Bernie Fratto

Speaking
of
Sports 

by
Bernie 
Fratto

 
Fields of Green

4/5/04
Stop into the baseball academy in the dead of winter and you’ll see Novi Varsity Coach Rick Green giving hitting lessons to astute youngsters. Teaching fundamentals, doing soft toss drills, and honing the proper mechanics, Coach Green has made quite an impact on Novi baseball as he enters his 5^th year at the helm. 

With 4 straight KVC titles and 2 District titles under his belt, hopes are once again high for the 2004 version of Novi Baseball. In the past Green has skippered such players as Mitch Maier, who is moving nicely through the Kansas City Royals farm system, and Brendan Hadley, currently a starter at Miami of Ohio.

Only the future will tell if any of his current players have success in college or beyond, but if the first two games are any indication, Novi could be a powerhouse this season. They pounded out 20 runs in their first two games, and they are hell bent on playing 35-40 games this season.

And, they’ll be a much traveled squad as well…Given the fact their home field is under construction, they will be settling into several “homes” away from Home, including Ford Field in Livonia, Centennial Park, South Lyon High School, and even one game at Eastern Michigan University.

For the group of seniors on the squad, many of them have been a part of District and Regional champion, football, basketball, and hockey teams, and that experience should come in handy when the post-season starts in early June.

But first, it’s the KVC where the Wildcats are defending champions, and odds-on favorites to take home the crown this year as well.

Stop by the yard and you’ll see Coach Green giving instruction and leading his troops. For him, it’s a year round process, and the results really show!

Take me out to the ballgame… Wildcat style…

(c) 2004 Novi Information Network
www.novi.org

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Bernie Fratto is a freelance writer, radio personality, and motivational speaker.  His passion for sports comes in part from his experience as a former Cincinnati Red farm- hand.  "Behind every sports story lies the hearts and minds of real human beings" said Fratto.  "These athletic endeavors often serve as a metaphor for the game we call life."

Bernie is also the voice of Novi Wildcat Hockey and host of Wildcat Face-off, a local radio program dedicated to youth sports in Novi.