Barstow Sports Blog

This week we did a Q&A with Frank Maldonado. Here is more what he had to say during his interview that didn’t make the published version in the Desert Dispatch on July 1.

Q: Talk about the difference between winning your first championship game and your second championship game.
A: When we won the first national title, it was like you are in heaven. It’s the greatest experience in the world when you look back at everything you did to get there. When we won the second one, it was the same type of enjoyment. You get greedy, it’s just that feeling that is so amazing. We don’t like to talk about it to our players, and we don’t want to put that kind of pressure on them.
Sometimes, we joke when we look at Bill Russell on the cover of Sports Illustrated. We will hold our hands out because we want to win 11 rings.

Q: Was it weird to not win the championship game this year after winning back-to-back titles?
A: It was a sad feeling. The disappointment was for our players, especially for the new guys that came in and were all excited. The bottom line was, we were not the best team there this year.

Q: What are some of your favorite memories at BCC?
A: I coached for three years at BCC from 1998 to 2001. Developing the players and moving them up where they could be successful were some of my favorite memories.

Q: What is your favorite thing about being a battling coach?
A: I enjoy the challenge and every hitter is different. I am not going to talk about any one hitter because they all have different styles. Being the hitting instructor, I am able to work with each player, and help them develop their swing and other mental aspects. It’s a challenge, and it’s up to me to develop them to become impact players. We want to win championships. I like being able to develop that young green hitter and see the results after that.

-Jason Blasco, Staff Writer

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