City Section Postpones Verdict on 4-A Playoffs

The City Section office has postponed a decision on the fate of the 4-A Division playoffs until today, Commissioner Hal Harkness said Monday. He added that the 3-A Division playoffs will begin Wednesday as scheduled.

The 4-A playoffs involving 16 teams also are scheduled to begin Wednesday, but that tournament has been jeopardized by a coaches’ boycott as part of the teachers’ strike against the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Harkness met with district officials Monday after polling administrators at schools whose baseball teams have qualified for the playoffs. Harkness did not reveal the results of that poll, but a survey by The Times showed that three of the 16 schools intend to field teams without the coach of record. District rules state that the school official coaching a team must be a credentialed employee.

Six schools said they wouldn’t field a team, and six more said they are undecided. Grant Principal Robert Collins and Vice Principal Joe Walker refused comment.

Those saying they would field teams are El Camino Real, Kennedy and Palisades. Those saying they would not are Chatsworth, Gardena, Monroe, Poly, San Pedro and University. Undecided are Banning, San Fernando, Sylmar, Taft, Van Nuys and Venice.

Harkness declined to say how many teams are needed to comprise a playoff bracket.

Baseball coaches of all 18 4-A Division teams voted last week to boycott until the strike ends despite a recommendation by the Los Angeles City Coaches Assn. that would allow coaches to continue to direct their teams even if they honor picket lines. Playoffs have continued in other spring sports including golf, gymnastics, softball, swimming, track and volleyball despite the strike.

Chatsworth Coach Bob Lofrano, who has served as spokesman for the coaches, said he hoped Harkness would consider suspending the season until the strike ends. But Harkness has said that if a “meaningful” number of teams aren’t prepared to participate in the playoffs on Wednesday, the season will be canceled.