You will notice that in many of our articles here at Oak Ridge Now, we devote a lot of attention to how important the leaders and role models of our community are to our young people. This article will be no different but I will offer a twist. The subject in this one will not be an Oak Ridgeian, but a New Englander and long time teacher, umpire and coach… my high school baseball coach, Barry Chasen.

Coach taught and coached in high school for 38 years. 33 of those years for the school I graduated from in 1979, Windsor high school outside of Hartford, Ct. Coach Chasen’s schooling, playing, teaching, coaching, and umpiring history as well as the many awards he earned can be read as a footnote at the end of this piece. His credentials are many and are quite impressive but the meat of this article will be devoted to why he has been so successful his entire career and how he and I came to know each other. Of course, if he didn’t have a major impact on me personally, I wouldn’t be wasting your time.

Growing up, I was blessed with good coaching for every single team I played for in every sport I played all the way through college. Each seemed to push the right buttons whatever age I was. This was important because coaches were the only human beings I would listen to and that’s almost an accurate statement to this day.

Coach Chasen came along when I needed some semblance of structure when, let’s face it, some of us in the middle of our senior year needed a swift kick in the hind quarters. It’s not that his teachings and lessons hit me right away and I straightened out right then and there. It wasn’t like that at all. This is a great example of how a coach does his job well and later on down the line the player finally sees the whole picture. After all, most lessons taught by coaches aren’t really absorbed until years later. For me, I was about 25… but I digress…

In arriving at Windsor high school in January of my senior year, this was to be my 4th school in four years. The reason for such a chaotic four high school years will go unmentioned here but suffice it to say whatever issues were involved, they were my issues and I offer no excuses for said issues if you ever actually happen to find out what they were. I was a vagabond kid who made Holden Caulfield (Catcher in the Rye) look like a recluse.

That all being said, I had no reason to believe the following five months at Windsor high school weren’t going to be as screwed up as the previous three and a half years were.

Seeing as I was new, I was told by some fellow students that I might not have much success making the baseball team. Allegedly, the coach had his guys and he had followed these players since little league. To find a spot just before the season started was a long shot. Without meeting Coach Chasen, I had already labeled him a political guy. Long story short, nothing could have been further from the truth and the players were the coolest guys you would ever want to meet. The general consensus was if I was good enough to play, Coach would find a spot and I would be more than welcome.

Some things had to happen for me to be a starter but I ended up starting the season as the DH and then after a few games, I earned the job in right field. I notice how nowadays many people feel that playing the outfield is some kind of demotion or that you aren’t one of the good players on the team. Man, I never felt that way. I so appreciated just being given the opportunity to be on the field.

In the preseason, I had my issues but the players and Coach Chasen straightened me out to where I got it. He was pretty rough on me like he was with anyone who acted like a jerk. Also, we had an assistant coach named Jim Burton who later played in the Dodgers organization that was excellent at relating to the players and acting as a go between. This man was nothing short of awesome.

I’m almost ready to introduce you to the coach but just a little more set-up. We ended up winning the large school state championship. The road was not a smooth one as we had a few players get in some trouble where if it had occurred nowadays here in the Conroe Independent School District, the players would have been kicked off the team and relegated to Hauke Alternative School. Times have changed as back in the day in getting suspended and then serving your time, you came back with a clean slate.

Well, the road to the state championship was awesome. I’ll admit the road is longer here in Texas but the accomplishment is just as huge in Connecticut. We got to play in the Red Sox Double A park (Muzzy Field) which was then in Bristol. Our state championship game was held at the West Haven Yankees Double A stadium (Quigley Stadium). In going this deep in the playoffs we played under the lights, had an announcer and the stands were filled. Those three items were new to us but we were prepared for anything.

Coach Chasen had us so disciplined in that everyone knew exactly what their job was. You may think right field is a nothing position but don’t tell that to Coach Chasen or any baseball coach who knows his stuff. I was occupied on every pitch just as much as our shortstop, Wayne Dobrutzky. The team was like clockwork and it was really the first time I had been on a team that had developed so much team chemistry.

Nowadays, Baseball America has a mythical national poll. There was one by another entity back then and we were ranked 3rd in the nation in the final poll.

