One of the better stories this spring has been the success of the Coronado High School Baseball Team, which won that institution’s first-ever baseball title in 2006, capturing the CIF Division IV crown.

The even better news is that there is more baseball talent in the pipeline, proven by the fact that the Coronado Angels won the Junior League District 32 Tournament of Champions title recently, posting a perfect 23-0 record in the process. The team was managed by Matt Fischer and coached by Tom Kelleher, Tom Wetzel and Ken Bernardy.

"We had a terrific season and the team had such great chemistry," said Kelleher. "They wanted to do well together. Every day a different kid came through and was the hero. It was really phenomenal. In two different games, Colin Clark hit a grand slam homer. Luke Bernardy hit a 3-run homer to tie a game for us in the playoffs."

To qualify for the post-season in the Tournament of Champions format, you have to win your league title. In this case, the league consisted of two other teams from Coronado, two teams from Mission Bay and entries from Mira Mesa, Clairemont, University City and Presidio. By virtue of their undefeated first half of the season, matched by a perfect second half of the season, the Angels were league champions and advanced to the TOC.

The other league was populated by a team from Peninsula and four clubs from the Point Loma area.

The Angels defensive lineup included Bernardy at first base; Leo Legidakes at second; Todd Kelleher at shortstop, and often at pitcher; Alex Johnson at third; catcher Nicolo Piscatelli; Troy Johnson, pitcher; and Jack Nicholson at short, pitcher and centerfield. The outfielders included Clark; Cameron Oakley, who also played third and pitched; Alex Valle; Steven Wetzel; and Sam Gouthro, who also played some second base.

One of the team’s unique elements was that Piscatelli, their starting catcher, was also the team’s lead-off hitter and stolen base leader.

In the playoffs, the Angels won their first game in six innings, when they used the 10-run mercy rule to their advantage to defeat the Clairemont Hilltoppers 13-3. In the next round, paced by a fine pitching performance from Troy Johnson, Coronado defeated Mission Bay 7-3.

In the finals, Coronado faced Peninsula, a team they had not seen during the regular season who came in to the title tilt with a 19-3 record. "They were a good club," said Kelleher of the runners-up. "They definitely had some big hitters. It was quite a game, with the score going back and forth. They had six pretty good hitters. Their sixth hitter in the lineup had two triples and a 350-foot double in our game."

Coronado held on to win the game and the title 7-5, with Coronado’s last run coming on a successful steal of home by Kelleher’s son Todd.

Tom Kelleher, who has volunteered countless hours to the Coronado Little League program over the years, acknowledged the contribution of Fischer to the team’s success. "He came from Baltimore and works for the Social Security Department. Matt just turned 26 this year and he had already coached for 4 or 5 years in travel ball. He came out here and wanted to keep coaching. Matt lives in Eastlake and traveled 20 miles each day to coach." Future ‘contracts’ with Manager Fischer will presumably contain a gas mileage allowance.

Six of the Angels went on to play for the Coronado Junior All-Stars, including: Piscatelli, Nicholson, Kelleher, Bernardy, Alex Johnson and Troy Johnson (the Johnsons are not related). The Coronado All-Stars lost a tough 13-inning affair to the Clairemont Hilltoppers All-Star contingent 7-6 over the weekend. The game was played over two days, with the scored tied at 5-all after 8 innings. Clairemont scored in the top of the 11^th frame, and Coronado rallied to tie the score in the bottom of the 11^th. Clairemont pushed across a run in the top of the 13^th that Coronado couldn’t counter.

Next year eight of the 12 Angels players can advance to the CHS baseball program, with four of the players age-eligible to return to the Coronado Juniors. And that my friends, is how already strong athletic programs, get even better.

"The field is going to be ready for this year, right?"

‘Field’ in the question above refers to Niedermeyer Field, home of several CHS athletic teams. The site currently resembles landscape photographs of the planet Mars. Niedermeyer Field formerly looked like the Moon, so perhaps progress has been made on an artistic level.

