Friday, March 28, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
In a way, it resembled an auction. The silent masses gathered, examined the merchandise, then shuffled off to prepare those reports for the invisible buyers, hundreds and thousands of miles away.
Such was the scene Thursday night at Hadland Park, where scouts from approximately 20 of the 30 major-league baseball franchises congregated for a peek at No. 20 in brown-and-gold, right-handed pitcher Jon Garland of Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, Calif.
Garland, equipped with a fastball which has been clocked as high as 93 mph -- plus a surprisingly mature array of off-speed and breaking stuff -- drew scouts like ants to a picnic. And for the most part, he didn't disappoint, throwing a two-hitter against Bishop Gorman on the first day of the 1997 Coca-Cola Gael Easter Classic.
"Looks like a no-brainer to me," said Mike Baker, an area scout for the New York Yankees when asked about Garland's draft potential.
"He's a well-thought-of kid," added Tim Schmidt, the Florida Marlins' international cross-checker based on the West Coast. "It's a pretty good package. The type of package that could create an awful lot of interest. He's pretty advanced."
However, little could anybody guess that Garland -- a possible first-round prospect in June's amateur draft -- actually would be upstaged. But he was, in grand fashion by Bishop Gorman pitcher Matt Smith.
Smith was every bit as devastating as Garland, and Smith then went one better, hitting an opposite-field home run off Garland with two outs in the bottom of the seventh for a memorable 1-0 win.
"I'm not lying to you," said Gorman coach Tim Chambers. "I said to someone (in the dugout) that he would hit a home run in the bottom of the seventh."
Smith had the only other hit off Garland, an infield single. Garland, a 6-foot-5, 195-pounder, struck out 11 and walked one.
Smith countered with 15 strikeouts, scattering six hits while walking two (one intentionally). And when Kennedy loaded the bases in the top of the fifth, he escaped damage by inducing Garland to pop out on a hanging breaking ball.
"I think I earned a little respect, too," Smith said.
Surprisingly, Kennedy stacked its lineup with left-handed hitters, even though Smith is left-handed. They struggled mightily, especially when Smith changed speeds.
Garland mixed some nasty overhand curve balls with a brisk fastball.
"He's the best high school baseball pitcher I've ever seen," Chambers said.
Smith picked a 2-0 fastball from Garland in the seventh, smashed it to left field, then watched anxiously rounding first base as the ball skidded over the top of the fence.
"That was the best baseball game I've ever been around," said Chambers, whose team improved to 10-1. Earlier Thursday, Smith belted a home run and had five RBI in the Gaels' 14-4 rout of Viewmont, Utah.
Kennedy finished last season as the second-ranked team in the country by USA Today. The Golden Cougars are currently ranked 21st.
* OTHER GAMES: Five other Clark County teams are in the field of 30 for this huge event. Cimarron-Memorial beat Alta, Utah, 3-0 and Taft, Calif., 8-3. Rancho blasted East of Salt Lake City 13-2 and Loara of Anaheim, Calif., 9-3. Valley fell 8-3 to Olympus, Calif., and Chaminade ripped Chaparral 14-2. There was no word from Basic, which met Bonita Vista, Calif. The tourney continues today and concludes Saturday.
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