His Harrowing Recruiting Experience Required a Fast Brake

‘Tis the recruiting season, which calls to mind a favorite story of Tom McCollum, a Cal State Northridge assistant basketball coach.

A few years ago, McCollum was driving east on the 118 Freeway, on his way to visit a prospect in Orange County, when he nearly got waylaid by a runaway Andy Gump.

McCollum was following a flatbed truck transporting six of the portable outhouses when one got loose.

“That sucker launched itself and started scooting down the lane right at me, a great big blue toilet,” McCollum recalled. “I thought for sure the excrement was going to hit the radiator fan.”

Fortunately, he managed to avoid it. But later on the same trip, as he was preparing to merge from the 605 Freeway to the 405 Freeway near the Orange County line, McCollum’s compact car was sent airborne when it struck a railroad tie in his path.

“It was like a ski jump,” McCollum said. “I just took off.”

The vehicle landed safely, but McCollum was a nervous wreck by the time he reached his destination.

“I was so shook up, I don’t remember who I saw,” McCollum said. “All I know is I was happy I got there and afraid to come back.”

Dog days: Cashing in on the popularity of sports mascots, Ventura Raceway has introduced a costumed brown-and-white mutt wearing a vest with a pattern like a checkered flag.

His name is Dirt Dog, and he needs a trip to obedience school.

Before a race night earlier this month Dirt Dog was observed chasing cars in the parking lot and lifting his leg on a tire in the pits.

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Old and new: The Saugus High baseball team gets a boost today in its effort to tighten the Foothill League race and rekindle a rivalry in a 3 p.m. game at Hart.

Pitcher-first baseman Brandon Hernandez will be in uniform after missing the first six weeks of the season because he was academically ineligible.

“He’s a good hitter, and one kid can make a huge difference,” Saugus High Coach Doug Worley said of Hernandez, who batted .377 with 24 runs batted in last season. “If he couldn’t give us a lift, I wouldn’t bring him back.”

Saugus (10-7 overall, 3-2 in league play) has been sparked by the emergence of Brad Fogul, a junior left-hander who last week raised his record to 4-1 with a three-hit shutout against Channel Islands.

Hart (11-6, 5-0) defeated Burbank, 10-1, on Tuesday.

“If we have any thought of winning the league, we’ve got to beat them,” Worley said. “If we don’t, they’ll be too far ahead.”

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Rain man: The postponement of Tuesday’s high school baseball game between Canoga Park and Van Nuys because of rain underscores how a patchy storm can play havoc with so many baseball and softball teams in a single afternoon.

At 1 p.m., Van Nuys Coach Jim Friery inspected the diamond at Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Park and found it dry.

Using a pay phone, Friery called Canoga Park and said the game was on. Twenty minutes later, dark clouds passed over, drenching the park in a matter of 10 minutes. Suddenly, the infield was too soggy.

Friery returned to the phone and called Canoga Park again, but the players already were on a bus en route to the game.

Finally, Canoga Park officials contacted a bus dispatcher, who radioed the driver to return.

The game will be played Monday--weather permitting.

Oh, so close: Poly High pitcher Steve Guerrero last week came within an out of a no-hitter. With two out in the seventh inning, Taft’s Shawn Villalovos, batting ninth in the order, hit a soft liner that dropped into center field, spoiling Guerrero’s bid.

Quotebook

“A driver should drive anything he can. If I could, I’d race Weber barbecues.”

--Sprint car racer Cory Kruseman on why he spent his week off from Sprint Car Racing Assn. competition driving in--and winning--an International Motor Contest Assn. race at Ventura Raceway.

Stats

Sylmar High’s baseball team broke into The Times’ rankings at No. 10 this week with a 13-3 record. Coach Gary Donatella expected to have a strong fielding team, and he does. He also expected a good hitting team, and seven players are batting .300 or better.

What he didn’t expect was his pitchers to be dominant.

The Spartans entered the week with a 1.50 earned-run average. The staff allowed only five earned runs last week in four games.

And now Sylmar has added junior right-hander Javier Ruelas, who last season was 7-1 with the junior varsity. Ruelas had been sidelined because of a broken ankle.

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Murderers’ row: The Saugus High softball team has scored in the first inning in 11 of its 17 games. It’s not too difficult to figure out why. Nicole Giordano, Jill Passafiume, Kelli Kranz, Chris Gill and Jeanine Giordano--the first five batters for the 13-4 Centurions--have a combined batting average of .474 in 274 at-bats.

Things to Do

Saturday, 9 a.m., at Rancho Simi Park Pool: The Royal High swim team plays host to the 15th Royal Invitational. More than 1,100 swimmers from 26 schools will be competing.

Compiled by Mike Hiserman. Contributing: Darin Esper, Dana Haddad, Michael Lazarus.