Winning isn’t the only tradition here

When Freddy Aguilera transferred into John Adams from William Bryant, it was to play baseball at a higher level. Under the watchful eye of Manager Glenn Beyer, Adams won the 1999 city championship and has reached the PSAL Final Four three of the last four seasons. But Aguilera soon realized the Spartans’ most important accomplishments didn’t come on a baseball diamond.
“One of the first things Coach Beyer emphasized was community service,” Aguilera recalled. “It’s more than just baseball; he tries to round us unto successful young men. Community service is just one of the things we do.”
Indeed, the time in between the fall and spring seasons involve perhaps their most important hours spent together. Every few weeks they help out in the community, whether at the C.H.I.P.S. Soup Kitchen; the Bernard Fineson Development Center; the Bethany Baptist Church; or Ronald McDonald House.
As a coach at Lafayette in the early 90’s, Beyer started the practice of taking his team into the community to help the less fortunate, and when he arrived at Adams in 1996, he continued. Oddly, Beyer wasn’t very active in the community as a youth, but quickly realized its importance. “I’m making up for lost time,” he said. “I’ve realized what an impact you can have on kids. Whatever walk of life they find themselves in, they can pass it on to their kids and whatever players they coach.
“It wasn’t a novel idea,” continued Beyer, whose team was recognized in All Stater Sports Magazine as No. 1 in the nation for their community service back in 2000. “Colleges do it, professionals do it, so why shouldn’t we? I want more than just winning baseball games for my kids. … Honestly, they get more out of it. They remember it as much, if not more, than just the baseball games.”
Beyer is always looking to add to his team’s growing number of charities. For the last eight years, they’ve been going to the Bethany Baptist Church two days before Thanksgiving to help set up and decorate. The Spartans also go to the C.H.I.P.S. Soup Kitchen a few times a year, including the day before Christmas, and visit the Bernard Fineson Development Center, where they’ll occasionally throw a party or just hang out with the mentally handicapped. During the season, a few residents will come down to Adams and watch a ballgame.
This year, the Spartans made their first trip to the Ronald McDonald House, where they threw a party for sick children. “It’s just great, seeing the smiles on their faces,” Aguilera said. “Rarely do they see volunteers come and throw them a party, and play with them. It’s a great feeling to be able to do that.”
The team also collects money for the Fallen Heroes Fund and Make-A-Wish Foundation, gathers food for the Food Bank Network of Somerset County, a New Jersey organization for the homeless, and a few will be joining Beyer in the Parkinson Walk in Central Park on April 29th.
Attendance is never made mandatory at any of these functions, Beyer says, but it’s understood that it’s expected. And even if it wasn’t, it may not be different. “A lot of us look forward to these events,” Aguilera said. “Because many of my teammates play sandlot ball and outside leagues, they don’t have that much time. So when Coach organizes these events, it’s a time they could give back and they’re thrilled.”
Former players still come back to the school to watch the team play, but also accompany them on their community service trips. “It’s tradition at Adams,” Aguilera said. “It’s an experience you remember for the rest of your life.”