Chasing Two Career Dreams

John Campanella’s wavy blond hair and refreshing smile makes him an ideal candidate to play a jock on “Dawson’s Creek.” Or he could be an FBI computer hacker on “X-Files.”

On the other hand, his dream role is standing in the batter’s box and bashing line drives, something he has done quite well the last two seasons for Glendale College.

Campanella is a two-time all-conference outfielder torn between his love for baseball and his passion for acting.

“It’s kind of funny. The two career choices I’m making are grounded in failure,” Campanella said. “Not many sniff a major league ballfield and not many get in front of a camera.”

At 6 feet 2 and 190 pounds, Campanella emerged this season as the player of the year in the Western State Conference Southern Division, batting .354 with eight home runs, 25 doubles and 38 runs batted in for the division champion Vaqueros.

“He’s a very feared left-handed hitter,” said Coach Bob Lofrano of Pierce.

The second youngest from a family of seven boys, Campanella was an outfielder at Crespi High, but surgery to remove a cyst on his rotator cuff in the fall of 1994 cut short his junior season and forced a lengthy rehabilitation.

He signed with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, was a redshirt in 1997 and transferred to Glendale with the hope of pursuing baseball and acting.

He soon discovered there wasn’t enough time for both. He was offered lead roles in winter and spring play productions at Glendale, but he reluctantly declined.

“I’d love to try to do a play, but I just can’t stop playing baseball,” Campanella said.

Acting is part of the family genes. His mother, Jill, was a dancer on Broadway. His father, Joe, is a longtime actor who has appeared in dozens of movies and television roles. Two of his brothers have acted.

John had several auditions last year and enjoyed the experience although he didn’t get any roles. It left him with a viable option if baseball doesn’t work out.

“I’m going to weigh my options this summer,” he said. “I do want to play baseball, but it’s out of my hands right now. It’s up to whether the [professional] scouts want me to play for them or whether a school offers me [a scholarship].

“If there’s not much there, I’m going to go to greener pastures.”

Campanella isn’t shy about trying out his acting skills in the Glendale clubhouse. One day he’ll practice a Russian accent, then Italian. He’s good with sports dialect too.

He’s teaching his 3-year-old nephew, Quinn, about baseball lingo, such as what he’s supposed to say to a pitcher.

“Come on, meat,” Quinn replies.

Glendale won consecutive WSC championships with Campanella’s help, and Coach Denny Barrett is convinced the 21-year-old will make an impact, whether it’s in baseball or acting.

“I’m telling you, he is probably the most mature, honest, good gentleman I’ve had as a coach,” Barrett said. “He’s a coach’s dream. We knew he had this potential. He’s gotten better every year. He’s the most humble guy you’ll ever meet. He’ll be successful whatever he chooses.”

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From the time Rick Nadeau graduated from Kennedy in 1993, he has faced a constant struggle between school and baseball.

He signed with Long Beach State after earning All-City honors, then left because of academic problems. He transferred to College of the Canyons and was the WSC Southern Division co-player of the year in 1996.

Nadeau went to Texas Tech in 1997 and left because of academics.

“I got two chances and I screwed up,” Nadeau said.

Nadeau, 23, has risen again in a big way at Oklahoma City University (52-11), the No. 2-ranked NAIA team. He’s having a dream season, batting .490 with 25 home runs and 100 RBIs. More importantly, he has made the honor roll.

“You live and you learn,” Nadeau said. “I learned you need to go to school to get where you want to go. Baseball comes second now, especially at my age. I have to fall back on something someday.”

Nadeau, a 6-foot, 195-pound senior outfielder, is a likely draft choice in June. He was selected player of the year in the Sooner Athletic Conference and is trying to lead Oklahoma City to the NAIA World Series later this month in Florida.

“He’s been a model individual both on the field and in the classroom,” Coach Denny Crabaugh said. “He’s been everything we thought he could be and more.”

Also on the team are former Hart and Canyons pitcher Chris Baker, who is 7-3, and former Alemany and Canyons infielder Kris Yeaman, who is batting .289.

The three survived the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, but they learned last week that a tornado is at least as scary.

They hid in the school dorms when tornadoes struck across Oklahoma. The experience left a lasting impression.

“This tornado caught me off guard,” Nadeau said. “We were all pretty scared.”

It has taken years for Nadeau to finally adjust to life as a college athlete. But he has succeeded.

“In a way, I wasn’t ready for school and baseball at the same time,” he said. “I’m having a great season and doing well in school. It’s about time I did both.”

Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422.