field

When Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong’s scathing remarks about Dodgers fans took off this spring, he wasn’t worried about how fans might interpret them. His back-and-forth with the Dodgers fans dates back several years.

“I wanted to make sure that the people on the other side of the field who I really respect knew where I was coming from, and that it had nothing to do with the people on the field,” Crow-Armstrong told The Times before the Dodgers’ 6-4 loss to the Cubs on Friday, full of gratitude for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, shortstop Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in particular. “I wanted to make sure that nobody took it in that way, that I was going at the Dodgers.

“Was I poking fun at Dodgers fans? Absolutely.”

It all started in late February, with a Chicago Magazine article on Armstrong, which quoted him: ‘‘I love Chicago more and more. It’s just an incredible city. The people are great. … They aren’t just baseball fans who go to the game like Dodgers fans to take pictures and whatever. They are paying attention. They care.’’

After the story came out, Crow-Armstrong went on “Foul Territory” and doubled down.

When the Cubs came to town Friday, Dodgers fans made it clear they hadn’t forgotten. Thunderous boos greeted Crow-Armstrong as he walked up to the plate for the first time. But Crow-Armstrong was expecting that, and he didn’t walk back anything he said.

“What I wish people could see through is, I’m not getting at die-hard Dodger fans,” he said. “They obviously exist, they’re out there. I grew up seeing those people, too, but it’s a see-me city, man. It’s a Lakers city where people show up to sit courtside and look good. And I view it the same way here.

“Thank you, Shohei [Ohtani] and Freddie and Mookie because it wasn’t always like this.”

On that last point, his tone was sincere.

Friday’s announced attendance at Dodger Stadium was 53,733, the seventh sellout of the season.

Dodger Stadium played an important role in Crow-Armstrong’s baseball upbringing. The son of two actors, Ashley Crow and Matthew John Armstrong, Crow-Armstrong grew up in Los Angeles and went to Harvard-Westlake.

He went to plenty of Dodgers games, but when Crow-Armstrong was younger, he latched on to players rather than teams. From the Dodgers, he was drawn to Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and of course, Clayton Kershaw.

“I remember specific stuff too, like Adrian Gonzalez’ first homer as a Dodger,” Crow-Armstrong said. “We were all watching that together. The Dodgers were a huge part of my life growing up.”

Pete Crow-Armstrong celebrates in the dugout after scoring off a triple hit by Dansby Swanson during the seventh inning Friday.

(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)

Crow-Armstrong, baseball-hungry from a young age, also would go to Angel Stadium when the Yankees were in town to watch Derek Jeter, one of his favorites, go up against Mike Trout’s Angels. Eventually, his father, an Illinois native, recruited his son into Cubs fandom.

Crow-Armstrong’s L.A. ties made that first trip with the Cubs to Dodgers Stadium feel “special.” Regardless of the size of the stadium, or the major-league stage, part of that first experience in September 2024 made him feel like he was back in high school.

“I’m playing in front of my friends again, and I’m getting a show off for my friends and all that fun stuff,” he said. “There’s nothing better to me than seeing a random face that I didn’t know was coming to the game, and they’re sitting three rows behind our dugout. … That’s by far what I look forward to most about this trip.”

Show off he did.

Crow-Armstrong’s standout defensive showing peaked in a game-sealing catch over the wall in right-center field, robbing Max Muncy of a home run.

The rookie center fielder didn’t bother to hide his delight, jumping and shouting in celebration. He developed a contentious relationship with Dodgers fans in that series.

“They were really quick to talk … to me when I was in center field,” Crow-Armstrong said. “And I appreciate that kind of stuff. Like they’re obviously engaged and in the way that they want to be. … And just very easy to kind of give it right back. Like, ‘Yeah, please, be my guest.’ But I kind of love that.”

The Cubs’ next visit to Dodger Stadium was just as eventful. News broke that the Cubs and Crow-Armstrong’s agents at CAA had engaged in extension talks. Then he broke out of a slump to hit two home runs and a triple in a win that clinched a series victory.

“I love playing here,” Crow-Armstrong said afterward. “It’s a fun crowd, and I like the noise. I think the Cubbies like playing here, too.”

He grinned, in case the jab was too subtle.

Crow-Armstrong had a similar look on his face when that history came up again Friday.

