Former Angel Adam Kennedy throws out the first pitch at Irvine Pony Baseball opening ceremonies in May. (Photo: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).
Looking back on the first five years of covering sports for OC Sports Zone, we’ve been fortunate to write about CIF titles, league championships, exciting games to the wire and personalities.
A special part is sharing the stories of local athletes, their successes, their near misses and the dedication they’ve shown to become great athletes.
We’ve also been fortunate to share the stories of professional athletes who have Orange County connections.
—-Former Angel infielder Adam Kennedy (a member of the Angels World Series team in 2002) was a surprise guest at opening day ceremonies for the Irvine Pony Memorial Day Tournament in May. Kennedy threw out the first pitch at Harvard Park. His appearance was kept a surprise, but Kennedy was cordial during an interview after the ceremony.
—Former Major Leaguers Tim Wallach and Garrett Atkins were honored by University High School baseball in January 2022 and both were profiled in stories, talking about their road to big league baseball.
—Matt McLain, who has gotten off to a great start with the Cincinnati Reds, shared his story about signing with the Reds and earlier stories about being drafted. His career, dating back to Beckman High School where he played for Kevin Lavalle, has also been chronicled.
—-Another former Beckman star James Kaprielian, now a pitcher with the Oakland A’s talked with OC Sports Zone in 2018 during a football game at Tustin High School. He was called up and we talked to Coach Lavalle about his MLB debut in 2020. Kaprielian, now 29, was a first-round draft pick of the New York Yankees.
—-Adam Keefe, a former NBA star and Woodbridge High School standout, talked about his days in the NBA during Woodbridge’s Hall of Fame event in 2018.
—David Fletcher of the Angels was honored by Cypress High School baseball coach John Weber and the program in January 2020. The former Centurion star had his number retired. Jim McCormack, who has contributed stories and photos for OC Sports Zone from the start, covered the event and talked to Fletcher.
—-We also visited briefly with former Major Leaguer Shawn Green during the opening of the Great Park Baseball Stadium in 2018. Green, who starred at Tustin High, shared his thoughts about the stadium and his advice for young players in a video interview.
We’re looking forward to sharing more stories as we begin year six!
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Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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