Missing Jersey Becomes a Catch-22 for Bell

Memorabilia collectors may have gotten a head start on Trevor Bell of Crescenta Valley. His home jersey, bearing his No. 22, disappeared a couple of weeks ago from the team’s clubhouse at Stengel Field in Glendale.

“I remember putting it in my locker and I came back the next week and it was gone,” he said.

Bell, a senior, entered high school as the No. 1-rated freshman in the nation by Baseball America. He was one of only four lower classmen to be selected to the 20-member Southern Section Division I first team last season.

The focus of major league scouts in preparation for the June amateur draft, Bell has potential as a right-handed pitcher or a left-handed hitting outfielder.

Wearing the only jersey still available, No. 18, Bell has hit a home run and has a record of 2-0, including a two-hit, 3-0 victory over Arcadia on Friday to improve his record to 6-2.

“I can’t complain right now,” he said. “But my number is 22 and I don’t really like any other number. I want 22 back.”

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Huntington Beach Edison moved within a game of the leaders in the Sunset League after beating Huntington Beach twice last week. The Chargers also welcomed back their best player, senior pitcher and outfielder Tommy Palica, who had his left index finger broken five weeks ago when he was hit by a pitch.

Palica, who signed with Cal State Northridge, has not been cleared to take the mound, where he is 3-0, but he contributed a home run, a double and drove in three runs in Edison’s 10-5 victory over the visiting Oilers on Friday.

Edison (15-8 overall, 6-5 in league), which lost five of six during one stretch with Palica out of the lineup, has two games left against both Los Alamitos and Huntington Beach Marina, which began the week in a three-way tie for first with Anaheim Esperanza.

“Hopefully, we’re getting hot at the right time,” Coach Matt Mosiello said.

-- Dan Arritt

Football

Long Beach Poly will open its season against four-time defending Washington Class 3A champion Bellevue at Qwest Field in Seattle on Sept. 16.

Last season, Bellevue ended the 151-game winning streak of visiting Concord De La Salle with a 37-20 victory in its opener.

Bellevue, which finished eighth in Student Sports’ final Fab 50 national rankings of 2004, has won 23 consecutive games.

Poly, ranked 11th in the nation, defeated Los Alamitos, 21-6, to win the Southern Section Division I championship last season.

Preceding the Jackrabbits north will be Mission Viejo, which won the Division II title and finished No. 2 in the nation. The Diablos will play Issaquah as part of the Emerald City Kickoff Classic on Sept. 5 at Qwest Field.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

DAN ARRITT’S BASEBALL RANKINGS

*--* Rk Team Rec. Div. LW 1 RIVERSIDE POLY 18-3 Div. I 2 2 EL CAMINO REAL 20-5 City 3 3 CHATSWORTH 22-2 City 1 4 SAUGUS 19-3 Div. I 12 5 NORCO 17-4-1 Div. I 10 6 AGOURA 17-5 Div. I 4 7 ESPERANZA 16-6 Div. I 6 8 CORONA SANTIAGO 18-4 Div. I 7 9 CAPISTRANO VALLEY 17-4-1 Div. I 8 10 SANTA MARGARITA 15-7 Div. I 5 11 LOS ALAMITOS 16-7 Div. I 11 12 BISHOP AMAT 14-7 Div. I 13 13 MATER DEI 17-8 Div. I 16 14 ANAHEIM CANYON 17-5 Div. I 17 15 ALISO NIGUEL 16-4 Div. II 14 16 CHINO 17-5 Div. I 15 17 MARINA 15-7 Div. I 18 18 CANYON SPRINGS 15-6 Div. I 20 19 LOYOLA 20-4 Div. II 21 20 VILLA PARK 14-7-1 Div. I 24 21 CRESCENTA VALLEY 18-2 Div. I 25 22 WSTM. LA QUINTA 20-4 Div. III 22 23 CYPRESS 17-6 Div. II 23 24 EDISON 15-8 Div. I NR 25 TRABUCO HILLS 13-7-1 Div. I NR

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