heyman listed the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, San Francisco Giants, Cardinals of St. Louisand Boston Red Sox as potential suitors. Some of them will surely end up making a lot of noise for nothing, but someone is going to pay for the talented shortstop.

NJ Advance Media | Brendan Kuty: 2009 World Series champion Nick Swisher shared his thoughts on top shortstop prospect Anthony Volpe during an appearance on WFAN. “Everything this kid has, I’m in love,” he told Sweeny Murti. “His way of approaching the game. The way he’s just a little kid. The way he wants to improve every day. All of these things you’re talking about are absolutely brilliant.

Almost every prospect publication (including FanGraphs, Baseball America, and Baseball Prospectus) has listed Volpe as the Yankees’ top prospect and one of baseball’s top 20 young talents.

FanGraphs | Eric Longenhagen, Kevin Goldstein and Tess Taruskin: The folks at FanGraphs do a great job tracking and evaluating leads. They’ve already released their Top 100 list and their review of the Yankees’ best minor leaguers. However, another recent article focused on trying to determine which prospects can make the 2023 Top 100 list.

They named Trey Sweeney, Roderick Arias, Everson Pereira and Ken Waldichuk in their report, so it’s refreshing to know that the Yankees have more players who could be considered top 100 prospects in a year (apart from just Anthony Volpe, Oswald Peraza, and Jason Dominguez).

Of Sweeney, they said the team’s first 2021 draft pick “covers the whole plate and has enough power to be dangerous.”

New York Daily News | Deesha Thosar: The New York fooddespite having more openings in their throwing depth than in the roster, would have “saved” free agent first baseman and potential Yankees target Freddie Freeman before the lockout.

Freeman could be an option for the Yankees if they decide to spend big on a first sack, but there’s a bigger need for the shortstop. The 2020 NL MVP has hit 31 homers and scored 120 times in 2021.

It’s unclear if the Mets will pursue Freeman now after going on a pre-lockdown shopping spree late last year, but with Steve Cohen, you should never rule them out.

League cancels more spring training games – NBC Chicago

Don S. Sipe — Sat, 26 Feb 2022 04:05:40 +0000

MLB cancels more spring training games originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Major League Baseball has canceled additional spring training games as the league’s player lockdown continues.

MLB, which canceled the first week of exhibition games Last weekannounced on Friday that three more games have been canceled: March 5-7.

The slate of the exhibition will start on March 8 at the earliest.

MLB canceled three more days of spring training games, so no games until March 8. Doing it a few days at a time in the hope that a deal will still be done on Monday.

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) February 26, 2022

The cancellations come amid ongoing labor negotiations between MLB and the players’ union. The two sides met every day this week.

CONTINUED: Lockdown timeline: another day closer to the apocalypse

While MLB could lift the lock to open camps and start the season on time, it has set Monday as deadline for an agreement. Otherwise, the league announced it would begin canceling regular season games.

Opening day is scheduled for March 31.

Commissioner Rob Manfred joined on-site negotiations in Florida for the first time this week on Friday. Manfred met with union executive director Tony Clark one-on-one, according to multiple reports.

The league and union are expected to continue negotiations on Saturday – the originally scheduled start of the Cactus and Grapefruit League game.

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Fullerton Boys’ Basketball Team Reaches Potential in CIF-SS Playoffs – Orange County Register

Don S. Sipe — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 01:40:21 +0000

This happens every sports year in high school in all high school sports.

Teams play their best in the playoffs, which is the best time to do it.

The Fullerton boys’ basketball team is one such team.

The Indians finished third in the six-team Freeway League with a 5-5 league record. They have lost their last two regular season games, league losses to Troy and Sunny Hills.

Fresh off four wins in the CIF Southern Section Division 4AA playoffs, Fullerton is in Friday night’s championship game against Garden Grove at Garden Grove High.

Fullerton opened the CIF-SS playoffs with a 58-49 victory over Garden Grove League champion Santiago, beat Rio Mesa 59-39 at home in the second round and earned a quarter-final home victory against the champion Rio Mesa.

