Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 466

CCS Division I softball finals: Salinas captures first section title in 27 years

SARATOGA — She’s had to live with the pitch for a year. Abi Jones can’t count how many times she has thought about the magnitude of the moment in her head.

A shot at redemption against the same opponent in the same setting would not be denied. Jones can bury the decision and celebrate a Central Coast Section softball title.

“Let’s just say I have thought about it a lot,” the Salinas High pitcher said. “I had trouble sleeping last night. I have used it as motivation all year. I had a lot of adrenaline today.”

The right-handed hurler came out with a purpose, in the circle and at the plate, as Jones struck out 17 and added a two-run double Saturday, leading Salinas to a 7-5 win over Monterey in the Division I finals at West Valley College.

For the Cowboys, who avenged last year’s 4-2 setback to Monterey in the Division II title game, it was their first section title since 1998.

“I took the girls to the sign on our field with the names of the players from the last title team,” Salinas coach Ron Guzman said. “I told them you have a chance to do something that will last forever. I’m still taking this in. You’re a little in shock at first.”

Salinas (20-9) will be seeded into the Northern California divisional playoffs, where it will open tournament play on Tuesday. Joining them in the postseason will be CCS Division III champion Alvarez.

“I’m just over the moon,” Jones said. “Our offense was insane. We were executing bunts, taking extra bases. The energy in the dugout was super high. It was just a great team effort. Honestly, it feels surreal.”

Having fallen by a run in the 2022 Division IV finals, and succumbing on a walk-off homer in last year’s Division II title game, Salinas erased two years of hardship, as well as a pair of losses to Monterey this past spring in Gabilan Division play.

“It’s kind of sinking in,” said Jones, who will pitch in 2026 for San Jose State. “It hasn’t fully set in. There is a lot of emotions. We got them back for what happened last year.”

No one felt the sting from last year more than Jones, who gave up the two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh in a 4-2 loss to Monterey (21-8), who was attempting to three-peat as section champions.

“I think I can finally stop thinking about it now,” said Jones, who has struck out 45 hitters in three playoff games.

Jones was masterful in the circle, with the juniors first 10 outs recorded being strikeouts — 15 of her 17 strikeouts coming in the first six innings, limiting the No. 3 seeded Toreadores to one run through six.

“We didn’t make the adjustments,” Monterey coach Michael Royster said. “She was throwing a rise ball. We kept on talking about it, reminding them to look down. It looks like you can hit it. We got fooled on it about half dozen times.”

Staked to a 1-0 lead before throwing her first pitch was more runs than Jones received in a pair of 2-0 losses to Monterey in the regular season.

As dominated as Jones was in the circle, her bat was equally potent, delivering a two-run double in the fourth inning to give the Cowboys a 4-1 lead.

“That felt amazing,” Jones said. “I had fouled off a couple of pitches. That gave me a little more cushion on the mound. I was throwing a little harder after that.”

Support at the plate continued as Sam Regalado ripped a two-run double in the sixth, increasing Salinas’ led to five runs. An RBI double from Sam Merillana extended the advantage to 7-1 in the seventh.

Regalado finished with a pair of doubles for Salinas, while Ava Thompson collected four hits, including a triple to open the game, later scoring on a ground out for the game’s first run.

“We put it all together at the plate and in the field,” Guzman said. “It’s something we’ve wanted to do all year. We executed a game plan that worked perfectly. We shortened our swings to let the pitcher dictate the power.”

As it turned out, the insurance runs were critical as Monterey mounted a wild seventh inning rally, with Ryanna Elliott driving in her second run of the game, and Jordyn McGrit singling home a run to cut the deficit to two.

“I don’t know what it was, but nothing seemed to phase me,” Jones said. “All we needed was one more out. Everyone was telling me to remain calm. I was pretty calm. I wasn’t dwelling on any of it.”

Jones, who struck out the side in the first three innings, left the potential tying run at the plate with a called third strike to create a wild and emotional celebration — one that was 27 years in the making.

“We were fighting an uphill battle the entire game,” Royster said. “We were fortunate to get an opportunity to get back to the finals a third straight year — in a higher division. It’s still quite an achievement. We had a lot of firsts this year.”

Ironically, the Cowboys last loss this year was administered by Monterey in their Gabilan Division finale.

“Even when we were up by four runs, I said it wasn’t enough,” Guzman said. “Monterey always come on strong. Abi’s poise in the circle was unbelievable. She just kept battling.”

CCS Division III softball finals: Alvarez three peats as section champions

SAN JOSE — Pandemonium started in the circle before moving toward left fielder Kamyla Cruz, who clutched the ball in her glove for the final out.

The emotion was real. For an Alvarez program that had endured a tumultuous stretch — not once, but twice during the year, celebrating a section softball title for the third consecutive year felt surreal.

“We had a lot of doubts at midseason,” Alvarez coach Andy Meza said. “It was a learning process. We were dealing with two big injuries. New leaders stepped up. I may not show it. But inside, I’m really emotional right now.”

Alvarez has put itself in a prestigious place, becoming just the second program in county history to three-peat as Central Coast Section softball champions after Saturday’s 1-0 win over Santa Teresa in the Division III finals at San Jose City.

