Jim Ozella

Awards were being handed out after Thursday's City 4-A championship baseball game at Dodger Stadium, and losing pitcher Sean Casey of Granada Hills was busy tearing away tape that was wrapped around his right shoe. When his name was called, Casey didn't look back at the tape strewn along the first-base line. And as he accepted a runner-up trophy, he allowed himself a smile. Sure, he'd given up four runs in 3 innings and gone 0 for 3 in the Highlanders' 5-1 loss to Grant.

It's a tough assignment for a tough guy. Never the smoothest operator, Jim Ozella has always met challenges head on. He can be gruff and he can huff and puff, but he's determined to build something grand, not blow anything down. Ozella, 42, knows a strong foundation when he's handed the trust deed. No baseball program in the region is stronger than the one Bud Murray left him at Hart High.

It's a tough assignment for a tough guy. Never the smoothest operator, Jim Ozella has always met challenges head on. He can be gruff and he can huff and puff, but he's determined to build something grand, not blow anything down. Ozella, 42, knows a strong foundation when he's handed the trust deed. No baseball program in the region is stronger than the one Bud Murray left him at Hart High.

Awards were being handed out after Thursday's City 4-A championship baseball game at Dodger Stadium, and losing pitcher Sean Casey of Granada Hills was busy tearing away tape that was wrapped around his right shoe. When his name was called, Casey didn't look back at the tape strewn along the first-base line. And as he accepted a runner-up trophy, he allowed himself a smile. Sure, he'd given up four runs in 3 innings and gone 0 for 3 in the Highlanders' 5-1 loss to Grant.

Hart High has selected Jim Ozella, former Alemany coach, to replace Bud Murray as baseball coach. Ozella coached Alemany from 1985-94, then became an assistant coach at College of the Canyons. He has a son who will be a freshman this fall at Hart. Hart won the Southern Section Division II championship in Murray's final season as coach. Murray won 516 games in 39 years of coaching.

Crespi jumped to an 18-run lead against Alemany on Tuesday and most of the Celts assumed that victory was assured. Instead, it was washed away by the rain. Alemany rallied for eight runs in the fourth inning, but even though the Indians still trailed, 18-8, the inning turned out to be something of a winner for Alemany. Because it took so long--and because the teams couldn't finish the fifth before the rain fell--the game will be replayed.

Alemany High scored six runs in the first inning and Tom Daniels threw a six-hitter as the Indians defeated Crespi, 7-2, in a Del Rey League opener Tuesday at College of the Canyons. Ten batters came to the plate against Crespi starter Chad Nichols in the first inning, and Jon Beauchemin, John Lite, Kirk Fellows and Jeff Ordona each produced a run-scoring single.

Sophomore shortstop Chris Valaika of Hart High broke his elbow last season, forcing him to spend much of the spring on the sideline watching and learning from teammate Bill Susdorf how to perform in pressure situations. On Friday, Valaika came through with a seventh-inning grand slam that gave Hart an 8-4 victory over Valencia in a Foothill League game at Valencia. "I love those situations," Valaika said.

This is a challenging week for Birmingham, which is in third place in the West Valley League. The Patriots (16-8, 5-5) play at Chatsworth (19-1-1, 10-0) today and host El Camino Real (15-6, 8-2) on Thursday. By finishing third in perhaps the toughest league in the City Section, the Patriots would earn an at-large berth in the City playoffs and set the stage for future success. Birmingham's top five batters are freshmen or sophomores. Sophomore catcher Jose Carrillo is batting .

Here's the oxymoron baseball note of the season: Reseda High was scheduled to play two games in the L.A. Umpires tournament. When the Regents showed up to play, there were no umpires. The catchers called balls and strikes. The games didn't count on the Regents' record. * Rick Hellriegel of Taft, a senior catcher who transferred from Chatsworth, has five home runs in six games.

Jamie Shields of Hart High, one of the top pitchers in the nation, will be sidelined for about two weeks with a strained back, Coach Jim Ozella said. Shields is only one of several injuries saddling the Indians, who are defending the Southern Section Division II title. Center fielder Matt Friedrichsen is expected to be out for at least three weeks with a broken hand. And the versatile Mike Miller, who can play first, third and the outfield, has a badly sprained ankle.