Dodger Stadium

Two local youths, Chelsea Johnson from Crescenta Valley High School and Abraham Frandsen from La Cañada High School, were honored last week at "Mormon Night at Dodger Stadium." A tradition for many years, "Mormon Night at Dodger Stadium" draws thousands of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from numerous stakes in the greater Los Angeles area. (A stake is a geographical area which includes seven to 10 local congregations.) Six graduating high school seniors who are members of the church in the greater Los Angeles area are honored each year for outstanding academic, extracurricular activities and community service.

"Obviously, every high school kid in California wants a ring." Crescenta Valley High catcher For years, Crescenta Valley High's baseball team has been the product of a stellar program. Coaching, pitching, defense, fundamentals are the backbone of a team that has become synonymous with the Pacific League title. Like most sports in the Pacific League, baseball features a top half and a lower half. But the Falcons never stray from the hierarchy. As of late, that hadn't mattered much come playoff time.

GLENDALE — The following are updates on area athletes in Major League Baseball . HIRSH HOMECOMING SPOILED Fresh from his triumph over Greg Maddux and the San Diego Padres in his Colorado Rockies debut on April 6, St. Francis High graduate Jason Hirsh made his first career appearance at Dodger Stadium Wednesday night in search of an encore. It was not to be, as one rough inning, combined with 6 1/3 scoreless innings pitched by Dodgers counterpart Brad Penny, was enough to send Hirsh to his first loss of the 2007 season, as the Rockies fell 3-0. "It was a thrill of a lifetime to be out there," Hirsh told the Associated Press of performing in front of his hometown crowd.

LOS ANGELES ?Baseball players don't wear earrings. At least that's how Tommy Lasorda sees it. While being honored Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium for winning the Babe Ruth baseball World Series, the San Gabriel Valley baseball team learned at least one piece of valuable information. "I told these kids to get those earrings off," said legendary Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda to a couple of the team's players. "If you want to be a big leaguer, you better look like a big leaguer."

The following are odds and ends from the local sports scene: MIDNIGHT FEVER AT DODGER STADIUM   About 10 times per season, the members of the Crescenta Valley High baseball team venture to Dodger Stadium to pass out Dodgers baseball cards. After handing out the card sets during a game against the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 29, some of the athletes left the venue following the ninth inning to go home after showing up to Dodger Stadium around 4:30 p.m. Here's a memo from Crescenta Valley Coach Phil Torres to the players who left early: You missed a thrilling ending.

EDITOR'S NOTEo7: The following is a guest column by Tom Battaglia. A 19-year Burbank resident, Battaglia grew up in Brooklyn rooting for his beloved Dodgers. He reminisces about the Dodgers winning the 1955 World Series championship. Oct. 4 was the 50th anniversary of that title.f7 Aug. 28 was not only my twin brother John and sister-in-law Carol's 34th wedding anniversary, but it was the most thrilling day that I have ever had at Dodger Stadium, except, perhaps, my first visit in 1986, when my daughter Judy and I met Roy and Roxie Campanella.

Freddy Sanchez remembers where he was when he watched Kirk Gibson's home run in the 1988 World Series. He reminisces about the days when his dad, Fred, would take him to Dodger games, sit in the pavilion and watch their heroes play. Those were the memories he savored as a kid. Now a mature 28-year-old, Sanchez couldn't help but have the same giddy emotions when he returned to Dodger Stadium as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. "I've played at Yankee Stadium, I've played at Fenway Park and I've played at Wrigley Field," said Sanchez, a 1996 Burbank High graduate who attended Glendale Community College in 1997-98.

The Glendale Rose Float Assn. is pulling out all the stops for its gala fundraiser "Dreaming of Roses," offering everything from trips to Washington, D.C., and Walt Disney World to gourmet dining and top-notch musical entertainment this Sunday at KABC-TV Channel 7 Studios. The event, which organizers are billing as Glendale's "biggest garden party," is in its sixth year and is the brainchild of Councilman Dave Weaver, who conceived of it as a way of helping pay back city money used for the float's construction.

This season, the Crescenta Valley boys' varsity baseball team is locked in a tough battle for first place in the Pacific League with Arcadia. But over their spring break, the Falcons got a break from their league schedule and instead enjoyed a smooth run to a championship in the 40th annual Babe Herman Tournament. CV capped its record seventh tournament title by beating the Tesoro Titans, 8-2, on April 13 at Stengel Field in Glendale. The championship was CV's fifth since 1998.