Prep talk: Matthew Gonzalez of Banning shows how to play at Dodger Stadium
For senior catcher Matthew Gonzalez of Banning, Saturday's City Section Division I championship baseball game at Dodger Stadium ended in tears after a 3-1 defeat to Carson.
Few were more impressive on the field than Gonzalez, who hardly passes the eyeball test at 5-foot-6 and 130 pounds. Thank goodness players in high school usually earn spots by their ability and performance and not by physical measurements.
Advertisement
He threw out two runners trying to steal second with throws that looked like they came out of a bazooka. Twice in the seventh inning he made plays at the plate, tagging runners with great expertise. The umpire ruled one runner safe (he looked out) and another runner out. Each time, Gonzalez moved on whether he agreed with the call or not.
Afterward, Gonzalez received hugs from teammates and coaches trying to console him. He said he believed the runner sliding the first time was out but accepted the decision. You can see how much people appreciate his presence and character.
Just like on the TV program "The Voice," ignore your eyes and what you see from physical dimensions. Just watch his arm strength and ability to block pitches and make plays at the plate. He was a catcher extraordinaire on a major league field. Nobody can take that away and perhaps someone will recognize he might help them in the future.
Advertisement
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How to watch the 2025 college football season: Full NCAAF schedule, where to stream games and more
The 2025 NCAA football season kicks off this weekend with Week 0, which will see Iowa State vs. Kansas State (in Dublin!). Then, next week, the real action begins during Week 1 of the NCAAF season, with Texas vs. Ohio State, Alabama vs. Florida State, LSU vs. Clemson, Notre Dame vs. Miami, TCU vs. North Carolina and more. With ESPN's newly launched streaming service now in the mix, watching college football may be easier than ever this year — despite a seemingly overwhelming number of ways to watch. Here's how to tune into your favorite team's games without cable in 2025. When does college football start? The 2025-26 NCAAF season kicks off on Saturday, Aug. 23, with 'Week Zero.' The Week 1 action then begins on Aug. 28. How to watch college football in 2025: NCAA football games will air across ESPN, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and the college conference networks. If you don't have cable, it can be tricky to keep up with your favorite team. Here's what we recommend to stream NCAA football in 2025. How to watch college football without cable: NCAAF Week 0 schedule: Saturday, Aug. 23 Aer Lingus College Football Classic: Iowa State vs. Kansas State (in Dublin, Ireland): 12 p.m. ET (ESPN) UIW at Nicholls: 1 p.m. ET (ESPN2) Tarleton State at Portland State: 3:30 p.m. or 4 p.m. ET (ESPN2) Fresno State at Kansas: 6:30 p.m. ET (FOX) Sam Houston at Western Kentucky: 7 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network) FCS Kickoff: UC Davis vs. Mercer (in Montgomery, AL): 7 p.m. ET (ESPN) MEAC/SWAC Challenge: Southern vs. North Carolina Central (in Atlanta, Georgia): 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC) Stanford at Hawaii: 7:30 p.m. ET (CBS/Paramount+) Idaho State at UNLV: Time/TV TBA NCAAF Week 1 schedule: Thursday, Aug. 28 Boise State at South Florida: 5:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) Delaware State at Delaware: 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+) Nebraska vs. Cincinnati (in Kansas City, Missouri): 9 p.m. ET (ESPN) Towson at Norfolk State: Time TBD (ESPN+) Friday, Aug. 29 Duke's Mayo Classic: Appalachian State vs. Charlotte (at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina): 7 p.m. ET (ESPNU) Auburn at Baylor: 8 p.m. ET (Fox) Georgia Tech at Colorado: 8 p.m. ET (ESPN) Saturday, Aug. 30 Aflac Kickoff Game: Syracuse vs. Tennessee (in Atlanta, GA): 12 p.m. ET (ABC) Texas at Ohio State: 12 p.m. ET (Fox) Duquesne at Pitt: 12 p.m. ET (ACC Network) Alabama at Florida State: 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC) Montana State at Oregon: 4 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network) LSU at Clemson: 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC) North Carolina A&T at Tennessee State: Time TBA (ESPN+) Eastern Washington at UIW: Time TBA (ESPN+) Hampton at Jackson State: Time/TV TBA Sunday, Aug. 31 Aflac Kickoff Game: South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech (in Atlanta, GA): 3 p.m. ET (ESPN) Notre Dame at Miami (FL): 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC) Monday, Sept. 2 TCU at North Carolina: 8 p.m. ET (ESPN) More ways to watch college football:
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
