What's in a name, you ask? There are plenty of high schools with ordinary mascots such as Eagles, Wildcats, Tigers and the like. In California, Dons is a popular one, no doubt a nod to the state's Spanish roots.
More curious are the schools with more inventive and in some cases weird, wacky and borderline offensive nicknames. In Alaska alone we have the Aniak Halfbreeds, Point Hope Harpooners, St. George Seal Pups and the Kokhanok Warlords.
Monikers of note from the mainland: Yuma Criminals, Compton Tarbabes, Cairo Syrupmakers, Hoopeston Cornjerkers, Freeburg Midgets, Centralia Orphans, Frankfort Hot Dogs, Kingsford Flivvers, Bad Axe Hatchets and Tillamook Cheesemakers.
I checked and a "Flivver" is a cheap car or air craft, especially one in bad condition. That would be my Pontiac.
As far as unique nicknames in this area, I think Bellarmine Bells has everyone beat. But there's also the Live Oak Acorns, Hayward Farmers and Watsonville Wildcatz. The legendary late San Francisco 49ers' coach, Bill Walsh, was a Hayward Farmer, by the way. Not many farms in Hayward any more.
R.I.P. HARLAN GUY: Former Watsonville High baseball coach Harlan Guy died March 10. He was 88.
Guy was the gruff, no–nonsense coach of the Wildcatz when I was sports editor in Watsonville in the 1980s. He coached Mark Eichhorn, later a star relief pitcher with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Moscow (Idaho) native and Navy veteran not only coached and taught at Watsonville High, but operated the family business, Riviera Family Billiards and Sporting Goods. He was the Wildcat baseball coach from 1966 until the mid–1980s.
Wrote Watsonville High grad Ron Albo below Guy's obit: "Mr. Guy, you were a big part of my life, from working for you and being coached by you."
Former Wildcat Dan Wilkins described Guy as "old school." When Wilkins thought Guy was leaning on him too hard, Wilkins' father – a Baptist minister who did some street fighting in his youth – paid the veteran coach a visit.
"Dad didn't ask for any special treatment," Wilkins said. "Just wanted to see if the air needed clearing. I won the starting job at second base and played alongside Mark Eichhorn that year, and we were co-champions of the MBL, which was no small accomplishment."
Harlan Guy – they don't build them like that any more. He'll be missed.
ALL–CENTURY VOTING: The CIF State is conducting voting for its spring All–Century team, but don't look for Barry Bonds of Serra baseball on the list of nominees. Despite starring for three years on the Padre varsity and being the all–time big league home run king, Bonds was left on the list.
Rebecca Brutlag, the media relations officer of CIF–State, said nobody nominated Bonds. Mind–boggling.
Here are some who made the list:
Keilani Ricketts (Mitty softball), Nate Garcia (Bellarmine baseball), Dontrelle Willis (Encinal baseball), Natalie Coughlin (Carondelet swimming), Summer Sanders (Oakmont swimming),
Leslie Maxie (Mills track), Gregg Jefferies (Serra baseball), Wendy Brown (Woodside track), Lloyd Moseby (Oakland baseball), Craig Landis (Vintage baseball),
Rickey Henderson (Oakland Tech baseball), Carney Lansford (Wilcox baseball), Rich Kimball (De La Salle track), Rick DeMont (Terra Linda swimming), Keith Hernandez (Capuchino baseball),
Mark Spitz (Santa Clara swimming), Erik van Dillen (Burlingame tennis), Bill Buckner (Napa baseball), Johnny Miller (Lincoln-SF golf), Don Schollander (Santa Clara swimming),
Donna de Varona (Santa Clara swimming), Rudy May (Castemont baseball), Jim Fregosi (Serra baseball), Willie Stargell (Encinal baseball), John Boccabella (Marin Catholic baseball),
Frank Robinson (McClymonds baseball), Jim Gentile (Sacred Heart Cathedral baseball), Ken Venturi (Lincoln SF golf), Gus Triandos (Mission baseball), Jackie Jensen (Oakland baseball),
Charlie Silvera (St. Ignatius baseball), Ferris Fain (Roosevelt–Oakland baseball), Sam Chapman (Tamalpais baseball), Don Budge (Oakland University tennis), Joe DiMaggio (Galileo baseball),
Dick Bartell (Alameda baseball), Joe Cronin (Sacred Heart Cathedral baseball), Harry Heilmann (Sacred Heart Cathedral baseball), Clyde Hawthorne (Santa Cruz swimming).
Briefly: Notre Dame–Belmont will leave the WCAL and will be in the WBAL beginning in fall of 2016 ... Cal has received commitments from San Ramon Valley baseball pitcher Joey Matulovich and Liberty football star Shurod Thompson Jr., reports scout.com ... Antioch running back Najee Harris has committed to Alabama, according to multiple reports.
John Murphy is the Web Content Manager of Prep2Prep. Contact him at jmurphy@prep2prep.com. Follow him on Twitter @PrepCat
