Fuentes, quien esta semana también ganó un tercer lugar en los tres metros, se llevó otro tercer puesto en la clasificación general final de un metro.

Sus saltos fueron calificados con una sumatoria de 301.55, mientras que el primer lugar fue para la veracruzana Samantha Jiménez, quien concluyó con 311.10.

El segundo sitio fue para la jalisciense Melany Hernández, con 305.55. En la clasificación obligatoria, la clavadista peninsular terminó cuarta, con 167.85.

Bajo este criterio, el podio se repartió entre la neoleonesa Alejandra Estrella, con 177.10; la jalisciense Laura Vázquez, con 175.60 y la veracruzana Samantha Jiménez, con marca de 172.65.

De esta manera, Baja California llega a 14 medallas totales, de las cuales siete son de oro, una de plata y el resto de bronce, cuando queda una jornada pendiente, con los saltos sincronizados.

The seventh annual Xolos Summer Classic will take place over two weekends in June, with boys and girls teams competing on separate dates. Boys’ teams, U9B through U19, will square off on June 8 and 9, while girls’ teams will take the pitch on June 15 and 16. Games will be played at the Birdsall Sports Complex in Temecula, Calf. The tournament is hosted by Xolos USA FC Academy, an affiliate of Club Tijuana Xoloitzquintles de Caliente – popularly known as Xolos.

The Xolos Summer Classic is a Class I Tournament, sanctioned by Cal South. The competition is open to teams affiliated with US Youth Soccer Association, Super Y League, AYSO and FIFA. In addition, teams from Xolos Tijuana Academy will take part in the tournament, and coaches from the Academy will be on hand to scout top players.

Each team that participates in the tournament is guaranteed at least three matches in pool play. Teams at the U8 through U10 levels may have up to 14 players on their rosters, while U11 and older teams may carry up to 18. The tournament allows unlimited borrowed players for competing sides.

The location of the Xolos Summer Classic in Temecula makes it a perfect destination for families as well as players. The site is about 70 minutes away from the Magic Kingdom of Disneyland and other attractions in Orange County. Less than an hour south is San Diego, with the world-famous San Diego Zoo, Legoland California and Sea World, and the San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park is even closer. For families wanting to experience Mexico, a drive to the border and Tijuana is less than an hour and a half.

The Xolos Summer Classic is a unique event that encourages every team and every player attending to play at the highest level. The tournament promotes healthy competition and sportsmanship in a high-quality environment.

For more information about the Xolos Summer Classic visit the Xolos Tournaments page on the club’s website: http://xolosusa.org/tournaments/. The deadline for registration is May 29, 2013.

Former NBA standouts to host youth basketball event

Former NBA All-Star Mark Eaton and former San Diego State All-American Michael Cage to participate

The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA), the only Association comprised of NBA, ABA and Harlem Globetrotters alumni, will host a youth basketball and life skills clinic in San Diego on May 18 at Balboa Park in conjunction with the National Police Athletic League (PAL) and National Urban League.

Former NBA All-Star and 2-time Defensive Player of the Year Mark Eaton will open the day-long clinic as keynote speaker and former NBA standouts Michael Cage (Los Angeles Clippers/All-American at San Diego State), Louie Nelson (Los Angeles native/5-year NBA career), Johnny Newman (16-year NBA career), Eldridge Recasner (All-Pac 10 at Washington/8-year NBA career), Sam Williams (Los Angeles native/4-year NBA career) and Sharone Wright (All-ACC at Clemson/4-year NBA career) will conduct the basketball portion of the event, impacting more than 150 local at-risk youth in San Diego as part of a 14-city touring youth basketball and mentoring program titled “Full Court Press: Prep for Success.”

Details of the NBRPA’s youth basketball and life skills clinic in San Diego are as follows:

WHO: Former NBA players.
WHAT: A free youth basketball and life skills clinic conducted by the NBRPA, with life skills training provided by PAL and the National Urban League
WHEN: May 18 at 9 a.m.
WHERE: Balboa Park (located at 2111 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, CA 92101)

Night Fishing Begins at Lake Jennings

Need an excuse to spend time on the water? Watch the sun go down over the hills? Maybe catch a fish? Well, you couldn’t get a more perfect reason to indulge yourself:

Lake Jennings – Night Fishing Season
May 17 – August 31
Fridays 5:00 p.m. – midnight
Saturdays 5:30 a.m. – midnight
Sundays 5:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Bring a picnic, enjoy the sunset, relax on the water with the cool evening breeze, watch the stars twinkle overhead, and relish the sport by catching some of the 8,000 pounds of catfish stocked in Lake Jennings this summer. Modest entry fees make this one of life’s most affordable pleasures:

Adults 16 years and older $8 Seniors 65 years and older $7 Active Military $7 Children under 16 years $3 Children under 8 years FREE

Don’t forget your California fishing license (available on line at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/ols), your lantern, and the family for a great outdoor experience.

“Angelo is a local player who we have watched grow up,” head coach Steve Fisher said. “We recruited him out of high school and are very familiar with his game. We are very excited to bring him home. He has size and toughness that help you win games.”

The 225-pound Hoover High graduate returns to his hometown after playing two seasons in Tucson. As a freshman in 2011-12, Chol played in all 35 games and helped the Wildcats to a 23-12 record, which ended with an appearance in the NIT. In 12.2 minutes, Chol averaged 2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds, and shot an effective 56.3 percent from the field.

A season ago, the ultra-athletic Chol played in 28 games for an Arizona side that reached the NCAA Sweet 16 and turned in a 27-8 record. The sophomore from San Diego averaged 1.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.5 minutes. Chol’s top scoring and rebounding games came against Northern Arizona when he scored 10 points, and vs. Stanford when pulled down eight boards.

Prior to his time at Arizona, Chol was one of the best players in the country at Hoover. He was the 73rd-ranked prospect in the country and the ninth-rated forward by Rivals. com. Chol finished his prep career with more than 2,000 points scored (2,133), ranked second on the national high school career blocked shot list (1,120), and was second in California high school history in rebounds (1,732) and games played (135). The four-time all-state pick left Hoover as a Parade, MaxPreps and ESPN RISE All-American, the San Diego Union-Tribune Player of the Year and California Mr. Basketball runner-up.

Fans interested in purchasing tickets for the 2013-14 campaign may contact the SDSU ticket office at (619) 283-7378.

Dave Winfield speaks to National City Little Leagurers

Dave Winfield, a 2001 inductee of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., will join Little Leaguers at the Southern California Little League Urban Initiative Jamboree on April 27, 2013. The Jamboree, hosted by Las Palmas Little League, runs from April 26-28 in National City.

Mr. Winfield, a long-time supporter of the Little League Urban Initiative and Little League volunteer, will attend the Jamboree to help celebrate the achievement of all the players and foster their enthusiasm for baseball and softball. There is no admission fee for any of the Jamboree events.

“I’m honored to be asked to come out and support Little League in this great effort,” Mr. Winfield, Vice President and Senior Advisor of the San Diego Padres, said. “It is inspiring what Little League is doing to encourage all children to play baseball. These Jamborees are examples of how we can instill the values of sportsmanship and teamwork while getting kids outside and playing.”

The Southern California Little League Urban Initiative Jamboree is the first of nine Jamborees taking place throughout the United States this spring. At each Jamboree event, participating teams will take part in a weekend of games, instruction, and other special events, at no cost to their local league. At the end of the weekend, all the participants will leave with a lifetime of memories, and one team will own the championship banner.

