Sunday Morning Chat: Coach Fitz-Gerald Turns In Patriots Gear To Fly With Eagles

Douglas head coach Todd Fitz-Gerald was at the center of the rumor mill this past summer when he left American Heritage after 16 seasons as their head coach and took over the Eagles program. BHSB Editor Anthony Uttariello sat down with Coach Fitz-Gerald to discuss his break-up with Heritage, his new team and several other topics relating to baseball in the county this season. Enjoy!

Anthony: There were a lot of rumors floating around last summer as to the details on how you left American Heritage. One rumor was that you had contact with Douglas before you left Heritage. Now that the smoke has cleared, can you clarify for people how the transition actually occurred?

Coach Fitz-Gerald: I mean honestly, I never had any contact with Douglas. I actually went in on my own about six weeks after Coach Dellenbach took the job as athletic director. I was checking in to make sure everything was OK. I had heard some rumors that I wasn’t going to be brought back at the end of the year, and I told him he would hear some rumors about me going to Douglas and that I wasn’t going to Douglas. I told him that this (Heritage) is where I went to high school, I’m an alumni here, this is where my kids go to school and this is where I wanted to be. He assured me that everything was fine. The program was good, he was happy with the way things were going, so I really didn’t think twice about it.

And then I got brought in to his office two days before the end of school and he asked me what was going on at Douglas. And I said, “What do you mean? We have been talking about this for six weeks. I have been letting you know what has been going on. I have kept you informed.”

Then he said, “Well, I got confirmation that you were over at the school (Douglas). Somebody saw you on campus. You were meeting with the booster club people, and they offered you a $35,000 incentive package to come be the head coach.”

I started laughing, I said “Really? ‘Cause if that’s the case, then I’m going.” And we laughed about it and he told me to come back the next day and he would get everything straightened out. I told him “Jeff, put my contract in front of me. I’ll sign it right now, right in front of you. I’m not going anywhere.”

So I went in the last day of school Friday and he brought me in the office and told me they were not renewing my contract, and that Mr. Laurie was unhappy with the rumors of me going to Douglas. And you know, it kind of wore me. I heard this all year long that I wasn’t going to be brought back, but you know, I didn’t really put two cents into it. It was tough. In reality, American Heritage was good to me for 16 years, that’s where I went to high school. [Mr. Laurie] has always been good to me. I’m sure if I were to ever call him and ask for a recommendation somewhere, he’d recommend me.

Bottom line is they wanted a change. They got a new AD in there, he wanted his own people in there, and you know, that’s fine. I wish it was done a little bit differently, that it was handled a little bit differently. I don’t know if [Mr. Laurie] knew the whole schematics of what was going on, but I never had a chance to talk to him. I tried talking to him that last day, but Coach Dellenbach told me he didn’t want to see me, he didn’t want to talk to me, that he would take care of it over the weekend and he would call me over the weekend. I never got a phone call. I waited for the call until Tuesday afternoon, then went and turned my keys in and pursued other opportunities. And that’s how it went.

Anthony: So now you take over at Douglas. What was your first impression of the team when you met the players for the first time?

Coach Fitz-Gerald: It was good actually. I liked them a lot. I mean, I got a good feeling for them. I think they were excited that change was evident. I had a good meeting. I met with a couple of seniors early in the summer just to get a feel for them, kinda tell them my expectations and what I was looking for and what I expected from them and I told them it’s going to be a work in progress and you know, it’s not really how we start, it’s how we finish. We have a plan and you gotta stick with the plan, and no matter what happens, we’ll be better for it in the end.

But I love our kids, man. They work hard, they come to practice everyday. They bust their tail. I’m hard on ‘em, we’re hard on ‘em. They work hard to get better everyday. So I see good things for us down the road. We’re trying to build a program and they’re doing everything they can to work hard and get better. We played some very good teams right out of the gate, and I told them, I said you know these are the people you gotta play to advance in the playoffs. The attitude has been great here. The culture has been good. We changed that a little bit. They’re good in the classroom. I’ve gotten a lot of compliments for the way they are around school. Their academics, they’re handling a lot better. The discipline is a lot better, so I’m really happy with that. And that will transcend over to the playing field, of course. It’s just gonna take time, [if] they stay the course, we’ll be all right.

