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For Palisades High players, baseball offers normalcy amid a charred L.A. landscape

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For Palisades High players, baseball offers normalcy amid a charred L.A. landscape

CHEVIOT HILLS, Calif. — The Palisades Charter High School J.V. baseball team huddled on the all-dirt infield of their temporary home, a makeshift venue for a displaced team. The playing surface and outfield grass were patchy and uneven. With no mound, its primary use was for softball.

But it was what they had to work with. And the tragic circumstances — a fire that ravaged their school and city — that led them to this spot mattered little in that moment. What was important? The varsity captain, Ryan Hirschberg, was displeased with the junior varsity group’s effort and focus during their joint practice.

“The only reason, J.V., that you had to run today, is that you weren’t paying attention,” Hirschberg told the team after practice had ended.

“It’s not because we want to make you guys run. If we mess up, we’ll run too.”

Hirschberg is running players-only practices until coaches are allowed to join in early February, and so he did his job. Scolded them for it, then watched as they all ran mandatory sprints past the outfield and onto an adjacent field.

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At that moment, this practice felt very serious. The consequences of failure felt legitimate. And there would be real punishments for not locking in on the purpose of their presence at Cheviot Hills Recreation Center, a public park the city had permitted the team to use to prepare for their season.

But in many ways, baseball didn’t matter. How could it for Ian Sullivan? A lefty pitcher whose home burned down, the fire taking with it all of his tangible childhood memories. How could it for Jett Teegardin? A junior infielder who visited his burned-down neighborhood a day later, before returning to the hotel that’s become a temporary home.

Yet in this moment, baseball mattered more than anything because they wanted it to matter. The Palisades fire upended life for all 38 baseball players who populate the J.V. and varsity rosters. They’ve come together to support one another through a traumatic experience. They don’t know where they’ll play this year, or with what uniforms or equipment, but they are determined to field a team, have their season, and now, with added meaning, compete for a championship. Baseball, for them, is a brief escape from tragedy. But it is also a chance to do something for a community that desperately needs something to rally around.

“Situations like this build character, and they show people who you are,” said Hirschberg, who has donated clothes, organized practice, started a GoFundMe that’s raised $13,000 and simply been a friend to teammates who need one.

“People don’t get to see the best of you in the best of times. It’s the worst of times where you have to show people who you are.”

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On Tuesday, Jan. 7, a now infamous fire overtook the Palisades and other neighborhoods in Los Angeles. It killed dozens and destroyed thousands of homes, charring the lives and worldly possessions of everyone in its wake.

The high school — which has been used as a set for films like “Freaky Friday” and shows like “Modern Family” — was significantly damaged. And while much of the baseball field remains intact, the surrounding area was heavily impacted. The facility is inaccessible. The uniforms and equipment within it are likely unusable.


The area around Palisades Charter High School was heavily damaged. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Head coach Mike Voelkel doesn’t know where they’ll play home games this season — the hope is a mix of Loyola Marymount University, UCLA and other local colleges — but it doesn’t matter. His team will play every game on the road, if it comes to that.

“I told the kids, I said, ‘We’re playing. I don’t care how,” Voelkel recalled. “We’ll go get T-shirts if we have to. For recovery, for wellness. For the promotion of a young kid’s development. It’s important that you get back out there.

“Some people have a tendency to dwell on it, or play the victim. Those are the kind of people that stay there, sometimes the rest of their lives. I was going to do everything I could to get our kids back on the field.”

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Voelkel, who lives south of the Palisades, remembers waking from a nap on the afternoon the fires began. He’d already received an email that morning instructing staff to not come ito work.

His TV was tuned to Spectrum News, where he saw California governor Gavin Newsom in the Palisades on his screen. It was then he realized just how concerning the situation could become.

He began contacting players and their families, many of whom were evacuating. A coach of 18 years, Voelkel had put so much emotional and physical labor into that team and facility. He spent that day not knowing if it would all be over.

Classes at Pali High, as it’s known colloquially, have since shifted to being completely online. But the physical separation didn’t stop his team from immediately jumping into action to help each other. Voelkel’s wife, Norma, who works in real estate, started working to make sure everyone had a place to stay.

