Making the Cut on Field of Dreams

On a cloudless, chilly morning, dozens of El Camino Real High students are gathering outside the physical education office waiting anxiously to learn their fates.

At 7:41 a.m., baseball Coach Bob Ganssle pulls up the office shade and tapes to the window two sheets of paper that contain the names of 52 students who have survived the first round of cuts for the varsity and junior varsity teams.

Excited teenagers start running to the window. The crowd keeps swelling. They squeeze together in a big huddle, with everyone’s eyes glued to one area.

“Yes!” freshman Kyle Andrews blurts out while raising his arms in triumph after seeing his name at the top of the JV list.

“Hey, you made it,” another student yells.

Off to the side, a sophomore stands awkwardly by himself. He has tried his best to make the team, but his name isn’t on the list. The disappointment is visible in his sad, droopy eyes.

The revelation that Michael Jordan was once cut from his high school team can help soften the sting of rejection, but it still takes time to heal a teenager’s wounded pride.

Then comes a moment of inspiration. Blake Gailen, a left-handed freshman pitcher who’s 5-feet tall and weighs 95 pounds, walks up to the window.

Earlier in the week, Gailen said, “I’ve been looking forward to trying out since I was 5. Baseball is my life. If I make any team, I’ll be very satisfied.”

Gailen looks up. He smiles. He sees his name on the list.

“It’s pretty exciting,” he says.

*

Anyone who wants to play on a sports team understands the first step is making it through tryouts. It can be a nerve-racking experience.

You’re placed under a coach’s microscope. Every facial expression is analyzed, every physical movement is scrutinized. Then comes the agonizing wait to learn if you made a positive impression. The answer is revealed in a phone call, a letter or from a roster posted on a P.E. office window.

Even coaches feel the pressure of the moment at hand.

“I think it’s most difficult because so many young people have their dreams tied up in playing, and to tell them there’s not enough room for them can be devastating,” Ganssle said. “It’s very tough on the kids, but it’s very tough on the coaches, too. I’m so happy when this is over.”

Assistant Dave Siedelman knows exactly what the players are experiencing. When he was attending El Camino Real in the 1980s, Siedelman went through the same gut-wrenching procedure.

“It was a big ordeal,” he said. “My dad and I came here with the car lights on at 6:30 at night to look at the P.E office window.”

Ganssle follows the same philosophy established by former coach Mike Maio--he makes everyone try out, from the returning All-City players to the younger brothers of former varsity players who would seemingly deserve a break. Except no one gets a break.

How else to explain the extraordinary sight of Conor Jackson, an All-City shortstop who signed with California and is rated the 25th-best prospect in the nation by Baseball America magazine, lined up with 27 other infielders, some of whom couldn’t catch a ground ball if it were as big as a medicine ball.

Jackson hasn’t forgotten his first tryout as a freshman at El Camino Real.

“I remember a couple balls went under my legs,” he said. “I was so nervous. The butterflies were there from the morning to the end. I remember everyone running to the window at lunch to see if they made the team.”

*

One hundred thirty-six students competed for 20 varsity and 20 junior varsity positions in the last two weeks. No other sports team at the Woodland Hills campus comes close to generating this level of interest.

“This is the hardest team in school to make,” Siedelman said.

One reason is the large number of El Camino Real students who played at the Westhills PONY league located down the street. Another motivation to try out is the success of the Conquistadores, who have won four City championships this decade.

“I’m really determined to do this,” said sophomore Travis Premo, who played at Westhills but was cut during school tryouts last year. “I practiced and practiced. I’ve been practicing for months.”

Players showed up looking like models for a sporting goods convention, wearing Dodgers, Yankees, Padres, Braves and Westhills caps. Some were dressed in shorts and Nike hightops.

The tryouts are so competitive that those who don’t make it past the cuts could probably compete for positions at other schools.

