verdugo288

This guy here may have been the most important piece of the Verdugo puzzle we ever had. Well….Maybe. All I know is the last two seasons we went 38-5 in the regular season. And this guy was there the entire time ….usually in our dugout….and systematically tearing the minds out of the opposition.

I had seen him before we got him. He pitched for the Glendale JV Team and my JV Team had faced him. I can’t remember who won…off the top of my head…..but I remembered this guy.

He looked like a cheap-shot artist. Like he would cheat to win. Like he would do anything under the sun to beat you. He talked some trash. Yeah, I hated him. But Lance Evans said to get him, and if a guy will cheat and talk some trash, well c’mon!?!?!? That’s ticking a couple of major boxes when you’re you’re going through your recruiting depth charts right?

I was an open-minded guy. You gotta remember, before we got Henry Fernandez on Verdugo….I had coached some games against him. And I fucking hated him too!!!!

I had enough seasons under my belt as a manager to be honest and ask myself if I just hated this guy for the sake of hating him? or did I really want this guy playing for me? Like was the case with Henry….

I remember asking Evans “so what does this guy bring to the table?

Lance had never even played for Verdugo but via his communications through the years with Canale and Turner, he knew what was going on at Verdugo. Lance hadn’t even played an inning in a Verdugo uniform and his answer to me was this:

“He’s totally Verdugo”

Here’s a guy who had never played for us telling me that this guy we’re considering will fit right in to a ballclub neither of them had ever even played for.

The absurdity of Evans’ answer made me realize that maybe there’s a reason that all of this was even being considered and I decided to not mess with fate or destiny and sat there for a minute or two and then weakly said….

“Okay”

That’s how we got “The Wiley Jackson”

What an acquisition. I’ll say it again…what an acquisition.

The dirtiest, cheating-est, lying-est, stealing-est, foul-mouthed and diabolical guy we may have ever had. And I say that about him in the absolute very best of ways.

What he did for Verdugo was this: he made it fun being on the bench. He made the Verdugo dugout the greatest dugout on earth.

He loved fucking with people. The opposition for the most part.

And nobody did it better.

He didn’t play much. But when he did play he was another perfect piece….even with his .150 batting average in 1992. I loved every minute of it.

He was also a little like Henry Fernandez. I always used to say about Henry “he can’t hit, he can’t throw, he can’t field and he can’t run ….all he knows how to do is beat ya”

Wiley pitched one inning of relief in our win in game 2 against Lancaster South.

He didn’t pitch again until the last week of the season. He threw two complete game victories over a total of four days for us that final week. Arms were tired. Guys needed a break. What this guy did over those four days was this:

Two wins…

Two complete game victories…

15 innings.

12 hits.

One walk.

13 strikeouts.

4 earned runs.

ERA 2.13

Absolutely FUCKING CLUTCH.

The train we were riding in ’92 sputtered at times and somebody had to get off that train and push it through some tough spots.

The magic of our ball club was that we never knew who that was going to be or when it was going to happen. But at some point in 1992….there was a different guy pushing that train for us.

Everybody was involved. Including “The Wiley Jackson”

This guy was to Verdugo Hills what “Eddie Haskell” was to “Leave it to Beaver”….

Wiley also played errorless defense for us on the field in ’92. And he didn’t care if he played or not. But make no mistake about it….he was a factor in every game.

From the Verdugo Bench….this guy was our cleanup hitter.

He wore people down with words.

He was a demoralizing factor to the opposition.

There wasn’t anyone he couldn’t defeat in a battle of the wits.

He literally broke Jody Breeden.

He took great pleasure in it too. And he didn’t just go after opposing players. Coaches, umpires, parents….anybody who was trying to stop us was a target of his.

And I loved every minute of it!!!!

He made the Verdugo Dugout off-limits to any and all.

I remember saying “I love this guy ….he’s Wiley!!!!”

Then guys started calling him “Wiley Jackson”

I wondered if he liked this new moniker we had for him or not.

Then he showed up at a game and sat down next to me. He took his Verdugo Cap off and showed me a perfect masterpiece (in color as well) rendition of “Wile E. Coyote”….under the bill of his cap.

I think he liked it, yeah.

I loved our Verdugo Caps….but I remember actually thinking and seriously considering after the ’93 season that maybe we should go with a new cap. Same colors….but instead of the VH….a diabolical and menacing looking shot of Wile E. Coyote’s head might be kinda cool ….right in the center of our caps!

If I decided to do that….I gotta say it would of been because of ‘Old Wiley himself.

’93 was his last season with us. He left enough of a mark as to what a dugout should be like and how a guy who doesn’t play much should go about his business when he does get out on the field.

I started him in the outfield sometimes. I pinch-ran him. I DH’d him for Vo two or three times. He got ejected arguing with the home plate umpire in our 6-2 Victory against Burbank in game 18 of the season.

He could bunt, he could slap it around a little at the plate, he drew walks and he could play defense. And he had that “tough knuckler” too….

I’ve already written a feature here on the blog about Wiley many years ago…. check it out here: https://verdugo288.wordpress.com/2011/02/27/the-wiley-jacksons-tough-knuckler/

Wiley? Your contributions to The Great Verdugo Hills will never be forgotten….by myself, by your teammates, and most importantly….by the opposition!!!!

Absolutely brilliant acquisition.

Lance Evans was right….Wiley Jackson? Totally Verdugo!!!!

I was sitting here for about ten minutes looking at a blank screen where all it said at the top was “The Calf” and spent the next ten minutes kinda smiling and laughing to myself before I started writing this.

