EVERY SURF DAWG HAS HIS DAY SIMI VALLEY ALUM CATCHES ON WITH INDEPENDENT TEAM.

Byline: Nathan Brown Staff Writer

Johnny Day is one of those baseball players who makes a team better simply by being on its roster.

He hustles, has tremendous work ethic, respects the game and, most important, has a passion for it.

Day's mettle was tested this summer after he was cut from a summer pro league in Alaska. He was the last player cut - the Beatrice Bruins decided to keep just three infielders, with Day on the outside looking in.

``I was released, and I wondered if I could keep going,'' Day said. ``So I started working out at the batting facility.''

Day's work ethic kicked in, and soon he was at it again - this time refining his hitting skills at the Line Drive Baseball Academy with longtime Dodger catcher Steve Yeager, the academy's batting instructor. Yeager saw something he liked and contacted San Diego Surf Dawg coach and former San Diego Padres catcher Terry Kennedy.

``Steve called me and said that he's got this guy and that he's pretty good,'' Kennedy said. ``Yeager liked him, so he's OK with me, so I signed him without seeing him.''

Day, a two-time All-Marmonte League selection at Simi Valley High and an All-Western State Conference selection at Moorpark College, found himself playing independent-league baseball for the Golden Baseball League's Surf Dawgs in laid-back San Diego.

Now he had to adjust.

``The thing I noticed right away was the speed of the game,'' Day said. ``But I trained and worked hard in the offseason, so now it's just a matter of adjusting to the pitching - not so much the fastballs, but the offspeed and breakingballs are at another level than what I've seen.''

Day also had to get acclimated to playing with the Surf Dawgs' leadoff hitter, future Hall of Famer Ricky Henderson.

``At first, you don't know what to do, you know, if he comes back to the dugout after striking out or something,'' Day said. ``Do you pat him on the back or just leave him alone? But after spring training, he was just one of the guys, and we all got close after that.''

As it turns out, Day and Henderson have something in common.

At 46, Henderson has been told by fans and critics that he's washed up and has no business trying to get back into the majors.

Day, who stands 5-foot 8 and weighs 165 pounds, often is reminded he doesn't fit the professional-baseball-player ``mold'' - he's too small. What Day lacks in size, he more than makes up for in intensity.

``He's tenacious,'' Kennedy said. ``He's not that tall, he's not that big physically, but you're not going to tell this kid he can't do it. He never quits, never complains, and if he wasn't playing baseball, he'd be doing the same thing wherever he was.

``He's not going to go over the fence all the time, but he's hitting line drives, and he's come a long way defensively. He's gained a lot of confidence and is constantly improving himself.''

Mike Causey, a minor-league pitcher for the Florence (Ky.) Freedom in the Frontier League and Day's former teammate at Simi Valley and Moorpark, knows what Day is capable of.

``He's a hard-nosed guy,'' Causey said. ``He's a great teammate, and if he's given the chance to play every day, he's going to make a huge impact.''

Day has been used primarily as a backup for the Surf Dawgs (38-23), but he usually starts two games a week and often is called upon in pinch-hitting situations. He's hitting .261 with 23 hits in 88 at-bats but hopes to find a rhythm with more repetitions.

``Winning, of course, is the most important thing,'' Day said. ``If you play to win, everything will take care of itself.''

Day doesn't spend too much time thinking about his long-term prospects.

``I just try to focus every day,'' he said. ``If you look at the whole big picture, it looks impossible. I try to take care of each day.''

Nathan Brown, [phone]

nate.brown(at)dailynews.com

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After being cut by summer pro team in Alaska, Simi Valley High graduate Johnny Day has found a home with the San Diego Surf Dawgs of the independent Golden League.

Chuck Henry/Surf Dawgs