Chatsworth Hopes Good Fortune Is in the Cards

On his ninth birthday a couple weeks ago, Sean Meusborn received a pack of baseball cards as a present.

When he started going through each one, he stopped when he saw the card for a pitcher from the Philadelphia Phillies.

"Hey, Dad, I've got a Randy Wolf card," Sean told his father.

Tom Meusborn, baseball coach at Chatsworth High, almost froze in horror. It was as if a fortune teller had selected a tarot card that forecast danger.

Twice, in 1993 and 1994, Wolf pitched El Camino Real past Chatsworth in the City Championship game at Dodger Stadium. Just mentioning the name gives Meusborn chills.

"Please hide that one," he asked his son.

Chatsworth and El Camino Real, which won six of 10 City Championships in the 1990s, are ready to renew their baseball rivalry this week. Game one is at El Camino Real on Tuesday, game two at Chatsworth on Thursday, game three at El Camino Real on May 16 and game four could be June 6 at Dodger Stadium.

Everyone is on edge.

"That's the game we live for," sophomore pitcher Greg Acheatel of El Camino Real said.

Added senior shortstop Conor Jackson of El Camino Real: "It's going to be intense. The whole '90s have been either us or them."

"It's the funnest series of the year until the playoffs come around," senior shortstop Matt Fisher of Chatsworth said. "Everybody looks at the schedule to see when we're going to be playing El Camino Real."

"Ever since I watched the game as a freshman at Dodger Stadium, I've been wanting to play in the game to see what I could do to beat them," said junior second baseman Gregg Wallis of Chatsworth.

For weeks, players from both teams had been told not to speak or think about the Chatsworth-El Camino Real game until they took care of business. Now that each team is 8-0 in the West Valley League, let the fun begin.

El Camino Real (15-4) was considered the favorite before the season because Chatsworth returned only one starter from its City Championship team. But the Chancellors (17-1-1) rebuilt faster than anyone imagined, and come into the week with a stronger pitching staff, higher batting averages and a better overall record.

"It's a little surprising we'd be in this situation, but we haven't played over our head," Meusborn said. "Other teams have made mistakes and we've capitalized. All the credit goes to them. Guys are showing up to play."

What's unique about the series is players from both teams have learned not to pop off.