Sports
High school baseball and softball: Wednesday's scores and updated playoff pairings
CITY SECTION
BASEBALL
Animo De La Hoya 9, LA Leadership Academy 6
Bell 1, LA Roosevelt 0
Birmingham 10, Chatsworth 0
Bravo 7, Franklin 4
Cleveland 4, Granada Hills 2
Eagle Rock 5, Lincoln 2
Los Angeles 16, Diego Rivera 0
North Hollywood 6, Grant 0
Palisades 11, Westchester 3
Santee 9, Angelou 5
Sherman Oaks CES 4, Vaughn 2
Stella 5, Crenshaw 4
Taft 2, El Camino Real 1
University Prep Value 6, Smidt Tech 1
Verdugo Hills 10, Arleta 0
SOFTBALL
Animo Venice 16, Animo Watts 5
Crenshaw 7, Dymally 4
Franklin 12, Lincoln 0
Granada Hills Kennedy 24, Van Nuys 0
Marquez 12, Sotomayor 5
Northridge Academy 14, VAAS 3
Palisades 13, LA Hamilton 1
San Fernando 16, Reseda 2
San Pedro 22, Rancho Dominguez 1
Washington Prep 10, Hawkins 0
Wilmington Banning 23, Narbonne 0
SOUTHERN SECTION
BASEBALL
DIVISION 7
Wild-card round
Littlerock 8, Calvary Chapel 1
DIVISION 8
Wildcard
Santa Clarita Christian 21, Shalhevet 2
UPDATED PLAYOFF PAIRINGS
DIVISION 1
First round, Friday, 3:15 p.m.
El Dorado at Corona; Mater Dei at Damien; Garden Grove Pacifica at Aquinas; Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Aquinas; Corona Santiago at Huntington Beach; Villa Park at Bishop Amat; Gahr at Fullerton; Santa Margarita at Tesoro; Sierra Canyon at Orange Lutheran; Millikan at Vista Murrieta; South Hills at Foothill; Oaks Christian at La Mirada; West Ranch at San Dimas; Calabasas at Cypress; JSerra at Bonita; Norco at Harvard-Westlake.
DIVISION 2
First round, Thursday, 3:15 p.m.
Mira Costa at Westlake; Yucaipa at West Torrance; Yorba Linda at Ocean View; Long Beach Poly at Arcadia; Simi valley at Hart; Newport Harbor at Capistrano Valley Christian; San Marcos at Palos Verdes; Woodbridge at Arlington; Royal at Maranatha; Ayala at La Serna; Temecula Valley at Anaheim Canyon; Charter Oak at Quartz Hill; Valencia at Aliso Niguel; Moorpark at Crescenta Valley; Warren at Citrus Valley; Crean Lutheran at Paloma Valley.
DIVISION 3
First round, Friday, 3:15 p.m.
Lakewood at Corona Centennial; Tahquitz at Arrowhead Christian; South Torrance at Northwood; El Modena at Dana Hills; Trabuco Hills at Fountain Valley; El Segundo at Long Beach Wilson; Burbank at Corona del Mar; St. John Bosco at Grace Brethren; Chaparral at Chaminade; Mission Viejo at Santa Barbara; La Salle at El Rancho; Los Alamitos at Walnut; Redlands East Valley at La Habra; Temescal Canyon at Beckman; Newbury Park at Flintridge Prep; Linfield Christian at Summit.
DIVISION 4
First round, Thursday, 3:15 p.m.
Dos Pueblos at Camarillo; Murrieta Valley at Elsinore; Hesperia Christian at Cerritos; Apple Valley at Los Osos; Barstow at Oak Hills; Citrus Hill at San Marino; Eastvale Roosevelt at Don Lugo; Castaic at Culver City; Tustin at Estancia; Palm Desert at Valley View; Rio Mesa at Highland; Ontario Christian at Burbank Burroughs; Heritage at La Quinta; Paraclete at Sultana; St. Francis at Windward; Cajon at San Juan Hills.
DIVISION 5
First round, Friday, 3:15 p.m.
Santa Monica at Nogales; Murrieta Mesa at Ganesha; Pasadena Marshall at Adelanto; Trinity Classical Academy, bye; Riverside Prep, bye; Segerstrom at South Pasadena; Whittier Christian at St. Anthony; Oxnard Pacifica at Santa Paula; Santa Ana Calvary Chapel at Saugus; Monrovia at Pasadena Poly; Anaheim at Lakeside; Chino at Ramona; Liberty, bye; Katella at Montebello; Hemet at Bloomington; Chino Hills at Bellflower.
DIVISION 6
First round, Thursday, 3:15 p.m.
