Page 29 - North Haven Magazine Issue 33 Spring 2024

er period of time. Later on, hitter looking for the wrong pitch and taking a third strike
he would incorporate his out- because of this. He also taught us to keep baserunners off
fielders into the drill by having balance, and to notice little things that they did when plan-
them field any balls that went ning to steal a base. Under Coach DeMayo’s tutelage, North
by the infielders and then re- Haven pitchers were known for holding runners on base and
quiring them to make a throw for their excellent pickoff moves.
toward home plate by proper-
ly hitting the cut-off man who For all his acumen in teaching the intricacies of the game of
would then follow the catch- baseball, this only tells part of the story. Without ever directly
er’s instructions on what to do talking about it, he taught all of us, his players, how to win
once he received the ball. All at life. He taught us how to overcome adversity in his own
the while, he had his pitchers inimitable way, using his background in psychology and his
and outfielders moving to back extraordinary wit that would drive home an important point
up the proper base. while simultaneously entertaining us and bringing a smile to
our faces. This is why so many former players attended his
Coach DeMayo was an ab- retirement party, and why three members of the 1975 State
solute master with the fungo Championship Team got together and convinced our legend-
bat, and he would also spend ary coach to write a memoir and tribute book that would in
a good deal of time having his some way immortalize the man who many of us view as a
infielders and outfielders work second father. We felt compelled to tell the story of his 64-
Coach DeMayo signaling to his to develop their communica- year reign as the coach of North Haven Baseball. The name
players that there are two outs. tions skills on flyballs and pop- of the book is, “Bob DeMayo: Coach for a Season, Teacher for
ups hit between the infield and Life.” This book is now available on amazon or at DeMayo-
the outfield. The result was that very few balls ever dropped [email protected]. It is well worth reading as Coach
between our infielders and our outfielders. DeMayo tells his story in his own words and over 70 past
players, coaches, colleagues, and family members share how
Being a pitcher for Coach DeMayo was no easy task. He their experiences with this legendary coach and mentor left
was literally involved in every pitch, and never let us relax, an indelible mark on their souls.
especially if we recorded two quick outs in a given inning.
He insisted that we be able to throw strikes with at least two
pitches, and he was a master at setting up the hitter. Many of
his pitchers’ strikeouts came about as a result of the opposing

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