Players were delivering supplies to their teammates. One player drove to the home of another who was out of town to collect essentials, in case the fire eventually got to them too. Major prominent companies and people started reaching out to offer supplies. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he and some players are planning to attend a practice in the near future. The team also donated baseballs. Cincinnati Reds pitcher and L.A. native Hunter Greene donated cleats. The Pali High basketball team received tickets to Los Angeles Lakers-Golden State Warriors from Steve Kerr, who is an alum.

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The support is appreciated; it doesn’t erase the trauma of having their season and lives turned upside down, the tragedy still playing out as this baseball team immediately works to rebuild. When they do take the field again, their new jerseys will have a “Pali Strong” patch stitched on them.

Voelkel was asked what this season will mean, but cut off the question before it could be completed.

“A victory,” he said flatly, so assured in the answer.

“To take all of this stuff. To piece it together. To get our families taken care of. There’s so many things. I’d like to win games, I’m very competitive. But in this situation, you have to look at the whole. There are other things that far, far outweigh the winning.”


The practice uniform on Jett Teegardin’s back was delivered to him days prior by Hirschberg. It’s one of the only sets of clothes he has.

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He packed to leave for two days max, believing he and his mom would have a home to return to soon. That night, they looked at their Ring doorbell camera and saw embers flying around the neighborhood.

The next day, he returned to a home that no longer existed. Even the contents of their fireproof safe were destroyed. The neighbors he grew to love are now displaced with their community gone.

“It’s very hard. You picture yourself in your house, your room, everything that’s gone,” Teegardin said. “I was a sperm donor baby. So I didn’t really have a father figure. I’m just trying to be there for my mom, mainly. Throughout every situation, I’ve always tried to be there for her.

“Me talking to her to make sure she’s OK, makes me OK. Knowing she’s OK makes me 10 times better.”

When Ian Sullivan thinks about what he’s lost, his mind goes to his game balls. The one he earned when he was 8 years old. The yearbooks, trophies, pins from his trip to Cooperstown, N.Y. — all the relics of his childhood.

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On the day he was ordered to evacuate, Sullivan thought the winds would blow the fire in the opposite direction. His parents were working, so he packed family photos, their cat and dog, then left, thinking it would be a short departure.

Instead, a week after the fire, Sullivan and 12 of his friends from fifth grade met up at a friend’s house in Calabasas. Nearly all of their homes had been destroyed. The meet-up served as a chance to be together.

“It’s a dark time right now, but light will always shine through the dark.,” he said. “The Palisades is going to be back. I feel like I’m not just playing for myself and my teammates, but I’m playing for my town, and my home.”

After the fire, Sullivan and Teegardin sent a group text message to everyone on the team. They knew that teammates might be cautious around them, given their circumstances. Sending the text, they hoped, would break down that wall.

“If this fire isn’t something to light your ass, to get you motivated to win this year, then I don’t know what is,” they wrote.

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The responses started flooding in. “Hell yeah,” one sent. People that never contributed before were co-signing the messages with encouragements of their own.

“I think everyone’s more motivated than ever,” Teegardin said. “That was everyone’s spark to try their best. … We have to win now. We have to do this for us, and for our coach.

“This fire, it’s brought us a lot closer.”


It was a picturesque Wednesday afternoon, the sun just beginning to set over the practice, as a parkgoer approached the practice, curious about what was happening.

This was a regular occurrence, according to the players. People were curious for more information about what they were dealing with.

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This man, with his dog, approached the gate separating the field and the sidewalk. He asked Sullivan, who was there rehabbing his injured arm, what team they were with. A conversation ensued — talk of the fire, lost homes and the upcoming season. The chit-chat was so relaxed and friendly, almost non-reflective of its subject matter.

“Good luck,” he said to Sullivan. “It’s so horrible.”

A father, Joe Stanley, had driven three of the players to practice. He sat, watching intently from the top row of the bleachers, donning a cap from the team.

“I think it’s resilience and pride, definitely. These kids are like a family,” Stanley said. “They spend a lot of time together and are a tight-knit group. This is great. They need this.”

There’s a feeling of normalcy to it all. But even amid that lull, these kids are keenly aware of their reality. Jude De Pastino, a junior, said that everyone on his team is experiencing trauma, even if they don’t feel it yet. Practice, he said, brings some normalcy.