Learn more about this year’s Urban Initiative Jamborees.

Participants and coaches in the Southern California Little League Urban Initiative Jamboree will attend the Padres game that Saturday night, April 27, as guests of the club. Earlier in the day, Mr. Winfield will be joined by Ron Morrison, Mayor of National City, and Tony the Tiger at the Jamboree Awards Presentation. Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes® is the “Official Breakfast Food of Little League,” and a proud sponsor of the Little League Urban Initiative.

“We are thrilled that Mr. Winfield continues to show such a high level of support for this program,” Demiko Ervin, Director of the Little League Urban Initiative, said. “Since attending his first Jamboree in 2005, Mr. Winfield has been a great advocate for the Urban Initiative helping to ensure that all children get a chance to play Little League baseball and softball.”

In his professional career, Mr. Winfield played 22 years for the Padres and five other Major League Baseball clubs, amassing a career batting average of .283, hit 465 home runs, collecting 3,110 hits, driving in 1,833 runs, earning seven Gold Gloves, and making 12 all-star appearances. Mr. Winfield also appeared in two World Series.

“The Jamboree gives kids a chance to feel like they’re playing in a Little League World Series, even if it’s just for a weekend,” Mr. Winfield said. “It’s an experience that every child should have, and thanks to the Urban Initiative, many who may never have that chance, get one.”

Well, it’s draft weekend. So instead of the usual 467 different mock draft models with the same 35 players in different positions on the board, I have decided to do my own version of a more interesting mock draft. Some names you will recognize and others you probably won’t – but to change things up, here is a different kind of mock draft. For some, the Draft is a life changing day that they make into a positive catalyst, but for others it is the beginning of a downhill spiral. We all know the fairy tale endings here are some examples of people that seemingly had it all on the surface. Let this draft serve as notice to all that will be drafted this weekend in the NFL that dreams sometimes turn into nightmares.

1. Kansas City Chiefs: Bill Maas. The former Chiefs All-Pro and Fox broadcaster was arrested in 2007. A search uncovered a .22-caliber revolver, five grams of suspected marijuana, six grams of suspected cocaine and 28 Ecstasy pills. Bill was a good friend and business partner of another Pitt lineman, Bob “Buck” Buczkowski, a Raiders first-round pick who strangely enough was arrested the same year for running a prostitution ring and cocaine distribution ring. Two of Pitt’s finest, and to think these two co-owned a restaurant in Pittsburgh that I used to actually go to in college.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars: This team has a need for a hard-core criminal. All the Jags seem to produce is drunks. From drunk driving to drunk and disorderly, every charge starts with drunk.

3. Oakland Raiders: Todd “Marijuanavich.” A lot of Raiders could have been this pick, but the visual of this 45-year-old former USC Trojan and first-round pick on a skateboard all tweeked up on poor-man’s booger sugar cruising the boardwalks of Orange County still puts a smile on many a Chargers fans’ faces.

4. Philadelphia Eagles: Kevin Allen. A No. 1 pick, Allen tested positive for cocaine after reporting to Eagles training camp in 1986. Soon after, he was charged with sexual assault for raping a girl under the boardwalk at the Jersey shore. I guess that makes Allen the original “The Situation.” Allen spent the next three years in prison. He was banned from the NFL for life.

5. Detroit Lions: Matt Millen. As GM, Matt stole the Lions franchise from Detroit. He put them in a hole for the next decade, so I’m listing him as guilty of grand theft of an NFL franchise.

6. Cleveland Browns: Jim Brown. The Browns need a crack-head and it’s a strong draft for crack-heads, but we’re going with Brown, an all-time great player who was arrested more times than a Times Square hooker. Most of his offenses were against women and generally involved violence. Funny, all his lame movies show him kicking dudes’ asses yet in real life all you hear about is him kicking women’s asses.

7. Arizona Cardinals: Luis Sharpe. Sharpe has been arrested several times on numerous drug, assault and domestic violence charges, has been to prison and was shot twice. He played 13 seasons in the NFL for the Cardinals (1982-1994). A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Sharpe was selected by the Cardinals in the first round (16th overall) of the 1982 draft.

8. Buffalo Bills: O.J. Simpson. Well, what can we say here that hasn’t already been said? There were no drug kingpins left on the board, so the Bills decide to fill this need with a murderer.

9. New York Jets: Mark Gastineau. This 1980s mullet, Highway Patrol mustache, tanning-booth cheese-ball was involved in a few off-the-field activities, including assault, drug possession and woman beating (burned a girlfriend with a cigarette lighter). Repeated parole violations led to 11 months at Rikers Island prison. He admitted to using steroids while he played for the Jets, as if that was even up for debate. A walking stereotype who I think is from the same gene pool as Jose Canseco.

10. Tennessee Titans: Adam “Pacman” Jones. This guy has so many issues – a year long suspension, hookers, guns, you name it. The funny part was when fellow hypocrites Michael Irvin and Jim Brown offered to mentor this loser. The drugs and fighting continued. He attempted to do the only other two things besides sports you can do with a University of West Virginia education: professional wrestler and rapper.

11. San Diego Chargers: No, it is not Ryan Leaf – I am going to reach for this pick and not go with the obvious Terrence Kiel. In 2003, Kiel was shot three times after an attempted carjacking in Houston. His next arrest was in 2006 on multiple drug charges, including possession, possession with intent to sell and transportation of a controlled substance. Police came to the Chargers’ facility and arrested him. He later pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor drug charges for shipping codeine cough syrup to Texas, where it’s known as “purple drank,” aka Ghetto Kool-Aid. He was ordered to do 100 hours of community service and undergo counseling for urinating in public. On July 4, 2008, Kiel died in a car crash

12. Miami Dolphins: Mercury Morris. In 1982, Morris was convicted of cocaine trafficking. He was sentenced to 20 years, with a mandatory 15-year term. He was granted a new trial after he convinced someone it was entrapment. He reached a plea-bargain agreement and was set free in 1986 after serving 3½ years.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bo Jackson (1986 first-round draft pick). Bo was by no means a criminal, but it was criminal how he opted to play baseball for the Kansas City Royals and later for the Raiders, leaving the Bucs with nothing but a wasted No. 1 pick. Kind of like the following year when they took Vinny Testaverde No. 1 overall pick.

14. Carolina Panthers: Rae Carruth. Carolina’s finest; Carruth was a first-round pick of the Panthers in 1997. In 1999, he arranged for the murder of his then girlfriend and unborn child. He became a fugitive and was later found hiding in a car trunk in Tennessee with a bottle of his own urine and some candy bars. What was the urine for? He is set to be released from prison in 2018.

15. New Orleans Saints: It should be a crime having been engaged to Kim Kardashian while there’s a sex tape all over the Internet of Ray J giving her the business. For that reason, I’m drafting Reggie Bush.

16. St. Louis Rams: Darryl Henley. Drafted in the second round out of UCLA in 1989. Problem was, he watched “Scarface” too many times and is now serving a 41-year sentence for running a cocaine trafficking ring and then hiring hit men to kill the judge presiding over his trial. Now Darryl is stuck in a cell. Say hello to my little friend.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers: Ernie Holmes. One of my all-time favorite players and a member of the famed Steel Curtain. In 1973, Ernie started shooting at passing motorists with his shotgun because he thought they were out to get him. He then led state police on a high-speed chase until jumping out with his shot gun and running into the woods. He began shooting at a police helicopter and hit an officer in the leg. He finally ran out of ammo and energy and was captured. These were the 1970s and the Steelers, so he was out of jail in 48 hours and playing the next season. I mean, what’s the big deal?
18. Dallas Cowboys: How can I only have one pick for this model Rotary Club? I’ll let the comment section debate the winner of this spot from the long list of criminals available.

19. New York Giants: Lawrence Taylor. We all know the story with this guy. Aside from being the greatest defensive player in the history of the game, he was still a drug addict who had countless run-ins with the law, from drugs to rape of a minor. He’s guaranteed a lifetime membership in all future NFL all-time criminal rosters.

20. Chicago Bears- The only team where I couldn’t find a suitable representative.

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Lewis Billups. This guy could be a No. 1 pick on anyone’s criminal mock draft. He blew the Super Bowl with a dropped pick and blown coverage, but his greatest crime was drugging and raping a woman while he video-taped it in 1992. Then he tried to extort $20,000 from her in exchange for not sending the tape to her husband. After various brushes with the law, he spent a year in prison, and then killed himself and his friend driving in excess of 100 mph.

23. Minnesota Vikings: Dimitrius Underwood. One of the most complete losers in this year’s criminal mock draft. Signed a $5-million deal after the Vikings made him their first pick in 1999. He quit the following day, citing a conflict between his Christian faith and the NFL. He later tried to commit suicide by slicing his throat and failed. Then he tried to kill himself by running into traffic twice. Underwood served time in the Dallas County Jail for aggravated robbery, assault on public servant and evading arrest starting in 2002.

24. Indianapolis Colts: Art Schlichter. Gambling, fraud, grand theft, bad checks, forgery — you name it, this franchise criminal pick has done it all and is another lock for all future crime teams to come. He even had a public defender smuggle a cell phone into him in prison so he could continue to place bets. A lock for the criminal football hall of fame.

26. Green Bay Packers: I know everyone wants this pick to go to Mark Chmura because he went to a prom party as a grown man and had sex with a high school student. I’ve got a better pick, though: Randall Woodfield, the serial killer known as the “I-5 Killer” who was drafted by the Packers in 1974 out of Portland State. The Pack had to let him go that year after he was arrested over a dozen times for flashing or indecent exposure. After his release, it was estimated that he killed at least 10 women and raped 60 others. He was sentenced to life plus 165 years.

27. Houston Texans: Not much to work with for the Texans’ pick except the cruel joke of them needing a franchise QB for their expansion draft and the only players on the board that year were David Carr and Joey Harrington. A lose-lose situation. They could’ve traded up and gotten Todd “Marijuanavich” with the eighth pick.

28. Denver Broncos: Travis Heny. Travis was interesting because he was a poser version of Darryl Henley. He had just signed a deal with the Broncos that was worth close to $5 million a year, but he wanted to play gangster and do five-to-ten-thousand-dollar drug deals. This poser didn’t go to Colombia or even L.A. to deal. He went to the mean streets of Montana to work on his street cred.

29. New England Patriots: Dave Meggett. I know the Pats didn’t draft him, but he couldn’t beat out L.T. for the Giants pick and he was just too good to pass up. Meggett raped or sexually assaulted anything that moved, from underage girls to hookers. His child-support payments are $200k in arrears, and he has a burglary charge mixed in. If this loser hit the glass pipe, he would be the complete package.

30. Atlanta Falcons: Michael Vick. We all know this guy’s story: killing dogs, illegal betting rings and a dogfighting operation. A prison sentence followed, then he was awarded the Ed Block Courage Award by his teammates with the Philadelphia Eagles. Somehow, the Eagles thought Donovan McNabb was a distraction and needed to go, but they rewarded this guy with a large roster bonus to stay.

31. San Francisco 49ers: Dana Stubblefield. I don’t mind the steroids part, but when this loser flipped and gave up everyone — players, agents and whoever else he could think of — to the feds so he wouldn’t get in any trouble for his BALCO involvement after lying initially about it, that makes him football’s version of Sammy “The Bull” Gravano. The credit was always given to Stubblefield while Bryant Young was being double-teamed next to him all game long. He never did anything after leaving Young, and not even the steroids helped.

32. Baltimore Ravens: Jamal Lewis. Began a four-month prison sentence in 2004 after getting nabbed on his cell phone trying to put together a five-kilo coke deal. Crockett and Tubbs were on to this idiot Miami Vice-style, and he didn’t even know it.

33. Washington Redskins: Dexter Manley arrested multiple times for crack-thrown out of the league- illiterate, broke, the whole nine yards –sounds like Washington DC mayor of the same time Marion Berry.

Ana Lilia Duran

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan.- Just a few weeks after the death of Soraya Jimenez, the first mexican woman who won an Olympic Gold Medal officially in the Games of Sydney 2000, Mexico’s weighlifting program has shown the potential of new generations of athletes.

At the IWF Youth World Championships celebrated in this country young girls like Ana Lilia Duran and Janeth Gomez reached the podium to be among the best of the world. These two girls have something in common: they were made at the “Olimpiada Nacional,” a name given to the National Junior Olympic program that was born in the decade of the nineties.

Duran represents Baja California in the national stage. Gomez represents Jalisco. Every year the National Junior Olympic Championship takes place somewhere in Mexico, these two regions live a fierce rivalry.

Today, “Lily” and Janeth are on the same team: their country.

In a nation where football takes it all, they show another face of sports and gender. They are young, they are strong and they represent the female population.

Janeth was the first one to take action. Finished with 72 kilograms in the snatch, 95 in clean and jerk and 167 in total as part of the 53 kilograms division. Chinese Binglian Lin and North Korea’s Un Sim Rim won gold and silver, respectively.
A day after Ana Lilia, won two bronce medals in the 58 kilograms division. One totalizing a lift of 191 kilograms, and 107 in clean and jerk. In the snatch, she finished with 84 kilograms.

The first place was for China’s Wei Chengyu who registered 85 in snatch, 109 in clean and jerk and 194 in total. Thailand’s Kamonchanok Intamat finished with 86-108 and 194. The difference between silver and gold was of only 50 grams.

Chengyu entered the competition with a body weight of 57.01 kilograms and Intamat with 57.51. Duran’s weight was 57.87.

The Mexican was the best representative of the Americas in a competition dominated by Asians. Maria Nantip from Ecuador finished in the 14 place and Maria Heylsime Asuncion Tiongson of the United States was ranked 14.

For Duran this was another Milestone in her young career. The native of Mexicali (a city located close the US-Mexico Border) born in 1997 has an impressive record in International Weighlifting Federation competitions.

In 2012 she finished in the first position at the IWF Youth World Championships in Slovakia and was ranked second at the Pan American Youth Championship. At these two competitions she was in the 53 kilograms division. Now she competes in the 58 kilograms category.

Catch of the Day, Day at the Docks

Day at the Docks, the Port of San Diego’s 34th annual celebration, will lure in the crowds once again to showcase the world’s largest, most modern sportfishing fleet at American’s Cup Harbor on San Diego Bay, and to celebrate the beginning of the spring sportfishing season.

