Sunday Morning Chat: Southridge Manager Ed Doskow

This week, we sit down with Southridge Manager Ed Doskow, who has been at the school since the 1997-98 season. He was an assistant coach there for five years under Fred Burnside and is now in his 11th year as head coach. Doskow got his start in coaching as an assistant at Miami Sunset in 1993 and then moved on to Braddock for a season before getting his first head coaching job at Miami Jackson in 1995. In our interview, Doskow talks about how the game has changed in the past 20 years, gives us his vision of high school baseball — or lackthereof — in a decade, and tells us how the competitive spirit between coaches is left on the field. Enjoy!

Anthony: You’ve been around Miami high school baseball for a long time, obviously. Tell me how you’ve seen the game has changed at the high school level in those years, since when you started.

Coach Doskow: Things have changed pretty dramatically, Anthony. When I started out, the majority of the powerhouse schools were obviously the public schools. Now with the state of Florida, they’ve implemented these FCAT exams. When I started out, the private schools, Westminster was powerful back with Coach [Rich] Hofman. Columbus has always been a strong school. Lasalle’s baseball program, Florida Christians, the Palmer Trinities, the Gullivers, they weren’t as powerful as some of those schools are today. Today in public school programs you’re fighting the battle that parents not wanting their kids to be tested. Private schools are expanding. You’ve go the charter schools now. You got Mater Lakes, Mater East, Mater…all over the place [laughing].

Kids have a lot of opportunity to go to a lot of schools. So the talent is really, really thinned out. Just for example, 2002 here at Southridge was the best record we had here at the school. We went 34-2. And our whole starting infield, all four guys came to us as short stops. But as you know, today that would not happen. If a kid is not starting in his position, “Oh well I’ll go to a charter school. I’ll go to a private school.” They bounce around. No more community…how do you say…kids in the area are no more loyal to the school they should be going to. They’ll flock to the other schools all over the place.

Anthony: How much of that, and this was something we were going to hit on later, how much of that do you think is the parent involvement and how much of that is wanting instant gratification of starting? There’s not much room to actually build the kids together because they jump from school to school so quickly.

Coach Doskow: When I was in was in high school, the summer was the prep league. There was no fall baseball. Kids played other sports. Now we got to a point that this is a year-round sport. And if you don’t do something year-round, you run the risk of losing your kid to other schools because those other schools are doing different things. Their buddies and the parents are talking and you have travel ball at the young level. Which I feel is a, I’ve got to word this right, it’s a huge, how’s it…I don’t remember the word…

Anthony: Detriment?

Coach Doskow: Detriment because for the high school program because these kids are 10 years old, everybody’s got the boom ball guy, everybody’s name is embroidered in the bag. They all feel that their entitled to all these wonderful things. When you get to high school you’re trying to get your kids to fund raise for a program because at the public schools there’s basically no funding. We’re self-funded. Everything these kids get at Southridge High School, they work for. There’s no $10,000 budget. They raise every single penny. Now, you’ve got kids who, “Why would I go to Southridge? I’ve got to work and do all this when I could go to this school or that school?” It’s a lot easier for them the private institutions, maybe. In a different area, it’s hard to compete with it. I think that starts with the travel ball program. If you go watch, I don’t know if it happens in Broward.

Anthony: Sure.

Coach Doskow: It’s unbelievable.

Anthony: That’s a talk for another time. Hitting on that point a little more, again we were going to talk about this a little later, but the new rule with the FHSAA and the transferring now, we saw some kids this year transfer in January into new schools. So how much of that do you think that’s going to effect where baseball is going now in high school?

Coach Doskow: Anthony, I’ll be honest with you, I think in 10 years from now if we still have high school baseball teams in South Florida it will be a harvest town, we’ll be lucky. Because with the summer travel teams and the fall league that has all these travel teams going to all these tournaments. I know there are a couple of kids in Dade County today, they feel it’s not important to play with a high school team, they think it’s more important to play with a team that goes to a Perfect Game or, what’s the other one? They have big tournaments on the west coast. Kids think those things are more important than their high school. And they have them in California every week. There are kids in California that don’t play with their high school teams, they play with the travel teams, the summer leagues or these so-called “coaches” that work out of warehouse.

