winner

Winning six Gold Glove awards gives Mookie Betts more than enough credibility to design and market his own leather. And that’s exactly what he is doing with LGND, a line of baseball gloves that he says are “built around versatility, craftsmanship and player-first innovation.”

Betts, of course, is the Dodgers shortstop whose Gold Gloves all came playing right field. He is one of the few players in MLB history to be named an All-Star as an infielder and outfielder. He’s been part of four World Series championship teams and named to eight All-Star squads.

“Every detail matters when you’re on the field, and your glove is one of the most important tools you have,” Betts said in a statement. “I started this with the intention to build something that reflected the way I play the game, which is with passion, preparation and attention to detail.”

Two glove collections named MOOK and MVRK designed for players at every stage of development are available at LGNDsports.com. They are not inexpensive, selling for $250 to $330.

The MOOK Series gloves are inspired by Betts’ experience playing infield and outfield, featuring his personal game-worn colorways, his signature stamp in the palm and a “50 Tri-Star” logo embroidered on the thumb.

The MVRK Series gloves feature a versatile design and distinct styling for those who play multiple positions.

Both models are constructed with premium Japanese kip leather and engineered to offer a lighter feel and fast break-in period. The LGND website features an interactive platform that allows players to design a glove that reflects their individual preferences.

“LGND is about giving young players a glove they can trust from the first time they put it on,” Betts said. “Whether you’re chasing a championship, working toward a college scholarship or just falling in love with baseball, I want these gloves to help young players perform at their best.”

Betts, 33, founded the company alongside lifelong friends Cameron Lewis, Brandon McPhail and Andrew Montgomery. The quartet competed together in high school in the Nashville area.

The Dodgers acquired Betts in a trade ahead of the 2020 season and have won three World Series title with him in the lineup, including the last two years. He spent the first six years of his career with the Boston Red Sox, winning the American League Most Valuable Player award after leading Boston to a World Series title in 2018.

After playing outfield almost exclusively for the first nine years of his career, Betts saw substantial time in the infield in 2023 and 2024 before becoming the Dodgers’ everyday shortstop last season. He led NL shortstops in total fielding runs above average in 2025 while making only seven errors in 148 games. This season he has made only three errors.

I’M A Celeb winner AngryGinge has revealed the surprising cause of his mum’s house fire that saw her house tragically burn down earlier this year.

The devastating fire happened while the YouTube star was playing in Soccer Aid and the family were away from home, and sadly saw them lose three of their pets.

Now, he has revealed what actually caused the fire to happen.

Explaining that the fire was caused by one of the family’s late cats, Ginge – whose real name is Morgan Sam Lee Burtwistle – said it was “mental”.

He shared: “It’s actually like something out of f***ing Tom and Jerry, so what actually caused it, I believe – well the investigation found – is when my mum was out, she was down in the hotel for Soccer Aid, one of the cats jumped on the hob, turned the hob on.

“Knocked something on the hob, that’s then been set alight. It could have gone alight like that [finger click] but it could have also took an hour and then set the whole kitchen alight.

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Pregnant Laura Woods shows off baby bump in tight-fitting dress at World Cup

“Whole kitchen went on fire, then it went to the living room, whole carpets and stairs etc.”

Ginge continued: “It’s crazy.

“They figured it out because the hob that had four things, one side was more burnt than the others, which means that would have had to start it.

“So, that’s how it started, it’s mental. It is genuinely something you’d see in, like, Tom and Jerry.”

The TV and online star has showed fans inside the home since the fire, filming the devastating ruins as he returned to the property following the incident.

Since then, Ginge’s mum has been living with him.

It seems a long time ago now, but go back to the day that Liverpool sealed the Premier League title under Arne Slot in 2025 and there is a lovely clip of Alexis Mac Allister.

As the final whistle goes and the players run on to the pitch to celebrate, Mac Allister sits alone on the bench and starts to cry.

That day, when the Argentina midfielder scored a goal the celebrations inside Anfield registered 1.74 on the Richter scale – just shy of the 2.0 needed for a minor earthquake.

Mac Allister was undeniably a force that season and integral to Liverpool‘s title-winning campaign.

But a year on, after a disappointing campaign that wasn’t helped by injury problems at the outset, Mac Allister would be the first to admit that the 2025-26 season fell below the standards he had set previously.

It was undoubtedly the poorest of his three campaigns since he arrived from Brighton for £35m in 2023.

Inevitably, there were question marks about his future going into the summer, but seeing him play a starring role for Argentina at the World Cup will please new Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola – even if it means he will have to wait a little longer before meeting Mac Allister.

