The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

It’s no big secret that a certain segment of the Serra High School alumni are angry with the school’s recent decision to anoint Craig Gianinno — and not longtime Padres assistant Joe Kmak — as its new baseball coach.

Tim McKercher, a 1984 Serra graduate in the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, is the de facto speaker for this vocal group who feel Serra President Lars Lund is “cleaning house and pushing out all the old-timers.” Translation: Lund wants to get away from Serra simply being known — fair or not — as a school where athletics rule.

When asked to comment about that very subject, Lund didn’t want to get into specifics or a war of words in the media. Lund did point out that he’s a big supporter of the school’s rich history of athletics and he attends every Serra football, basketball and baseball home game.

McKercher said the group has drafted a letter containing over 230 signatures that will be hand delivered to one of the two members of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco next week (Reverend Archbishop George H. Niederauer and Bishop William Justice comprise the Archdiocese).

“We want answers,” McKercher said. “We’ve drafted a letter asking for a response to our concerns with what’s going on at Serra High School. This isn’t a baseball thing, it’s a Serra thing. Lars and Company have flown under the radar with some of the hirings they’ve done. They’ve kicked the sleeping dog one too many times. This is just a little brew before the storm hits.”

A number of former players like McKercher are furious with the recent baseball hiring along with the decision two years ago to hire Barry Thornton as school principal instead of former basketball coach John Grosey, the person many expected to get the job.

“Twice now (the Gianinno and Thornton hirings) they’ve ignored the recommendation of the selection committee,” McKercher said. “We’ve talked to people saying the selection committee did not give their approval of these hirings.”

President defends

selection process

Not so fast, Lund said. The selection committee is comprised of four people who endorsed their candidate to Thornton in regards to the baseball hiring. Lund said three of the four recommended Gianinno, while the fourth recommended both Gianinno and Kmak. After a final round of interviews, Thornton recommended Gianinno to Lund, who concurred with the decision.

“This is the same exact process from which we hired (football coach) Patrick Walsh (in 2001),” Lund said. “Let’s just say I’m disappointed with some of the comments made by some of our alumni. I think if they got to know Craig they’d find he’s a great choice. The alumni have a right to voice their opinion, but moving forward I think it’s time for all of us to support Craig as the new coach.”

Lund added that in addition to the negative comments he’s received positive feedback about the Gianinno hiring as well. As far as the Thornton hiring, Lund said the process was “done honorably and fairly just like all of our hirings have been. There were many great candidates and we did extensive reference checks before making a decision.”

McKercher feels Lund is taking the school in another direction, bypassing more qualified candidates such as Grosey and Kmak, two well-liked and highly-respected individuals in the Serra athletics community.

There’s no doubt Grosey and Kmak were qualified for the positions they didn’t get. Then again, Giannino and Thornton carry their own strong pedigrees. It was a tough decision in both cases that, for obvious reasons, former Serra athletic greats didn’t like. However, like Grosey, Thornton had paid his dues. Before getting the principal’s job he was an administrator and teacher at the school for 12 years.

Group of alumni disagree with choice

A number of Serra alumni angry with the baseball hiring didn’t want to go on the record, either in fear that their comments will carry heavy consequences or simply that they didn’t want to put themselves out in the public. But privately they feel Kmak was a superior candidate to Giannino.

“Take out the names and let’s compare the two,” McKercher said. “Candidate A (Kmak) is a teacher here and candidate B is a instructor at “Rhythms and Moves” in Burlingame. One guy is a former Padre and one guy went to Sacred Heart (Cathedral). Candidate A played at U.C. Santa Barbara, candidate B played at San Francisco State, which is a little bit better than a high school program. Candidate A played in the Major Leagues with three different teams, candidate B never sniffed the minor leagues.

“Candidate A has been the pitching coach at Serra the last 10 years, and candidate B the (Serra) administration said was an assistant coach at CSM, of which we can’t find record of. Candidate B also was an assistant coach at Burlingame — again, not exactly a powerhouse program. Anyone can win (a Central Coast Section championship) in a lower division (something Burlingame did in 2004 in Division II). Craig Gianinno is not taking over Burlingame. He’s taking over Serra in the WCAL, and these teams will eat him alive. We’re just looking to get the best qualified candidates, and just look on paper and you’ll see Candidate A is more qualified than candidate B. Anyone who tells me different shouldn’t be evaluating baseball talent.”

Money talks

I have no doubt Kmak would’ve been an excellent hire. But is he really a more qualified candidate than Gianinno? If serving as an assistant at Serra serves as better preparation to become a head coach compared to assisting at Burlingame and the College of San Mateo, then yes.

For the record, Gianinno was on the CSM roster as an assistant coach a couple of years ago, but not this past season. And just because someone played in the majors, it doesn’t mean they’re a superior coach at the high school level. Basically what this whole ordeal amounts to is a decent-sized — but vocal segment — of the alumni feeling their voices aren’t being heard.

And if it continues, then maybe important donors will stop giving. KNBR talk-show host and Warriors TV play-by-play man Bob Fitzgerald, a 1984 Serra graduate, already said on the air his checkbook has closed at least for the time being. Same goes with McKercher, at least until he sees some changes.

If enough alumni stop giving, will it be enough to make a difference? Donations are the lifeblood of any school, especially a private institution like Serra. The school’s recent upgrade of the track and field facilities, and the upcoming renovations of the swimming pool along with the installation of a new arts and science building — are built directly from alumni donations, parent pledges and other important benefactors. The general feeling from McKercher and Co. is that Lund is weeding out individuals who have been a part of Serra’s rich and storied athletic history, either as a player or in a administrative role.

More than just athletics

Even though Serra has sent many of it graduates to excellence in other avenues besides athletics, it is known mostly for its famous sports alums such as Tom Brady, Barry Bonds and Lynn Swann. And with 700 of its 1,000-student body playing sports, there’s little doubt many students throughout San Mateo County go to the school to be a part of the basketball, baseball or football teams.

One Serra alumni who wished not to be identified said Lund wanted coaches who promoted academics first. What that entails no one knows except Lund, who didn’t want to get into specifics when asked about that particular subject. Can’t everyone just get along? Why can’t Serra be known for both its excellence in athletics in addition to other fields? One thing is certain: McKercher and Co. won’t let the issue die, even if they feel a bit powerless.

“They (Lund and Thornton) are completely trying to wipe out the brotherhood (aspect the school preaches),” McKercher said. “We have people who signed our letter in every field, not just athletics. That’s the beautiful thing. I hate to see two people who have their own agenda put their plan to work, because right now it’s working.”

Lund said there was absolutely no hidden agenda on his part.

“I’m proud of all the things our young men do at Serra, including athletics,” he said. “I celebrate everything at Serra, from athletics to academics to the fact that 80 percent of our student body go on to four-year schools and 20 percent go to community college. We also have one or two who go to the military (and all of this shows how well-rounded a school Serra is). There’s a lot to be proud of.”