Meet the orchestrator of 1979′s 3rd best high school team in the nation, Coach Barry Chasen.

You started teaching and coaching in the 70′s and retired in 2003. How has the high school athlete changed in that time? Go through how much of it has to do with how kids are raised?

The high school athlete is probably bigger, stronger, faster than when either of us played. Just as coaching has become more sophisticated. With the rise of so many training facilities and increased knowledge of how to properly train, it has helped the physical development greatly. However, whereas in years gone by, young kids would be out on the playgrounds and fields playing, I do not see much if any of that because technology has led to young people sitting in front of computers, DVD’s, etc.  Whereas, I would spend my free time on a field or court, this generation is not like that as they have too many other distractions.

As for the parents, I really, in 38 years of coaching had little if any issues.  I once had a father write and ask me when his son would be pitching, etc… I found it amusing because we were 14-0 when I got his note so something must have been going right.  It was near the end of the regular season and we ended up 17-2 losing two one run games, winning our league and losing in the Elite Eight of the state tourney, 2-1.  The other loss was 1-0, and we beat that same team, 7-2 three days later for the league title in 1976.

Having said that, I do believe there is too much parental involvement today and it is parents living their lives vicariously through their children, both boys and girls.  That puts pressure on the athlete which transfers to a coach and the whole situation can become ugly. Not every child is an all-star and that’s just how it is. If the athlete gives his/her maximum effort every time, and if the parent accepts that the child is doing his/her best, that is the key factor.  Only so many can play at once. Everyone knows more than the coach, yet they do not want to be making the decisions, just second guessing.  Kids need to experience success and failure so that they learn life is not a bowl of cherries.  We learn from both and the parent can be helpful in teaching kids to maintain a balance.  It is the old “there can only be one winner” syndrome, so understand that, deal with it and move on trying to do better the next time.  It takes a long time to realize these are games and in the grand scheme of life, it is the lessons learned to help kids grow into productive citizens and not the winning and losing that matters in the end.

Upon graduating from Marietta College and starting your teaching and coaching career, you have coached both boys and girls. Describe the differences in coaching the genders.

When I first started coaching girls hoop, I treated them no differently than the boys.  It is athletics; there are certain aspects that are part of everything in sports. However, I coached girls just after Title IX came to be so it was different then because of its newness.  Girls did not handle having to be quiet on bus rides like the boys, in part, because most if not all of their previous coaches were women and I am sure the women approached things differently than I did.  I was very serious about the games as you know and felt that an athlete’s focus should be on the game, reviewing situations on the way to the game, going over things with a teammate, not laughing and talking about Friday night’s dance, etc.  That was on the way to the game.  I soon found out that girls handled it differently early on and maybe still do, and from them I learned that they enjoyed playing, cared about winning and losing, but in the end it was just a game and there were times you could not tell if we won or lost.  So, I had a choice, either be a hard nose with them like with the guys or work some kind of compromise, which I did. When I coached, it seemed boys understood who was better, but you could not convince the 12th girl she was not as good as the first girl.  So, I had to tell them to prove it and it made them work harder. I think we both learned a lot, them from me and me from them.

Suffice it to say I am still in touch with a number of my former athletes, boys and girls. They were like my own kids in all honesty and without them, I had nothing in coaching. You are an example of that!

You coached two state champions (79 and 91). Some coaches will go their whole careers and never even see a quarterfinal. Windsor was a decent baseball town with a good little league, however it wasn’t a baseball bastion yet you went deep into the playoffs almost every year. Why were you so successful?

When I got to Windsor, they had made the state tourney once between 1954 and 1974.  From  1974-2003, when I retired, we only missed it once.  Granted, the way playoff teams were picked changed over the years and the tourney was expanded, so it was tougher to make from 1954-74. I think the one thing I did more than anything, early on, was change the culture.  I had summer clinics sponsored by the Recreation Department of which some of your state champion teammates attended.  At an early age, I could see who was who, and could tell that there was talent if it developed as it should.  They got to know me, albeit in a much different atmosphere but they had also been exposed to me so that helped when they came to the high school.  In addition, I was very big on teaching and having discipline, like haircuts, etc.  I knew as much as I could about each kid so it helped me help them.  Plus, I was big on teaching the fundamentals and in making sure our practices were run with everyone doing something, not just standing around.

