Former Sereno Soccer Club star goes 10th overall in the MLS draft. That and more for Friday, Jan 15, brought to you by Arcadia Tavern.

1. High draft pick: Chivas USA of Major League Soccer picked Blair Gavin, a midfielder out of the University of Akron and former Horizon High School and Sereno star. Gavin decided to go pro following his junior season when he hekped Akron to the NCAA men's soccer final.

"He's an excellent ball-winner, he has great vision, he reads the game well," Chivas coach Martín Vásquez said. "We're very, very happy with our pick."

Gavin will be close to home — Chivas plays its home games at Home Depot Center in Carson, near Los Angeles.

2. Spy master: Rayburn Hesse, former spy turned softball writer, underwent cataract surgery this week and will be out of commission for short time. Hesse runs Spysoftball.com, which is must reading for anyone interested in college softball or top-level club softball. Hesse deals with softball mostly — but anything else that pops into his head from his career to his takes on the TSA latest security measures. It's a great read.

3.  Winner: Cassidy Sanchez of Phoenix shot a 6-over 78 last weekend at Encanto Golf Course to win the New Year opening tournament of the LPGA/USGA season. J.C. Harvison of Mesa was second, two shots back.

4. Titans on top: Arcadia is on top of the 4A-II girls soccering rankings follwing an impressive 3-1 win over Notre Dame, the defending state champion.

5. You never write, you never call: We'd love to hear from you. Contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

List from Thursday

Events to watch this weekend.

1.  USSSA baseball hosts its MLK Classic NIT with 9u-14u and an 18u bracket at Big League Dreams  in Gilbert, Rio Vista in Peoria, Red Mountain in  Mesa  and Gene Autry in Mesa.  For tournament brackets, click here. Triple Crown will play its sixth MLK Dream Classic with 11, 13u, 14u and wood bat tournaments for 16u and 18u.  For the tournament home page, click here.

2. ASA has a strong 16u/18u field for its Kickoff Classic Saturday and Sunday at Rose Mofford Softball Complex in Phoenix. For pool pairings, click here. USSSA softball  has a 14u and 18u brackets at Victory Lane in Glendale. For  tournament page, click here.

3.  Sereno Soccer holds 27th Annual Classic at Red Mountain Park in Mesa and Friendship Park in Avondale Saturday-Monday. For the tournament home page, click here. ODP holds its Region IV championships Saturday-Monday  at Reach 11.

4. The Desert Junior Golf Tour will hold a tournament Saturday and Sunday at Superstition Mountain Golf Club.

5.  The Phoenix Junior Championship tennis tournament is Saturday-Monday at various sites. For tournament home page, click here.