Bar Argentina’s last group-stage game – when qualification was already secured – the 27-year-old has played every minute for his country, including 120 minutes against both Cape Verde and Switzerland, which went to extra time. Only the keeper, Aston Villa‘s Emiliano Martinez, has played more minutes for Argentina.

Across those games, Mac Allister has played 539 minutes, won 31 duels, 10 tackles, made nine interceptions and applied high pressure 208 times – all numbers which put him high up in the rankings.

“I feel like maybe the number eight position, also double number six (double pivot), is my best position, but I can play anywhere,” Mac Allister told ESPN last month.

That versatility will be food for thought for Iraola – who is known to want his midfielders to be all action, given his high-press system and his desire for his teams to be direct.

Regardless of the result against England in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final, Argentina will be in the United States until the weekend, when the third-place play-off and final take place.

According to Fifa regulations, players at the World Cup are entitled to at least three weeks off, so anyone who features this weekend will not return to their clubs until 10 August at the earliest, which is less than two weeks before the Premier League season begins.

So there is a strong chance that Mac Allister won’t be ready to start for the first few weeks of the season, but Iraola will know that when it comes to building his midfield, he already has a proven winner.

“It’s always about winning,” Mac Allister said on Saturday, after Argentina beat Switzerland in the quarter-final in a game in which he scored.

Mac Allister’s CV already contains a World Cup and a Copa America title, as well as a Premier League title. He is the only man to have 12 World Cup appearances to his name and have won all 12 of those games.

He is no stranger to big games now and perhaps Wednesday’s semi-final, when he will come up against England’s midfield, will give the clearest indication yet that he is still an asset on the biggest stage.

Stephen Libby quit his job as a cyber security consultant after winning The Traitors UK and a source has now claimed fans might see him join the Stricly Come Dancing cast

The Traitors star Stephen Libby is said to be in talks to join the upcoming season of Strictly Come Dancing.

The 32-year-old former cyber security consultant, best known as the co-winner of Series 4 of The Traitors UK, became a fan-favourite on the BBC show due to his strategic gameplay, highly expressive “poker face”, and distinctive 1970s-inspired vintage fashion choices. Stephen and his fellow contestant Rachel Duffy made history as they became the first-ever Traitor duo to successfully split the prize money in the UK version, taking home £47,875 each.

Following his high-profile win, Stephen left his career in cyber security to pursue entertainment full-time. It has now been claimed that the Scottish TV star, originally from the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides and now based in London, might be joining Strictly Come Dancing.

According to a source, the Strictly casting team believe Stephen could be “a great it” for the show – and if he doesn’t make the cut for this year, he might be considered for 2027, especially if he continues being so popular. Speaking to The Sun, the insider said: “The Strictly casting team have met with Stephen and think he could be a great fit.

“Stephen was hugely popular on The Traitors and since leaving Ardross Castle he has built up a very big fan base. The BBC are always keen to utilise their talent and Stephen is ideal.”

The source added: “No final decision has been made yet but if Stephen doesn’t make the cut this year, he’ll be a key target for the 2027 series – especially if his profile continues to grow as it has.”

Since winning The Traitors, Stephen landed a prominent role on ITV’s This Morning – his assignments included flying to Los Angeles to host red-carpet fashion segments at the Oscars and Elton John’s Academy Award party. Signed by United Agents, he is also booking regular corporate speaking gigs to discuss strategy, human behaviour, and trust.

The Strictly presenting team for the upcoming season will be hosted by a brand-new trio – Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe – who are taking over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. The expert judging panel features returning favourites Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke, and Craig Revel Horwood.

The BBC has officially begun announcing the celebrity cast ahead of the autumn launch on BBC, with social media star Cach Mercer, TV personality Dani Dyer, actor Lacey Turner, singer and actor Delta Goodrem, and celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton confirmed to be among the contestants.

The Mirror has contacted the BBC and Stephen Libby’s representatives for comment.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome has brought an end to his illustrious career in professional cycling.

The 41-year-old British rider has not raced since a serious crash in August 2025 when he collided head-on with a road sign at more than 30mph and suffered five broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a lumbar vertebrae fracture.

Froome’s wife later said doctors discovered a pericardial rupture – an injury where the sac that surrounds the heart is torn – during surgery and were able to repair it.

“Unfortunately, there was that crash last summer – that was not the way I wanted it to end. But even then, I knew it was over,” Froome told Belgian broadcaster Sporza.

The Kenyan-born rider retires as one of the most decorated cyclists in history, winning seven Grand Tours with Team Sky (now Team Ineos).