2025's Fantasy Football All-Boring Team: Travis Kelce among veterans who drafters can trust
Buzzy players often rule the fantasy football summer discussions, and I understand. We're all looking for ascending players and the next big thing. But that doesn't mean we should completely discount the possibility of making profits elsewhere — often by landing a veteran player who's offering some boring but efficient value. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] So that's the pitch for today's piece — the All-Boring Team. Maybe you won't build a marketing strategy around these guys, but never forget, in fantasy football, we just want the points. QB Jared Goff, Lions Goff isn't a flashy personality or a flashy player, and he's one of the most reluctant QB runners in the league. He also has to handle the loss of OC Ben Johnson this year, but a loaded cast of pass-catchers return to his huddle. When an NFL team has a veteran quarterback who's been around several seasons, you can consider that QB a part-time offensive coordinator. Goff hasn't forgotten what works with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs. Detroit might not be the NFL's best offense again, but it should land somewhere in the top five. RB Aaron Jones Sr., Vikings I understand the excitement about new running back Jordan Mason, and I'd like a seat on that bus, too. But Jones isn't going to be left curbside. Jones played a full season last year, collected 1,546 total scrimmage yards, and was especially handy as a receiver (51 catches, 8.0 YPC). With the market starting to move Jones and Mason closer in ADP, I suspect the elder back is starting to become the more appealing value. RB J.K. Dobbins, Broncos Dobbins had a nifty comeback season with the Chargers, pushing to 1,058 total yards and nine touchdowns, finishing as the RB23 in half-point PPR scoring. And although Denver rookie RJ Harvey is the buzzy name in this backfield, the Broncos clearly had a platoon backfield in mind when they signed Dobbins in June. Dobbins is a capable receiver and an excellent pass blocker, which gives him a leg up for the hurry-up and third-down work. And even if Harvey eventually takes over this backfield in the second half of the year, I expect Dobbins to provide enough projectable volume to easily pay off his modest Yahoo ADP of 111.2. WR Calvin Ridley, Titans Ridley's had a meandering ride in the NFL, missing most of his age-27 season and all of his age-28 season. But he kept his head above water in the last two years, managing 140 catches and 2,033 yards despite the instability in Jacksonville and Tennessee. If rookie QB Cam Ward is anything close to league average, Ridley has a chance to smash his current mid-70s Yahoo ADP. Given that Ridley was able to survive with Will Levis and Mason Rudolph throwing him the ball, he's probably earned the right to be called quarterback-proof. WR DeVonta Smith, Eagles Smith commonly flies under the radar because he's the No. 2 passing option on a run-heavy team. But it's doubtful the Eagles can maintain last year's historically high run rate over expectation — everything had to fall right on both sides of the ball — and while A.J. Brown is still the featured target in Philly's offense, at least Smith is part of a condensed target tree. Smith averages 1,082 yards and 7.3 touchdowns for every 17 games played in the NFL. That likely represents his floor in 2025, and there's plenty of room for an ADP-profit season. WR Courtland Sutton, Broncos Suttons' career season stands on its own merit, but things really get cooking if you focus on the final 10 games: 60 catches, 804 yards, six touchdowns. Why do we cut up that sample of games? Because it adequately reflects when Sean Payton started to coach proactively with Bo Nix, his improving rookie QB. Sutton isn't a separation king, but his ability to win on boundary plays and in tight coverage serves him well in the red area. It's a pleasure to watch his subtlety at work. TE Travis Kelce, Chiefs Kelce turned down the volume in his age-35 season, scoring just three touchdowns and averaging a pedestrian 8.5 yards per catch. But there's something to be said for the volume he receives — he's drawn 100 or more targets for 10 straight years, including 133 looks last year — and there are plenty of questions about the Kansas City wideouts. How many games will Rashee Rice be suspended for? Is Xavier Worthy ready for an expanded route tree? Can Hollywood Brown stay healthy and consistent? Kelce's days as the king of the tight end position are obviously over, but I can't see why he won't catch another 85-90 passes, with perhaps a modest uptick in touchdowns. He's always going to be the biggest player downfield, the simplest read for Patrick Mahomes.