I was exposed to some of the top basketball and baseball minds as a youngster at different camps and I learned traits of theirs.  I was taught by successful people and I wanted to emulate them.  I took what I thought was good from all and they all had this in common:  Ability to teach and get it across to their athletes with a no nonsense approach which worked well because I have never seen many teams or groups have success without discipline. Not just team discipline, but self-discipline especially.  Putting it all together with the talent I coached, it led to winning and when a coach wins it is easier to implement his game plan for life. The results speak for themselves.  I gave players responsibility and rewarded kids for different things with decals for their hats so they competed with each other which led to their own improvement, thus the team improves. I led them to believe one thing: When you wore a Windsor uniform, the game was never over until the last out and we were never out of a game.  I told them there are two types of teams, those who hope to win, and those who expect to win.  I made it clear that they needed to expect to win because those who hoped to win had less of a chance than those who expected to win.

The game is 10% physical and 90% mental, as I see it.  It was the mental side I drilled every day and you can speak to all of what I just said, having been part of it for one year. One year that you and I talk about changing your life.

Is there a formula for team chemistry?

I think team chemistry can be a bit overdone, and yet when guys pull for each other, respect each other and pick each other up, you have team chemistry.  When the players think in terms of we, not me, you get it. I’m not sure if there is any magic formula, but it is a combination of factors and winning helps a lot.  Not every player hangs out with every other player, but I found that when the majority of the guys did hang together, the teams were real good and they were easier to coach.

Coach, our team was disciplined on the field but we had some issues off of it. As I look back, to me you were a straight arrow but in seeing how successful we ended up, you obviously handled it all perfectly. I pointed this out before in that the offenses committed would be dealt with expulsion today. The school meted out the punishment back then and it was over. The coach was to consider the discipline as time served and a clean slate applied to the offender. Why has the discipline changed so much?

Based on the things I tried to teach, I was really disturbed when some of the players were involved in substance issues.  Personally, I did not want them back on the team because they broke the team rules and one of the Ten Commandments of a Windsor Baseball player.  Remember those?  The principal told me that while he respected my rules, etc., since the school suspended them for ten days, that would be when they would be suspended from the team and for me to kick them off would be double jeopardy.  I was upset by that.  However, when they came back, two apologized to the team, the third could not bring himself to do that.  The principal told me I did not have to play them, but if I had to have them on the team what was I going to be proving not doing so?  In addition, some of the seniors on the team came to me and said that it made no sense to them that if they were back on the team, why should they sit because they had already sat two weeks.  So, I let them play and there were no further instances on school grounds and we won the state title.  Had it been left to me, I would have removed them for the year.  Today, that might be the case.

I don’t know that discipline is more stern today because I’m not sure that coaches with my approach could survive today, when it seems that now the kids have to be coddled, etc.  Kids need discipline and want discipline but it seems that when you go that route, parents get involved.  Maybe they get involved because they do not invoke much discipline at home and kids do their own thing too often.  I often thought parents were afraid of their kids…afraid that if the kid did not get his way, things would go amiss.  It is not easy for a parent to accept a kid screwing up because the parent feels it is his fault or her fault.  Not so, and if parents accepted that they did their best and at some point the child had to make his own decisions, the parents wouldn’t feel guilty and might in fact support what discipline is instilled.

Is the coaching fraternity as close now as it was back in the day? In the midst of our issues that year, I remember a friend of yours who was also a head coach came to support you at one of our games during the week. Even back then, that impressed me because he was obviously missing his own game or at least a practice to support a friend. On the other hand, although I know you are not like this, did you ever consider running up the score on some guys you didn’t care for?