His four Tour de France victories came in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Only four men – Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Eddy Merckx – have won more Tour de France titles.

He also won the Giro d’Italia in 2018 and Vuelta a Espana in 2011 and 2017, and claimed two Olympic bronze medals in the individual time trial in 2012 and 2016.

Froome was made an OBE for his services to cycling in 2015.

SACRAMENTO — State Treasurer Fiona Ma and former California Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero have been declared the two winners of a crowded primary election for lieutenant governor, securing themselves spots on the November ballot.

Ma is a Democrat. Romero is a former Democrat who said she registered as a Republican after splitting with Democrats over the push to oust President Biden as the party’s presidential nominee in 2024.

Both were declared as the top-two winners by the Associated Press. Under California’s primary system, the first and second place finisher advances to the November general election, regardless of their political affiliation.

Ma is a certified public accountant serving as state treasurer. She previously sat on the California Board of Equalization and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She also served three terms in the California Assembly.

Romero is an adjunct professor at Pepperdine School of Public Policy. She served as a Democrat in the Assembly and state Senate, becoming the Senate’s first woman majority leader in 2005.

Other notable candidates included former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs and Josh Fryday, a member of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s cabinet. Both are Democrats.

The position is largely ceremonial. The lieutenant governor serves on various boards that oversee the University of California, California State University and community college systems, and can be called upon to break a tie in the state Senate. If the sitting governor dies, resigns or is removed from office, the lieutenant governor would assume the role.

Ma and Romero have offered some similar viewpoints. Both candidates previously expressed support for the death penalty and opposition to the state’s plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.

Neither candidate supports the controversial Billionaire’s Tax Act. Romero, however, has further vowed to shun all potential tax increases.

Ma and Romero will now face off in November. The winner will replace Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, who is finishing her second term and could not seek reelection. Kounalakis instead ran for state treasurer.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Golden Tempo closed out the Triple Crown season Saturday the same way he began it: In the winner’s circle.

The circumstances were different from the Kentucky Derby, when the late-running son of Curlin was helped by a hot pace that tired out the front-runners.

There was no such setup in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, but Golden Tempo showed he didn’t need it.

Ridden again by Jose Ortiz, the Derby champion stormed into the stretch and outfinished Commandment to win a thrilling stretch duel by 1¼ lengths at Saratoga Race Course.

“Golden Tempo is amazing. Jose is amazing,” said trainer Cherie DeVaux, who added to her historic win as the first woman to capture the Derby by becoming the first woman to win two Triple Crown races.

“Amazing feeling,” she said on Fox Sports.

Golden Tempo was sent off as the co-fourth choice with Commandment at 6-1 and returned $14 for a $2 win ticket. Renegade, the Derby runner-up, finished third as the 17-10 favorite and Chief Wallabee, the second choice at 5-1, was fourth. The rest of the finishing order: Emerging Market, Growth Equity, Vitruvian Man, Ottinho and Powershift.

This marked the second straight year the Derby winner also captured the Belmont after skipping the Preakness, with Golden Tempo following Sovereignty. It’s the fifth time in the past six years that a horse used that formula to win this race.

Could Golden Tempo have won the Triple Crown?

“It’s not something I want to think about,” DeVaux said. “We made our decision and he won today and we’re going to be happy about that.”

Trainer Cherie DeVaux lifts the August Belmont Trophy as she stands next to winning jockey Jose Ortiz, left, after Golden Tempo’s victory in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.

(Al Bello / Getty Images)

Golden Tempo, a homebred of owners Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stables, won for the fourth time in six starts. He earned $1.2 million from the $2-million purse to push his career total past $4.6 million.

Despite his victory five weeks ago in Kentucky, the general feeling about Golden Tempo entering the Belmont was pessimism. Not one of the 19 experts surveyed in Saturday’s Daily Racing Form selected him to win, with just two picking him second. The consensus was he would not finish in the top four.

The lack of pace was one reason, and sure enough, the race played out pretty much as expected, with Renegade’s stablemate, Powershift, dawdling through the first six furlongs in 1 minute, 12.38 seconds, about a second and a half slower than the same distance for the Derby (1:10.90).

Golden Tempo, ridden by jockey Jose Ortiz, crosses the finish line to win the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.

(Yuki Iwamura / Associated Press)

As he was in the Derby, Golden Tempo was last for more than half the race, but Saturday he trailed eight horses instead of 17 and never was more than about eight lengths behind the leader.

