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Norwalk's Nick Rhodes retired after three years of playing professional baseball in the Tampa Bay Rays farm system. When Rhodes returned to Connecticut, he was working nearly 100 hours a week in the restaurant business. "I finally realized I make my own schedule and do something I love,'' he said.
Rhodes, 32, now runs the Connecticut Tides baseball program. He started six years ago with one team. Now he has four teams, from 14-and-under to 18-and-under, and most of the players come from Fairfield County. The teams play 45 to 50 games a season, and the coaching staff includes stars from the Bridgeport Bluefish and students from Brien McMahon and Norwalk High Schools. The teams travel to Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Richmond, Va.; and Nashville, Tenn., to name a few, to play in tournaments. The Norwalk-based Tides play most of their home games in Darien.
"Kids in this program are going to play in a more competitive environment,'' Rhodes said. "We can teach more, they can see more realistic baseball. They're taught how to act on the field, with the umpires, how to approach it. It's a culture at shock. It's almost like spring training for a professional team."
The Tides had their first big graduating class last year and sent players to Fordham and Dartmouth in Division I along with some Division II and Division III colleges. The Tides are similar to an AAU baseball program, in that they can draw players from anywhere.
"It's not for everybody,'' Rhodes said. "We're just trying to make kids better baseball players."
He draws on his experience to help teach the game. A former baseball player and wrestler at Danbury High, he was drafted by the Rays in 1996. He attended Norwalk Community College for two years and was the starting catcher and team captain when NCC won the Junior College national championship in 1998. Erik Bedard, who is in his eighth season in the majors, was one of his teammates.
Some had approached Rhodes about coaching, but he resisted early on. "I must have said 'no' 10 times,'' he said. "I didn't know if I could coach. I knew I could teach."
He says teaching is one-on-one instruction, while coaching is working on the plays a team needs to execute. He now loves both aspects of the sport. "The teaching is the best part,'' he says. "But I don't know if I could do any of it full time. It's nice to have diversity on the job."
The Tides have started their summer schedule with games in the area on weekdays and overnight trips on weekends. As his program grows and players experience the high-caliber play, Rhodes is glad to be running the Tides. "I'm glad to give the kids this opportunity. I think they'll get an experience that they're not going to get anywhere else."
Do you coach or teach a sport? Which do you enjoy more? Start the discussion below!
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