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Krivonak philosophy keyed Campbell A.C. success
CAMPBELL
Back in 1971 and 1984, there was no right-click or left-click in general use with computers, but Campbell A.C. was clicking at the right time when the Class B League team won National Amateur Baseball Federation championships.
It was no fluke that A.C. dominated parts of two decades under no-nonsense manager Steve “Sheeny” Krivonak, whose team-first concept paid dividends on the diamond.
“The two national championships are recognized with plaques in the amateur section of the Baseball Hall of Fame,” Krivonak said of having seen the display during several visits to the Cooperstown, N.Y., shrine.
Campbell’s first NABF crown came in Cincinnati, while the second was won in Youngstown. Key games were against teams from Chicago, Detroit and New York.
“When I was 22-years-old, Mike Modak asked me to manage Campbell A.C.,” Krivonak said of the man who was in charge of the program.
“I said I would on one condition: That I had Roosevelt Park for our practices because our players would only improve through repetition, fundamentals and hard work.”
The stipulation was granted and the three-year letterwinner while at Kent State started assembling a staff that included Al Frasco, Bill Smaltz, Norm Bajerski and Matt Giambattista.
“My first priority was to surround myself with excellent coaches,” Krivonak said of the team’s foundation. “Our success would never have been possible without their help.”
During two stints as manager covering eight years total, the Chaney High graduate guided Campbell A.C. to six Class B League titles over separate consecutive seasons: 1969-71 and 1983-85.
His philosophy adhered to several key elements of sports.
“Our emphasis was on preparation during practice that would put us in the best position to win,” said Krivonak. “Our motto wasn’t so much that practice makes us perfect as it was us having perfect practices,” he said of concentration on executing fundamentals.
“The end result was wins over teams that beat themselves through sloppy play,” he said.
Additionally, Krivonak stressed baseball knowledge and strategy, both important components that gave Campbell an edge over the competition.
“It wasn’t enough for our players to just play the game, they had to know the game,” he said. “We gave written tests on the teaching points for pitching, fielding and hitting.”
Some of the players who subscribed to Krivonak’s rigid methods were Mike Szenborn, Ray Deluco, Mike Zaluski, Dave Grahovsky and Mike Grazier.
“Our goal was to make the players the best they could be to enhance their chances of getting into college,” he said.
Krivonak, now 67 and retired, taught in the work-study department at Salem High School for 35 years.
He and his wife, Elaine, live in Canfield.
Krivonak has no direct involvement in baseball, but that may change if his son John’s son, Ryan, emerges.
“As he gets older, I’d look forward to being with him and coaching him if he has that love for the game,” he said. “That would be a great thing for me.”
Steve Krivonak said that his son, John, set records of most hits in a season and highest batting average in a season when at Canfield High School before playing as a four-year letterman at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
In looking back at Campbell A.C., Krivonak draws this conclusion: “The players never put their individual accomplishments ahead of the team. They’d bunt to advance runners or they’d take pitches to do what’s best for the overall good of the team. Sometimes, working repeatedly on fundamentals got boring, but they saw that it led to improvement and reaped rewards. We knew that they had good baseball talent, but we wanted to take them to the next level.”
At Kent, Krivonak played shortstop and second base and he was a shortstop while playing for Girard Zicard under Fred Faiver in the Class B League.
The plaque at Cooperstown remains something special.
“It’s really nice to see your team’s name as national champion.”
Apparently, that represents Krivonak’s managerial double play at Doubleday.