Scheduled for April 21, from 9 AM to 5 PM, the event is on the waterfront at San Diego’s Sportfishing Landing, Harbor Dr. at Scott Street in Pt. Loma, San Diego, California. Admission and parking are free. Parking is on Shelter Island, with free, frequent shuttles to and from the festival. http://www.sportfishing.org

The 2013 Day at the Docks theme, “It’s about fishing and so much more!,” features the world’s largest state-of-the-art sportfishing fleet that provides first-class accommodations while traveling to some of the world’s most prolific fish-filled waters teaming with wildlife.

The captains and crews, catalysts of the fleet, are sea-going professionals with backgrounds as diverse as the waters they explore. Many with formal training as marine scientists, marine biologists, photography and oceanography enjoy a vast wealth of knowledge of sea life, which they are eager to share.

The Day at the Docks festival also includes: • Day-long activities for the entire family • Captains and crew plus an all-star lineup of experts presenting “how-to” on-board seminars • More than 200 exhibits • Raffles of thousands of dollars of prizes, including fishing trips, tackle and attractions • A casting competition • Kids’ free fishing areas • Art contests for kids • Boat rides around San Diego Bay, $2 per person

Mayan ballplayers sitting on the bench.

In Mexico, the Mayas are a people apart. Half a millennium since Spanish conquistadors set foot in Mesoamerica, their numbers stand in the millions and they remain racially, linguistically and culturally distinct from their non-indigenous countrymen. While most Mexicans are bursting with national pride, Mayas are Yucatecos first (the greatest concentration of Maya are in the Mexican state of Yucatán) and Mexicans second. Most Mexicans speak only Spanish, while most Mayas can speak both Spanish and Maya. And while soccer is practically akin to religion across much of Mexico, for Yucatec Mayas, baseball is life.

Baseball is so popular among Yucatec Mayas (almost all Mayas in Yucatán are either players or fans) and their love of the sport so unique in their country, that it has become a self-identifier, a point of pride and an integral part of what it means to be Maya — right up there with pocchuc (traditional grilled pork), jarana yucateca (traditional dance) and colorful huipiles (traditional clothing).

“Baseball is an important element of Mayan culture,” says Alberto Perez, director of Asociación MAYAB, a Bay Area Yucatec Maya organization. It’s a culture that is becoming increasingly visible in the United States, where hundreds of thousands of Mayas now live. Baseball, says Perez, provides a way for Maya immigrants in the U.S. to stay connected with community, display cultural pride and establish their unique place within the Latino Diaspora. “It is almost like an underground movement.” Today, a growing but untold number of Yucateco baseball teams are scattered across the state of California – there are even whole leagues here whose rosters are mostly made up of Yucatecos.

The sport came to Yucatan from baseball-mad Cuba, a mere 128 miles away. “Mérida (the capital of Yucatán) had more cultural and political exchange with Cuba than with Mexico City,” explains Perez. “That’s how we got this special love of baseball.” Today, Yucatec Mayas, or Yucatecos, may love baseball even more than the Cubans who introduced them to the sport. “They say a Sunday in Oxkutzcab without baseball is not a Sunday,” says Alberto Gómez, a 42-year old Yucateco who once played there professionally. Oxkutzcab is a municipality in Yucatan.

In Mexico, Yucateco baseball teams often serve as ambassadors of their pueblito, or small town. A rural indigenous village with more speakers of Maya than Spanish isn’t likely to have a tourism board like many other Mexican cities do, but there’s a good chance it will have a baseball team to act as the community’s unofficial booster.

Ball fields in Yucatán are like town squares – community social gatherings often revolve around the game. “Many people in Yucatán go every Sunday to the field to be with friends and share the experience,” says Gómez. Grabbing the entire family, getting some grilled meat and beer, and heading off to the local ball field is a typical weekend day. “It’s just like an American picnic,” he says.

There are big teams — the Yucatán Leones play in the highest rung of Mexican professional baseball and have a 13,600-seat stadium – but those are the exception. Attending a Yucateco baseball game is usually an intimate affair, says Gaspar Chi, a Yucateco immigrant to the Bay Area who founded a baseball team here. Many fans who attend games in Yucatán are family members and neighbors that have lived together for generations.

As a result, team loyalties run deep. When teams from the municipalities of Cenotillo and Homún play each other, locals support their players and follow the action as avidly as an American football fan would the NFL. Yucatecos still discuss a remarkable game played in Mérida in 1960, when a team from the tiny municipality of Kopté and a team from the 1,900-person village of Suma de Hidalgo took a tie ballgame into the 18th inning. With only one out needed for a win in the bottom of the 18th, Kopté’s pitcher threw an errant pickoff throw, allowing two runners to score and giving Hidalgo the win, “in a blink of an eye.”

Yet while other baseball playing countries in the region – most notably the Dominican Republic, current champions of the World Baseball Classic — churn out Major League Baseball stars like cars from an assembly line, and young boys dream of becoming rich playing in the U.S., Yucatecos are less inclined to view the sport as a way to escape poverty.

Although some players earn as much as $3,000 per week playing in Mexican professional leagues, most who first play ball as children in Oxkutzcab’s palm-lined sandlots do so solely because they love the sport. It’s a love that is passed down; every generation endows the next with their skills and techniques.

“It is very beautiful to me,” says Rafael ‘Carmito’ Tep, who has served as the official scorer for a local San Francisco-based team for 15 years. “Even if you are down by five runs late, you can still come back and go ahead.” For many Maya immigrants in the U.S., baseball also offers relief from the stress of a long workday. Freddy Cetina, a Bay Aea Yucatec baseball player, says he plays ball to “relax and have fun, to be together with my teammates, my people.”

Nevertheless, Yucatec baseball is notoriously rough and physical. Barreling into the second baseman to break up a double play? Knocking down a runner trying to touch home? It is just another Sunday on a Yucatec baseball diamond. “Yucatec baseball is very aggressive. Both verbally and physically,” says Chi. “They need to be disciplined. They need to be able to attack the ball.”

One San Francisco-based league fields six Maya teams and describes itself as being “led by members of the community that feel a strong affinity and commitment for the favorite sport of the contemporary Mayas of Yucatán: baseball.”

Chi has for 12 years been the Manager of Club Yucatán, which plays in another, primarily non-Maya, competitive league where wooden bats are used and pitches reach 70 miles per hour. The team is an ensemble cast, some as young as 20, others much older, but they are all joined by a profound love of bax’abola (bash-ah-bohl-ah), as baseball is called in Maya.

They can use their shared culture to their advantage on the field: calling pitches and other moves in Maaya t’aan, their native-tongue. “Sometimes we will say, ‘run’ or ‘steal the base!’ in Maya, instead of using signals so the other team doesn’t hear.” says Gómez. “White people who play us, they have no idea what is going on.”

Chi is proud of being a mentor, and sees baseball as a way to unite the local Yucatec community and pass on valuable skills to its members. He makes an effort to speak to his young players in Maya, for example, “to teach them to value themselves as Mayas.”

Chi plays the role of any baseball manager, preaching unity and praising his team with familiar sports clichés. At a recent Sunday-morning game in San Francisco against another Yucateco team, Club Yucatán scored 11 runs but still finished in a tie after their pitcher faltered. The bench and their supporters cheered anyway, thrilled with the result because the club’s hitting had previously been of concern.

