My favorite analogy of community life in Burlington is a piece of strong fabric. Fabric is made of many threads that touch many others, some longer and stronger than others. One example of a very long and strong thread in Burlington is 79 year old Joseph Keohane.
Joe and his wife Marilyn moved to Burlington from Arlington in 1961. Like many other young families in Arlington, Somerville and Cambridge, Burlington's affordability made home ownership a reality. Once here it was not long before people discovered other migrants from their old neighborhoods.
Just such a discovery started Joe on a journey that soon will enter its 42nd year. As a teenager on the playgrounds of Arlington, Joe had coached a boy named Don Swanson. When Joe got to Burlington he found that the now adult Swanson was coaching in the Burlington little leagues. At the invitation of Don and turnabout being fair play, Joe became the assistant coach of the Twins for Don. Not long after, Joe took over the team and for 41 consecutive years Joe has coached 10 to 12 year olds on that same Twins team.
As remarkable as his longevity, even more so has been his record of success. In 41 years the Twins have won 17 championships and by some accounts it may be more since 4 years of winners can't be accounted for.
To what does Joe attribute his success? When queried on the subject he will answer with any response other than he is an excellent coach. "I have had really great assistants like Ed Sullivan, Jack O'Donnell, Lenny Orsini and Art Young. You can't coach effectively without assistants." In addition he adds with a knowing smile, "I guess the other coaches would tell you that I draft well because I know all the kids birthdays." It is good that he drafts well because he wins so much he doesn't get the top pick very often. He also drafts well because he can often be seen at the park watching and encouraging children in the younger leagues.
Surely Joe, there must be something about you or your coaching strategies that are special? Keohane replies in the same low key way, "No not really, I do the same things every year. We practice fundamentals, I almost never have the kids bunt because kids love to hit and most importantly I treat every kid the same way."
When asked to expand on that subject, Joe's understanding of the game and children shines through. "Years ago there was no requirement to play every child in the game. I never agreed with that and I played every one of them and tried to treat them fairly and prepare them equally. Children respond to that type of respect. My experience over the years is that on any team, in any competition, it is frequently not the most talented member of the team that makes a big contribution in a key spot."
Over 41 years, what has Joe observed about how 10 to 12 year olds have changed? "Nothing says Joe, there isn't much difference now than when I started." I was thinking that discipline is more of an issue now than when he began but Joe said "No, I only had one problem that comes to mind. One of my players was cussing out an umpire and when I corrected him he told me I didn't understand children of the 90's. I told him that may be so but my rules were the same in any year and he would abide by them or sit until he could." That player went on to conclude an all star season very quietly. One hard and fast rule for Joe is no bullying, it is simply not tolerated.
What ever his secrets are they are not exclusive to baseball. Joe and Marilyn recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and as parents have shared success raising six wonderful children. All of them are college grads and each has left a trail of achievement in Burlington. Ellen and Paul were Burlington High scholar athletes in 79 and 86 respectively, Danny and Michael noted for academic achievement, Anne was captain of the swim team, and young Joe captained his college baseball team and was one of only seven Burlington residents ever drafted into professional baseball.
Remarkably, having never laced on skates or played hockey, Keohane coached peewee hockey in Burlington and brought a Burlington team to a national championship game, losing in the finals in St. Louis. He also started a hockey school that lasted for over twenty years and can count a great many of Burlington's power house players as students. C'mon, Joe how is that possible? All of this and you had never laced on skates previously? Joe sheepishly replies, "I read everything I could get my hands on about the subject."
Although it is difficult to get much self praise out of Keohane you need only ask people who know him to get an accurate picture of the man. One such person is Ron Sanderson who also is an icon in the little leagues having coached for 31 years. About Keohane he says "Well, he has been my nemesis but I love coaching with him. He is great with the kids, quick with a smile and always very low key. He never speaks a negative word and when he talks to his players it is always encouragement. The only outward sign of competitiveness is when the game starts you can see Joe rub his hands together. When you see that you know you are in trouble."
Keohane's oldest son Joe, adds this, "he always positively encouraged us at every level but it wasn't that his children could do no wrong. If we made a mistake it was corrected immediately but at the end of the conversation you felt good about it."
So what does Joe remember about this long association with the league and his players? Just about everything is the answer. Joe has a picture of every team he has had over the years and the name of every one of the 513 players that ever played for him is on his computer. This knowledge was vividly on display when in conversation we reminisced about the Twins team that my son was lucky enough to play on with Joe as coach. I have lived on my street for 30 years and in a short span of time Joe named every boy on my street who played in the league, not on his team mind you, but in the league!
Having coached baseball this long and counting his long stints in hockey as well as girls softball, Joe is now finding that he is coaching sons of the fathers and mothers he coached many years ago.
Think of it, 513 of his own players and the players and coaches that know him from playing against him, the number of his players on his hockey teams and his hockey schools, all the guys he knows at the health club, if we were playing the trivia game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, Joe might be somehow connected to every family in the state!
What does the future hold for Joe? "My plan is to coach as long as my health holds out so I plan to keep on doing the same exact things for awhile." Jokingly he adds, "after that I have my plot picked out at Chestnut Hill next to (brother in law and first assistant coach) Ed Sullivan's grave." Leave it to Joe to have someone advance scouting the next league he will be coaching in.