Ganssle warns everyone they better be ready to hit, field, throw and pitch as soon as they step on the field. The tryout happens fast--six swings, six fielding chances, six pitches.

Those who aren’t enrolled in the off-season baseball class or arrive unannounced have little time to get noticed. But unknown players have made it.

Last year, Daniel Godinez tried out as a sophomore infielder. No one had heard of him. He was bused to school and played only in an L.A. park league. But he ended up the starting shortstop on the league champion junior varsity team.

“I was real excited,” Godinez said. “I called my mom and told her I made the team. She was proud.”

The first day of tryouts was for infielders to demonstrate their fielding skills. They lined up at shortstop while a JUGS machine spit out ground balls. Each player got six chances to field the ball, two straight ahead, two running to their right and two running to their left.

Catcher Mike Leduc complained because someone walked without permission in the catcher’s box. He takes pride in caring for the plate area like a putting green. He rakes the ground and smooths it out. When someone stepped on the dirt, he became Det. Columbo, demanding to see everyone’s shoes to identify the culprit’s footprint.

Day two was for outfielders. The JUGS machine launched fly balls, two straight ahead, two running to their right, two running to their left.

Infielder John Voita was feeding balls into the machine so quickly one almost struck an unprepared outfielder in the head.

Day three, the infielders got to hit. The JUGS machine was throwing fastballs at 78 mph. Each player was given six swings. Jackson hit a home run, then left to compete in a senior talent show. He was lip-syncing to the tune of MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This.”

Day four, the outfielders took their turns at the plate. Same opportunity--six swings.

Day five, the pitchers and catchers took the field. Pitchers were given six to 10 pitches. Catchers had three to five chances to throw to second base while being timed.

At the end of the day came a special treat: the diminutive Gailen pitching to 6-4 Jackson. Gailen comes up to Jackson’s bellybutton and doesn’t throw fastballs very fast. But he can throw strikes and has a nasty knuckleball.

Gailen’s first three pitches were balls. Then the drama began to build. The count reached 3-2. More than 20 players were gathered around the backstop. Gailen threw a perfect curveball. Jackson swung and missed. There were smiles everywhere. The little freshman had conquered Goliath.

“Oh man, that was great,” Gailen said.

*

There’s a reason El Camino Real has its varsity players trying out alongside rookies. They are used as a comparison and standard for younger players. And they serve as inspiration.

“You think, ‘Oh my God, maybe you’ll see him on TV one of these days,’ ” said one young player.

The younger brothers of former varsity players Woody Cliffords, Scott Gilmore, Dan Williams and Roee Meisels tried out.

But no one faced more pressure than freckle-faced outfielder Justin Brown, an enthusiastic freshman who was trying out on the same field as his brother, Corey, a junior pitcher.

“I’m anxious to go out there and do as well as I can,” Justin said.

Said Corey: “It was cool. It was kind of weird because he’s so small. I told him not to be nervous.”

Corey offered support.

“Choke up,” he yelled when Justin was at the plate.

*

When a child is cut from a team, parents sometimes erupt in anger. Some are unwilling to accept someone else’s judgment. That’s why coaches appreciate moments like the one former coach Maio recalled after one tryout.

“I had a parent call me and thanked me for the way I cut his kid,” Maio said.

In six days of tryouts, El Camino Real coaches lived up to their promise of giving everyone a chance.

Unfortunately, there had to be cuts. Premo didn’t make it.

“He’s a great kid,” Ganssle said. “He put out absolutely everything he had.”

The younger brothers--Josh Cliffords, Asaf Meisels, Greg Williams and Greg Gilmore--made it.

Justin Brown didn’t. But he has no intention of giving up.

Come this time next year, when Brown has grown two or three inches, added 10 or 15 pounds and played another year of youth ball, he’ll be back, determined to earn his place on the El Camino Real baseball roster.

Eric Sondheimer is The Times’ Valley/Ventura County sports columnist. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or eric.sondheimer@latimes.com