Alvarado Has Taken Old School to New Level

Calling someone a dinosaur is not exactly a flattering term. It usually means the person’s beliefs are headed for extinction, that time has passed them by.

Manny Alvarado of Kennedy High doesn’t look like a dinosaur. He’s only 46 and still coaching baseball.

But he cherishes his membership in a dinosaur club of former coaches, men such as Darryl Stroh, Steve Marden, Mike Maio and Jerry Cord, who helped launch the San Fernando Valley’s domination of City Section baseball beginning in the 1970s and are remembered more for turning teenagers into young men than winning championships.

“I’m the youngest dinosaur and tickled to be part of them,” Alvarado said. “It’s a dying breed.”

It’s no wonder Kennedy won its fourth City Championship under Alvarado on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium with a 4-2 victory over El Camino Real.

Every year, Alvarado meets with his mentors, listens to their old baseball war stories, takes notes and tries to pass along lessons to his players.

“All the conversations we deal with have to do with our trips to Kaiser Permanente,” Marden said. “How’s your EKG? How’s your cholesterol doing? You can tell Manny is still concerned about the curveball, first-and-third situations, taking the outside pitch to right field. You can tell he’s not a true dinosaur.”

But Alvarado is a throwback to the days when coaches respected each other and emphasized fundamentals and the essence of competition.

“There’s no quick fixes,” Alvarado said. “You have to build. You have to earn the accolades you acquire. Anything worth really having is very difficult to get. It comes from years of hard work.”

Alvarado was playing baseball at Cal State Northridge in 1974 when he was cut from the team.

“A week later, I showed up at San Fernando [High],” he said.

He became a coach. He trained under Marden at San Fernando while watching Denny Holt at Monroe, Stroh at Granada Hills, Cord at Poly and later Maio at El Camino Real.

“There was so much mutual respect,” he said. “I’d keep my mouth shut, my ears open and just learn.”

Alvarado left coaching for six years in the 1980s, teaching physical education at a residential facility for abused children. Marden helped him get hired as coach at Kennedy in 1989. He has become one of the longest tenured and most successful baseball coaches in the City.

Alvarado’s hair is turning gray and he’s a grandfather for the first time, but he sticks with what he learned from the dinosaurs.

Cord won several league championships at Poly but lost three times at Dodger Stadium in the City final. That didn’t tarnish his reputation. The intensity of his players and the class he displayed made him someone to admire.

Alvarado and the rest of the dinosaur club showed up at Poly last month for the official ceremony naming the baseball field in honor of Cord. One by one, they made their way to the podium and spoke.

“There were coaches who coached and coaches who set standards,” Maio said of Cord. “He was both.”

Alvarado is trying to preserve the legacy of his dinosaur pals.

“Too many of the young guys are too interested in wins and losses and we miss the coach with ethics, integrity and class,” Marden said.

Alvarado is keeping the flame burning brightly even if others want to blow it out.

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Final observations from the 2000 baseball season:

Most improved hitter: Second baseman Adam Leavitt of Thousand Oaks.

Most improved pitcher: Clint Kofmehl of Crespi.

Most improved player: Outfielder Bill Susdorf of Hart.

Most underrated player: Outfielder Hector Chavez of Sylmar.

A hitting machine: Sophomore left fielder Brian Lee of Chatsworth had a 19-game hitting streak and finished with a .436 average.

Best first-year coach: Joe Cascione of Cleveland.

Strangest occurrence: Valencia going 11-0 in nonleague games but failing to make the playoffs after a 7-8 record in the Foothill League.

Feeling left out: After hearing his former teammates from Notre Dame qualified to play at Dodger Stadium, Dodger farmhand Jorge Piedra said, “Geez, they get to play there before I do.”

Most terrifying sight: A batter waiting for a 97-mph fastball from pitcher Matt Harrington of Palmdale.

Biggest mistake: Scouts losing confidence in pitcher Jamie Shields of Hart after he injured his back and not choosing him until the 16th round of Monday’s draft. He’s healthy again and ready to dominate.

Gold Glove awards: Catcher Phil Avlas of Kennedy; first baseman Fernando Valenzuela of St. Francis; second baseman Brendan Ryan of Notre Dame; shortstop Juan Sepulveda of Kennedy; third baseman Ryan Barba of Chatsworth; left fielder Casey O’Quinn of Royal; center fielder Jason Kubel of Highland; right fielder Cory Taillon of Westlake.

Most impressive freshmen: 1. Outfielder Delmon Young of Camarillo; 2. Shortstop Josh Satin of Harvard-Westlake; 3. Pitcher Justin Cassel of Chatsworth; 4. Outfielder Junior Garcia of Birmingham.

Most impressive sophomores: 1. Pitcher Joe Guntz of Chatsworth; 2. Center fielder Steve Moss of Notre Dame; 3. Pitcher Bobby Paschal of Chaminade; 4. Third baseman Adam Geery of Kennedy; 5. Catcher Jose Carrillo of Birmingham; 6. Catcher Mike Silva of Burroughs; 7. Pitcher Greg Acheatel of El Camino Real; 8. Shortstop Brad Boyer of Camarillo; 9. Outfielder Brian Lee of Chatsworth; 10. Shortstop Jamie Mah of Sylmar; 11. Shortstop Jimmy Rohan of Valencia; 12. Pitcher Tyler Carr of Westlake; 13. Third baseman Tim Murphy of Burroughs; 14. Pitcher Alex Merricks of Oxnard; 15. First baseman Cody Haerther of Chaminade; 16. Infielder Blake Sharpe of Moorpark; 17. Second baseman Ryan Braun of Granada Hills; 18. Outfielder Jared Halpert of Chatsworth; 19. Third baseman Ryan Barba of Chatsworth; 20. Shortstop Christian Hariot of El Camino Real; 21. Outfielder Mondo Contreras of Crespi; 22. Shortstop Matt Moore of Hart; 23. Pitcher Bryon Grubman of Cleveland; 24. Catcher Jason Anderson of Lancaster; 25. Outfielder Casey Belmonte of Simi Valley; 26. Shortstop Miguel Gomez of Poly.

Most impressive juniors: 1. Pitcher Tyler Adamczyk of Westlake; 2. Outfielder Bill Susdorf of Hart; 3. Catcher Mike Nickeas of Westlake; 4. Pitcher Eric Posthumus of Hart; 5. Pitcher Chris Seddon of Canyon; 6. Catcher Phil Avlas of Kennedy; 7. Outfielder Erik Johnson of Chaminade; 8. First baseman Jaime Martinez of Hueneme; 9. Outfielder Hector Chavez of Sylmar; 10. First baseman Jason Kort of El Camino Real; 11. Second baseman Ryan McCarthy of Westlake; 12. Outfielder Jim Milkovich of Chaminade; 13. Shortstop Dale Legaspi of Crespi; 14. Pitcher Joe Hampel of Poly; 15. Pitcher Jim Alstot of Camarillo.

Top 10 teams for 2001: 1. Chatsworth, 2. Westlake, 3. Chaminade, 4. Kennedy, 5. Camarillo, 6. Burroughs, 7. Hart, 8. Birmingham, 9. Moorpark, 10. El Camino Real.

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