We had a guy on the Team here at Verdugo we nicknamed (originally) “The Bull”….and we changed it later to “The Bull Oxen”….

Bull Oxen had a little brother. I met his little brother when he was twelve. We knew he would play for us one day. In fact, we had already nicknamed this guy “The Calf” before he ever even wore a Verdugo Uniform!

I’ve already written a short story here on the blog about how he “came to be” a member of Verdugo at the ripe-old age of 14….

This guy hadn’t even stepped foot on a high school campus yet nor had he played an inning of high school ball yet and he was playing for Verdugo!

Josh and Robb Turner and Lance Evans had talked me into the short Roster for 1992. We had 13 guys and could have stopped there.

Nancy Canale had told me all of 1990 and 1991 how she always wished Josh and Kasey could have played one season together but that their age difference had prevented it.

The last time she brought it up was sometime back in the ’91 season. As ’92 closed-in she never even mentioned it. She knew it would never happen. She wasn’t telling me to put him on the Team nor was she even suggesting it.

But I never forgot what she wished for….

When we needed that one last absolutely crucial guy to add to the Roster I made sure I let her know in person.

She had tears in her eyes when I told her. I kinda did too….

This wasn’t just a warm body we stuck on the Roster. This guy was a perfect fit. He understood what we had going on here. And he could play….

And yeah….he was a CANALE….

What a great acquisition.

Verdugo was a fun ball club to play for. But this kid made the dugout and the field even more fun.

He wasn’t just there to fill a spot on the roster either. He played. And he produced. We’re gonna talk about that. He started and played entire games that we won against some strong teams…

Notre Dame, Glendale, Crespi, and Sun Valley…..

He didn’t just appear in those games he played entire games that we won against those Teams. A 14-year old.

I still smile and chuckle out loud and shake my head when I think about yet another rookie we had ….this guy named Kasey Canale….and how he rose to the occasion for Verdugo ’92.

This was part of the magic of the summer of ’92. We had all the right guys who fit in with what we were trying to do. Yeah even Vo…with his quirkiness….and Gabe…with his religious affiliations. And Kasey …with his youth…They fit right in. Bir with his “professionalism”….Jackson with his…his….his….Wiley-ness.

…..somehow….each guy we had played a pivotal role for us.

I mean ….Gabe was to Verdugo Hills what that religious kid named “Strap Purl” meant to Hickory High in the movie “Hoosiers”…

Right?

Somehow we had all the right pieces. It didn’t matter about their personality or their accomplishments or their resume or their age or their size or whatever.

A lotta people would look back on our Roster in ’92 and say “what?” when they looked at it on paper.

But as I go through writing about each guy here before I start in on the playoffs a pattern is emerging here.

Every single player we had contributed to us dominating…….in a major way. Everybody was clutch at some point.

That’s why every player we had in ’92 was an absolutely perfect piece to the puzzle.

And this guy was yet another one of those perfect pieces….just like the rest of you.

Yeah he played and yeah he contributed in a major way in ’92.

But he was just as big a part of it all when he wasn’t playing but was there in the Verdugo Dugout. Imagine playing for the opposition and having this guy….plus Bir…and plus WILEY in your fucking ear and eventually in your head by the time the game was over.

He was a presence both on the field….and in the dugout….and he fucking loved Wearing that RALLY WIG!!!!

I didn’t waste any time getting him on the field either. We led Agoura 4-1 on opening day and it was still a ballgame and I put him at second base in the 7th inning.

His first plate appearance for Verdugo he singles, driving in a run giving us a 5-1 lead…and then steals second base.

Game two of the season I started him and led him off. He was hitless in three at-bats but he hit the ball sharply and played great D until he came out of the game after five innings.

He played a couple of innings defensively against Sunland-Tujunga and made a couple of plays in the 6-1 win.

He started and drove in a run in our 7-0 win against Valley South.

He started and played the entire game in our 10-1 ass-kicking of Crespi at Stengel. He reached base three times and scored a run and drove in one as well.

He started and played the entire game against Woodland-Hills West when we ruined Ron Cey’s Father’s Day in an 8-3 win.

He did miss some games throughout the season due to basketball commitments but generally when he was there he saw action for us.

He started and played the entire second game of the double header against Glendale. Played great defense and picked up another-base hit in that win. STELLAR.

He started and played the entire game in our 5-1 victory against Notre Dame. Picking up yet another base hit. Fucking HUGE. This was a HUGE GAME.

He started and played the entire road game against Lancaster South as we came down the stretch. Singling twice in our 6-3 win. MASSIVE.

He started and played the entire game in our playoff clinching win against sun Valley…..hitting an absolute SHOT for a single (I remember it vividly it was deep enough for a double) FUCKING CLUTCH.

We hit a lotta SHOTS off fat-bitch that night….and the one he hit was as HARD as any of ’em.

He picked up yet another hit in the 11-1 win against Panorama City the day after we clinched. ARE WE SEEING A PATTERN HERE?

And to top it all off….the final regular game of the season against NewHall-Saugus I put him behind the plate for the last four innings of our nail-biting 4-3 win.

I put him back there because I felt it was ROOKIE SHOWCASE TIME.

When the dust had settled at the end of the season The Calf was 8 for 28 (.286) for Verdugo as a 14-year old. He went 2-4 in the playoffs (.500) and finished the season at .313.

What a season. Loved having him in a Verdugo Uniform. There were a couple of times during the season I remember when Kasey would do something HUGE for us and his nervous mom who was watching both her sons play ….Nancy ….her and I would make brief eye contact and I’ll tell ya….the happy look on her face was worth just about as much to see as anything else I witnessed in 1992.

