Forever Pirates -- Jeff Piaskowski Jr.
This week's edition of "Forever Pirates" features former Orange Coast College baseball player and assistant coach, Jeff. Piaskowski, Jr., who played at OCC from 2002-04 and coached with the Pirates from 2006-10.
Sometime in 2002 in Glendale, CA is when I was first introduced to a man that would change my life forever – John Altobelli … "Alto".
I was 17 and trying to decide between a baseball scholarship at University of San Francisco or moving back to Orange County and attending Orange Coast College. While weather alone made it an easy decision, there was more to it. My Dad had known Alto since they were kids, he knew the family, and he was sure that there wasn't better coach to play for … he was right. I didn't find out until later, but it turned out that my Stepfather's Dad had worked with Jim Altobelli (Alto's Dad) in Chicago, many years before they made the move out to California. It's a small world.
I was a Pirate from 2003-2004 and we didn't win much. In fact, they were some of Alto's worst years, I think. Alto always used to say that he didn't remember those years and I agreed that it was probably better that way. During my time as a Pirate, Alto and I grew close. I would often stop by his office between class and we would talk about baseball and life. I began to know his wife, Keri, and their young baby girls. Alto became a mentor to me and taught me lessons that helped me grow from a boy to a man.
I wasn't sure back then why Alto chose to be such a great mentor to me. Maybe there was something he saw, maybe he knew that we both had the fire and drive to be the best at anything we did. Maybe he liked that he needed to slow me down and not speed me up – a trait he always looked for in players. Or, maybe I wasn't special, maybe I was just another Pirate and he didn't know any other way than to treat us all the same because that was just the Pirate way.
It wasn't until 2009 when the "Forever a Pirate" phrase was coined, but it was back in 2003 where I was taught what it meant. Being a Pirate means you have grit, loyalty and strong family values. It means you were taught to contribute to a group and build upon a legacy that always allowed a place to return. It means that you don't always cut a player because they won't see enough playing time, you keep them because they may have something off the field they're running from. Pirate baseball may be best known for its number of wins, but it's the off-field victories that separate a Pirate from the rest.
After I left Coast, I headed to the University of Hawaii and decided to leave there after a year. I left without a destination and didn't know how I would find another school to play at. What I did know, is who I needed to call – Forever a Pirate. I was welcomed back to Coast with open arms, full access to the field, cages, and facilities to remain in shape. I ended up getting offered a scholarship at a school that had never even seen me play between the lines – I wonder who's word they took on me?
When I was done playing, I came back to Coast to coach with Alto and my Dad who was hired in 2005. We had a couple of mediocre years from 2006-2008 and then along came 2009. In 2009, my Dad and I were visiting a player at Hoag Hospital; he had been cleated and ended up with a flesh-eating bacteria that was threatening his life. I left the hospital room and immediately received a phone call … it was Alto. I could barely understand him because he was crying so hard. One of our players had tragically died and he was calling to break the news. Naturally, my Dad and I headed home … to "The House That Alto Built." I have spent countless hours and days at the Coast baseball field, but no day will stick out like February 27th, 2009. Players, coaches, parents, girlfriends, all crying in every corner of the facility. Nobody knew how to comprehend it all, but we all knew the field was the best place to be and that the Pirate Family would be the best support.
The players were given the decision on how they wanted to handle the rest of the season. It took them all of 2 minutes to decide to carry on and play in honor of their teammate. Forever a Pirate became the mantra, it was on bracelets, hats, and shirts. That team came together and beat every team in its path, I've never seen a team dominate competition in that fashion. The 2009 Pirates marched into the State Final Four with "Forever a Pirate" written on hats, and they left with it engraved into their championship rings. Being a Pirate that year taught us all some tough lessons. It took a special captain to steer a ship through a storm like that.
January 26th, 2020, I received the same call, the voice on the phone barely able to say the words, this time the voice was my Dad. Naturally, I headed home … to "The House That Alto Built." I never expected the feeling of that day in 2009 to be repeated. The scene at the field was the same as it was 11 years before. I don't know what it would have been like without the Pirate Family support – glad I didn't have to find out.
There have been plenty of good times during my time as a Pirate, but I chose the tougher stories because it's the tough times that show us what we are really made of. It's the tough times that prove that the mentors in our life have taught us to be gritty and relentless. It's the tough times where we lean on our support group … our team. "Forever a Pirate" means something different to everyone and to me, it is a reminder to keep on pushing, to Never Ever Give Up (NEGU).
Forever a Pirate,
Jeff Piaskowski Jr.
