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A fitting ending for coach McDonald

Posted on Jun 13, 2005

By Dave Solomon

Reprinted from the New Haven Register - 06/11/2005

STRATFORD - Tom McDonald took renewed interest in vacuuming Friday morning, followed by some light dusting. When those chores were done, he took his dog Amanda for a walk, read and re-read the newspaper, then flipped on the television for further diversion.

Truth is, nothing took McDonald’s mind off Friday night’s emotionally charged Class M state championship softball game, his final game after 19 seasons at Lauralton Hall-Milford.

The day before at Lauralton Hall, McDonald stole a glance up at the 2004 Class M championship banner and was flooded with two decades of memories.

At practice earlier in the week, he watched some of his more prolific hitters pound out line drive after line drive off the pitching machine.

"I’m looking at those shots and talking to my assistant coach (Charlie Grimshaw), and I’m telling him that I remember some kids who used to hit the ball just a little bit farther," McDonald said. "Then I’d go back and start to think about all the different kids that I coached over the years. One (memory) led to another."

On his drive to Lauralton Hall Friday, he said was already thinking of his last bus ride with his players to the championship game. But it wasn’t really about his last bus ride. It was about the joys he’s shared along way.

McDonald experienced one more breathtaking coaching moment Friday when his team pounded Wolcott 5-0 to win its second straight title.

"I’m really going to miss it, I guess," McDonald said. "No, there’s no guessing about it. I’ll miss it."

The finality of the last game at Lauralton Hall has been toying with his emotions for days, but what better way to end a career than back-to-back championships?

And just as quickly as he was asked about his final game, he turned it back around in tribute to his players.

"It really is all about the kids," McDonald said.

A piece of McDonald’s soul was revealed when he was asked to pick his greatest moment at Lauralton Hall. It wasn’t one of his championship games. It wasn’t, in fact, even on the field of play.

"The thing that stands out most is that last Sunday, the parents got together (for a banquet), and they’re giving a scholarship for myself and my assistant coach (Grimshaw, who is also retiring)," McDonald said. "And we had 32 girls (from teams he’s coached) come to the party, including three from the first team I coached at Lauralton. And there were two girls that I coached in Little League. Having all those kids there meant more to me than any of the other stuff."

Between 19 years as softball coach and 17 as basketball coach at the all-girls parochial school, McDonald counted up 637 wins and only 235 losses. He also took two girls’ basketball teams to the championship game, one at Lauralton and one at Kolbe Cathedral of Bridgeport before that. That tells you only that he has a clue of what he’s doing on the sideline. It doesn’t come close to defining Tom McDonald.

The win total can’t possibly convey the fact that he’s been family to two generations of players at Lauralton Hall - and before that, as a coach for 20 years in the Black Rock Little League.

Championship banners are precious at Lauralton Hall, but no more precious than a coach who goes to extremes to care for his players and about his players.

"Lauralton Hall is his life, aside from his wife (Joan) and daughter (Dina)" Athletic Director Joe Tonelli Jr. said.

"He’s around every event at the school, not just basketball and softball. He’s like their father at school, talking to the kids all the time, whether the subject is academic, athletic or social. We’re going to miss him."

McDonald, a retired postal worker, is moving to Wintergreen, Va., with two letters of coaching recommendation - one from Tonelli, the other from school principal Ann Pratson - just in case his withdrawal symptoms are overwhelming. McDonald doubts he’d consider a head coaching position, but smart money says he’ll be enriching the lives of some young athletes in Virginia long before he drowns in quiet bliss. It’s his labor of love, his wife said.

"He says he’s going to take a break," his daughter said. "But I think he just doesn’t know where to coach yet. As soon as he figures that out, he’ll be involved."

Coaching and caring about kids is out of his control.

 



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