LITCHFIELD – He didn’t exactly point to a spot over the outfield fence, a la Babe Ruth, but 11 years ago Campbell High School baseball coach Jim Gorham made quite an impression. The Cougars, in their infancy, were nearly no-hit by Pelham in their first varsity game ever and then only had three hits in another loss to Newmarket. So Gorham, in his first year at Campbell, decided he was going to show his team how to hit. They laughed when he missed the first pitch. The next one he put over the fence. “I got their attention,” he said.And he’s had it ever since. Gorham, now 57, has used his old school approach to create one of the area’s most successful baseball programs, winning two state titles in three finals appearances, six semifinal trips, and just one losing season. “I’m old school,” Gorham said. “One of my players once said to me, ‘My father says I’m probably going to like you, because you’re not politically correct.’ I told him, ‘You go home and tell him that’s the best description anyone has ever had of me.’ “I still think (the old school ways) work, if it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “If you’re not doing the right thing, you’re going to lose the respect of the kids in the long run. And if you lose their respect, you’re in trouble.”

He honed his coaching technique in the Swampscott (Mass.) High School program under a local legend named Frank DeFelice. “I learned from the master,” he said. “I run and do everything the way a Swampscott team thinks.”


I guess this is kind of a homer blog since I grew up in Swampscott and our baseball team was like 97-2 in the time I was there so  I’m curious who this guy is.   I think he may have actually hung around when I used to play there.  Not 100% sure though.   But I’m 99% sure he did.  And I don’t think he really talked.  In fact I actually think we called him the “quiet man”.  He just sat on the end of the bench and nobody really knew who he was.  Deeds probably didn’t even offer him gum. (inside joke)    But it appears he built his whole coaching philosophy around the class of 95.  He’s probably dropping my name on kids teaching them how to hit.    Either way really fucking funny to see somebody proudly carrying on the Frank DeFelice tradition.  Old school doesn’t even begin to describe how old school Frank Defelice was.   Old school to the max.   I still have self esteem issues when he told me I was lucky I was ugly because I didn’t have to worry about girls messing with my head.  Now that is telling it like it is.