“I am super proud of my teammates,” said pitcher Dani Amendola, who has been a part of all three title teams. “We pulled together in the end.”

Alvarez, who will be seeded into the Northern California tournament, which begins on Tuesday, has a Division I title and two Division III championships to its credit, beating Santa Teresa for the second straight year in the finals.

“I’m personally not a fan of the Northern California tournament,” Meza said. “We have kids graduating on Thursday if we get past the first round. But the girls are looking forward to it.”

Alvarez elected not to take part in the tournament last year when Meza learned he’d have six players from his varsity team available because of graduation commitments.

The only other team in the county to three-peat as CCS champions was Notre Dame, who set a state record of nine straight section titles from 1998-2006.

Having endured losing streaks of seven and five games after opening the year with nine straight wins, Alvarez was staring at a 2-9 Gabilan Division mark before winning its last three games to earn a play-in game.

“We started messing more,” Amendola said. “We didn’t make any big changes. We just didn’t get as down if something went wrong.”

Amendola has been nearly unhittable during the Eagles postseason push, having produced five shutouts during a current seven game winning streak — having not allowed a run in her last 15 innings of work.

Having outscored two opponents 20-4 in the postseason, the No. 2 seeded Saints were held to two hits by Amendola, who finished with seven strikeouts, giving her 29 in three postseason games.

“My curve ball and fastball were working really well,” said Amendola, who has won 41 games in three seasons with Alvarez and is 9-0 in CCS playoffs. “I could tell early that my stuff was on. I was hitting my spots.”

Santa Teresa (16-14), who ended North Salinas’ season last Thursday with a 10-0 win, was seeking redemption after falling 5-2 in last year’s Division III title game to Alvarez.

One run would be all Amendola would need as Alvarez broke up a scoreless battle in the fifth inning when Amaris Perez’s  single was misplayed, enabling Lizbeth Ramirez to score from first.

“I did not think one run would be enough,” Meza said. “Santa Teresa has some amazing hitters. I was scared. But Dani and the defense shut them down.”

Despite their midseason struggles, the 18 wins the Eagles have manufactured this year is the second most in school history behind the 2022 team that won 24 games.

November election to be focus of Panetta Lecture Series

David Axelrod, a former advisor to President Barack Obama, and Reince Priebus, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, will be featured on the panel for this season’s final installment of the Panetta Lecture Series on June 3.

Axelrod and Priebus will join veteran American diplomat Richard Haas and former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to discuss “The Challenge of the 2024 Election – A United or Divided America?” The event starts at 7 p.m. at the Monterey Conference Center.

The discussion will likely focus on the presidential race said Panetta in a press release.

Reince Priebus, the former chief of staff to President Trump, will be one of the featured guests at the Panetta Lecture Series. (Andrew Harnik — Associated Press file)

“Have President Trump’s legal problems helped or hurt his chances? Can President Biden develop a message that can counter his low showing in the polls?”

In addition to examining the two campaigns, the panel will discuss what they expect to happen in the next administration.

“Whoever becomes president will they follow the Constitution and the rule of law? Is the fate of our democracy at stake?” Panetta said.

Axelrod is considered a preeminent American political strategist and is a senior political commentator for CNN.

Priebus was named White House chief of staff in 2016. Before managing the White House staff, he served as the longest-serving chairman of the Republican National Committee in modern history.  He was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016 and 2017.

Haass is a respected scholar of international relations. He served as president of the Council on Foreign Relations for 20 years.

Individual tickets to the June 3 lecture sell for $100. To order, call the Panetta Institute at (831) 582-4200 to pay with a credit card. For more information on tickets, subscriptions or broadcast details, call the Panetta Institute at (831) 582-4200 or visit www.panettainstitute.org.

No-hit for 5 innings, SF Giants still find a way to beat Mets

NEW YORK — Held hitless for five innings, looking hapless for the better part of Saturday afternoon’s matinee, of course the Giants still found a way to claw their way to extra innings and pull out another comeback win.

That is, after all, about all they have done this week.

Trailing after the seventh inning for the fourth consecutive game, the Giants pulled out an incredulous fourth consecutive comeback win, 7-2, over the Mets in 10 innings and achieved something almost as unbelievable, guaranteeing they will return home Monday holding no worse than a .500 record.

“It’s just kind of what we’re doing right now,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We talk about it every day: the 27th out. Until then, every at-bat means as much in the first as it does in the ninth. We seem to have a little flare for the dramatic here recently. … The talk in the dugout late in games is, ‘Here we go again.’”

After erasing deficits of at least four runs the past three days, the 2-1 hole they faced after Sean Hjelle served up a solo shot to Brett Baty in the seventh inning might not have seemed like much to overcome. But after being held hitless by Luis Severino for five innings, it wasn’t clear whether the Giants’ magic had run out.

As fans streamed for the exits in the top of the 10th, many of the 32,971 on hand apparently came to terms that it had not.

