BASEBALL MARKS STEP IN BOY'S RECOVERY.

Byline: VINCENT BONSIGNORE

The way 6-year old Jack Kruger rumbles around the bases at the West Hills Baseball complex, arms pumping and feet kicking up dust, you almost forget he faced the daunting prospect of permanent confinement to a wheelchair just a few months ago.

But the hitch in Kruger's walk as he makes his way back to the West Hills Pinto White Sox dugout is a painful reminder that Kruger still faces an uncertain future.

The boy was diagnosed last year with a rare hip disorder called Leg-Calve Perthes, which interrupts the blood supply to the top of the femoral bone and causes it to decay. In most cases, the blood supply returns, allowing the femur to regenerate; in other cases, severe degenerative arthritis sets in.

It appears that Kruger fits into the first category, although no one can be certain yet.

``We're taking it one day at a time,'' said Nancy Kruger, Jack's mom.

Kruger avoided surgery and confinement to a wheelchair thanks to an early, correct diagnosis and the expertise of doctors at Shriners Hospital. But he did have to walk with the aid of crutches for six months, curtailing any physical activity - including his beloved baseball - until doctors gave him the OK to resume his fast-paced routine in August.

Even today, as he stars for the White Sox as a key fielder and one of the team's best hitters, Kruger and parents Tim and Nancy aren't sure what the future holds. It's too soon to tell.

``When we go to appointments, I like to try to secure a guarantee from the doctors that we're past the brace idea, we're past the cast idea,'' Nancy said. ``But the doctor says, 'You know what, Nancy? For today we are, but the next time you come, I might tell you you need surgery. We're just going to have to take it one day at a time.' ''

Jack Kruger never felt sorry for himself, not even when doctors told him he couldn't play soccer or that he'd have to walk with crutches for a long time or that he might never be able to play sports like all his friends.

``I knew I was going to get better,'' Jack said. ``So I wasn't worried.''

His attitude astounded his parents.

``We couldn't believe he got it, that he understood,'' Nancy said.

In fact, the Krugers worried they were missing something, that perhaps Jack was burying his feelings and not dealing with his problem. So they took him to a psychologist.

``After one visit, the report back to us was that he's just fine, he doesn't need any help,'' Nancy said. ``He gets it, he understands. He doesn't have any self-pity, he's not angry about it. He wishes it wasn't this way and he's anxious for the whole thing to be over, but he doesn't have this psychological whirlwind of self-pity.''

Jack got the OK to put the crutches away last August. He gradually increased his activities, even playing some baseball.

Tim Kruger was determined that his son not fall behind the other kids in the league because of his disorder. So, to make up for lost time, he enlisted the help of private batting coaches.

The first two instructors didn't work out. Then a friend told Tim to call Chaminade High coach Scott Drootin for help.

``The first time we talked, Scott asked me how old Jack was and when I said 5, there was a long pause because he doesn't normally work with kids so young,'' Tim said. ``Then Scott said, 'Does he love baseball?' ''

Of course, the answer was yes. Drootin, struck by the youngster's swagger, took Jack on as a pupil and in the months since their first lesson it's difficult to determine who has learned more from the other, Jack or Drootin.

``After the first 10 minutes of talking to him, I could tell he had such a tremendous passion for the game,'' Drootin said. ``Jack is the reason coaches coach. A high school coach isn't in it for the money, they're in it to work with kids like Jack who have such a passion and love for the game. He walks around like a ballplayer.''

Drootin believes Jack will evolve into a fine high school player one day, assuming he continues to develop. He already flashes the type of skills necessary for success, especially with the bat. He's batting well over .700 and leads the league in triples through 13 games.

Unfortunately, his hip disorder has prevented him from legging most of those triples into home runs.

``It's cost him some home runs, sure,'' Tim said. ``But you know what, he loves the game so much that even if he was out here just in his uniform and playing with the other kids, that would be great.''

The work with Drootin has paid off. In his first practice with the White Sox, Jack hit the first pitch from his father into center field. When the ball shot off Kruger's bat and he took off running, it was as if a cloud of anxiety that hung over the Kruger family had lifted.

``As he was running around the bases, I watched him and it was one of those moments in life where you just want to stay there forever,'' Tim said. ``It meant so much because we weren't sure if he'd ever be able to do that.''

Jack Kruger belted his first home run of the season Saturday, hitting a sharp liner into center field and then motoring around the bases as fast as he could. He easily beat the throw to home plate, capping off a terrific day in which he had three hits in four at-bats.

He would've been just as content with a single, though. After all the hardship, all the worry, he's happy just to be outdoors playing baseball like all his friends.

He knows he's a little different from the others, that his buddies don't have to visit the doctor regularly or do special exercises as part of rehabilitation during the week. But when he's on the field, all that goes away. Out there, he's just like everyone else.

``I just love to play, I have fun playing,'' Jack said.

His parents love watching him play just as much, even though a twinge of fear runs through them every time Jack runs the bases or dives for a ball. That's something they're willing to accept, though. It's a small price.

``It's been an absolute dream to have Jack be able to play baseball this year,'' Nancy said. ``It's opened up all of our worlds again, to have him play ball.''

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Photo:

Jack Kruger, 6, is battling a rare hip disorder, but with the help of his father, Tim, above, and Chaminade High coach Scott Drootin, he's playing baseball again in West Hills.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer