Page 4 May 8, 2014 Hawthorne Gears for Showdown after Topping Culver City By Joe Snyder Hawthorne High’s softball team is still in second place, one game behind leader Santa Monica, in the Ocean League after a key 8-5 home win over Culver City last Thursday. With the game tied at five entering the bottom of the fifth inning, it was a two-run home run from Leuni Rios that broke the tie and gave the Cougars the lead for good. Casandra Perez added a solo shot in the inning. Savanna Donnely had three hits and drove in four runs. Alyssa Marin added two hits and two runs batted in. Marin was also the winning pitcher, in relief of starter Keri Ludman. She pitched four innings. “We played well,” Hawthorne head coach Armando Casilla said. For the Centaurs, who are in third place, Natalie Capa had two hits. Two days earlier at Beverly Hills, the Cougars, who are 5-1 in league and 14-7 overall, rolled over the Normans 12-0 in a five-inning mercy rule contest. Winning pitcher Esperanza Villafan and Alyssa Casilla combined for a two-hit shutout. Donnelly had two doubles and three RBI’s, and Marin had two hits and drove in two runs. In an El Segundo Tournament consolation game Saturday at El Segundo Middle School, Hawthorne was shut out by Bay League leader Palos Verdes 11-0. The Cougars mustered just one hit against the Sea Kings, who improved to 17-4 overall after winning the consolation title over Bay League foe West Torrance 6-5 later on Saturday. The host Eagles, who enjoyed an 8-0 week that included a key Pioneer League win over Hawthorne High pitcher Elisa Marin winds up as she pitches to a Culver City batter in last Thursday’s Ocean League softball game. The Cougars topped the Centaurs 8-5. The Cougars, who are in second place, will visit first place Santa Monica in a league showdown today at 3:15 p.m. Photo by Joe Snyder North Torrance (which was ranked fifth in the CIF-Southern Section Division III entering the start of last week), ended up winning the title with a 6-3 win over Agoura on Saturday at El Segundo’s Richmond Field. El Segundo was not rated in Division III last week but it hoped for a change, as the Southern Section was expected to release another poll last Monday. Hawthorne is expected to showdown with Santa Monica at Santa Monica Memorial Park today at 3:15 p.m. The Vikings are 6-0 in Ocean play and already defeated the Cougars earlier in league at Hawthorne. COUGARS TOP BH IN ONE-RUN GAMES After losing its first four Ocean League games to powers Santa Monica and Culver City, Hawthorne High’s baseball team suddenly is in good position of advancing to the CIF-Southern Section Division III playoffs after clinging to a pair of one-run victories over Beverly Hills last week. At Hawthorne on April 29, the Cougars slipped past the Normans 2-1. At La Cienega Park in Beverly Hills last Thursday, Hawthorne was able to hold on for a 3-2 victory to improve to 2-4 in league and 12-10-1 overall. Last Thursday, winning pitcher Andrew Banuelos threw 76 pitches in six innings, allowing four hits. Jonathan Juarez picked up the save. Banuelos also drove in a run, as did Mike Henderson. The Cougars also had a fine pitching performance by Javier Martinez, who hurled a complete game two-hitter. He allowed no earned runs, struck out eight batters and walked three. Driving in one run apiece for Hawthorne were Max Reilly and Andrew Banuelos. The Cougars hope to keep the string alive with two games against Inglewood this week. After hosting the Sentinels last Tuesday, Hawthorne is at Sentinel Field for its second contest against Inglewood today at 3:15 p.m. The Cougars, then, visit Morningside in another Ocean contest next Tuesday at the same time. SWEEPS INGLEWOOD Inglewood High’s baseball team fell to 2-4 in the Ocean League after a pair of 11-3 losses to Culver City last week. At Sentinel Field last Thursday, Andrew and Anthony Pozos each went one-for-three and scored one run. Driving home a run each were Omar Sandoval and Jason Escareno. Anthony Pozos was the losing pitcher. After hosting Hawthorne today, Inglewood is at home against Beverly Hills next Tuesday. Both Ocean games begin at 3:15 p.m. OVERWHELMS LAWNDALE Lawndale High’s rigid part of the Pioneer League baseball schedule was two games against one of the league powers, El Segundo, last week. The Eagles proved overwhelming for the Cardinals with wins of 12-0 on April 30 at Recreation Park’s Stevenson Field and 13-0 last Friday at Lawndale. Both games were five-inning mercy rule contests. Last Friday, El Segundo’s William Mostert threw a no-hitter at the Cardinals. He allowed just two baserunners on a walk and an error, and needed only 59 pitches. Mostert hurled a no-hitter despite striking out just one batter. Things will not get any easier as Lawndale faces powerful Torrance this week. After hosting the Tartars on Wednesday, the Cardinals visit Torrance at Kendall Field Friday at 3:15 p.m. Lawndale comes home to face Centennial from Compton in another league game next Tuesday at the same time. • One Man’s Opinion Another Man’s Opinion By Gerry Chong An honorable man, the Prime Minister of South Korea resigned because the ferry disaster occurred on his watch and his government reacted too slowly. If that were the basis for national leadership’s resignation, By Cristian Vasquez On April 28, Toyota dropped some pretty bad news for California, and in particular for the City of Torrance. The popular car company will be moving its North American headquarters from Torrance to Plano, Texas. Toyota opened its doors in Torrance back in 1982 and employs an estimated 5,200 workers. While the relocation will leave approximately 2,300 