Pinch-hitting on a bum hamstring, LaMonte Wade Jr. tied the score in the top of the ninth against Edwin Díaz with a line-drive into right field that brought home Ryan McKenna, in the game as a pinch-runner for Wilmer Flores, who led off the inning with a single, and Brett Wisely knocked in their automatic runner to begin extra innings with his third hit of the game.

The Giants piled on for five runs in the 10th, with Mike Yastrzemski delivering the knockout blow on a bases-clearing triple off left-hander Josh Walker. Each of their wins on their season-long four-game streak have featured rallies of at least four runs in the eighth inning or later.

It is the first time since 1997 and only the ninth time in franchise history that the Giants have come from behind to win in four consecutive games on the road.

It wouldn’t have been possible without the clutch knock from Wade an inning earlier.

“A big hit can ignite you,” Melvin said. “Wade comes off the bench, he wasn’t even going to play today except to just hit, and gets another huge hit like he tends to do. And then after that, once we tied the game, we had a really good feeling that we were going to win the game based on what’s transpired the last few days.”

Wade was thrown out trying for second base and could have aggravated his left hamstring in the process. Before the game, Melvin said Wade “stretched his hammy” while reeling in two throws in the ninth inning the previous night but considered the issue to be “minor.”

While Melvin said afterward “I wasn’t comfortable with that,” Wade confirmed that his hamstring was fine and expected to be ready whenever he’s called on next.

“We’re never out of the ballgame,” Wade said. “This offense, nobody wants to give away at-bats. Everybody’s tring to move the line and keep it going for the next guy behind him. We’re just a resilient team and we’re never out of a game.”

For as successful as the Giants have been recently upon forcing starting pitchers from the game, that didn’t appear to factor into their plan of attack against Severino, who held them hitless for five innings and needed only 36 pitches to make it through the first four frames.

“He just fills up the zone,” Melvin said. “So to get behind 0-1 all the time (doesn’t make sense). He started throwing his breaking ball for strikes I think once he identified that we were trying to be aggressive on the fastball early. He’s just a really good pitcher and you’ve got to try to take your best shot at him, and that was to be more aggressive.”

Six of the first 10 Giants batters to come to the plate swung at the first pitch, and 10 of their plate appearances ended within three pitches.

By the end of the fourth inning, the Giants’ starter, Jordan Hicks, had thrown more than twice as many pitches.

“It did feel like those first two, three innings were like sit down and two minutes later I felt like I was back on the mound,” Hicks said.

The crowd let out a collective groan as Wisely poked a two-strike sinker over a leaping Baty at third base and into left field for the Giants’ first hit of the afternoon. Severino’s hopes of perfection were spoiled an inning earlier, when he lost Matt Chapman for his first walk — and the Giants’ first base runner — of the game.

“(Severino’s) stuff was so good, it was electric today. I just tried to be really, really simple and I swung at a pitch out of the zone I probably shouldn’t have swung at,” Wisely said. “But luckily made contact with it and got it over the third baseman’s head, broke up the no-hitter and I felt like that kind of got the team going and got some energy in the dugout.”

If it felt familiar, well, the Giants went hitless for five innings against Severino when the Mets visited Oracle Park last month, eventually cracking him for three runs and pulling out a win, albeit in less dramatic fashion. In his next start, Severino took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning against the Cubs.

The Giants still have not been held hitless for an entire game since Homer Bailey did it to them at Great American Ballpark on July 2, 2013.

The Mets didn’t need to wait longer than Hicks’ first batter to put one in the hit column, getting a leadoff double from Francisco Lindor for the second consecutive game. But unlike the previous night, the Giants’ starter reared back to record a pair of strikeouts and stranded Lindor on third base.

With a full stomach and healthy blood sugar levels, Hicks’ velocity rebounded from the dip it took in his last start when he lost his breakfast prior to first pitch and wasn’t able to fully replenish during the game. Topping out at 98.2 mph and averaging 95 with his two-seamer, Hicks struck out eight and generated 19 swings and misses while limiting the Mets to a lone run over five innings, identical results to his last start but coming in much different fashion.

The 19 whiffs were a season-high for Hicks, with nine coming on the splitter he used to put away half of his strikeout victims.

“I felt like the splitter was really working today,” Hicks said. “And then the sinker off that. Really just establishing the sinker in the zone and getting splitter swings and misses. But I had a couple four-seams swings and misses for strikeouts, and that pitch is really coming around.”

Besides Lindor’s leadoff double, the only hit the Mets mustered off Hicks was a solo shot from Starling Marte in the second inning that amounted to their only run against the Giants’ starter. An expletive escaped Hicks’ lips as soon as Marte connected with the hanging sweeper, left over the plate for one of his few mistakes.

“It’s probably going to be haunting me in my dreams the next couple days,” Hicks said of the 0-2 offering.

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On board with their first hit, Wisely came around to score their first run on a two-out single from Patrick Bailey, who only a pitch earlier missed out on a mammoth two-run blast when his fly ball sailed into the second deck of the right-field stands, just right of the foul pole.

Also dropping a single into shallow right field to lead off the eighth, Wisely contributed three of the Giants’ eight hits after getting the start at shortstop in place of Marco Luciano, who has swung the bat well but committed his fifth error in his past five games upon taking over at short after a string of substitutions.