“If we’re going to be immature and childish about it,” he said, “I’d say they started it, they just gave me an opportunity to kind of run with it.”

Crow-Armstrong walked into Dodger Stadium expecting it to be a topic he’d have to address all weekend, fully prepared to keep running with it.

“Each fan base has their own personality,” he said. “And I was really just comparing my own two experiences: playing for the Cubs, and people showing up and enjoying it, and there’s just an air about the place; and then here, it is what it is like. Maybe if I played here, it’d be different. But I don’t.”

His experience with Cubs fans also factored into his desire to stay with the organization long term. This spring, he signed a six-year, $115-million contract. And on Friday, he commended Cubs fans for their patience.

“It wasn’t the hottest start to my career, but I got loved the same way that I do today,” Crow-Armstrong said. “And even right now, when it’s been tough on me results-wise, all I hear running out to the field is, ‘Hey, we love you. We got you. The city loves you. You’re the best.”

The sentiment from Dodgers fans Friday was a little different. Not only did they boo Crow-Armstrong every at-bat, but even the Dodgers’ social media team piled on.

After Crow-Armstrong struck out in his first at-bat — one of Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan’s career-high-tying 10 strikeouts — the Dodgers’ social media account posted a video of his last whiff, with the caption: “A strikeout worthy of taking pictures and whatever.”

Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs, however, got the last laugh, as the Dodgers’ bullpen buckled. With the game tied in the ninth Friday, Crow-Armstrong lined a single into shallow left field against Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott. Then Scott grooved a fastball down the middle to Dansby Swanson, who hit it over the left-field wall.

Crow-Armstrong had a trip around the bases to relish the relative quiet he and his teammates had induced.

Infrastructure damage caused by a fire suspected to have been set by a homeless person at Encino Franklin Fields in January has not been repaired and is still months away from being completed, according to an update from from Councilmember Imelda Padilla.

A tunnel damaged underneath a parking area has created issues with use of the fields and limited parking despite a temporary pedestrian bridge built to let people travel to softball fields used by teams from Harvard-Westlake, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Louisville. The teams have resumed using the fields.

Here’s the statement provided to The Times and attributed to Padilla: “Since the fire our office has continued to lead coordination efforts with the Bureau of Engineering, the Mayor’s Office, and the CAO, to move this project forward as quickly as possible. With the design phase complete, we are now actively working to identify and secure the necessary funding to begin construction.

“Once funding is secured, construction is expected to begin within approximately two months, and we are working to ensure the project is funded and underway within the current fiscal year. We are in ongoing communication with Encino Franklin Fields stakeholders to ensure their needs are reflected throughout this process. Student athletes, families, and community members deserve safe, functional facilities, and we are committed to delivering a coordinated and timely solution.”

Harvard-Westlake athletic director Matt LaCour released a statement as well: “We are grateful to the Council Office, Encino Franklin Fields, and all stakeholders for their continued commitment to supporting our student-athletes and broader community. Their leadership and collaboration are critical in ensuring there is a clear path forward to restore these facilities.

“These fields are more than just a place to play — they are a vital resource for students, families, and community members. We appreciate the shared urgency to restore full access for everyone who depends on them.”

The most unpredictable California governor’s race in recent history took another set of dizzying turns on Monday, with former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra surging after former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out in the face of sexual assault and misconduct allegations, and former state Controller Betty Yee ending her bid.

The race to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom is the first in a quarter of a century with no clear front-runner and a sprawling field of candidates who have been jockeying for the attention of Californians, who are just beginning to pay attention to the campaign two weeks before ballots arrive in their mailboxes.

“I certainly could not have imagined the twists and the disturbing turns that this race has taken,” Yee said as she announced she was dropping out. “But through it all, my values and my vision for California has never wavered.”

A poll released Monday by the state Democratic Party — its first since Swalwell (D-Dublin) dropped out — showed Becerra’s support jumped nine points to 13%, placing him in a tie with Tom Steyer, the billionaire hedge fund founder turned environmental warrior. Former Rep. Katie Porter of Orange County saw a slight bump to 10% from 7%, while the remaining Democrats in the contest were mired in the low single digits.

The party began the surveys out of concern that Democrats could be shut out of the governor’s race because of California’s unique primary system, where the top two vote-getters in the June 2 primary move on to the November general election regardless of political party.

