High Schools: Mayne set to be honored
Cooperstown has its Hall of Fame baseball weekend.
Thanks to Paul Grady, Costa Mesa High is having its first Hall of Fame baseball weekend next month.
One of the first things Grady wanted to do when he took over as baseball coach at Costa Mesa five months ago was bring awareness to the program. He hasn’t coached a game as the man in charge of his alma mater and he already has grand plans for the program.
The Costa Mesa Baseball Hall of Fame weekend is Feb. 15-16 and the first inductee will be Brent Mayne. He graduated from the school in 1986 and went on to have success in college, playing at Orange Coast College and Cal State Fullerton, and then in the major leagues for 15 seasons with seven teams.
The reason why Mayne, a catcher, is the first to make it into the Costa Mesa Baseball Hall of Fame made sense to Grady.
“He was a great guy and he helped the younger guys,” said Grady, adding that he was a sophomore on the junior varsity team when Mayne was a senior on varsity. “We want to start a tradition here.”
Grady hopes the Costa Mesa Baseball Hall of Fame weekend will be an annual two-day event.
The inaugural one takes place with a ceremony and dinner at Costa Mesa Country Club on Feb. 15. The next day, there will be a slow-pitch softball tournament and a Costa Mesa alumni game at TeWinkle Park.
“The events are open to everyone,” said Grady, adding that tickets to the ceremony and dinner are $30 per person, the softball tournament is $200 per team, and the alumni game, only open to former players and coaches, is a $35 donation per person.
“We want to induct someone every year, not just former major leaguers. We want to recognize those who have given back to the community and have been successful citizens.”
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Round 2 of the Battle for the Bell boys’ basketball game is Wednesday, when Costa Mesa plays host to rival Estancia at 7 p.m.
The Mustangs took the first meeting, 54-47. They need to get past the Eagles again to stay in the hunt for second place in the Orange Coast League.
Costa Mesa finished the first half of league play at 3-3, one game back of Godinez. The Mustangs are in third place.
Estancia, which is 2-4 in league, trails Costa Mesa by one game.
Last season, the Mustangs won the Battle for the Bell rivalry for the first time in five years.
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The Newport Harbor boys’ basketball team continues to lose tough, close games in Sunset League play.
The Sailors fell in another heartbreaker to Edison on Friday. They lost, 60-58, in overtime, marking the second time the Chargers have edged the Sailors in the waning seconds.
With four league games left, Newport Harbor is 1-5 and in fifth place. Four of the Sailors’ league losses have been by single-digit points. Before their recent setback, they lost at home to Edison, 67-65, at home to Fountain Valley, 72-68, and at home to Los Alamitos, 60-51.
Next for the Sailors is a Wednesday night game at Fountain Valley, which is in first place at 5-1.
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Corona del Mar is one game back of first-place Northwood in the Pacific Coast League boys’ basketball standings.
If both teams win their next two games, CdM (5-1 in league) will have a showdown at Northwood (6-0) on Feb. 5. The Sea Kings will need to beat the Timberwolves to move into a first-place tie with them.
A victory by Northwood would clinch the league title outright.
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If you’re a high school senior football player that’s looking to play on the next level, this might interest you.
Terry Donahue, the former UCLA football coach and current Newport Beach resident, is part of the California Showcase, a free, one-day, non-profit event that’s taking place at the Home Depot Center in Carson on Feb. 23. The event gives seniors a chance to showcase their talents and earn scholarships to Division II, Division III and NAIA football programs.
For more information on the event and to sign up, visit https://www.cashowcase.org.
Twitter: @DCPenaloza