Growth Equity, who had been stalking Powershift, took the lead as the field turned into the stretch, but he soon was passed by Chief Wallabee. Before the field had run another furlong, though, Golden Tempo had moved around Renegade to the front. Commandment was on Golden Tempo’s outside but was unable to get past in the final furlong. In fact, the winner was pulling away as they reached the finish.

The final time wasn’t fast, 2:03.49 for 1¼ miles at Saratoga, which was hosting the Belmont for the third and final year while Belmont Park is rebuilt. The race started about five minutes after rain began falling in upstate New York.

Baffert’s Nysos dominates Met Mile

Nysos crosses the finish line to win the 133rd running of the Met Mile at Saratoga on Saturday.

(Yuki Iwamura / Associated Press)

The afternoon did not begin well for trainer Bob Baffert, who saw his top 3-year-old, Crude Velocity, routed by DeVaux’s Englishman in the Woody Stephens and his leading sprinter, Imagination, come up empty in the True North. But Nysos, the best horse in Baffert’s barn, salvaged the day — and then some — with a dominant win over Journalism and five others in the Grade 1 Met Mile.

“I’ve always thought he was one of the best horses in training and today he showed it,” Baffert said of the 7-5 favorite, who returned $4.94 after clocking 1:34.85, just 0.13 off the track record.

The victory was not without an anxious moment or two. Jockey Flavien Prat rushed Nysos to the lead out of the gate, but when he was joined on the pace by Antiquarian, Saudi Crown and Knightsbridge, the jockey dropped Nysos back to fourth place at the midway point.

“When he took him back I just thought, ‘I hope he knows what he’s doing,’” Baffert said.

Not surprisingly, Prat did. After Knightsbridge passed Antiquarian on the far turn, Prat took Nysos around those two as they moved into the stretch and pulled away. Knightsbridge was four lengths back in second with Journalism another three-quarters of a length behind in third.

“It felt like down the backside, the pressure from the outside never really stopped,” Prat said. “I figured I had to give him a chance, knowing he was carrying 126 [pounds] and he hasn’t run for [four] months, and it just played out good. When I tipped him out, he gave me a great run.”

It was the eighth win in 10 lifetime starts for Nysos, a 5-year-old son of Nyquist. He was second in the two defeats.

“He’s one of the best horses I’ve ever trained,” Baffert said.

The victory earned Nysos a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in October at Keeneland, but the horse won that race last year and Baffert has a bigger prize in mind.

“We’re going for the Classic,” he said, mentioning the Aug. 22 Pacific Classic at Del Mar as a possible race to bridge the gap between now and Oct. 31.

PARIS — Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva was already a tennis phenom at age 15.

At 19, she’s a Grand Slam champion.

The eighth-ranked Andreeva ended the run of 114th-ranked Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska by 6-3, 6-2 in the French Open final on Saturday.

Andreeva became the youngest player to win the women’s singles title since Monica Seles, who was 18 when she landed her third straight French Open in 1992.

“You’re so young and talented. It’s so annoying,” Chwalinska told Andreeva during the awards ceremony.

When Andreeva executed a backhand cross-court winner on her first match point, she threw her racket into the air and dropped on her knees to the clay to celebrate.

Mirra Andreeva returns a shot against Maja Chwalinska during the French Open women’s final on Saturday.

(Thibault Camus / Associated Press)

During the trophy presentation, Andreeva took the unusual step of thanking herself “for believing in myself, always giving my 100%, even when it’s tough, trying every day to be better as a person and as a player, believing that I can do this, fighting so many demons inside of me.

“Only I know how tough it was for me,” Andreeva added. “How nervous I was throughout these two weeks.”

Chwalinska was attempting to become the first qualifier to capture the Roland Garros title.

Andreeva was born in Siberia and moved to Sochi and eventually France to develop her tennis career.

She drew loud applause from the crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier when she spoke a few words of French during the trophy presentation.

“Thanks for your support today and over these past two marvelous weeks here in Paris,” Andreeva said. “It was very important for me.”

Alexander Zverev plays Flavio Cobolli in the men’s final on Sunday to conclude the wildest Grand Slam in recent memory.

Andreeva has been considered a Grand Slam contender since she burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old at the 2023 Madrid Open, where she became the third-youngest player to win a main draw match at a WTA 1000 tournament and made the quarterfinals.

Lately, Andreeva has had to contend with playing under neutral status and without her country’s flag due to the war with Ukraine.

When she beat Marta Kostyuk in the semifinals, Kostyuk refused to shake her hand, as has been the custom for Ukrainian players facing Russians ever since the war started in 2022.

