Six East Valley athletes competed in the inaugural Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl on Tuesday at Chase Field, and came away impressed.

The Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout will take place on Sunday, May 20 at Grand Canyon University. All high school athletes ages 14-18 are encouraged to attend. Players are asked to report to the field at noon for registration, and the tryout is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. The registration fee is $99. Go to http://baseballfactory.com/tryouts to enroll or call (800) 641-4487, ext. 101, to speak with a Baseball Factory representative.

Taylor Lewan is having the time of his life.

Chandler Hamilton defensive back Gerell Robinson and running back Covaughn DeBoskie were on the losing side at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl high school all-star game Saturday in San Antonio.

Scottsdale Saguaro has used gadget plays regularly in its march to two straight state football titles and this year’s finals berth.

If anything, Monday’s qualifier for the FBR Open at Gainey Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale confirmed two long-time adages about the PGA Tour. First, you can’t beat experience. Second, beware of the ailing golfer.

The powerful desert wind that tore through the Coachella Valley on Friday blew a new set of players to the top of the leaderboard of the Kraft Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Lorena Ochoa was in the rough on the left, under the trees on the right and not always sure where the next shot was headed. When a demanding day ended at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, she was right where she wanted to be.

I’ve pretty much witnessed every spectrum of gym attire considering I grew up in the fitness industry. Trying to find the most flattering, yet comfortable attire, including comfy shoes, has been a mission of mine for the past 15 years. Brands such as Nike, Adidas and Converse have been around since the beginning of time it seems, but they aren’t the only brands making their mark on the fitness clothing scene. Figuring out what works for you is certainly the first step, but let’s focus on the overall package rather than wearing a top name brand just to “look the part” at your local gym.

Marcos de Niza cornerback Priest Willis, the top-rated recruit in the East Valley, verbally committed to UCLA in a press conference at the school Wednesday night.

Nine months ago, when Hamilton mega-recruit Christian Westerman Jr. verbally committed to Texas, Auburn wasn’t even on his radar.

A late start on the Arkansas River hurt the Sun Devil fishing club this month during the team's first venture onto the national stage.

Scottsdale-based Dial has a couple of new products to pitch. The soap maker’s parent, Henkel KGaA of Dusseldorf, Germany, said Tuesday that it traded its 28.8 percent share of California-based The Clorox Co. for popular cleaning product Soft Scrub, the insecticide Combat, a couple of Korean brands and cash.

Shareholders of Scottsdale-based Dial Corp. voted Wednesday to sell their shares and the entire company to German consumer products giant Henkel KGaA for $2.9 billion.

If you were to go into a bookstore to find “Marcelo in the Real World,” by Francisco X. Stork, it would be shelved in the young adult section and while it is an excellent choice for young readers (receiving 15 awards since its publication in 2009), it is also a story that will touch adult hearts and keep them turning pages to see how a 17 year old deals with a moral crisis that deeply affects the adults in his world.

Pat Perez lives in the neighborhood that surrounds the TPC Scottsdale. Yet the former Arizona State All-American had never made a cut in six previous appearances in the FBR Open.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Imagine sweating so profusely that you destroy your clothes and feel embarrassed in public.

Nine months ago, when Ahwatukee Foothills resident and Hamilton mega-recruit Christian Westerman Jr. verbally committed to Texas, Auburn wasn't even on his radar.

LAS VEGAS - The International Council of Shopping Centers’ annual convention provides an interesting perspective on our own local retail scene.

Edward Rutherford has been writing historical sagas for more than 20 years but I just discovered him this summer with “New York, the Novel (2009).” After a passionate reading, I wanted heartily to recommend but hesitated — would most readers consider it “old news?” However, when Hurricane Sandy recently ravaged the East Coast, I felt compelled to do the review as it certainly wrote another chapter in the history of this amazing American city from 1664 to the year 2009.

Jacom Brimhall and I see eye to eye. And maybe that’s the problem with the Mesa Mountain View football team. The Toros are a bunch of under-sized players like the 5-foot-6 1/2 Brimhall.

Back-to-back record crowds at the FBR Open this week have created a possible, if improbable, scenario.