With Wade unable to play the field, the defensive shakeup moved Wisely to first base, a position unfamiliar enough that he had to borrow Flores’ mitt.

“He’s really done a nice job for us since he’s gotten here,” Melvin said. “Playing a little bit out of position at short at times and very much out of position at first at the end of the game, but just the way our bench was set up today, we had to do some unorthodox things.

“When you win wild games like that, sometimes guys are going to play out of position a bit.”

Four of Luciano’s miscues have come in the ninth inning or later, including his latest, when he wasn’t able to handle the toss from Thairo Estrada on a potential double-play ball in the bottom of the ninth, though this one didn’t come back to bite them as Luke Jackson got Lindor to ground out and Pete Alonso to fly out to end the inning.

“What do you want me to say? He’s working hard out here,” Melvin said before the game. “Defensively it’s been a tough stretch for him but he’s just continuing to work.”

Up next

RHP Logan Webb (4-4, 3.03) vs. LHP Sean Manaea (3-1, 3.11) in the series finale, with first pitch scheduled for 10:40 a.m. PT Sunday.

Tesla under investigation over Fremont factory toxic emissions, and faces lawsuit over alleged health harms

Bay Area air-quality officials have launched an investigation into Tesla, charging the electric automaker with letting massive amounts of harmful toxins escape into the air from its Fremont car factory. In a double blow, an environmental group has filed a new lawsuit against the company over such pollution releases.

Since 2019, Tesla, which made $17.7 billion in profit last year according to regulatory filings, has allowed 112 illegal toxic releases, each containing as much as 750 pounds of harmful contaminants, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said in a news release early this month.

Even low levels of ozone created when the emitted chemicals meet sunlight can harm health, especially for children, older people and those with asthma, the district said. Other released contaminants can cause cancer and, even at low levels, neurological damage and reproductive and developmental damage, according to the regulatory agency, which pointed to Tesla’s paint-spraying booths and paint-baking ovens as sources of the pollution.

Tesla did not respond to requests for comment on the district’s investigation and allegations or claims in the lawsuit.

District officials announced May 2 that they were seeking an order to shut down the Fremont plant’s two car-painting departments if Tesla would not agree to hire outside experts to help stop the emissions.

The district said this week that it had previously probed Tesla’s pollution from the factory and found it resulted from repeated problems in the painting departments’ containment systems and production lines.

“Operational changes were made by Tesla, but ultimately, they were not enough,” said district spokeswoman Kristina Chu, adding that the agency may sue Tesla over the emissions.

Despite “extensive discussion” between district officials and the company, Tesla has not stemmed the emissions, the district said in its request for an order from its hearing board, which rules on regulatory-compliance issues.

Meanwhile, the car maker led by notoriously regulation-hostile CEO Elon Musk is facing a new lawsuit by a local environmental group claiming Tesla’s “extensive and ongoing” pollutant releases are exposing residents and workers in the area to harmful chemicals, including arsenic.

“It feels to us like profits are more important than actually being a good neighbor and supporting human health,” said Tanya Boyce, executive director of the Environmental Democracy Project, a nonprofit corporation that filed the lawsuit last week in San Francisco U.S. District Court. Boyce noted that children attend Bringhurst Elementary school within a mile of the Tesla plant.

Her group’s lawsuit, which cites “a long history of noncompliance with environmental laws” at the factory, alleged Tesla broke federal air quality rules more than 160 times between January 2021 and January 2024.

Records from Tesla submitted with the lawsuit list more than 90 violations between January 2022 and June 2023 of the company’s permit from the air quality district. Tesla attributed the causes nearly every time to “unforeseen” breakdowns and malfunctions, according to the records.

The air quality district in its news release described Tesla’s emissions as “foreseeable.”

The Environmental Democracy Project targets pollution affecting communities of color. The City of Fremont describes itself as “one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse cities in the Bay Area,” with 63% of residents speaking a language other than English at home. U.S. Census data show the city’s population is 62% Asian, 21% White, 12% Latino and 3% Black.

In a March letter to Musk, the Environmental Democracy Project said it was planning to sue Tesla in federal court over its alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act because the air quality district had not done so already, “leaving it to citizens like EDP to bring their own enforcement action.”

The nonprofit is seeking a court order barring Tesla from violating air quality regulations, and fines of up to $121,000 per day for each alleged violation of the Clean Air Act.

The Fremont factory, where Tesla makes its models 3, X, Y and S, has long been a target for regulatory and legal action.

In February, eight Bay Area counties sued Tesla, claiming it illegally dumped hazardous waste produced in its Fremont plant and its auto service centers around the region. District attorneys in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties along with 17 other California DAs allege in San Joaquin County Superior Court that the company broke a host of laws on labeling, transportation and disposal of toxic materials.

In a February 2022 settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Tesla agreed to pay a $275,000 fine for breaking the Clean Air Act at the Fremont plant over a three-year period.