As a player’s wife brought in a steaming tub of tamales for the team, she balanced the heavy container atop her head, as Mayan woman have done since time immemorial — a touch of Maya identity hidden among the American surroundings.
Similarly, Yucatec baseball teams are beacons of the uniqueness and worth that Maya immigrants bring to the nation, for those that care to look. “Sometimes people value us less because we are Yuca-tecos.” Says Alberto Gómez, “What we are trying to do when we play baseball is to show them that it doesn’t matter where your are from, as long as you have fight in you, if you know how to give 100 percent, like Yucatecos do.”

This story was reported in collaboration with PRI’s The World. To listen to an accompanying radio segment produced by The World’s immigration editor Monica Campbell, http://www.theworld.org/2013/03/baxabola-maya-baseball-takes-off-in-the-us/

Home Opener on June 9 at Cathedral Catholic’s Manchester Stadium

The San Diego SeaLions will open the 2013 season with an exhibition match at home at Cathedral Catholic High School’s Manchester Stadium on Sunday, April 28 at 5:00 p.m. against the LA Strikers of the W-League. San Diego’s regular season kicks off three weeks later on the road against Ajax America Women on Sunday, May 19. The SeaLions meet Ajax again at the home opener set for Sunday, June 9 at 2:00 p.m. The SeaLions will host a total of seven (7) home games at Cathedral Catholic this year.

San Diego’s regular season will conclude on July 14 at home against LA Premier.

The WPSL Pacific Regional Playoffs will take place July 20 & 21, with the WPSL Final Four National Championship scheduled for July 27 & 28. Season and Single game tickets are available at sealionsoccer.com.

Grossman

By Burt Grossman

With the draft only a few weeks away let’s not just look at the obvious-say the possible candidates the Chargers might draft or all the combine measurements and numbers. I always like that sort of information — you know the analytical stuff but let’s face it we all like the stories behind the numbers

The Chargers biggest need is offensive line and by now everyone seems to agree that they will pick offensive guard Chance Warmack from Alabama. I don’t really know if there is such a thing as a —can’t miss— player but if there is its Warmack. Will he still be on the board when the 11th pick comes up? Probably so since most think Lane Johnson from Oklahoma will take the top spot as an offensive linemen simply because tackles are a much hotter commodity than offensive guards. Now back to the entertaining stuff.

Everybody loves a good draft story, I remember mine, kind of, I was hung over at home and got a call from a newspaper asking me what I thought of the Chargers, minutes earlier I saw I was the 8th pick, no call from the Chargers prior, just saw it on TV like everyone else. I had been woken up that morning from my drunken state by a call from Mike Ditka telling me they were trying to secure a deal to draft me that day and he would be in touch, that was the first and last time I ever spoke to Mike Ditka but it wouldn’t be my last Mike Ditka draft story.

In 1990 I was sitting in a hotel room in Hawaii watching it rain and also the NFL draft on ESPN. That year ESPN was profiling Mark Spindler as the 1st round prospect, they would be doing live feeds of him from his dads bar in Scranton PA as he waited to be drafted in the first round. Mark was a former USA today Defensive player of the year in High School and was considered the number one recruit in the nation that year; he started at Pitt as a freshman and also roomed with me so I knew him well.

That day as I watched ESPN I decided to call his dads bar and claim to be Mike Ditka. I spoke and informed him that the Bears would be taking him with their pick. I watched the bar go crazy as he relayed the message and soon ESPN picked up on it, but when the Bears General Manager came up to the podium they instead took Mark Carrier, and a hush came over the Scranton bar. I waited a little while and decided I could do a hick Jerry Glanville voice, so again later in the round the phone rings in the bar and it’s me as Jerry Glanville telling Spindler he’s our man and we need someone like him on our defense, “basically we need a little cream in our coffee down here Mark.” The bar gets crazy only to be let down again when the real Glanville picks and it’s not Mark.

The rain soon stopped and I left my room, in those days we didn’t carry Cell phones so the day was done for me as the Hawaiian Chris Berman of the 1990 draft, I later returned to see that Mark hadn’t been drafted until the 3rd round by the Detroit Lions, maybe it had something to do with the 5.6 forty he ran at the combine that year but like Manti Te’o this year the film usually tells a different story of a players ability than the press does.

The Legends squad is made up of former starters for the Chivas Guadalajara team, and includes Gustavo Sedano, Guadalupe Castañeda, Jose Luis Montes de Oca, Johny Garcia, Felipe Robles, Paulo Cesar “Tilon” Chavez and Hector “El Pirata” Castro. Known by their faithful fans as C.D. Guadalajara, the team is one of the most popular squads in the Mexican league, and is the only football club in the country to field a team made-up exclusively of Mexican players.

“Chivas de Guadalajara has a strong following in Southern California, and we expect a tremendous turnout,” said UC Riverside Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Brian Wickstrom, adding that the site of the game was moved to Ramona H.S. because of the larger capacity of their soccer/football stadium. “We wanted to be sure that everyone who wants to come see this match will have the opportunity to do so.”

The exhibition match is part of the Highlanders’ “non-traditional season” and is used to help the squad prepare for their regular season campaign. On February 20, the Highlanders defeated UCLA, 1-0, in an exhibition in front of 1,000 fans at the UC Riverside Soccer Stadium, with junior Ivan Garcia putting home the game-winning goal.

“Much like our match against nationally-ranked UCLA several weeks ago, this provides another excellent opportunity to reach out to the Inland Empire soccer community while showcasing our Division I program, this time against top international professionals,” said UC Riverside Head Coach Junior Gonzalez.

Although the match doesn’t count in the standings, the Highlanders are taking it very seriously.

“While it will be a fun evening, we are playing to win,” Gonzalez said. “This is an opportunity for our guys to go up against some players who were front-line starters in the Mexican League. We want to win this match and take this momentum into the 2014 season.”

The Highlanders are coming off of their first ever 10-win season as a Division I program, and in mid-season, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) ranked them as the 19th best team in the nation.

Tickets for the match are $15 per person, and $10 each for group purchases of 15 or more. Children three years and younger are admitted free. Purchase tickets online or by calling (951) 827-4653.

“For many of us growing up, Little League was our introduction to teamwork and team discipline. Hosting the Little League Jamboree in National City not only stirs up the great memories of Little League past, but also gives us inspiration and pride in the future of our young people’s lives,” said Ron Morrison, mayor of National City.

According to Little League Baseball’s website, the Urban State Jamborees have been held each year since 2010. The response to these events has generated much excitement for the host leagues and communities. Since the Little League Urban Initiative decided to move its Jamboree concept from one national tournament to numerous state/regional tournaments in 2010, the initiative for boys and girls in urban neighborhoods has prospered. In 2013, two jamborees have been added to the lineup and new venues will be benefitting.

Beginning with the Southern California Jamboree on April 26-28 in National City, nine jamboree events will take place over an eight-week period in eight different states and in several different regions of the country. The number of jamborees has grown from four in the first year to seven in 2011 to the nine tournaments scheduled this year.

With a goal to bring the benefits of Little League Baseball and Softball to boys and girls in urban neighborhoods, the jamborees allow those same players the opportunity to participate in a tournament setting.

“Thanks to many people, including the organizers at each location, the state jamborees have enjoyed considerable success and have been well-received over the past three years,” said Demiko Ervin, director of the Little League Urban Initiative. “Each year we strive to expand the opportunities so that more children in the program have the opportunity to experience all the things that come with playing in a tournament setting.

