Sebastian Fisher, Ryan Smithers lead strong showing by Laguna Beach boys in Woodbridge Classic

NORCO – To gauge the quality of runners who competed under the lights in the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic at the Silver Lake Sports Complex on Saturday night, a quick glance at the results in the showcase races is all the information needed.

The top 60 finishers in the boys sweepstakes race – the premier boys event in the two-day competition – completed the 3-mile course under the lights in under 15 minutes.

The top 26 finishers in the girls sweepstakes race finished in under 17 minutes.

Competing with that level of competition resulted in personal records for several Orange County runners.

In the boys rated race, which was just a notch below the sweepstakes class, Capistrano Valley’s Ty Savely finished first with a time of 14:43, a PR by at least 35 seconds.

“I think around the first mile, I was maybe ninth,” Savely said. “As we finished the first lap, I decided I better just go out right now. The crowd is crazy, always at this meet. I love the atmosphere.”

Brea Olinda and Capistrano Valley were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the rated race.

Laguna Beach’s Sebastian Fisher (14:38.8) and Ryan Smithers (14:40) finished 30th and 34th, respectively, in the boys sweepstakes, helping the Breakers finish 10th overall and first among county schools.

Trabuco Hills’ Josh O’Neil finished 15th in the sweepstakes race and was the top county finisher.

Several county girls turned in respectable performances in their sweepstakes race.Mission Viejo’s Kelli Hines (16:49) was 16th overall and first among county runners.Hanna Catsimanes of San Clemente finished 17th in 16:50.8.

A week after winning the Division 3 race for juniors at the Laguna Hills Invitational in 17:53.3, Costa Mesa’s Diane Molina ran 17:00.3 to finish 28th.

“The race was pretty crowded,” Molina said. “I kind of twisted my ankle at the first one-and-half. It was kind of mental thing trying to push through the pain. I liked the competition. It was kind of fun to run with the best in the state.”

Many of the county runners who were at the Woodbridge Classic will be competing again next week at the Dana Hills Invitational.

16.09.2018No comments
UCLA game GIFs: Fans react to Bruins’ 38-14 loss to Fresno State

UCLA dropped to 0-3 on the 2018 season with a disappointing 38-14 loss to Fresno State on Saturday at the Rose Bowl. The Bruins pulled within two in the second half only to see the Bulldogs run off 22 unanswered points. Here is how UCLA fans reacted to the loss on Twitter:

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— Ryan Alexander (@ryanramoneda) September 16, 2018

@thucnhi21 let’s get this party started pic.twitter.com/lBmjTyQOc4

— desmond jackson (@anubis52) September 16, 2018

Is it too late to schedule FSU? pic.twitter.com/KaaoGzUNqn

— Matthew DeCoste (@mcdecoste) September 16, 2018

Trying to be patient but that was trash #UCLAGameGifs pic.twitter.com/etPLpoKwkk

— BruinFanCam (@BruinFanCam) September 16, 2018

We’ll be ok in the long run. Gotta keep the faith pic.twitter.com/ZMSojRgzso

— AaronTheBest (@AaronTheLess) September 16, 2018

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— Kevin Judge (@_Judger) September 16, 2018

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— GR (@GRBruin) September 16, 2018

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— UCLAtino (@UclaHombre) September 16, 2018

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✨✨✨ (@its_saraht) September 16, 2018

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— Kiet Dinh (@kietdinh) September 16, 2018

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— Whats_Bruin (@mr_thrift) September 16, 2018

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— It’s a marathon, not a sprint (@filamentshine) September 16, 2018

@thucnhi21 I will send you my after game gif now… pic.twitter.com/liCqVAVFtB

— Love Dem BRUINS✝ (@bigg_poohbear) September 16, 2018

16.09.2018No comments
What derailed the UCLA defense in second half of loss to Fresno State

PASADENA — It seemed like UCLA had the Fresno State offense figured out.

After a rocky first quarter, the Bruins limited the Bulldogs to a solitary field goal in the second quarter, and just 30 yards of offense. Perhaps, UCLA had found some kind of answer that would allow for a Bruins comeback.

But once the second half began, that notion was put to rest. Fresno State added three more touchdowns, even if they were ultimately unnecessary in its 38-14 win over the Bruins (0-3).

