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A Story of How One Man’s Devotion to America’s
Pastime
Became a Lifetime Commitment to Little League Baseball in Huntington. Article by Katrina Mailloux
Photography by David E. Fattaleh
On any given spring evening just outside of downtown Huntington, you
will find a snapshot of Americana— the smell of hotdogs and french
fries wafting through the air, the sound of the national anthem echoing
from the press box, and young men and women geared up for play at Huntington’s
League Three baseball field. You will also find one man, either standing
by the dugout encouraging his batters as they jog out to home-plate or
sitting in the stands, patiently sizing up the opponents his team will
face later in the week. It all started in 1952 when David Glick, at the ripe age of 10, launched
his career in Little League Baseball. David was a member of one of the
first little league teams in Huntington under the coaching guidance of
John Sakakini. “I played at a time when there were no mandatory
playing rules. I wasn’t one of the best players. Needless to say
I got to know the bench pretty well,” David reflects. “I
was even the first little leaguer ever traded,” he says laughingly. “I
left to play for Dr. Joe Shepp, a local dentist, and Roy Straight, who
gave me the opportunity to play the game, even though I wasn’t
a star player. It was with Coaches Shepp and Straight that I developed
my strengths and my love for the game.” 
David’s career playing baseball ended in junior high school when
he decided that his chances of pursuing other avenues were better than
his chances of making it to the majors. David left Huntington and attended
the University of Cincinnati, and ultimately returned to help with the
family business, Star Furniture. David married Karen May of Huntington,
and they had a daughter, Shelley, who now resides in Huntington with
her husband, Tim, and soon-to-be little leaguer, son Jackson. In 1966, David was offered a position as the head coach for League Three’s
Neighborgall Construction team, and has been coaching for Neighborgall
since. When asked about his most memorable moments in little league baseball,
David quickly responds, “Even though I try to focus on doing what’s
right and fair at all times, I remember one game where the umpire, Les
Guiz, called one of my players out three times on close calls at first
base. I got a little out of hand with him and was thrown out of the game.
I spent the rest of the game climbing the fence to see what was going
on.” The very next day, Guiz called David and asked him to lunch.
David asked, “Are you buying?” From that point forward, they
were lifelong friends. Another fond memory was making it to the final game of the city tournament,
which is now called the “Guiz Tournament” after David’s
good friend. “Pat Smith scored our only run in that game where
we lost 9-1. Even though we lost, we had a great time.” The same
young man who scored the sole run in the city tournament now coaches
alongside David for the Neighborgall team. “David Glick is the
greatest coach in the world,” Pat Smith states. “For the
most part, he lets me call the plays and coach the team without interjection,
but the minute he thinks I’m making decisions which might seem
unfair, he reels me in. He truly wants to do what is right and fair for
both teams.” 
John Brunetti, head coach for League Three’s Goldsmit-Synder team
states, “David has the most consistent record of playing kids in
different positions and making decisions that allow all kids to be involved
rather than making decisions to ensure winning. At team practices, if
he sees kids hanging around from other teams, he always invites them
into his practice. When he manages All-Star teams, he fills the roster
to the maximum of fourteen players, instead of the minimum of twelve. ‘Let
them play!’ is what he always says.” David is all about making sure the kids have fun. “When you ask
any of the kids who have gone through League Three baseball what their
record was the only statistics they will remember is whether they lost
all their games or won all their games,” Brunetti says. “We
all remember our coaches. What's interesting here at is that everyone
that has gone through League Three, parents, players and volunteers included,
remembers David Glick.” 
David admits that being involved in youth sports can be bittersweet. “I
remember one time we played the Elks team, and beat them 6-5. I walked
over to talk to the pitcher of the Elks team, Kyle Foster, who was notably
upset. I asked him, ‘What’s wrong?’ and he said, ‘You
beat us.’ I told him that next week he wouldn’t remember
anything about this game.” The following week, David happened upon
Kyle at the ball field, and said, “Do you remember what you were
upset about last week?,” to which Kyle replied, “Sure. You
beat us.” David said, “Do you remember the score?” Kyle
said, “No.” David retorted, “Well, it was 6-5, and
you’ll never forget it!” Kyle, son of Dr. Earl and Carol
Foster of Huntington, went on to play college baseball for the University
of Richmond and Emory University where he led the conference in all batting
statistics. “To this day when I see Kyle he greets me with ‘I
remember Mr. Glick, 6-5.’” 
At the end of our interview, I handed David a baseball and asked him
what he thought about when he held it in his hand. Attentively thumbing
the woven red laces he stated, “The kids. It’s feeling that
I might touch even one of their lives and make a difference. The winning
and losing, it all comes and goes. But the opportunity to make a difference
in a child’s life, well, that will provide a lasting effect for
many seasons to come.” |
