Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Yamaguchi and Reyes lead Venice High to its third crown in four years.
The Venice High boys golf team won its second consecutive CIF Los Angeles City Section championship Monday afternoon with a five-player score of 380 on the par 72 Wilson Golf Course at Griffith Park. Paced by 1-under-par 71s from senior Clayton Yamaguchi, who finished second overall after a card-off, and junior Marc Reyes (fourth overall in a card-off), the Gondoliers captured their third City crown in four years and earned their fourth straight trip to the Southern California Regionals next Thursday at Brookside Golf Course in Pasadena. The team included five seniors: Yamaguchi, who tied for fifth at the state finals last spring and will continue his golf career at UC San Diego; Kevin Cullen, who will play for Saint Martin's University in…
Saturday, May 19, 2012
The L.A. County Sheriff's Department and Metro are asking residents to either stay away from the area or take public transportation.
Having both Kings hockey and Clippers basketball play in their respective playoffs Sunday at the Staples Center will likely cause traffic in downtown Los Angeles. Plus, Dodgers baseball is playing Saturday and Sunday at Dodger Stadium, "Roger Waters: The Wall Live" is performing Saturday at the Coliseum, and the final stage of the Amgen Tour of California bike race is Sunday with a finish line at L.A. Live (after passing through Beverly Hills). The L.A. County Sheriff's Department and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are asking residents to avoid the area altogether or take public transportation to get there. The new Expo Line will take you within two blocks of the Staples Center. There is free parking at the garage near the La …
Thursday, May 17, 2012
National Bike to Work Day is one part of a month-wide celebration of cycling.
For most of us, slogging through traffic is just part of the work-week routine. But if you live close enough to consider biking, Friday is your day. May 18 is National Bike to Work Day, a push that encourages biking as a way to save time, money and the environment. The day is part of a month-wide celebration, Bike to Work Month. According to the League of American Bicyclists, California is the 20th most bicycle-friendly state in the U.S. Washington State is No. 1. The U.S. Census says only 1 percent of L.A. commuters are bicyclists. In the Torrance area, that number is .3 percent, while Long Beach comes in a 1.1 percent. Biking to work in this area isn't the easiest feat, but it's possible in some parts. The Los Angeles County Bicycle …
A giant basking shark is caught on video, and broken rods, lost fish and jackpot barracuda weighing 13 pounds have local anglers excited.
A giant basking shark—one of the world's biggest fish—was spotted cruising off the bow of the San Pedro-based sportboat Sea Anglers around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. “It was big,” said Capt. Mike Blue of the three-quarter-day boat Victory out of Long Beach’s Pierpoint Landing. "I am guessing somewhere between 18-25 feet." The Christopher out of Harbor Breeze Cruises in Long Beach also arrived at the scene and treated its passengers to the incredible sight. The basking shark is the second-largest living fish after the whale shark. While the sight of a basking shark may strike fear in to those who encounter it, it truly is a docile creature. It is a slow-moving and generally harmless filter feeder and has anatomical adaptations, such as a …
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The host Wildcats drop a five-set thriller to No. 1-seeded LA Cathedral.
Oh, how quickly momentum can change. Three games into Tuesday night's CIF Southern Section Division 4 semifinal match the Windward School boys volleyball team seemed poised to put away the visiting Cathedral Phantoms once and for all and punch its ticket to Saturday's championship match. However, the white-and-purple clad Phantoms had other ideas, stunning the noisy crowd at Lewis Jackson Memorial Center by rallying to take the final two sets and the best-of-five set match, 25-17, 13-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-7. "Our ball control wasn't as solid and we made more errors the last two sets," Windward Coach Michelle McGuire said. "Also, there were fewer double blocks, there were more one-on-ones and they were winning those points." It wasn't a case…
The Gondos rout Torres 21-0 in the first round of the City Invitational division.
It was about as strong a start to this postseason as Venice High Coach softball coach Jessica Ruiz could have asked for. The host Gondoliers plated five runs in the first inning and never looked back, shutting out Torres 21-0 Tuesday in the opening round of the City Section Invitational playoffs. Junior left-hander Milana Casillas pitched her first no-hitter of the season, allowing only three walks, as the Gondoliers pounded 16 hits and drew eight walks to stake her to an early lead. Venice, seeded 13th, travels to Los Angeles to take on No. 4 Franklin in the second round Thursday afternoon. The Panthers had a first-round bye. There is no 10-run 'mercy' rule in the playoffs, but the plate umpire and both head coaches mutually agreed to …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
An 11-year-old from Claremont hit the Venice Beach skatepark with his sister and parents.
David Branom, an 11-year-old from Claremont, made the trek to the Venice Beach skatepark Wednesday with his sister and parents and impressed the crowd with his aerial moves. David said he's been skating for more than two years and he's already sponsored by energy drink Grom Bomb and Teenage Skateboards.
Monday, May 7, 2012
The Lakers are in the playoffs and we want to know your pick for the best place to watch Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.
Where do you watch the Lake Show? We're looking for the best place to watch the Lakers in the 2012 playoffs. Do you know of a good spot in Venice-Mar Vista where Lakers fans gather to watch the game? Is there anyplace that turns up the volume on the game? Lakers game food/drink specials? Let us know by taking our poll. If you know of a Lakers viewing spot not in the poll, please include it in the comments. Go Lakers!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Nygaard inherits the girls basketball program and McGuire takes over girls spikers.
Former WNBA and Stanford University standout Vanessa Nygaard will take over as Windward School's girls varsity basketball team for the 2012-13 season. Nygaard inherits the program from Steve Smith, who led the Wildcats to a CIF Division IV state championship in 2010, two Southern Section championships, and 12 league titles in 13 years at the helm. He was picked CIF State Coach of the Year by ESPN in 2011 and has decided to pursue a master's degree in Athletic Leadership & Sports Administration as well as continuing as Windward's athletic director. Nygaard has been an assistant at Windward since 2009. “I couldn’t be more excited about Vanessa leading this team into the future," Smith said. "I personally chose her to be my successor and have…
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
The Gondos are in fourth place in the Western League with four games left.
Heading into this week, the Venice High varsity baseball team was fourth in the Western League standings and had lost seven of its previous eight games. With four games left, home-and-home series with Westchester and Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies, the Gondoliers are hoping to close out the season strong. Venice ended its seven-game losing streak Saturday with a 3-1 victory over Sun Valley Poly at the Tiger Classic. It was the Gondoliers' eighth win against a Los Angeles City Section team. They also defeated Franklin, Grant, Arleta and most notably West Valley League contender Granada Hills--all in tournament games. The Gondoliers swept Fairfax and split with Hamilton in league play. Perhaps Venice's most impressive showing of the…
Paul Chavez
2:15 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
steve - Agree, we need a Lakers friendly sports bar in Mar Vista. I think Sports Harbour is technically in Del Rey, but I made an exception since it's the closest sports bar around. more ›