1992: Revisited : Turn Back the Clock for a Unique Look at the Region’s Sports Personalities and the Things They Say, for Better or for Worse. Staff Writer Rich Tosches Examines the Year : From a Slightly Skewed Perspective

JANUARY

The Dream Team

1-Crespi High basketball Coach Chris Nikchevich, after a loss: “We played like we were well-rested. In fact, we were so well-rested, we played like we were still asleep.”

On Our Left You Can See the . . . Wing On Fire !

3--Alemany girls’ basketball Coach Melissa Melton, after the plane on which her team was flying was struck by lightning: “You could hear a lot of screams. We got off the plane and even the pilot was shook up.”

But They’re Such Nice Guys

5--Stanford forward Adam Keefe, after a huge night in a huge victory over Cal State Northridge: “Maybe they are just a step below, athletically.”

Fear Fort Lewis College ?

8--CSUN basketball Coach Pete Cassidy, after his team nipped lowly Fort Lewis College of Durango, Colo., for its second win in 14 games: “Like Coach John Wooden said, ‘Respect all and fear none.’ ”

And Take Don Ho With You

9--Reseda High teacher and basketball Coach Jeff Halpern, vacationing with his wife in Hawaii, seen on a remote part of one of the islands by one of his students who asked: Coach, what are you doing here? : “I didn’t come here to see you, that’s for sure.”

Pete, There IS No Crowd

18--Cassidy, talking about the small, quiet gatherings at the Matador gymnasium for basketball games: “I don’t hear the crowd because my head’s in the game.”

And I Mean NOW

18--CSUN basketball PA announcer Sam Lagana, trying to encourage the listless crowd: “The crowd comes to its feet in support of the Matadors.”

What a Concept

18--CSUN volleyball player Coley Kyman, an unofficial basketball cheerleader, on his desire to see more support: “And not just people coming to the game, but people clapping.”

So Quit Chastising Them

20--Oxnard College basketball Coach Remy McCarthy, after a loss: “I chastised my players for taking bad shots and missing free throws. That’s why we lost.”

FEBRUARY

The Fat Lady Does Something Or Other

1--Taft forward Miguel Carrillo, after his team’s last-second victory: “It isn’t over until . . . well, I don’t know.”

Oh, And What Does?

2--Northridge’s Cassidy, miffed because of some wild passing by his team, which began the season 0-10: “I don’t think flamboyance and flashiness and being cute equates success.”

Hear the One About the Minor in a Bar?

5--Royal High quarterback Ryan Fien, on his arrest for alleged possession of alcohol in a Texas bar during a recruiting trip: “The whole thing was a joke.”

Boy, How Harsh Can You Be?

7--Birmingham High wrestling Coach Peter Dhanes, a graduate of Humboldt State, after the college dropped its wrestling program: “I wasn’t happy about that. I wrote them a little note on the back of my alumni check.”

Of Course Not. He’s Dead

21--CSUN baseball Coach Bill Kernen, blasting his team for not being selective at the plate: “We swung at some pitches the Babe couldn’t hit.”

And I Really Love the Smelling Salts

26--Heavyweight John Morton of Louisville, Ky., after being knocked out by Burbank’s Rocky Pepeli and falling to a dismal 10-21: “I love the sport. I love the rush.”

Hey, Just Be Glad No One Kicked It

27--San Fernando High soccer Coach Arturo Vasquez, after a player committed an error that cost his team a goal: “My goalie lost his head.”

MARCH

Test Tube Baby

4--Buena High basketball player Adam Saint, who almost became one when blown off his laboratory seat and onto the floor by an explosion during chemistry class: “I was kind of dazed for about five seconds. I had a big ol’ knot on the back of my head.”

Now THAT’S a Sport

7--El Camino Real wrestler Matt Austin, after a loss: “He really cleaned my clock. I was lying there on the mat, choking on my own blood.”

Yeah. Like You’d Have a Job

8--Matt Moore, 39, a Ventura surfer, on the rush of outsiders to the famed Rincon beach area: “If I lived in the Valley and heard the surf at Rincon was six feet and glassy, I’d ditch school or my job and be gone too.”

And His Teeth. Is That a Problem?

11--Frank Wilson, head of the Thousand Oaks Youth Ice Hockey Club, on the growing popularity of the sport: “I get phone inquiries every day that begin, ‘My son has Rollerblades and . . .’ ”

Other Than That . . .

18--Santa Barbara Police detective Ron LeGault, who arrested former CSUN football player Barry Voorhees twice for drug trafficking: “I’ve got nothing against the guy. I just think he’s a dope dealer.”

And After the BIG Contract, Rollerblades!

20--Alan Solomon, who covers the White Sox for the Chicago Tribune, on Simi Valley’s Scott Radinsky and his switch from a skateboard to a bike as preferred mode of transportation to Comiskey Park: “Naturally. He makes more money now.”

You’re Not Alone There

20--Radinsky, on the amount of money the White Sox bestowed upon him: “To be getting paid this kind of money to play baseball, it’s crazy. I look at my checks and I think, ‘This is ridiculous.’ ”

APRIL

April Fool. He Never Said Any Such Thing

1--Northridge’s Cassidy, on his team’s future: “I think within two years we can compete with anyone in the country. We can beat Duke and win the NCAA championship!”

Walk With the Lord or Walk With the Bases Loaded

2--Cal Lutheran Athletic Director Bob Doering, on the baseball team’s remarkable success under Coach Rich Hill: “The Lord has blessed us with this team. In other terms, Rich Hill is a tremendous recruiter.”

Well, Like, Have You Been to the Galle ria ?

4--Pierce College tennis star Mai-Chi Tieu, who was raised in Paris, on the difference between that city and Los Angeles: “One thing I miss is cultural activity.”

Fit To Be Thaied

5--Tennis player Aroon Seeboonruang, 79, of Thailand, on the secret to his success: “I’m fit and I don’t get tired. My strength is endurance. If I have to go three sets, I usually win.”

That’s Logical t’Hinking

9--Antelope Valley High baseball Coach Ed t’Sas, after his team had only three hits against Quartz Hill’s Travis Bowser: “I don’t think he’s a better left-hander than our pitcher. He did a good job today, but we just couldn’t hit.”

How About an Interpreter?

12--Pierce baseball Coach Bob Lofrano, on the final week of the season: “Everything is in our hands and everything is in Ventura’s hands. What more could you ask for?”

OK. That’s Funny. Now What’s With the Name?

14--Antelope Valley’s t’Sas, on lightning-fast leadoff hitter Freddie Edwards: “Two-thirds of the Earth is covered by water, and one-third by Freddie Edwards.”

Yo, Josh. Ever Hear of Boston?

22--Crescenta Valley baseball player Josh Canale, complaining about playing night games in Glendale: “It gets cold out there in April.”

But You Can Still Tie

24--College of the Canyons baseball player Kirk Fellows: “If you don’t score runs, you’re not going to win.”

Gee, Jim. How Much Older?

26--Harvard-Westlake baseball Coach Jim Brink, on pitcher Greg Peters’ improvement from his junior to senior seasons: “A couple of things have happened to him. One, he’s older . . .”

C’mon, Darryl, Shave a Message Into Your Hair

27--Granada Hills baseball Coach Darryl Stroh, 53, after his team told him his white spikes were outdated and presented him with a pair of black ones: “You’ve got to stay current with the image.”

MAY

Of Course, Now He Has That Arm Injury

1--Village Christian volleyball Coach Steve Levoe, on how he got basketball player David Fennell to join the team: “We just sort of twisted his arm.”

I’m Sure You’ll Be Awake All Night

5--Cal State Long Beach baseball Coach Dave Snow, after his team beat Cal Lutheran, 5-4, on a steal of home in the bottom of the ninth: “I feel sorry for Cal Lutheran. That’s a tough way to lose.”

He Said With a Straight Face

8--Attorney Dan Grigsby, spokesman for Montclair Prep, after it was bounced out of its league for repeated recruiting violations: “It is morally and ethically wrong to attempt to further punish Montclair Prep.”

Knock-Knock. Who’s There and Can You Play Football?

10--Montclair Prep football Coach George Giannini, whose football team led the parade of recruiting violations that got the school banned from the Alpha League: “The knock against Montclair Prep has been that we beat up on little schools.”

Including Ireland

12--Bob Donaghy, Glendale College tennis coach, on the growing list of foreign players on local junior college teams: “Some of these teams, their rosters look like somebody emptied Europe.”

This Was Cheating, Not a Plane Crash

22--Simi Valley High football Coach Stan Quina, admitting he committed a rules violation with an improper practice: “This was human error.”

33 Yards Will Do That To a Person

28--Jonathan Campbell, who gave up football at CSUN to play baseball after rushing for 33 yards in 11 carries for the entire season: “I lost my love for football. It just wasn’t there anymore.”

JUNE

White Men CAN Bend Down

1--Former NBA center Swen Nater, 42, speaking to students at Faith Baptist: “I play in a 40-and-older league. They don’t have a jump ball. They put the ball on the floor and whoever can bend over and pick it up gets it.”

