I don’t even know how this shit started……but it’s something we started doing in ’92. All I know is that it REALLY pissed off the other team. And here at Verdugo…when we sense you don’t like something…we take that as a DIRECT CUE to just keep on doing it! I will let you former players out there explain to our viewing audience what all this “Quick!!!………Pantherlike” shit was all about. Please remember guys that when explaining it…there was a TIMING element that came into play. We would say “Quick” after one event…and “Pantherlike” after another event. I must say…..when you’re managing a team and you hear guys on the field and on the bench saying this shit…you just KNOW everything is going to be okay!!! Then our guys started changing it up a little bit depending on the situation. They’d maybe say……”SLOW!!!…SLOTHLIKE!!!”…whatever we could do to get in someone’s head(s). I must say I am laughing as I write this……….in fact, I’m going into the backyard right now and say “Quick!!!!!!………Pantherlike!!!!” And after our guys explain to you what this great shit is….I’m sure you will too!!!!!!!!!!
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verdugo288 
Not that I want to admit it….but I believe “Slow and Sloth like” was me and Tur-nah after a long night of drinking and possibly our prowess on the bases. Tur-nah and I did not have a lot of time to warm up and stretch. Hell, half the time our pre-game “stretch” was a game of flip, which Tur-nah would not even have his jersey on…and barefoot! I did not have a lot of triples, but I had plenty of LONG, stand up doubles. Where I just crushed one, pull into to second not even breathing hard still looking at the guy throwing the ball in, only to look over at Gee at third with his one arm still circling and the other one outreached to the sky with the “WTF BULL” look on his face! That’s when I would give him, “Don’t worry, this guy is going to throw a dirtball and get me to third”…just to get in the pitcher’s head. God forbid, that pitcher look at me, or, even worse, answer me. Our dugout would explode. 8 out of 10 times, the guy would throw a dirtball, hell, probably two and get me home!
That was the brilliance of VH. We were a breeding ground of raggers. Our bench was our 10th player. I had never been on a team with better role players. We ALWAYS had each other’s back, and we were ALWAYS ON…you were not going to get away with anything. We were Hawk Raggers…one bad move and we were all over you…the ENTIRE GAME. Birsy, Calf, Fielder, Haggs, Yah-ves, Hank, Roge etc. and the BEST ragger I have ever been around, Wiley Jackson. I guarantee we won games because of those guys on certain days. For the record, “Get out of our dugout”….was immediately followed by a low gravely…”YOU HAVE NO FRIENDS HERE…DON’T LOOK HERE AGAIN….matter of fact, you are so embarrassing out there, your parents just left the stands and said they wished they had a real son!”
NOBODY was safe around us….even if your Quartz Hill barn is on fire….but that story is for another day!
It started out with a routine groundball. As soon as one of our infielders snagged it….most of the guys on the bench and some of the guys in the field would yell “QUICK!!!”…..now our infielder had the ball and when he made a perfect throw to first to record the out everyone would yell “PANTHERLIKE!!!”……dude!! Like who started this shit? Is that just so off the wall or what? Simply brilliant!! And as we would “fire it around” after the out was recorded….everyone would be barking out the infamous “AHH!!…AHH!…AHH!!!…AHH!!!” in like these short, stacatto bursts!! It sounded like a bunch of frickin’ dogs barking!!! Can you imagine playing for the other team and having to listen to this shit the WHOLE GAME!?!?!? All I can say is “AHH!!! Verdugo!!!”
I think the Original birthplace of the “Quick…Panther-Like” phrase had something to do with Ivan Moreno…When we landed him from Maranatha, we were a bit in awe of his raw strength and stature… For a big guy he was quite nimble…. I think Gee…At one of our “Coaches Meetings”….(I swear these were strictly professional coaches meetings…where we would go over game tape…plan the line up….and figure out the chinks in the armour of our next opponent…or maybe the one after if it was Fat Jody and his whores….but we seldom got ahead of ourselves…Gee just wouldn’t have it…) But what I’m getting at is that in no way shape or form was there any alcohol, SNK Baseball, shit talking, or trips to the Vergugo Room goin’ on at ANY of those coaches meetings….But again, I digress…(Easy to do when you’re talkin’ bout Verdugo)….So, Gee starts talking about how Moreno had a “Big Cat” type presence to him…Like a Panther…But he was quick too…..Hence we started using it out there on the field….It quickly turned into something bigger than Ivan himself….We quickly found out that if we used it for any routine play during a game, we would get more opportunities to fuck with our opponent and get in their domes!!! So on any given routine play we would use the phrase…..”Quick”…….and while the ball was in the air we’d finish with “panther like!!” Barring a bad throw, we looked like geniuses!! (Atleast in our eyes..and that’s all that mattered)… Man the other team used to hate that one……So that’s how I think it went down…but I could be wrong…….Next time I’ll remind you all about a little thing we liked to call….. “GET RID OF IT!!!”…and….”ROUUUUTIIIIIIIIINE!!!”..lol…AHHHHHHHHHHH!!! DOUBLE OTT!!! AAAAAHHHHH!!!!! AAAAHHHHHHH!!!
We need an Early Review Reunion!
Hank is cracking my ass up! First of all…don’t even get me started on the run to “The Study” to get refreshments in Hanks Hyundai (where he convinced my gullible ass that if you can get to 90 mph, then put it in neutral on the freeway, you save gas money) on the way back from the game…then celebrate the VH “road win”….only to hear Gee bark out later that night, after fierce battles of SNK…”Oh shit, you guys good for a Connie Mack game tonight….”
Somebody find the game….not even sure if I am right….BUT….we beat them with myself throwing on two fingers (broke the tip of my pointer finger, could not put pressure on it, threw the whole game with two fingers….hook was still fucking sick!) The Valley Rangers took the best of the best from EVERYWHERE and just crushed teams….(ironically, Calf ended up being that good, and on that team later in his career).
Calf played, he was 13….Chandler….Chili….Teddy….Ozzie….MY HOMEBOYS! If you are out there brothers…give me a holler. H Chang played that game, he was …well let’s just say “mature”.
I remember, the game on the line, bases loaded….fucking Teddy calls time out. Teddy was a fireball….Latino blood, and did not give a “F”… bases loaded, something like two outs…big beefy guy at the plate….he calls time out…walks out to me on the mound (I am a rookie)…and in a very loud voice (think of Tony Montana voice)….points to the hitter…”FUCK HIM”….points…to their bench…”AND FUCK THEM, STRIKE THIS BITCH OUT!”…put the ball in my glove, walked back to third, giving the stare of death to the other dugout as if to say…”one word, and I WILL come over there and fuck you up”…their entire dugout believed it….they shut the fuck UP immediately.
Not sure if I whiffed the guy or Teddy made the last out…but after that moment…I knew the Burbank boys were now “My Boys” too!
Hey…no joke, if anyone wants to get together and tell some stories, reach out: jcanale19@yahoo.com.