
Huntington Beach Sports Hall of Fame inducts first class
The 2011 team from Ocean View Little League remains the only team from Orange County to win the Little League World Series world championship.
That hasn't changed. The players themselves? Well, they've grown up.
They were 12 years old at the time. Now, their ages have more than doubled to 26 and many of the players were able to make it to a special event Sunday at the Huntington Club.
The 2011 Ocean View Little League team was among the inductees into the inaugural class of the Huntington Beach Sports Hall of Fame.
'Coming back, it's like we never left each other,' said Dylan Palmer, who played third base on the team. 'That bond is very indescribable because we spent so much time together growing up. When I see one of the guys, we're still best friends. We're all laughing, joking, having fun like we're 12 years old.'
The inaugural class also included Hall of Fame football tight end Tony Gonzalez, a Huntington Beach High graduate, and Ed Arnold, longtime broadcaster at KTLA and KOCE at Golden West College. Huntington Beach resident and trailblazing basketball player, general manager and announcer Ann Meyers Drysdale also was inducted, as were former world surfing champion Peter 'PT' Townend and 12-time state champion Golden West College women's volleyball coach Albert Gasparian.
Eight of the 13 players on the 2011 Ocean View team attended the ceremony. Some of the players wore adult-sized letterman jackets, which they were given after they won the title and they grew into over the years.
The team's manager, Jeff Pratto, said his son Nick was unable to attend but shared that he and his wife, Hannah, welcomed a baby a couple of weeks ago.
'That's the first offspring of the World Series champions,' Jeff Pratto said, to laughs from the crowd. 'I think there will be many more.'
Steve Garvey and his daughter Olivia served as co-emcees of the Hall of Fame event, which had all seven Huntington Beach City Council members in attendance. Artist David Holbrook illustrated large portraits of each inductee.
Gonzalez, who is in New Orleans preparing to cover Super Bowl LIX, was unable to attend, but his mother Judy and former high school coach George Pascoe accepted on his behalf. In a video message, Tony Gonzalez thanked all of his coaches.
'It's nothing when you don't have the people around you that support you and that have been there since the beginning,' he said. 'It's all about that. Everybody have a great time, I wish I was I was there and that's about it. H.B.!'
Meyers Drysdale was the the first woman to receive a four-year athletic scholarship from UCLA, and the first woman to sign a contract with an NBA team, which she did with the Indiana Pacers in 1979.
She had a quip for Garvey.
'I think Steve has been part of more Fourth of July parades than I have,' she said. 'I've got to catch up to him.'
Townend, originally from Australia, said a couple of surfing memories from Surf City stood out to him. In 1984 he coached the U.S. national team, featuring fellow locals Janice Aragon and Scott Farnsworth, to a gold medal. And he also cherished the decade he spent coaching surfing at Dwyer Middle School, which resulted in three NSSA National Championships.
'This is really an honor,' said Townend, who got a bit emotional at the start of his speech.
Huntington Beach Sports Hall of Fame executive director Dave Garofalo, a former mayor of Huntington Beach, said his team has gathered a list of at least 200 more nominees for future classes of the hall.