Anthony: Derek (Fritz) came over to Douglas before you did, but he did play for you last season at Heritage. How much did it help the transition having somebody to teach the other players your system?

Coach Fitz-Gerald: Well it’s good ‘cause Derek knows me, he knows what I’m about, he knows what I stand for, he knows what I expect, and some of the guys, he’s kinda like a buffer for some of those guys. He lets them know if Coach Fitz isn’t in the mood today, or if Coach Fitz is not happy or if Coach Fitz is happy, he can let those guys know so they can expect what kind of practice setting we’re going to have and the intensity. But I tell ya, I haven’t really had any issues with any of the players as far as their performance, the way they work, it’s been great. Derek’s been a great leader. I’ve got some good leaders in Colton Bottomley, Jonathan Lipinski, Chris Pannell. I’m having fun coaching. You know we built that thing over at Heritage, and it kind of ran itself and now it’s like you know you actually have to really hunker down and really teach again. So, that’s what I’m excited about it’s kinda rejuvenating me actually, it’s fun, it really is, I enjoy being here and I think we’re going to do good things here.

Anthony: One of the words that come up around the county when you talk about Douglas Baseball is entitlement. Is that just a myth conjured up by jealous fans of other teams, or do you get that feeling that your players have a sense of entitlement?

Coach Fitz-Gerald: No, you know honestly, I never thought that our players felt that they had a sense of entitlement or they deserved certain things more than anybody else. I’ll tell you what I’ve got. I’ve got a bunch of players that are hungry to learn. I’ve got a bunch of players that are hungry to win. I’ve got a bunch of players that wanted the discipline, that wanted the structure of an everyday practice plan and to know what they’re doing every time they come to the field. And again, it’s been wonderful. I’ve got players that strive to be the best that they can be everyday, and as long as they do that and give an honest day’s effort, we’re going to be better for it in the end. But the entitlement, no, there is no sense of entitlement here. They just wanted structure and discipline and they wanted to go out and have a good senior year. And you know those kids have been working their tails off. They paid the price in the weight room their conditioning, they practice everyday. There are some things here and there that they’ve been allowed to do over time that have been challenging you know, to break habits, but they are very cognizant of it, they are aware of it and they try everyday to do the right thing, so that’s what I’m proud of the most.

Anthony: This team has had tremendous talent over the years, but has yet to reach the state final four. As a coach that has been to the top of the mountain and has won a state championship and a national championship, what things are you working on to get these guys to understand what it takes to win it all.

Coach Fitz-Gerald: I think they have to just believe. They have to believe in themselves. I see sometimes that when we’re out in front and when all four wheels are on the car and all the tires have that equal air pressure and everything is going smooth, the minute we have a little bit of adversity, you know we want to kinda put our head between our legs and shut it down. They don’t know how to fight, and that’s what we’re trying to teach them, how to fight. It doesn’t matter if you’re winning or losing, but you gotta fight to the end. And I saw that against St. Thomas last week. It was a great game. And it was one of the first times we were down, and it was one of the first times we actually didn’t put our heads between our legs and we fought to win the game. So as long as they fight and they fight for seven innings, I think the wins and the losses will take care of themselves. But it’s just changing that attitude getting, them to believe.

I’ve met with the players individually and they all admitted to the fact that it happens and we’ve put them through some grueling mental toughness drills in the preseason and during our spring practice to try and get their minds in the right place. If you have some adversity going against you, you gotta be able to rebound and minimize the damage. Instead of giving up the four- or five-run inning we have to give up a two-run inning. But I think playing good people will only make you better and learning from our mistakes and coming back to practice the next day with a good attitude, willing to learn and make those adjustments and do what we need to do to be successful. And we’re doing that, so I’m happy with that.

Anthony: Moving on to a broader discussion on high school baseball down here in Broward, what are the major differences and what kind of adjustments did you have to make going from a private school to a public program?

