The Bellino 500

John Bellino has been the backbone for St. Bede baseball for 29 years, collecting his 500th career win this week. (BCR photo/Kevin Hieronymus)

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Editor’s note: BCR Sports writer Brad Martin sat down with longtime St. Bede baseball coach John Bellino for a one-on-one interview on the heels of his 500th career victory. The Illinois Baseball and Football Coaches Association Hall of Famer said he hopes to be around for a lot more wins at St. Bede before he hangs them up. Here’s their conversation.

BCR: You played sports at St. Bede and graduated from the Academy in 1967. Was that your plan all along to come back to St. Bede to coach?

JB: No, I just kind of fell into that. I taught up there in Chicago, then worked downtown for a bit. I liked it at first, but the congestion and everything got old pretty quick and a position came open here, and I jumped at the chance and been here ever since.

BCR: You played for some legendary coaches at St. Bede in John Gaughn and Harold Gafney, and later coached under Gaughn. How did they shape your coaching philosophies?

JB: Gafney goes back to my freshman year of baseball here. He came back when I came back and really taught me about the game of baseball, and how to be patient with the game. Gaughn is just a mentor. He always saw the best in kids and put them first. I compare him to Phil Jackson. Mentally he could always get you to do what he wanted you to do.

BCR: You’re kind of an old-school guy, too, aren’t you?

JB: Well, I think a lot of people consider me an old-school coach, but I think, over the years, you have to adjust as the times change. I think I’m a hard-line coach, but I have to adapt too.

BCR: What would the kids you’ve coached at St. Bede say if we asked them if your bite is as bad as your bark?

JB: I don’t know. You may get different answers from different kids, but I would like to think they would say I’m a fair coach that treats everyone equally.

BCR: 500 wins in baseball and 130 in football. What did it take to reach those numbers?

JB: Well number one, it takes hard work from the kids and the help and support of the parents. Help from your staff is important, and the summer programs help, and we have had some really talented kids come through here, also.

BCR: What does 500 wins mean to you?

JB: Now that I see there is not that many who have done it, I realize it’s a big deal, but in the future I think it will mean more to me, because I’m not ready to quit coaching, just yet, so I’m not looking at this as this is the pinnacle of my career.

BCR: You said you remember the losses more than the wins. Is that because you thought you had the better team and felt like an opportunity passed them by?

JB: When you put so much into the sport and lose a close game it really sticks to you. I don’t know why, really, but games like the football semifinal game against Moweaqua. Those kids put so much into that game — and to lose it stands out. Alumni and such talk about wins. And I honestly don’t remember a lot of them. I notice how hard the kids work, and when they put forth that effort and lose, it’s tough to take.

BCR: What does it mean to you to have your two sons, John and Andy, play a part in those 500 wins and also play football for you?

JB: It’s been really rewarding. John was a really good kid to work with and was a good leader and knew exactly what I wanted, it seemed like. Andy, I have been really impressed with. I didn’t now if he wanted to put in the effort for sports, because he’s more of a student, but he is also becoming a leader, and I think next year, for his senior year he should have a very good year.

BCR: What’s the conversation like around the Bellino dinner table after ballgames?

JB: I think if you ask my wife, I never take things home. I treat my kids the same as I do everyone else. When the game is over it is over, and we worry about it the next day, but home is home.

BCR: Does the 1988 state championship team in baseball top the list of your favorite memories coaching?

JB: I love those kids. They were a great group of kids, and I love seeing them when they come back, but there are a lot of great memories here.

BCR: Was that your best baseball team?

JB: You know a lot of people ask that, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they are the best, though. We had a team that was just ahead of them that was outstanding, but didn’t make it to state. We have had some really good teams here.

BCR: You’ve had a lot of great players go on to big things ... Eric Krogulski, Joe Perona, J.A. Happ, who pitched in spring camp with the Phillies this year, come to mind. What does that mean to you to see them go on and have success like that after St. Bede?

JB: I’ve always looked at that as a great thing for our program. We have had a lot of kids go on to play major Division 1, and I think that says the kids are having a good time here.

BCR: What kind of ballplayer was John Bellino Sr. in his day at the Academy?

JB: Probably couldn’t compete with these kids. I was too mean in those days. It’s a lot different now, but I enjoyed my time here, and I hope these kids do also.

BCR: How many more wins, how many more years do you have ahead of you at St. Bede?

JB: I’m really happy here at St. Bede. You just never know if you’ll be fired or asked not to come back. I would like to think I could find another job somewhere if that were the case, and continue to coach, but I would love to continue coaching for as long as I can here.

BCR: How would you like to be remembered after you’re retired?

JB: That’s a tough question. I think I would like to be remembered as a fair guy. Somebody the kids new where I stood and what I expected and someone who treated everyone the same.

BCR: How does it make you feel when people who get elected to the St. Bede Hall of Fame give you credit in and out of sports?

JB: That’s what it is all about right there. That’s why we’re here. We are here to make corrections, and when people come back and say we made a difference on and off the field, it means a lot to me. Jimmy Polster told some of the younger kids this year ... if you just listen to coach Bellino you will do just fine, and things like that are nice to hear.