Sunday Morning Chat Part II: South Broward’s Joe Giummule

Below is Part II of HSBN’s interview with South Broward Manager Joe Giummule. Read Part I Here

Anthony: If you could start a high school program from the ground up, give me the things you think the program would actually need to be successful.

Coach Giummule: Wow, can you repeat that?

Anthony: If you were starting a program from scratch and you had to put everything in place to make the perfect program, from the administration on. What would be the most important couple of things that would have to be in place for it to be successful?

Coach Giummule: Alright, well, I experienced that when I opened up Coral Glades and I thought I was in a great situation. I’m in Coral Springs which is a mecca for baseball talent. I was sandwiched between Taravella and Douglas. So, for me I thought I was walking into a situation like I said earlier, I was going to retire in.

So one, I think area is important. I’m out East and there isn’t much development going on in the little league system in east Hollywood as compared to out in Coral Springs. They’ve got, sixty, eighty, a hundred kids trying out for their high school program. I had 21 kids try out and all 21 made it. So, one, I think is location.

Two, obviously is administration. I’ve been fortunate enough; I’ve worked for great principals and great ADs and I’ve never had any issues as far as that goes. But that’s also important. Someone that you know will back you. Especially with me being a disciplinarian and suspending kids and making sure that kids are doing the right thing.

Anthony: Lets move on…What’s the most broken that baseball on any level, has made you feel?

Coach Giummule: Ah, probably playing college baseball. I tore my ACL in practice and I just never was the same. I was a position player, I tore my ACL in practice and I became a pitcher. I pitched once a week and I wasn’t used to that. I loved pitching but I loved playing every day more. So that was pretty tough to go through the surgery, the rehab, and the failures of not being able to beat out guys in the position and then just have to be a pitcher. That was pretty tough. You’re going to school every day, you’re practicing every day, but your playing once a week. I had never been in that situation. I was always used to playing every day, whether it was playing the field or pitching. So that was tough to overcome.

Anthony: If you had one game to win and you could put together three or four other managers to coach that game in the dugout with you, who would they be? And tell me why you would pick each one.

Coach Giummule: I would take Brian Joros who was the head coach at West Boca when he was in my district. He’s a pretty good friend of mine. He was always prepared, he did his homework, he always scouted the teams that he was playing and he’s a good pitching guy. That’s one guy. Coach Benedict (PB Central) as well. I have theutmost respect for him and his program. I’ve seen him win with talented teams, I’ve seen him win with less talented teams. The kids all respect him. So that would be another coach. Probably Felipe Suarez, who’s another good friend of mine that’s coached with Team USA, coached college. We’re actually going to be working together this summer so I’m real excited about that.

Anthony: Has baseball ever moved you to tears? If so, paint the picture for our readers of the situation.

Coach Giummule: Sure. As a player I played in a state championship game and think we had wheeled off 20 straight wins. We ran into Sarasota High School that was number one in the nation and a kid named Doug Million who was the sixth player picked in the draft. I think he was the sixth player. Losing that game, that was tough.

At Deerfield Beach we were one game from going to states and we lost to Hialeah who were back-to-back state champions. That was tough because that was a game we probably could have, and should have won.

And probably the biggest one, was when I was a head coach at Coral Glades. We lost to West Boca to move on and I believe we were 22-5 that year. It was my last year at Glades. I had 12 seniors, six of them had started for me as a freshman. We had a 3-0 lead late in the game. We had the bases loaded and nobody out. We get picked off at second, picked off at first, and thrown out at the plate. It just happened so quick. If I could just slow everything down. If I could just re-do everything from that game, perhaps we’d go to states that year because South Fork knocked off West Boca in the next game, and they went on. There was really three teams that year in our district that I felt that were state caliber and one of us was going to win it and it just happened to be South Fork. I felt we had the best team. I felt that West Boca had the most dominant pitcher and I felt South Fork had the best hitters. It’s a team game and I felt that we had the best team and the best chances of moving forward.

Anthony: You love to fish. Compare the thrill of catching a fish to the thrill of having something big happen in a baseball game.

Coach Giummule: It’s just an adrenaline rush. Whether it’s a three-run homer which I haven’t seen in quite a few years [laughing]. To catching a thirty-five pound dolphin. There isn’t anyplace I’d want to be other than on the baseball field or on the water. To me they are equally important, equally enjoyable. The baseball field is my place to get away from everything as well as being on the water. Both enjoyable places. Both places that I like to be on a daily basis.

Anthony: If you could give parents one piece of advice, what would it be?

Coach Giummule: Let the coaches coach and everything will take care of itself. I have great parents. Without them I can’t run the program that I run. I’ve been fortunate, I had great parents at Coral Glades as well as at South Broward. Just let the coaches, coach. No problems calling me or emailing me about colleges or classes or school. But if you’re calling about, ‘why isn’t Johnny playing or why is he batting fifth and not third?’ Those are the things that kind of wear at you. I really haven’t had many of those problems or concerns, I usually nip them in the bud right away and move on.

Anthony: Alright, lets finish with this, I’ll give you some words and you tell me which of your fellow managers comes to mind first.

Coach Giummule: Okay.

Anthony: Respect.

Coach Giummule: Ray Evans, I think you hear that a lot. But you know, his teams speak for itself.

Anthony: Bulldog.

Coach Giummule: South Broward [laughing]. As far as a coach, fellow Bulldog, that’s a tough one. There’s not too many fiery guys that I’ve run across lately.

Anthony: Scary to coach against.

Coach Giummule: Brian Joros. He was always scary to coach against. Because there were always eight or nine guys staring at every pitch call, every call at third base, dugout, third base box, they’re writing everything down, so I always had to change my signs and be aware that they were always on me.

Anthony: Organized.

Coach Giummule: Organized…Coach Benedict was always well organized. Their teams always came prepared.

Anthony: Biggest rival.

Coach Giummule: Right now it’s probably Nova and St. Thomas. They’ve gotten the better of us over the years. I know I always get up for those games. My players always get up for those games. We seem to have some fiery competition. I would say those two.

Anthony: Underrated coach.

Coach Giummule: Most underrated coach…I don’t know, that seems to change. A few years ago I would say it was Matt Cleveland at Coral Springs Christian. But now he’s got all those talented players over there so I don’t think you can say that at this point. Coach Rovetto is doing a great job. He was at Charter last year, he’s at University School this year. So perhaps him. I’m trying to think of a program that’s over exceeding but doesn’t get a whole lot of reputation. I’m kind of stuck there.

Anthony: How about overrated?

Coach Giummule: Oooo!

Anthony: Can you give me one of them? [laughing]

Coach Giummule: I’m definitely not going to go there.

Anthony: Alright, I tried. Last one. The best in Broward County.

Coach Giummule: We’re talking coach?

Anthony: One coach, whoever you think is the best.

Coach Giummule: You’ve got to go with Bielski at Archbishop. I mean they won, what, three, four state championships in a row? You’ve got to go with him being the best coach. It’s hard enough to win one, but to win four in a row. I don’t know him too well, I’ve never played them, but four state championships in a row, that speaks for itself.

Anthony: Alright, thanks for your time. Good luck for the rest of the season.

Coach Giummule: Thanks Anthony.

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