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.7 a5C ) « WMl V-XI 11HU -fected a summer escape route off his father Frank’s 100-acre ranch, which was on land near what is now the Fullerton courthouse. The family grew vegetables and fruit and owned hundreds of chickens.Joe was accustomed to waking early, working the land, then heading to school. During the summer, he would wander to a re-, mote end of the ranch, pretending he had a task out there, then steal out the back to meet his friends at Amerige Park.When Frank caught on, Joe had to spend his nights irrigating the orange groves. But by day, Joe and his buddies played baseball.Their coach during this period was the tough, beautiful Clara Cotton. She was the mother of Kiko Munoz, who later would be the lead-off batter and left Fielder for Fullerton’s championshipiwi x uuci lwh oteam, as a halfback, before moving on to UCLA, where he served as a kick returner.But he’s less mobile these days. And, beset by various health problems, including dementia, Munoz could not join Juarez on the field for the celebration.• • •Juarez recalls that championship lineup with ease. After Munoz came second baseman Ernie Johnson, who Juarez says was fast and a solid hitter. Shortstop Trent Mitchell was a “terrific ballplayer,” but slow of foot. He was followed by Eddie Hill, third base, another “tremendous hitter,” and Lee Hodge, the “quick center fielder.”“The first five batters were right around 500,” Juarez says, referring to their batting average. “That’s the best team I’ve ever seen.”
Newspaper Details
Santa Ana Orange County Register
Santa Ana, California, US
Mon, May 25, 2009
Page 50
Full Page
Clipped by
Michael H.
CA, USA 24 Jan 2024
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