Player Transferred Over Alcohol-Related Incident

Tony Sirkin, one of two starters permanently suspended from the Calabasas High baseball team, has been transferred by the Las Virgenes Unified School District to Agoura High, Sirkin’s parents said Tuesday.

Sirkin and pitcher Pat Fairly, both seniors, and six other athletes were among 42 students who earlier had been suspended for three days because they showed up at a campus dance March 14 aboard chartered buses stocked with alcoholic beverages.

Albert Marley, superintendent of the Las Virgenes district, would not confirm Sirkin’s transfer but said two Calabasas students had been transferred to Agoura as recommended by the district’s four-member attendance and discipline committee.

Ted Sirkin said he would appeal his son’s transfer to the Las Virgenes Board of Education and then seek legal remedies, if necessary. Marley said it will be at least a week before the board considers Sirkin’s appeal.

Calabasas Principal Robert Ross on Monday prohibited 42 students, including eight athletes in five sports, from participating in extra-curricular activities for the rest of the school year. The names of the other six athletes were not disclosed, but Calabasas baseball Coach Art Borgquist said none was a baseball player.

Sirkin likely will be ineligible for baseball at Agoura, according to Borgquist.

“I don’t think it was addressed directly, but there is no way he’ll play at Agoura,” he said.

Agoura Coach John Crow was unaware late Tuesday night that Sirkin had been transferred to his school but said it would be difficult to find a spot on his team if Sirkin were eligible. “I’ve already got 18 players and it would be awfully hard to put another senior on the team.”

Marley said Tuesday that at least 15 students have appealed Ross’ decision and that he will rule on those cases later in the week.

Ross failed to return two telephone calls Tuesday but Monday defended his decision to hand down across-the-board suspensions.

“This is consistent with the past practice at almost all high schools,” Ross said. “The kids all knew this because we put it in writing that any serious action is liable to get them suspended from the team.

“I’m not just doing this because it’s a rule. It’s a logical, natural consequence that has been the practice for umpteen years at every high school. I’m very sad about this.”

Borgquist said that both players have the talent to play college baseball and that Fairly, son of former major-league player Ron Fairly, has the potential to play professionally. Fairly, a three-year starter and the team’s No. 1 pitcher, was 2-0 with a 1.20 earned-run average through four games. He was batting .300.

Sirkin, a two-year varsity outfielder who also was a wide receiver on the football team, was batting .250 with two stolen bases in three games when he was dropped from the team before last Friday’s game, a 9-5 win over Santa Clara. Fairly was the winning pitcher in that game.

Borgquist is not expecting either player for Friday’s game at Santa Paula. Calabasas is 1-1 in the Frontier League and 2-2 overall.