Grass

Imagine a child dribbling a soccer ball down a picturesque grass field without a care in the world and effortlessly striking the ball into the goal and against the back of the net. The child is so ecstatic that he high-fives his teammates, screams "Goal!" and buries his face in his jersey while rolling around and collecting grass stains. Now imagine what it would be like to be a kid and not have the opportunity to embrace that experience. The eighth annual Daily Pilot Cup starts today and the children of one elementary school in particular are happy just to be able to have a chance to compete.

When the stress of maintaining a plush golf course is about to consume him, Ron Benedict escapes to his place of solace. If he's on a hill just above the No. 2 hole at Newport Beach Country Club, chances are it hasn't been a good day. But in a few minutes, the day will become better. As golf course superintendent of NBCC, every so often Benedict needs to unwind. Sometimes, he's there a bit more during the days leading up to the Toshiba Classic, which starts today and ends Sunday.

I read that St. Augustine is the best grass for a semi-shady area. I have removed half of my backyard due to weeds, etc. When can I sod with St. Augustine? If not until spring, should I sow rye grass on the part I removed? LARRY Newport Beach Yes, St. Augustine is a better choice for semi-shady areas, although no grass will grow well in full shade. Being a warm-season grass, St. Augustine should be installed in late spring or summer, not now. It can be installed from sod, which is pricey, or plugs or stolons.

Michelle Tolfa could feel the change in her feet. Standing barefoot on Corona del Mar High's outfield grass is no longer a painful proposition. Last season, just the sight of the 14-year old softball facility hurt, let alone standing on the "prickly" grass. Even sitting in the stands ? with only a 12-foot backstop fence to protect fans ? was risky. Everybody involved with the softball program knew the field needed to be fixed. The problems didn't stop there. The distance from home plate to the backstop and foul line to dugout did not meet CIF Southern Section regulations.

Béa Tiritilli is pleased with her fourth-place finish in Tuesday's election; jockeying begins in race to replace Campbell; Orange County Supervisor Jim Silva honored for his innovative work with the county's 1994 bankruptcy. Though she came in fourth out of five candidates in Tuesday's special Congressional election and only received 1,409 votes or 1.4% of ballots cast, Green party candidate Béa Tiritilli still counted her campaign for the 48th District House seat a success. "I gave voters an opportunity to choose an alternative voice to represent their views, we registered many new Green voters, and I did receive more votes than I expected in this extremely conservative district," Tiritilli said in a statement Wednesday.

On a trip to New York in 1988, my wife and I were in midtown Manhattan when the lunch hour arrived. For most of us, that's a casual time of day, when we take a little time to relax before completing the rest of our duties. Not in Manhattan. In Manhattan, the lunch hour is a race against the clock and your fellow man. The loser is the person who did not get his or her order in at the deli in time, or who did not bring sneakers in order to get in some power shopping.

Alicia Robinson A grass-roots group aiming to block any future expansion at John Wayne Airport is drumming up support from local officials, but what they'll do with that support is still up in the air. The Costa Mesa City Council on Tuesday approved a resolution supporting AirFair, a group with an Irvine mailing address and members including former Newport Beach City Councilwomen Evelyn Hart and Jean Watt. AirFair's message is simple: no more expansion of flights, passengers or facilities at John Wayne Airport.

Elia Powers On weeks like this, when his backyard is the playground of professional golfers, Dr. Ned Khorey makes the most of his new digs. The view was just fine from his last home in the Sea Island development, where he has lived for almost a quarter of a century. But his current vantage point is hard to beat, with the 14th and 15th tees and 17th green at Newport Beach Country Club in plain sight. During the Toshiba Senior Classic, which ended Sunday, his deck and swimming pool are as good as grandstands.

BRYCE ALDERTON If the mowers haven't done their work already, now would be a perfect time to head out to golf courses in Newport-Mesa and play a round to experience what the game's professionals endure on a weekly basis. Just be sure to bring your accuracy. The torrential rainfall that belted Newport-Mesa and the rest of Southern California earlier this month caused its share of felled trees and puddles on greens, but also sent many mowing schedules out of whack.