VANISHING PRESENCE : VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL TEAMS HAVE FEWER AFRICAN-AMERICAN ATHLETES.

Byline: Eric Sondheimer Daily News Deputy Sports Editor 

When Manny Alvarado played baseball for San Fernando High School in the early 1970s, many of his teammates were African-American. The best player was Anthony Davis, a future USC two-sport star.

Now, as head baseball coach at two-time defending City Section 4-A champion Kennedy, Alvarado is bewildered by the vanishing number of African-American baseball players.

``Where's the black athlete in the Valley?'' Alvarado said. ``They're nonexistent.''

On the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in major-league baseball, one of the great ironies is the lack of African-American teen-agers playing high school baseball in the San Fernando Valley.

Eleven of the 17 City Section high school baseball teams located in the Valley do not have a single African-American on their varsity rosters, according to a Daily News survey. Only 11 African-Americans are playing on varsity teams overall.

``Everybody wanted to be Jackie,'' longtime area scout John Young said. ``Now everybody wants to be like Mike.''

There are lots of African-American teen-agers filling the basketball and football rosters of area schools, although a percentage are bused in from the greater Los Angeles area.

But baseball appears to be waning in popularity, especially when athletes have to make a choice. In the era of Michael Jordan and specialization, the African-American athlete is choosing to devote year-round attention to sports other than baseball.

Take three-time All-City football player Waking Bailey of Kennedy as an example.

``I heard Waking Bailey was an outstanding baseball player,'' Alvarado said. ``Why isn't he trying out? I asked him. He just shrugged his shoulders.''

Sylmar coach Gary Donatella hasn't had any African-American baseball players on his roster in his nine years as coach despite trying to convince some of the school's top football players to come out.

``We tried to recruit Brian Roberson (now at Fresno State) and Durell Price (now at UCLA),'' Donatella said. ``They all say, `Yeah, yeah,' but they don't come out. They want to get bigger and stronger (for football). I've talked to kids, but I've always been told by other kids they're not to play other sports.''

In the NBA, 80 percent of the 361 players are African-American. In the NFL, 67 percent of the 1,815 players are African-American. In the major leagues, 17 percent of the 1,100 players are African-American, according to a recent U.S. News & World Report article.

Major League Baseball became so concerned with the dropoff of African-American players in urban areas that it took over sponsorship of R.B.I. - Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities.

Young, a former scout for the Florida Marlins who grew up in South Central Los Angeles, founded R.B.I. in 1989. It's designed to attract minority athletes ages 13 to 18 and give them a chance to play baseball. It's now in 50 cities with 30,000 participants.

``I think what happened in the African-American community is we lost a generation of baseball fans,'' Young said. ``When I was growing up, we played at the high schools and parks. There was sandlot ball on Sundays. There were people teaching us the game. In the '50s and '60s, baseball was the game. What's happened now, the people who run the parks or youth programs are going to reflect their likes and dislikes. What you have is basketball and football running the programs. Before, everybody played baseball first. The appreciation for baseball is gone.''

Young can name off player after player who once came out of inner-city Los Angeles prep programs - Bob Watson, Bobby Tolan, Eddie Murray, Chet Lemon, Eric Davis, Darryl Strawberry, Dan Ford . . . ``At one point, Fremont had more players in the major leagues than any high school in the country,'' he said.

The baseball talent level has fallen badly at such inner-city schools as Fremont, Crenshaw, Dorsey and Locke, however. Lack of quality baseball facilities and the absence of strong support groups have hindered player development.

Even in the baseball-crazy San Fernando Valley, where youth fields and youth programs remain plentiful, African-American participation doesn't approach the enthusiasm for football and basketball.

One way to build up African-American involvement in baseball is from the grass-roots level. Kids who start at an early age playing baseball in the neighborhood youth leagues will usually stay at it, particularly if their friends also play the sport.

That's why El Camino Real's talented Graham twins, freshmen Jon and Justin, have stuck with baseball. They grew up in West Hills and passed their local youth baseball league every day on the way to school. They're now promising JV players for the Conquistadores.

``I think they are still playing for the simple reason they have friends who play it,'' said Graham's mother, Jo Helen. ``It tends to be a neighborhood sport.''

Jo Helen Graham said coaches in high school need to do a better job attracting African-American athletes to baseball.

``It's incumbent on the coaches in high school to reach out and try to integrate teams and bring more African-Americans into the fold,'' she said.

It would also help if Major League Baseball did a better job marketing its sport to young people. Right now, it's clear the NBA and NFL have the attention of the youngest generation.

``I definitely wear basketball or football gear. I don't wear baseball gear,'' Jon Graham said. ``I get more enjoyment on a Saturday sitting back and watching a basketball or football game than baseball.''

Taft outfielder Brandon Stewart, only a sophomore, is still learning how to hit the ball, but he could be draft ed in two years because of his speed and athletic ability. He's one of the top long jumpers in the City Section. His track workouts sometimes conflict with baseball, but coach Rich McKeon has made every effort to keep Stewart involved.

``I just love to play baseball,'' Stewart said.

Convincing more African-American teen-agers like Stewart to play baseball is the challenge facing coaches in the years ahead.

THE DWINDLING COUNT

The count of African-American baseball players on City Section varsity rosters:

Birmingham: 1 out of 19

Canoga Park: 0 out of 12

Chatsworth: 0 out of 19

Cleveland: 0 out of 14

Eagle Rock: 0 out of 15

El Camino Real: 0 out of 18

Granada Hills: 0 out of 17

Grant: 2 out of 18

Kennedy: 0 out of 17

Monroe: 3 out of 19

North Hollywood: 1 out of 19

Poly: 1 out of 14

Reseda: 0 out of 12

Sylmar: 0 out of 16

Taft: 3 out of 16

Van Nuys: 0 out of 13

Verdugo Hills: 0 out of 13

Totals: 11 out of 271, 4.1 percent

Source: City Section coaches

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: (color) Twins Jon, left, and Justin Graham are JV baseball players at El Camino Real, one of 11 Valley schools with no African-American varsity members.

David Sprague/Daily News

Box: THE DWINDLING COUNT (see text)