Coach Fitz-Gerald: A lot more paperwork in the public school. At Heritage, I had been there so long and I knew the ins and outs. And we could pretty much do what we wanted to do. Mr. Laurie, I’ll tell ya, gave us, gave us every opportunity to be successful there. I never had to ask for anything. If I wanted something, he did it for me and he got it for us. Anything to help us be successful. I didn’t have to go through a bunch of paperwork and stuff like that. Just learning the ins and out of how the public school system works. It’s actually been good for me. I’m teaching science in the classroom, so that’s been a learning curve, but it’s been fun, I got great kids and it’s fun to teach those kids everyday and give them life lessons. I teach five classes of ninth grade Earth Science, so that’s been fun. The school here is great. We got 3,100 kids, but it’s a very good school. I have a great support staff, my administration is fantastic. My athletic director, Mitch Kaufman, works with me hand over foot, makes sure I’m doing things the right way and making sure that we’re above board. And our academic lady, Ms. Taylor, who I’ve known for a long time, if I need something, if I want to check on the kids’ grades, she can pull those for me right away.

So it’s just been a great support system, and like I say, it’s been a good move. It’s definitely turned out for the best. On all ends, you know, my end, I’m sure on the end over there, I’m sure they’re happy, too, and you know, I wish those kids over there a lot of success. We left that program in good shape with seven Division I guys. They got a couple other guys transferred in, you know those are my boys. I’ve been with them since the eighth grade, and I wish those guys a lot of success other than when we play them on March 14th, but I look forward to that game. It’s going to be gonna be fun just to see those guys again and be on the same playing field with them and playing against them, and hopefully we can come out on top.

Anthony: You’re now considered a veteran coach in the county, but which coaches did you look up to when you were just getting started, and why?

Coach Fitz-Gerald: Well first of all, one of my biggest coach mentors is probably Mike Roberts with the Pokers organization. He got my foot in the door as far as coaching a long time ago. I got to coach on his travel Connie Mack team when I was a young kid coming out of college. I was able to learn a lot of things from him. Coach Walker obviously at American Heritage, my athletic director, brought me in and taught me a lot of good things about being a leader and being a mentor and doing things the right way. And he’s been instrumental in my coaching career. And Coach Hansley over at Nova Southeastern. When he was there, I had a chance to work with him. Learning from those guys and seeing the structure, and the organization, and the way that they are with kids, and the way that they impact kids lives is instrumental. And you know, I try and do that. I’ve got a lot of things that I try work on everyday to be the best coach I can. I always want try and leave the kids a positive experience, but also be able to enforce discipline when you have to enforce discipline. At the end of the day, just realize that they are kids. I have two kids of my own, two young boys, and I want our kids to be good role models for them and give my kids someone to look up to. So you know, those guys right there have been so instrumental in my career, Mike Roberts, coach Walker and coach Hansley. Those guys have made me the coach that I am, really.

Anthony: In what ways has the high school game changed from when you started coaching until now?

Coach Fitz-Gerald: Well, obviously, the game itself hasn’t really changed. It’s not rocket science. It’s a fundamental game. It’s catch it, hit it, throw it, field it and score runs. I think with the new bats the kids have to understand that the home runs are going to be less, that the cheap base hits are going to be less. The game is probably almost back in it’s true form. You have to be able to execute fundamentals. So the fundamental part of the game is what’s changed for me, ‘cause kids lack fundamentals today. And it starts in their little leagues and their travel programs. They’re not really taught fundamentals, and that concerns me ‘cause when kids come to the high school level, they should be prepared for what’s ahead, and just the overall fundamentals I think are losing ground. But they got young coaches out there now that are doing the right thing and teaching fundamentals.

I’ll tell you what, I learn every day. Every day. And I want to learn every day, and I’m not one of those coaches who has an ego that thinks they know everything because I surely don’t. But fundamentally, if I can learn something every day, you know, read books, go to clinics, hear guys speak. I mean it’s a constant learning process. Anything that can help our kids get better, I’m willing to do. And that’s what we strive for. That’s how it’s changed a little bit.

