By Alex Gonzalez
Covering high school sports has been a part of my life for the last nine years. Of those years, I’ve run into several coaches who were excellent at their job, and others whom I’ve seen get fired after a season or two at their school. At the top of the list of best overall coaches and people was Jim Bonds.
Coach lost his battle with cancer this week at the age of 51, and when I heard the news about it on Instagram, I instantly thought about how great of a man he was. His presence and voice were hard to miss, and that is what made Golden Knight football special. Bonds built a winning program over the years and had numerous talent flood in and out of the all-boys high school off the 210 Freeway.
Whether it was a big win against Cathedral or a last-second field goal loss in a title game, Bonds always made time to talk to me and answer every question I threw at him. He was respectful in every way imaginable, and that is what will be missed the most. To his family and St. Francis High School, my thoughts and prayers are with you in this most challenging time.
**
It’s been a roller coaster of a week with the Dodgers winning the Fall Classic. Even though I knew deep down, they were going to win the series, I still had much doubt about the team, and after watching game 4, my stress level went through the roof. It was satisfying to see them bounce back in Game 5 and eventually clinch it in six thanks to Julio Urias and his left arm.
When I saw Clayton Kershaw run onto the field to celebrate, you could tell that the weight of the playoff losses finally lifted. He is now a World Series Champion, and the conversation of him being able to win the whole thing was erased.
Now, do I believe that they can win it all again next year? Of course, I do. The bigger question is can they survive the crapshoot of the MLB playoffs? Also, the topic of adding another round in those playoffs is another one of the many things Commissioner Rob Manfred has to worry about for next season.
Los Angeles is now the city of champions that the Dodgers added another title just like the Lakers did earlier in the month. What a great way to remember 2020, right? What makes this year is that the Lakers won their 17th title while the Dodgers added their seventh. Add the two and get 24. Strange how things work out like that.
That’s where I’m going.
Leave a Reply