Coach Gil Varjas and I are still real close friends.  My first job was with him in New London (Ct).  I used to baby-sit his daughter so his wife and he could save money and go out every now and then.  The daughter will be 41 on Tuesday and is a professor at Georgia State.  Coaches were friendly with their fellow coaches on their staffs, but not necessarily with coaches on other teams.  There was mutual respect as a rule, and some real good rivalries.  I am sure I had thoughts of certain coaches as they had of me, but as a coach you are dealing with kids and even though there were some big scores by which we won at times, I never would or did run up any scores on anyone.  What would that have proven, that I was the fool?  You win with humility and class and lose the same way.  Remember: What goes around comes around as a rule!  Coaches who do that are just ego trippers as I refer to them and if showing up other coaches massages their ego, well…

We were given the designation of being the 3rd best team in the nation. What poll was this and how did they rank the teams?

The poll was done by Collegiate Baseball and we finished behind Whitehurst, N.C. who were undefeated two consecutive years, and Lakewood, California.  They looked at stats, etc.  Keep in mind, we were 20-2, stole 137 out of 143 bases and in the finals, stole 8 of 9.  As the announcer on Channel 8 said on the sports that night.”I went to watch the Class LL state title game this afternoon at Quigley Stadium and watched Windsor H.S. put on a baseball clinic.”  Enough said!

Are there any similarities between the 1979 and 1991 championship teams?

There was one very noticeable similarity.  Neither team thought it could be beaten by anyone.  That was the “expect to win”  mentality I tried to drill into every team I ever coached there.  Neither group could get enough of practice.  When we lost to Wilbur Cross, and you may remember how the bus broke down in Cromwell and we had to wait for another bus to get us home. That night, three of your teammates, Wayne (Dobrutsky), Willie (Marchuk) and Mike (Huyghue) came to my house and apologized for losing and said that would not happen again.  I do believe we lost one more non-conference game the day after beating Newington to take over first place… just a flat performance by us, but we never did lose after that.

Did the school administration always support you?

There was never a time when the administration did not stand behind me.  They all knew the impact I had or tried to have on both students and student/athletes.  I did so many things with my teams to bring positive publicity to the school and town, why would they not be supportive?

How did your coaching change from the 70′s to the 2000′s?

I may have become a bit less intense. In my last season, 2003, I started three freshmen which was unheard of in the league or Class LL. I had no pitchers returning with any varsity innings and we went to the Elite Eight losing to the defending state champion, 4-3 on a passed ball by my 9th grade catcher in the last of the 7th.  We went 15-6 after I was told if we won 7 games, I should consider it a success.  That was not me so we worked hard, I got more patient and we were real successful for such an inexperienced team.

You have been an umpire for over 40 years. Did you ever win any games because of your vast knowledge of the rules?

I used them to our advantage because the game has to be played by the rules.  Did I look for things?  No, but I was able to get into many pitcher’s heads. If for example, the kid was wearing items on his hands or arms which is not allowed because if it is a distraction to the hitter in high school, it has to be removed by rule.  There are games within the game, so if it is a rule, why ignore it?  If you ignore it, why have the rule?  Kind of like if you ignore the speed limit, you might get stopped for speeding.  I do not buy the bit that rules are made to be broken on a field.  Maybe it is my ethical background in having attended New York Military Academy, but if a rule could help us, why not?  There is a DVD out made by an umpire from Connecticut who is a consultant on rules to a few major league teams and I believe the Astros are one of the teams.  His tape is about how the rules can be used to coaches advantages. It is only a couple of years old, so it is not something I ever used but it is out there and perfectly legal.  It can be bought through the Jim Evans Baseball Academy.

During your coaching and umpiring career, have you come across several future major leaguers?

I worked as a coach at a Five Star Camp with some future pro players like Brad Ausmus familiar to Houston fans and I spent three years working with Rico Brogna at first base who once told me that “if he ever made it to the show, I would be a big part of the reason why.”  He made it.  Worked with Chris Capuano who is with the Brewers as a pitcher.  Had Carl Pavano on my camp team and was asked by his high school coach to try to get him to work harder. I’d like to think it sunk in.  I Worked with many who went pro but did not reach the bigs.  Had Mauro Gozzo in camp, a kid who pitched for the Blue Jays as a starter for a while.  Umpiring, I had a lot of guys who made it with the biggest being John Smoltz in the 1985 National Sports Festival in Baton Rouge at LSU.  Had Ed Sprague in that Festival and Scott Servais, who I believe caught for the Astros.  Scott passed out in the heat in front of me and they had to pack his body in ice. I had Charles Nagy who had much success with the Indians in the 90′s. Also, countless others I umpired in the NECBL (New England Collegiate Baseball League).