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In the first four days after the fire, he was “in a state of shock.” He traveled into the Palisades with a group of friends who’d all lost their homes. Logan Bailey, a senior captain who did the same, said he saw live wires zapping in the street, with telephone poles burning down. He said it appeared almost surreally cinematic.

“It’s beyond what you can imagine, pictures really don’t do it justice,” De Pastino said. “Our whole lives as we know it have quite literally been flattened.”

The group huddled again, just before the sun fully set, after nearly three hours of practice. Parents’ cars started filling the parking lot, waiting to pick up their sons. This reprieve was special. It was needed, and it will continue almost daily until the season starts in late February.

But for now, that reprieve was ending. And real life, scarier and more uncertain now than it’s ever been, was once again awaiting them.

“This is one of those stories you tell on your deathbed,” Bailey said. “You can be as old as it gets, and it still never leaves your mind. It’s going to stick with everyone here, for the rest of their lives.”

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(Illustration: Demetrius Robinson, The Athletic; Photos: Josh Edelson / AF via Getty Images, Sam Blum)

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Prep sports roundup: Matthew Witkow of Calabasas is six for six with two home runs

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Prep sports roundup: Matthew Witkow of Calabasas is six for six with two home runs

Shortstop Matthew Witkow of Calabasas is committed to Harvard and off to a great start for the 2025 high school baseball season, going six for six with two home runs for the 2-0 Coyotes.

On Wednesday, he was three for three with four RBIs in a 10-5 win over Valencia in the Easton tournament.

Chaminade 4, Ventura 1: Adam Batmanian struck out six for the 2-0 Eagles.

Crespi 9, Westlake 1: Diego Velazquez, Nate Lopez and Gavin Huff each had two hits for Crespi (2-0). Tyler Walton gave up one hit in six innings.

El Camino Real 1, Camarillo 0: Luke Howe threw a complete game with no walks and Gavin Farley drove in Vince Venia for the winning run in the seventh.

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Thousand Oaks 7, Sun Valley Poly 3: Matthew Magruder, Omar Heredia, Dane Holt and James Luderer each had two hits for the 2-0 Lancers.

Bonita 6, Crescenta Valley 0: Daniel Nageer struck out seven in 4 1/3 innings and Andrew Sanchez hit a grand slam for Bonita.

Bishop Alemany 12, Quartz Hill 4: Sophomore Chase Stevenson had two doubles and three RBIs for 2-0 Alemany.

Paraclete 5, Granada Hills 4: Carlo Ramirez struck out eight in six innings for Paraclete.

Birmingham 5, Santa Paula 1: Carlos Esparza stole five bases and added two hits and three RBIs for Birmingham.

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St. Francis 3, Hart 2: Jayden Kim broke a 2-2 tie with an RBI single in the seventh for St. Francis (2-0). Dominik Hidalgo had a two-run single in the sixth to tie the score.

Simi Valley 13, Chatsworth 8: Danny Pina had three hits and three RBIs and Jaxon Herron homered to lead 2-0 Simi Valley. Chatsworth’s Vicente Martinez went four for four.

West Ranch 6, Oaks Christian 3: Hunter Manning struck out eight in four innings for West Ranch (2-0).

Cleveland 6, La Canada 2: The Cavaliers (1-1) picked up the Easton tournament win. Kaeden Riepl threw 5 1/3 innings for the Cavaliers.

South Hills 4, La Salle 1: Zack Escalera had two hits and Victor Merlos had two RBIs for 2-0 South Hills.

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Bell 6, Marshall 3: The Eagles (2-0) received two hits and two RBIs from David Gonzalez.

Softball

Orange Lutheran 8, Corona Santiago 2: Kai Minor went three for three and Rylee Silva and Ava Norton combined on a one-hitter for Orange Lutheran.

Norco 10, Murrieta Mesa 1: In a battle between two of the top softball teams in the Southland, Norco prevailed behind Ashley Duran and Dillyn Eckenrod, both of whom hit home runs. Peyton May struck out nine in five innings.

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Why Real Madrid-Manchester City remains a ‘modern Clasico’ – despite mixed fortunes this season

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Why Real Madrid-Manchester City remains a ‘modern Clasico’ – despite mixed fortunes this season

This is an updated version of a piece that was originally published in April 2024.

