It’s a warm Tuesday evening on the baseball field at Palo Alto High School, and Sean Harvey is trying to organize a team dinner. The baseball team has just lost its first playoff game, a 4-3 loss to Saratoga, and Harvey is hoping a team event will get his squad back on track.
“It’s a way for the team, outside of baseball, to connect and form some chemistry and really get a sense of who the guys are off the field, on a personal level rather than just like a baseball level,” Harvey said. “It’s good to get one in before an important game just to make sure everyone is on point with each other.”
Harvey brings up the possibility of a trip to Armadillo Willy’s after Wednesday’s practice, which is met with a seemingly positive reaction. Someone grumbles that the dinner can be organized tomorrow, but Harvey quickly asserts that attendance will be higher if everyone can plan in advance. He asks for a show of hands as to who will be available on Wednesday, and then warns that everyone with a hand in the air needs to be at team dinner the following night.
Harvey, one of four captains of the baseball team, has been selected as this year’s recipient of The Viking’s Alok Subbarao award. Each year, members of The Viking staff choose one Paly athlete for the award; nominees must demonstrate the same attitude, character, spirit and commitment shown by Subbarao, a former Paly track and cross-country runner who, among other accomplishments, ran four events for a total of nearly four miles and set three personal records in the final track meet of his career.
Athletes chosen for this award do not necessarily have to be superstars on their respective teams, though more often than not they are solid contributors on the field. What distinguishes these athletes from their peers is that their contributions are not entirely quantifiable, and the impacts they have on their teams run far beyond their play.
Take Harvey, the starting left fielder for the Vikings this year. He is no slouch with the bat, hitting .327 with 10 RBIs and eight runs scored. Yet despite his important offensive contributions, perhaps his greatest impact comes as a result of his exemplary leadership. Every day, before both practices and games, Harvey leads the team’s stretching period. He also works to keep the dugout energized during games, and often leads the cheer after practices and games as well.
“He’s a team guy,” teammate and fellow captain Michael Strong (‘13) said. “He’s always looking out for the team, doing what’s best for the team, whether it’s selling out or giving the team a pump-up speech before the game.”
Harvey attacks each practice with an intensity many players reserve for games, and expects others to do the same.
“I’m just pretty competitive,” Harvey said. “It’s important for me to try my best and play well every day. I guess I play the game pretty hard, even though I’m definitely not the best player, like I definitely have some flaws, especially on defense. I just feel like going 100 percent in practice is kind of just how I think and I just expect that everyone else does the same.”
Harvey strives to better both himself and his teammates by working hard all the time, which has proven to be a contagious attitude. He will never be seen running the bases at any pace less than a full sprint to give Paly’s infielders a realistic look at practice, and he sometimes arrives before practice to catch fly balls and work on his own defense, which he, perhaps unfairly, currently perceives as a weakness.
In the offseason, in addition to playing on a local American Legion baseball team, Harvey was a fixture in the weight room, batting cage and outfield to work on every aspect of his game, often with Strong in tow.
“Me and Michael used to hit over the summer, probably multiple times a week, like three or four times a week just working on our swings,” Harvey said. “Also going through the motions of defensive stuff, like we’d do ground ball work and all that kind of stuff.”
This offseason work helped Harvey earn the starting spot in left field at the start of the season and become a steady contributor with some much-needed pop for the Vikings. Four of Harvey’s hits this year have gone for extra bases, including an opposite-field home run against Saratoga, which prompted teammates to compare him to another well-known left fielder, all-time home run leader Barry Bonds. Of course, it helps that Harvey wears number 25; chants of “Let’s go Barry” can be heard from the dugout during most of his at bats. Nothing gets the rest of the team going like a big hit from “Barry” Harvey.
Yet even when Harvey gets a day off and does not start, he finds a way to impact the game by firing up the other players in the dugout and making sure everybody stays engaged in the game.
“I feel like a vocal leader is important to show younger kids how, in Palo Alto baseball, you want your players to act as they get older and get to the varsity level,” Harvey said.
Assistant coach Dave Goldman agrees that Harvey’s dugout presence is crucial for the team’s performance. A relatively quiet group of seniors makes up the bulk of the returning players this year, so Harvey has stepped up to help provide some of the vocal leadership that’s been missing.
“He keeps the dugout going during the game and he really does have some very strong leadership qualities to him,” Goldman said. “He’s the most vocal of the senior class.”
Beyond his motivation and leadership in the dugout, Harvey’s presence on the field also has positive effects on other players. James Foug, the starting center fielder for the Vikings, gets to interact with Harvey each day in the outfield in practice and in games and enjoys Harvey’s wisecracks and other humorous comments.
“He keeps it loose out there, and when we play loose we play better, so he’s great to have in the outfield,” Foug said.
Harvey will attend Santa Barbara City College in the fall, where he hopes to continue his baseball career.
“Hopefully I don’t have to redshirt,” Harvey said. “Hopefully I can just go out and make the team straight up and be able to play right off the bat, and I’d like to be able to get some playing time if I’m not starting.”
Regardless of whether he ends up starting or not, one thing is for sure. With his passion and vocal leadership, Harvey will find a way to make the Vaqueros bette
Goldman summarizes Harvey’s crucial role on his team concisely.
“He’s the personality of the team,” Goldman said.
Next year, Harvey will be the personality of the Vaqueros, too. For now, however, “Barry” is focused on the upcoming CCS playoffs as a member of the Vikings.
My goal for the season from the start was getting to play at [San Jose Municipal Stadium], so at least CCS semifinals,” Harvey said. “Icing on the cake would be winning it all.”
