Published: May 30, 2008 09:55 pm            

SCHMITT: Murphy's imprint won't leave Belbas soon

NORTH TONAWANDA — There was no capital improvement project. No pork barrel grant from a legislator looking for an instant legacy.

In the end, when T.K. Murphy walked off Edward Belbas Field on Friday, this was undeniably his field — perhaps a testament to the efforts of the players he’s nurtured for nearly three decades, but all under his guidance and persistence.

Not surprising, the Lady Jacks beat Orchard Park 8-2, another in a long line of Murphy wins. It will be his last at the storied complex he helped build, unless he rethinks his pending retirement. Few expect he will.

Also far from surprising was Murphy’s quick shield, deflecting attention to the kids who have, as he joked, “put up with me all season.” Those who do, whether they’ve played or not, get a letter under Murphy’s system. Always have. It’s their reward for a season of smiles and tears, silly chants and push-ups, bonding and learning.

Leaving childhood, and becoming adults.

Murphy doesn’t believe his way is the only way. In fact, he’s unhappy with the way high school sports have become ultra-focused, robbing kids of time playing various sports under a mix of mentors.

“I coach one way. If you work with someone else, they coach a different way. That’s how it is in life. You don’t just have one boss,” he said.

But Murphy has been a single stabilizing force at North Tonawanda. His charges took the state title in 1988. They’ve been a staple atop the area rankings ever since. And while the Kim Frizzells and Katie Mirantos have come and gone, Murphy’s teams still evoke the same level of fear.

“He might not always have the best talent, but he always gets the most out of them,” Orchard Park coach Bonnie Williams said after the game. “He’s always got them in the right place.”

NT will need more than good positioning in its next game, a date with top-seeded Williamsville North.

Maybe Murphy has one more miracle in the tank. Maybe he doesn’t.

Either way, after a fairly insignificant Section VI Class AA prequarterfinal win, Murphy sauntered to the right field fence, leaned in, and shared a moment with Edgy Skovensky, his longtime assistant who retired at the end of last season. If nobody else understood the gravity of the moment, these two did. The complex as it stands today was hardly their original vision, but it is, indeed, something to now behold.

And they are directly responsible.

Belbas contains a full concession stand, sound system, dugouts that are actually dug out, a scoreboard that’s still in full working order and restrooms.

The latter was the original impetus for the project. Murphy simply wanted a place for his team to take pottie breaks. At one point, teachers wouldn’t let players run into the former high school — later Lowry Middle School — which sits just east of the fields. Administrators would whine when the team’s spikes dirtied the halls of the Board of Education, which sat just west.

Don’t miss the irony in well-paid, tie-clad administrators getting angry over a little mud from the kids they’re supposed to be molding.

All this led to the building of on-site restrooms, and the beginning of what might be the best self-produced complex in Western New York. While the district forked over taxpayers’ cash to build a spanking-new complex for football, baseball and other sports behind the Meadow Drive school, Murphy used ingenuity, hard work and even bartering to get work done at Belbas. He got light poles from the board, but had to transport them and have them installed at the field.

“A little help here, a little help there,” Murphy said.

It hasn’t been without struggles. Neighbors have complained about the lights, an on-going feud that has clearly sapped some of Murphy’s enthusiasm. But life isn’t without struggles, why should softball be?

It took a while, almost some badgering from fellow scribe Dave Ricci and myself, but Murphy finally let a few tears flow when he thought about leaving Belbas for the last time as head coach. He spoke of the honor of coaching good kids for 29 years, working with special coaches and friends and winning a few games along the way. Maybe more than a few.

T.K. Murphy coached his last game at Belbas Field on Friday. He won’t be in the dugout when the Lady Jacks take to the field next spring.

His impression, however, will certainly live on at the field he’ll always be associated with.

Contact sports editor Tim Schmitt at 282-2311, ext. 2266.

        

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