You Did That During Your NBA Career Too

1--Nater, again: “I drove down the lane the other day and got called for three seconds.”

Da-Dum-Dum

1--Nater, just one more time, on the long career of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: “When we played, he used to have all his hair. I told him he’s gone from using Head and Shoulders to Mop and Glo.”

And It Will Smell Better

4--Greg Herrick, longtime coach of the boys’ basketball team at Cleveland and Hart, on his new position as coach of the women’s team at College of the Canyons: “Certainly, there will be some adjustments. I won’t be bursting into the locker room, I can tell you that.”

A Good Team, on Paper

17--CSUN baseball Coach Bill Kernen, on the poor condition of the Matadors’ facilities, including having only outhouse-type lavatories near the field, despite having a Division I powerhouse team: “We got ourselves on the national baseball map . . . and people can’t even go to the bathroom comfortably.”

Well, OK, Maybe A FEW Problems

17--Former CSUN golfer Bob Burns, who qualified for the U.S. Open for the first time, the day before the tournament began at Pebble Beach: “I’m hitting the ball as well as I ever have. If my putter gets hot, I can finish in the top 10 here with no problem.” He shot a 75, nine strokes behind the leaders.

Well, OK, Maybe Not THIS Tough

17--Burns, again: “The competition is tough, but I’m used to tough competition.” He shot a 76 in the second round, good for 96th place, and missed the cut by four strokes.

Look Ouch!

26--Newbury Oaks American Legion Coach Chuck Fick, after being hit in the face by a line drive in the dugout that broke his nose: “I was just getting ready to yell ‘Look out!’ and I didn’t get a chance.”

JULY

Geez, Keep the Door Closed

2--Race-car driver Gary Nazaroff, after crashing while leading a race at Saugus Speedway: “I guess I was just driving over my head.”

No-Knitter

8--Stroh, baseball coach at Granada Hills for the past 23 years, on why he didn’t think he’d retire soon: “If I quit coaching, what would I do? I don’t play golf or anything like that. What would I do? Knit?”

So What?

24--Jerry Willard, former Hueneme High and Oxnard College star playing almost never (70 games, 23 at-bats) for the Atlanta Braves, on his main duty, warming up the pitchers: “I have five relievers and three starters who have to throw. By the time the game starts, I’m worn out.”

There’s a Grounder to Thing . . .

27--West Hills American Legion Coach Dave Desmond, on his team’s casual approach to the game: “No matter who we played, we were the deadest team on the field. We could have played the Addams Family and we would have been the deadest team.”

AUGUST

A Game of Strokes and Sudden Death

5--Exhausted golfer Peter Tomas of San Fernando, after completing a round despite 103-degree heat and a second-stage smog alert: “I’m sure this can’t be good for me.”

Good Thinking

14--Carlos Flores, 16, who is blind, asked what he was thinking in the moments preceding his first water-skiing adventure, at Castaic Lake: “I am thinking, ‘I hope this guy doesn’t drive the boat into a rock.’ ”

The Beard Was a Tip-Off Too

16--Mark Richards of Sherman Oaks, father of a player in a 13-and-under Babe Ruth League, after a team in a tournament was disqualified for using several older players: “My son and another player saw their pitcher drive to the ballpark. He was even wearing his uniform when he got out of the car.”

Fat Chance

20--Former Grant High star pitcher Rod Beck, now a standout with the San Francisco Giants, on trimming down from 245 pounds to 215: “If I had known it would do this much for me, I would have gotten in shape a long time ago.”

SEPTEMBER

It Wasn’t?

2--CSUN women’s volleyball Coach Walt Ker, after his team was beaten in three quick games by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the last a 15-6 rout: “It wasn’t like they dominated us.”

Nope. That Was Charlton Heston

4--National American Legion baseball Commissioner Jim Quinlan, told that brash and outspoken Newbury Oaks Legion Coach Chuck Fick also is an actor and played the role of a catcher in “The Naked Gun.”: “I thought he was the horse’s . . . in ‘Ben Hur.’ ”

Gee, We Don’t Recall Wally and Beaver Doing This

5--Bill Kahn of Oxnard, who heads a speed water-skiing family that gets Tami, 12, and Alex, 15, up to terrifying speeds in excess of 80 m.p.h.: “Speed skiing enhances the image of a family. We work together for a common goal.”

Yak, Yak, Yak

15--Attorney Steve Tully, defending Canyon High football Coach Harry Welch against charges brought by the Southern Section alleging rules violations: “Everything I’ve seen brings me to the conclusion that the CIF is intent upon pursuing this lawsuit as a means of costing my client money and further damaging his reputation.”