They’re great salesmen to the parents. The parents listen to everything they say because, you know, you give somebody $30 to work with your kid for an hour and a half, and that person says, “Wow! You’re kid’s tremendous! I can’t believe he’s not playing!” But baseball is a game based on results and our only job as head coaches are to put the best product on the field for Southridge High School to win a game. Whoever is head coach for their school, the parents don’t realize. So when they are getting infiltrated in their minds from these outside resources so it goes down to the kids. “Oh your coach…why would you want to do that when the other coach said we can do this?” And you can see the game, the talent level has tremendously declined in the recent years.

Anthony: Lets hit on that a little bit because I do talk to a lot of coaches in all three counties that have that point of view, that high school baseball is going away. From my point of view, I see it a little differently because I have the parents that I see getting a little fed up with the travel ball and paying for summer baseball. So is there a possibility that that bubble pops at some point? Especially being that you still have parents that grew up playing high school baseball and that high school baseball still is something 20 years from now that kids can look back on.

Coach Doskow: Well if that turns out to be that way, it would be great. I would think the norm is the way that I’m thinking of it. Maybe 10 years from now it doesn’t exist. Or that the top level is just so low that it’s not in proportion.

Anthony: It’s spread out.

Coach Doskow: Yeah, it’s too spread out. The state regulates us to 22 high school games. Twenty-five in the state, but in our conference, in Miami-Dade we are only allowed 22.

Anthony: In Broward it’s 20!

Coach Doskow: In Broward it’s 20. At the top, your high school program is being punished by the state of Florida High School Athletic Association. They’re limiting our kids. Broward it’s five opportunities. That is 15 at-bats that someone might see them. In Dade County, there’s three games. People don’t realize, that’s a huge amount of games that kids have a chance to showcase. Who knows who’s watching them in the stands? So what is a safe time to tell our kids the value of athletics in their school? They are taking them away, “Oh it’s not that important. We can take it away.” So now you go play in the fall, you go play with Achawhaha Cardinals and you go 60 games. You go to seven showcases, in front of everybody. What’s going to seem more important to you?

Anthony: Right. When we first came into Miami, people said that it would never work. That Miami coaches are too guarded in who they trust. What I’m finding now in our second year, is that we’ve gained the trust, but it’s taken awhile. Why do you think community down in Miami, and that coaches and the fans are so guarded in their trust?

Coach Doskow: In reference to allowing High School Baseball Network to come in and do things?

Anthony: Anybody. I mean it’s not just High School Baseball Network. A lot of the other coaches I spoke to, the immediate thing that I got was that the Miami coaches are very slow to trust anybody coming in and doing anything at the high school level. So, where does that come from? Because it seems like this year, once a few people got on board this year, it’s just taking off. And I’m trying to get to the bottom of where that comes from. Where does the mistrust come from among the coaches and the fans?

Coach Doskow: I’ve been in this business a lot of years and it’s a shame to see that I’ve lost a lot of friends. I got a comment to a coach once, players come and go year after year, but the ones that stick around, that are here and seem to be here for a long tenure are us coaches. You look at the coach from Ferguson, Jose Novas has been around the game I think 25 years coaching high school baseball. Coach Bisceglia at Coral Reef, which was my high school coach. I’ve been doing it over 20-some years. Burnside down in South Dade, my mentor has been doing it over 30 years. We’re a constant. But we see kids come to our program and infiltrate and leave for other programs. So I think the coaches as a whole, something new to us, it’s natural to put up a defense mechanism right away. That trust has got to be earned. I think somebody like Burns, you don’t know where those people are coming from.

Anthony: You guys, you and Coach Burnside have a relationship for years obviously you said you coached under him, now you guys play each other every year. You guys have your district battles over the field. How hard is it to separate between the lines and when you guys go at it and then being friends off the field?

