Conejo Valley Little League celebrates 50th anniversary





A PAGE FROM HISTORY—This team photo of the 1965 Conejo Valley Little League Seniors in the Conejo News features coach Bing Russell, back row at right, and his son, Kurt, third from right in front. Kurt Russell, the team’s second baseman, went on to star in the minor leagues and in movies, including “Miracle.”

A PAGE FROM HISTORY—This team photo of the 1965 Conejo Valley Little League Seniors in the Conejo News features coach Bing Russell, back row at right, and his son, Kurt, third from right in front. Kurt Russell, the team’s second baseman, went on to star in the minor leagues and in movies, including “Miracle.”

Roger Lazar has countless stories from his days as a Conejo Valley Little League manager and board member.

He led CVLL Majors teams to District 13 championships in 1977 and 1978.

Lazar, 72, finds it hard to believe that the Conejo Valley Little League is in its 50th season.

“It feels like just yesterday I was coaching my three sons,” said Lazar, who moved to Thousand Oaks in 1971 and became a CVLL manager in 1973. “I’ve seen many of the kids that I used to coach grow up and go on to live very successful lives.”

Lazar, who served two terms as the league’s president (1981- 82, 1993- 97), has coached CVLL standouts that went on to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, movie stars and Major League Baseball players.

Conejo Valley Little League started in 1963, but the league picked up steam when a celebrity began coaching in 1965.

Bing Russell, best known for his acting roles in “Bonanza,” “The Magnificent Seven” and many other Western films, coached the Conejo Valley Little League Cardinals 13/14 All-Stars.

Russell’s middle infield featured his son, second baseman Kurt “Go-Go” Russell and shortstop Fred “El Conejo” Hebert.

Kurt Russell is a well-known actor who played leading roles in the films “The Thing,” “Miracle,” “Escape from New York” and the comedic tour de force, “Captain Ron.”

“I had a great time on Bing Russell’s teams,” said Hebert, now 61. “We all had cool nicknames. Bing was a great coach. He taught us the fundamentals.

“Bing Russell was the leading catalyst of getting the Conejo Valley Little League name out there. Bing was the heart of the league. He is the reason why Thousand Oaks is a great area for baseball.”

Kurt Russell and his CVLL teammates went on to star at Thousand Oaks High in the late 1960s. Bing Russell became the owner of the independent minor league baseball team the Portland Mavericks in the 1970s.

According to Hebert, the team often practiced at Bing Russell’s home, where he had a batting cage in the backyard.

“The Russells loved the game of baseball,” Hebert said. “Bing had big league players come to his house to work out with us before spring training. We would move the furniture from the living room and sit there and learn the fundamentals for hours.

“They were probably one of the founding baseball families of the Conejo Valley.”

Bing Russell received permission from the CVLL to film an instructional video on baseball fundamentals with his team at Thousand Oaks High.

The video is one of the first of its kind made, according to Steve Henson, the CVLL player development director and a longtime coach.

The Conejo Valley Little League split in the late 1960s because of the growing population in the area. That’s when the Thousand Oaks Little League formed.

In 1964 the Conejo Valley Little League field was built on the corner of Dover and Hendrix avenues.

The historic field is still home base, but many other fields have cropped up in the area.

“I’ve traveled all over the United States for Little League, and I’ve seen a lot of fields, and never have I seen a more picturesque setting for a baseball field than the one here for Conejo Valley,” Lazar said. “It is just beautiful even to this day.”

Conejo Valley Little League has thrived on the diamond in the last half century. The CVLL has captured multiple titles in District 13 (27), Section 1 (16), California State Champions (6) and Western Regional Champions (3) action.

Most notably, the CVLL has had two teams win United States Championship crowns, including the 11/12 All-Star team that advanced to Williamsport, Pa., in 2004 and fell one win short of clinching the World Series.

In 1998, Henson led the CVLL Big League 16/18 Division to the World Series championship.

“They were a great group of guys who had great perseverance,” said Henson, 56, who became a skipper in 1975. “It was fun for me because I have been coaching that group since they were 10 years old.”

Cody Thomson, a CVLL All-Star in 2004, recalled that memorable World Series run.

“That summer was a dream come true,” said Thomson, a senior right-handed pitcher at the University of Pennsylvania. “We were all only 12 years old, and we didn’t get what was going on. We were just having fun playing baseball for an entire summer. At that age it’s hard to let it all soak in.

“The coaches handled it great. They let us be kids but still made sure we played competitively.”

Many former pros also suited up in the CVLL.

Kurt Stillwell is regarded as the best baseball player to emerge from the league. Stillwell was the second overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1983 amateur draft.

Stillwell played nine years in the big leagues. His father is Ron Stillwell, a former TOHS varsity baseball head coach.

Richard Newman, who coached for the CVLL from 1975-99, said he cherishes the relationships he built.

“It started out as coaching my sons, but then it became something I really enjoyed,” said Newman, who won a Section 1 championship in 1986 with his majors squad. “I met some great people at the Conejo Valley Little League.”

Newman, 84, and his wife, Pat, recently attended a Memorial Day concert at Conejo Community

Park. Newman reconnected with Dean Johnson, one of his former players.

Dean Johnson, a CVLL Majors coach, invited the Newmans to a game.

“He showed up with his all-star jacket, which is loaded with all-star pins,” said Pat Newman about her husband. “He had a great time.”


REMEMBER THE PAST—Conejo Valley Little League U-12 All-Stars wait to practice on Tuesday at Dover Field. The quote in the dugout—”Baseball, it’s the only game there is!”—is from former CVLL star James David Street. James, nicknamed the Blond Bomber, died at age 13 after a 2007 skateboarding accident.

REMEMBER THE PAST—Conejo Valley Little League U-12 All-Stars wait to practice on Tuesday at Dover Field. The quote in the dugout—”Baseball, it’s the only game there is!”—is from former CVLL star James David Street. James, nicknamed the Blond Bomber, died at age 13 after a 2007 skateboarding accident.