Verdugo….once assembled …..was the perfect puzzle. And this guy was yet another one of our perfect pieces.

Calf? I’m still shaking my head in amazement…..almost 30 years later!!!!

All right everybody let’s get to Vo here and keep moving down the line I got a lotta work to do yet on this blog.

Here’s yet another Verdugo rookie from ’92 that had a major impact on what we were trying to do. Here’s a guy who rose. And he kept rising. And he kept rising….

But let’s not get all caught up in where he ended up. I’m talking 1992 right here.

Nothing more….nothing less.

So let’s take our minds back to 1992. Here was a guy that I knew would be on our Roster. As to what capacity or impact he would have on the field ….let’s be honest….that was still a question mark.

I had him on my JV Team at CV in ’91. Another good kid. Kinda like Bir in that we needed to corrupt this guy a little bit too. I was asked to return back to CV in ’92 and declined.

But as the ’92 season drew nigh, Vo and I were talking again. He wasn’t real happy that during his sophomore year he wasn’t being given the ball enough. He wanted starts. And for whatever reason, he wasn’t getting enough of that at the high school.

How can you not love that he was pissed? Frustrated?

Right?

So really….coming into Legion in ’92 he was an unproven high school Varsity pitcher….at least in the capacity he wanted to prove himself ….(as a starter and as a guy who would be given the ball against anybody)……and an as-yet unproven Legion pitcher….but …..think about it …..he really hadn’t had the opportunity to fully prove himself had he?

He wanted that opportunity!!!!

I don’t know who said this but I’ve quoted it often in my life and it’s true “Success is a chemical reaction that takes place when preparation meets opportunity.”

Well ….we had an opportunity for Jim.

I had him on my JV Team and this guy could pitch. He wasn’t gonna be mowing guys down left and right. But he could pitch.

You guys also have heard me comment on this blog starting wayyy back with the 1990 Team how I loved “seeing a lotta bodies flying around out there defensively….guys picking each other up.”

As a coach….that’s another aspect of the game I absolutely lived for. Seeing my guys out there flying around and making some things happen defensively. Guys making routine plays with authority….occasionally pulling off a spectacular one….getting dirty….taking some chances….back-picking….improvising….handling run-downs like men.

I absolutely lived to see that.

As far as I’m concerned it’s the one thing you gotta have with your ball club. There’s really no excuse not to have that.

We had that going on at Verdugo big time.

That helped him. It helps all your pitchers. the psychological effect it has on your chuckers is paramount. All of a sudden they’re out there just throwing strikes. Not trying to be too fine. And no reason to be if guys are swarming to the ball and making plays.

We had that going on.

One thing you could never accuse Jim of is being physically or mentally unprepared to play. This guy took his job seriously. Hell….he took it so seriously you’d think this guy was planning on pitching in the Major Leagues someday…..

Right?

I had it all planned out for him. Keep him in the shallow end…..let him build off that and maybe by the end of the season he would be peaking.

Then Evans got hurt…..

Okay fuck it….it’s time to throw his ass into the deep end. So much for those plans Gee….

“Success is a chemical reaction that takes place when preparation meets opportunity.”

Mentally and physically he was prepared. All he had to do was pitch.

And that he did.

Absolutely fucking CLUTCH.

Let’s face it….nobody would have predicted this….even myself. I believed in Jim….but he far exceeded my expectations that I had for him in 1992.

He made it happen. He made the pitches.

But I think we all had a hand in how far he rose….and helping turn him into somewhat of a thug. We expanded on that in ’93 when I took out a couple of bounties on a couple of hitters and I made him drill those guys. He needed to be corrupted a little bit….and I’m proud to say we all contributed to that.

He got a relief appearance in the second game of the year up in Lancaster and he picked up the win. He threw well.

I gave him his first start against a weak team (Valley South) about a week later. I knew we would win that game….but I didn’t think he would shut them out like he did and throw a complete game like he did.

We won 7-0….

His next start was against one of our most bitter rivals….Woodland Hills East. The only team that ever dogpiled on us in four years. At their yard no less. With Gabe Kapler in that lineup no less.

This game was coming right after our first loss of the season. We were 5-1 coming in and anything could have happened at this point. We could have even imploded…..

I was hoping he’d give us five….maybe six good innings. I didn’t think he would go all the way in a nine-inning game….dominating them…..Giving up only one earned run in a 7-2 victory like he did.

CLUTCH.

He took his only loss of the year in the 2nd game of the twin bill against Lancaster North. The Team I suspected had ringers. They were 0-8 coming into that double-header and scored 22 runs on us in 14 innings. That was the hardest anyone hit us all year. I still call bullshit on whoever they put on the field against us that day.

Then Evans gets hurt….

“Ok Jim….you’re getting the ball against Sun Valley….oh….and one more thing Jim….we gotta win this game.”

Another swim in the deep end.

Sun Valley was an incredibly dangerous Team. He gave us 5 and a third innings that night.

Yeah, they touched him up a little bit but he kept us in it….and we won.

We finally catch and surpass Jody. We’re in sole possession of first place. We’ve got the best record in The District at 15-2.

We now gotta play Burbank again. At their yard. They already beat us once and would be throwing the guy that beat us before at us again.

We only got four hits. We won 6-2.

I needed five or six innings out of him this game. I didn’t think he would go all the way in another nine-inning game again like he did…..surrendering only five hits….like he did.

