1938 Baseball: Strange, Disappointing Ending for Hilltoppers
San Diego’s march to a Southern Section championship was derailed by Glendale in the most confusing finish in the 20-season career of coach Mike Morrow. “Bait and switch” is a often-used political term for what happened to the Hilltoppers. They were told by CIF boss Seth Van Patten that a victory over Norwalk Excelsior in […]
Read More1977 Baseball: Granite Hills Stays Course, Wins First Title
Granite Hills shook off a tie with Monte Vista, one of the the poorest teams in the County. The deadlock had prevented the Eagles from a championship tie with Helix in the Grossmont League, but the Eagles went on to win their first San Diego Section title. 3/11/77 Granite Hills, a preseason No. 2-ranked in […]
Read More2024: Eddie Olsen, 89, Baseball Lifer
The hand shake was a vise grip. I first shook that hand in September, 1964, when Eddie Olsen was hired to manage the Billiard Den, a trendy, new watering hole and pool parlor at 58th Street and El Cajon Blvd. I last saw Eddie months before he passed recently at age 89 and the handshake […]
Read More1976 Baseball: Favorites’ Stumbles Open Door for Madison
The numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5 seeds were eliminated in the first round of the San Diego Section playoffs. Only third-ranked Hoover survived and the Cardinals were ousted in the quarterfinals. That left the door open for No. 6 seed Madison, which edged No. 12 Crawford, 1-0, for the championship. Probably most disappointed was […]
Read More1930 Baseball: Socking Sada Led San Diego High Sluggers
San Diego High won its third consecutive CIF championship under fifth-year coach Mike Morrow and posted a 19-3 record, according to Don King’s Caver Conquest. The Great Depression was raging, unemployment was high, young men had time on their hands, and many played baseball. Possibly without budget for travel beyond obligatory Coast League games, Morrow’s […]
Read More1975 Baseball: Hoover Coach Moves On After Third Section Championship
Jerry Bartow ended a 14-season run at Hoover with his third San Diego Section championship and with an overall record of 226-119 (.656) then headed off to Southwestern College, where the Apaches won more than 900 games in the next 39 years before Bartow retired in 2014. Until Ted Williams Field was built on the […]
Read More