In Tuesday’s semi-finals, Fullerton traveled to face No. 1 seed Artesia, the 605 League champion who was 26-5 and had a great history with the likes of James Harden and the O brothers. ‘Bannon, Charles and Ed.

“We knew Artesia was good,” Fullerton third-year coach Erik Kamrath said. “There’s a lot of basketball history in this school and it’s hard to get into it. I looked at our kids’ faces and saw that they weren’t scared.

Fullerton won, 58-56. Junior guard Josiah Reed led the Indians with 15 points. Sophomore guard Isaiah Reed scored 13 points with three 3-pointers and senior guard Ezekiel Yousling scored nine of three 3-pointers.

The Indians train as hard as they play.

“Our work ethic is through the roof,” Fullerton junior point guard Christian Hubbard said. “We focus on the little things like boxing every possession, making the right pass, talking defense. We’ve got talent, but we’re not incredibly talented, so we have to do those things well.

Kamrath’s scouting report on 4AA Championship game opponent Garden Grove…

“There’s a reason they’ve come this far,” Kamrath said. “They didn’t get there by accident. They know what they need to do to be successful and they do it well.

What sounds like Kamrath is talking about his own team.

REMARKS

• Western, led by senior guards Ahmad Hammouri and Jameson Labasan, will make their CIF-SS Men’s Basketball Championship debut on Friday in the 4A final at Dos Pueblos in Goleta. Western manager Marc Harrison felt his side could do something special with their 56-47 first-round win over Chadwick, a team that beat Western 53-35 at the Bolsa Grande tournament in December . “We turned that 18-point loss into a win by ‘getting up’ in the other team’s faces and playing good defense,” Harrison said.

• The CIF-SS office has sent each school participating in a boys’ or girls’ basketball championship game a link to purchase game tickets on GoFan.co so that schools can, if they wish, provide first access tickets to team members’ families, students and others in their school communities.

• Five of the six Orange County men’s basketball teams participating in CIF-SS championship games are public school teams: Dana Hills, Fullerton, Garden Grove, San Juan Hills and Western. JSerra is the only private school team in the county to participate in a men’s basketball final.

• Friday will be a busy day at JSerra. The Lions boys soccer team play at home against Servite in the CIF-SS Division 1 Championship game at 5 p.m. BallySports.com will broadcast this game live.

• Servite swept both of its Trinity League soccer games against JSerra. The Brothers won 4-0 at Servite, 3-1 at JSerra.

• The Sunny Hills men’s soccer team takes on Norte Vista at Ramona High on Saturday at 5 pm in the Division 3 championship game. Sunny Hills have won 13 of their last 14 games.

• Orange County has several contenders who could win medals at the CIF State Wrestling Championships this week, including El Dorado runner-up Isaiah Quintero at 106 pounds. Quintero could see Gilroy rookie Isaiah Cortez in the final. Cortez and Quintero are familiar foes, having battled each other and worked together in the offseason.

• The Orange Lutheran baseball team, ranked No. 6 in the nation by MaxPreps.com, captured the Prep Baseball Report Preseason Invitational championship with a 12-1 victory over Yucaipa on Saturday. The Lancers’ other tournament wins were against Gahr 2-1, Ayala 4-3 and Huntington Beach 5-0. The tournament had “Pre-Season” in the title, but those games count towards regular season records.

• Loyola could be the best CIF-SS men’s volleyball team this season. The Cubs swept Mater Dei in three sets Wednesday at Loyola. Two of Orange County’s top teams, Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor, will have a shot at Loyola next month — Corona del Mar at Loyola on March 8, Loyola at Newport Harbor on March 12.

• Recent hiring of county football head coaches: Phil Hughes, longtime Sunny Hills assistant coach at Canyon; former Orange Lutheran head coach JP Presley at Esperanza; and former El Dorado and Yorba Linda assistant Fred Manriquez at Whittier Christian.