The first half contained glimpses of promise for the UCLA defense. Fresno State managed 177 yards of total offense and just 54 on the ground. Given that the Bruins came into the game allowing an average of 186.5 rushing yards per contest, this was a positive sign.

“I told the guys, calm down, read your run-pass keys, have good eyes, and we just started to hustle,” UCLA defensive back Quentin Lake said. “I could see our weight room preparation stuff start to kick in.”

The second half was a different affair.

UCLA surrendered 243 yards of offense on 40 second-half plays. The Bulldogs rushed for 96 yards and converted five of seven attempts on third down.

After a punt on their first full drive of the third quarter, the Bulldogs strung together three consecutive touchdown drives of at least 51 yards.

The first was an eight-play, 73-yard march in which Fresno quarterback Marcus McMaryion picked the Bruins apart through the air before punching in a one-yard touchdown run.

Interceptions preceded the next two scoring drives for Fresno State, and UCLA head coach Chip Kelly said that that played a factor in his defense’s second-half performance.

“I think they were on the field too much. We have to hold on to the ball longer on the offensive side of the ball,” Kelly said.

The first-year UCLA coach then noted that the defense did itself no favors with penalties that prolonged Fresno State drives, such as a roughing-the-passer call against Lake.

“It extended the drive when we probably had them stopped,” Kelly said. “Those are things that when we watch tape, we’ve got to coach our guys up.”

The sophomore Lake assessed that the Bruins need to stop letting those miscues get to them mentally.

“I think overall as a team we could have a better attitude when we’re getting on the field and not get down on ourselves when sudden changes happen or the offense turns over the ball or defense gives up a big play,” Lake said. “It’s a big learning lesson, especially early in the season.”

16.09.2018No comments
House of Holland RTW Spring 2019

Henry Holland vapes. And his favorite flavor is mint — which explains all the minty neon colors and the unexpected accessories he introduced.
“I just thought it’d be interesting to create some cool vaping accessories”, he said when asked about the e-cigs that poked out of body harnesses and neck pouches.
The first look, a bright orange power suit, had Holland’s front-row celebs nodding in approval — or maybe they were just head bopping to the up tempo soundtrack.
“I wanted to capture the increasing pace of life and this collection is about the woman who just got out of the shower and has to get to work, the gym, the office, or wherever,” he said.
While attention-grabbing cord-laced neon sandals were shown, there was not much newness to be seen elsewhere. His usual ripstop nylon sportswear pieces, track pants and parachute parkas made their rounds. Maybe Holland too, was in a rush?

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16.09.2018No comments
Markus Lupfer RTW Spring 2019

Markus Lupfer’s charming spring collection was an unapologetically feminine riposte to the prevalence of streetwear that he has observed dominating runways of late.
He was designing during this summer’s record-breaking heat wave in London, which was another factor in the lineup’s waftiness, and inspired the design of the presentation’s sand dune set. Ice cream at the beach and surf culture played into the inspiration, resulting in a palette of soft mint, cornflower blue, melon, lilac and pink, cut through with a black-and-white Memphis Group-inspired lightning bolt fashioned into an animal motif.
“I wanted things to be changeable,” said Lupfer, pointing out sheer dresses that can segue from day to night by switching out an opaque slip in matching fabric to one entirely of sequins. It’s modular dressing and the effect was lovely, especially in the ditzy floral skirt and blouse underpinned by a pink sequin slip.
A mint green confection of a dress with a gauzy layer of tulle floating over green sequins had a romantic, debutante allure, while that surf scene emerged in a boxy metallic lilac leather shirt tucked into a floral chiffon midi skirt and in the striped plissé knit tank top teamed with a pink sequin skirt.

