Wrapping up the 2025-2026 season

Sports writer Terry Bernal and I don’t simply choose a league or division MVP because those honors are based on league play. The Daily Journal sports staff takes the entire season into account.

And we don’t take the decisions lightly. We are paying attention to who is doing what during the season and many times, our selections align with what coaches see.

Trust me. None of these honors, regardless if its fall, winter or spring, go so far off the board that it leads to questions. Very rarely, if ever, have people said “Huh?” at one of our selections.

Or if they do, they certainly don’t tell us.

Regardless, every athlete of the season has an interesting story. Whether it’s a season that comes out of nowhere or whether it’s been a years-long build to ultimate success, all of these kids have a story to tell — and they’re always interesting. Because no matter how much you know about on-field performances, it’s the stories behind the scenes that can help readers understand how they got there.

Our spring sports athletes of the year, however, are usually the toughest stories to put together, mainly because we start this series after school is out for the summer. It can be quite the chore to chase down coaches and athletes, many of whom may be on vacation. I remember one year I interviewed a Girls’ Lacrosse Player of the Year while she was on vacation in Italy.

Cellphones and modern technology amaze me sometimes.

I texted an athlete Monday and got a reply back with a “satellite” tag on, which leads me to believe this particular athlete is out of the country, as well.

But ultimately, coaches and players are eager to tell the stories that led them to standout performances.

***

Two of the most polarizing men in sports have been in the spotlight over the last week or so, both possessing the same sense of arrogance, but still leaders in their sports.

FOX Sports World Cup studio analyst Alexi Lalas and two-time U.S. Open golf champ Wyndham Clark are not very well liked by most. Lalas, especially, has been brutalized in the press since the World Cup started. An average pro, he parlayed the United States’ 1994 World Cup run to the round of 16 into a career in soccer — both in front offices and as a television analyst.

Clark came out of nowhere to win the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club and then backed it up three years later with his second major win at Shinnecock Hills in New York over the weekend.

I’m not really a fan of either guy, but neither deserves the hate thrown their way. When it comes to Lalas, these World Cup pregame and postgame shows are simply not programming I watch. I don’t watch any of these types of programs in any sport because I either already know the information because I watched the games or I get whatever info I need online.

But credit to FOX Sports because Lalas is something that no broadcaster wants — and that is boring. Love or hate him, people tune in to hear what he has to say. Personally, I think many times he is simply trolling people and to be honest, I can’t imagine anyone listening carefully enough to call out Lalas’ troll takes.

Clark admits to having a temper, which is has publically tried to reign in. But he didn’t help his cause after trashing his locker at the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, earning a ban from the club, an incident he has apologized for effusively.

But man, he had some serious haters at Shinnecock over the weekend, with course microphones capturing people yelling things like, “Get in the water!” or “Get in the bunker!” on his tee shots and then openly cheering when he made a mistake or missed a shot.

That’s just classless fanning against a guy who has admitted his faults and is working to correct them.

Nathan Mollat has been covering high school sports in San Mateo County for the San Mateo Daily Journal since 2001. He can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com.