The next sports season is right around the corner. Little League signups will come to a close on January 9, and baseball players and softball players will soon be swarming over the diamonds scattered throughout Patterson. For a number of years, it has been a struggle for Patterson baseball and softball players to find a good place for batting practice with families driving to Turlock, Modesto, and Tracy to find batting cages. Many players and parents are not aware of a hidden gem in the community that opened up its doors in 2025. Chris Lasaca opened the School of Hard’nocks early in the year with an eye towards strengthening the skills of young ball players right in Patterson. Lasaca has thirty years of experience as a player and a coach. He played college baseball for Mission Junior College in Santa Clara and for San Jose State University in San Jose. Immediately after college, he went on the coaching staff at Mission Junior College. He went on to coach baseball at five colleges, including a 3-year stint at San Jose State University that featured a berth in the College World Series in 1991. Lasaca’s life has been baseball and he is eager to share that knowledge with the young people of Patterson. He has a philosophy that says, “Make them happy to play!” He feels that sometimes parents and coaches put a lot of pressure on players and take the fun out of the game. Lasaca said, “Get the kids in here and get them some information and confidence.” He told the Irrigator, “I’m for the underdog.”

Not only does he have the baseball skills and knowledge to help local young people, but he has also established an impressive smalltown facility located right off of Highway 33. Players will find an entire array of indoor batting cages, pitching machines, and equipment that is designed to improve performance. Additional apparatus sits outside for other drills and exercises. Coach Lasaca has the knowledge to help each player put everything to use in a way that will benefit the player specifically. Lasaca offers a balanced approach of pushing the players to excel, but with an uplifting and encouraging spirit.

The School of Hard’nocks is billed as a “baseball and softball indoor training facility” and it offers a variety of ways for coaches and players to interact with the facility. Lasaca offers one-on-one coaching for individual players. Parents can purchase one session or a whole package of sessions. Coaches can also bring in the whole team for a batting practice session.

The location of the School of Hard’nocks is easy to find, but also easy to drive right past. It is located at 205 S. “D” Street right off of Highway 33. You will need to walk or drive down the alley to find the entrance gate. The front units on “D” Street house Mechanics Express and Imports along with Hydroponics. You will find the indoor training facility down the alley right behind these two businesses.

With baseball and softball season approaching rapidly, this would be a perfect time to take your Little League player or high school player down to the School of Hard’nocks and let Coach Lasaca take them to the next level of performance. You can reach Coach Lasaca at (805)588-1144 or at hardnocksbb@msn.com for more information.

To reach Timothy Benefield at the Irrigator call (209)892-6187 or email timothy@pattersonirrigator.com.

Twelve victories for the first time. An outright conference championship for the first time in 70 years. A berth in the College Football Playoff for the first time ever.

A season for the ages for Texas Tech football fans.

Despite a disappointing defeat in the CFP quarterfinals, the Red Raiders provided memories to last a lifetime. And the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal will publish a hardcover collector’s book to commemorate Tech’s championship season. The book is titled “RED REIGN: The Inside Story of Texas Tech’s First Big 12 Football Championship.”

Buy our Texas Tech championship book now!

“RED REIGN” will chronicle how Tech dominated the Big 12, won 12 games by at least three touchdowns, whipped BYU twice in showdowns and claimed its first outright conference title since 1955 in the old Border Conference. And it will highlight the historic season by linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, winner of the Dick Butkus Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy, fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting and a transformative figure in a new era of Wreck ’Em football.

Judith Lee (Goodwin) O’Leary passed away peacefully in her home, surrounded by her family on Dec. 24, 2025. Judy leaves behind her daughter, Tara O’Leary MacCarthy and her husband, Kenny; her grandchildren, Dr. Keira (O’Donovan) Martinez and her wife, Dr. Jennifer Martinez, Connor O’Leary and his wife Katherine. Judy is also survived by her two beloved great-granddaughters, Eve Martinez and Saoirse O’Leary, and her loving extended family and dear, life-long friends. Judy was predeceased by many loved ones, including her husband, Capt. Douglas M. O’Leary, son, Captain Brendan M. O’Leary, grandson, Seamus M. O’Leary, parents, Webster and Betty Goodwin, and her brother, Capt. Steven W. Goodwin.

Devoted to the town she loved, Judy worked in the town offices for over 25 years in both the Light Department and the Tax Collector office and took great pride in being a multi-generational Marbleheader. A clever and skilled artist with impeccable taste, Judy poured her love and creative talents into decorating her home, designing and crafting handmade quilts to welcome new babies, and knitting beautiful items that will be cherished by those she has left behind for many years to come. Judy’s quick wit and kindness were among her many qualities that drew others to her and her loving nature, curious spirit and resilience will be remembered always.

