He Carried a Texas-Sized Chip

The Shrine high school all-star football game proved to be a bittersweet experience for Kane Cullum.

Cullum, who left for Colorado this week, felt honored as the first Crespi High player since Russell White in 1989 to be invited to the game.

But after being prodded during the weeklong festivities by Texas defensive lineman D.J. Cooper, including a near-fight during a hospital visit Wednesday, emotions finally erupted midway through the third quarter of California’s 6-0 victory at Cal State Fullerton on Saturday.

Both Cooper and Cullum were ejected after their scuffling escalated into a near-brawl.

“We didn’t like each other from the start,” Cullum said. “The first day, the hospital, at Disneyland, he wanted to start something the entire week. And he got madder when I was kicking his [butt] the entire game.”

He really drives the ball: Andy Campanella, an outfielder for the Encino American Legion team, is the son of longtime actor and voice-over man Joe Campanella. If you’ve heard a BMW radio commercial lately, you’ve heard Joe Campanella’s voice.

Since Andy Campanella finished the season with nine hits in 14 at-bats, that must make him “The Ultimate Line-Driving Machine.”

Parting shot: Charlie Dunn, a member of the 1950-51 Ventura College basketball team, enjoyed the Philip Mathews era at the school as much as anyone, except for one thing: Dunn felt sorry for local high school players.

Dunn has no problem with Mathews’ record. In Mathews’ 10 seasons, Ventura won two state titles and advanced to the quarterfinals five times.

Mathews, who left earlier this month to become head coach at the University of San Francisco, attracted players from around the country. Of the 12 players on this year’s state championship team, only three are from Ventura County.

“The community colleges were founded for the local community,” Dunn said. “Mathews recruited as far away as Puerto Rico. It kind of irritates me that local kids got shut out.”

On Dunn’s ‘50-51 team, the first and last team in school history to play in the national junior college tournament, four starters came from Ventura High.

Footnote: The team’s leading scorer, Ernie Hall, was recruited from Indiana by Coach Elmer McCall, himself a transplanted Hoosier.

Quotebook

Jack Patton, former Riverside Pilot owner, explaining the lack of interest in Riverside that prompted the franchise to announce a move this week to Lancaster:

“Riverside is a unique city. They didn’t support a lot of things locally. I think when the sun goes down they go and lock themselves in their homes.”

Things to Do

Several area swimmers will be competing alongside former Olympic champions Janet Evans and Summer Sanders in the U.S. Swimming Championships beginning Monday and continuing through next Friday at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena.

Swimmers include Buena High’s Rebecca Gilman, Nicole Beck and Erin Schatz, who each won two events at the Southern Section Division I championships in May. Two local USC swimmers, former Granada Hills High standout Kristine Quance and Harvard-Westlake’s Alexis Larsen, also will compete.

Jennifer Parmenter of Granada Hills, who won two events as an eighth-grader at the last U.S. Nationals in March, is seeking to defend those titles.

Compiled by John Lynch. Contributing: Jeff Fletcher, Michael Lazarus.