THEY DON'T MAKE METAL BATS LIKE THEY USED TO.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Community Sports

Here's something you don't see very often, especially in the age of aluminum bats: College of the Canyons softball player Carly Caldaronello's bat broke in half as she connected on a pitch during Monday's 5-4 softball victory over visiting Cuesta.

``I was stunned. The game actually stopped for five minutes because everybody stood around looking at the bat,'' College of the Canyons sports information director Bruce Battle said. ``I don't think anyone had ever seen anything so bizarre. It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing.''

The ball rolled off the bat - or at least half of the bat - into fair territory. But Caldaronello ``was so stunned by what happened,'' according to Battle, that she forgot to run to first base and was tagged out.

What made the whole thing even more remarkable was that Battle happened to be taking digital photos, and he caught the action just as the bat was splitting in half.

``There was a line of people surrounding me, wanting to look at the picture in the camera,'' Battle said.

--Speaking of College of the Canyons softball, I ran into third baseman Nicole Delfino at Pasta Grill in Newhall just before the season, and she swore her injured knee - suffered during the final inning of her high school career at Hart - would be just fine.

Sure enough, Delfino is a woman of her word. She entered the weekend with a .609 batting average, three home runs and 29 RBI in 19 games - on pace for an All-American freshman season.

--Hart High's star football quarterback, Sean Norton, is on crutches after undergoing knee-cartilage surgery last month. But he promises to be full strength well before the start of this year's summer passing-league season, which begins with Hart's annual tournament June 20 and 21 at Hart and College of the Canyons.

Obviously, any time a 4,000-yard quarterback has knee surgery, it's newsworthy. Norton has tried to downplay the significance of the injury, but there are conflicting accounts of how he hurt his knee in the first place. Hart coach Mike Herrington said Norton suffered a slight cartilage tear during the football season but waited until after the playoffs to repair the damage. Norton said he hurt the knee playing in a pick-up basketball game, and that a previous knee injury during the football season was so minor that no one mentioned it.

At any rate, Herrington and Norton agree the knee should heal properly and in a timely manner. And that's good news because Hart's top receiver, Kevin Ciccone (who happens to be Norton's best friend), returns next season, along with fellow starting receiver Ryan Wolfe.

--The SoCal Dodgers is a new travel baseball team for boys 16-and-under, coached by Kenny Brown, father of former Paraclete High of Lancaster standout Jason Brown (now at Harvard).

The team is scheduled to compete in various summer tournaments, starting with the eight-day Team USA tournament in Tucson, Ariz., in July. Those interested in trying out for the team are requested to call Brown: [phone].

--The 15th annual Hart Classic softball tournament concludes Saturday at Central Park in Saugus. The championship game is 8 p.m. Hart has won the tournament the past three years.

--Football hopefuls 8 to 14 are urged to join the SCVAA Warriors football program, which competes in the Pacific Youth Football League during the fall. Signups are March 22 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Saugus High. The cost is $220, which cover trophies, practice jersey, use of equipment, insurance and a team picture. There are a limited number of scholarships available based on established criteria. For information, visit the team Web site: SCVAAWarriors.com.

The team is also looking for cheerleaders in the same age range. They can register 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 27 at Vincenzo's Pizza in Newhall. The cost for cheerleaders is $300.

Parents or guardians must be present at registration, and merchandise is available at sign-ups.