Garden Grove at Costa Mesa; West Covina at Los Amigos; Irvine University at Brentwood; Milken Community at Village Christian; Diamond Bar at Savanna; Lancaster at St. Paul; de Toledo at Alhambra; Hillcrest at Grand Terrace; Schurr at Century; Salesian at Arroyo; St. Bonaventure at Mayfair; Orange Vista at Rancho Mirage; Santa Fe at Garey; Viewpoint at Excelsior Charter; Colton at Rialto; Carpinteria at Colony.
DIVISION 7
First round, Friday, 3:15 p.m.
Thacher at Buena Park; St. Bernard at Hueneme; Rancho Christian at Vasquez; Miller at Banning; Paramount at South El Monte; Artesia at Eisenhower; Mary Star at Foothill Tech; Temecula Prep at Oakwood; Littlerock at Wildomar Cornerstone Christian; Santa Ana at Cantwell Sacred Heart; Desert Christian at Sierra Vista; Channel Islands at Leuzinger; Carter at Jurupa Valley; Chaffey at Nuview Bridge; Indio at Silverado; Western Christian at Oxford Academy.
DIVISION 8
First round, Thursday, 3:15 p.m.
Academy for Academic Excellence at Orange County Pacifica Christian; Mountain View at United Christian Academy; Redlands Adventist Academy at San Jacinto Valley; Bolsa Grande at New Roads; Cobalt at Coachella Valley; Don Bosco Tech at Gorman Charter; Noli Indian at San Bernardino; Calvary Baptist at Arroyo Valley; Yucca Valley at Santa Maria Valley Christian; Beverly Hills at Environmental Charter; Edgewood at Palm Valley; Santa Clarita Christian at Loma Linda Academy; Cal Lutheran at Rolling Hills Prep; Cate at Academy of Careers & Exploration; Santa Rosa Academy at Azusa.
SOFTBALL
DIVISION 1
Wild-card round, Thursday, 3:15 p.m.
Marina at Capistrano Valley (3:30 p.m.)
Eastvale Roosevelt at Huntington Beach
Moorpark at Chino Hills
Torrance at Great Oak
Esperanza at JSerra
Santa Margarita at Oaks Christian
Vista Murrieta at South Hills
Sports
EA Sports College Football 25 cover athletes, release date revealed after 11-year hiatus
This July, there will be a lot of sports fans tapping back into their childhood.
Earlier this year, EA Sports announced that its College Football video game series will return this year after last being released in 2013.
On Thursday, the brand announced that the game will be available for play on July 19.
This year’s video game features three athletes headlining the cover: Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Michigan’s Donovan Edwards, the latter of whom had two rushing touchdowns en route to winning the national championship.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe and Carson Beck of Georgia can also be seen, as can Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins.
The series began in 1993 with the release of Bill Walsh College Football, and the game was released under the legendary coach’s name for two years.
The name changed to College Football USA for the 1996 and 1997 seasons before changing to NCAA Football from 1998 to 2014.
The game was on hiatus for a while due to disputes among EA, the NCAA and college athletes. Each installment since the 1997 version featured a cover athlete as video games normally do. However, the cover athlete wasn’t permitted to be paid for his image and likeness.
DABO SWINNEY DISCUSSES WHY CLEMSON HAS BEEN ONLY SCHOOL THAT HASN’T LANDED TRANSFER VIA PORTAL
Plus, in each installment, game players were unable to see the names of the athletes when controlling them. Instead, Reggie Bush, for example, would be listed as “HB No. 5” and Tim Tebow as “QB No. 15.”
But now, with name, image and likeness running rampant, game players will know exactly who is on the field, rather than just a position and number.
EA Sports announced a return of the game three years ago and even said a game would be released last summer, but it did not happen.
The last cover athlete was Denard Robinson of the Michigan Wolverines.
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Sports
Latest Lakers intel: Sources view JJ Redick as a leading coaching candidate
As the Lakers continued meeting with prospects in the final days of the NBA draft combine, their coaching search continued to be a strong topic of conversation among rival scouts and executives.
Internally, Lakers sources not authorized to speak publicly have tried to describe their coaching search as being a “wide-open” process, with things still in the early stages.
Following the dismissal of Darvin Ham, the team began researching a batch of candidates that included top assistants, former head coaches and, yes, broadcaster/podcaster JJ Redick.
Candidate interviews are close, but as of now, anything being discussed with certainty has been called “hypothetical” by candidates involved in the process.
But despite what the Lakers are saying, many around the league view Redick is the favorite and offered varying levels of approval.
Some see Redick as a bright, analytically driven basketball mind with a top understanding of the game and excellent communication and presentation skills.
Some wonder if Redick’s business relationship with LeBron James would poison his ability to connect with the rest of the locker room, an opinion prominently voiced on television by Udonis Haslam.
