The High Schools : Poly’s Whiteside Plays Despite Tough Break

Harold Whiteside might not lead the Poly High baseball team in any offensive categories, but he definitely leads the league in blood--and guts.

Whiteside, a senior catcher who earlier this season narrowly avoided a broken nose in a collision at the plate, suffered a broken jaw March 29 when he was struck under the left eye while batting in a 21-4 East Valley League rout of Grant.

After taking the fastball to the face, a bloodied Whiteside remained in the game for two innings, then was spelled by a substitute. A day later, he visited a doctor, who after determining the jaw was broken, wired Whiteside’s mouth closed. Whiteside missed one game, then resumed playing in right field, where he started last season. He was back behind the plate for Monday’s 4-2 upset win at Kennedy.

“I don’t want to play outfield,” he said through clenched teeth Monday. “I want to catch.”

In his haste to return to the lineup, Whiteside fashioned his own protective batting helmet. Whiteside’s first effort included a plastic face mask, but that didn’t last long.

“He used it a couple of times and then threw it over the fence,” Poly Coach Jerry Cord said.

For his revised headgear, Whiteside purchased two batting helmets, sawed the ear flap off one and riveted it to the lower rim of the ear flap of the other. The result looks unconventional--with two ear holes on the left side of the helmet--but it covers the jaw area without obstructing his vision.

Because his jaw will remain wired for another two to three weeks, Whiteside will miss out on another Poly tradition. For the last three seasons, his mother, Barbara, has supplied the team with a box of bubble gum at each game.

“She still brings it,” Cord said. “But he doesn’t have much use for it these days.”

Two’s company: When the Marmonte League race is over, Camarillo Coach Ken Wagner figures it will have been decided by the not-so-terrible twos.

Four teams--Newbury Park, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Camarillo--are separated by a game in the league standings, and all four have an ace on the staff.

Newbury Park has Tim Beal, Thousand Oaks has John Bushart, Camarillo has Steve Biggs and Simi Valley has Rich Langford.

Combined, their record is 16-1. It is a wash, according to Wagner.

“It’s whose No. 2 pitcher will do the best down the stretch,” he said. “Everybody’s got a good No. 1, but the key will be whose No. 2 can hold people off.”

Said Simi Valley Coach Mike Scyphers: “I agree with that. It’s what it always comes down to.”

So, let’s take a look at the twos.

Newbury Park: Jeremy Dewey is 5-0. Enough said.

Simi Valley: Langford is still recovering from a hyper-extended right shoulder and likely will not pitch this week. That makes Mike Jenkins (3-0) the interim No. 1 and Kenny Hood (2-1) the interim No. 2.

Camarillo: Wagner said Vaughn Wechsburg (2-3) is his No. 2, but he can also call on Matt Tackett (3-2) and Charlie Constantine (2-3). He’ll go with whomever is hot. Right now, it’s Wechsburg.

Thousand Oaks: Scott Barkman or Scott Haffner, neither of whom has logged many innings.

Staff writers Tim Brown and Steve Elling contributed to this notebook.

BASEBALL TOP 10 Selected by sportswriters of The Times

Last Rk Wk Team League Record 1 3 Chatsworth West Valley 15-2 2 4 Notre Dame S.F. Valley 13-1 3 1 Hart Foothill 13-3 4 6 Newbury Park Marmonte 13-1-3 5 1 Simi Valley Marmonte 14-2 6 6 Kennedy North Valley 13-4 7 7 San Fernando North Valley 11-3-1 8 9 Saugus Golden 12-2-2 9 NR Sylmar East Valley 9-3 10 NR Grant East Valley 9-3

NR--Not ranked.

Through Tuesday’s games.