That kept us atop the Division. Kept us with the best record at 16-2. We were deep into the season at this point….

The Burbank coach was quoted in the papers the next day as saying “he was the best pitcher we’ve faced all season.”

“Success is a chemical rea…….”

Right?

CLUTCH.

I gave him the ball again against Sun Valley. Really….in my mind….the only legal team that had hit him hard the whole season. Great team….legal roster….no ringers.

Huge game. Playoffs on the line. Going up against fat bitch from Sun Valley. That guy had been waking up every morning for two weeks thinking about one thing and one thing only…..revenge against Verdugo.

I have to say going into this one I felt pretty good about him doing well. I was coming around and starting to ….well….totally believe.

And what does Vo do? He pitches us into the playoffs. He beats them 7-3 and we clinch.

Fucking CLUTCH.

On the year he was 6-1 during the regular season.

Led Verdugo in innings pitched with 46.

Gave up only 33 hits.

Walked 23 and struck out 33. Gave up only 19 earned runs on the year.

His ERA (I always tallied ERA for 8 innings because we had a mix of either seven or nine inning games) was 3.30

“Success is a chemical reac……”

Right?

He took the opportunity we gave him and ran with it.

He was no longer an unproven High School Pitcher anymore….again at least in the capacity that he wanted to prove what he could do.

He proved he could start and go deep into the games and he proved he could beat anybody.

There weren’t any question marks attached to his name anymore.

The question marks that were attached to his name had been replaced by the end of the 1992 season….with exclamation points!!!!

And let’s face it….having a lotta bodies out there flying around and guys picking each other up” (the shit I live for) didn’t hurt him either.

But again….he made the pitches we needed him to make.

He made those pitches for us.

But think about it too….if you’re five foot five and weigh 110 pounds and you got guys like Bull Oxen and Turner and Evans and Haggs and Thunder and Cowsill out there yelling at ya “let’s go!!!! get this fucking guy out!” As they kinda frown at ya as they bark at ya…..

Wouldn’t it be easier just making the pitch you gotta make than to have to deal with those guys if you don’t?

I’m just sayin’ 😉

Verdugo may not have been the perfect place for Jim Parque to play. But we gave him the perfect opportunity.

We can’t pick our family in this world and there’s a lotta other stuff we can’t pick either.

But pretty much all summer long we had a defense that could pick-it all day long!!!!

That’s why I say in the summer of 1992?….Jim Parque was exactly where he was supposed to be.

That’s right. Playing for Verdugo. Playing for Gee. And playing alongside all you other guys. A bunch of gamers and battlers all looking to carve out a name for Verdugo and themselves.

Playing for Verdugo was exactly where he was supposed to be….

And I would venture to say that wherever he ended up…..he took a little piece of all of us….and the great Verdugo Name…..everywhere he went.

Vo? Thank you for your clever design on the T-Shirt the JV Team gave me at the end of the ’91 season at the banquet that said two things:

“Let’s Go!!!” And “Mix-in!!!”

And thank you for all the times in ’92 you “mixed-in” for Verdugo!!!!

Absolutely FUCKING CLUTCH!!!!

As much as we were hated…..

How could anybody NOT love Verdugo?

I gotta say there’s truth to that old saying “if you build it they will come”

The last several weeks we’ve been getting a lotta looks here on our blog. It spiked yesterday we had almost 50 unique visitors checking this shit out.

And these people reading this shit are hanging out, too. They’re going deep into the archives and reading all kinds of shit.

Starting to remind me of 2010 again when I first got this thing going.

Whoever is out there watching this unfold we thank you! If you’re a former player who is “lurking” and not commenting….make your presence known!

If you’re a coach or player from another team out there do the same!

If you’re a fan and have no affiliation with any of this and just like reading it all….

More power to ya!

But I do have some advice as well if you’re some random “fan” of ours….

I gotta borrow a line used by William Shatner (Captain Kirk) from Star Trek when Saturday Night Live did a spoof on the “Star Trek Reunions” where everybody was dressed up in “Starship Enterprise” outfits and Klingon outfits….

Shatner told all his fans when he went up to the podium “GET A LIFE!”

Another great acquisition in maybe the greatest rookie class ever(?) in 20th District history. Dan Bir.

I didn’t know much about Dan Bir prior to 1992. In fact, I didn’t know anything about him. But I had one of the greatest GM’s working behind the scenes for me by the name of Josh Canale.

Canale had got Ivan Moreno on the roster for us in 1991. After we finished the ’91 campaign and started gearing up for ’92 sometime in February we usually started throwing names around as to who would be the next heirs to the Verdugo throne.

The new guys we would get who would be given “the keys to the kingdom”

Right?

We turned away a lot of guys. Playing for Verdugo is like walking on hallowed grounds…let’s face it…not just anybody is worthy.

Right?

Canale told me five words. “We gotta get Dan Bir”

Done.

I did go to a couple of Saint Francis games just to get a look at him. I already knew Haggs was a player and would contribute but I had never even seen this guy named Dan Bir and he was already on our roster!

Big kid. Could play some defense. We had a boatload of first basemen already with Turner, Moreno, Canale, Gabe….but I liked what I saw. All the aforementioned names were in their final year of eligibility. He was going to inherit that job for us.

And when I first met him…very quiet kid. Very respectful. After I first met him my thoughts were “we gotta find a way to corrupt this guy!”

Again, I don’t expect much offensive production from rookies. Robb Turner struggled a little bit at the plate his rookie year but he paid off fucking HUGE with what he did behind the plate for us that season. We were 9-3 with him behind the plate. Turner was also in the top 4 or 5 guys that rookie season of his in on-base-percentage.