Coach Doskow: Well, [laughing] first and foremost we have, we’re considered to be like family. But when he comes to the fence, when he walks to the fence tonight, When he comes to the fence and I’m to the fence, I know he wants to kick our butt like we want to kick his. But we know when the 21st out is made, when it’s over, it’s over. Whatever happened, happened on the field. If he beats us by 11, then my team should have been better prepared. And vice versa. There’s no personal feelings. It’s all about the kids. Lets keep it between the white lines. Whatever happens happens. And if we go to dinner tonight, which we probably will because that’s what we usually do, we’ll have a great time.

Anthony: Has there been battles that have escalated out on the field between you guys?

Coach Doskow: Oh, yeah! There’s no doubt about it.

Anthony: That’s just the competitive edge?

Coach Doskow: That’s just the competitive edge. I think it was three years ago we had some heated words between teams and coaches in certain situations. There was a hit batter and they interpreted that maybe we were doing it and by no means we were, but they next day we were at lunch together laughing about it. But at the game, it’s part of the game. We go out there, we want to win. We’re both competitors, and I learned that from him. Every team counts.

Anthony: Major League Baseball is getting away from the glamorous long-ball mentality they had for a little over a decade there. Many teams at that level are now getting back to fundamental baseball, small ball, that type of fundamentals at the major-league level. How do you think that translates down with these kids watching these games on TV, and how does that help your job as a coach who is teaching the fundamentals from the beginning in high school?

Coach Doskow: Oh, I think it’s great, because now, especially us with the implementation of the BBCOR bat, I’m sure if you watch in all three counties, you’re going to see a lot more bunting, pushing guys over, hitting behind runners. And it infiltrates more through the team mentality. Kids will buy in. And when they see the guy in the big leagues bunting the guy over, it’s wonderful. Every year when we go on our spring break trip, I like to take our kids to a spring training game. Because what happens in a spring training game? Big leaguers are working on fundamentals. At least once or twice a game, you see big leaguers sacrificing guys over. And I’m like, “Look, if he can do it making seven million dollars a year, you can bunt a guy over, too.” So it definitely helps us.

Anthony: Do you see a difference the last two or three years in your kids willingness to play that type of baseball? Where as, I know when I was coaching it was, the kids even in practice it was all about the home runs and lets see how far I can hit the ball. Do you see that now, that change over?

Coach Doskow: Definitely I see that. A huge change. They’re definitely more focused on bunting the ball, sacrifice bunt, squeeze, safety-squeezes. They buy into that, it’s a huge part of the game. Huge part of the offense.

Anthony: And you think obviously that’s a huge positive for the game of baseball in the future?

Coach Doskow: Oh, no doubt about it. No doubt.

Coach Doskow: When you look at other coaches, be it in Miami, Broward, wherever, whenever you’re out on the field. What is the one thing you look at and you think to yourself, “That style of coaching just can’t be successful.” So in other words, what’s the one thing that you would never do that you see some other coaches do in relation to coaching style?

Coach Doskow: Well, definitely 20 years ago, when I was 16 when I first started out, I was definitely a lot more vocal. A lot more screaming, not at all passive during the game. I think kids relate to…I won’t scream at them any more. Yell on the field, why? Kids relate more to a more passive approach. Talk to them more instead of teaching screaming at them, holler at them. I look across the dugout and see a guy screaming, kicking his chair, throwing his hat down. If the coach is doing that, no doubt his team is putting on the heal there. They’re playing scared. We’ve got a chance that we could play aggressive. A player is put on, hit and run. Something to make those guys guess even more. Bunt a couple more times, you could see the wheels fall off on the other side. Usually the team plays based on the personality of the coach. No doubt about it. The coach is a guy that’s screaming, going crazy, haywire, that team makes a lot of mistakes, a lot of errors because they are playing very tense. And a team with a coach that’s more passive, without all the destruction, you could see that team plays well, fundamentally sound baseball.

Anthony: And hitting on that a little more, I had the same issue when I was coaching, and now that I’m a little older, I see it that way. And a lot of the older coaches I talk to a lot of them were like that, where they were yellers and screamers early in their career and then later in their career they found a new way of communication. What is it you think that the young coaches don’t understand that you tend to learn as you get older?

