When my editors approached me about which spring sport I wanted to cover, I didn’t balk at my choice.
Fellow staff writer Jim Ryan and I looked to bring innovative coverage of Ohio coach Joe Carbone’s last season, finding the stories behind obscure aspects of the team, such as the Bobcats’ “Rally Ronnie”mannequin and their Pro Batter pitching machine.
Although we went to great lengths to diversify our coverage, one headline loomed in our future, untouched for the majority of the season: What legacy would Carbone leave behind him after 24 years?
The Bobcats play at Bob Wren Stadium and compete on W.J. Trautwein Field. The pitching staff warms up in the Bill Toadvine Bullpen. What’s left for the newly retired skipper to leave his mark upon?
Wren won 70 percent of the games he coached at Ohio and managed the 1970 team to the program's only College World Series appearance.
Trautwein’s men's basketball team never had a losing season, and he was also an assistant coach for the baseball and football teams, where he coached the country's first two-sport all-American, Frank Baumholtz.
Toadvine's personal accomplishments are impressive. He boasts one of six no-hitters in Ohio history and has one of the two wins during the lone CWS appearance. His significance to the program goes beyond what he did on a baseball field, where he coached alongside Carbone for 17 seasons and was an integral part of 511 wins.
When Toadvine passed away from lung cancer in 2005, it took a deep toll on Carbone, who was his hunting buddy and good friend.
Carbone’s list of accomplishments is anything but rudimentary when compared to his one-time counterparts, though.
He is second all-time in Mid-American Conference wins behind Western Michigan's Fred Decker and is the winningest coach in Ohio history.
A knock on Carbone might be that he has won only two MAC championships, but those close to the program are quick to say that wins and losses only scrape the surface of his initiatives. His goal is to develop young men and mold them for successful futures.
When he speaks, his players listen.
"Being a college coach is teaching guys manners, getting along with people, being loyal and doing the things it takes to be a good human being and be a good citizen," Carbone said after his last home game. "I've been proud of every player that comes through my program and has gone on and represented this university in a positive manner. That's the best thing about the time I've been here."
His players shake hands with reporters before and after every interview. They answer every question, and even though they won't say it directly, the players played this past season for their skipper.
They take after their leader, playing the game the right way and leading by example for the younger players, with the goal of becoming better men, not just baseball players.
Carbone is always the first to deflect praise to others. After one home game, a fan congratulated him on his team’s victory, but he was quick to say he didn't factor into the win.
Any one of his former players would quickly beg to differ.
