Howie Mann and Baseball
by Frances Sandiford

Howard "Howie" Mann likes everything about baseball—the swing of the bat, the feel of the ball, the excitement of the hit, and especially the competition that goes with every game. A star baseball player in high school, Howie seriously considered trying to make a career for himself in the sport, but due to personal reasons, he was never able to spend time in Florida where he might have been able to go to tryouts and perhaps get on a major or minor league team. "It would have been nice," Howie says, "but things just didn't work out."

Howie didn't let the setback get in the way of his love of baseball, or of his playing the game. A life long Rhinebeck resident, Howie has spent 40 years doing what he likes to do best but doing it right here in his own community. In 1989, he was named to the Dutchess County Baseball Hall of Fame, a coveted accolade for any player.

Recently, I was able to talk with Howie about baseball and his life past and present on the field. Howie, who will only admit to being "over 60" is modest when he is talking about himself, but he becomes animated when he talks about his favorite sport. He knows the names and records of other local players, and he can quote from little known classics like Baseball in Dutchess County, 1859 to 1959 by Joseph Paolicelli of Poughkeepsie. He explains how he supported himself by working at Kilmer's IGA and the two grocery stores that took its place in the village so that he could play on semi-professional teams. At one time or another, he played on the Staatsburg Knickerbockers, the Poughkeepsie Hoe-Bowl, and for 30 years, on the Monarchs, sponsored by the town of Amenia. Although generally low keyed, Howie is, by all reports, highly competitive when he faces an opposing baseball team. Every hit appears to be a challenge for him.

Four years ago Howie's baseball career took an unexpected turn when he was hired to coach the boys' junior varsity for Rhinebeck Central School, a job where he can work with young people whose interest in baseball is reminiscent of his own early interest in the game. Junior varsity and varsity teams play against other schools according to the size of their student bodies, with AA League for the largest schools and D League for the smallest. Rhinebeck's C League JV team will play 16 games this season against other ninth and tenth graders.

Howie explained that tryouts for the team, open to anyone interested, are held at the Rhinebeck High gymnasium in March, where the boys bat off a batting tee, catch, and run around simulated bases. Sometimes Howie is able to spot a good player right away. When a boy is on the cusp, Howie must use his intuition to make the cut—the hardest job of all, he concedes, since a rejection may bring tears or an irate phone call from a parent. Howie always sticks by his decision. Last year 32 boys tried out and 20 were carefully selected.

"What do you do if a boy is particularly gifted?" I asked. Howie explained that if the varsity coach has room for him, and will take him, the boy can be moved up before the usual eleventh grade requirement.

"Are you a strict coach?" I wondered. Perhaps not strict enough, he admits, but the boys will do what he asks. Although winning is important, Howie believes training and sportsmanship are equally important and that high school is the time for boys to learn to be good players and good losers as well as good winners.

"What is the biggest change in school sports since your days as a high school athlete?" Without hesitation, Howie says it is the emergence of girls' teams, which have come to be treated with equal respect as boys' teams.

"Finally, how do you feel about coaching instead of playing?" His answer is simple and to the point: "It makes me feel young again." Howie has come full circle, from aspiring athlete to a semi-professional player to coach, but his love of baseball has never wavered.