Rogers has bright future
Local Elite league team showed promise this year
PAWTUCKET – The night of Wednesday, Aug. 12 proved all too familiar for Howard-Rogers Commander and Senior Division head coach Jim LaRose.
That evening, the congenial skipper, known in these parts as “Brother Love,” led a caravan of his charges to Newport’s Cardines Field for a R.I. 19-20 Elite Baseball League Senior Division playoff opener against R&R Construction, but Ho-Ro self-destructed late during a miserable 10-0 “mercy-rule” loss.
At the same time closer to home, his Junior Division club had been favored to win its state tourney’s first couple of tilts, but fell apart during a lopsided defeat to Gershkoff/Auburn of Cranston.
A year ago, while competing in the R.I. American Legion League, losses were far more frequent for HoRo, so that was nothing new.
“The Junior team is now in its third year, and it finished 10-5 this season; it also had 10-ruled that Cranston team twice during the regular season, but it lost,” LaRose stated. “It was just one of those things – the kids, on that one night, couldn’t field or hit.
“And the Senior kids, we blew two innings down in Newport, but we played OK the rest of the way,” he added.
“No question, the future looks bright for us; I thought we did everything right this summer as a coaching staff.” — Jim LaRose
“We played more games last year, but we had more wins this season, so it was a pleasant surprise.”
That’s why, when asked how he views the future of the Howard-Rogers program, he answered with his patented grin.
“No question, the future looks bright for us; I thought we did everything right this summer as a coaching staff,” which included Cory Morel and Tom Bilodeau,” he said. “When we first came to be, we wanted to develop the Junior level first, get the kids to know each other and get used to playing with one another, trust each other, then do the same thing with the Senior guys.
“We wanted to focus and improve our weaknesses, and I think we did that at both levels, though we need to be more consistent.”
He confirmed the Senior Division last year only won two league tilts, and perhaps two more of the non-league variety, while the Juniors closed at about .500. This summer, after the Legion campaign was canceled and the Ocean State’s coaches scrambled to put together a competitive replacement, the Seniors assembled a 6-7-1 league mark (68-1 overall) while the Juniors went 10-5 in league play and 10-6 overall.
“With COVID-19 out there, I think it was more important than anything just to get the kids and the community out there; they needed something to do, and the greatest thing about this season in the long run is that nobody got sick and everyone enjoyed themselves,” he said. “Baseball was back, and the kids came back wanting to play and improve.
“You look at our kids, and they’re mostly from Division II or III (high schools), and we play mostly against kids who play Division I,” he continued. “We had the same issues when we (he and older brothers John and Jeff LaRose) coached at Johnson & Wales (University). We weren’t going to get many D-I kids – obviously, the (NCAA) D-I schools got all the top talent – so we really had to develop a core of D-II and D-III (high school) athletes.
“We averaged 11-12 locals (recruits) every year for the 20 years we coached at JWU, and most of that talent came from Tolman. We’ve taken in a lot of skilled, seasoned kids from there, and it’s because (coach) Theo Murray does such a good job with them.
“We tried to get kids who may have been overlooked by other small schools, but also ones we thought could help us. Hey, we averaged 26-27 wins a season, had over 400 total, so we were doing something right.
“We brought that same philosophy to HoRo. I don’t think we overachieved or underachieved this year. Our Senior kids finished about where I expected, around .500, and that’s because they were eager to come back and start playing; themselves.
“I really love these kids, all of them; I don’t know if that’s too strong a word to use. I mean, they don’t call me ‘Brother Love’ for nothing. Just last Friday (Aug. 7), we played a seven-inning exhibition game between our Junior and Senior kids, and – thankfully – our Seniors won a 6-2 battle at Max Read (Field).
“After that, we had a cookout; it was kind of a season-ending, ‘thank you for playing for us’ event, and the kids had burgers, hot dogs, chips – the coaches had steaks – and the parents were invited, too. It was all (funded) by the post, and everyone did a hell of a job. We continue to pay for all of the kids (registration fees, etc.).
“This year, with the crisis, I don’t know if we’ll offer our usual annual scholarship (to a recent area high school grad), but we’re going to try to give something.”
LaRose also credited those senior players who made the most of their impromptu season, and two included Cumberland High grad/righty ace Trey Thibeault and Tolman High graduate/backstop Jeff LaRose (no relation to the mentor).
“We also had James Coleman, who was a
they
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in kid we didn’t expect to have, but (CCRI reliever) Manny Ortiz kind of recruited him for us,” the elder LaRose said. “He’s lightning quick and a solid center fielder. He’s very talented and was a pleasant addition. He’s got one more year at CCRI.
“And the kid Atticus Cardoso, he secured our shortstop position and did a great job, and so did Sean Filipe, who was one of our better hitters. The kid just crushed the ball. My brother Jeff helped him rehab his shoulder, and he pitched very well for us. Sean’s a good kid from St. Raphael; he bleeds purple and gold.”
LaRose admitted he and coaches Morel and Thibodeau were a bit nervous about conducting Ho-Ro’s first practices once Gov. Gina Raimondo enacted Phase III.
“We were taking all sorts of precautions to keep the kids and ourselves safe, but once we got through our first few practices, everything became second nature (taking precautions) and we were just back to playing ball again. There were some parents who initially were a little nervous, but the kids were just being themselves. They just wanted to play ball.
“I’ve got to thank the people with Pawtucket Parks & Recreation for allowing us to play and use their fields … As for us looking ahead, the sky’s the limit. The next year or two, I feel like we’ll be a team to be reckoned with.”
He chuckled, then added, “Well, I think I’ve done it again. Now all the other coaches are going to be gunning for us, but that’s OK. We’ll be ready.”