"We 10 days ahead of schedule at the high school," said Steve Davey, general contractor of the artificial turf installations at CHS and Coronado Middle School, as well as the synthetic track at CHS. "This week we’ll be installing the permeable base on the field, which includes three-quarters of an inch of rock and one-half inch of sand. That’s what pulls the water through the turf and makes the field work," added Davey.

Work in the track and the field was previously slated to be concluded by the first weekend in September. If the current construction progress holds, it will be completed by mid to late August.

Little did we know, although the hope was always there, that the soil at CHS would be perfect for the installation of the track and field. Not so good for growing and maintaining grass, but good for this specific purpose.

A similar installation being undertaken currently at Scripps Ranch High School, also being installed by Byrom-Davey, Inc. has been delayed by the presence of moisture-retaining clay. "Their soil has a 19 percent water content," said Davey of the Falcons field. "When you send a construction truck out on the field, it sinks."

So, the answer to the most frequently asked question is "Yes, it will be ready for this year." The completed field and the track will be magnificent.

We’ve noted in this space that the CHS Varsity Football Team will be playing in the Kick-Off Football Classic Friday, August 25, vs. Mount Miguel. The game will start at 5:30 pm and will be played at Mira Mesa High School. The CHS Varsity Boys Water Polo Team is playing in a similar season-opening event Saturday, August 26, when the Islanders face Vista High School at 1:30 pm at the La Jolla High School Coggan Family Pool… Congratulations to CHS graduating senior Kevin Couture, who was named to the CalHiSports.com All-State Small Schools Baseball Team… I can tell from my Get Fuzzy desk calendar that we are in mid-July, so the July 4 Race must be over by now. This year’s Coronado Independence Day 15K Run and 5K Run/Walk featured 1,838 participants, up by exactly 100 runners from last year. The event, which was sponsored by GMH Promotions, a Coronado-based T-shirt and apparel firm, benefits the Islander Sports Foundation, as well as the Coronado High School and Coronado Middle School sports programs. More than 200 volunteers helped insure that the race ran smoothly. Race management and timing was provided by Kathy Loper Events… We tend to make excuses for the athletes we like and admire. The most quoted line in sports today is, "that’s just Manny (Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox) being Manny." Essentially the requirements to be on the receiving end of this mantra are ‘big talent, big flake.’ Or, to put it another way, ‘he’s good enough that we’ll put up with his peccadilloes as long as we keep winning.’ By my inexpert soccer eye, the best player in the recent World Cup was France’s Zinedine Zidane. The 34-year-old midfielder consistently laid the ball at the feet of his attacking teammates, scored goals himself, and won balls consistently from the opposition on defense. Then inexplicably Zidane, who has been compared favorably to Pele and other all-time greats of the world’s game, head-butted an Italian opponent in the chest during the championship game’s overtime period. That may be Zidane being Zidane, but it will be probably the enduring memory of most fans from the 2006 World Cup and the lowlight of an otherwise marvelous career… At the All-Star Game break, the San Diego Padres are in first place in the National League West and are eight games over the .500 mark. Due to the kindness of friends and occasionally dipping into my own wallet, I have been to several Padres home games this year. I can only conclude that Padres Manager Bruce Bochy should be a candidate for ‘Manager of the Year’ every season he dons a uniform. I wish he was guiding my beloved Chicago Cubs, currently 20 games under the break-even mark, and effectively out of the playoff race in the National League Central for the last 3 months… Finally, the Wimbledon men’s tennis singles championship match was well worth watching, even with the 6 am Sunday, local starting time. As an occasional weekend hacker, watching the topspin backhand of four-time champ Roger Federer, plus the quickness and court presence of Rafael Nadal, was a real treat. Men’s tennis badly needs a rivalry to snatch the game from the doldrums it has found itself in until recently.