Fairfield American Coaches Reflect On Trip To Williamsport

Patch.com asked Fairfield American manager Chris Daley and coach Brian McGrath a series of questions about the team's historic summer run, one that  already has made them the most successful squad in town history, with more innings on the diamond yet to be played.

The coaches enjoy strong mutual ties to Fairfield youth baseball. Daley is in his seventh year of coaching, and he and another assistant - Larry Klein - have coached their two sons (Connor and Nate, respectively) since their early T-Ball days.

McGrath has been working with the summer team (and son Billy) alongside Klein and Daley for the past two seasons.

McGrath works as an institutional bond salesman in the mortgage and asset backed group at Jefferies in Stamford when he's not coaching the team. Daley is employed in Private Equity Investing.

Fairfield American defeated Rhode Island, 1-0, on Saturday to advance to the town's first appearance in the Little League World Series. The team left Bristol, the site of Saturday's win, for Williamsport, Pennsylvania on Monday morning.

The  players and coaching staff are gearing up to face the country's top teams, beginning on Friday at 1 p.m. against Auburn, Washington, the Northwest Region champion.

What are the best attributes of this ballclub? What sets this team apart from past Fairfield teams?

McGrath: Billy is my third son to play on a district team. I helped coach both Peter (17, and the captain of the Hopkins School baseball team next year) and Tommy (14 and also a baseball player at Hopkins) on their district teams before this. Both teams were very good, winning the district two championship when they were 12.

Billy's current team easily has the best hitting of any team I have seen in all my years in Fairfield and they have enjoyed some extremely dominant pitching performances. This team has talent from top to bottom in the order and everyone is a threat.

I think they have a love for the game and a love for each other. You can tell they love the game of baseball. It's a great, classic American game, and these 12-year-olds love to play it. If you came to one of the many, many practices we had this summer, you would see boys who just never wanted to come off the field.

Daley: From a baseball perspective, I know I've said it before – but we have  three solid starting pitchers and several key backups, not one easy out of the 11, and have been solid defensively at every position.  From a non-baseball perspective, the boys do get along great and are all friends off the field as well.

How important are all the fans and family members that come to watch your team play every game?

Daley: The support from the families has been terrific all summer and being in the regionals has really rallied the whole town as well as the state. The camaraderie and friendships that the boys have built over this summer as well as past summers is just great to see.

What's it been like to watch your players go on such a magical run this summer?

Daley: "It's been very special.  The boys have worked extremely hard all summer long and are now enjoying the rewards."

McGrath: "I would echo Chris' comments. It's been fun for us, and our families, and now the entire town, to watch the passion the boys have for the game and see all the hard work they have done pay off."

Have you spoken to members of the Trumbull championship team? What did they say?

Daley: "Having grown up in Trumbull, I do remember how big it was for the town. Chris Drury (current New York Rangers captain and winning pitcher in the 1989 Little League championship game against Taiwan) and Cody Lee actually delivered pizzas to our last practice before Bristol and spoke to the team about their memories of the experience.  Chris pitched batting practice to the boys which was a thrill for them."

What do you think going to the LLWS means for the town of Fairfield?

McGrath: Fairfield was already a great place, I guess more and more people will come to understand that. I would also add that we have really enjoyed the tremendous support we have received from everyone in town. In particular, we have had a stream of former Fairfield American Little League players volunteer their time at Mill Hill, throwing batting practice, working with the boys, doing whatever they can to help.These are all accomplished players who are now stars at Ludlowe, or Hopkins, or even in college, and they all love being around the team to help out.

"To have around 8,000 people at the game on Saturday night in Bristol was really special. To see that most were friends, family, classmates or teammates from Fairfield  in some sort of red paint or t-shirt screaming their collective heads off for the team was really amazing. All of that reminds us of what a special community we live in."

Daley: "Fairfield is such a great town to begin with – this attention will likely only enhance its reputation and truly "put it on the map." The support from the families and the entire town has been terrific all summer and has really rallied the whole town as well as now the state – it's been nice being the "host" state.

What is the mindset of the team heading into this week?

McGrath: "I think the boys are ready. I think the Little League World Series, and even the New England Regional final before that, is a bit like having to take a very tough final exam at school. In this case, the boys have studied for this "exam" relentlessly and for literally hundreds of hours. There is not a question or a situation that they have not seen, and they have their 'A' game ready to provide all the answers to whatever question they are asked."