Park Hill athletic director enjoying his summer job

Jason Lawrence Citizen Staff Published June 27, 2012 A career in athletics led Park Hill Athletic Director Bill Sobbe back to coaching and back to professional baseball. Sobbe is 37 games, as of this writing, into his first season as the Kansas City T-Bones bench coach and is glad to be back in the game he has devoted more than 20 of his professional years to. Its good to coach again and its good to get back into the mechanics of baseball and be able to work with guys and help them get better, Sobbe said. The goal for all these players is to try to get back to affiliated baseball. If we can help just one guy get there, its something you can take a little pride in. Sobbe, a catcher, was a two-time All-Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association first-team pick who hit .347 in his three seasons at Northwest Missouri State University and an honorable mention All-American in 1978. In 2009, Sobbe was elected to the Northwest M Club Hall of Fame for his exploits on the baseball field and basketball court. He translated his success on the diamond into being a 20th round selection of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1979 and spent three years in their minor league system. Sobbe reached the Double A Texas League and hit .282 with 231 hits in three minor league seasons, but in 1981 decided it was time to get out of professional baseball as a player. They wanted me to stay in A ball and Id been in Double A, so I said Im going backwards, its time to go home and get a real job. After finishing up his education, Sobbe got into education as a teacher and coach. Throughout the last 30 years, he said about the only thing I havent done is soccer. Two years after getting a real job with the North Kansas City School District, baseball came calling again. From 1984 to 2003, Sobbe served as the Kansas City Royals bullpen catcher, working with some of the Royals best pitching staffs of recent memory. It was a good job to learn about baseball and a good job to supplement your income during the summer, Sobbe said. He also got a World Series ring as part of the 1985 Royals staff. During his tenure with the Royals, Sobbe moved on to the Park Hill School District after 13 years with North Kansas City. Sobbe stepped down from coaching in 2007 to focus on his athletic director duties, but recounts coaching his children as some of his fondest memories coaching, I think in high school (coaching) its coaching my own son, Sobbe said. Getting the chance to have him play baseball for us (at Park Hill) and have him do well and coaching my other son in the summers and then in football. Also having my twins, son and daughter, at the high school and the things they did in athletics and academics and theatre. All those things my biggest highlights are probably my children, and what they did while we were there. But in May, new T-Bones manager Kenny Hook came calling and it was just the opportunity Sobbe was looking for to get back into baseball. Ive been around professional baseball probably 23 of my 30 professional years as an educator, Sobbe said. It was kind of an opportunity to get back into baseball at the professional level and take a shot at seeing what it was like again, see if I want to pursue that when I retire, which is coming close. Hook and Sobbe have known each other a long time and that trust factor as well as Sobbe's background as a catcher played into the decision Hook made to hire Sobbe. There's a couple of reasons (I hired Sobbe). First, I was looking for a guy with a catching background, Hook said. He has an extensive background with that with his time with the Royals. Also, I wanted an older guy with me being a first-year manager. I wanted an older guy that fit the dynamic of the staff because we have a couple of coaches younger than me and then Frank White. I wanted someone familiar with Frank and similar in age and someone I can trust. Bill's a guy I've known for years. I know his family and his boys. As of right now, Sobbe said he wants to see how the season plays out, but is enjoying being back in baseball and would like to continue looking at opportunities in baseball. I enjoy trying to teach the game and getting guys to understand that theres more than one way to skin a cat, Sobbe said. In his role as bench coach, Sobbe works a lot with the catchers and hitters, while also throwing batting practice and talking to Hook about strategies for games. Hit a lot of fungoes, tell some lies and have fun with them, Sobbe said. Whatever he is doing is working. The T-Bones are 20-17 and in second place in the Central Division. He's done an outstanding job and been really a blessing for me. More than I could ever ask for, Hook said. He fits in great and the players love him and respond to him. He's a big part of the success we're having. When the summer is over, Sobbe will return to his role as assistant principal and athletic director at Park Hill, but this

experience gives him more to take back and teach his coaches and student-athletes. I think its always a learning experience for you to take something back on how different coaches approach different situations and how they deal with players, Sobbe said. Obviously, its a little different when youre dealing with high school players and theyre inexperienced, but some of these guys are young kids too. You have to deal with them and get them to work in a positive way and take those things and ideas back and hopefully help somebody.