Calabasas' Tennis Team Keeps on Winning; Former Receiver Turns TMZ Producer

tennis team is all aces. The Coyotes are undefeated with 16 wins without a loss following a couple of Marmonte League victories over Simi Valley 16-2 on Thursday preceded by a 12-6 win over Thousand Oaks on Tuesday.

“I would love to keep the streak going, and I have confidence that our team will do that,” standout Brett Buford said.

The Coyotes play again April 27 at Agoura.

Buford won all of his matches against Simi Valley, but lost one set against Thousand Oaks – one of the frew losses for Buford this season – and now he is more motivated than ever.

“Especially after a loss, I always want to get better. I want to keep it going,” he said.

VIEWPOINT ACE PITCHER READY TO GO AGAIN

After pitching only one inning Friday in a win at Buckley -- the game was shortened to 1 2/3 innings because Buckley forfeited -- ace Tyler Sprague is more than ready to make another start Wednesday in another Liberty League game at Providence High in Burbank.

“I definitely want to get on the mound again because I only threw 15 pitches,” Sprague said. “But if not, I’ll probably start the next one Thursday against L.A. Baptist at Birmingham, so I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

The Buckley game was ended by the umpires when Buckley’s head coach and his assistant were both ejected, and there was no one left to coach the team.

“It’s was pretty weird and really sudden,” Sprague said. “I’ve never seen anything like that happen before. It was shocking.”

DOWN TO A TEE

Viewpoint’s golf team has a two-game lead in Prep League with three matches to go after defeating Pasadena Poly by 14 strokes Thursday at Rustic Canyon Golf Course.

Jake Kerster and Alex Angard each shot a 38, as Viewpoint won 203-217. Will Bastien shot a 39, Ian Levy shot a 43, and John Walsh scored a 45.

Viewpoint, coached by Paul Bostedo, can clinch the league title Wednesday with a tri-match with Pasadena Poly and Flintridge Prep at Alta Dena Golf Course, then finishes Thursday against Webb at Marshall Canyon Golf Course.

The two-day Prep League individual tournament starts next Tuesday and concludes April 27 at Brookside Golf Course.

KEEPING TABS: EX-CALABASAS FOOTBALL STANDOUT A BIG-TIME TV PRODUCER

Evan Rosenblum, a former top football receiver at Calabasas in the 1990s, has scored a big touchdown in television as the executive producer of the phenomenally successful entertainment news show TMZ.

TMZ first started as a website and became a TV show after about a year. Now it's one of the most popular shows on television.

Rosenblum said the life lessons he learned while playing football for coach Larry Edwards at Calabasas -- who is still around at the school athletic director -- have helped him become a top TV producer.

"At Calabasas, I learned how to play as a team, and I can't tell you how important that is at TMZ," Rosenblum said. "The team mentality is the reason we break so many stories. That's why when something happens like the Michael Jackson story, which we broke, everyone here knew exactly what to do and how to do it. We had rehearsed it and practiced it a thousand times, just like football."

Rosenblum said several members of the TMZ staff have a sports background -- one played college baseball, another played high school football back East -- and that has made the staff feel like a team.

"It's not just the big stories. We scrap every day to get the little ones, too," Rosenblum said. "A lot of times, news breaks at 2 a.m. if someone gets a DUI or something, so we're really working around the clock, and everyone always has a positive attitude about it."

As an important part of a cultural phenomenon, Rosenblum said he works a lot of hours but it does not seem like work.

"I have a blast. I'll tell you thing -- it beats having a real job," Rosenblum said. "Maybe it would feel like a job if everyone didn't get along so well. Yes, it's hard work, but we have a great time."

Rosenblum still keeps in touch with some of his former Calabasas teammates: linebacker Jason Nemit is a builder; linebacker Jon Opas is a VIP host in Las Vegas; receiver Matt Lowenstein works in finances; and lineman Jon Ellinghouse coaches football at Sierra Canyon High in Chatsworth.