Bravo to coaches who teach life lessons

Children learn so much more than just a game when they have great coaches. My teenage son, Michael-Robert, has played baseball since he was 5, and has been fortunate to get some wonderful coaches. Two in particular have stood out.

In coach Bill DePietto's universe, baseball was king. He generally assumed that everyone around him shared a similar view, and was genuinely taken aback by any evidence to the contrary. He would hold practices for Little League teams in New Hyde Park past dusk, allowing each player on the White Sox almost unlimited time at bat to perfect a swing or a stance. The boys reveled in the attention, but the parents had dinner on their minds.

If you told coach Bill it was time to go, you'd get a blank stare, as if he couldn't understand how anyone would choose to be anywhere but on the baseball diamond. He wasn't totally unaware that darkness had fallen, or that even baseball fans need sleep. Just 10 more minutes, he'd say.

Coach Bill was intense, fiercely committed to baseball and to filling his players with knowledge about the game he'd loved for a lifetime. Winning was never his priority. While he did analyze losses and look for ways to improve the team, he never criticized a player or spoke harshly. He also never gave empty praise. Instead, he offered practical suggestions and encouragement. He always looked ahead to the next game, and showed confidence that the boys would learn from every inning.

At the end of the season, he gathered his team, and with great ceremony handed a baseball to each player. On each ball he had written the date of the player's best game of the season. For each player, he reminisced about the particular game inscribed, and the memorable feat, like "that great catch at third," "that terrific throw to first" or "that rocketing double." Then he congratulated the boy.

I was touched by the interest he took in each player, and his delight in celebrating each individual's contributions to the team. Even today, that baseball is one of my son's most prized possessions.

Coach Tom Dluginski was another outstanding leader. As my son put it at the time, coach "always knows what to say."

Coach Tom would make a point of speaking to each Marlins player before he went up to hit. If it was a successful at-bat, the coach joined in the high-fives and smiles. But if it wasn't, the coach was consoler and soother. Many a batter returned to the dugout with the disappointment of an out written all over his face. Tom never got upset -- he spoke gently and encouragingly, assuring the boy he had done his best.

He'd tell the players, no matter what the score, just "keep your head in the game," and they did. They were rarely discouraged, and often came from behind to win in the final inning.

Coaches such as Bill and Tom teach their players to respect themselves and others, and help them develop the confidence to persist even in the face of challenges and disappointments. I'm grateful my son has had these lessons. They will stay with him forever.

Reader Lisa Castillo lives in New Hyde Park.