Early Anderson : Angel From Kennedy High Preceded Current Star

The California Angels have had two former Kennedy High players start as rookies--both with the last name of Anderson.

Garret Anderson is a hard-hitting left fielder who has helped the Angels to the second-best record in the American League and first place in the Western Division.

In 1979, during the days when Angel fans chanted “Yes We Can,” another former Golden Cougar solved the Angels’ jigsaw puzzle problem at shortstop.

Jim Anderson, no relation to Garret, was called up during the 1978 season and later earned a roster spot after an impressive spring training.

Anderson, 39, who works for a real estate firm in Northridge, fondly recalls those days.

“I think every ballplayer grows attached to the team that drafts him and he first plays for,” said Anderson, who in 1975 was selected by the Angels in the second round out of Kennedy. “I still attend Angel games.”

Although he played six major league seasons, including 1 1/2 with the Angels, Anderson is best known for one swing he took during the 1979 American League championship series against the Baltimore Orioles.

Angel fans had waited 19 years for a championship team, enduring 16 campaigns during which the team finished 10 or more games out of first place.

Anderson, then 22, nearly ended their agony.

In Anderson’s rookie season, the Angels won their first division title with an all-star lineup that included first baseman Rod Carew, second baseman Bobby Grich, outfielder Don Baylor and pitchers Frank Tanana and Nolan Ryan. Owner Gene Autry had one of the most expensive payrolls in baseball. It was the dawn of free agency and Angel fans thought they would see the light of the club’s first pennant.

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Although down two games to one in the best of five series, the Angels believed the stage was set for an improbable comeback. The Orioles were ahead, 3-0, midway through the fifth inning of Game 4 when the Angels loaded the bases with one out.

A crowd of 43,199 chanted “Yes We Can” at Anaheim Stadium.

Anderson, a spray hitter, came to the plate against Scott McGregor, a small left-hander who threw mostly off-speed pitches.

Oriole third baseman Doug DeCinces, a Monroe High product, inched closer to the third base line.

“I had faced Scotty McGregor a time or two that season or possibly the year before,” Anderson recalled.

“I knew what he threw. There was no secret what the scouting report said about him.”

Anderson, a right-handed hitter, ripped a one-hopper down the third base line.

“I think the ball hit the dirt or right at the cut of the grass,” Anderson said. “I think McGregor took a little off the pitch. I hit the ball as well as anyone could.

“I was thinking double. No doubt it was double. I later talked to Merv Rettenmund who was standing on first base at the time and he had no doubts that he was going to score on that play.”

Anderson’s effort prompted a loud roar from Angel fans. Imagine, the Angels score two or three runs with hot-hitting Carew coming to the plate next. A certain rally.

And the next day Oriole hitters would be faced by Ryan, throwing his blazing fastball in the twilight. A certain pennant.

Unfortunately, the Orioles had DeCinces, whose sure hands occasionally inspired memories of the man he replaced--Brooks Robinson, a perennial Gold Glove winner.

DeCinces made a backhanded diving grab, hooked his left leg around third base for one out and then threw to first to get Anderson for an inning-ending double play.

“I was sliding and I caught the ball bouncing away from me,” said DeCinces, who would later become an Angel. “I was at full extension when I touched the bag and threw Jimmy out at first.”

The Angels didn’t threaten again. The Orioles won the game, 8-0, and lost to Pittsburgh in the World Series.

“You have to understand the stadium was so noisy, you couldn’t hear yourself think,” DeCinces said. “People were shouting ‘Yes We Can,’ ‘Yes We Can,’ so loudly that I don’t recall hearing the ball being hit. That’s how loud it was. After that play, the only noise on the field was my teammates coming off and the guys on the bench cheering.”

Bobby Grich, who was leading off second base, had another view.

“As soon as the ball left the bat, it had double written on it. I was going to third hard and I was shocked to see DeCinces had the ball. We had won so many games coming from behind and I thought we were going to do it again. DeCinces’ play took the wind out of our sails.”

That was Anderson’s last appearance in a championship game. His first came when he was a sophomore at Kennedy.

Anderson played his first two seasons in right field because Kennedy had an All-City shortstop named Alan Fox. The Golden Cougars qualified for the playoffs for the first time in school history and played Sylmar in the City Section final at Dodger Stadium. Kennedy, which had defeated Sylmar in three previous meetings, lost this time, 3-2.

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As a senior, Anderson played shortstop. Although Kennedy was knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by Manual Arts, the Golden Cougars had four seniors drafted in the first 16 rounds. The Angels selected Carney Lansford with their first pick before taking Anderson.

Scott Green was one of the four players drafted from Kennedy, but he chose to play college baseball at Arizona.

“Jim was always very dedicated to baseball,” said Green, who works for the same real estate firm as Anderson. “At that time in high school, we would be busy trying to pick up girls during recess or lunchtime.

“Jim, however, would be practicing. He would rehearse the same moves so many times. He was like a robot on the field.”

Anderson quickly climbed the minor league ladder. He led Texas League shortstops in double plays with 93 in 1977. One season later, the Angels promoted him after Dave Chalk was injured and Rance Mulliniks stopped hitting.

The following season, Anderson made the club and by midseason was a starter. His best game was July 1, 1979, at Kansas City when he went four for four with a club-record-tying three doubles.

“Jimmy was like a kid in a candy store,” Grich said. “It was his first experience in the big leagues and he was surrounded by a well-established group of veterans. He wasn’t in awe or intimidated. He wasn’t nervous. He enjoyed playing and had fun with it.”

Anderson was traded to the Seattle Mariners in December to complete an earlier deal for pitcher John Montague.

Montague was acquired shortly before the 1979 playoffs to bolster the Angels’ pitching staff. During the winter meetings, the Angels signed shortstop Freddie Patek, making Anderson expendable.

Anderson started briefly for the Mariners, but gave way to incumbent Mario Mendoza, who had more range on artificial turf. In his best season, Anderson had eight home runs, 30 runs batted in and a .227 batting average. After being released by the Mariners, Anderson played two seasons with the Texas Rangers.

He retired in 1986 after playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ triple-A team in Albuquerque.

“I feel I gave the game everything that I could,” Anderson said. “I love the game of baseball. I love to play.

“My goal was that I never get out-worked. I think I left the game with that intact.

“My goal was to never have anyone take more ground balls than me, never let anyone take more batting practice. I feel I got the most of my ability.”

Anderson, who was once married, has a son, Justin, who plays baseball for Apple Valley High. Like his father, Justin Anderson started in right field before moving to shortstop.

“I may be biased, but I feel he’s got a really good chance,” Jim Anderson said. “He’s bigger, stronger, faster than I was, and I think he has a great chance to play.”

A little extra here or there can make the difference in a baseball career.

Just ask Jim Anderson.