“Real Madrid vs Manchester City is a modern Clasico,” former Real Madrid coach Jorge Valdano said last April, previewing the two clubs’ 2023-24 Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Bernabeu.

The tie that followed did not disappoint. Madrid and City drew 3-3 in the Spanish capital before a 1-1 draw at the Etihad led to a penalty shootout that Los Blancos won en route to lifting a record-extending 15th European Cup/Champions League title.

The sides have experienced mixed fortunes in this season’s competition — but even meeting in the new play-off round cannot dull the rivalry’s shine. Madrid came from behind at the Etihad late on to beat City 3-2 last week, meaning they have now exchanged 30 goals in their past seven meetings. It also sets up an intriguing second leg at the Bernabeu tomorrow (Wednesday).

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This season is the fourth in a row that Madrid and City have met in the knockout stages of Europe’s elite club competition. Fans continue to be gripped, with that first play-off game setting a new streaming record for Amazon’s Prime Video service in the UK with figures of well over four million viewers.

There was an extra layer of intrigue in that match. City fans held up a banner that read, “Stop crying your heart out” in reference to Madrid forward Vinicius Junior being beaten to the Ballon d’Or award by Rodri and Madrid snubbing the ceremony in October. The Brazil international played a key part in the win and afterwards told Spanish TV station Movistar that the banner had given him “more strength to play a great game”.

In 2021-22, Madrid’s magical comeback in the semi-final second leg at the Bernabeu drove them into the final, where Liverpool were defeated 1-0. The following season, at the same stage of the competition, City produced a dominant home display to beat Carlo Ancelotti’s side 4-0 in the second leg before claiming their first Champions League title against Inter. Then there was that epic win on penalties for Madrid in the quarter-final at the Etihad last season.

The circumstances are different this campaign, with a win in this tie granting progress to the round of 16. Madrid only made the play-offs after finishing 11th in the inaugural league phase following defeats to Lille, Milan and Liverpool. City have struggled throughout the season and scraped through in 22nd place.

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Madrid have long held European success in the highest possible regard, perhaps at times to the detriment of their domestic progress (for example, they have won the Copa del Rey, Spain’s equivalent of the FA Cup in England, just three times since lifting the trophy in 1993).

The story the club like to tell about themselves centres around this more than anything. Madrid have suffered damaging defeats to Barcelona in La Liga (4-0) and the Supercopa de Espana (5-2) this season — but those would surely be forgotten if they lifted another Champions League trophy at Munich’s Allianz Arena in May.

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Valdano’s point was not to totally discount the history of Madrid’s rivalry with Barcelona; he believes the recent meetings with City have taken on a greater importance recently in part because of familiar connections. It is also true that Barca appear better placed than either side to go all the way this season after finishing second in the league phase, automatically qualifying for the round of 16.

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“Clasicos are built on rivalry and (City’s manager and former Barcelona player and coach Pep) Guardiola is the favourite enemy of Madridismo (Madrid fans),” Valdano told The Athletic last year. “It was enough to hear the response from the fans at the Santiago Bernabeu (in the 2023-24 first leg) after the speaker announced his name over the PA system. He was the most whistled.

“But 10 years ago and five years ago, we were all talking about Barcelona-Madrid. Now the footballing importance leads us to talk about Madrid-City as the best in the world.

“It’s very good, because history is being renewed. City are getting to know glory, which is difficult without having a previous context. City are new and economically influenced. Madrid are new in any era. They can always adapt to hitch a ride.”


Guardiola usually gets a hostile reception at the Bernabeu (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Since Guardiola arrived in Manchester in summer 2016, the two teams have met a total of nine times (Wednesday’s game will be the 10th), with Madrid winning three to City’s four.

City’s sole Champions League triumph is dwarfed by Madrid’s 15. But Madrid still see City as one of their main rivals for European success.

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“Surely, in the last seven or eight years, Madrid and City were the two most successful teams,” said a dressing-room source — who, like others cited here, preferred to remain anonymous because they did not have permission to speak.

“It’s true that City only won it (in 2023), but they came close to winning it many more times.”

