Excitable Coaches Pipe Down When They Have to Pay the Piper

Ray Clifton, athletic director and baseball coach at Liberty Christian High in Huntington Beach, doesn’t see the sense in unsportsmanlike conduct.

He sees dollars.

Twenty-five dollars to be exact. That’s the fine a Liberty Christian coach must pay if he or she is ejected by an official or receives a technical foul during a game. The money goes to the school’s athletic department.

“A coach should coach the game, not the official,” says Clifton, who has coached baseball, basketball and football during his seven years at the school. “High school sports are so intense as it is. . . . Screaming and yelling and going on a tirade is inexcusable.”

Since initiating the Fining for Fouls system in 1985, Clifton said Liberty’s coaches have mellowed considerably. The first year, he collected $175. This year, a mere $25.

Which coach has paid the most?

“Me,” Clifton said. “I paid the first fine back in ‘85, and I got a double fine once in a football game. . . . I don’t like losing.”

By now, you’ve probably heard about Fountain Valley pitcher Derek Fahs, a right-hander with pinpoint control, a wicked curveball and a 90 m.p.h. fastball.

Now on to the dirt . . . er, mud.

As a child, Fahs cruised the neighborhood recruiting kids to join the Mini Marines, a club he and a friend founded. Sgt. Fahs trained his soldiers in his back-yard war zone, complete with obstacle course, mud pits and an underground tunnel.

“They all had to wear camouflage and they had to march,” Derek’s mother said. “Talk about a drill sergeant, Derek was tough. He’d make them crawl through the mud, swing through trees. . . . “

And all this was for, what? Love of his country? Commitment to physical fitness? Rambo-inspired delusions of grandeur?

Nope. Pure capitalism. Fahs charged his charges 25 cents per session.

She’s my best friend’s girl,

She’s my best friend’s girl,

She’s my best friend’s girl, yeah,

And she used to be mine . . .

--The Cars, 1978.

Yep. That song, once a big hit, used to be a favorite of 27-year-old Mike Finn, the rookie baseball coach at El Modena. Now it’s just a reminder of an embarrassing episode.

Finn was taking his gear out of the back of his Chevy Blazer last Friday before his team played Orange in a Century League game. The Cars were blasting over the radio, and Finn, so caught up in the music, shut the door, locking it, and walked to the baseball field . . . with his car still running.

It wasn’t until the game started that a boy came to the dugout to let Finn know. Thinking it was a joke, Finn laughed and ignored him. Then Finn remembered walking away from the car with The Cars’ song blaring.

“My keys were in the ignition, the doors were locked, and I had a game to coach,” Finn said. “People said, ‘Just let it run till it runs out of gas,’ and I’m like, ‘Are you kidding? That gas tank’s huge. I’ll be here till midnight.’ ”

Finn didn’t have an Automobile Club of Southern California membership, but a booster club parent did. A tow truck driver arrived to correct the situation midway through the fourth inning.

This week, Finn has had to put up with considerable razzing. “Everyone on campus is making car noises,” he said.

And Wednesday, his journalism class presented him with a gift-wrapped box. Inside was an auto club card with his name on it.

Rockford Update: On April 10, this column detailed the financial woes of the school district in Rockford, Ill. It was a dreary tale.

Because of a $3.7-million budget deficit, and the failure of a referendum that would have raised property taxes to increase revenue, Rockford’s four high schools were facing the elimination of all extracurricular activities--including athletic programs--for the 1991-92 school year.

Rockford has the unfortunate distinction of being the district that dropped high school sports during the 1976-77 school year.

Now, thanks to a sudden reprieve by the school board, high school sports will play in Rockford--at least one more season.

According to Rockford Auburn Athletic Director Leonard Guenzler, several cost-cutting measures--including possible increases in participation fees and ticket prices--are being considered. Some teachers are taking early retirement, and their positions, Guenzler said, will not be filled.

The most-recent referendum, which would have increased property taxes by an average of $75, failed by a 2-to-1 margin. But Guenzler said community support has increased substantially since then.

Part of that has to do with the recent settlement of a teachers’ union contract dispute, and the dismissal of a racial discrimination lawsuit that had been filed against the school district this year.

With those problems--and increasing attorney fees--out of the way, Rockford’s school board has been better able to seek solutions to the budget crisis, Guenzler said.

A new referendum is expected to be on the ballot this November.

“The scenario right now is sure better than (it was) a week ago,” Guenzler said. “Those of us in athletics are happy but also cautious because we know that the referendum has to go through next year.”

Add Budget Crunch: Because of drastic budget-cutting proposals, some Orange County sports programs might be heading toward the guillotine.

Everyone is looking for solutions; some are more creative than others. In May, the Orange Unified School District will hold a monthlong fishing tournament to benefit the district’s sports teams.

We’d like to hear your ideas. For now, here’s our top 10 Ways to Boost the Budget:

1. Fine parents $10 each time they complain their son or daughter isn’t getting enough playing time.

2. Turn all track meets into jog-a-thons.

3. Put a $10 Weight Watchers’ tax on all snack bar items over 300 calories.

4. Charge players for missed free throws.

5. Reduce equipment expense by replacing worn-out wrestling mats with a big slab of that rubbery nacho cheese goo left over from football games.

6. Let third-stringers pay to play. Let obnoxious, complaining fans pay to referee.

7. Organize a charity mud wrestling match between Mater Dei Athletic Director Gary McKnight and anyone who doesn’t think Catholic schools should play in public leagues.

8. Eliminate expensive bus transportation. Have athletes pogo-stick to games.

9. Raise oysters, lobsters and kelp in the school swimming pool. Sell sushi during swim meets.

10. Raffle off a “Southern Section Blue Book Rule-Breaking Spree.” The lucky winner gets to break as many Blue Book rules as he or she can in one week without penalty.

Imagine the possibilities.

Barbie Ludovise’s column appears Wednesday and Sunday. Readers can reach her by writing The Times Orange County Edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, 92626 or by calling 966-5847.