You once told me you umpired a U-Hartford game when a big fight broke out. Jeff Bagwell was playing 3B for Hartford. Is Bagwell a good fighter and do you break up the fights when they occur?

Bagwell was not part of the fight.  It is a long story, but it involved the only night game Hartford ever played,  It was against UConn.  Place was packed and there were two brawls.  I called it after the second one in the top of the 6th with UConn ahead 2-1.  The NCAA declared it a no contest since each team started one of the brawls.  It made the papers around the country and it cost the Hartford coach his job. It was the 4th or 5th brawl Hartford was in that year.  Their coach had pitched in the major leagues, Bill Denehy, a guy who was traded by the Mets to the old Washington Senators for a manager…that manager being Gil Hodges who led the Mets to the 1969 World Series title. The UConn assistant was blindsided by a Hartford player and that coach got a concussion.  Fights are not fun.  I just watched and took numbers.  It is not our job to break up the fights!

I’ve seen you umpire many games and played in a few that you umpired. You have a lot of patience. What does someone have to do to get thrown out of a game?

Having played and coached, I think I know when enough is enough.  I will tell someone I heard what you had to say now let it go, or words to that effect.  Most get it, and if they do not I may warn them again because the goal is to keep people in the game and let them throw themselves out of the game. I have a long fuse, but any personal remarks or the use of the word “you”, like you are awful or whatever usually does it.  If someone says you missed the call, I don’t get offended by that but the “f” word is a definite if followed by “you”.  If I eject, you had to really go too far.  Most guys respect the work I do so they will let it go if I tell them to. I understand emotion in a game and will let people have their say and do not threaten anyone.  If you say to someone, “One more word and you are gone”, you are going to get at least one more word.  Then will you eject or not?  So, I try to give them enough rope to hang themselves.

There you have it. This is just another example of how a relationship with a coach and the lessons learned can last a lifetime. What is unfortunate is a very low percentage of high school athletes realize right now how much of an impact their coach is having on them. With me, it took eight years but better late than never.

Below is Coach Barry Chasen’s history and commendations. Yeah, it’s a long read but when a person has been as successful as Coach Chasen you need quite a bit of bandwidth. Beneath that information is a quote from fellow state champion and shortstop, Wayne Dobrutsky (The Hook). Wayne, along with 1st baseman Ernie Cirillo, 3rd baseman Michael Huyghue (now commissioner of the United Football League), catcher Mark Zarek, and center fielder Willie Marchuk were the impromptu leaders of the team. I can’t be sure what Coach’s opinion is on having captains but from what I remember, he just let the leaders develop by osmosis. There was no vote and that has had a lasting impression on me as well.

Happy Holidays everyone and please feel free to share any and all information on a teacher or coach who has made a major impact on your life.

Comments to Doug Sarant at doug@oakridgenow.com.

Coach Chasen grew up in Norwich, Ct. He attended New York Military Academy (where one of his teammates was Donald Trump) and then Marietta College in Ohio. Chasen played first base for four years and was the defensive player of the year three consecutive years making him the only player in the history of Marietta to win that award three consecutive times.  Marietta College is arguably the winningest D-3 program in the country with four World Series titles and seven runners-up. Along with his many athletic awards, he was a Dean’s List student every semester and was inducted into the History National Honor Society. In 1969, Chasen was an NCAA Scholar/Athlete Nominee.

After college, he had an opportunity to sign with the Indians but could not come together financially. Coach went into teaching and coaching and settled on playing semi-pro baseball for one of the top semi-pro baseball teams in New England. In playing 1st base, playing alongside him at 2nd base was former Dallas Cowboys head coach, Dave Campo. At SS was Bob Schaefer who was Joe Torre’s bench coach on the Dodgers and presently in the Nationals front office. Coach is in three Halls of Fame to include the Norwich (CT) Sports Hall of Fame, the New York Military Academy Hall of Fame and the Connecticut H.S. Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

His coaching career consisted of being a girls basketball head coach, an assistant football coach, and baseball head coach. His baseball teams combined to win 17 league titles, two regional titles, two state titles and were league runners-up 13 times.  In basketball (girls), a Class LL state runner-up in 1980 losing in overtime and were league runner-up four times.  Was defensive coordinator for two league champs in football.

