Local coaches happy to take things down a notch

SALEM – English High baseball coach Joe Caponigro and St. John?s Prep baseball coach Dan Letarte are all business in the spring when their teams are fighting for their respective league titles or jockeying for a good seed in the state tournament, but summer baseball is a little different.For the next few days, the two varsity coaches will get a chance to coach their own sons (John Caponigro and Sean Letarte) and their sons? friends, in the 31st annual Ray Gallant Tournament at O?Grady Field in Salem. Caponigro is manager of the Swampscott team and Letarte is one of the Peabody coaches (the manager is Brian Hebert).For guys accustomed to working with a considerably older age group, coaching 12 and 13-year-olds is a nice change of pace.?It?s fun coaching the younger kids,” Caponigro said. “Baseball is a fun sport and these kids are so innocent. They?re learning the game.”Caponigro, who also manages the Swampscott Sox of the North Shore Baseball League, said it?s different working with 12-year-olds after coaching high school players and in the case of the Sox, guys who have played in college and beyond.?It?s refreshing,” he said. “It?s a lot of fun.”Both Caponigro and Letarte said at this age, it?s about teaching the game.?It?s about teaching and instilling confidence,” Caponigro said. “The wins and losses aren?t as important as learning the game and getting the life lessons. When you get into high school, you play to win. In the men?s league, you play to win. In these games, you like to win, but the important thing is everyone gets to play and experience the Gallant tournament.”Letarte said what makes the Gallant special is that for most of the players, it?s their last time playing Little League and being on the small diamond. He said it?s also good because for most of the players, it?s their first time using a wooden bat.?It?s really all fundamentals … it?s about learning to swing, learning how to hit the other way. There?s a lot of teaching involved,” he said.Letarte said when fellow Peabody coach Ed Silva asked him to help out, it took him about three seconds to say yes.?It?s a cool age. When a kid hits a home run (or does anything good, like get a big hit) it?s so much fun watching him go around the bases,” Letarte said. “At the same time, it crushes you, regardless of whether it?s your team or another team, if they miss a fly ball. At this age, they?re very vulnerable when they make a mistake.”Letarte said you just have to talk to them in practice and tell them everyone makes mistakes, and remind them they?re not getting paid to play, yet.Caponigro said he told some of his players on the Swampscott Sox he was coaching in the Gallant and several recalled playing in the tournament. They remembered it as being a great time.?It?s a baseball memory that will stick with these guys for a long time,” he said.In addition to Caponigro, the Swampscott coaching staff includes Lou Oliveri, who managed the team last year, Dan Weisse and Ken Perkins.Caponigro and Letarte aren?t the only high school coaches involved in the tournament. Manny Costa, the wrestling coach at St. John?s, is one of the Danvers coaches.