“I continue to believe there are too many Democrats in the field,” California Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks told reporters Monday. “My call for candidates to honestly assess the viability of their candidacy and campaigns still stands, especially if you are stalled in the single digits, seeing financial resources dry up and/or are failing to pick up additional support.”

Hicks and other party leaders and allies had unsuccessfully urged low-polling candidates to reconsider their candidacies before the filing deadline in an attempt to cull the field and avoid splintering the Democratic vote. Though most did not name candidates who they thought should think about their viability, Yee was widely believed to be among them.

Yee became emotional as she said on Monday that she decided to withdraw from the race because she wasn’t able to raise the resources necessary to compete in the state. She also said her message of competency and experience wasn’t resonating among voters who were seeking a fiery foil to President Trump, not “Boring Betty,” as she dubbed herself. Yee said she would assess the field before making an announcement on whether she would endorse one of her fellow Democrats.

Becerra was another candidate believed to be a target of party leaders’ efforts to shrink the field. But he held on and apparently benefited from Swalwell’s downfall.

“I’m not the richest candidate, I’m not the slickest candidate, but I am the guy that’s got you,” Becerra said, rallying supporters in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The audience was filled with members of labor groups backing the longtime politician, and Becerra told them he’d serve as a “union man” in the governor’s office.

Pro- and anti-Becerra forces tussled outside the town hall after two people, who declined to identify whom they were working for, passed out fliers highlighting critical media investigations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the migrant crisis when the agency was led by Becerra.

Pro-Becerra attendees grabbed the fliers and told the men to go away, prompting a security guard to intervene.

The question is whether Becerra, who also served as state attorney general, a member of Congress and a state Assembly member, can raise the funds necessary to compete in a state with some of the nation’s most expensive media markets. And he was tied in the state party poll with a billionaire who dumped an additional $12.1 million of his own money into his campaign last week.

Steyer’s total investment in his bid reached $133 million, according to the California secretary of state’s office. He also received the endorsement of Our Revolution, a progressive political organization founded by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

“We’ve never endorsed a billionaire — but Tom Steyer is using his position to upset the system,” the group posted on X on Monday. “As Our Revolution executive director Joseph Geevarghese told @theintercept, ‘He’s been a partner in the movement. Most billionaires have used their wealth and privilege to lock in the status quo. Tom is doing the opposite.’”

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who is also running for governor, accused Steyer of hypocrisy for the hedge fund he founded profiting from investments in private prisons being used to house ICE detainees, and Steyer calling for the abolishment of ICE.

Steyer got “rich investing off the ICE infrastructure he now wants to abolish,” Mahan posted on Instagram.

Steyer, who sold his stake in the hedge fund in 2012, has said he ordered the company to divest from the private prison company and has repeatedly expressed remorse about his former firm’s ties with the detention company.

Mahan also appeared Monday at a Hollywood production lot to announce his proposal for a special fund to lure sporting events, concerts and other productions to California as part of his plan to help the struggling film and television industry.

An independent effort supporting Mahan has also raised roughly $11 million since Swalwell left the race.

Mehta reported from Los Angeles and Nixon from Sacramento. Times staff writer Dakota Smith contributed to this report.

Former state Controller Betty Yee dropped out of the 2026 governor’s race on Monday, citing low levels of support from voters and donors.

Yee, a Democrat, was part of a sprawling field of politicians vying to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom. But despite the bevy of prominent candidates running to lead the nation’s most populous state and the world’s fourth-largest economy, this year’s governor’s race has long lacked a clear front-runner well known by the electorate.

“The whole notion that voters are looking for experience and competence is not a top priority, and that’s been really my wheelhouse in terms of how we grounded this campaign was based on my experience,” she said in a virtual press conference Monday morning. “The donors have felt the chill of the polling … and it really just came down to where I’m not going to have sufficient resources to get us to the finish line.”

The former two-term state controller did not immediately endorse another candidate and said she would take a few days to assess the field before making an announcement.

The race was upended earlier this month when then-Rep. Eric Swalwell, among the leading Democrats in the race, was accused of sexual assault and other misconduct. The East Bay Democrat, who is facing multiple criminal investigations, promptly ended his gubernatorial bid and resigned from Congress.

Yee, 68, was well regarded by Democrats during her tenure in Sacramento. And she highlighted her no-drama persona on Thursday.

