A year ago I wrote a story for the Beacon titled “Los Angeles Needs the Rams back.” I was referring to the old Los Angeles Rams that went as far back in LA history as the halcyon days of halfback Crazy Legs Hirsch. I soon found that I wasn’t the only person around making a case for the kids of Los Angeles County to be inspired by the presence of a home NFL football team. Surely if there any kids in the world who really need inspiration from pro football, it is the kids of LA.  So in the meantime, I was happy to find out that that I was actually among an army of loudmouths here to cry into the media the need for LA pro football. (more…)

(From the AP) High school baseball teams in California will have to follow new safety standards for the metal bats they use under rules released Wednesday, in the wake of accidents that brought national attention to the issue of the bats’ safety. The aluminum bats will be tested to limit the speed of the balls they hit and may include a tamper-proof decal that would change color if the bat was modified to improve performance. (more…)

I read in the Sunday, June 6, 2010 (D-Day) edition of The Signal, Tim Myer’s incredulous opinion column, “If I get old and grumpy, take me to the Soylent Green factory”, and I promptly noted numerous inaccuracies and assumptions.  Old grumpy brother Tim must have had very little material this week.  In the future Tim, try reaching out for truth before hammering your keys.  I sought a meeting with you last week, but alas you just did not take the time.  Was it easier to assume a good one sided story, was it pure laziness, or is there another agenda? (more…)

(From the AP) A 15-year-old boy has collapsed and died while playing basketball at a high school north of Los Angeles. Principal Linda Evans said Friday that Tyler Sikora was playing with his older brother and other students at Crescenta Valley High School when Sikora walked to get some water and collapsed Thursday night. (more…)

Yes, I know that if you wanted to read a story about Yogi Berra today, there are a lot of high-powered places on the Internet you could surf.  So to justify my story of Yogi here in ye local Beacon, I will try to share my unique personal impression when I met him in 1973.  That was the year in which Yogi Berra was the manager of the National League pennant-winning New York Mets and incidentally a special consultant to an early American software company.  It was when Yogi was playing this unlikely role of a computer software specialist that I ran into him at a business convention in New York City. (more…)

The City of Santa Clarita will host its First Annual Tennis Jubilee on Saturday, May 8 at Valencia Heritage Park. The fun and free community event will feature a host of fun activities for all levels of tennis experience, culminating with an exciting exhibition match. (more…)

The City of Santa Clarita will host its First Annual Tennis Jubilee on Saturday, May 8 at Valencia Heritage Park. The fun and free community event will feature a host of fun activities for all levels of tennis experience, culminating with an exciting exhibition match. (more…)

The City of Santa Clarita is proud to announce it will serve as the host City for the 2010 United Soccer Leagues W-League Championship, presented by UMBRO. The W-League Semifinals and Finals, featuring many of the top elite women’s domestic and international stars, will be held July 29-31 at Harry Welch Stadium in Santa Clarita, with the finals televised nationally on FOX Soccer Channel. (more…)

Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich issued the following statement following the success of the new Dodger Stadium Express as more than 1,400 fans were transported to the Dodgers’ home opener using the new service: (more…)

(From Science Daily) An extensive research project has studied the effects of soccer on muscle strength, postural balance, bone mineral density and reflex response to a sudden push in the back among adult women and men. Five scientific articles are now being published in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports showing that regular participation in soccer increases both bone mass and bone density, causes a significant improvement in standing postural balance and improves muscle strength. Together, these effects reduce the risk of falls and bone fractures. (more…)

WARNING: Playing baseball is increasingly hazardous to kids’ health. That’s the message from a California lawmaker who is proposing legislation to impose a three-year moratorium on the use of metal or composite bats in high school baseball games. (more…)

Supervisor Antonovich joined officials from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the City of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium to unveil a new Dodger Stadium Express Service Bus to Union Station. (more…)

Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, member of the Governing Board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD), has secured a $300,000 grant from the Mobile Sources Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee to operate a no-cost Express Bus connecting Dodger Stadium to Union Station for the 2010 season.  (more…)

From Science Today) Haile Gebrselassie, the world’s fastest marathoner, once said of his early career, “When I wore shoes, it was difficult.” A new study reveals why: Humans run differently in bare feet. Researchers have discovered that sneakers and other sports shoes alter our natural gait, which normally protects us from the impact of running. The finding offers new insight on how early humans ran and raises concerns that sports shoes may promote more injuries than they prevent. (more…)

(From SmartMoney) Shoppers hunting for a good deal on a new flat-screen before the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts meet to battle for Super Bowl XLIV in South Florida on Feb. 7 won’t need to resort to a Hail Mary Pass. (That’s lingo for a desperate and usually unsuccessful maneuver, for you non-football fans.) (more…)

The City of Santa Clarita invites community members to attend the Grand Opening Celebration for the Phase IV expansion of the City’s Sports Complex. Join the Santa Clarita City Council at the event, slated for Wednesday, December 2 at 3:30 p.m. at the Santa Clarita Sports Complex. (more…)

(From Science Daily) In a recent scientific study just published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, Bangsbo and co-workers demonstrate that by reducing the volume of training by 25% and introducing the so-called speed endurance training (6-12 30-s sprint runs 3-4 times a week), endurance trained runners can improve not only short-term but also long-term performance. (more…)

Being competitive is a good thing.  In sports, it’s good to compete to win, but you can’t always win.  This story tells of one boy’s determination to always win, but when his team loses, he blames someone else, instead of himself. (more…)