Andreeva has gone a step further than her coach, Conchita Martinez, who lost the 2000 French Open final to Mary Pierce.

Pierce presented the winner’s trophy to Andreeva.

The final was played under mostly sunny skies but wind was a factor in the first Grand Slam final for both players.

Chwalinska double-faulted on the opening point of the match but she was the first player to hold serve in the fifth game for a 3-2 lead.

But then Andreeva won nine straight games to take control as she found a way to hit through the wind and answer Chwalinska’s array of spins and drop shots.

Andreeva produced 25 winners to Chwalinska’s 10 and also had fewer unforced errors: 26 to 29.

There was a strong Polish presence in the crowd.

When Chwalinska was introduced, fans held aloft red-and-white Polish flags and chanted her name: “Ma-ja, Ma-ja.”

Andreeva had little support from the crowd, although there was a shout of “Davai Mirra!” (“Go Mirra”) in Russian late in the match.

In men’s doubles, top-seeded Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos retained their title with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.

Dampf writes for the Associated Press. Samuel Petrequin contributed to this report.

Huntington Beach is making the most of its second chance in postseason high school baseball.

Eliminated in the third round of the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs last month, the Oilers accepted an invitation to the Division I Southern California Regional and advanced to Saturday’s championship game with an 11-3 victory over Corona on Thursday.

Dane Cunningham hit a two-run home run, Maxx Hopkins homered and Jared Grindlinger had a triple, single and two RBIs. Tanner Brown struck out six in five innings.

Huntington Beach will face the winner of Friday’s game between La Mirada and Cathedral Catholic on Saturday.

In Division II, Newport Harbor will host Bakersfield Christian in the championship game on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Division III

Kaiser will play the winner of Friday’s game between Glendora and Westview for the Division III title. Kaiser defeated Helix 7-5 in the semifinals. Tino Cuellar hit a two-run home run in a 7-5 win over Helix.

Division IV

North Torrance defeated Central Valley Christian 6-0 in the semifinals behind Mason Matsumoto, who thew six scoreless innings. They will face the winner of Friday’s game between South El Monte and Francis Parker.

Division V

Coastal Academy has won the Division V title by forfeit after Verdugo Hills and Roosevelt got involved in a bench-clearing brawl in the bottom of the sixth inning with Verdugo Hills ahead 5-1. Under CIF rules, players have to sit out the next game when leaving the bench. Verdugo Hills won’t be able to advance.

Softball

La Habra knocked off St. Paul 8-7 to advance to the Division I final, where it will play at Chula Vista Mater Dei. La Habra went to the seventh inning down 7-6 and won on a walk-off, two-run single by Milee Valencia. Alyssa Hernandez had a three-run home run.

Division II

Riverside Prep defeated Redwood 4-3 and will host Saturday’s final against the winner of Great Oak and Garces.

Division V

Rivals Arroyo Valley and San Bernardino will meet on Saturday at Arroyo Valley. San Bernardino defeated South East 18-2. Arroyo Valley defeated La Jolla 12-8.

More than a day after polls closed, voters still hadn’t learned which two candidates would run off in the November general election for dozens of races.

Many significant races are still too close to call. In the race for governor, Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra held leads, with Democrat Tom Steyer and Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco trailing. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, San José Mayor Matt Mahan and former Rep. Katie Porter conceded the race Tuesday night.

The Associated Press surveys the numbers posted by local election officials and projects the winner using vote returns and other data. Races can be called within minutes of polls closing on election night. However, if a race has tight margins or an high expected volume of mail-in ballots, it can take longer to call.

In some cases, such as for L.A. mayor and state treasurer, the tight race is between second and third place.

In California’s primary, the top two vote-getters move on to the general election regardless of candidate pool size, party preference, or whether one candidate receives a majority of votes. Locally and in nonpartisan races, however, a candidate can avoid the November election if they win with a majority.

Statewide

State Senate

State Assembly

Congress

Almost half of California’s 52 U.S. House of Representatives seats had known finalists on election night. But in tight races such as the Republican vs. Republican competition in the 40th District and the Democrats’ challenging of Republican Rep. David Valadao in a redrawn 22nd District, the top two vote-getters weren’t yet known.

Local

In Los Angeles County, there were still 27 races with uncertain results. The Times considers uncertain races those where no candidate has a majority or where the vote share for the top two is between 55% and 40%. The Associated Press does not call winners for most local races, such as city councils, city officers and ballot measures. If no candidate wins with a majority, the top two will face off in November. That could be the case for the sheriff and L.A. City Council’s 3rd District.