Coach has umpired baseball for 45 years working high school, college, American Legion, semi-pro and for Little League International. In working 15 amateur organizations World Series and is the only umpire to work two different World Series to include Senior LL and Senior Big League where Taiwan lost for the first time in each. Chasen was also selected as the crew chief for the USA/Korea Series in 1991 and worked eight college regional tournaments and numerous league playoffs. He is presently the National High School Rules Chairman for the American Baseball Coaches Association which is the largest baseball coaches organization in the world.  One of his regional reps is Rex Sanders of Texas. He is also President of the Hartford Chapter of the Connecticut Board of Approved Baseball Umpires and served in the past as president of the Connecticut College Baseball Umpires Association.

His coaching awards include Connecticut H.S. Baseball Coach of the Year, National High School Baseball Coaches Association Region I Coach of the Year (twice), American Baseball Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year (twice), American Baseball Coaches Association Division 2 National Coach of the Year(2000), Easton Sports/Collegiate Baseball Master Coach of the Year, Gatorade Coaches Care Award, Hartford Courant 20th Century Multi-Sport Coach of the Century along with a few other coaches. He also won an Umpire of the Year Award in the NECBL.

He has also worked two state high school finals as well as worked numerous state American Legion tourneys and two Legion Regionals.

Windsor HS teammate and fellow state champion Wayne Dobrutsky describes Coach Chasen:

Coach Chasen had the ability to push the right buttons with each individual player that played for him, while at the same time, he knew when to push those buttons in order to maximize the end result of what he needed to bring out in his players as well as the entire team. When you played for Coach Chasen, you definitely knew who was in charge. I can remember as if it were yesterday, we were on the team bus traveling to take on Cheshire High under the lights at Muzzy Field in Bristol Ct. which at that time, was the AA home for the Boston Red Sox. It was a perfect late Spring New England night to play a state semi-final baseball game and we were as focused for this game as we have ever been all year long. We knew that the WHS baseball tradition was rich in success but no team had ever captured a Class LL State title. We knew that if we could just get by Cheshire, no one was going to beat us for the state title come championship Saturday…The bus ride from Windsor to Bristol was about an hour long and it was quiet…subdued, but extremely intense. As we approached the entrance of Muzzy Field the song, “strangle hold” by Ted Nuggent rang out on the bus and we were feeling it!! I was sitting four seats from the front of the bus where Coach “C” always sat. I remember he turned around and gave me an eye to eye look that I had never seen him give me before…..it was a “let’s do this, lets get this done right here, right now” look.

There were no Jimmy Johnson or Lou Holtz pre-game speeches needed on that night! We took down Cheshire 10-6 and went on to beat Staples High of Westport 5-1 and took home Windsor Highs first ever state title. I was very fortunate to play on some great college baseball teams at Westfield (MA) State University, as well as playing two years for the Nijmegen (Holland) Hazenkamp in the DPBL (Dutch Professional Baseball League) but nothing will ever compare to the bus ride that spring night of 79′!

When people ask me the question…What was my most memorable moment is my baseball career I can honestly say it was the night Coach Chasen turned to me and gave me “the Look”!! The Coach Chasen button had been pushed once again at the right time, the right place! Windsor High Warriors State LL baseball Champions!

Here’s a quote from Dan Lucia. Dan played for Coach Chasen in the early 2000′s and his dad played for the coach in 1978.

Coach Chasen not only taught us about the game of baseball, but also about responsibility and accountability. If you were late, or didn’t respect a teammate, opponent or umpire, you knew the consequences. He was strict but also fair. It didn’t matter who you were or how good you were, you faced the same punishment. On the the other hand, when you made a difference in a positive way, you were also recognized. It taught me to always assure I’m acting responsibly and to think before acting. It also taught me to be accountable for my actions, lessons we all use everyday. Coach Chasen not only coached me, but also my father back in 1978 and I learned so much from my dad… some of which he learned from Coach Chasen as well.