Kendall and Lovarov: Two Gems On the Diamond : Coach of the year: Veteran San Pedro coach has won 420 games, but none bigger than City 4-A championship.

Before the final out of the 1992 season was recorded and Jerry Lovarov triumphantly rode on his players’ shoulders, the rap against the San Pedro High baseball coach had always been that he couldn’t win the big one.

For 31 seasons Lovarov consistently fielded winning teams, some featuring future major leaguers such as Garry Maddox, Alan Ashby and Brian Harper. Yet he was unable to bring a City Section title to San Pedro.

Critics said the Pirates won in spite of Lovarov, whose low-key approach to coaching had been interpreted by some as a sign that he was behind the times and lacked the expertise to mold a championship team.

“I’m sure I’ve been criticized, like everyone else,” Lovarov said. “But I know what my players can do.”

That was never more evident than this season. Taking a team that was not considered overly talented, Lovarov coached the way he has always coached and guided San Pedro to its first-ever City title. The Pirates beat Poly, 6-3, in the 4-A Division final June 3 at Dodger Stadium, breaking the San Fernando Valley’s 19-year hold on the major division championship.

It took 32 seasons, but the 62-year-old coach with the shy smile and unassuming manner finally got it done. His way.

For his efforts, Lovarov has been named The Times South Bay Coach of the Year.

Lovarov (pronounced Lovaro) said the key to this year’s team was that it never stopped improving. The Pirates lost in the opening week of the season to Montclair Prep, 16-6, and Redondo, 5-0, in the Westside tournament, but they came back to finish 22-4.

“We were way behind early in the season,” Lovarov said. “We got in that Westside tournament after only three days of practice. We started slow, but the kids just kept working and working. I think the kids knew (after the loss to Montclair Prep) that they had to work pretty hard.”

The Pirates seemed to come together once play began in the Southern Pacific Conference. They posted a 15-2 conference record to win the Pacific League title, finishing two games ahead of two-time defending champion Banning.

“They played pretty solid defensively,” Gardena Coach Mike Sakurai said. “They made the routine play, and I liked their pitching. They made the right plays at the right times.”

Sakurai, who has coached against Lovarov for 12 years, said he has the utmost respect for the dean of City Section coaches.

“He’s a class act,” Sakurai said. “He’s a guy who is very humble. Coaching for that many years, he has seen all kinds of different things happen to his team. Because of that, he’s usually very prepared.

“A lot of people try to base coaching (success) on wins and losses and how many championships you win. But when you get to the playoffs, things happen. The ball bounces a little bit differently. Going against some of those Valley teams has been tough for our league. But when you look at (Lovarov’s) overall record, it’s tremendous.”

Lovarov has a career record of 420-191 and 16 league titles, an average of one every two seasons. His teams have reached the City final twice, losing to Washington, 7-5, in 1962.

Sakurai also credits Lovarov for keeping his players in line.

“There’s been a trend in recent years for players to talk trash during games,” he said. “(Lovarov’s) teams have never been that way.”

San Pedro’s players might not talk trash, but they call their own shots. Unlike most coaches, Lovarov allows his players to coach the bases and his catchers to call pitches.

To some, Lovarov gives the impression that he fails to take a strong leadership role by relying on his players’ judgments rather than his own. Lovarov defends his coaching philosophy.

“If they’re not capable, I don’t ask them to do it,” he said of his players. “I still (call the pitches) occasionally if a kid looks for help. There are certain rules that we have.

“The only kids that coach the bases are the ones in the game. I think it keeps them mentally in the game. The only ones that don’t coach are catchers and pitchers.”

Lovarov makes a habit of hanging around the backstop during games in case his players need instruction.

“I try to stay close to the batters,” he said. “I’m constantly making corrections if I see flaws. I see the kids every day in batting practice, so if something is wrong I can call their attention to it.”

As usual, hitting was one of San Pedro’s strengths. Although lacking the power they have had in the past, the Pirates had a knack for stringing hits together and producing big innings.

San Pedro used that formula to defeat Birmingham, 10-6, and Granada Hills, 10-4, in the first two rounds of the playoffs, setting up a confrontation with second-seeded University in the semifinals. The pesky Pirates chipped away at University for seven innings before emerging with a 7-6 victory, sending Warrior pitcher Javier Mejia (11-1) to his only loss of the season. Last week, Mejia was named City 4-A player of the year.

San Pedro continued its impressive play against top-seeded Poly in the title game.

Dan O’Neill, a junior first baseman known mostly for his defense, had two hits in three at-bats and two runs batted in for San Pedro in the final to earn the game’s most-valuable-player award. Junior left-hander Larry Cannon (8-1) gave up seven hits in 6 2/3 innings to earn the victory. Jamie Smith, another left-hander, struck out the final batter to earn the save.

During the course of the season, there were other heroes for the Pirates. Catcher Jose Duarte, the Pacific League co-player of the year, was one of the leading hitters along with shortstop Rino Marconi, designated hitter Steve Ralph and outfielder Mark Miller. Third baseman Luis Montes De Oca was a defensive mainstay, and right-hander Eligio Lopez (4-0) combined with Smith (8-2) and Cannon to form an effective pitching staff.

“I’ve had a lot of good teams that played in (the playoffs),” Lovarov said. “Sometimes the best team doesn’t always win. In years past, sometimes we didn’t get any breaks. This time we got a few breaks and didn’t make any mistakes. I doubt if we averaged one error a game after midseason.”

Since winning the City championship, Lovarov said he has been swamped by letters and calls from friends, former players and coaching colleagues. In the past few weeks, Lovarov was one of three San Pedro graduates to coach a team to a major championship. Tony Dobra guided San Pedro to the City 4-A softball title and Andy Lopez led Pepperdine’s baseball team to its first NCAA championship.

“I didn’t realize that winning the City title would bring this type of enthusiasm,” said Lovarov, who thanked the San Pedro faculty and student body for its support.

The celebration continues Friday when the San Pedro baseball and softball teams are honored during a special ceremony conducted by the Los Angeles City Council. In addition, the baseball team will be honored at several dinners planned in San Pedro.

“It looks like we’re on the banquet tour,” Lovarov said.

For the man who set the table for San Pedro’s success in baseball, but was unable to feast on a championship until now, what could be more appropriate?