The L.A. County registrar will continue to count and confirm mailed-in, provisional and conditional ballots until June 26. Updates to the results charts below are expected approximately once a day in the early evening.

Close city races

Voters can track their own cast ballot here.

The secretary of state will certify results in early July.

This week’s Memorial will be McIlroy’s last event before this month’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills – and he revealed he undertook a scouting mission to the New York course earlier this week.

McIlroy missed the cut when Shinnecock last hosted the US Open in 2018, and while he was buoyed by what he saw before this year’s championship, he outlined the importance of tournament organisers the United States Golf Association (USGA) maintaining control of the green speeds.

In 2018, Phil Mickelson apologised for putting a moving ball on Shinnecock’s sun-baked greens, while in 2004 the par-three seventh green was called “unplayable” and had to be watered during the last round after two players putted off the green into bunkers.

“The fairways are very generous. They’re more generous than they were in 2018 but the first cut of rough is five inches long,” said McIlroy.

“The greens are rolling around 11, 11.2 [anything over 12 is considered fast and last year’s US Open at Oakmont was between 13 and 14], something like that and I really don’t think they need to get much faster.

“I think if they can keep them at that speed they can get them firm and use the hole locations that they want to use without having some of the struggles that they have had the last couple of US Opens.

“It’s all about them just maintaining the green speeds really where they are, not getting them too out of hand, and I think it will be a great week.”

Jared Grindlinger is not ready to say goodbye to his friends at Huntington Beach High. The likely first-round draft pick didn’t have to play for the Oilers in the Southern California Division I regional playoffs, let alone pitch. But he did both to help Huntington Beach knock off San Diego Open Division champion Patrick Henry 10-3 on Tuesday.

Grindlinger went four for four, including a home run, and finished with three RBIs. He also struck out five in three innings on the mound. Dane Cunningham had a three-run home run. Huntington Beach advances to play the winner of Wednesday’s game between Corona and Chula Vista Eastlake on Thursday.

Cathedral Catholic 4, St. John Bosco 2: The impressive two-year run of St. John Bosco’s baseball team has come to an end. The Braves had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the seventh but couldn’t push across any runs and were eliminated in a first-round Division I game. They won the Southern Section Division 1 title the last two seasons and the regional title last season.

La Mirada 7, Liberty 6: A three-run seventh inning helped the Matadores enjoy their bus ride home from Bakersfield. The big hit was a three-run home run by Justin Torres. La Mirada will face Cathedral Catholic on Thursday in the semifinals.

Arroyo Grande 4, Loyola 3: An RBI single in the eighth inning by Colton Gotchal pushed Arroyo Grande to victory over top-seeded Loyola in Division 2. Jack Murray had a home run and two RBIs for Loyola.

Newport Harbor 2, Madison 0: Gavin Guy threw the shutout with seven strikeouts.

South El Monte 3, Brentwood 2: South El Monte went on the road and pulled off the upset of Division 6 champion Brentwood. Anthony Mata had an RBI single and Gabriel Canchola limited the Eagles to four hits while striking out nine in six innings.

Westview 7, Carson 1: Leadoff hitter Eli Irvine had three hits for the winners.

North Torrance 2, Bell 0: Seth Narasaki and Joey Banuelos combined for the shutout.

Verdugo Hills 11, Rolling Hills Prep 2: Cutlor Fannon finished with three hits and three RBIs for the Dons.

Elections in the city of Los Angeles include mayor, City Council, three ballot measures and Los Angeles Unified School District board seats and, if you live in the city, you’ve maybe seen an ad about them.

The high-profile competition between incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, City Councilmember Nithya Raman and conservative reality star Spencer Pratt has been tumultuous. And that is to say nothing of Rae Huang, Adam Miller and the nine others contenders.

With leaked files, millions in campaign fundraising donated by a candidate’s mother, and a multi-campaign effort by L.A.’s chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, the race for mayor isn’t the only one making headlines this primary.

A candidate can win by getting a majority of the vote. If no one receives 50% + 1 vote, the top two advance to the November election.

Mayor

The Associated Press, which surveys the numbers posted by local election officials and projects the winner using vote returns and other data, will call a winner (or a runoff) for L.A. mayor.

City Council

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Officers

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Ballot measures

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Los Angeles Unified School District

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OSCAR winner Marcia Lucas has died from cancer aged 80.

Known as the secret weapon and unsung hero of Star Wars, Marcia died at her holiday home in Rancho Mirage, California.

The ex-wife of George Lucas, Marcia was best known for editing Star Wars and Return of the Jedi.

Marcia died on Wednesday evening, her family said.