Others see nothing but inexperience and view the Lakers’ job as a disaster waiting to happen for even experienced coaches, never mind someone moving from the broadcast booth to his first coaching job.
Part of what’s driving the expectation Redick will get the Lakers job is a belief that he’ll have incredibly strong interviews, according to sources discouraged from discussing personnel moves for competitive reasons.
The reality is, at this stage, no one can say for sure.
New Orleans assistant James Borrego does have strong support in his candidacy and has been highly valued by New Orleans staffers and executives who spoke with the Times.
Boston’s Sam Cassell, an NBA assistant since 2009 after a 15-season NBA career, is expected to interview soon and has real support from others around the NBA.
The same can be said for candidates like Miami’s Chris Quinn, Minnesota’s Micah Nori and Denver’s David Adelman.
The race is seemingly open enough that anyone with a direct or second-hand connection to candidates was comfortable making their pitch in Chicago.
The Lakers’ offseason plans, and to some degree their coaching plans, also hinge on LeBron James and his future with the organization.
James’ courtside appearance in Cleveland on Monday night definitely raised suspicions around the league regarding his future intentions. Sources largely believe the Lakers will ultimately re-sign James, with the 39-year-old star merely working through different scenarios for the terms of the contract.
There were also discussions about the Lakers and their interest in Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell, which does exist according to sources.
The Lakers’ best offer in any blockbuster trade looks somewhat similar, with the team able to offer their first-round pick in the year’s draft — No. 17 — in addition to first-round picks in 2029 and 2031. Their best young player, Austin Reaves, is still regarded highly within the organization on two fronts — as a prospect for their future and a player on a team-friendly contract.
The team’s willingness to push all in on Mitchell or any other player is still unclear. Other options include using draft picks in smaller deals to try to improve around the margins, with Dallas’ acquisitions of Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington providing real-time examples of how small transactions can make a meaningful and immediate impact.
Other players commonly mentioned as potential trade targets this offseason include New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram, Atlanta’s Trae Young and DeJounte Murray and Chicago’s Zach LaVine — none seriously linked to the Lakers at the combine.
In terms of the draft, the Lakers seem like they’ll be the draft floor for Bronny James at pick 55, a player the team conducted an interview with in Chicago, according to sources not authorized to publicly discuss draft strategy.
James undeniably boosted his stock in Chicago with strong interviews, impressive athletic testing and strong play in a scrimmage on Wednesday, helping counteract the bad feelings after measuring 6-feet 1 ½ inches in socks.
Some other players who helped themselves in scrimmages, according to scouts, included Houston’s Jamal Shead, UCLA’s Adem Bona, Marquette’s Oso Ighodaro and Colorado’s KJ Simpson.
The Lakers’ first round pick at 17 is near the middle of the draft’s second tier, some scouts believe. That tier includes players like Ja’Kobe Walter, Terrence Shannon, Tidjane Salaun, Jared McCain, Devin Carter, Yves Missi, Kyle Filipowski, Tyler Smith and Tristan da Silva.
Sports
City of Kansas City apologizes after doxing Chiefs’ Harrison Butker following faith-based commencement speech
The city of Kansas City has apologized after posting a message on social media revealing the residence of Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker after the Super Bowl champion came under attack following his faith-based commencement speech at Benedictine College over the weekend.
The official social media account of Kansas City issued a brief apology on X Wednesday after sparking major backlash on social media for sharing a post referencing the city where Butker resides.
“We apologies [sic] for our previous tweet. It was shared in error,” the post read.
The post was deleted, but Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas addressed the controversy in a separate post, calling it “clearly inappropriate.”
“A message appeared earlier this evening from a City public account. The message was clearly inappropriate for a public account. The City has correctly apologized for the error, will review account access, and ensure nothing like it is shared in the future from public channels.”
Butker, 28, has come under attack for his commencement address at Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts school based 60 miles outside of Kansas City.
NFL CONDEMNS HARRISON BUTKER’S FAITH-BASED COMMENCEMENT SPEECH AFTER CHIEFS KICKER SPARKS BACKLASH
The NFL seemingly condemned the speech, instead reiterating its stance on inclusion.
“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” Jonathan Beane, the NFL’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, said. “His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
Butker’s 20-minute speech included a remark directed at female graduates calling on them to embrace their “vocation” as a “homemaker.”
“For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives,” he said in part. “I want to speak directly to you briefly, because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
“I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. I’m on this stage today and able to be the man that I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I’m beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.”
Butker also referenced Pride month in his speech, calling it a “deadly sin sort of pride that has a month dedicated to it,” and specifically pointed to President Biden’s “delusional” stance on abortion.
The Chiefs have not commented on Butker’s speech.
Despite the criticism online, The Associated Press reported that Butker received a standing ovation from graduates and other attendees.
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