NABA Back on the Field at Newbury Park and Simi Valley

The Thousand Oaks chapter of the National Adult Baseball Assn. has been granted approval to continue playing Sunday games at Newbury Park and Simi Valley highs.

On Friday, the Conejo Valley and Simi Valley school districts cleared the league to play games provided the NABA make payments directly to the school districts rather than the schools’ baseball programs. In addition, the NABA was asked to increase the amount of insurance coverage for using the Simi Valley field.

A fee for use of the fields is still being negotiated, Richardson said.

The NABA was forced to revise its procedures after coaches at Newbury Park and Simi Valley last week admitted accepting cash or equipment from the group as payment for field use.

“We have met all the requirements set forth by both school districts,” said Jeff Richardson, director of the Thousand Oaks chapter of the NABA. “We should be playing at Newbury Park this weekend, and we should be at Newbury Park and/or Simi Valley the rest of the year.”

Richardson said the NABA is negotiating with the Las Virgenes Unified School District regarding use of the Agoura High field.

Colleges

Although the Mission College budget for the 1994-95 school year does not include funds for athletics, school administrators are confident they can raise money to keep the sports programs alive, according to John Klitsner, athletic director and baseball coach.

“They took it out of the budget, but I was at a meeting where the president of the college (Jack Fujimoto) said that athletics would go on as always, that we didn’t have the budget but we would find the funds,” Klitsner said.

Klitsner said the school’s athletic budget in 1993-94 was about $65,000. The school fields teams in men’s and women’s cross-country, men’s golf, soccer and baseball. There are plans to add women’s golf to the list next season.

Klitsner said the school will seek funds from private contributions and fund-raising efforts.

David Humphreys, assistant men’s basketball coach at The Master’s College, has been named the school’s sports information director. Humphreys, a point guard at Master’s from 1989-93, replaces Chris Harrison.

Harrison, the Mustangs’ baseball coach for the past four seasons, was relieved of his job last month after compiling an 83-100-2 record.

Humphreys will continue as a basketball assistant under Coach Bill Oates.

Football

Don Shoemaker, who in 1990 led Glendale High to its only Pacific League football championship, has resigned as coach after six seasons.

Shoemaker, 35, who joined Glendale as an assistant coach in 1976, said he grew tired of the demands of coaching. He will remain a science teacher at the school.

“It’s a great school, I just really needed a change of pace,” Shoemaker said.

Shoemaker said he has not ruled out a return to coaching in the future. Bruce Dalton, the school’s athletic director, said he was unprepared for Shoemaker’s resignation and that a successor won’t likely be named soon. “We’re trying to work as fast as possible,” Dalton said. “We’re really still at a formative stage as to what we’re going to do.”

Shoemaker, who posted a 40-23 record during his tenure, led the Dynamiters to a 10-0 mark in 1990 before the team lost to Camarillo in the opening round of the Southern Section playoffs.

The Glendale Bears youth football program has scheduled signups today at Babe Herman Field and Montrose Park. The program is open to all players and cheerleaders age 6 through 13.

Information: 818-541-0421.

Basketball

Fillmore High has hired Harold Burns as boys’ coach. Burns replaces John Wilber, now Fillmore’s head football coach. Burns coached Fillmore’s girls’ basketball team from 1975-81.