California League

When California League rivals Visalia and Modesto open a four-game series Thursday in Modesto, many fans will cheer for both teams, opposing players will talk about getting together after the game and brushback pitches probably won't be thrown. "I think if we wanted to move one of their guys off the plate," Visalia utility man Jason Basil said, "we would get our catcher to tell them before throwing one high and tight."

The formidable heart of a California League batting order is about to become a little less fearsome. Lake Elsinore's designated hitter, Xavier Nady, a top prospect for the San Diego Padres who hits cleanup for their Class-A affiliate, should be promoted to triple-A Portland within the next two weeks. The move has been anticipated. Nady was the California League's most valuable player and the Padres' minor league player of the year last season after hitting .

Two multimillionaire friends and Republican candidates for governor--one hoping to make the GOP a "party of inclusion," the other positioning himself as "the true conservative"--took their campaigns to the convention of one of the state's most liberal Republican groups Saturday. Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and Pacific Palisades businessman Bill Simon Jr. were in North Hollywood to make their pitch for an endorsement from the California Republican League.

Lake Elsinore first baseman Xavier Nady, who is batting .307 with 25 home runs and 93 runs batted in, has been voted most valuable player and rookie of the year for the California League. San Bernardino left-hander Matt Thornton, a 6-foot-6, 220-pounder who leads the league with 179 strikeoutsin 148 innings, was selected pitcher of the year and Craig Colbert of Lake Elsinore was chosen manager of the year. Thornton (13-6, 2.

Andrew Good of the Lancaster JetHawks has been selected the California League pitcher of the week for July 2-8. The 6-foot-3 right-hander from Rochester Hills, Mich., went eight innings July 5 against Visalia and gave up one hit and no walks in a 1-0 victory. Good (7-6) is coming back from Tommy John elbow surgery.

Scott Bikowski's two-run home run in the seventh inning lifted the California League all-stars over their Carolina League counterparts, 7-5, Tuesday night before 3,737 at Lancaster Municipal Stadium. Bikowski, a left-handed outfielder from the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, smashed a fastball from right-hander Trey Hodges of Myrtle Beach over the 350-foot sign in right field to break a 5-5 tie.

Nathan Kaup has been on fire for the Bakersfield Blaze. But he has had to cool his heels recently while nursing a pulled groin that might keep him out of the California League-Carolina League all-star game Tuesday at the Hangar in Lancaster. Kaup, formerly of Camarillo High, has been on the disabled list since June 6. He told the Bakersfield Californian on Friday that he has been instructed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to skip the game. Kaup, 23, leads the California League with a .

Right-hander Carlos Garcia of the San Bernardino Stampede has made his first season of professional baseball in the United States a successful one. Garcia, a native of Empalme in Sonora, Mexico, has been selected as the Class-A California League's pitcher of the year. Garcia has a 14-6 record and league-leading 2.58 earned-run average in 26 starts. "Carlos has been the most dominant pitcher in the league this season from beginning to end," Stampede Manager Dino Ebel said.