Tesla in 2021 was fined $750,000 in a settlement with the air district for committing 33 air quality violations since 2015. In 2019, the company agreed to pay a $31,000 penalty over hazardous waste violations at the Fremont factory in another settlement with the U.S. EPA.

Boyce believes the “very small” penalties are just “the cost of doing business” for Tesla.

Musk has frequently defied and disparaged regulations and regulators and tweeted last year, “Like Gulliver, tied down by thousands of little strings, we lose our freedom one regulation at a time.”

In 2018, Musk agreed to pay a $20 million fine to settle a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charge that he misled investors with a tweet about taking Tesla private — then he . At the start of the COVID pandemic, Tesla kept the Fremont plant running for nearly a week in violation of a public health order, with Musk tweeting that an “ignorant” Alameda County health officer was violating “our Constitutional freedoms.”

Liza Horvath, Senior Advocate: Developing wealth habits

Readers: This column was first published in 2015 but the comments are still relevant today – maybe more than ever. Enjoy!

Absent an inheritance, most financially successful people get that way by practicing good spending, saving, and investing habits. These behaviors may have been learned from parents, through formal education or by inadvertent attendance to the school of hard knocks. Education and experience can teach us not only about what works in the world of wealth accumulation but can also show us our personal strong suits. A successful entrepreneur who knows real estate well and became wealthy by investing in commercial buildings, for instance, is unlikely to invest in the stock and bond market. The entrepreneur likes real estate, and he understands it. The opaque nature of stock market investing is unknown and therefore frightening to him and he will stay with what has, historically, worked for him.

We can learn from the success of those who have “made it” and here are a few short lessons learned from studying the habits of the rich:

First, think before you marry: Before saying “I do,” smart, successful people discuss money and seek to understand the saving, spending and investing habits of their soon-to-be spouse. What does the partner expect in housing, transportation, and vacations? Successful people marry someone like-minded when it comes to financial goals and the coupling usually involves a prenuptial agreement. If a mistake is made and a divorce ensues, the successful person not only engages the services of a good lawyer but those of a financial and tax advisor, as well. Assets worth little today may have the potential, either through growth or preferential tax treatment, to be worth a great deal more in the future. When “splitting assets” in a divorce, a successful person is aware of the present and future value of assets and a financial or tax advisor is retained to help with valuation.

Getting the best results in a divorce also means putting everything in writing. Successful people know better than to rely on memory or promises – they set emotions aside and make sure all agreements are included in the final divorce decree.

Second, know the true cost of services: Successful people understand the true cost of the services they are getting and this clarity is arrived at before they sign on the dotted line. Fees for investment management, for instance, typically range from .20 percent per year of the assets the manager oversees to up to 2 percent. If a smart investor is only looking to do stock and bond investing, more are now building their portfolios with low-cost exchange-traded funds. Online “robo advisor” services manage portfolios of funds for .25 percent per year or less. If a money manager also provides financial planning to help them reduce taxes, maximize retirement funds, or efficiently meet the cost of a child’s college education, the successful person may find higher fees for services acceptable. After all, fees are only an issue in the absence of value.

Lastly, teach children about money: Finally, successful people seek to raise money-smart kids. Many “weave small financial lessons into everyday conversations,” says Jonathan Clements, columnist with The Wall Street Journal. Show children how to divvy up their allowance into three buckets – spend, save, and tithe. This helps them experience from a young age the power of compounding interest in the “saved” funds and the beauty of giving the “tithe” funds.

Attention to details and establishing “wealth-minded” actions can make all the difference in your success. Do you have wealth habits?

Liza Horvath has more than 30 years of experience in the estate planning and trust fields and is the president of Monterey Trust Management, a financial and trust management company. This is not intended to be legal or tax advice. Questions? Email liza@montereytrust.com or call (831)646-5262

U.S. Olympic swimming trials: Carmel’s Rodgers qualifies in the 200 IM

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the date draws closer, it sinks in a little more for Connor Rodgers. Yet, at the same time, he’s still processing it in his head.

The nerves, anxiety and even doubt that Rodgers was feeling before getting into his blocks turned to shock and near tears in a matter of two minutes in the swimming pool.

“I thought I would be in tears when I got (the time),” Rodgers said. “But I was so in shock. I’m like, wow, I am actually going to the Olympic Trials.”

The Carmel native earned a qualifying time for the United States Olympic Trials in swimming, advancing in the 200-meter individual medley.

Rodgers will spend the next three weeks training with a select few in Washington D.C., before the trials begin on June 15 in Indianapolis.

“This is a learning experience,” Rodgers said. “It will be the highest level of competition I have ever swam in. It will provide so much confidence going into my senior year.”

Rodgers has already rewritten four school records in three seasons at Geroge Washington University. Ironically, the 200 IM is not one of them.

Carmel Connor Rodgers has achieved the Olympic Trials standard.(Courtesy photo)

Yet, from a time standpoint, the 22-year-old’s mark coming into the Atlanta Classic last weekend was the closest to meeting the Olympic Trials standard.

Rodgers took advantage of a salt pool at Georgia Tech, establishing a career-best of 2 minutes, 2.74 seconds in the 200 IM to dip under the qualifying standard of 2:03.49 — shaving more than a second off his career-best time.

