Kennedy High Does a Number on Garland, Its Former Ace

Neither rain nor wind nor freezing temperatures could prevent Kennedy High from honoring its newest major leaguer, Jon Garland, Saturday on a day more suited for hanging out with polar bears than playing baseball.

With two rented space heaters turned up full blast and shovel upon shovel of sawdust dumped onto the muddy Kennedy diamond, the Golden Cougars were determined to make sure their alumni game wasn’t a complete washout.

Providing motivation was the return of almost two dozen Kennedy players responsible for six City Section championships.

Garland, 21, the youngest player in the majors at one point last season and already a fixture in the Chicago White Sox rotation, had his No. 20 jersey retired. He joins Jim Anderson and Garret Anderson as the only Kennedy players to receive such distinction.

“It’s a pretty big honor,” Garland said. “There’s guys who played for years and years and didn’t get theirs retired.”

Only four years ago, Garland was a first-round draft choice of the Chicago Cubs as a 17-year-old.

“The years have flown by,” his mother, Vikki, said. “He’s having the best time of his life.”

He turned down a scholarship to USC, convinced he had the maturity and mental toughness to go directly to the pros.

He faced a bolt of adversity only a year later, when his fastball dropped to an alarming 85 mph. The Cubs traded Garland to the White Sox. Soon he regained his velocity of more than 90 mph and resumed his rise to the majors.

To this day, Garland said he doesn’t know what happened.

“It might have been my first full season out and my arm wasn’t used to throwing as much,” he said. “It could have been mechanics. I didn’t worry about it too much. I had to wait and ride it out. I still went out every fifth day and tried my hardest.”

Always humble, Garland hasn’t changed much except he talks more as long as you don’t wake him in the morning.

It was quite a scene Saturday, mixing young and old. Jim Anderson, who graduated in 1975 as the City player of the year and played shortstop for the Angels, appeared to be in good shape. So were former All-City catchers David Bourne and Kevin Serr, minor leaguers John Toven and Jack Cassel, and All-City first baseman Jeff Tagliaferri.

“The memories just come flooding back,” Bourne said. “It’s amazing to see what Manny Alvarado has done with this program.”

Alvarado, entering his 13th season as coach, is the keeper of the flame. He has guided Kennedy to four of its six City championships, including last season. He and assistant Andy Montes are a big reason alumni keep returning.

“I just had a lot of fun playing the game and still am,” Garland said. “Coach Alvarado and Coach Montes let you have fun. They don’t make it a boot camp.”

Unfortunately, rain eventually got the best of the Golden Cougars. The alumni game had to be postponed despite repeated efforts to play. It was rescheduled for next Saturday.

By then, Garland will be on his way to spring training, carrying the hopes and dreams of Kennedy players past and present.

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College coaches in need of pitching should evaluate senior Gilbert Infante of St. Bonaventure at least once this spring.

Infante has a three-year varsity record of 22-7, including seven playoff victories. Last summer, he pitched his Legion team to a victory over Notre Dame and its talent-laden Mission League championship roster. . . .

Few baseball teams have better young talent than Calabasas, which could start six sophomores. The best are catcher Aaron Lowenstein, pitcher John Henry Jacobs and outfielder Kevin Cohn. Senior third baseman Evan Tuchman will enter the season with an 18-game hitting streak. . . .

Sophomore catcher Jordan Wolff has transferred from Calabasas to Crespi. He will be limited to junior varsity competition this season. . . .

The Valley’s newest millionaires are Gabe Kapler and Jeff Suppan. Kapler, a former Taft outfielder, signed a three-year contract with the Texas Rangers for $5.6 million. Suppan, a former Crespi pitcher who lives in Granada Hills, signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract with the Kansas City Royals. . . .

Lancaster is ready to replace Palmdale and Highland as the top baseball team in the Golden League. The Eagles return nine starters and have added pitcher Jordy Carlon, a transfer from Antelope Valley. Junior catcher Jason Anderson is on his way to becoming one of the region’s best. . . .

As good as Thousand Oaks and Crescenta Valley will be in softball this season, they can forget about winning a Southern Section championship. They’re stuck in Division II, which is loaded with elite teams. Foothill, Mater Dei and Marina are only a few of the powerhouses forced to play Division II because of the new section rule preventing teams from moving up.

Thousand Oaks will likely emerge as the best softball team in the region behind pitcher Nicole Angelo and shortstop Michelle Spencer, who is moving from second base because of a season-ending shoulder injury to shortstop Jenny Cochran. . . .

There were seven overtime games during the wild Mission League boys’ basketball season, including double- and triple-overtime games. Crespi was 3-0 in overtime games. . . .

In his last six games, DeWayne Anderson of Grant averaged 24.0 points and 10.5 rebounds. But the Lancers (19-6) won the Sunset Six League championship because 6-6 senior Mike Charleston was their best player from start to finish. Charleston reached double figures in points and rebounds in 16 of 25 games.

“He’s our heart and guts,” Coach Howard Levine said. . . .

Notre Dame finished 19-1 in freshman basketball. . . .

Peter Gunny, a sophomore outfielder from Granada Hills, is nine for 15 as Pierce College’s leadoff batter. . . .

Kevin Jerkens, former Notre Dame pitcher, struck out five in three shutout innings of relief for UCLA on Friday against Nevada Las Vegas. . . .

If you want a free education at UCLA, become a rower. Starting next year, the Bruins will offer scholarships for its women’s rowing team. . . .

It has been 22 years since an American was a Grand Prix racing champion, but 19-year-old Patrick Long of Oak Park is one of the top junior racers in the world. He heads back to Europe today to compete in British Formula Ford Zetec.

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Eric Sondheimer’s column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or [email protected].