I’m not overly concerned with the bats specs. Bottom line, you have to hit anyway. You must score to win, and you must keep the other team from scoring more runs than you. So you do the best you can to prepare your kids, and ultimately, they gotta go out an play the game. We can’t play the game for them anymore. They have play, and they gotta execute the plan. But we do have a plan, it’s in place and their responsibility is to stick to the plan. If they stick to the plan, then you know, it will take care of itself.

Anthony: Tell me something about you that people on the outside looking in may not know.

Coach Fitz-Gerald: That I’m driven. I have a tremendous amount of work ethic. I work hard to be a good leader. But I’m also a coach that has an open door, that has a relationship with his players. I coach two different, three different baseball programs. I coach the high school, I coach my son’s 11U travel team and I help out with my 6-year-old’s team. Anything that I can give back and get back to the community and get the community involved is something we want to do. Whether it’s something at Joe Dimagio’s Hospital at Christmas, or we’re doing the Relay for Life here in Parkland, anything that’s going to give back to the community and help others, that’s what we want to do, and that’s what I’m about and that’s what we’re about here. And I love the game of baseball. I’ve been around it my whole life. I wasn’t the best at it, but I’ve had some great teachers along the way,and you know, I think we do a good job. I’ve got a great coaching staff. I’ll tell you what, my coaching staff is tremendous. I don’t know what I’d do with out ‘em. I think the head coach is only as good as his assistant coaches, and I’ve surrounded myself with some good assistants. Mike Hosmer, Mike Hosmer Jr, Mike Pitts, Byron Walker, I mean all those guys, Elliot Bonner, I mean all guys who have had an influence in my coaching career and to be able to coach with those guys is a blessing and it’s an honor. It’s an honor.

I’ve met some great people along the way at clinics and things like that. I got some good friends in Virginia, Mark Gorman, Rich Hofman I got a lot of respect for, Pat McQuaid, Bobby Lawson. A lot of those guys around the county, too, I got a lot of respect for, and they do the right thing. It’s good to be associated with those guys. It’s a fraternity, you know, it’s a fraternity. And some coaches like you, and some of ‘em don’t. I tell my players all the time: They don’t like me because they want to be like me. You know I’ve never not liked anybody. I’ve always tried to pick up things from other coaches like I say I don’t know everything, and there’s some things that some coaches do, it’s great. We had the chance to play Sunset the other night. Mandy Palaez, first time I had ever met him, great guy. And I just picked up something from their team, the way they take their leads was awesome, it’s something we’re gonna try and put in here. You’re not going to make everybody happy but in the end, you know, if you can change a life and make somebody better for it, then that’s why we’re in it.

Anthony: All right, I’m going to end with this. The past two years Coral Springs has had the upper hand in a rivalry that has been heated over the years. What specifically does your team have to not only overtake Springs but also beat out the other teams in the district to win a title this year?

Coach Fitz-Gerald: Confidence. They have to be confident. They have to know that when they walk on the field they are not playing Coral Spring High School, they’re playing baseball. Again, I’ve got a great relationship with Frank Bumbales. I don’t know what’s gone on in the past. We finished that heated rivalry in the fall. This summer we’ve brought the teams together, kids are friends, they’re all friends with each other, they all get along. I don’t know what happened, what went on before, but that’s one of the things from day one that I instilled, that we’re not gonna act that way.

It’s a baseball game, and in the end it’s high school athletics and it’s sportsmanship and you go out there and compete. I mean if they beat you, they beat you on that night. We gotta find a way to beat them when it counts. If our kids play with confidence and believe that they can beat Coral Springs, or anybody else in the district, then they’ll be successful.

And I truly believe that we’re, on paper, we’re almost a mirror image of Springs. They have the Brinson kid, who’s a stud, Sharkey’s a stud, but you know, we got a couple of kids who are pretty darn good here, too. I think our pitching is pretty similar. They obviously have a lot more experience together. But again, it’s just confidence, Anthony. If we exude the confidence and play with confidence and play with our head up and stick our chest out and don’t back down, we’re gonna be successful. And it’ll be fun.

Leave a comment using your facebook account!