“The meet was my last shot,” Rodgers said. “I was so nervous. This might be the only time I get a shot to compete in the Olympic Trials. It was a success.”

Rodgers is realistic about the next step. Making the Olympic team isn’t on his radar. Extending his career after college is still in question. Dropping time, however, is reasonable.

“I’m probably not going to Paris (host city for the Summer Olympics),” Rodgers laughed. “It’s a long shot. But I truly believe I can swim faster. I believe 2:01 is achievable. I like to have goals.”

Rodgers’ resume this past year included being named the Atlantic 10 Conference’s Most Outstanding Male Performer after his five-win effort at the conference finals, which included a meet record in the 200 butterfly.

Providing 60 points and earning all-conference honors for a third consecutive year, Rodgers helped George Washington to its fourth consecutive Atlantic 10 Conference men’s team title.

Rodgers brought home gold medals in the 200 fly, 200 IM and 400 IM, and swam legs on two winning relay teams, adding to his legacy in the school’s program.

Over three seasons, Rodgers has won eight conference titles, while setting three Atlantic 10 Conference records, rewriting his own meet record this past season in the 200 fly.

“I had an extremely successful conference meet,” said Rodgers, who took up swimming at the age of 10 and estimates he’s never taken more than a week off over the past eight years.

While it will be hard not to be in awe of swimmers he’s grown up idolizing, star gazing will be on hold as Rodgers has reset his goals now that a vision has become a reality.

“Now that the goal to get there has been accomplished, I’d like to make the semifinals, be a top 16 finisher,” Rodgers said. “Goals are what motivate me and make me want to train harder.”

The trials will have a unique look in that three Olympic-sized, 3-meter-deep swimming pools are being built on top of the Indianapolis Colts’ home field at Lucas Oil Stadium.

While temporary pools have been built in arenas in the past for events of this magnitude, this will be the first one put inside a football stadium, which does possess a roof that opens.

“It’s hitting me that I’m going to be racing against all these stars,” Rodgers beamed. “Every few hours, it sinks in a little more. It’s going to be an incredible environment.”

Having honed his skills as a youth swimming for the Monterey Bay Swim Club, Rodgers took an immediate liking to the water, where it became his passion.

“I did a lot of sports when I was younger,” Rodgers said. “My parents were adamant about me doing something. I wasn’t the best land athlete. I just picked up swimming faster.”

Rodgers, who never swam in high school competition, was fourth in the 400 IM in 2019 at the USA Swimming Future Meet in Mood Hood.

“I’m probably best in the butterfly,” Rodgers said. “Through the years, I have gotten consistent in all four strokes. I do not consider myself to have a weak stroke.”

Rodgers, who will return to Carmel after the trials and compete in a pair of meets in California, will team up with his brother Cameron for his final collegiate season at George Washington.

“I don’t know if I’m going to continue to swim after college,” Rodgers said. “I do not know if I will have this opportunity again. This was a lifetime goal, a dream. I’m there to drop time. But I’m also going to soak in this moment.”

High price of popular diabetes drugs deprives low-income people of effective treatment

By Renuka Rayasam, KFF Health News

For the past year and a half, Tandra Cooper Harris and her husband, Marcus, who both have diabetes, have struggled to fill their prescriptions for the medications they need to control their blood sugar.

Without Ozempic or a similar drug, Cooper Harris suffers blackouts, becomes too tired to watch her grandchildren, and struggles to earn extra money braiding hair. Marcus Harris, who works as a Waffle House cook, needs Trulicity to keep his legs and feet from swelling and bruising.

The couple’s doctor has tried prescribing similar drugs, which mimic a hormone that suppresses appetite and controls blood sugar by boosting insulin production. But those, too, are often out of stock. Other times, their insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace burdens the couple with a lengthy approval process or an out-of-pocket cost they can’t afford.

“It’s like, I’m having to jump through hoops to live,” said Cooper Harris, 46, a resident of Covington, Georgia, east of Atlanta.

Supply shortages and insurance hurdles for this powerful class of drugs, called GLP-1 agonists, have left many people who are suffering from diabetes and obesity without the medicines they need to stay healthy.

One root of the problem is the very high prices set by drugmakers. About 54% of adults who had taken a GLP-1 drug, including those with insurance, said the cost was “difficult” to afford, according to KFF poll results released this month. But it is patients with the lowest disposable incomes who are being hit the hardest. These are people with few resources who struggle to see doctors and buy healthy foods.

In the United States, Novo Nordisk charges about $1,000 for a month’s supply of Ozempic, and Eli Lilly charges a similar amount for Mounjaro. Prices for a month’s supply of different GLP-1 drugs range from $936 to $1,349 before insurance coverage, according to the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker. Medicare spending for three popular diabetes and weight loss drugs — Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Mounjaro — reached $5.7 billion in 2022, up from $57 million in 2018, according to research by KFF.

The “outrageously high” price has “the potential to bankrupt Medicare, Medicaid, and our entire health care system,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who chairs the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, wrote in a letter to Novo Nordisk in April.

