Bill Erickson

Magicians, genies and a flying carpet transformed the Pacific Ballroom of the Newport Beach Marriott into old Baghdad Saturday for the Arabian Nights gala to benefit Casa Teresa. About 370 guests attended the silent auction and dinner-dance presented by the Casa Teresa Guilds of Orange County. The gala was expected to raise about $35,000 for the home for single mothers in Orange. Night of Magic Gala chairwoman Donna Yergler promised her guests a night of magic and surprises, and she delivered.

San Diego State president Thomas Day has ordered a complete financial audit of the SDSU athletic department to begin this week, according to Steve Cushman, the director of the Aztec Athletic Foundation. Cushman recommended a full audit be conducted after he was accused by Athletic Director Mary Alice Hill of misappropriating funds. That took place at a meeting between the two at 10 a.m. last Wednesday, when Cushman said he was handed a termination memo stating he had been fired.

Avalon Attractions of Los Angeles has won a three-way race for the right to promote concerts on the San Diego State University campus for up to 20 years. As part of the contract, Avalon will contribute up to $4 million toward construction of a student activity center and improvements to the existing Open Air Theater.

The exact point that Esperanza High School seized control of its Southern Section 5-A semifinal playoff game against Beverly Hills on Tuesday was debatable. But there was no doubt as to which inning Esperanza broke the game open. The Aztecs trailed, 3-2, going into the bottom of the fifth inning, but 2 walks, 2 errors, 2 hit batsmen, 4 singles, 8 runs and 14 batters later, they had an insurmountable lead.

A lot of seniors love Jack Benny, and Hadrian Lesser is no exception. Almost every night at 9 o'clock you can find Lesser in front of a television set watching reruns of Benny's show on a New York cable station. "I love all the characters, Jack, Rochester. . . , " he said. "If only there were those kinds of shows today." You could probably find a lot of seniors who would agree, but Lesser is a different sort of senior than you might expect. Lesser is a senior at Beverly Hills High School.

The "stars" came out for a glitzy Hollywood-style gala staged Saturday by the Casa Teresa Guilds. Celebrity look-alikes joined 350 guests at the Irvine Marriott hotel for the "Starry, Starry Knights" dinner and men's fashion show. The $75-per-person benefit raised $30,000 for Casa Teresa, a home for single mothers. That's Hollywood "We decided to recognize the men who are involved with Casa. That's why we spelled starry knights with a 'K,' " said Barbara Beneville, event chairwoman.

The University High girls' track team is expected to make a strong showing at the City Section semifinals that begin today at Birmingham High. The Warriors are led by sprinters Yolanda Arrington, Sheili Hardemion, Dorneisha Lewis, Dora Gyarmati and Lorraine Persons. The Warriors won the Coastal Conference final last Thursday at Venice. University finished with 62 points, Westchester was second with 45 and Palisades was third with 38.

Santa Monica College will field a baseball team in the spring, according to school President Richard Moore. The school also plans to add women's soccer and softball programs. "We're going ahead with baseball," Moore said. After Corsair Coach Marty Berson resigned in April, Moore said the baseball program might be discontinued because of fiscal and logistical reasons. The college does not have an on-campus field and Moore was looking for ways to trim the athletic budget.

A meeting between San Diego State President Thomas Day and Athletic Director Mary Alice Hill is scheduled for 10 this morning at the president's office. Hill confirmed the meeting has been scheduled, and a university source added that it is quite likely some major decision will be reached today. Will Hill be fired today? Will she be reassigned to another postion in the university? Will she return to work in her position as athletic director Friday?

Beverly Hills' Jeremy Booth does not fit the image of a short, squatty catcher. In fact, during the 1993 season, Booth grew an inch and lost 15 pounds. He also grew as a baseball player. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound junior was the Westside's best hitter in 1993, leading his team in five offensive categories, including batting average. For his efforts, Booth has been named The Times' Westside Player of the Year. Richard Condon of Crossroads was selected the pitcher of the year, and Hollywood's Raul Grijalva, who turned around a struggling program, was selected coach of the year.