In an emotional statement, they called the filmmaker a “trailblazer”.

A family member said: “Marcia was a force.”

“A true trailblazer for women in film and one of the most influential editors in cinematic history; she helped redefine what film editing could be and paved the way for generations of women who followed.”

She won an Academy Award in 1977 for Best Film Editing.

In 1969 she married George Lucas, who she had met while working on the documentary Journey to the Pacific.

Raised in North Hollywood, Marcia met her future husband while they were working as assistants for editor Verna Fields.

Designated hitter Jacob Johnson hit a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning off Easton Hawk to lift Saint Mary’s to a stunning 3-2 win over top-seeded UCLA in the Los Angeles Regional opener Friday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Johnson’s second solo home run of the game initially only appeared to be a pop-up near the warning track. But as the stadium fell silent, the ball kept sailing — and it eventually cleared the wall over leaping Bruins right fielder Jarrod Hocking.

Saint Mary’s reliever Cam Staton earned the win after getting UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, the expected No. 1 pick in the 2026 MLB draft, to pop out with a runner on first. The right-handed Hawk took the loss.

It marked the first loss by a national No. 1 seed in an NCAA regional opener since the current format was established in 1999.

Hawk previously had given up just three homers on the season and hadn’t surrendered one since March 1 against Mississippi State. Johnson, who went deep to start the day’s scoring in the fourth, recorded his second two-homer game of the season.

UCLA’s Jarrod Hocking strikes out to end eighth inning during a 3-2 loss to Saint Mary’s in the NCAA regionals on Friday.

(Scott Strazzante / For The Times)

Saint Mary’s (35-25) will face the winner of Virginia Tech (2) vs. Cal Poly (3) — who play Friday night — in the winner’s bracket on Saturday at 6 p.m. PDT; UCLA (51-7) will face the loser in the elimination bracket Saturday at 1 p.m.

Friday’s starters, UCLA’s Wylan Moss and Saint Mary’s John Damozonio, dueled. Moss surrendered three hits and one run through five innings, and Damozonio gave up five hits and two runs through seven.

But it was Johnson and the Gaels who survived in the end.

CONCORD, N.C. — When Daniel Suarez was struggling to make his name in auto racing, he would often get phone calls from Kyle Busch offering words of encouragement and urging him to keep working.

That made his crown jewel Cup Series victory Sunday night all the more special.

Suarez benefited from a crucial pit call, then caught a break from Mother Nature to win the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600, capping an emotional day in which the racing world remembered the late Busch.

Suarez became the first Mexican-born driver to win the Coke 600. It was his third Cup Series win and first since 2024.

The victory was especially emotional for Suarez, who previously raced for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

“Kyle, he was special,” Saurez said as he teared up. “I was doing this for Kyle, for [his wife] Samatha, for [his children] Brexton and Lennix and for all of his family.”

A non-factor for most of the race, Suarez gambled and took two tires during a late pit stop, then held off Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin on restarts before the race was called when the sky opened up and rain drenched the track shortly before midnight Eastern time.

NASCAR quickly made the decision to call the race with 27 laps remaining.

Bell finished second; Hamlin was third.

The two Joe Gibbs Racing teammates had a chance to catch Suarez on the two restarts, but couldn’t clear his No. 7 Chevrolet.

“It’s a bummer,” Bell said, who won the rain-shortened 2024 Coca-Cola 600. “It wasn’t meant to be today. That’s 2026 for us.”

Hamlin said he was “just a little unlucky.”

“The 20 car (Bell) and us were just really battling because we knew whoever could clear him (would win the race),” Hamlin said. “We were really good all day. We just didn’t get to see it through.”

The race came just three days after Busch’s death sent shockwaves throughout the motorsports world and beyond. The 41-year-old Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming complications, according to a statement released by his family.

The two-time Cup Series champion and winner of a record 234 races across NASCAR’s three national series had become unresponsive while practicing in a Chevrolet simulator Wednesday, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no details were released by the family.

Busch’s family attended the race and NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell told them they are part of the NASCAR community and “we got you.”

NASCAR and CMS honored Busch with his No. 8 and signature on the frontstretch grass and a highway billboard near the main entrance of the track. The U.S. Army Golden Knights carried a Busch flag prior to the race and each of the 39 cars in field carried a small, black No. 8 decal.

Kyle Larson won the first stage race. Hamlin won the second stage and Bell the third.

Crashing out

Defending champion Ross Chastain crashed out when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. clipped his car in Turn 2 with 81 laps remaining in the race.

