Houston

GLENDALE — It's been a whirlwind 2006 for Jason Hirsh, to say the least. And Tuesday might very well have been the most shocking day of the year, as the 2000 St. Francis graduate was dealt by the Houston Astros to the Colorado Rockies. "It's been quite a ride and it's not getting any slower," said Hirsh from his parents' Burbank home. Hirsh was part of a five-player deal that sent the 24-year-old right-handed pitcher to the Rockies along with pitcher Taylor Buchholz and center fielder Willy Taveres for right-handed pitchers Miguel Asencio and Jason Jennings, Colorado's all-time wins leader.

GLENDALE — The following are odds and ends from the local sports scene.   MITICHYAN SUBMITS OPPONENT IN 1ST ROUND Glendale resident Roman Mitichyan lasted just one episode on Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter,” being forced to leave after suffering a serious elbow injury. But he was given a second chance to show his skills with a fight against castmate Dorian Price on Saturday, as part of “The Ultimate Fighter Finale,” which aired live on Spike.

Anaheim ? Less than halfway through the season, it appears the Houston Astros are thankful they made a wise investment. The Astros lost starting shortstop Adam Everett to a serious knee injury June 14 when he fractured his right fibula in a violent collision with robust outfielder Carlos Lee. Everett will likely miss the next two months. Fortunately for the Astros, they have been able to alleviate the concerns of Everett's absence by turning to a former area star to provide quality at bats and defensive stability around the infield.

A Glendale Community College student is among 92 aspiring young scientists and engineers selected last week to join the National Community College Aerospace Scholars program and help design robotic rovers in an educational collaboration with NASA. Torkom Pailevanian, 19, will join an elite group of community college students from across the country at the Johnson Space Center in Houston for a three-day, hands-on engineering experience starting May 9. It is designed to foster talent within science, technology, engineering and mathematics, known within education circles as STEM disciplines.

After almost 25 years in Montrose, Rocky Cola Café will serve its final burgers on Sunday - an end wrought by stiffer competition from restaurants that have opened during the past two decades and a too slow recovery from the recession. Don't expect the building to be vacant for long, though. Rocky Cola representatives are in talks with four prospective restaurant owners to take over the lease, though none appear interested in keeping the name, said Lucy DiMino, the general manager who has worked at the establishment since its early days.

FREY ? HOUSTON Melinda Frey of Salt Lake City and Greg Houston of Salt Lake City have announced their engagement. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Bob and Carole Frey of Glendale. She graduated in 1994 from Crescenta Valley High School. She graduated from UCLA and received her doctorate in sports psychology from the University of Tennessee. She is a professor and sport psychology consultant at the University of Utah. The groom-elect is the son of Roscoe Houston and MaryLou Houston , both of Tennessee.

Stephanie Anne Blair and Nathan Scott Deal, both of Chicago, exchanged marriage vows in the Rose Garden of Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge. Alan Katz officiated. The maid of honor was the bride's sister, Kathryn Blair. Alyssa Kuban served as the bridesmaid, and Shana Blair was the flower girl. The best man was Aasim Saeed. The usher was Pete Hannon, and ring bearer was Benjamin Blair. A reception followed in Van De Kamp Hall at Descanso Gardens. The couple honeymooned on Catalina Island, and will make their home in Chicago.

Walter Gragg, 75, of Burbank is an actor and retired attorney. Of all the filmed versions of the tale of the defense of "The Alamo," this is the best I have seen. It delivers moving scenes of character growth by Davy Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton), Jim Bowie (Jason Patric) and William Travis (Patrick Wilson) during 13 days before certain death, but is still a fast-paced, heroic action thriller. This story underlies the cry "Remember the Alamo!" the Texans' 1836 equivalent of "Remember Pearl Harbor!"

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL NAME: Mark Loretta TEAM: San Diego Padres LOCAL TIES: St. Francis, class of 1989 THIS SEASON: Entering Friday's game against the host Chicago White Sox, Loretta was batting .293 with five home runs and 22 runs batted in. Loretta, an infielder who previously played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros, has scored 24 runs and recorded 65 hits this season. He's recorded 11 doubles and one triple. LATEST NEWS: Loretta registered a double in an 8-5 loss to the host Cleveland Indians on Tuesday.