Good things can happen for anybody if you keep suiting up and showing up and you believe in yourself. Turner was a force in ’91. By the time ’92 came around Turner was an absolute animal.

It didn’t take long for Bir to be corrupted into the Verdugo way of life on a baseball diamond. He saw how we rolled at Verdugo. He fit right in. Fucking perfect!

Birsy spent some time on the bench alongside Wiley Jackson and learned from one of the best how to get inside somebody’s head. He had some all-time-great role models to see up close and personal on the field as to “just how we roll” here at Verdugo!!!!

Bir struggled a little bit early in the season adjusting to the pitching at this level. But let me tell you something here…he not only figured it out…but he figured it out in ’92. This guy was instrumental in some huge games he filled in coming down the stretch. HUGE.

But don’t kid yourself. He still saw a lot of time on the field. He played a lot of innings that first season ….and you know what?

He made only one error the entire season.

And you know what? That’s what I expect from the rookies. Defense. They will find their way at the plate eventually. But Bir played some D for Verdugo!!!!

He made clutch plays defensively in huge games we had to win. And just kept getting better and better and better at the plate.

He kept coming back to the barn like all the good horses do when you let ’em run wild. He got a lot of looks at the plate and when we came down the stretch he was there. He was ready. And he was ready to deliver.

The last week of the season when we were backed up in games and Cowsill and Moreno couldn’t be there he hit .308 for us (4-13). I hit him in the five hole behind Canale twice.

I hit him in the five-hole when we clinched the playoff spot and he played the entire game. That’s how much confidence I had in him. He lit-up fat bitch from Sun Valley in the first inning with a line shot single that put us up 1-0….then lined out to center against him his second plate appearance against him before we knocked him out of the game. Both balls hit HARD.

I started him and hit him in the five-hole in the game in Lancaster the final week of the season that we won 6-3 with Wiley on the mound. Bir went 2-3 with two RBI in that ball game.

The last week of the season Bir had figured it out and was starting to drive the ball up the gaps. He rocked a deep gapper into right-center against Panorama City the day after we clinched that drove in two.

I said to Canale my General Manager “Bir’s on fire!”

Canale told me exactly the same thing he’d told me from the beginning “Bir’s a damn-good ballplayer”

Yeah….by the end of the season Bir was not only hitting the ball well for us….but he was hitting it with authority.

Rookies are rookies. It’s not easy in Legion ball. But I will say this. Dan Bir is the one player we had in all four years that had the greatest transformation of any player from one season to the next.

Let’s not forget that in 1993….he almost hit .500 for us.

In ’93 he was hitting bullets all over the yard. Who knows what Bir would have done in ’94 had the team stayed together.

He hit a titanic Home Run at Stengel in ’93 that was about as far as you can hit it. A game that we trailed 7-0. A huge game. Bir’s three-run shot got us back in it and made it 7-6.

I still get pumped up every time I replay that absolute SHOT in my mind. I still say that was the greatest game Verdugo ever played. And you know what? We lost that game.

We’ll get to that when we start writing about ’93 and how that game led to what I can only call “The Call”

“The Call” defined us. That was the greatest moment a coach could ever dream up. You’ll all get to read about that night. It was pretty amazing what happened after that game.

At some point (with all you guys) I got to see those “coming of age” moments. For some guys it happened sooner than it did for others.

With Bir…it was the SHOT he hit off fat bitch in the first inning the night we clinched. And the subsequent stare-down Birsy gave him as he stood on first after we drew first blood and made it 1-0.

The stare-down he gave fat-bitch after that bullet said a LOT. I stood in the third base coaching box and saw that coming-of-age moment. The stare-down he gave that guy said “I can play …I belong….you challenge me again with that cheese bitch and I’ll rip your fucking head off”

Those are the moments you live for to see as a coach. Thats not a typo either. I lived to see the moments when I could see you guys were taking shit to the next level. Where you guys were competing. Where you guys were playing. And playing the game the way it was meant to be played. Backing down to no one. Ever.

Not cocky….but unwavering confidence. Not aggression….but assertive. Humble….yet proud of it.

Determined to make your mark on the field as a player.

Another Verdugo rookie had delivered. I give this kid a vote of confidence hitting him behind Canale in the biggest game of the season with the playoffs on the line and what does he do? He hits an absolute seed off arguably one of the toughest pitchers in the District to put us on the board in the first-inning. God damn was I pumped!!!!

Yeah….another Verdugo rookie had delivered.

Fortunately….Birsy was corruptible. He fully adopted the Verdugo ways. He didn’t remain the shy and reserved kid I first met for more than a game or two in a Verdugo Uniform.

This was a good kid. Well, at least until we got ahold of him. This is the kind of guy that….I don’t know…..you’d want him to be like a high-powered lawyer or something some day.

Right?

You know?

A guy who is just so damn good at what he does that just being a lawyer isn’t enough. The kind of guy you’d have no choice if you owned the law firm to just pull him aside and say “look man we need to make you a partner in this endeavor”

Ya know?

At least that’s what I would have predicted where he would have ended up if you asked me back in 1992.

I don’t know where the heck he is today…but if I was to make a prediction….that would be it. Either that or maybe up for re-election for his 4th term in the US Senate or something.

Right?

Bir? If you’re out there reading this shit check-in with us here in the comments section and let us know how everything turned out for you!

I’m curious to know 😉

And Bir? Canale was right.

Thank you Josh for bringing this guy into the fold.

