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More on Baseball and Coach Harry..... by Mikekoz13 on 22 Apr, 2008 05:28
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My previous post really got me thinking about the old Coach.....
I remember when I was about 16 we had a great year.... we were 42-3 that year. Anyway, we played a team of very rich kids from one of the northermost counties in the Baltimore area. We went out there and kind of lumbered onto the field like city kids did..... we looked more like bikers even at 16. Well the other team came out and boy did they look sharp and they ran thru the pre-game drills flawlessly. Obviously a well coached team.
Well it was a tight well played game on both sides and we wound up winning 1-0. As we shook hands with the players on the other team, the kids on the other team were really cool about playing in such a great game. But as botj teams went back to their benches I noticed the other coach talking to Coach harry and i could tell he was agitated.
When Coach came back to the bench one of the kids asked him what was up. Coach Harry, in his usual very quiet way, just kind of chuckled and said that apparently the other team wasn't used to losing especially to a team "like yours". The other coach then told Harry that the next time we played them "things would be different".... to which Coach Harry replied, "I bet they will".
He never said another word about that team to us but man were we pissed for that coach disrespecting ( we didn't call it that in those days) Harry. Us players never said a word to Harry but amongst ourselves we talked about kicking the snot out of them for Harry next time we played them.
So we played them in the state tournament at the end of the year. I can remember that game like it just happened. Both teams were pumped to play again. Well it was another great game for the first five innings. 1-1 after five innings. In the top of the sixth we loaded the bases with two out.... and I came up to bat. One of Coaches favorite plays was the suicide squeeze and in those days i was as fast as lightning.
So I went up to bat, looked for the sign, stepped into the box and tyook a big swing for strike one. Coach was a t third calling for me to check the signs. So i did, stepped back in and took another big swing at strike two.
Coach Harry immediately called time out and met me half way between third and home. He said 'Damn it, you missed the squeeze signal TWICE.... now go hit the damn ball". It was the only time I ever heard Harry curse in all the years I knew him.
Next pitch I hit a slicing bomb to right field that sliced away from the right fielder. There was no fence so it was all you could get. As I was approaching third Harry was screaming "GO!GO!GO!'. The only Grand Slam I ever hit in all my years of playing baseball.
We went on to thump that team 16-1 that day. We knocked the life out of that team that day. Again, the kids on both teams were great sports. I think that other team just realized that we had their number. An again, after both teams went to their benches there was the other coach bending Harry's ear near home plate. We were ready to fight for Harry this time and we were all on edge. But here came Harry chuckling as he walked away from home plate and left the ther coach standing there with his mouth open.
Nobody said anthing for a few minutes and then Harry said, "Well, dont you want to know what's so funny?". Well we all went crazy yelling!!!
Harry said that when the other coach shook his hand he waas pretty nasty. So Harry waited for the boys on both teams to clear the plate area.
Then he said to the coach, "The last time we played you guys and we won your last comment to me was that it would be different next time. Well it looks like you were right". Man did we cheer Coach after that.
We all loved Coach Harry..............
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#1 by warhawk on 22 Apr, 2008 05:45
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koz: coach harry is what sly is all about...ATTITUDE! from your description... he is a true gentleman and role model 4 all ages. thanks 4 sharing that incredible story.
WARHAWK
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#2 by Mikekoz13 on 22 Apr, 2008 05:59
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koz: coach harry is what sly is all about...ATTITUDE! from your description... he is a true gentleman and role model 4 all ages. thanks 4 sharing that incredible story.
WARHAWK
Mel-
As i said in an earlier post, i think of him often. But I'm really thinking about him today because of what Tyler said.
Coach Harry was polite, tough, kind, demanding (in a gentle way), and commanded respect. Boy we used to tease the crap out of him. He would just chuckle and shake his head. Every year he would come out there in his old plaid work shirt with some of his lunch dribbled down the front. He looked about as much like a baseball coach as an old shoe. I really believed the old guy loved each and every one of us.
I don't remember a lot of specifics about a lot of games that I played for him over seven years BUT as Tyler said I remember Coach, the MAN, what he taught us about being good MEN. Harry was amazing and for a lot of us kids he reallly was a Father.
I PRAY that someday, somewhere, just one of these boys or girls that I coach/have coached will remember me in a positive way. I'm just a regular everyday guy but if even ONE of these kids remembers me as a positive influence in their life, I'll feel like all the years of coaching was worth it. -
#3 by Mikekoz13 on 22 Apr, 2008 06:00
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koz: coach harry is what sly is all about...ATTITUDE! from your description... he is a true gentleman and role model 4 all ages. thanks 4 sharing that incredible story.
WARHAWK
.... and by the way... he was nearly SLY..... very thin horseshoe with a few wispy hairs on top...... we teased him about that too. -
#4 by Tyler on 23 Apr, 2008 01:23
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I'm sure one of your players, if not many more will remember you Mike. There aren't too many coaches that I had that I don't remember.