Connor Zilisch and Austin Cindric only made it 52 laps before getting caught up in a crash. Cindric got turned around and Zilisch came crashing in to the side of his No. 2 Ford, ending both drivers’ day.

Chase Elliott, a two-time winner this year, hit the outside wall and ping-ponged into the inside wall on Lap 90. That car was beyond repair and he finished 37th.

“I was trying to make something happen and I stepped over the line,” Elliott said.

Replacing Busch

Austin Hill, a regular driver in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for Richard Childress Racing, took Busch’s spot in the race and finished 26th. He drove the No. 33 car after RCR temporarily retired the No. 8 until Busch’s 11-year-old son Brexton is ready to drive.

Austin Dillon, went behind the wall with damage to the front of his car with 56 laps to go, ending any hope of an emotional win for RCR. He finished 32nd.

Reed writes for the Associated Press.

It will be JSerra taking on La Mirada for the Southern Section Division 1 softball championship next weekend in Irvine after both teams won their semifinal games on Saturday.

JSerra, behind 14 strikeouts from Liliana Escobar, defeated No. 2-seed Norco 2-0 to advance to its first championship game. Annabel Raftery hit a solo home run and Magenta De Arte added an RBI single.

Alison Ortega threw a complete game with seven strikeouts in La Mirada’s 5-1 win over La Habra. Freshman Rylee Thurmond had three hits.

Whittier Christian 11, St. Paul 8: A grand slam by Danni Lopez in the seventh powered the Heralds to victory in a Division 2 semifinal game. Whittier Christian will face Mater Dei in the final.

Mater Dei 4, San Clemente 2: Tulutululelei Salue hit a two-run home run and Aly Carrillo added a solo home run for the Monarchs in a Division 2 semifinal.

Great Oak 4, North Torrance 3: Regan Spillers delivered a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning in a Division 3 semifinal. Isabella Paun finished with three hits. Great Oak will face Riverside Prep, a 4-2 winner over Dos Pueblos.

Oxnard 1, Monrovia 0: Sophomore Destinee Herrera threw the shutout, striking out eight with no walks, in a Division 4 semifinal. Oxnard will face Mission Viejo, a 5-3 winner over Burbank Burroughs.

The first-ever winner of Britain’s Got Talent has spoken out about the ITV show’s format and says it needs to change to survive.

Britain’s Got Talent winner Paul Potts has spoken out about the iconic talent show and its current format.

The 55-year-old, who claimed the inaugural title on the ITV programme back in 2007, has voiced his concerns about international acts who have already reached the semi-final stages on other Got Talent franchises subsequently competing in the British version.

While making clear he has “no problem” with overseas performers appearing on the show, Paul insisted the programme must “adapt” to remain relevant.

Speaking exclusively to Sky Vegas, he said: “I’ve got no problem with international acts because British people have won America’s Got Talent before. Paul Zerdin won America’s Got Talent, so it works both ways. Some of the international acts this year have been fantastic and they bring real quality to the competition.”

He continued: “But I don’t think people who’ve already made a Got Talent final anywhere in the world should then be allowed to compete in another regular Got Talent series. Otherwise, it just becomes the same people endlessly auditioning across the franchise.”

“For me, if somebody has already reached a live semi-final, they should maybe get one more shot and that’s it. It’s not just meant for amateurs and complete novices. Professionals can absolutely compete, but it can’t just become a revolving door of career talent show contestants.”

Paul also suggested that the programme needs to venture across the UK in search of potential performers. He went on: “The format of Britain’s Got Talent needs to adapt.

“I think they need to start going around the country again like they used to instead of concentrating everything into one or two locations. Go out to seven or eight cities and really search for more homegrown talent. That would encourage more people from around the UK to audition.

“They also need to focus purely on quality once it gets to the semi-finals and finals. Bring novelty acts back to perform in the live shows for entertainment, but don’t have them there as actual semi-finalists because it feels a little disrespectful to the contestants who genuinely have a realistic chance of winning.”

Paul further noted that he believes the Golden Buzzer is ineffective in the semi-finals and that Piers Morgan ought to make a comeback to the programme, reports the Daily Star.

He continued: “I think it’s good to have diversity on the panel. KSI brings energy, and I don’t think there’s really anything wrong with the judging panel itself. The issue for me is more about the structure – you either need one more judge or one fewer judge, so you don’t keep ending up in deadlock situations.

“If they were going to add another judge, I’d say bring Piers Morgan back. I’m sure he’d shake things up a bit. I’m not sure he’d do it again, but it would certainly make things interesting.”

Britain’s Got Talent continues Saturday, 23rd May at 7pm on ITV1.