Those behind the scenes at Madrid saw the play-off draw against City as an “early final”. Ancelotti’s coaching staff see Guardiola as very difficult to analyse and they rarely trust the line-ups and systems he uses in the weeks leading up to their encounters. City are fourth in the Premier League and Madrid’s coaches have been surprised by how much the loss of Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder Rodri to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury has affected them.

Vicente del Bosque, another former Madrid head coach and a World Cup-winning manager with Spain in 2010, agrees that Madrid and City have become the biggest draw in European football.

“I think both teams have dominated football in recent years and Madrid have maintained an extraordinary level,” Del Bosque says. “I remember 2022, with the 14th title and the comeback against City as the most spectacular.

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“City are one of the few teams that dominate Madrid with the ball, even though they have players to counter-attack. And Madrid look comfortable without the ball, taking advantage of transitions, even though they have players to control possession.

“Now there is a debate about the European Super League, I think playing these games as a knockout is better. I look at the sporting aspect, not the economic aspect, and it makes it more entertaining and more of a rivalry.


Madrid’s Champions League comeback in 2022 made for spectacular viewing (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

“When I was a player, and also as a coach, the great opponent was Bayern Munich. The Netherlands, with Ajax, and Italy, with Milan, also had teams that rivalled us, but not so much any more. Now the range has opened up.”

For their part, sources on Madrid’s board still see City as the team to beat. This is also due to the fact that, since the arrivals of Ferran Soriano as chief executive and Txiki Begiristain as sporting director (both, like Guardiola, formerly of Barcelona), City have grown as a club and earned the respect of Madrid, with whom they maintain a relationship of great admiration.

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In this sense, Valdano dares to draw another parallel in the way both teams are structured centrally around one figure.

“Both at Madrid and at City, it is clear who is in charge,” he concludes.

“At Madrid, it’s (club president) Florentino Perez. At City, everybody knows it and nobody says it — but Guardiola won’t find he can work without a boss at any other club.”

(Top photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

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Kevin Durant tears up talking about playing for Team USA in Olympics: 'Game has saved my life'

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Kevin Durant tears up talking about playing for Team USA in Olympics: 'Game has saved my life'

Talking about playing for Team USA had perennial NBA All-Star Kevin Durant in tears. 

The new Netflix docuseries “Court of Gold” had behind-the-scenes access to all things basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics, including Team USA, who Durant was starring for in his fourth Olympics. 

In Netflix’s teaser video of the docuseries, which released on Monday, an emotional Durant had to stop midway through an interview to wipe his tears while talking about his time with Team USA and how much it means to him. 

Team United States forward Kevin Durant (Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports)

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“I come from neighborhoods where people don’t even talk to each other,” Durant said with emotion. “There’s so much hate in the world, too. When people get to start laughing and joking for the game of ball, it’s cool to me. 

“So, like, it gets me emotional, dog.”

Seeing the world unite through the game of basketball is something that still fascinates Durant to this day. 

“It’s crazy to see people travel so long to come see their favorite player play in the Olympics,” he explained. “They send their money, they bring their whole family. It’s just dope to me.”

Durant went on to say that “the game has saved my life. It brought me and my family out of a lot of bulls—. I’m just grateful for it.”

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Durant is one of many Team USA stars featured in the six-part docuseries, but he’s arguably the best player to ever wear the red, white and blue on his jersey. 

Kevin Durant in action

Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson (45) guards Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant. (Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images)

Durant didn’t play for Team USA in the 2008 Olympics after his rookie season, but he’s been a part of the gold-medal winning teams over the last four Games. No player in USA Basketball history has four gold medals to their name. 

Durant also has the most points ever scored by a Team USA basketball player, men or women, and he did so on his way to helping the U.S. win gold in Paris over France. 

The Phoenix Suns star is 36 years old and has spent the past 17 years playing professional basketball after he was selected second overall by the then-Seattle Supersonics in the 2007 NBA Draft. 

Durant has gone on to make 15 All-Star teams, win two NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors, be the NBA’s leading scorer four times and make the All-NBA team 11 times. 

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Kevin Durant looks up

Kevin Durant (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

There is no doubting Durant has future Hall of Famer written all over his resume, but he clearly loves playing the game for his country as well as in the NBA.

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