Notre Dame Baseball Followers Shocked by Snub of Breeden

On the back of the official team T-shirt is the motivational message, conceptualized and drawn by the father of one of the Van Nuys-Notre Dame American Legion ballplayers.

It reads: “Sack Up 4 Show,” a phrase that implores players to give their best for Jody Breeden, who is nicknamed “Show” and is coach of Van Nuys-Notre Dame, the Legion District 20 champion.

On Thursday, Breeden felt as though he had been sacked, sort of, when he was informed by Notre Dame High administrators that he would not be hired as the school’s baseball coach despite numerous recommendations.

Many players and parents were taken aback by the announcement that Breeden had been passed over in favor of Tom Dill, who completed his first season as coach of the Notre Dame junior varsity last spring.

Breeden said he was told that the school wanted an on-campus coach. Dill teaches English at Notre Dame; Breeden is a walk-on who is a shipping-receiving manager for an electronics firm.

“I’m not going to bag on the new guy, but we were all real surprised,” said Chris Garza, a pitcher for the high school and Legion teams. “Everybody likes Jody and he does a good job. He’s a good coach. When we heard the news, we were all upset.”

Breeden completed his sixth season at Notre Dame in the spring, serving the past four as varsity assistant to Coach Bob Mandeville, who announced his resignation last week. Mandeville, who recommended to school administrators that Breeden be named his successor, left to become an assistant basketball coach at San Diego State.

Breeden also was recommended by several parents and prominent boosters.

“We all made our recommendations to the administrators about Jody, and I don’t know what else we can do,” said Chuck Carson, whose son Glen plays for the Legion and high school teams.

Breeden, 44, who also led Van Nuys-Notre Dame to District 20 titles in 1987 and 1988, said he is uncertain whether he will sever his ties with the school and the Legion program.

Dill, who has never been a varsity head coach, will inherit a wealth of talent at what has been one of the region’s most consistent baseball powers. Six starting position players return, as do the top three members of the pitching staff. Last spring, Notre Dame finished 14-9-1, 8-4 in the Mission League.

Dill, 29, is aware some players and parents pushed for Breeden’s hiring, but hopes they will give him a chance to prove himself. “They wanted an on-campus guy, I’m there on campus, and that’s it,” he said. “I’m going to try to do the best job I can, and I think the kids will respect me.”

Dill was an assistant in 1985 at Bakersfield College, where he pitched from 1982-1984. He was a student assistant at San Diego State in 1986.