A New Day For Knights -- Albo Returns To Newport

-- BELLEVUE

After 10 years away from coaching the sport many claim cannot be altered by time, Newport Coach Bob Albo has discovered that, at least in Bellevue, baseball can change.

For Albo, winner of three state titles as Newport's coach more than a decade ago, these are new and different days in KingCo Conference baseball.

New and different Knights, too.

"We try to be honest with our kids," said Albo, who won six KingCo titles during his first Newport coaching stint (1972-82). "We tell them we're not very good at this point.

"That's the way I've always done it."

Newport is 10-31 the past two seasons, a .244 winning percentage. Under Albo, the Knights were 235-80 (.746), including 24-1 during the 1982 title season. His teams also won titles in 1976 and 1978.

"Hopefully we can turn this program back to what it was when I left it," said Albo, who left in 1983 to take over the Bellevue Community College program. He later returned to Newport as athletic director.

Already, in his first season back as coach, he seems to have the Knights headed in the right direction. They're 3-2 after beating Sammamish 10-4 in their KingCo opener last night.

"I'm enjoying the challenge, but I'm also frustrated by the challenge," said Albo, 50, who gave up his position as athletic director to apply for the baseball job vacated by Lee Migliore.

An example of Albo's frustration - actually eight examples - came in Tuesday's nonleague game against Marysville-Pilchuck. Eight errors. A 12-6 loss.

"I don't think I've ever coached a ballclub that played that poorly," he said. "But it might be me. Maybe I'm putting too much pressure on them.

"I may be giving them too much to handle."

Albo has started from the bottom in teaching fundamental skills, even working on such basics as gripping the ball and arm action in throwing.

And he's still trying to come up with a set lineup.

"The positive thing is they work really hard," he said.

Another is that most of Newport's returning starters also played on the school's Class AAA state football champion last fall.

"They're a tough group of kids," Albo said. "They believe they can do it. And they're winners. They know what it takes to win. But it's a different kind of sport."

Another positive? Albo himself. Despite his frustrations.

"I think any coach like that, who gets a program going, will tend to maintain it, and the kids will tend to do more for those kinds of coaches than just anybody," said Brian Mullen, Issaquah assistant baseball coach, who has coached and taught there for 31 years.

Albo and the Knights also have what seems to be the softer of KingCo's two divisions going for them.

Interlake, the defending Crest Division champion, and pitching-rich Issaquah seem to be the class of the division. But Newport, Sammamish and Bellevue all look like strong contenders for the division's third playoff berth.

That brings up one of Albo's more depressing - "very depressing" - observations since returning.

"I don't think there's as good of baseball playing being done at the high-school level as there was 10 years ago," said the coach whose past Newport teams graduated four players who went on to play major-league baseball (Mike Campbell, Scott Anderson, Ron Romanick and Cliff Pastornicky).

"You always had in those years somebody who could throw it up there 84-85 (mph) on every team," he said. "We're not seeing that anymore. . . . Juanita last year (with Tom Evans and Brian Doughty), those were the kind of kids who were all over the place then." Albo called it "a product of society."

"The television generation doesn't get out and throw as much," he said.

That and increased pressure on athletes to specialize in one sport year-round funnels many would-be baseball players into spring and summer basketball and football.

"It kind of tells you baseball might be on a down trend in our society," Albo said. "I might be wrong. But I would be concerned about it if I was a college or professional coach. I would see what I could do about it."

Meanwhile, Albo will stick to seeing what he can do about finding daylight with the Knights.

"I'm here for the duration," he said, "however long that is."

BELLEVUE

-- 1992 RECORD - 3-13, tied for fifth place in KingCo's Crest Division, 4-15 overall.

-- COACH - Bob Stoddard, second year, 4-15. -- TOP RETURNERS - P Jim Gregson, sr.; IF/P Aaron Jackson, sr.; IF Gavin Ricklefs, sr.; IF Brad King, sr.; OF Brian Gaffney, sr.; OF Jamie Svenson, sr.; IF/OF Steve Clymer, sr.; OF Brad Jefferson, jr.; P/OF/IF Jamie Porter jr.; C Cuyler Swindley, jr.; 1B/3B Steve Curran, so.

-- TOP NEWCOMERS - C/IF Neil Rutherford, sr.; P Jeff Martineau; SS Cazinori Tsuchihashi, so.

-- OUTLOOK - Wolverines are improved in almost every area. Jefferson is league's most dangerous threat to steal. Should challenge for a playoff spot.

