Westminster Alumnus Klesko Gives His Old Team Helping Hand

When Bill Whiteley returned this season as Westminster High baseball coach after a 12-year hiatus, he discovered some problems.

The program was more than $4,000 in debt. There were no baseballs, bases or helmets for the teams. He wasn’t sure if he would even be able to field freshman and junior varsity teams.

So for some help, Whiteley went to a former student--Atlanta Braves outfielder Ryan Klesko, a 1989 Westminster graduate whom Whiteley coached in 1986.

“I hadn’t planned to ask for anything,” said Whiteley, who visited with Klesko during one of Atlanta’s visits to Dodger Stadium last summer. “When he heard I had been hired back, he volunteered to do all of this.”

Klesko donated items for a silent auction. He sent several dozen game balls, gloves, three sets of catcher’s gear and Braves memorabilia.

He even flew Whiteley back to Atlanta in August, and his former coach threw batting practice and hit ground balls to players.

“We’ve known his family a long time,” Whiteley said. “My wife baby-sat him when he was a kid.

“He’s done a lot for a lot of people who were and still are his friends,” Whiteley said. “He made me feel special. If and when he has time, he will come back to visit the kids.”

Whiteley said Klesko’s assistance helped erase the debt and there’s now enough equipment for the varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams.

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Westminster’s is not the only baseball program on the upswing. Santa Ana is upgrading its facility with a new infield, benches, helmet racks and bat racks.

The Saints’ first game on their revamped field will be March 9 against Los Amigos.

Athletic Director Frank Alvarado said he lobbied the Santa Ana Unified School District two years ago for the improvements, and district officials finally gave their approval.

“We’re calling the place ‘Little E’ because it looks like a smaller version of Edison Field,” Coach Gary Crippen said.

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Edison senior Scott Maas is considered one of the county’s top defensive shortstops. He is also one of the estimated 10 million Americans with diabetes.

Maas, 17, is a Type I diabetic. His body does not produce any insulin, a protein hormone that converts sugar, starches and other food into energy for the body’s cells. It’s a chronic disease with no known cure. Type I diabetics must inject insulin two to three times a day to stay alive.

According to the American Diabetes Assn., Type I diabetes usually begins at childhood. Maas said he was diagnosed five years ago.

“I was surprised,” Maas said. “I didn’t have a real family history of diabetes, except for a great-grandfather who found out in his late 70s.

“It was hard at first because I had a great sweet tooth. But I have close friends who helped by becoming educated about diabetes through me and with me.”

Maas said he has had only one difficult moment at school. “It was in my freshman year, my blood sugar level got very low, and even though my eyes were open I blanked out. There were three hours that went by that I don’t remember. All I knew was I was in the nurse’s office and didn’t know why. That was scary.”

But Maas isn’t seeking any special treatment from Charger Coach Tom Duggan. He practices every day, and plays in every game. He makes sure he eats a big meal a couple of hours before each game and keeps juices or sugar in his gear bag for emergencies.

Maas said he also wrote to and received advice from Angel infielder Dave Hollins, who is also diabetic.

“He said he eats a big meal as soon as the game is over so he doesn’t go ‘low,’ ” Maas said. “And he told me to eat meats and carbohydrates, which stay in your system longer, rather than something that gives you a quick burst and then your blood sugar level drops right back down.”

What Maas really wants to do is show other diabetic teenagers that they can still live a fairly normal life despite the disease.

“At school they’ve had me talk to kids recently diagnosed on how to educate themselves and friends so they don’t worry,” Maas said.