'We have wrestlers, boxers, skateboarders,' Garofalo said. 'In almost every sport known, we have somebody from Huntington Beach that is excelling in that particular area.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Phillies Bullpen Plans for Deadline 'Contingent' on Aaron Nola's Health
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Philadelphia Phillies know they must add to their bullpen at the trade deadline. How they go about adding to it is still up in the air with over a month to go before July 31. There are plenty of options for them in hopes of continuing to compete in the National League East, but Matt Gelb of The Athletic reveals a lot of it comes down to Aaron Nola's health. PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 14: Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies walks to the dugout after being removed from the game in the top of the fourth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during... PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 14: Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies walks to the dugout after being removed from the game in the top of the fourth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during game two of a doubleheader at Citizens Bank Park on May 14, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Cardinals defeated the Phillies 14-7. More"An MRI discovered a stress reaction in one of Nola's right ribs. He will be shut down from throwing for at least two weeks," wrote Gelb. "That timeline makes it unlikely that Nola throws another pitch for the Phillies before the All-Star break. It's a setback that could affect how the Phillies approach the trade deadline. Mick Abel, the rookie elevated to the rotation, has become even more important. The front office has entertained the idea of fortifying the relievers later this season by bumping a starter or two to the bullpen. But all of that is contingent on a healthy and effective Nola." Nola has been durable for most of his career to this point, which makes the timing of his injury even more significant. The Phillies have lost nine of their last 12 games and are beginning to lose ground in the NL East race. There's no timeframe on when Nola could return, and manager Rob Thomson pointed out when the injury occurred is unclear. "I have no idea," Thomson told reporters, per Gelb. "Because he doesn't really remember the moment that it happened. He just woke up one day, and it was sore." Philadelphia must make a decision soon on Nola as the deadline will be here sooner rather than later. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski won't want to potentially lose out on high-leverage relievers and squander a shot at the National League pennant and a World Series trophy. More MLB: Red Sox $123 Million 'Outcast' Once Again Linked to Padres Ahead of Deadline


San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Record-breaking viewership and attendance mark historic Women's College World Series
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Women's College World Series has set viewership and attendance records. ESPN said in a news release that the average of 1.3 million viewers across 15 games on its platforms was the most-watched World Series ever, surpassing the record set in 2021. Game 3 of the championship series, Texas' 10-4 win over Texas Tech for its first national title, was ESPN's most watched NCAA softball game ever with 2.4 million viewers. The previous high was 2.3 million for the 2007 Game 3 between Arizona and Tennessee. Games 1 and 2 both set championship series records with 2.1 million viewers each. Overall World Series viewership was up 24% from last year. Among non-championship games, the UCLA-Tennessee game on June 1 pulled in 2.2 million viewers with a peak of 3.9 million to deliver the best non-Finals WCWS game of all time. Tennessee's 5-4 win marked the best audience for a WCWS game in a decade. Oklahoma City's Devon Field, the site that will host softball at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, hosted the most-attended World Series ever dating back to the first one in 1982. In all, 119,778 fans attended, with a session average of 11,978. There were three session attendance records, including for the decisive Game 3 of the championship series. Session 4, which included Texas's 4-2 win over Oklahoma and Texas Tech's 3-1 victory over UCLA, set the record for any session with 12,595 fans. The numbers come on the heels of the new Athletes Unlimited Softball League's partnership with Major League Baseball. The attention was heightened for several reasons. Texas is the nation's second-largest state by population, and two teams from there played in the championship series. Texas and Texas Tech earned attention by beating Oklahoma, which had won four straight national titles. And Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady, who signed a $1 million-plus NIL deal before the season and another during the World Series, got the Red Raiders to the final. ___


Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Record-breaking viewership and attendance mark historic Women's College World Series
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Women's College World Series has set viewership and attendance records. ESPN said in a news release that the average of 1.3 million viewers across 15 games on its platforms was the most-watched World Series ever, surpassing the record set in 2021. Game 3 of the championship series , Texas' 10-4 win over Texas Tech for its first national title, was ESPN's most watched NCAA softball game ever with 2.4 million viewers. The previous high was 2.3 million for the 2007 Game 3 between Arizona and Tennessee. Games 1 and 2 both set championship series records with 2.1 million viewers each. Overall World Series viewership was up 24% from last year. Among non-championship games, the UCLA-Tennessee game on June 1 pulled in 2.2 million viewers with a peak of 3.9 million to deliver the best non-Finals WCWS game of all time. Tennessee's 5-4 win marked the best audience for a WCWS game in a decade. Oklahoma City's Devon Field, the site that will host softball at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, hosted the most-attended World Series ever dating back to the first one in 1982. In all, 119,778 fans attended, with a session average of 11,978. There were three session attendance records, including for the decisive Game 3 of the championship series. Session 4, which included Texas's 4-2 win over Oklahoma and Texas Tech's 3-1 victory over UCLA , set the record for any session with 12,595 fans. The numbers come on the heels of the new Athletes Unlimited Softball League's partnership with Major League Baseball . The attention was heightened for several reasons. Texas is the nation's second-largest state by population, and two teams from there played in the championship series. Texas and Texas Tech earned attention by beating Oklahoma, which had won four straight national titles. And Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady, who signed a $1 million-plus NIL deal before the season and another during the World Series, got the Red Raiders to the final. ___ AP sports: Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .