Major League

Charles Rich He's one of a handful of major league baseball players to put a dent in the Arizona Diamondbacks bullet-proof pitching staff. Yet Houston Astros' catcher Gregg Zaun, a Glendale native, said it's been a struggle for him this season. Zaun, who signed a two-year free-agent contract last winter after spending the previous two seasons with the Kansas City Royals, has received six cortisone shots and serves as the Astros' player representative.

After being released by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in late July, Trevor Bell began to explore any potential options about a return to Major League Baseball. On Monday, Bell found a suitor after he checked his cell phone messages. Bell, a former Crescenta Valley High star and All-Area Baseball Player of the Year selection, signed a minor league free agent deal with the Detroit Tigers, who advanced to the World Series this past season against the San Francisco Giants, on Tuesday.

Alex Leon This is a typical day for Ron Vaughn: He wheels his used Infinity out of the driveway of his Corona home and dials into one of the talk radio shows that he regularly listens to. He checks his schedule then heads off to a high school, college or minor league baseball game. If time permits, he might check out two games in a day throughout Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. Because the 51-year-old Vaughn is always on the go, he rarely sees a game from start to finish.

Though it’s tough to say just how comfortable he is with his new team, Mark Loretta certainly isn’t complaining. “It’s going to be a lot different back in L.A. than it is here in Arizona,” Loretta said to the Valley Sun at spring training in Arizona. “[But] this was the team I grew up watching. I went to my first major league game at Dodger Stadium, I used to go to 10 or 12 games a year. My memories were of Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Ron Cey and Bill Russell.

Hamlet Nalbandyan At 6 feet 6, Kris Krise has had the attention of major league baseball scouts since he took the mound at Stengel Field for Crescenta Valley High. But despite having a world of potential, Krise has yet to find the ideal situation for him to make the jump to professional baseball. The 20-year-old was selected for the second time Tuesday in major league baseball's first-year player draft, after the Kansas City Royals took him in the 30th round with the 895th overall pick.

Mirjam Swanson GLENDALE -- A look at how local major league baseball players are doing: While Crescenta Valley High alum Chicago White Sox pitcher Jim Parque rehabilitates, even taking time Monday to return to Stengel Field to speak to members of his former community, the area's other two current major leaguers are either putting forth big-league contributions -- or trying to take steps in that direction. Loretta produces Mark Loretta, a 29-year-old third baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers is doing what he can at the plate to help his struggling ballclub.

Glendale Panthers rally for victory The Glendale Panthers got 23 points and four rebounds from Michael Armstead to earn a 50-41 come-from-behind victory against La Cañada on Saturday. The Panthers led by four at the half but La Canada caught them and took an eight-point lead going into the fourth quarter before they outscored the Spartans by 17 points in the final quarter. ?Our guys are playing hard and improving every game,? Glendale Coach Mike Hailey said. ?It?s just a matter of playing consistent ball that will get us into the playoffs.

Erik Boal GLENDALE -- As a result of the terrorist attacks Tuesday in New York and Washington, D.C., precautionary measures were taken by many local high schools to ensure the safety of their students, student-athletes and coaches, as all after-school athletic events were cancelled or postponed. The cancellations -- which started to become official at approximately 10 a.m. PDT, following the initial announcement that all Los Angeles Unified School District schools had decided to call off Tuesday's schedule of after-school activities -- were just some of many made nationwide.

Hamlet Nalbandyan GLENDALE -- o7 The following is a major league notebook of the locals in the major leagues:f7 Finally getting back to full strength: It wasn't the way that St. Francis High graduate Mark Loretta envisioned the start of the 2001 season. Coming off a moderately successful 2000 campaign -- in which he hit .282 with seven homers and 40 runs batted in -- the Milwaukee Brewer third baseman found himself in the dugout, rather than on the field for almost two months.

Though their high school days are over, several former Crescenta Valley athletes have continued in their sporting ways, making headlines for their current teams. Jeanine Deno , class of 2004, was recently highlighted when the Pasadena City College basketball player was named the junior college State Player of the Year from the Southern California Region. The award was announced on Feb. 23, but Deno and the Lancers are still involved in the state tournament. Deno, the 2004 All-Area Girls' Basketball Player of the Year, has averaged a team-best 15.8 points a game heading into Friday night's state quarterfinal game against Reedley at the Selland Arena in Fresno.

