Maybe that's why the first-year Class A Mavs manager cares so much about the American Legion baseball program he's helping guide.
While playing for the AA squad, Feeley helped Missoula win back-to-back state titles in 1994-95 and post a two-year Western Division mark of 47-1, 134-27 overall.
Talking prior to the Mavericks' first game at the invitational tournament they're hosting this weekend at Lindborg-Cregg Field, Feeley discussed how he became a coach, the sate of his team as it begins the stretch run and the baseball program he takes so much pride in.
Q: Tell me how how the Class A Mavericks have progressed to this point?
A: I think we're starting to come a long a bit. We have a lot of new players this year and a new staff, so it took a while for us to kind of get going. But I think it's better to hit your stride toward the end of the year because that's when you want to be playing your best baseball. We just need to be a little more consistent. We have our ups and we have our downs, but I think we're coming together. I think our pitching staff is doing a really good job of keeping us in games and we're starting to gel a little bit.
Q: How has the transition from being an assistant to being the manager gone?
A: I like it. I like being the one to call the shots. But then again, I take it real personal if I screw up. That really bums me out. There was one time early in the year when we won 10-0, but I left one of my guy's name off the lineup card and he didn't get to play. It was eating me up inside because it was one of those early-season, one-sided games where everyone should have gotten a chance to play and I felt so bad for the kid who didn't get to. But really I love it. I love being out there and I love the A level because you get to see the guys grow and you get to see them three years down the line doing good things with the AA team.
Q: Did you always see yourself coaching the Mavericks?
A: I guess I never really saw myself coaching the Mavericks at all. I pictured myself coaching my kids when they get older, but I love the program and what it stands for. I've always had a lot of pride in the great tradition of good ball. I think it's an honor that Coach Hath (AA manager Brent Hathaway) has given me the chance to coach and has kept me on board long enough for him to trust me to be the head coach of the A team.
Q: Did you come to Hathaway about getting into coaching or did he come seek you out?
A: My first year I coached with Brett Carlson, an ex-teammate, and I had a class with him at the university. He was coaching and we kind of got talking in class one day and he kind of approached me about it and Hath brought me on. Then I had a son who had some medical problems and I took a couple of years off. Then another spot opened up and I got back on board.
Q: What did you learn from coaching under Hathaway?
A: It's totally different than playing for him, which was pretty intense. He's a really fiery competitor. Coaching with him, you see the other side of him. He wants to win very badly and that's something we have in common. Sometimes it eats us more than it does the players when we lose. But I've learned a lot from Hath. He runs a tight ship and he's built this program. He built a reputation around the state, if not the Northwest, for what his teams represent.
Q: Tell me about some of the challenges of coaching at this level?
A: The AA level is a little bit crisper, the games move a bit quicker. The A level is tough, having younger kids, trying to compete with guys with a lot more experience. But that's just how it is in A ball around the state. Maybe the biggest challenge is convincing these kids that they can compete with older teams. The other challenge is the age difference between kids on the team. You've got 17-year-olds playing with guys who are 13, and that's a big difference. It's tough to get them to mesh sometimes.
Q: What's been you fondest memory thus far of your first season as manager?
A: When we beat Mission Valley the other day, it was a huge win for us. It was definitely a confidence builder against a tough opponent. We beat a big strong pitcher in Brandon Thompson. It was a huge challenge for our guys and for us to take that next step to beat a guy like that ... And we spoiled their perfect conference record. I told our guys that I want us to be the team nobody wants to play. We should be the team that everyone fears. We're capable of beating any team in our division if we play to our ability.
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