Coach Doskow: At the end of the day if you put everything into perspective, it’s just a game. The young guys, they want to win every single game. I want to win every game too but there is certain…winning and doing it the right way instead of winning at all costs. A great mentor of mine told me one day, “Don’t let these…” if you care about quotes [laughing] “Don’t let these bastards take you for a good night sleep!!” In other words, don’t let these kids because of a bad day at the game, take you from a good night sleep at the house. ‘Cause at the end of the day, it’s a ball game. Put things in perspective. As I tell the kids, “How many kids are out there that can’t play the game of baseball?” I mean, you’ve got a chance out there to perform, compete. We usually get a nice crowd at Southridge. We’ve got a good atmosphere.” And they get a chance to perform on a stage that not many kids can do. So enjoy it while you do it. You know, one of the things I tell the young coaches today is, “In reality, we play 24 games. 22, plus the two preseason. My goal has changed years past. There is no doubt we wanted to jump out. I want to run the team, win every game we can. And we had some years here where we were 30 and 3, 34 and 2. And now with the charter schools and the private school program, I don’t see that happening anymore. So I tell our coaches, “Our goal is play twenty-four. Take one at a time. Enjoy each one. Win in the double digits, G-d forbid, only lose in the single digits. If you have a successful season, ride it as long as you can ride it. But don’t let it take you from a good night’s sleep. ‘Cause in the end of the day, it’s a game, you did it with kids.”

Anthony: How much have you seen the relationship change between parents and coaches change though the years. I know when I was playing the coaches wouldn’t even entertain the parents and now it’s almost a given that the parents have a voice in the program.

Coach Doskow: That’s a good one. No doubt the parents today are totally different than they were 20 years ago. Parents feel that they are able to tell the coach…this is the only job in America that being a coach, the lawyer, plumber and doctor could tell you what you should have done on the field. And they believe that you’ve got to do it because they said so. If I were to go into the operating room and tell them what he should have cut. The parents definitely, it goes back to the private coaches that are out there in the community and all these showcase places they take them to. These guys have their warehouses, all their indoor trainings and all these facilities. They believe that kids are better than what they really are and they want to have a voice of, “How come my kid isn’t hitting two in the lineup?” And they don’t like your answer, then what happens to the kid? Next year they’re at another school. I remember a situation, I got called up to the principal’s office about 10 years ago. I was in shock that that parents, husband and wife are in there, they want to talk to me because during the weekend their son hit seventh not second like he used to. And I said “And we’re here in front of the principal’s office?” “Well we need to know your coaching philosophy, your coaching style.” And my response to him was, “Well I’ll tell you what, if you want your son to hit second then do me a favor. Register a team at the park so that your son, hit him second. As a matter of fact, hit him second every inning if it makes you happy. Cause the only thing I need to make him happy here is Southridge High School.” And I just always stick to my guns with the parents. And I’ve been blessed that the administration supports what we’re doing here as coaches. I have three assistant coaches here, you met two of them. Those guys have been there for thirty years since 1981-’82. And the other coach David has been here since 1983. They are always helping the program. The record, the rapport we have in the community, it’s a successful program. We try to help as many kids we can get to college and we try to get them ready for the next level and our administration has backed us up. But there’s no doubt. Parents today feel that they have entitlement to tell the coach one thing, what needs to be done and how it should be done.

Anthony: And like you said, other coaches feel this way, too. If the outside coaches that are making the money and the parents feel, “Hey look I’m paying them and they are an authority.” And the reality of the situation is the High School Coaches are making close to no money and they’re the ones looking out for the kids more than anything. And that’s something the parents need to understand?