Maybe From a Satellite Photo

19--Antelope Valley College lineman George Murdoch, 6-foot-7, 345 pounds, on the athletic ability of the offensive line that also includes a 335-pounder, a 315-pounder and a 290-pounder: “People who watch us practice would think we were running backs.”

I Couldn’t Have Done It Without What’s His Name

27--CSUN running back Robert Trice, who left a game after two carries because of a nagging hamstring injury: “I told coach to put the other dude in because I couldn’t accelerate.”

Hey, at Least He Came Back

30--Glenn Bell, football coach at the Camp Kilpatrick youth correctional facility, after his punter, unaware of the rules, stepped out of the end zone (a safety) then came back on the field and punted: “That was poor coaching. We never anticipated that scenario.”

OCTOBER

With It On, Don’t You Feel Ridiculous?

1--CSUN punt returner Michael Brown, who wears a large piece of white tape over his nose during practices and games, explaining that there is no injury: “Without the tape on, I feel powerless.”

See, Newspapers Can Make a Difference

9--Taft High running back Jerry Brown, on his early football days: “I used to take newspapers and stuff them up under my shirt for shoulder pads.”

Unless It’s the Principal’s

18--Camarillo High kicker Lee Ciuffitelli, on games he plays in practice with other kickers: “If you hit a truck or one of the cars in the parking lot, it’s three points.”

Like, Gag Me With a Crumpet

22--Zak Brown of North Hollywood, who has raced cars in Europe and lived in England for the past two years, on his newfound British accent: “My friends here are merciless about it. But it just happened. For two years, I hardly saw any Americans. All my friends were British.”

Whatever the Heck It Was

24--Pierce football Coach Bill Norton, after a guitar performance by nose guard Justin Fix: “I don’t think anyone on our team could recognize what it was. It wasn’t heavy metal. It wasn’t rap. It wasn’t hard rock. It wasn’t anything. But it was good.”

NOVEMBER

Or to Me

5--Burroughs High football Coach Jay Gudzin, after powerful Hart routed his team, 50-3: “To do what they did just shows a lack of coaching, a lack of a human quality. You just don’t do that to kids.”

Yeah, Like During the Game

8--CSUN quarterback Marty Fisher, after his team was routed by Portland State, 35-10: “We sputtered. We paused at the wrong times.”

You Had a Good Ol’ Season

11--Derek Swafford, Ventura High running back who rushed for a stunning 292 yards and five touchdowns against Buena: “I had a good ol’ game.”

Amen

12--Burbank High Coach Randy Stage, whose team was steamrollered by Hart and running back Deriek Charles, 44-14, said coaches in the league should stop complaining about Hart running up the score: “It’s not Hart’s fault that the rest of us can’t tackle Charles and the receivers.”

Fourth Down and 266 Miles to Go

14--Norton, after his Pierce team gambled twice--and lost--on fourth-down situations: “If I’d been in Vegas, I would have gone home without a car.”

Roll It Back Toward Them?

15--Glendale football Coach John Cicuto, after a 75-0 win over Compton in a game in which Compton fumbled 12 times: “We didn’t rub it in, but everybody thinks that. They just kept fumbling. What could we do?”

Like You’d Know

16--Shane Graham, former Thousand Oaks star now playing for Northwestern, after dropping the only pass thrown to him during a 40-7 loss to Michigan in a blizzard: “Playing football in the snow was pretty neat at first, but catching footballs in the cold was no fun.”

A Knuckle Sandwich

20--Granada Hills football player Faio Emelio, explaining a nasty wound on his hand: “Did it grating cheese. I was making enchiladas. Guess they had a little extra in them this time.”

DECEMBER

They Don’t Have To

1--Saugus football Coach Jack Bowman, on a Hail Mary pass by Dominguez High that beat his team in the playoffs: “They couldn’t complete that pass again in 100 attempts.”

Do They Really Talk Like This?

7--Alyze Lowen, 17, of Tarzana, a soccer player at Harvard-Westlake, on meeting Julie Foudy, a member of the U.S National team and the U.S. World Cup champion team: “It was like, ‘ Oh my gosh. I can’t believe it’s Julie Foudy.’ She’s my total idol.”

The Matadors: a Commitment to Nonchalance

14--Ron Kopita, CSUN’s vice president of student affairs, talking about the gatherings for the school’s football games, which averaged 3,488, including about 1,000 students who are admitted free (Note: There are 1.3 million people living in the Valley and 31,000 CSUN students) : “It does show a certain level of commitment by the community to support football.”