Services for Judy will be held on Friday, Jan. 9, at Murphy Funeral Home, 85 Federal St., Salem, including visiting hours 9-11 a.m., a memorial service at 11 a.m., followed immediately by a memorial luncheon. For more information and online guestbook, please call the Murphy Funeral Home at 978-744-0497 or visit murphyfuneralhome.com.

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It’s been more than six and a half years since Madrid signed a player over 25 years old as an established star for a significant transfer fee. Players like Antonio Rüdiger (2022), David Alaba (2021), Kylian Mbappé (2024), and Trent Alexander-Arnold (2025) arrived either on free transfers or, in Trent’s case, for a fee paid to Liverpool to secure his early participation in the Club World Cup. Joselu also joined in 2023 for €2 million in a low-cost deal, but it wasn’t considered a major market move.

Season after season since 2019, Real Madrid has focused on youth. The idea is simple: invest in young talent and give the club a decade to mold the squad, while amortizing transfer costs over time. Signing fully developed stars has become rare. In the 2019-2020 season, Hazard, Mendy, and Jovic arrived. Jovic, though young, failed to live up to the early promise.

The player profile Real Madrid are chasing

Players like Camavinga, Tchouaméni, Bellingham, Güler, Endrick, Huijsen, and Carreras all fit the club’s ideal profile, and Dutch midfielder Kees Smit is no exception. He turns 20 on January 20, with his entire career ahead of him. Madrid’s potential move for the AZ Alkmaar starlet would fall far short of the triple-digit fees seen for players like Vitinha or Alexis McAllister, yet he offers the creativity the club believes is crucial for the future.

The strategy at Valdebebas hasn’t changed: stability on and off the field comes from signing young players who can wear the Real Madrid jersey for a decade. Three La Liga titles since 2019, two Champions League trophies, a Copa del Rey, multiple Spanish and European Super Cups, and Club World Cups all reinforce the wisdom of this approach.

LaLiga giants favor youth over experience

Still, Real Madrid faces a challenge heading into next season: reclaiming the midfield spark that has been fading over time. The plan remains to bring in young talent, though there is ongoing debate about whether experience and proven quality should play a role. For now, youth wins, and Kees Smit is at the top of the list.

Madrid look to the academy

The same philosophy applies to the center-back position. Recent signings have either come from the academy or arrived on free transfers. Homegrown players like Jacobo Ramón at Como, Joan Martínez in Castilla training with the first team, and others such as Victor Valdepeñas – who has already debuted as a left-back – Diego Aguado, and Mario Rivas are being closely monitored.

Chema Andrés is another example, excelling in an accelerated development program in Stuttgart. Gonzalo García’s progress also suggests a path for non-defender academy players to join the first team exists. The door is open for the next generation.

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Cypress players and coaches after winning the tournament championship Tuesday. (Photo courtesy Cypress basketball).

Cypress High School’s boys basketball team won the Governor’s Division at the Torrey Pines Tournament defeating Poway 83-73 Tuesday night.

The Centurions’ Ryan Gov earned MVP honors scoring 32 points and hitting three 3-pointers in the final. Gavin Kroll had 17 points and three 3-pointers. Ethan Mai played tough defense and finished with 10 points, according to Coach Derek Mitchell. 

“I’m proud of the way our team competed on the defensive end all tournament,” Mitchell said. “We had a lot of guys step up and make positive contributions throughout.”

The Centurions begin league play on Friday at Crean Lutheran.

For best view, click on the photo:

Ryan Gov of Cypress was tourney MVP.

Send basketball news to timburt@ocsportszone.com

An underdog team that won 10 games for the first time. A quarterback who finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting. Unforgettable victories over a top-10 team and a bitter rival. A lifetime of memories from a season for the ages.

To celebrate Vanderbilt football’s epic season, The Tennessean will craft a hardcover collector’s book about the 2025 Commodores. It’s titled “ANCHOR DOWN: How Heisman Finalist Diego Pavia Led Vanderbilt to its Historic 2025 Season.”

Buy our commemorative Vanderbilt book now!

“ANCHOR DOWN” will chronicle how Vanderbilt, led by Clark Lea on the sidelines and Diego Pavia in the huddle, helped transform a program that hadn’t reached double digits in victories in its history. But the book isn’t just their story. It’s the story of a team that bought in, a staff that never stopped believing and a fan base that finally got to see what Vanderbilt football could become.