Unhappy Kennedy Players Feel Fenced In

Kennedy High Coach Manny Alvarado promised that the installation of a new outfield fence would mean more homers, more runs batted in and more runs--even more fun-- for everybody in his lineup.

Seven games into the season, his players couldn’t disagree more. It’s become Alvarado’s Berlin Wall--players want it torn down.

The Golden Cougars claim that the fence--which runs from right to center field--already has cost them two home runs. Palmer Drain said that the fence last week turned a potential grand slam into a three-run triple. Garret Anderson said that he hit a two-run homer last week that was ruled a double, again because of the new fence.

“The kids think, ‘Take that thing down,’ ” said Alvarado, who spent the off-season securing funds for the project and isn’t about to change a thing. “They aren’t real crazy about it right now.”

Before the fence was erected, balls hit into the gap in right-center would seemingly roll forever, because the permanent fence at Kennedy lies approximately 500 feet from home plate. Drain’s shot, which was headed in that direction, was stopped by the new fence. Anderson’s blast appeared to have cleared the new structure, Alvarado said, but umpires ruled that it either bounced over or through the fence and Anderson was sent back to second base.

The unhappy players have a point, according to Alvarado, who said that they should count their blessings nevertheless.

“They think they were robbed,” he said. “But the way I look at it, if the fence wasn’t there, the (opposition’s) outfielders might have been playing deeper. They’ve been playing real shallow since the fence went up. If they played us like they did last year, they might have caught those balls.

“Of course, the kids don’t see it that way.”

Red-hot corner: El Camino Real (3-0-1) and Kennedy (8-1) have jumped to solid starts, which isn’t that surprising because both were expected to contend for their respective league titles. The play of each team’s third baseman, however, has been eye-opening.

Kennedy’s Drain, a senior who played sparingly as a designated-hitter and relief pitcher last season, is 12 for 30 (.400) and is leading the team in RBIs with 12. He also had fielded his position flawlessly in 25 chances.

“Palmer has taken on a new role, and that’s filling in for Mike Murray,” Alvarado said. “And I don’t feel we’ve lost anything.”

A mouthful, considering that Murray hit .411, drove in 29 runs and was an All-City Section 4-A Division and Times All-Valley selection last season.

Last Thursday, Drain singled in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh in a 3-2 victory over Cleveland. Two days earlier, Drain’s bases-loaded triple--off the fence--keyed a four-run sixth-inning rally as Kennedy edged Granada Hills, 10-8.

El Camino Real’s lineup includes just two underclassmen, but junior Greg Lederman’s numbers outshine those of his elders.

After four games, Lederman is eight for 12 (.667) with a team-high eight RBIs. Lederman had five hits and drove in five runs last week in wins over Chatsworth and Canoga Park.

Add El Camino Real: The only sour note for El Camino Real has been a lack of production in the leadoff position. Herman Merchan, a senior transfer from St. Genevieve who bats first and starts at second base, was one for 17 after four games.

“I think he may be pressing,” El Camino Real Coach Mike Maio said. “He’s trying to show us what he can do and he may be trying too hard.”

Maio said his lineup will remain unchanged.

“He’s not striking out,” Maio said of Merchan, who has scored three runs. “He’s been putting the ball in play. He’s just had some tough luck.”

Cinderella Colella: It was an enviable performance, to be sure. Steve Colella, a right-handed pitcher for Notre Dame, led his team to victory over Mira Costa in the first round of the Redondo-Palos Verdes tournament last Saturday.

Even Colella would have liked to be in Colella’s shoes.

Instead, he accidentally left his size-13 1/2 cleats in the trunk of his car and had to wear the size-12 1/2 shoes of right fielder Eric Martorano. Teammate Vinnie Orlando, who wears an 11 1/2, provided Martorano with his extra pair of spikeless turf shoes.

During warmups, Colella tried to squeeze into Orlando’s shoes. The result was predictable.

“He could feel blisters coming and he hadn’t had them on for a minute,” Coach Bob Mandeville said.

Cramped in shoes a full size too small, Colella curled his toes and hurled a three-hit shutout.

Said assistant Jody Breeden: “I told those guys, ‘You might want to let Steve wear those shoes again.’ ”

A yeoman effort: Reseda’s 4-0 victory over Birmingham in a Mid-Valley League game last week featured the emergence of sophomore pitcher Jesse Yeomans, who improved his record to 2-1. He baffled Birmingham’s big bats with his curve and other off-speed pitches.

Yeomans also has displayed excellent control this season, walking only one batter in 23 innings.

“They can’t dig in and whale the ball on him,” Stone said. “He has a sneaky fastball, but it’s not going to knock anybody down. He just doesn’t throw the ball the same way twice.”

Dominance: A reprieve for other San Fernando Valley League volleyball teams does not seem imminent this season--Harvard continues to roll. The Saracens, who entered the season ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section 3-A Division, swept Notre Dame in a league opener Monday to register their 50th consecutive league victory under Coach Mark Zalin.

Staff writers Steve Elling, Sam Farmer and Brian Murphy contributed to this notebook.