Coach Doskow: I’ll give you an example. We have a kid that signed a scholarship this year. And he’s been here since his Freshman year, eighth grade to ninth grade. Went on to sign onto college. When the kid went to work out I gave the coach a call, I actually played at that college. I gave the coach a call. “Hey, heads up!” And I thought he was one of the best hitters in Dade County, one of our players. He’s up there, he’s a great kid. Boom, boom, boom. The kid works out, the coach gives me a call. He says “Hey, just tell me what type of character kid is he?” I said, “No doubt about it he’s the type of kid you want your daughter to marry.” And there’s no doubt. The kid is an outstanding kid. The coach offers him a full scholarship. Well, two months later he signs, in January. You know how I found out about it? My coaches? On Facebook. He has pictures with his private coach. Big ceremony at his warehouse with a cake, private coach, boom, boom, boom. Now, that’s not from the kid. That’s the parents. Not that I need a piece of cake for a thank you but, if we’re teaching our kids to be good citizens, how does that parent not even say, “Hey coaches, we’d like you to celebrate our kid achieving a scholarship.” The kid earned his scholarship because he’s a great player, not because I made a phone call. But the kid has been in our program for four years. You would think that the parent would want the high school coaches to celebrate with the kid. You can see how society is changing. More important to the coaches? The guy who drove a month there in the car where he has a little warehouse, hits once a week or twice, the guy could celebrate with him. I saw coaches that have been with the kid for four or five years. So that tells you the value that the high school coach has in the community. Pretty disgusting, huh?

Anthony: Yeah.

Coach Doskow: It looks evil.

Anthony: One of the goals with our High School Baseball Network is to show coaches in a different light. That’s why we start these weekly Sunday Morning Chats. Give me something that other coaches and fans outside your program would not know about you just from seeing you in the opposite dugout.

Coach Doskow: Personality, something about me?

Anthony: Personality or something that…coaches are always perceived a certain way because of how people look at them on the field and that’s not necessarily who the coach is.

Coach Doskow: That I’m a heck of a meringue and cha cha dancer.

Anthony: [laughing] That’s a good one!

Coach Doskow: I love to go dancing with the wife. To go dance to Spanish music.

Anthony: That’s a good one. Alright, another lighthearted question. Switching gears, what’s your favorite baseball movie and why?

Coach Doskow: Bull Durham. No doubt about it, it’s a classic. “New boots.” [in a Southern accent while laughing]

Anthony: How much longer do you see yourself staying a manager? And are there any goals you have not yet reached that you want to reach before it comes time where you say, “I’ve had enough.”

Coach Doskow: You know, I never thought of saying I’ve had enough, Anthony. I always say it would be nice to sit back and say, “Wow, I’ve achieved, as a coach 200 wins.” But I didn’t win any of the games, the kids win. I think I’ve got 189 so far. Which if we would have one the other day it would have been neat because I could have earned 200 with Coach Bunside. That would have been something, huh? [laughing]

Anthony: Oh man.

Coach Doskow: I’ll try to stay in line until I’m exhausted. I’m not exhausted. I have a son who’s 12 who will be in high school in three years. If I can hold on and keep doing it, enjoying it. I’ll still enjoy it. I enjoy the competition. I enjoy coaching against Coach Burnside, against the other coaches. Talking stories, like this. Just hang out with baseball people. I’m a baseball junkie. That I love. That I’ll never get tired of. But I’d like to see a young guy enthusiastic about coaching to come in to our program and help us to maybe down the road, a couple years down the road, sit back and maybe take a different role in the program, absolutely. It wears on you being the head coach. There’s no doubt being an assistant coach is a lot more fun.

Anthony: Yeah, I’d had both and I agree with you there. [laughing] In your opinion, speaking of young guys, who are some of the best young coaches you’ve seen in Miami these days at the high school level?

Coach Doskow: I can’t think of any of those coaches.

Anthony: Most of them have been around awhile.

Coach Doskow: Phil Wisser in Gables I think is a heck of a coach. He does a great job. His team is always prepared. Always ready to battle. Gosh, he might be the youngest coach out there. Who else do we got? South Miami, Denis Pujals. I think he’s going to be a tremendous coach. He’s got a lot of passion. He gets fired up. He reminds me, 20-something years ago when I started. But he already has gray hair and I didn’t have gray hair 20 years ago. Those two are the young guys who are really, you know, if they keep doing the line up, they’re going to be good.

Anthony: Alright, we’re going to finish with this. Complete this sentence. My idea of the perfect day on a baseball field would be…

Coach Doskow: 7-0 shut out victory with giving up less than five hits. Two-hit shut out, 7-0 win.

Anthony: Alright, thanks a lot and good luck this year.

Coach Doskow: Thank you, Anthony.

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