By Jennifer Small, Courier Sports
Editor:
Twenty-year-old Mike
Valente has two passions—baseball and rock-and-roll, Journey to be exact.
“As much as I love
baseball, I love good rock music,” says Mike. “I could tell you all there is
about baseball and all there is about Journey.”
Mike has been
studying the game of baseball for almost all of his life. He grew up in the Max
Sinoway league before moving onto North Haven’s Babe Ruth and Senior Babe Ruth
teams and playing his freshman year at North Haven High School.
When he was 13, Mike
expanded his involvement in the sport when he began umpiring. He started with
the six- and seven-year-olds’ games and moved up in ages as he grew up following
the same group of players through the system.
“It was cool to get
a job early and I love baseball so much that I wanted to get involved in any
way I could,” says Mike. “I thought I could teach the game through that. If
they made a good play, I’d tell them. I grew attached to these kids and knew I
wanted to coach them when they got to the 90-foot diamond.”
Mike expressed his
interest in coaching to Vinny Cusano and Vinny Idone, who run the Pony League.
Soon after, they called Mike to tell him he had a team and his first season of
coaching was underway.
The season is split
into two halves with the first 10 games being instructional and the later 10
games marking the competitive season. The beginning of the season proved tough
for Mike, a 2006 North Haven High School graduate, as he was in the midst of final
exams at University
of New Haven where he is
studying communication.
With the help of his
assistant coach and best friend, Dan Mergner, he made it through exams and
focused his attention on his team. The hard work he, Mergner, and the team put
in paid off as they won two in the best-of-three first round and then won the
championship in two games.
“We had great talent
throughout the lineup—from the top to the bottom we had no weak spots,” says
Mike. “We had great pitching, a great leader behind plate, our fielding was
great, and our hitting was timely.”
The championship was
certainly a nice way to cap his first year of coaching and Mike hopes to defend
his title. Though the next season with his team isn’t until next spring, he
won’t be far from the diamond as he continues to umpire and announce games for
WNHU, where he is the program director.
Working at the radio
station allows Mike to blend his two passions as he announces games and hosts a
classic rock show from noon to 2 p.m. on Mondays where he plays some of his
favorite bands including Journey, Queen, Deep Purple, and Van Halen.
Along with baseball,
classes, and the radio station, Mike is also in the midst of RA training.
Though he is back in the dorms and ready to concentrate on classes again, the
memories of his inaugural season at the head of baseball team are fresh in his
mind.
“A few years ago, I
was playing on that field in some great games so to now be coaching is a weird
feeling,” says Mike. “It’s great to see them playing together, having fun, and
learning the game of baseball.”
Sidelines with Mike
Valente
Who would you like
to thank?
My parents for
supporting me. When I told them I wanted to coach, they were supportive all the
way. It’s not every day you see a 20-year-old coaching 13-year-olds. My parents
came and watched us win the championship. Also, my assistant coach, Dan
Mergner, who has been my best friend since middle school. The parents were
great too—they’d come up to me and say they were the best games they’ve
watched. They rooted on their kids and never second-guessed me.
What was your most
memorable moment?
When I was playing,
it was stealing home. This year, it was when we were down 7-0 and came back to
win 8-7. We were out of it in the first five innings, but they started hitting
and didn’t stop. When our kid got the game-winning hit, I ran from third base
and gave him a huge bear hug. It was like we won the World Series and it was
just a regular-season game.
Pictured: Mike Valente, in his first year of coaching, stands with his
championship team.
Photo courtesy of Tracy Scafariello