July 15, 2014

By Erik Hall

It was clearly the biggest hit of Chris Robinson’s Major League career. It also made him question a serious life decision.

Last Sept. 25, Robinson was a 29-year old Padres rookie who had never played in back-to-back games. After pinch hitting the night before against Arizona, he was in the bullpen in the eighth inning, not expecting to see action, when the bullpen phone rang.

It was Padres manager Bud Black, summoning the September call-up to pinch hit. Robinson jogged across the Petco Park field, grabbed a bat, and stepped into the box against Arizona’s Eury De La Rosa with runners on first and second and nobody out.

“I don’t know what you believe in, but there was something else going on there that night,” Robinson said.

July 11, 2014

By Erik Hall

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez stood proud at the post-fight press conference wearing a black Under Armour pullover jacket zipped to his neck. Fielding questions about his future and victory over Alfredo Angulo, Alvarez, who trains and lives in Del Mar, was no longer the only boxer on stage.

Determined to confront Alvarez, Erislandy Lara, the World Boxing Association junior middleweight champ, walked on stage and asked for his shot.

At the time, the 23-year-old Alvarez told him in Spanish, “This is not how you make fights. You’ll have to wait.” But Lara wouldn’t back down.

June 14, 2014

By Erik Hall

LOS ANGELES — The Kings’ Tyler Toffoli felt himself gasping for air. Just feet in front of him, he saw his teammate Alec Martinez score the Stanley Cup-winning goal. He could not breathe.

“I think as soon as it went in, I felt like I got punched in the stomach,” 22-year-old Toffoli said. “I almost passed out. I thought I felt that when we beat Chicago (to reach the Stanley Cup Final), but this is totally different.”

No one had a better view of the game-winning goal than Toffoli, whose shot off the pad of New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist caromed to Martinez. Toffoli captured his first Stanley Cup when Martinez’s shot gave Los Angeles a 3-2 win 14 minutes, 43 seconds into Friday’s second overtime.

“This is incredible. It’s not even real,” Toffoli said. “I can’t wait until it actually soaks in.”

June 7, 2014

By Erik Hall

LOS ANGELES — Saturday’s Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final proved to be the longest 2014 postseason game for either team. It took 90 minutes, 26 seconds before the Los Angeles Kings captain Dustin Brown deflected the game-winning goal in the net.

Brown’s goal gave the Kings’ a 5-4 double overtime victory over the New York Rangers in Saturday’s game, and it gave the Kings a 2-0 lead in the series. The series resumes Monday with Game 3 in New York.

“You prepare that there’s a chance it could go all night,” Kings goalie Jonathan Quick said. “If you expect only to play 60 minutes, maybe it would wear on you a little mentally, but you got to prepare that it could go all night."

June 1, 2014

By Erik Hall

Ben Bruce logged many days in the San Diego sun selling water and frozen lemonade as a Qualcomm Stadium food vendor. Those Padres and Chargers games did not quite prepare the 2000 Mount Carmel High School graduate for the heat of Sunday’s homecoming.

The fog burned off around 90 minutes into Bruce’s marathon revealing a sunny 70-degree day.

“I’ve got a lot more surface area to cool, so running in heat is tough for me,” the 6-foot-1 Bruce said. “When you run a marathon, everything gets magnified, because you’re out there so long. It was tough.”

June 2, 2014

By Erik Hall

Nick Symmonds owns a World Championship silver medal in the 800 meters, but the two-time U.S. Olympian got giddy about two hours into Sunday’s Rock ’n’ Roll Half Marathon.

Symmonds saw his sister, Lauren, coming to the finish, so he climbed on the barricade and leaned over to take her picture. He ran to her when she didn’t hear him yelling. He took another picture of her with his phone. He then sprinted to grab her a bottle of water.

“I love it. He always is really supportive,” Lauren said of Nick.

May 30, 2014

By Erik Hall

Meb Keflezighi stood near the windows of the San Diego Convention Center, looking toward the Gaslamp Quarter. He smiled thinking about running 13.1 miles Sunday through familiar streets.

“This one is going to be a victory lap for me to be in San Diego, to go through the neighborhoods,” Keflezighi said. “I’m very honored and delighted to have this opportunity.”

The 13.1-mile Rock ’n’ Roll Half Marathon will be Keflezighi’s longest run since winning the Boston Marathon on April 21. Both the men’s and women’s marathon champions from Boston this year are set to be part of Sunday’s half-marathon. Keflezighi will be a pacer for runners trying to complete 13.1 miles in 90 minutes, and women’s Boston winner Rita Jeptoo is competing in the half-marathon.

“It’s great to be back in San Diego,” said Keflezighi, a 1994 graduate of San Diego High School.

May 25, 2014

By Erik Hall

CARSON — Landon Donovan scored 134 goals in his Major League Soccer career before Sunday.

But goal No. 135 was emotional. He went to his knees immediately. He looked up, put his arms out and yelled.

After U.S. men’s national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann left Donovan off the 2014 World Cup roster Thursday, Donovan set the MLS record for career goals Sunday.

“By no means was I going to let one decision that went against me affect me going forward,” Donovan said. “It wasn’t easy for me to do that today. My mind was racing all over the place. … It would have been easy to make an excuse today.”

May 24, 2014

By Erik Hall

LOS ANGELES — Jeff Carter rubbed a thick, full, light brown beard as he sat and took questions after Game 3 of the Western Conference finals. The Los Angeles Kings’ 29-year-old center went through 101 playoff games before Saturday’s 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Tanner Pearson stood in the Kings’ locker room with his arms at his sides and dark blond hair sparsely covering his jaw. The 21-year-old left wing played one playoff game before taking a prominent role this season with the Kings.

Despite their differing ages and experience levels, the pair have combined well with 22-year-old Tyler Toffoli, and they remained the hottest line in hockey Saturday. The Kings’ 70s line — their numbers being 70, 73 and 77 — provided three goals after being part of four goals in Game 2.

“They got a lot of speed and skill, and they got good shots,” Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith said of Carter, Pearson and Toffoli. “They move the puck. They’re always moving.”