Around the HORN Baseball Classic
Thank You for Coming!
The ATH2024 was a blast. We can't wait to see you next year.
Looking for Past Years?
...revisit the story and images of the past!
A Coaching Legacy Lives On
“It was January 2018 – approximately two months after the collision that took Daryl, Joe, Troy, and Baden. I was attending my first-ever mandatory meeting for incoming Napa Little League managers. It was my first season, and to be honest, I was feeling a bit anxious. I had limited coaching experience, but I was committed to carrying on Daryl’s legacy of using baseball to teach and mentor kids in this town.
Big shoes to try and fill I realize, but it was important to me that his legacy of coaching the “right way” lived on. Much of the meeting dealt with rules, regulations, logistics, and other administrative responsibilities that fall on Little League managers. It was a LONG meeting. When it finally ended, one of the returning managers – let’s call him “Jeff” — offered to give helpful tips of the trade to any rookie coaches that wanted to stay longer. Frankly, the thought of voluntarily extending what was already a long meeting felt daunting at the time. But when I saw how many new managers were staying, I reluctantly did the same. Looking back now, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. What I witnessed was truly inspiring.
There was Jeff telling the story of Daryl Horn. He talked about how Daryl went about coaching his players and how he was the most amazing teacher of young people that he had ever seen. He described how Daryl had a knack of keeping his players focused, which is no easy task sometimes.
He stressed how Daryl was all about teaching kids the fundamentals while keeping it fun, but also stressed character and demanded that his players respect the game. He even mentioned how Daryl had fun nicknames for all his players, and that you could hear Daryl yelling those names in celebration from the Garfield parking lot. Jeff even walked through 4-5 helpful drills that he knew Daryl used so that we newcomers could do the same. It really was an amazing scene, and I was thrilled that Jeff had learned so much from Daryl.
Once Jeff wrapped things up and we were all heading for the door, I just knew that I had to introduce myself and ask how he knew Daryl. Perhaps they coached together? Jeff’s response shook me. He told me that he barely knew Daryl and had only met him a couple of times over the years. But Jeff knew him by reputation and had made it a point to watch some of his practices at Garfield.
He said it was hard not to watch and learn when you heard what was going on when the Silva Plumbers were practicing. “Frankly, all the coaches did,” he told me. “Daryl coached the way that it should be done.” It was at that moment I realized that Daryl’s coaching legacy in this town was not in jeopardy. It wasn’t going anywhere. While I always knew Daryl had inspired a generation of young athletes in Napa, I hadn’t realized that he had an equally positive influence on the army of volunteer coaches in this town who donate their time and energy at Garfield and who care as much as he did. Even those who barely knew him. It is because of coaches like Jeff – who are willing to watch, learn, and then pay it forward – that I know Daryl’s coaching legacy is in good hands…
Now let's look at the photos...
Team Photos
