Paramus Defeats Bosco Baseball Team

Mike Stanton has three World Series rings and pitched in countless big games throughout his remarkable 20-year professional baseball career.

His biggest challenge on the diamond in quite some time came just moments after his debut as the head coach at Don Bosco, Thursday’s 3-1 loss to Paramus. That’s when the 42-year-old former All-Star had to convince a dugout full of teenagers that one game does not make a season, even if it felt that way.

“Everybody’s going to lose at some point, and I think that’s the lesson you have to take from this,” Stanton said. “You’ve got to realize that what happened here with Don Bosco two years ago [an undefeated season] isn’t supposed to happen. Obviously, you want to win every game you play, like they did two seasons ago, but our inexperience showed.

“Sometimes you have to tip your hat to the other team.”

The game itself was a showdown between two of North Jersey’s best teams, but was also compelling because of the contrast of the two opposing coaches.

Two baseball men, for sure, from two completely different ends of the sport’s spectrum.

Stanton ended up in his first game as a head coach facing Paramus’ Joe Cervino, whose 29-year legacy includes 492 victories and numerous championships.

On this day, the veteran and one of the best public school programs around trumped the rookie with the big-league résumé and the non-public powerhouse now in his control.

“Oh yeah, I’d definitely give some of that up for one of his rings,” Cervino joked before the game. “I never made the big leagues, but I got to wear Lou Brock’s jersey in my one season in the minors with the Cardinals back in 1971.

“I had one season, but then I took a job coaching high school baseball and it’s been my life ever since.”

Experience was clearly decisive Thursday, with Paramus doing everything right during a fundamentally sound performance that spoiled opening day for Stanton and Don Bosco.

Senior left-hander Mike Epstein kept the Ironmen off balance by changing speeds for six-plus innings, giving way to junior right-hander Joey Szorentini, who shut down a Don Bosco threat in the top of the seventh to preserve the triumph.

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Picture courtesy of Carmine Galasso