The high prices also mean that not everyone who needs the drugs can get them. “They’re kind of disadvantaged in multiple ways already and this is just one more way,” said Wedad Rahman, an endocrinologist with Piedmont Healthcare in Conyers, Georgia. Many of Rahman’s patients, including Cooper Harris, are underserved, have high-deductible health plans, or are on public assistance programs like Medicaid or Medicare.

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Many drugmakers have programs that help patients get started and stay on medicines for little or no cost. But those programs have not been reliable for medicines like Ozempic and Trulicity because of the supply shortages. And many insurers’ requirements that patients receive prior authorization or first try less expensive drugs add to delays in care.

By the time many of Rahman’s patients see her, their diabetes has gone unmanaged for years and they’re suffering from severe complications like foot wounds or blindness. “And that’s the end of the road,” Rahman said. “I have to pick something else that’s more affordable and isn’t as good for them.”

GLP-1 agonists — the category of drugs that includes Ozempic, Trulicity, and Mounjaro — were first approved to treat diabetes. In the last three years, the Food and Drug Administration has approved rebranded versions of Mounjaro and Ozempic for weight loss, leading demand to skyrocket. And demand is only growing as more of the drugs’ benefits become apparent.

In March, the FDA approved the weight loss drug Wegovy, a version of Ozempic, to treat heart problems, which will likely increase demand, and spending. Up to 30 million Americans, or 9% of the U.S. population, are expected to be on a GLP-1 agonist by 2030, the financial services company J.P. Morgan estimated.

As more patients try to get prescriptions for GLP-1 agonists, drugmakers struggle to make enough doses.

Eli Lilly is urging people to avoid using its drug Mounjaro for cosmetic weight loss to ensure enough supplies for people with medical conditions. But the drugs’ popularity continues to grow despite side effects such as nausea and constipation, driven by their effectiveness and celebrity endorsements. In March, Oprah Winfrey released an hourlong special on the medicines’ ability to help with weight loss.

It can seem like everyone in the world is taking this class of medication, said Jody Dushay, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an endocrinologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “But it’s kind of not as many people as you think,” she said. “There just isn’t any.”

Even when the drugs are in stock, insurers are clamping down, leaving patients and health care providers to navigate a thicket of ever-changing coverage rules. State Medicaid plans vary in their coverage of the drugs for weight loss. Medicare won’t cover the drugs if they are prescribed for obesity. And commercial insurers are tightening access due to the drugs’ cost.

Health care providers are cobbling together care plans based on what’s available and what patients can afford. For example, Cooper Harris’ insurer covers Trulicity but not Ozempic, which she said she prefers because it has fewer side effects. When her pharmacy was out of Trulicity, she had to rely more on insulin instead of switching to Ozempic, Rahman said.

One day in March, Brandi Addison, an endocrinologist in Corpus Christi, Texas, had to adjust the prescriptions for all 18 of the patients she saw because of issues with drug availability and cost, she said. One patient, insured through a teacher retirement health plan with a high deductible, couldn’t afford to be on a GLP-1 agonist, Addison said.

“Until she reaches that deductible, that’s just not a medication she can use,” Addison said. Instead, she put her patient on insulin, whose price is capped at a fraction of the cost of Ozempic, but which doesn’t have the same benefits.

“Those patients who have a fixed income are going to be our more vulnerable patients,” Addison said.

This article was produced by KFF Health News and also ran on CBS News. Renuka Rayasam: rrayasam@kff.org, @renurayasam

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs of KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.

Horoscopes May 25, 2024: Octavia Spencer, focus more on yourself

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Aly Raisman, 30; Demetri Martin, 51; Octavia Spencer, 54; Mike Myers, 61.