And Bir? It was exciting for me as a coach seeing you evolve from the wild-eyed rookie you were ….into the PURE VERDUGO DUDE you became!!!!

Absolute CLUTCH acquisition. And another member of arguably “The Greatest Rookie Class in 20th District History!!!!”

What a perfect nickname. Thunder. Dave Fielder. Here’s yet another guy from Verdugo’s staggering rookie Class-of -’92 that just stepped in…and stepped up.

We knew he was going to be a player for us before the season began. It was just how good was he going to be? Let’s just say his bat and his glove and his arm (and his attitude) were his bolts of lightning….and we all know what happens right after lightning strikes right?

THUNDER….

Yeah….THUNDER.

He blew down NINE guys who tried running on him from behind the plate in ’92 during the regular season. Nobody ran on us anyways in ’92 (we only gave up 22 stolen bases during the regular season…think about that statistic) but usually early in the game a team would test the waters against us.

And Thunder’s message was “don’t even try”….

And usually after he blew a guy down who tried….they didn’t try again that day. Well….everybody but Sun Valley. Those guys just never learned.

When Evans went down with his injury the question was “who’s gonna hit in the three-hole?”

As we came down the stretch and played in all those big games we won, Dave Fielder became that guy. And a rookie…no less. A sixteen-year old rookie hitting in the three hole and putting up the numbers Thunder posted for us was reminiscent of what Canale did for us in ’90 as a rookie hitting in the four-hole the entire season.

And again….he did these numbers with everyone throwing their top dog against us.

His numbers didn’t drop off either when he took over the number three hole. He was the guy. He could hit for average, he could hit for power and could drive the ball up either gap ….and he had the speed.

Let’s face it everybody….you just don’t come across a catcher with the kind of speed this guy brought to the table.

I don’t want to downplay what he did for us defensively. You can’t. If you would have given me a choice of ALL the catchers available in the entire 20th district to put on my roster….any age as well ….this would have been the guy I would have picked. Absolutely no doubt about that at all.

The way he handled our pitchers. His arm. His toughness back there taking a beating. His personality. Yelling at guys on defense “hey get over there!” and directing traffic. This guy wasn’t shy. The ridiculously incredible athletic plays this guy could make defensively was something to behold.

To be honest, I expected him to do great things for us defensively in ’92. And that he did.

But I’ve said before I never expected any of our rookies to dominate at the plate. The pitching at this level is tough. But once a guy figures out how to handle things at this level….the sky is the limit.

That’s why I say it was his production offensively that was striking…that really stood out by the time the dust had settled.

Dave was 21 for 62 on the regular season….a .339 average. And then he went 6 for 14 in the playoffs. Yeah ….on the year he hit .355. Canale hit .360 for us his rookie year in 1990 and played in the All-Star game.

He came straight out of the gate and hit safely in the first six games of the year.

He was 2nd on the team in doubles with six during the regular season. But by the time the playoffs were over with …he actually tied with Robb Turner for the team lead with eight.

And you gotta know coming in that by the time the season was over that Thunder would lead the team in doses taken. He ended up tying for the team lead with Canale with three.

He was six-for-six stealing bases….third on the team behind Hack (with 9) and Gabe (with 7)

He lined out six times in ’92. He tied for the team lead in sacrifices with four. All four of them sacrifice flies. All of ’em deep enough to get us a run.

He not only hit the ball for us ….he hit the ball with authority.

Let’s just say when thunder “struck”….there was a certain finality to it.

I remember the double he hit against Notre Dame when we beat them the first time 5-1 at their yard. It cleared the bases and turned a 1-0 game into 3-0. It was late in the game. An absolutely CLUTCH shot up the gap into right-center. That one broke it open in my book.

That’s FINALITY.

The double he hit in game one of the sweep against Glendale didn’t score us any runs…but it would have cleared the bases anyways had Taormina not let Cowsill’s single go under his glove and roll all the way to the wall. An absolute shot that sent a message.

FINALITY.

The triple he hit in game 2 of that double header was really the ball we hit that day that literally broke their back, their will, and their spirit. It short-hopped the wall in left field.

FINALITY.

He absolutely gunned down a foolish Sun Valley base runner who tried to steal third against us with the game on the line in the top-of-the-ninth against Sun Valley when we were clinging to an 11-10 lead. Fucking CLUTCH again.

FINALITY.

The absolute SHOT he hit against fat bitch from Sun Valley….that sent him packing again and knocked him out of the game in our 7-3 playoff-clinching victory….

FINALITY.

The double he hit in the bottom-of-the 8th against Crespi in the playoffs ….the biggest game of the year….the one we let get away from us….scored a run to make it 6-5 Verdugo.

This one should have been FINALITY.

It was Dave Fielder’s double that day that finally gave us the lead and put us in position to where if we just got three outs before they scored a run….then we were automatically in the Championship Game of the double-elimination Tournament.

We would have automatically realized a dream….to play at Jackie Robinson Stadium in the next tournament. Even if we lost the 20th District Tournament. Yes….the winner of the 20th District Tournament and the runner-up advance to the next round.

Yeah….that’s how fucking HUGE that double was that he hit.

One could argue that that was the most CLUTCH at-bat we had the entire season. And he delivered. Again….one of our rookies had delivered.

We lost that game. It hurt. It hurt BAD. But I vividly remember after it was over telling him how FUCKING CLUTCH that double was.

Thunder got moved around quite a bit defensively for us before Evans got hurt. And just like Haggs….he never bitched about it. It was just like with Haggs at shortstop….when Lance got hurt….both Haggs and Thunder got to play where they belonged.