employees in California in locations such as Newport Beach and Long Beach, losing a business like Toyota is a big setback for a still struggling California economy. While Toyota representatives stated that the move will consolidate its operations in Michigan, Kentucky and California into a single facility in Plano, I can’t help but wonder how much money Toyota will save due to the lower tax rates in Texas. It makes absolute sense for a company to have all of its operations in the same state or city if possible. However, http://www.tax-rates.org/ indicates that Texas does not have a corporate tax rate while California has an 8.8 percent corporate tax rate. With a gap in the tax rate that big between both states, it is not difficult to believe that Toyota found some inspiration in these numbers to move. Whatever the reason for Toyota’s decisions to pick up and leave, the fact is that California’s business climate is in crisis mode and seems to be getting worse. Granted, businesses come and go; it’s the nature of the game. Yet,to lose a corporation as large, popular and profitable as Toyota is an CULVER CITY EL SEGUNDO enormous black eye. Statements made by Toyota representatives indicated that the move was to better serve their customers and to position the company to enjoy sustainable and long-term growth. If Toyota had to leave California in search of “sustainable and long-term growth,” how dire is the business climate in our state? Are we really in a situation where a business that had called California home for more than 30 years can no longer envision a sustainable future if it stays? That is horrible. If a veteran business in our state is leaving to accomplish better growth, how can we expect to attract new corporate businesses? How can we convince current corporations to stay? I wish I was an economist or business guru to provide the answer. Unfortunately, I am not and so I am left with these questions and the frustration that 4,000 Torrance-based Toyota employees will be impacted by the move: that includes 2,000 motor sales employees and an estimated 1,000 in the company’s financial and manufacturing sectors, respectively. I hope that the displaced workers can find something fast that will allow them to continue providing for their families. Also, it would be great if another corporate giant would find the soon-to-be empty building in Torrance an ideal location for its operations. It’s discouraging that Toyota is leaving and it is scary that more people will be soon find themselves unemployed. • think of how many times he would have resigned if he had headed a government in which: Government Benefits: The Census Bureau reported there are 167 million nonveteran Americans receiving some form of government benefits, but only 103 million full time workers. Therefore there are 64 million more people taking out than putting into the system. Welfare: The government has spent $3.7 trillion on welfare over the last 5 years, yet 46 million live below the poverty level. Food Stamps: When Obama took office, there were 32 million on food stamps. Today, there are 49 million who cannot feed themselves. Jobs: The Bureau of Labor Statistics disclosed that in 20% of the families in the country, no one . . . not one person . . . works . . . either full time or part time. Income Taxes: The top 40% of income earners pay 106% of all income taxes. The other 60% are along for the ride. Who is paying their fair share? Economic Growth: During the first quarter of this year, the economy stagnated, growing at 0.1% . . . that’s right, not one percent, but one tenth of one percent. Medicaid: There are 70 million on government paid Medicaid, but as the country sinks into poverty, it is anticipated that Obamacare will add 16 million more to the rolls, a 22% expansion. Defense: The Federal and State governments spend over $1 trillion per year on entitlements, excluding Social Security and Medicare: a sum nearly twice that of national defense. This spending equals $50,000 per year for a low income family of three. Bureaucracy: There are over 200 Federal and State welfare programs, including 27 low-income housing programs, 30 employment training programs, 34 social service programs, 13 food programs, and 24 child care programs . . . all run by bureaucrats. Obamacare Update: As of April 28, the Obamacare back-end programs required to run the system are not functional. As a result, the Administration has no knowledge of the number of enrollees who have paid their premiums, the percentage of young people who have enrolled, and the financial subsidies to which enrollees are entitled. Some have blamed the administration for stonewalling information from the public, but the fact is that it doesn’t know. Moreover, Accenture, which is charged with completing the back end programs, has no projection as to when its work will be done. National Debt: Before Obama, the cumulative national debt stood at $10.6 trillion, and he pledged to cut it in half before the end of his first term. Today, it stands at $17.5 trillion, and the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office projects it will rise another $7.6 trillion over the next decade. If our government were headed by a man as honorable as Korea’s Prime Minister, we would be headed in a different direction, but wishes and dreams don’t constitute a plan for the future. • Automobile Manufacturer Leaving State Showcases Economic Crisis “However, http://www.tax-rates.org/ indicates that Texas does not have a corporate tax rate while California has an 8.8 percent corporate tax rate.”
Lawndale 05_08_14
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