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mark Cuban's Top 3 Money Mistakes (And What He Learned from Them)
Businessman and television personality Mark Cuban has become one of the richest and most successful men in America. From founding to owning the Dallas Mavericks and later investing in entrepreneurial hopefuls on 'Shark Tank,' Cuban knows a thing or two about savvy financial decisions. Yet, his journey is not without missteps. Trending Now: For You: Here are three of Mark Cuban's most high-profile money mistakes — and what he learned from each. Failing To Secure a New Contract with Steve Nash After becoming the majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Cuban took the team's win rate from 40% to an impressive 69%. But not all his decisions were good ones. Failing to secure a new contract with Steve Nash has openly been Cuban's biggest (and most expensive) regret. The decision to not bid higher (to re-sign Nash) was based on the advice of doctors who said Nash's body was breaking down. But Nash proved them wrong after moving to the Phoenix Suns. 'Nash won back-to-back MVP awards while playing for the Suns,' wrote 'In Phoenix, Mike D'Antoni let him run a run-and-gun offensive scheme that would change the landscape of the NBA.' Try This: No only did Cuban miss out on winning additional championships, but he lost the subsequent revenue that come with increased ticket sales, merch and higher team value. Cuban learned a valuable lesson that sometimes the best business and financial decisions have nothing to do with spreadsheets (or medical data and opinions), but, instead the tenacity and character of those you invest in. Never forget the personal element. Not Investing in Uber In the early days of Uber, Cuban had the opportunity to invest in the company but turned it down. While he liked the idea, he had reservations. 'He didn't agree with the valuation of the company,' stated insurance and finance expert at Melanie Musson. 'He saw the possibility of negatives, like pushback from the taxi industry, instead of the complete disruption that Uber would cause.' Today, Uber is valued at roughly $187 billion. 'When you're trying to disrupt, just bust through the doors and deal with regulatory issues later,' Cuban has since said. In other words, it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. Cuban learned it's better to take a risk on a good idea rather than getting bogged down by all the potential obstacles. Misusing Credit Cards Back in the day, Cuban played fast and loose with credit cards. He wasn't paying off his cards on time, and interest was accruing out of control. This cost him a ton of money. In fact, Radio Shack once turned down his attempt to buy a computer on credit because his credit score was so bad. Cuban has frequently stated, 'cut up your credit cards […] if you use credit cards, you don't want to get rich.' Paying 15% to 20% interest is rarely a smart move — especially when you consider the S&P 500 only has an average return of 10% per year. Nowadays, Cuban advises that, instead of investing, just pay down your credit cards and then burn them. He learned an important lesson familiar to young people: Don't become too heavily dependent on debt to get ahead — especially if you have no immediate path to pay it off. More From GOBankingRates 3 Luxury SUVs That Will Have Massive Price Drops in Summer 2025 I'm a Retired Boomer: 6 Bills I Canceled This Year That Were a Waste of Money 5 Cities You Need To Consider If You're Retiring in 2025 This article originally appeared on Mark Cuban's Top 3 Money Mistakes (And What He Learned from Them) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