And boy did those two guys thrive when they got to play where they were supposed to be playing.

Fielder continued to dominate in ’93 and we will of course talk about that as well in coming posts when we get to ’93.

Between just Haggs and Fielder….a normal coach would be done by now bragging about his rookies!

Hell, a normal coach would be happy to brag about one of his rookies….

But no….we got more….we were blessed…we still got Bir, Vo, and Calf to talk about!!!!

Thunder….

Dave Fielder….

Another absolute monster of a rookie.

Thunder? What a season!!!!

As I mentioned earlier…before I start writing about the playoffs I’m going to write a feature on each guy on our Roster. I also mentioned I was going to start with the rookies.

I’m starting with Haggs. Kirk Hagge. “Haggs” (as we knew him) pulled off a feat that needs to be mentioned up-front and center right here and right now:

Haggs never missed a Verdugo game in ’92….nor did he miss a game in ’93. I can effectively say this: Kirk Hagge loved Verdugo. I know all you guys loved Verdugo….but Haggs was the Lou Gehrig iron man. He holds the All-time Verdugo record for consecutive games played for us with 50….(playoffs included)

The Team disbanded in 1994. There’s no doubt in my mind had we played that season he would have been at every game as well.

Yeah….even after he got drafted. I’d have told Sparky Anderson from The Detroit Tigers that he could kiss my ass before we released Haggs to play Pro Ball !!!!

Damn straight!!!!

He was a dominant player in the league in ’93. But it was ’92…as a rookie….where he established himself as a force.

Who knows what he would have done in ’94?

But what he did for us in 1992 was what he brought to the table for us defensively. He was a rookie in ’92. I never expect our rookies to be dominant at the plate in their first season. But Haggs performed very well for us offensively ….hitting .292 in his first year in a Verdugo uniform.

He was 3rd on the Team in runs scored with 20. He tied for 4th on the team in hits with 21. He was 5th on the Team in RBI with 13. He tied for the team lead in sacrifices with four. He was 3rd on the team in walks with 13. He went deep against North Hollywood. These are strong numbers for a rookie….and he did this with the opposition throwing their best guy against us all season long.

When Evans was with us we moved Kirk around defensively. Haggs saw extensive time behind the plate the first half of the season….starting ten games for us behind the plate in ’92.

He took an absolute beating behind the plate blocking pitches. I can’t even imagine what it would be like having to catch Josh Canale.

He played at second base…first base…and saw some time at shortstop when Evans pitched.

This guy was a shortstop. He never complained when we moved him around. He played wherever we asked him to play and played his ass off for us. Yeah….he was a total fucking warrior for Verdugo.

When Lance went down he was back where he belonged all along…at shortstop.

He stepped right in and made play after play after play after play for us. He could go to his left…his right….he could come get the big high chopper and make a strong throw across his body while on the run.

Great arm. Could throw guys out with authority going to his right from the hole. He always….and I mean always ….gave it up.

His uniform was always dirty. Loved to dive. Could get horizontal. Great footwork around the bag turning two. You never had to ask this guy or remind him to focus. He wanted the ball hit his way.

I know this may be controversial to say this but I’m gonna say it right here and right now. No slight to Lance here at all either….but we were a better Team defensively when Haggs was at shortstop for us.

He was instrumental for what we did after Evans got hurt. We were 10-2 during the regular season with Lance at shortstop. We were 10-1 with Haggs in there. All those games coming down the stretch were fucking huge. And he kept delivering….game after game after game.

We never missed a beat when he took over at shortstop. In fact, one could argue we picked it up a notch or two. This guy was what we call a gamer.

He made the final assist for us defensively FIVE TIMES. Getting that tough final out to seal a victory. In both victories against Sun Valley. One against Notre Dame. Big games. Huge games. Games that were on the line….and he makes the play to end it. Game over.

These are the kinds of plays that just don’t show up in the box score. But these are also the kinds of plays that I ….as a coach….will never forget.

Not only did he do all this for us defensively….but he made it look easy.

I wrote a story before on this blog how prior to the 1992 season ground balls hit at our shortstops were always a little bit of an adventure. The General and I had coached together several seasons prior to Verdugo Hills in Colt League.

We always had that problem back in those days too. It got to the point that when a ground ball was hit to one of our shortstops we would just kinda close our eyes and….hope.

I’ve said it before on this blog and I’ll say it again right now. When Kirk Hagge took over for Verdugo Hills at shortstop in 1992…I never had to worry ever again about what would happen when a ground ball was hit to my shortstop.

Haggs set the standard around the league as to what you want your shortstop to be in 1992. And he did it in his rookie season.

I remember vividly all the final assists he made for us at shortstop. I remember the collision at the plate in the Glendale game where he somehow not only scored…(a fucking HUGE RUN that made it 5-3) but also got up off the ground and kept playing that day and lived to tell about it. I think he broke his nose on that play.

I remember him lighting-up fat-bitch from Sun Valley (in both games) and as a rookie just barking right back at his fat-ass when we knocked him out of the game both times. I remember vividly that game at Stengel the usually quiet and reserved Haggs getting pretty fucking annoyed with that guy and being ready to duke it out with him if that’s what it came down to.

How can you not love seeing that as a coach? From a rookie no less….Huh?

Yeah….he was a thug out there for us, too.

I remember the umpire pinching us brutally at Stengel Field against Woodland Hills West on Fathers’s day ’92. A game we won 8-3. Haggs and Canale organized a little “pitchout” to bring the umpire into line. Haggs vacated…and Canale fired a bullet right into the umpires chest protector.

