Jordan alum Ron Fairly had one of the most unique lives of any Long Beach athletes, making his name twice over as a baseball star and as a beloved broadcaster. Fairly died on Oct. 30 after a years-long battle with cancer, at the age of 81. Fairly grew up in Long Beach in the 1940s […]
Wilson High alum Aaron Hicks wasn’t even supposed to be in the New York Yankees postseason lineup because of an injury, but he ended up being the hero in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series last weekend. Hicks, 30, had been placed on the 60-day injured list in early August with a nagging […]
A pair of former Lakewood Lancers are trying to keep the Tampa Bay Rays’ season alive in the Major League Baseball playoffs this month. Lakewood High alums Matt Duffy and Travis d’Arnaud have both waited for their opportunities to come up with big plays for the Rays, and they’ve both been part of the exciting […]
The Eric Valenzuela era with the Long Beach State Dirtbags will begin with the difficult nonconference schedule left behind for him. LBSU will host five different Pac-12 opponents next year after opening the season against Cal on Feb. 14 at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field. The Dirtbags season-opening 11-game home stand ends with Mississippi State […]
This Major League Baseball season continues to produce some of the best and worst story lines for players with Long Beach ties. Marco Estrada, 36, is reportedly set to retire after nagging injures caused the Oakland A’s to release the 12-year veteran pitcher. The former Long Beach State Dirtbag signed a one-year $4 million dollar […]
From the national championships for Beach FC and Shore Aquatics to the regional tournament victories for Uptown LB and Los Altos baseball leagues — it’s been another incredibly successful summer for Long Beach youth sports. It isn’t rare to find a group of young Long Beach athletes dominating their competition, and it isn’t a coincidence […]
The Uptown Long Beach 10U All-Stars aren’t the only young baseball players from North Long Beach to take a long vacation this summer. The Long Beach Thunder 12U squad, also from Cherry Park, is traveling to New York for a tournament at Cooperstown All-Star Village. Coach Robert Weaver put the team together last year so […]
Long Beach State’s hire of Eric Valenzuela as the new coach of the Dirtbags brought a lot of reactions across our phones. The university was as confident as could be that they’d gotten their guy. Recruits were clearly thrilled — kids have been committing to the program while those who’d been committed to Valenzuela’s old […]
Long Beach State Dirtbags legend Troy Tulowitzki announced his retirement today after 13 years in Major League Baseball. He was the highest LBSU draft pick ever when the Colorado Rockies took him seventh overall in 2005. “I will always look back with tremendous gratitude for having the privilege of playing as long as I did,” […]
This is the second installment of Next One Up, an occasional summer feature series taking a look at some of the biggest up-and-coming stars in the Long Beach sports world. This has been a dream summer for Millikan sophomore-to-be Caleb Brandon. The speedy outfielder was a starter for the Rams last year as a freshman, […]