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16.09.2018No comments
Molly Goddard RTW Spring 2019

Molly Goddard has been thinking of ways to renew herself and experiment with fabrics and silhouettes, beyond her signature tulle creations.
For spring 2019, she turned to everyday fabrics like cotton-poplin and chiffon to create more easygoing, fuss-free pieces, from tailored trousers to loose tunics and trenchcoats.
Yet she also injected a healthy dose of the eccentricity and laissez fair attitude she’s known for: Myriad frills were added onto the hems of white cotton shirts or on the necks of bright polka-dot midi dresses; big plastic flower brooches were appliquéd onto blazers and loose floral dresses, while cabbages doubled as clutch bags.
There was also an array of desirable summer dresses that could easily slot into the wardrobes of any sunseeker with a flair for luxury and style — sequined mini numbers featuring polka-dot patterns in photogenic lilac and red shades, check tunics with charming broderie anglaise embroideries and open-back floral midi dresses — that had a nostalgic, vintage feel.
As she continues to evolve, Goddard succeeded in achieving a fine balance between the eccentric and the relatable, giving her audience enough new material to get excited about while staying true to her ethos of celebrating women and encouraging them to dress for themselves

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16.09.2018No comments
Dodgers’ Brian Dozier cites knee injury, bad habits for slump

ST. LOUIS – Very little this season has gone the way Brian Dozier would have planned.

“Spring training until now, it’s been the most learning experience of my life. Let’s just put it that way,” said the Dodgers infielder acquired from the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline.

Dozier was already having a sub-par season with the Twins when he joined the Dodgers. The move up the standings into a playoff race energized Dozier. He had three hits in his first game with the Dodgers and nine RBI and three home runs in his first eight games. But a deep slump followed.

Going into Saturday’s game, Dozier has batted .183 with the Dodgers, including just one hit in his past 34 plate appearances.

It all stems from a bone bruise in his right knee, suffered in April. Dozier had an MRI on the knee at the time, which showed no structural damage, but he said “a few days in a row in May, I made some plays that irritated something” and he has dealt with some level of discomfort ever since.

“You go through things throughout the year. It’s been a little struggle since pretty much, I don’t know, middle of May, I guess. I’m just trying to grind through it,” Dozier said.

“But that’s by no means trying to make an excuse. It feels great right now. You just develop bad habits in your swing when stuff like that happens. You try to find ways around it. I’ve never made excuses I just try to go out there and play.”

Dozier never went on the disabled list with the injury (and has never been on the DL in his career) and never missed more than one game at a time with the Twins.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he didn’t know about the injury until last week.

“From what I hear, it’s a lot better than it was,” Roberts said. “But when you’re dealing with an injury, it sometimes has a way of sort of bleeding into your mechanics and affecting how things go. The next thing you know, you look up and go, ‘What happened?’ I think there’s a little bit of that too.”

Dozier acknowledges his swing has not been “where I’d like it to be” often this season. He has reached 20 home runs for a fifth consecutive season. But his batting average (.216) is a career low and his on-base and slugging percentages (and OPS) are all the lowest since his partial season as a rookie in 2012.

“It’s been a constant struggle to fire into my front side,” he said of the limitations caused by his knee pain. “It gets irritating. But that’s just the way it is and you find ways around it. Firing into my front side is the way my swing works, creating power and leverage and space and all that kind of stuff. The thing now is to keep firing into the front side so that I pull my weight into it as I make that transition.”

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Another transition has also been painful for Dozier to make. An everyday player throughout his career in Minnesota, Dozier has been reduced to starting only against left-handed pitching in Los Angeles, with his playing time sporadic and diminished. And all of this just as he is about to go into free agency.

“It doesn’t really have anything to do with that. I’m a man of faith,” the 31-year-old Dozier said. “Me and my family, we don’t chase the money. We believe God puts us in place for reasons and we’re all for it.

“It’s just a very good learning experience. … But you know what, it’s made me a helluva man, a better man.”

TWO MORE

Relievers Tony Cingrani and John Axford each pitched for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga in their title-clinching playoff win. Cingrani pitched a hitless inning, striking out two of the four batters he faced. Axford gave up a run in 2/3 of an inning.

Roberts said both pitchers will join the Dodgers when they return to Los Angeles on Monday. They will be activated from the DL (giving the Dodgers 38 players on their active roster), but Roberts said he does not know how or when they will be used.

UP NEXT

Dodgers RHP Ross Stripling (8-3, 2.61 ERA) at Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright (1-3, 4.70 ERA), Sunday, 5:05 p.m., ESPN

16.09.2018No comments
Yasiel Puig blasts 3 HRs as Dodgers cruise 17-4 over Cardinals

ST. LOUIS – Yasiel Puig hit three home runs and combined with Cody Bellinger to drive in 13 runs as the Dodgers pounded the St. Louis Cardinals 17-4 on Saturday afternoon.