“Another benefit of the jamborees is the recognition afforded to those leagues that have embraced the Urban Initiative mission, while allowing them to show what a local league can do with the proper mix of resources, support and community involvement.”

At each jamboree event, participating teams will take part in a weekend of games, instruction, and other special events, at no cost to their local league. At the end of the weekend, all the participants will leave with a lifetime of memories, and one team will own the championship banner. The weekend also offers a chance for coaches, managers, and league officials to come together to network and share ideas.

The first Urban Initiative tournament in National City will take place at Las Palmas Park from Friday, April 26, at 5 p.m. to Sunday, April 28, at 7 p.m. A total of twelve teams will be hosted for this tournament.

“I am looking forward to the Urban Initiative coming to National City and Las Palmas Little League,” said Rolland Slade, administrator of the California Little League District 66. “It is a rare and exciting opportunity to not only show the beauty that is in National City, but also to show the beauty of sportsmanship and leadership development that we see in the Little League Baseball, Inc.”

The state/regional jamborees took the place of the annual Little League Urban Initiative Jamboree hosted by Little League International each Memorial Day weekend. During the six years (2004-09) the Jamboree was played at the Little League International complex in South Williamsport, Pa., site of the Little League Baseball World Series, teams from 66 different Urban Initiative leagues and more than 800 players participated.

In the last three years, 221 teams and more than 2,744 players have had the opportunity to participate in an Urban Initiative Jamboree.

Grossman

Free Agency is upon us and it looks like the Chargers – as usual aren’t interested in making any bold moves. It seems the more things change the more they stay the same.

Free agency has and still is a tricky subject; obviously, we can look back to the recent past and see the process has not been too friendly to the Chargers. To be fair there are a lot of factors and the risk/reward of taking someone else’s cast off and expecting them to adapt to your system and flourish is a lot to expect at this level of competition.

When I was traded to the Eagles it was thought back then and still holds true today that each conference has their own style of players , in essence “styles make fights” for fighters or boxers.

I guess what you find out is – in the AFC west we played more of a finesse passing game where in the NFC east they played a bruising type of ground and pound. So if you have a great NFC defensive end would he be a great AFC defensive end?

Then we have the dire need position that as in all things in life not just football we end up reaching and over paying for, like that vintage Planet of the Apes or Six Million Dollar Man lunch Box on Ebay that you just have to have, but when it arrives you see all the rust and little flaws that add up to buyer’s remorse. (Jared Gaither)

So the NFL’s worst O-line has lost Gaither and now Louis Vasquez to Denver, neither great nor even good in my opinion but if they were the best we had, I can only imagine what was behind them and what is in store for Rivers this year. So as Denver remains active adding and not subtracting to their talent pool what are we doing? Well for one we are still dealing with the mismanagement of the previous management. The Chargers have no Cap space, which would be fine but they also have no talent to go along with the lack of salary cap space needed to add talent. I can see Tom Telesco cast as Barack Obama and AJ Smith as George W Bush -AJ drove the car into the ditch and left it with no gas and totaled, and we now expect Telesco to drive the car out of the ditch and back into the race, hell some of us even expect him to win the race.

I personally think we should have made a run at Reggie Bush, he is local, available and has shaken his injury prone reputation with two outstanding years in Miami. Ryan Mathews is no LT and will never be an every down back; even LT had Sproles to provide a change of pace, Bush –Reggie not George –would be an ideal fit to push Mathews and at the same time offer production. Of course that’s wishful thinking because we spent that cap money on magic beans that never produced a bean stalk.

Free agency has been a bust the last few years as has been the draft, that in a nut shell is why we have not been to the playoffs in three years and everyone was fired. Sadly the opposite holds true for the Broncos. We are miles behind the Broncos. The fact that they beat us with Tebow at QB is proof of that – since that day they have made move after move to make themselves stronger while we have weakened.

Free agency is a wash for the Chargers so let’s look forward to the Draft and hope and pray the Chargers don’t try another one of those “project” picks. My fifth grade Kool-Aid and baking soda volcano Science project was a “project” the Chargers projects have been failures

On a side note while I was writing this article the Denver Broncos got even stronger and have signed New England Patriots Wes Welker – and so much for my Reggie Bush wish, the Detroit Lions snapped him up too. The Chargers on the other hand? I think they hired a new Janitorial company to service their facility on Aero drive.

The fight will air live on SHOWTIME and is presented in association with Greg Cohen Promotions.

Canelo, who started training for the fight in his hometown of Guadalajara before moving camp to Santa Monica, Calif., is already familiar to his opponent’s fighting style and abilities as he was ringside for Trout’s December 1, 2012 victory over Miguel Cotto in New York and also watched Trout defeat his older brother Rigoberto Alvarez in Guadalajara in February of 2011.

“Austin Trout impressed me with his win over Miguel Cotto and my brother,” said Canelo, who will be making his sixth title defense against Trout. “But I feel that in boxing, it’s my time now, and I will show Trout why I am the best in the division. Champions should fight each other because that’s what true champions do. I know he will be a tough challenge, but I’m confident I will be the unified champion at the end of the night. Beating him will make a statement, and in so doing, I plan to avenge my brother’s loss to him and bring victory home to Mexico too.”

The WBA Super Welterweight World Champion Trout, whose performance over Miguel Cotto in December helped further establish him as a force to be reckoned with, is ready for his next contest against Canelo.

“I’m absolutely ready to face Canelo and all of his fans who will be out in full force in San Antonio that night,” said Trout, the 27-year old southpaw from Las Cruces, New Mexico who will be making his fifth title defense. “Although he is a true champion, I don’t believe he has had the ring experience or has faced the competition he should have in order to be able to handle the skills that I will show him when we fight April 20. I have already defeated his brother and taken his belt, and I plan on making it two for two against the Alvarez’s in my in my quest to be the best. I have no doubt that I will retain my title and takes his with me too. I can’t wait.”

“Canelo has proven with each challenge he has faced that he is getting better and has fast become a superstar in the sport not only because of his talent, but also because of his unbelievable fan base that continues to grow every time he fights,” said Oscar De La Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions. “Austin Trout is an incredible fighter with superb boxing skills and a great champion in his own right. I’m very excited to see what happens when these two fighters meet in the ring on April 20. Golden Boy is going back to Texas in true Texas fashion with a huge fight at the Alamodome in San Antonio, the home of great boxing fans who love and appreciate the sport. It’s going to be a great night for everyone involved.”

The pride of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, 22-year-old Canelo Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) has proven himself worthy of standing side by side with his country’s modern day boxing greats, both in the ring and outside of it.

Long considered one of boxing’s most underrated gems, Las Cruces, New Mexico’s Austin “No Doubt” Trout with a record of 26-0, 14 KO’s.

Deer Antler Spray

Via: Nutronics Labs

By Burt Grossman

The NFL Combine is a yearly passage for all seniors aspiring to be professional football players. Here’s my experience. The Path to Primetime continues at the combine, where more than 300 top prospects will continue on their quest to achieve their NFL dreams. Follow the action Feb. 23-26 on NFL Network.

