LACC Baseball Program Is Down to Its Last Pitch

Los Angeles City College is on the brink of eliminating the school’s baseball program and writing a final chapter to a story that produced many heroes in the course of 63 years.

Vice President Dr. Mary Spangler confirmed earlier reports by The Times that the program was being eliminated because of budgetary concerns and lack of support from students and faculty.

“From our preliminary meetings, the administration is led to believe the baseball program will be dropped,” Spangler said. “Even though the official process will not be complete until May 15, I think this will happen.”

School President Jose Robledo, who is pushing to drop the baseball program, was at a convention in Washington last week and unavailable for comment.

LACC had 27 players reach the major leagues since the program began in 1932. That list includes outfielder Don Buford, who starred for the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees, shortstop Roy Smalley, who played for the Minnesota Twins, outfielder Marshall Edwards, who made the World Series with the Milwaukee Brewers, and his brother, Michael, catcher Terry Humphries, first baseman Pete LaCock and pitchers Rudy Martinez (a starter for the Angels) and Larry Demery.

Spangler said a final decision will be made when the Shared Governance Council meets May 15, adding that Robledo would consider the council’s input before making his decision. Fighting the move are former LACC baseball coach Phil Pote, baseball agent Dennis Gilbert, and Henry Ealy, LACC professor and chairman of shared governance committee. Duke Russell, who played shortstop for LACC in the mid-’40s, has organized a letter-writing campaign to save the program.

But however strong a case is made to preserve the program, prospects are slim for its survival.

“For the upcoming season, I think it would be awfully hard to field a team,” said Mike Miller, assistant athletic director and coach of the school’s basketball team. “There is no full-time position to hire a coach. No recruiting has been done. And to get a schedule for next year would be very difficult.

“The administration is also very concerned about the liability issues involved with having a walk-on coach run practices and games at an off-campus facility.”

The move to drop the program began after LACC Coach Dan Cowgill resigned in March.

“When the current baseball coach resigned, we had an opportunity to evaluate the athletic program and its costs,” Spangler said. “Without his resignation, this would not be an issue.”

Cowgill, 40, said he resigned because the job was affecting his health and he was tired of the long hours after coaching for 19 seasons, including six at LACC.

“I don’t have the energy to be a head coach at LACC,” Cowgill said. “I think they needed a change and I wanted to hand the program over to someone else.”

Cowgill said he would have reconsidered his decision if he knew the baseball program was in jeopardy and would have requested that they downsize the program.

LACC’s exit would leave five schools with baseball among the nine-campus Los Angeles Community College District, with East Los Angeles the only school closely tied to the central city. West Los Angeles, L.A. Trade Tech, L.A. Southwest dropped their programs during the ‘80s. L.A. Harbor, Mission, Pierce, and L.A. Valley still have programs.

Gilbert was preparing his arbitration case for San Francisco Giants reliever Rod Beck when he heard about the program’s fate. He played center field for LACC in the mid-’60s during the Watts riots, but said there were never any racial problems when he and his teammates were on the field.

“Los Angeles City was an incredible melting pot for blacks, whites, Hispanics and Orientals to play baseball,” said Gilbert who remembered that LACC beat USC eight times in scrimmages in 1983, the year the Trojans won the national championship.

“Most of the kids who live in the inner city either didn’t have the grades or the money to attend a four-year school. Today, they cannot afford to drive to another junior college. Where are these kids supposed to go?”

“What can I do to save the program? I’ll write a check. I’ll get the major leagues involved. . . “

While finances and gender equity rules forced the end of other baseball programs, Los Angeles City runs an affordable program. Spangler said the school spends about $35,000 to run the baseball operation, including $10,000 for field rental at Crystal Springs.

LACC offered Cowgill’s job to two other coaches but began considering other sports when the school had trouble meeting its candidates’ demands, Cowgill said.

Athletic Director Jack Boyer said last week that men’s soccer would be added if baseball is dropped. Spangler would only say that men’s soccer is a possibility.

Ealy has argued against a switch to soccer, saying it would be too expensive for the school to convert an old on-campus baseball diamond into a soccer field.

Los Angeles City (7-30) finished its season with two victories in the South Coast Conference. On Thursday, the Eagles defeated Pasadena City, 9-5, before 100 fans at Brookside Park.

After the game, Cowgill invited opposing coach Tom Cano to talk to the Cubs about transferring to Pasadena. Several Los Angeles City freshmen said they have been contacted by other junior college coaches. Pote said one school inquired about purchasing the school’s equipment and scoreboard.

Several Los Angeles City players said they did not find out until last Sunday that their program was in trouble.

“To be honest, it’s really sad,” LACC sophomore centerfielder John Gabrielson said. “I really feel badly for the local high school kids who won’t have an opportunity to play anywhere.”

LACC right-hander DeAntwan Young, who pitched in the final game, has been the victim of two baseball programs closing. After quitting the football team at Riverside, Young, still a freshman, went to Santa Monica to play baseball before that school decided to drop its program last May. Young said he plans to attend El Camino, his fourth junior college in three years.

Second baseman Adonis Harrison, who was drafted by the Seattle Mariners, said he benefited from playing one season of junior college ball.

“A lot of high school baseball players need a year to mature and get a chance to play with other people and against different competition,” Harrison said. “Right now, I’m looking forward to signing with the Mariners. But I wouldn’t have been ready if I didn’t play one season at City.”