After being released by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in late July, Trevor Bell began to explore any potential options about a return to Major League Baseball. On Monday, Bell found a suitor after he checked his cell phone messages. Bell, a former Crescenta Valley High star and All-Area Baseball Player of the Year selection, signed a minor league free agent deal with the Detroit Tigers, who advanced to the World Series this past season against the San Francisco Giants, on Tuesday.

NORTHWEST GLENDALE - When Stanford pitcher Mark Appel, who was widely projected as a potential No. 1 pick, fell all the way to eighth on the first day of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft Monday, the writing was on the wall for some draft day disappointment. The theme certainly carried over for local prospects hoping to hear their name called on Tuesday when the draft resumed for the second through 15th rounds. Right-handed pitcher Alex Muren, a member of last season's inaugural Glendale Angelenos squad, was the only player with local ties to be selected Tuesday, as he was scooped up by the Minnesota Twins with the 370th overall pick in the 12th round.

GLENDALE - Ryan Halamicek has met Nolan Ryan and played catch with Bob Feller, a pair of Major League Baseball Hall of Fame pitchers, in Arizona. Halamicek, 7, came to Glendale on Tuesday night prepared to meet another former big league pitcher. Except this proved to be something different for the Wrightwood resident, who stood in line to meet and greet Jim Abbott, a longtime major leaguer who was born without a right hand. Donning an Angels cap and jersey, Ryan and his father, Kevin, had some baseball cards and Abbott's recently published book, "Imperfect: An Improbable Life," signed by Abbott during an autograph session at Barnes & Noble at the Americana at Brand.

Lee Ross has rooted for the hometown team at all but one baseball stadium in the nation.  He'll get his chance on Tuesday, when the Washington Nationals host the Cincinnati Reds.  Ross, 75, of Glendale, and his friend, Dimon McFerson of Ohio, set out to visit the nation's 30 Major League Baseball stadiums nearly five years ago after the longtime friends saw four baseball games in four cities and thought, “We can get all of them,” Ross...

Having admirably excelled as a forward at the high school level before becoming a top-flight midfielder/forward in college, Daniel Paladini ultimately hoped his impressive body of work would lead to a professional soccer career. While playing for the St. Francis High boys' team and Cal State Northridge men's program, Paladini continued to impress with his play-making skills. He found ways to score big goals and thread crisp passes upfield for equally big assists. Yet, having been bestowed with plenty of accolades for his accomplishments on the field with St. Francis and CSUN, the humble Paladini knew he needed to work harder at his craft in his quest to become a pro. "It's what I wanted and it's every kid's dream," Paladini said.

During his college baseball career, Chad Nacapoy has spent defensive innings shifting his weight between pitches in the outfield or taking in the action from the dugout as a designated hitter, but for the former Crescenta Valley High backstop, neither can compare to seeing the game from behind the mask. For Nacapoy, it's about being in control, at the center of the action and visible to the people who matter most. "I just like catching because I'm in the action every single play," says Nacapoy, a senior-to-be at Cal State Los Angeles and a current member of the California Collegiate League's Glendale Angelenos.

GLENDALE — After suffering a shoulder injury that stemmed from a violent home-plate collision last season, Gregg Zaun found himself behind home plate for the first time Sunday during a spring training contest against the Oakland Athletics at the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Ariz. Zaun caught three innings and had two plate appearances. Shortly after the game ended, Zaun, a Glendale native and 1989 St. Francis High graduate, took off his equipment and tugged off his uniform for the final time before announcing his retirement on Sunday following a 16-year Major League Baseball career.

A World Series championship banner will fly above Dodger Stadium on March 31. No, I’m not delusional; I sadly recall the Dodgers’ miserable finish last season. The banner proclaiming the Giants World Series victory will be streamed overhead by an airplane as the Blue Crew takes the field against San Francisco on opening day. The flyover is the malicious brainchild of Bay Area fans who never miss an opportunity to stick it to the L.A. faithful. The stunt is reminiscent of something the late Bill Veeck might have pulled.

GLENDALE — The following are updates on area Major League Baseball players.   Freddy Sanchez (Glendale Community College, 1998) San Francisco Giants infielder: The Giants showed Sanchez how much they had missed him this season by planting him right back at second base and straight into the third spot in the batting order for his season debut on Wednesday night at the Arizona Diamondbacks. Sanchez, who was activated from the disabled list on Wednesday, responded by going 0 for four, but it was a tough night for the Giants all around, as they collected just four hits in a 13-1 loss.