I was part of the famous 1988 draft that some consider the most talented of all time. The 1980s were famous for such fashions as fanny packs, Jerry Curls, spandex and gold chains. This was the place where activator from Dion Sanders’ Jerry Curls splashed in my eyes as he crossed the finish line after running a 4.3 40-yard dash. It was also the place where I drank a half gallon of white vinegar before my urine test because in those days we thought it would mask any illegal substances. Times were simpler then not like today’s world of Lance Armstrong’s or MLB.

It didn’t work. I tested positive for steroids.

The combine is a well-documented meat market filled with physical tests, medical tests and a so-called intelligence test called the Wonderlic, which to me was equivalent of an eighth grade exit exam. But there’s always a group that struggles with it — Donovan McNabb’s famous 14 score, Terry Brad-shaw’s 15. Tim Tebow scored a 22, Vince Young a 6. By the way, this is out of a possible 50.

It’s also a place where you go from medical station to medical station, from a dermatologist station to a neurologist station to a vision specialist (where I received treatment for activator burns).

I remember being scolded for refusing to be videotaped answering questions in my underwear as all players do. I can’t remember if I relented and did that strange pedophile type station. Then there was the station where everyone was bent over tables getting the lubed-finger colon exam. I refused that one and remember thinking that it was a test — and if you actually agreed to it, you wouldn’t be drafted in the first round.

In the end, none of that really mattered. I scored the second-highest Wonderlic score that year, yet I never developed into the field general McNabb or Bradshaw did. I ran the fastest 40 of any lineman, but it didn’t matter if I was smarter than the QB. What mattered was whether I could get to him. Hell, Dexter Manley the great defensive end for the Washington Redskins couldn’t even read.

Despite testing positive for steroids, suffering activator burns, passing on underwear questions and the rectal-rooter station, I was still drafted eighth overall that year.

Strangely the combine serves as an end-all tool for some teams and for others it is simply just a tool-too often and without fail-there is a look like Tarzan play like Jane work –out warrior that sling-shots himself into the first round simply off numbers, sadly some NFL scouting departments get suck-ed into the concept that actual game production and play don’t matter as much as times and scores –it’s as if they become Olympic Decathlon judges and not NFL talent evaluators. I think all would agree Eric Weddle is a great player and a great leader with intangibles that can’t be measured on paper, but come on physically speaking (size-speed-etc.) he would rank at the bottom 20% of the NFL. So does any of that data really matter?

I hope the Chargers new regime favors a little more balance between physical and mental abilities or actual play and production versus data. Hopefully we won’t get stuck with another Jared Gaither or Larry English.

Univision Deportes, la división de deportes de Univision Communications Inc., la principal empresa de medios de comunicación al servicio de la comunidad hispana en Estados Unidos, y ESPN, la principal marca de medios deportivos en los Estados Unidos, han formalizado una alianza con el fin de aumentar el alcance de la Selección Mexicana de Fútbol (conocida como “El Tri”) en EE.UU. El acuerdo otorga a los canales televisivos y plataformas digitales en inglés de ESPN los derechos mediáticos a los partidos eliminatorios de FIFA Brasil 2014 y partidos amistosos internacionales que juegue México en su propio terreno. La cobertura en inglés complementará la popular cobertura en español que le da Univision al equipo nacional mexicano a través de televisión, cable y plataformas interactivas.

Como parte del acuerdo, Univision Deportes y ESPN han obtenido los derechos en EE.UU. para todos los partidos jugados por México en territorio mexicano, tanto los clasificatorios para la Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2014 en Brasil como los amistosos internacionales, en español e inglés, respectivamente. La alianza también permitirá que Univision Deportes y ESPN colaboren en contenido especial enfocado en la Selección Mexicana de Fútbol.

La serie de 20 partidos comenzará el miércoles 30 de enero con un amistoso internacional contra Dinamarca en Phoenix, Arizona, a las 10 p.m. hora del Este (en español por UniMás/Univision Deportes Network y en inglés por ESPN2/WatchESPN), y concluirá con el último encuentro del equipo antes de la Copa Mundial 2014.

Univision Deportes y ESPN también televisarán el muy esperado partido entre México y Estados Unidos que tendrá lugar en la Ciudad de México el martes 26 de marzo a las 9:30 p.m. hora del Este – la primera etapa de los encuentros que se producirán entre los dos rivales durante la ronda hexagonal de los partidos de clasificación a la Copa Mundial de la FIFA Brasil 2014 para la región de la Confederación de Norte, Centroamérica y el Caribe Asociación de Fútbol (CONCACAF).

Univision Deportes y ESPN seguirán al equipo nacional mexicano en sus intentos de clasificar para Brasil 2014, captando cada momento de su “Camino a Brasil 2014”. También cubrirán los partidos de preparación para la Copa Confederaciones 2013 de la FIFA, y si clasifica, para la Copa Mundial 2014. La Selección Mexicana de Fútbol busca participar por sexta vez consecutiva en la Copa Mundial de la FIFA.

El equipo es el campeón actual de la Copa de Oro de CONCACAF y en junio representará a CONCACAF en la Copa Confederaciones 2013 de la FIFA en Brasil. México ganó su primera medalla de oro en las Olimpiadas de Londres, en una victoria de 2 a 1 sobre el favorito, Brasil, obtenida en el Estadio Wembley en el verano de 2012. Además de la Selección Mexicana de Fútbol, Univision Deportes y ESPN ya tienen los derechos mediáticos, en español e inglés, respectivamente, para la Selección Nacional de EE.UU. y la Copa Mundial de la FIFA Brasil 201.

2013 El Tri en Univision Deportes (en español por Univision Network y UniMás) y ESPN (en ingles):
Febrero 6 9:30 p.m. **México vs. Jamaica Ciudad de México

The recent findings of Junior Seau’s brain study didn’t really come as a shock to anyone, in hindsight that is.

I have been close friends with Junior for twenty five years. He and I were roommates at the Chargers for six years. He was the best man at my wedding. Sadly as life does we had drifted somewhat apart over the last two years of his life. At the time, I guess, I justified it as Junior has changed he isn’t the old Junior I used to know. The truth was he had changed, for reasons that seem so clear now but were impossible to fathom back then.

Junior was probably the most personable person I have ever met; I guess that is what made his suicide so disturbing to the people that knew him. The vision of him alone in his bedroom with a gun in his hand or the disturbing portrait the Union Tribune painted of his final months. It was always difficult to ever know anything about what bothered Junior, this was a man who in six years I never saw him limp, complain, or show any glimpse of weakness. Junior was so adamant about not showing weakness that he had a full medical triage built at his home to deal with his perceived physical injuries so he would not have to get treatment in front of teammates, or as he thought “show weakness.”

Interestingly this mindset is great for a combat sport like football but not so conducive to family or intra personal relationships.

I watched a documentary on Vince Lombardi this past week on HBO and was amazed at the number of former players that broke down into tears when talking about him forty years after his death, yet when his own children were interviewed they were indifferent at best. I was immediately connected back to Junior. How is it that I could be so upset and his own children not? Well simply put Junior like Vince Lombardi was a great friend, a great player, but not a great dad. I can relate to that, I cried more than once over the thought of Junior alone in that room but never shed a tear over my own father’s death earlier this year.

For whatever reason I refused to do any interviews after Junior took his own life or go to any celebrations of his life events. I read where others were interviewed that didn’t even know Junior and I watched some spectacles over publicity by people that wanted attention by being close to Junior first in life and now through his death.