“California — had enough chaos, fear and horrendous political scandals? Ready for calm, cool, collected change? Some may consider that boring. But that’s the point. We need Boring Betty,” Yee posted on the social media site X. “No crisis. No circus. Just competent, drama-free leadership you can trust. #BoringisBetter”

But she never had the financial resources to aggressively compete in a state with many of the most expensive media markets in the nation.

Yee reported raising nearly $583,000 for her gubernatorial bid in 2025, according to campaign fundraising reports filed with the California secretary of state’s office. Yee’s announcement that she is dropping out of the race came days before the latest financial disclosures will be publicly reported.

Despite being elected to the state Board of Equalization twice and as state controller twice, Yee was not widely known by most Californians. She never cracked double digits in gubernatorial polls.

Her name will still appear on the ballot. She was among the candidates who rebuffed state Democratic Party leaders’ request earlier this year to reconsider their viability amid fears that the party could be shut out of the November general election because of the state’s unique primary system. The top two vote-getters in the June primary will move on to to the November general election, regardless of party affiliation.

Though California’s electorate is overwhelmingly Democratic, the makeup of the gubernatorial field makes it statistically possible for Republicans to win the top two spots if Democratic voters splinter among their party’s candidates. Yee said fear of that scenario playing out “kind of took over” the gubernatorial race.

“Was it possible? Yes. Was it plausible? No, we’re in California. That was not going to happen,” she said, adding that the top-two primary system should be done away with.

Still, Yee was beloved by Democratic Party activists, and previously served as the party’s vice chair.

No Democratic candidate reached the necessary threshold to win the party’s official endorsement at its February convention, but Yee came in second with support from 17% of delegates despite calls for her to drop out of the race.

“Every poll shows that this race is wide open, and I know this party,” she said in an interview at the convention. “Frankly, I’ve been in positions where it’s been a crowded field, and we work hard and candidates emerge.”

The gubernatorial primary will take place June 2, though voters will start receiving mail ballots in about two weeks.

FLOWER power is all around me as I roll on the ground in a huge tulip field while my friend snaps away for social media.

You could be forgiven for thinking that I’m on a getaway in Holland with this rainbow of colours.

But this glorious spot that’s pretty in pink, white, purple, yellow and red is actually in West Sussex.

We’re visiting Tulleys Tulip Fest, near Crawley, which features 1.5million-plus bulbs in an eye-popping display.

Families stroll through the tulips with toddlers and couples walk dogs, soaking up the spring sunshine and gorgeous gardens.

There are prop bikes to pose on and a Ferris wheel for a view of the blooms from 33 metres up.

SEA IT

UK seaside town undergoing a £40m revamp is home to the country’s best pier 

CROWN GLORY

Pretty English town once the ‘capital of Cornwall’ where you might spot royals

Visitors aren’t afraid to lark around as they snap photos of the blooms again and again and I did my best to capture all of the 130-plus varieties on show.

Luckily my friend has brought her dog Penny, so we have another ‘model’ willing to go barking mad for pet-al pictures.

It’s easily one of the most wholesome days out I’ve had all year.

One of the best things about the fest is that it’s a family business.

The Beares have shown their love of tulips for more than four generations.

It’s all part of Tulleys’ wider collection of UK festivals, which also includes events in Hertfordshire and Warwickshire, all at full bloom until May.

I enhanced my experience by staying in a nearby hotel the night before the visit.

The five-star Alexander House & Utopia Spa in Turners Hill oozed luxury with delicious food and a giant bath in my room (there are plenty of spa treatments if you have time).

If you don’t have a car, a shuttle bus will get you from the village centre to the blooms in five minutes.

It’s easy to spend a good few hours at the festival and you can fuel up at the numerous food stalls, including one with delicious Dutch pancakes.

And if you want to add some colour to your home, there’s a flower-themed gift shop where I bagged some bulbs for my planter boxes.

Even better, I can return later this year for more fun at Tulleys’ pumpkin festival in October.

As I dusted off soil from my jeans and got ready to leave the floral feast, I caught a glimpse of a newly arrived visitor hitting the deck, twisting their body into a bizarre human pretzel just to get that perfect low-angle shot of a single red bloom.

I couldn’t help but grin.

This trip has reminded me that sometimes the best way to enjoy yourself is to tiptoe through the tulips, then roll around the flowers looking like an utter idiot.