Happy Birthday: Assess situations quickly. Avoid drama and confusion by going directly to the source. Focus more on yourself and less on those who like to create chaos. Stabilization and security will lead to peace of mind and the freedom to concentrate on what matters to you most. Work toward the changes you want to make privately, and you’ll deter outside influences from standing in your way. Your numbers are 4, 13, 18, 26, 34, 40, 47.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You’ll be anxious to finish things. Before you begin, put a doable plan in place to ensure success. Don’t let a change someone initiates slow you down. A physical approach to getting things done will satisfy you and impress others. Romance and self-improvement are favored. 5 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Reach out and connect with people working toward a similar goal. The help you give and receive will lead to unexpected opportunities, knowledge and experience that will help you get ahead. Refrain from believing everything you hear; get a second opinion and get promises in writing. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Stick to your budget and apply creativity to whatever job, responsibility or project you encounter. Be kind to yourself and stick to a healthy lifestyle that offers routine, exercise and a proper diet. You will feel good, look great and achieve your goal. Romance is favored. 3 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Refrain from making snap decisions or acting in haste when dealing with situations that can affect your reputation or physical well-being. Check out what others are doing, and you’ll get a clear picture of what’s best for you. Let observing and asking questions influence your decisions. 3 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Spend more time on self-improvement, personal growth, gains and taking care of unfinished business, and you’ll forgo getting swept up in something that isn’t right for you. Refrain from falling for the hype someone offers about a costly deal or investment. Protect against scams and fraud. 3 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Stretch your mind, observe, absorb and make the changes that encourage better relationships and personal security. Trust in yourself and what you discover. Pay attention to physical changes that can develop into something severe. 5 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Pay attention to domestic issues and healthy lifestyles. Taking better care of yourself will rejuvenate and give you the capacity to reach your full potential. Your decision regarding someone close to you will improve your living situation. 2 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Something or someone will draw you to unusual pastimes and entertainment. Explore what’s available, and adjust your schedule to ensure you get all the benefits of something that resonates with you. Refuse to let an emotional connection or obligation cost you mentally or financially. Know when to say no. 4 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Look for opportunities, and you will discover a position, trend or pastime that interests you. Getting involved in something that encourages you to expand your knowledge, experience or circle of friends will lead to personal growth. 3 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Showing flexibility will make it easier to deal with those encouraging you to make a move. Test the information you receive, and you’ll discover what works best for you. Satisfy your needs first. Financial gain and love are apparent. 3 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Opportunity knocks; open the door and let it in. Mingle, sign up for something that interests you and spend time with someone you love. Pay attention to what’s happening around you, and a chance to make financial adjustments or gains will follow suit. Romance is favored. 4 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Rethink your strategy and consider your options. Refrain from letting someone step in and make plans for you. If you don’t feel up for a challenge, don’t accept an invitation to spar. Aim for stability and security, not appeasing someone putting pressure on you. 2 stars

Birthday Baby: You are adventuresome, pioneering and insightful. You are imaginative and expressive.

1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. 2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. 3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. 4 stars: Aim high; start new projects. 5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

Visit Eugenialast.com, or join Eugenia on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn.

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CIF state track and field: Adams advances in the 400 for North Salinas

CLOVIS — An historic track and field season for Clara Adams continues to write new chapters.

The freshman qualified for the CIF State track and field finals in the 400 meters Friday — the first North Salinas girl athlete to achieve that feat.

Adams took second in her heat in the 400, blistering the track in 54.63 at Buchanan High in Clovis, posting the third fastest overall time among the four heats.

The 15-year-old Adams will be in Lane 4 — her favorite lane — for Saturday’s finals, slated for 6:40 p.m., where she’ll have a visual with most of the field in front of her.

“I need to get out over the first 175 meters,” Adams said. “I can’t let off the gas. I’ll have something left at the end. The goal is sub-54. If I do that, I’ll podium.”

The first North Salinas girl athlete to qualify for the state meet in 27 years, Adams also produced a personal best in the 200 of 24.31, but did not qualify for the finals, finishing 12th overall.

Her mark in the 200 in Friday’s trials did move her to No. 2 all-time in the county behind former Olympic Trials qualifier Sani Roseby of Monterey.

“Being in Lane 8, it played with my mental makeup,” Adams said. “I set a personal record, which was okay. I’m thankful for making the finals in the 400. But I wanted to advance in the 200 as well.”

Adams is no stranger to running 400’s in back-to-back days. In fact, when she competed in the Junior Olympics last year, she ran the 400 in three consecutive days.

“It shouldn’t be a problem with the 24 hour turnover,” said Adams, the North Salinas school record holder in both the 200 and 400. “I need to take a long bath and get a lot of rest. I’m tired.”

Last week Adams broke the Monterey County record in the 400 meters with a mark of 54.46, then came back to become the first North Salinas girl athlete to win a CCS title in the 200.

“What I’m happy with in the 400 is I was consistent,” Adams said. “That’s two weeks in a row of running in the 54s. I will approach the race the same way as I have all year. It is always going to be hard in the end.”

Adams is the first county girl’s athlete to qualify for the 400 finals since Santa Catalina’s Makalya Revera achieved the feat during her junior year in 2016.

Chalk it up as a learning experience for junior distance ace Mack Aldi, who ran 1:55.19 to finish 16th overall in the 800 for Carmel.

“I learned that state is fast,” Aldi said. “I didn’t feel overwhelmed. I felt like I had a shot in the beginning of the race. I felt great. I felt I could keep up. Then I got boxed in. I was pretty cooked at the end.”

Aldi, who came in with a career best of 1:54.18, advanced to the state meet after finishing third at the CCS finals. The pace among the three heats at the state trials was sizzling, as evident by 1:53.72 being the final qualifier.

“I didn’t have my best race,” Aldi said. “I got boxed in three times. This has been the first season I’ve competed at this level. I learned a lot. I’m super excited about next year. It will be a different result.”

A state meet qualifier in cross-country as well last fall, Aldi was the Gabilan Division champion in the 800 and 1,600 meter runs this past spring.

For the first time in 23 years, Alvarez was represented at the state meet, as Angela Ayozie uncorked the shot put 37-feet-2 1/2 to finish 17th overall out of 28 competitors.

The junior produced a massive personal best of nearly five feet from last season, including a two-plus foot career best three weeks ago at the Masters Meet.

Two-time state meet qualifier Jack Nolan failed to clear a height in the pole vault for Salinas, finishing the year with a career best of 15-feet.