INTERLAKE -- 1992 RECORD - 12-4, first in Crest Division, 18-6 overall (advanced to final eight in AAA state playoffs).

-- COACH - Bob Haynes, fifth year, 50-37.

-- TOP RETURNERS - 1B Paul Ticen, sr.; OF/P Chris Caponigro, sr.; OF/P Denny Kirkwood, sr.

-- TOP NEWCOMERS - C Nick Polier, sr.; IF/P Jon Bostic, sr.; OF Chris Holmberg, sr.; IF/P Dominic Lanza, jr.; IF Kevin Ticen, jr.; IF Brian Neher, jr.; OF/P Mike Wherry, jr.; IF Rian Mayer, so.

-- OUTLOOK - Only three starters return, but two are experienced pitchers, and the third (Paul Ticen) hit .382 as a junior. Overtook Issaquah as division favorite with 11-2 victory over the Indians yesterday.

ISSAQUAH -- 1992 RECORD - 10-6, second in Crest; 11-9 overall.

-- COACH - Pete Wilkinson, fifth year, 33-47.

-- TOP RETURNERS - RHP/IF Jason Uberuaga, sr.; CF Jeff Conlon, sr.; RHP/OF Scott Sorenson, jr.; 2B Brad Kinnish, sr.; C Jay Donaldson, sr.; 1B Mitch Gregg, jr.

-- TOP NEWCOMERS - IF Mike Hartman, jr.; LHP Lindsay Gulin, so.; LHP Casey Lohrman, jr.

-- OUTLOOK - Crest favorites until yesterday's loss to Interlake might have deepest pitching staff in KingCo, definitely in division. Conlon, one of state's best outfielders, is back after sitting out last year with shoulder injury.

MERCER ISLAND -- 1992 RECORD - 3-13, tied for fifth in Crest, 5-15 overall.

-- COACH - Mark Rye, first year.

-- TOP RETURNERS - SS Matt Hale, sr.; 2B Peter Baker, sr.; CF Scott Rye, so.; LF Ryan Flynn, sr.; P Adam Roodman, jr.; C Pete McLean, jr.

-- TOP NEWCOMERS - 3B Ryan Kean, jr.; P Jeremy Curfew, jr.; OF Kasey Thompson, so.; P/1B Tyler Engvall, so.; Phil Boos, so.

-- OUTLOOK - With first-year coach and inexperienced pitching staff, Islanders will struggle again. Strength up the middle. Could be strong enough late in season to rally way out of last-place finish.

NEWPORT

-- 1992 RECORD - 6-10, third in Crest, 7-14 overall. -- COACH - Bob Albo, first year (returns after 10-year absence to team he coached for 11 seasons).

-- TOP RETURNERS - 2B Dave Pennington, sr.; P/1B Jason Crume, sr.; 1B Jeff Fontaine, sr.; OF Zeth Donahue, sr.; OF/P Steve Kirchoff, jr.; IF Jeff Bilanko, sr.; P Mark Snyder, sr.

-- TOP NEWCOMERS - IF Adam Rittenhouse, so.; P/IF Travis Anderson, fr.; C Joe Grzetic, jr.

-- OUTLOOK - Knights return their top two pitchers (Crume and Snyder) and their most successful coach in school history. Albo won state titles in 1976, '78 and '82 at Newport. He's not going to do it this year, but team should be strong enough to challenge for one of division's three playoff spots.

SAMMAMISH -- 1992 RECORD - 4-12, fourth in Crest, 4-16 overall.

-- COACH - Dirk Van Matre, second year, 4-16.

-- TOP RETURNERS - P/SS John LeRoy, sr.; CF/P Kevin Ingram, jr.; 2B Steve Schupbach, jr.; 3B/P Brett Sharon, jr.; 1B Adrian Brockway, sr.; SS Alex Michel, jr.

-- TOP NEWCOMERS - P Todd Daniels, jr.; IF Josh White, so.; C Aaron Stamper, jr.; C Carter Wheeler, sr.

-- OUTLOOK - LeRoy, a fourth-year varsity player, is the most talented pitcher in KingCo. Just enough pitching on the team to make Totems a playoff contender.

------------------------------------------- . CREST COACHES BASEBALL POLL. . -- Predicted order of finish for the KingCo Conference's Crest Division, determined by a vote of coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own teams. Points were awarded on the following basis: 6 for first, 5 for second, etc. (first-place votes in parentheses):

. Team Pts. .

1. Issaquah (5) 30. .

2. Interlake (1) 25. .

3. Newport 21. .

4. Sammamish 19. .

5. Bellevue 14. .

6. Mercer Island 10.