The big deal in the NFL now is obviously the playoffs but not too far below the surface is the concussion/CTE lawsuit. Close to 4,000 former players are suing the NFL as well as helmet maker Riddell in connection with covering up known risks of repetitive head trauma in the NFL.

I had resisted joining this lawsuit for over a year mainly based on the notion that injuries come with the territory. Skiers or snowboarders can’t really expect to file a lawsuit against snow or the mountain, you just assume the risk and if you perceive the risk /reward ratio too great you find other outlets less dangerous.

I did finally join that lawsuit last week; I guess partially out of respect for Junior and partially out of respect for my own two boys ages seven and nine whom I still have not allowed to play contact football.

The positive from all this is the new found concussion awareness. Junior played 20 years and never had a diagnosed concussion? I started four years at the University of Pittsburgh and seven years as an every down starter in the NFL and was never diagnosed with a concussion, in fact I never saw anyone diagnosed with a concussion in my entire career. In the good old days it was getting your bell rung and if you even thought about missing a down you were ostracized by coaches and teammates. That mindset has changed and if nothing else we can always point to some positive coming from all of this.

Grossman is a former No. 1 draft pick of the Chargers in 1989, playing five seasons with the team.

La FMVB convocó a jugadoras de los estados de Baja California, Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nuevo León y Sinaloa.

TIJUANA, Baja California — El voleibol mexicano buscará trascender en 2013, cuando se lleve a cabo el campeonato mundial categoría Sub 18 femenil de la FIVB en Tailandia.

Para ello, comenzaron ya los campamentos decembrinos en las instalaciones del Centro de Alto Rendimiento de Baja California en la ciudad de Tijuana, donde regularmente se han alojado las jugadoras convocadas para integrar los equipos nacionales.

En esta ocasión, la Federación Mexicana de Voleibol dio a conocer la lista de atletas convocadas en esta categoría, en la cual el país consiguió una plaza tras haber finalizado en los tres primeros lugares del Campeonato Continental de la Confederación Norceca efectuado el verano pasado en Tijuana.

Para el campamento de fin de año que se desarrolla este mes de diciembre en el CAR la FMVB convocó a jugadoras de los estados de Baja California, Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nuevo León y Sinaloa.

Una buena parte de este equipo contemplado para conformar la que a la postre será la selección que representará a México en el mundial a realizarse en Europa del Este, consiguió el boleto en el premundial tras haber ganado la medalla de bronce en un intenso partido ante su similar de Puerto Rico en agosto.

Las jugadoras incluidas en la convocatoria son Reyna Montserrat Saucedo Navarro, del estado de Colima, quien se desempeña como central. También en esta posición la FMVB contempló a Jocelyn Urías Castro y Francia Paola Sánchez, de Baja California, al igual que Verónica Garza, de Nuevo León.

Otra central convocada es Fernanda Bañuelos junto con Patricia Valle, de Baja California, mientras que en las posiciones de Banda se encuentran convocadas Perla Nahomi Escobar, Sofía López (ambas de Baja California) y Gema Puente, de Nuevo León, al igual que las sinaloenses Mariana Rivera Olivas y Diana Gabriela Valdez.

En las posiciones de elevadoras destaca en la convocatoria la yucateca Karya Giovana Loranca, quien se ha concentrado con las selecciones y preselecciones nacionales desde 2011.

A ella se suman Cristina Pantoja, de Michoacán, e Ivonne Martínez Villarreal, quien se desempeñó como capitana del tricolor sub 18 durante la fase clasificatoria del campeonato continental.

La líbero de la preselección es Kimberly Montserrat Gutiérrez, quien ha formado parte de los equipos estatales de Baja California y obtuvo el campeonato en la pasada Olimpiada Nacional.

Kimberly además cuenta con experiencia internacional tras haber participado en eventos como el USA Volleyball High Performance Championship, efectuado en la ciudad de Tucson en 2011, y desde luego en el pasado Campeonato Continental de la Norceca.

El cuerpo técnico de la preselección está encabezado por el entrenador argentino Estanislao Matías Vachino, quien es auxiliado por José Manzano, quien ha trabajado con las selecciones estatales varoniles, con el programa de voleibol de playa y de nueva cuenta con los equipos nacionales femeniles.

La FMVB también ha contemplado al entrenador colimense Gabriel Larios, quien participó como asistente en la fase premundialista y el fisiatra Omar Hernández, cuya experiencia en eventos continentales, panamericanos y mundialistas ha sido de vital importancia para los representativos juveniles mexicanos.

By Burt Grossman

I was flipping through the channels this past weekend; trapped in doors by the weather like most of you. I stumbled onto ESPN’s 30 for 30 entitled “Broke”. As I watched I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic as most of the players were from my era and I knew a majority of them. Watching them brought up some stories of former Charger players from years gone by that I will share with you.

My first experience with great financial minds came when I was drafted by the Chargers and was attending their “summer school” basically just a shorts and shirts type 7 on 7 passing game practice. I had yet to actually sign a contract and went up to the financial office of the Chargers after practice to inquire about hotel and travel expenses. I could hear someone yelling down the hallway approaching the office and the door swings open and it’s Anthony Miller the Chargers All-Pro receiver. I standing there dumbfounded as I listened to him demand to see Mr. FICA ,in his mind a Charger executive stealing his money, not knowing it was social security, he then also informs everyone he already paid taxes last year so he can’t possibly owe any this year.

In the 1990’s before huge contracts, stories like these were common place and in the days before free agency many players like Anthony Miller were essentially controlled by their teams through pay advances and contract extensions at less than favorable terms. Due to their desperation for more cash to spend they would lock themselves into long-term contracts for a little upfront money or signing bonus, to keep themselves going for a few more months. I used to watch Chris Mimms go to the front office for advances even though he had just received a $1.5 million dollar signing bonus and $450,000 in salary within a six month period. This was his rookie year and it was all gone before the season had even started. Chris Mimms died last year weighing close to 500 lbs and living in poverty in a downtown LA flop house.

Every team, every year, has an Anthony Miller or a Chris Mimms. Look at the statistics, they suggest that on every team 40 to 45 men on a roster of 52 end up broke within 2 years of leaving the game; they are just making so much more now that it simply takes a little longer to lose it all and it’s not because Mr. FICA in the front office is embezzling it.

Whether gambling, child support, drugs or other vices the problem has escalated in line with the escalation of NFL salaries. Ryan Leaf through drugs and burglary is a well told, worn out story in this town so I won’t even get into that hot mess.

Recently it was San Diego Icon Junior Seau. I won’t go into the details about junior because I was his roommate with the Chargers as well as him being the Best Man at my wedding and one of my dearest friends; however we all have seen the piece in the Union Tribune of his rapid decline after leaving football from inner demons that most people didn’t see as well as alcohol or gambling.

The world is set to end 12.21.12 the day this article is to be published so maybe it was a prudent move not to save money for the future. Maybe it is the concussion syndrome everyone seems to be blaming as of late. Maybe it’s just too hard of a transition from the spotlight to darkness, regardless this is a problem that is escalating at an alarming rate.

I hope it doesn’t rain this weekend, the show “30 for 30” was depressing not for the stories of the players and their poor decisions as young men but for the memories, as well as a reminder of a lost friend that paid the ultimate self-inflicted price for this contemporary sports phenomenon.

Grossman is a former No. 1 draft pick of the Chargers in 1989, playing five seasons with the team.