Yeah….he could dole out a little justice, too.

He kept a straight face through the whole thing while I was helping the umpire to his feet and giving him some water. I mean, after all….we knew that play was just a matter of the pitcher and catcher getting a little crossed-up on signs….right?

Yeah….he could sell, too.

I also remember the kind words Haggs has spoken to me throughout the years long after Verdugo had disbanded. About our team. And about how much he loved it.

We’re gonna get to 1993 soon and talk even more about what Haggs did for us and what he meant to our Program. There’s a lot to talk about.

But 92? This guy was absolutely instrumental and CLUTCH for us in every way!

Haggs? Thanks for 1992 !!!!

You’ve all heard me say through the years that Verdugo had the greatest players who played in the greatest games!

I will always say that. You’ve also heard me refer to wanting to play games when “all our horses are there”

Why? We had the best horses. It sounds impersonal yeah I know. But I make that analogy for a reason.

People always said I ran a loose ship. I did. But when we needed to pull everyone together we always did that too. Because we had the best horses.

But what’s a good horse?

There’s only one way to find out. You gotta let ’em run! You gotta have a loose enough ship to trust your horses….let ’em run wild.

Let ’em run!

If the horse comes back to the barn it’s a good horse. If it doesn’t come back you didn’t need that horse.

I am proud of this blog and proud of all you guys. You were the horses that kept coming back to the barn. And 28 years later you guys are still coming back here.

It means a lot to me.

I’ll be getting back to it here shortly. I still got a lot to say and a boatload of stories to write.

I’m proud of all you guys. I’m proud the barn is still here and that everybody at some point finds their way back here.

Verdugo!!!!

We had four rookies in 1992. You say “all right now wait a minute here Gee….what about Calf? All you’ve been doing is raving about Vo, Fielder, Bir and Haggs!”

It’s true. And I’m gonna rave about all five of these dudes. But Calf wasn’t technically a “rookie” in ’92. He was 14 years old! Calf wouldn’t have even been a rookie for us until the ’94 season!

All said and done….playoffs included….Calf was 10 for 32 at the plate for us in ’92 (.313)….

Yeah…he hit .313 for us. He was 8-28 in the regular season (.286) and went 2-4 for us (.500) in the playoffs.

He’s in a different category. We’ll talk about that later. Maybe we put him in the “freak (?)” category….and when I say “freak”….I mean that in the very best of ways.

I’ve got nothing but good things to say about all five of these guys. These guys were monumental to our success. They ALL stepped up big time for us!

But what I’m Tawkin’ ’bout today is the four rookies we had in 1992. You know? The “traditional rookie” ….a 16-year old about to play his first year in Legion with a total of three years of eligibility.

No doubt about it at all….Verdugo had the best four rookies of 1992.

The two “original” rookies from 1990 were Turner and Bull Oxen. I still say if they had a “rookie-of-the-year” in Legion (which they should have had) I could have made one hell of a case when all the coaches would have gathered around to vote on it that it should have gone to Canale in 1990.

The “rookies” we had in 1991 were Workman, Cowsill, and Yves. Dang.

So that’s what we’re talking about here. The 16-year olds. And I’ve got so much to say that I can’t put it all into one story.

I’m gonna cover all of these guys individually with stories and go over what they did for us. I will do the same for every member of the Team before I start writing about the playoffs.

But I’m starting with the rookies of ’92.

And I’m starting with the two guys who handled the catching duties for us….a couple of fucking warriors that went by the names of Thunder and Haggs!!!!

It might take a while….but everybody deserves what’s about to be said and quite frankly….it needs to be said. I’m still going through the videos (a couple hours a day) and will get the appropriate highlights embedded into the games I’ve already written about.

This WordPress blog is pretty cool. It keeps track of everything. Stats…how many hits we get…etc. I’m talking everything!

I’ve probably written enough on here to cover a 500-600 page book at this point. Maybe more….who knows? After all that writing….I had still only used up 2% of the storage I have available here. I’ve added a few videos and it quickly jumped to 7%. And these were all short video clips.

So clearly I’m going to have to either buy more storage here or at some point create a website and transfer it all over there. I think having a website at some point would be pretty cool. We can really give this thing a much better look if and when I do that. And that way I can pay upfront for 20-30 years of hosting so it’s always there.

This blog has a very small audience. I started this thing ten years ago and I do want to finish it. For me….so I chronicle this whole thing. I don’t know of any coaches who have ever taken on something like this. To write about every single game in a Team’s history plus all the stuff that went on behind the scenes.

And also I want to finish this for the players. The further in time we move away from 1990-93 the more cool this thing becomes. At least to me it does.

We really turned up the dial the last couple of seasons. That was always the goal to me. To dominate.

Many coaches went into the season with this kind of vibe: “yeah we want to get the players some experience and work on their mechanics and blah blah blah blah blah.”

Fuck that.

I was there for one thing and one thing only. To fucking battle. And I wanted you guys to battle too. The Verdugo Legion Program was really about one thing and one thing only…..

To compete….

At the very least….I wanted to create the greatest group of battlers of all time. You guys already had that within you.

I wanted to create an environment where everyone could just be themselves and battle. I wanted us to truly have a sense of that it was us against the world.

And let’s face it….those last two seasons everybody was comin’ after us. And whoever came at us….we just kept throwin’ ’em to the ground.

And that’s why I’m still inspired to write about all this stuff.

So Stay tuned!!!!