Puig hit two home runs in Friday’s win. The Dodgers hit five Saturday – Puig’s three and one each from Manny Machado and Bellinger.

The Dodgers have now won series against fellow playoff contenders Arizona, Colorado and St. Louis over the past 2 ½ weeks. Even with slips against the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds in between, the Dodgers have won 10 of their past 15 games.

The surge has moved them into a tie for first place in the National League West – pending the outcome of the Rockies game Saturday night – and, potentially, a game up on the Cardinals for the second wild-card spot.

The Dodgers’ offense has come to life on this 10-game road trip. Starting with Sunday’s win in Colorado, they have scored 53 runs in seven games, including 29 in taking the first three games in St. Louis.

Puig has been a big part of that. He is 11 for 23 with six home runs – five in a nine-at-bat burst this weekend – 11 RBI and eight runs scored on the trip.

“Focus,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said when asked before the game the reason for Puig’s awakening.

“Yasiel’s a very talented player. I think the challenge for him is to understand the importance of every game, every pitch. Where we are right now in September, essentially playoff games, his focus is heightened. When he does that, he’s as good as any player out there.”

Puig’s first homer Saturday came off Cardinals starter John Gant in the fourth inning. An inning later, Gant had been chased from the game and Puig came up with one out and two on, Bellinger having already driven in two runs with a single off lefty reliever Tyler Webb.

Puig’s difficulty with left-handed pitching the past two years has led Roberts to platoon him. But Cardinals manager Mike Shildt opted to pull Webb – who gave up Puig’s second home run Friday – and bring in right-hander Mike Mayers.

Puig promptly hit a bullet into the left-field stands for a three-run home run. The exit velocity of 114.3 mph was the highest on a Dodgers home run since Statcast began tracking exit velocity in 2015.

His third homer was another three-run shot, this one off Luke Weaver in the eighth inning.

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Justin Turner was on base five times, briefly giving the Dodgers a scare when he was hit on the left hand with a pitch. He stayed in the game and went 3 for 3 with two walks.

Like an old friend from high school, Dodgers starter Rich Hill briefly lost touch with the strike zone. In a 13-pitch span of the fourth inning, he threw 11 balls, loading the bases with three consecutive walks. He went ahead 0-and-2 on the next batter, Patrick Wisdom, before hanging a curveball that Wisdom hit for a grand slam.

That was the Cardinals’ only scoring against Hill and four relievers, including left-hander Julio Urias, who retired the side in order in the ninth inning in his first major-league action since May 20, 2017. Urias underwent major shoulder surgery in June 2017.

16.09.2018No comments
Man arrested on suspicion of murder for 2017 crash that killed Mission Viejo woman

Orange County Sheriff’s deputies this week arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of murder in connection with a March 2017 crash in Mission Viejo that killed a 33-year-old woman, sheriff’s officials announced.

Afiff Kevin Doaifi was arrested Sept. 13 and was being held at the Orange County Jail on $1 million bail, officials said.

About noon March 25, 2017, Doaifi was driving a Chevrolet Camaro eastbound on Alicia Parkway when he struck a 2005 Hyundai Elantra making a left turn to travel southbound on Althea Avenue, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.

The intersection does not have street lights.

The Elantra driver, Judith Noval of Mission Viejo, was unconscious at the scene and was taken to a local hospital. Noval never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead a month later, April 25, 2017.

The Sheriff’s Department’s Traffic Division investigated the case and found the Doaifi was traveling at an excessive rate of speed, which caused the collision, authorities said.

In December 2014, Doaifi had been convicted of speeding greater than 100 miles per hour and was ordered to pay a $500 fine, court records show.

“(A) deputy went to court and obtained audio recordings from the courtroom where the suspect … admitted he knew the dangers of his actions and driving at excessive speed,” said Carrie Braun, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Department.

Court records show five other driving-related infractions against Doaifi since April 2013, including unsafe speed and exceeding a 65 mile-per-hour speed limit. He completed traffic school twice and paid a pair of fines, according to records. One of the cases was dismissed.

Doaifi is scheduled to appear in court in connection with the Mission Viejo crash on Monday, Sept. 17, officials said.

16.09.2018No comments