This One’s For You, Bud

It’s not every day a 14-year-old successfully dumps a cooler of water on his grandfather and lives to smile about it.

Michael Murray charged onto Edison Field Saturday and left his grandfather, Coach Bud Murray of Hart High, dripping wet and feeling like a teenager.

“He doused me pretty good,” Murray said. “If I had a rope, I might drag him home.”

With all the people he loves around him--his three grandchildren, his wife, his grown children, his Hart players--Murray ended a 39-year coaching career by guiding the Indians to their first Southern Section baseball championship with a 10-9 victory over Righetti in the Division II final.

Nobody wanted to send out Murray with a championship more than his players. It was a three-week obsession during the playoffs to honor Murray with a victory in his final game.

“It was the greatest thing you feel ever,” designated hitter Nolan LeMar said. “He’s been deserving of this ever since he started coaching. It’s wonderful to do this for him.”

Said shortstop Tim Hutting: “I told him it was all for him. I’ve never seen a team more pumped up to play. For the last couple weeks, we slept baseball, ate baseball. Everything we did was baseball.”

The 63-year-old Murray never asked to be measured by whether he won a championship or not. He devoted himself to teaching his players about baseball and life. If a championship came along--he won 15 league titles at Hart--that was fine. But his greatest joy has been turning teenagers into young men.

“He’s taught me almost everything,” LeMar said. “He’s taught me how to swing, how to throw, how to be a good person.”

When his players united behind the idea of “winning one for Bud,” he smiled and stayed for the ride of his life.

“Maybe it’s good that kids sometimes want to do something for somebody else instead of themselves,” Murray said. “I’m very proud of them.”

Murray created an uproar of sorts in his family when he got his ear pierced last week to pay off a bet with pitcher Justin Wiley. Suddenly, his three grandchildren ages 14, 11 and 11 all wanted to know why they couldn’t have their ears pierced. “But grandpa got one,” became the rallying cry.

“My mom said if he looks good, I can have one,” Michael Murray said.

Murray’s son, Roc, a high school baseball coach at Rocklin High near Sacramento, was thrilled to see his father’s final game.

“Oh man, I can’t describe it,” Roc said. “I was scared to death I wasn’t going to get to see the last game he ever coached. I don’t know how he does it, but he always goes out in a blaze of glory.”

The last time Murray won a championship like Saturday, he was a high school senior in Scottsbluff, Neb., and scored 33 points in the state championship game.

Murray is retiring from teaching and coaching at Hart, but he’s not quite ready to fade away. He has a meeting scheduled this week with Coach Mike Batesole of Cal State Northridge and might resurface next season as a volunteer coach with the Matadors.

Batesole doesn’t permit earrings, so Murray would have to hide his.

*

Final observations from the baseball season:

Pitcher who needed a flak jacket: In a playoff game against Granada Hills, pitcher Michael Marble of Grant was hit in the back by a baseball thrown by his own catcher. “I felt helpless out there,” Marble said.

The next Ricky Martin: The younger sisters of several Chatsworth players always cheered for their brothers--except when shortstop Conor Jackson of El Camino Real was at the plate. They treated Jackson like a rock star, staring at him and pleading with their brothers to be introduced.

Future stars: Watch out for three freshmen from Chaminade who played junior varsity: Pitcher Sean Clark and outfielders Amin Abusaleh and Cody Haerther. Sophomore outfielder Aaron Sheehey led Burroughs to an 18-2-1 JV record.

Best preparation for a big game: Asked how she was doing before a playoff game, Karen Brewster, mother of Notre Dame shortstop Jonathon Brewster, replied, “I took my tranquilizer.”

Most feared player: Michael Falco of Agoura.

Most improved player: Steve Kracow of Chatsworth.

Top pitchers for 2000: 1. Jamie Shields, Hart; 2. Matt Harrington, Palmdale; 3. Chris Cordeiro, Thousand Oaks; 4. Matt Parris, Highland; 5. Matt Merricks, Oxnard; 6. Jason Urquidez, Chaminade; 7. Tracy Goebel, Thousand Oaks; 8. Tony Sulser, Calabasas; 9. Jesse Kozlowski, Westlake; 10. Josh Deneau, El Camino Real; 11. Jason Hirsh, St. Francis; 12. Chris Seddon, Canyon; 13. Jason Brown, Paraclete; 14. Marshall Plouffe, Crespi.

Top players for 2000: 1. Conor Jackson, El Camino Real; 2. Brendan Ryan, Notre Dame; 3. John Santor, Highland; 4. Matt Fisher, Chatsworth; 5. Billy Lockin, Thousand Oaks; 6. Ryan Haag, Hart; 7. Matt Thayer, Harvard-Westlake; 8. Mark McCauley, Crescenta Valley; 9. Tyler Adamczyk, Westlake; 10. Matt Cassel, Chatsworth; 11. Ryan Soroka, Chaminade; 12. Jason Kubel, Highland; 13. Felipe Tetelboin, Grant; 14. Brian Lipman, Royal; 15. Matt Friedrichsen, Hart; 16. Jonathan Higashi, Chaminade.

Dream pitching matchup for 2000: Shields vs. Harrington.

Impact transfer for 2000: Freshman outfielder Steve Moss going from Brentwood to Notre Dame.

Top teams for 2000: 1. Hart, 2. Thousand Oaks, 3. Westlake, 4. El Camino Real, 5. Highland, 6. Chaminade, 7. Camarillo, 8. Crespi, 9. Notre Dame, 10. Kennedy.

Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or eric.sondheimer@latimes.com