First time I saw Bob Schiess he was in 9th grade at Lincoln and it was tryouts for Tremper JV Baseball. The great Pooh Bear Andersen asked me to help him coach Tremper JV Baseball. It was a perfect set-up for me; it wasn’t like I needed to be a pitching coach because Pooh Bear was an excellent high school and college pitcher, so we just divided up duties; he was the Head Coach… it worked out well. The team was made, and the first practice we were kinda running situations, all infield stuff. John Ruffolo at 3rd, Rob Cibrario at Short, Ken Rice at 1st and a dude Pooh and I both were calling Scheiss (like Nice) at 2nd. There was a runner at first…kinda the team crack-up dude named Thome. Pooh hits a chopper, left-side, and I ain’t even sure who got it, but he got it to Bob at second, and that turn told us everything we needed to know. That the shaggy blonde kid at second who looked like a cross between a skateboarder and a bookworm was a rip-your-face-off competitor. And also, that somebody better tell Thome to get the hell down or out of the way cause that skinny kid at 2nd will dot your eye and tell you to get the fuck out of the way and dare you to “not-slide” again.
I love guys like that. Teammates Steve Hoppenjohn, Kevin Brothers, Jerry Kalbfell, and Erik Larsen are a few that come to mind when I think about guys who influenced how I played and how I viewed the game. Bob Schiess was that kinda guy when he was 14 years old…unapologetically out there to win. Not only did this unlikely-looking killer have to survive against Milwaukee Hamilton, Pulaski, Tech, South, North…he first had to survive the personal mental gymnastics levied by Ken Rice, Chris Wade, and Mike Cholak. And then had to compete at the highest athletic level against Scott Trottier, Mark Paszek, and Rob Cibrario. And you had two dudes like Pooh Bear and me who spoke the language and were only a few years removed from that time in our lives (and I throw in John Ruffolo in there with Bear and I cause he was already a coach at 15 as well as a 3B). Bob and his friend Paul Umschied and a 3rd 9th grader named Mike Keuther didn’t look anything like the rest of that rag-tag bunch of early Dons, but they took everything the circumstance had to offer and went out and held down solid roles as starters on a Conference championship team.
Bob went on to a fantastic Hall-of-Fame softball career with Tirabassi’s. One could make an argument and ask “name me a softball 2nd baseman in KTown, not named Laba, who was any better?”. He kept that closed stance, the textbook swing, he matured and introduced himself to the weight room, and he found his way to the most competitive team in the region. “Competitive” being the key word. If Bob is playing, he is playing to win…end of story. His greatest strength is between his ears. He knows the game, he knows what, and most importantly what not, to focus on as a ball player. And my two favorite traits about him…he is loyal and he’s the kinda guy who loves practice. Bob played softball to compete and win…and sometimes guys like that fly under the radar, playing next to noise makers and legacies. I can tell you for sure, Bob Schiess never flew under my radar. That is a guy you want on your team and that is a guy that you value his respect…he definitely ain’t for sale.
So my strongest congratulations to Bob Schiess on your well-deserved induction into the Kenosha Softball Hall-of-Fame. Being asked to present you for induction was a true honor and I remain humbled by how you have continued to value our time together back in the day. It is funny, if you were to ask me to name an extremely influential coach in my overall development it would be without question, Coach Rocky Jurvis….my JV Baseball Coach. Perhaps at that time in our lives, we all need a little direction to help us to decide what is important as a competitor. As I’ve told you many times, I had no idea if what I was saying would have ANY effect…positive or negative…I was just trying to help provide what had been provided to me…and do so in a manner where the player felt like it was a conversation and not a demand. True definition being….the kid has plenty…give him a nudge and leave him alone, and trust him to be all business when it is time to be all business. You earned that trust early from us and I am certain you earned it from every other leader or coach you played for and teammate you played with. Again, congrats on being inducted into the Kenosha Softball Hall of Fame.
