Living the good life

By Leo Rommel

Francis “Sonny” Pittaro is a blessed man, and not because he has the MLB Extra Innings package for Direct TV, though that helps.

Pittaro, Rider’s retired baseball coach, is blessed because whether he wants to remain modest or not, he has accomplished something very few other men have done. He has mentored numerous baseball players who, in due time, turned pro.

Pittaro nurtured each and every one of them. He raised them, like children. He turned amateur, no-name kids into star-studded men. Forty-one of them to be exact. Five of them made it to the big leagues. Two of them – Kevin Barry of the Braves and Jim Hoey of the Orioles – are currently pitching today.

“The kids at Rider must get excited watching someone on TV warm up in the bullpen and the announcer says they’re from Rider,” said Pittaro. “For such a small school, it’s a big deal.”

It is. But what about you? Is it a big deal to you?

“It’s fulfilling to know you had a role in their development, yes,” he said.

That’s it?

“I’m very proud of them. They know that.”

Keep going.

“I’d like to take all the credit but I can’t. This is their doing, their hard work.”

Actually, Coach, you’re given too little credit.

Forget the 41 players that went pro. Pittaro is a living, breathing record book. Just look at the numbers: 766 wins, nine conference titles and eight NCAA appearances. In January 2005, he was elected into both the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Rider Hall of Fame.

“Eh, I wouldn’t say I’m that,” said Pittaro when asked how it felt to be considered “legendary” by Rider’s faculty and staff. “I’m just considered that because I coached there for so long.”

Stop that, Sonny. Give yourself a pat on the back.

Pittaro confesses that he watches Barry and Hoey every chance he gets (thus the beauty of satellite television). He watched Barry’s début at Yankee Stadium on TV, then purchased tickets and drove an hour and a half north to see Barry perform in the second game of the series (unfortunately, Barry never played in that contest).

Last week, he saw Hoey pitch against the Yankees. It wasn’t pretty. In Pittaro’s words, Hoey was “lit up”, but no worries. “It was against the Yankees,” Pittaro whispered. “You have to let that one slide.”

Truthfully, Hoey could have surrendered 100 runs and Pittaro’s admiration would have remained spotless. The same goes for Barry. Sink or swim, Pittaro will always to look at his boys with a sense of awe. In a way, you could almost suggest that his bond with his former players is similar to that of a father with his sons – the discipline, the passing on of wisdom, the tough love and the joy of seeing them succeed on their own.

But wait, it gets better. He actually does have a father-son relationship with a major league player, or at least, a former major league player.

Pitarro’s son, Chris, once played ball in the big leagues. Alternating between second base, third base and shortstop, Chris Pittaro played with the Tigers and Twins from 1985 to 1987 before a series of injuries forced him into retirement in 1988. Chris is now a National Field Coordinator for the Oakland A’s.

“Baseball is in the family,” said Pittaro. “I have grandchildren and maybe one day they’ll grow up to play baseball, too.”

Now retired, Pittaro spends much of his time doing what he wasn’t able to do during his coaching days: playing golf, traveling and watching his boys play ball.

“I’ve lived a blessed life, you could say,” Pittaro finally admits. “It’s been a lot of fun living it.”

I bet, especially with that Direct TV package of yours.