Los Gatos Weekly-Times file photograph
Long before Los Gatos High School boasted turf playing fields, young people played volleyball
on the school's expansive front lawn.
Volleyball--the bring-your-own-poles-and-net kind--was popular on the Los Gatos High School lawn long before turf athletic fields became commonplace in our community.
The high school's front lawn was also used for girls' archery at mid-century, recalled Roberta Hyde Blake, Class of 1944 and retired school librarian, at Egon Jensen's recent Old Timers dinner at Villa Felice. She said the archery targets were lined up in front of the rise in the lawn. Even then, an errant arrow sailed high and into the second-story window of a classroom.
Today's young athletes have many other playing fields. This Saturday, some 746 local Little League baseball players, ages 5 to 12, will open the 1996 season at various fields, including the Major League diamond at Blossom Hill Park bordering Blossom Hill School. This location includes three minor league fields.
Los Gatos Little League President Blair Hansen will preside at opening ceremonies which include the recognition of sponsors, introduction of teams, a hit-a-thon, team photos and games at all fields including Triple-A plays at Balzer Field at the end of Miles Avenue.
There will be a C. B. Hannegan's barbecue, profits to benefit the league. Supervising the on-wheels barbecue pit will be chef Chris Benson, himself a product of local youth baseball and a demon base-stealer at LGHS.
Program publisher Maria Jorgenson reports that a total of 746 youngsters ranging in age from 5 to 12 compete in five levels of play--Majors, AAA, AA, A and T-Ball for boys and girls. T-Ball girls are made acquainted with the game before moving into Girls' Softball.
Among the drawing gifts are two dinners at Johnny's Northside Grill, given by owner John Mesa, the league's first draftee. Mesa recalls that his team, La Hacienda Inn and L. G. Elks, and two Saratoga teams made up a league playing at the LGHS field and at Saratoga Oak Street School. This four-team league started in 1956 and played until 1959, when an independent Los Gatos group of teams played on a dirt field at what today is Balzer Field--named for a pioneer coach--at the foot of Miles Avenue. Although using the name Little League, Los Gatos did not become a member of Little League International until the early 1960s.
In 1985, Dr. Leo Burke coached Los Gatos All-Stars to the Western Regional title in Los Angeles and a trip to the the World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
Jorgenson includes in the 1996 program a history of the league, names of past league presidents, past champions, schedules, and rosters with coaching staffs of all teams.
LGHS football and baseball teams did not play on turf until the mid-1930s, when the federal WPA installed grass where hockey and softball is played today.
And LGHS boys inaugurated a volleyball team this spring and opened with six victories.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, April 24, 1996.
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