 NAME: Coach Chuck
NUMBER: 13
POSITION: 2nd base and outfield. I have played every position on the field, but I did not excel as a pitcher. I could throw strikes but I could not get them out. I relied upon my team’s defense to get the outs.
PREVIOUS TEAMS: Dodgers, Chino Hills Big & Seniors League Division, and a lot of others that I can’t remember right now.
FAVORITE MLB TEAM: Nowadays it is the L.A. Dodgers... When I was a kid it was the Yankees because of Mickey Mantle.
FAVORITE MLB PLAYER: Mickey Mantle, and Roger Repoze. Mickey Mantle hit the ball a long ways and he was a great switch hitter. I was a switch hitter and tried to be like Mickey Mantle. I could never hit the ball as far as he could. I was always a lead off hitter and would always get on base. I wasn’t afraid to get hit by the ball.
One of my favorite players was the Dodgers’ Manny Mota. He was always able to get the pinch hit. I always got the same kinds of opportunities to pinch hit and I was successful. I loved being in the position where the hit was needed and I always remember coming through (even though I sometimes struck out).
GREATEST MOMENT IN BASEBALL: In 1971 I went to an open tryout for the Kansas City Royals and they offered me the opportunity to go to their baseball college. Back then the teams had their own baseball college and it was part of their minor league system. Since I was already married with a kid I could not take them up on their offer. I still felt really good that they would offer it to me.
FAVORITE MLB MOMENTS: I have seen Reggie Jackson hit a grand slam home run for the Angels to win their division.  I saw Bobbie Bonds first time at bat hit a home run for the San Francisco Giants in Candlestick Park. I watched most of the fathers of the stars of today play.
WHEN DID YOU HANG UP YOUR CLEATS: I played ball regularly until 1998 when I started driving truck cross country. There wasn’t any more time to play. I loved playing baseball and softball.
MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT IN BASEBALL: I have forgotten all the embarrassing plays. I’m sure that there was stuff, I just can’t remember them.
FAVORITE DREAM MOMENT IN BASEBALL:...  Bottom of the 9th... Bottom of the 9th and I am batting. I get the clutch hit to drive in the winning run. I used to steal a lot of bases and was very fleet of foot. I didn’t always carry all of the weight that the boys see on me today. I was lean and quick.
OLD MAN HOBBIES: Baseball, Coaching, Watching NASCAR,
WHAT DID YOU DO FOR FUN IN YOUR YOUTH: Baseball and that was it. I went camping and hiking but I even took my glove with me to camp. I would lay in bed at night and toss a ball up and catch it. Baseball was everything to me then. I also ran track as a sprinter. I ran the 440 as my favorite event. I only did it so that I would be able to steal more bases.
I started playing when I was 11 in San Diego, California. I played in Jefferson Junior High School (9th grade) and 1 year at Whittier HS. My Dad was in the Navy so we moved around a lot. I got married when I was 16 and did not finish my last 2 years of High School. I continued to play both baseball and softball.
 I excelled at baseball and it brought me recognition. Being able to hit and steal made me a valuable asset to my teams. I always dreamed of hitting the home run but the ball never carried with my swing. I now stand 5’11” now but was 5’9” and 145 pounds when I was a freshman.
WHY DO I LIKE TO COACH: I like to pass on the things that the coaches taught me. I think that baseball is a productive thing for boys to do. I also like to pass on some guidance at times. Baseball kept me out of trouble when I was young and I still think that it does that for kids today.
 I get a thrill when the boys win and I cry with them when they lose. I share the excitement when we do well. I love to see the lesser experienced kids come along and progress. I just loved watching Nathaniel get that double play the other night in the game. That boy has a big heart and desire to improve. I want every one of our players to improve at the incredible rate that Nathaniel is improving.
WHAT ABOUT MY HEALTH: I was living an unhealthy lifestyle and driving cross country trucking. I had my first stroke on January 27, 2001 and then the second stroke on March 3, 2001.  Since that time I have changed the values in my life and the second stroke affected my health. It has made me unable to move the way I used to and I have put on lots of extra weight. I used to pride myself on my ability to teach boys to hit. I used to be able to demonstrate this and since my strokes I can’t do it anymore.
FAVORITE ICE CREAM: Pistachio Nut
CAREER: Retired Truck Driver
How has playing baseball made you a better person? It taught me a work ethic. I found that if I wanted to improve that I had to practice and work hard. My Grandma told me that if I wanted to be the best I had to work hard. To her it did not matter if I shoveled manure, stacked hay, or became a pro baseball player for a living. All she stressed was that I be the very best that I could be.
 What is the most challenging part about playing baseball? Stealing bases - I was fast and I loved to do it. I used to brag that if I could get to first base that I could take the next two off the pitcher. My coach would design a squeeze play that would get me across after I stole it to third.
What was the most memorable coaching call that your ever made? While coaching in the Chino California Senior league championship with the bases loaded I called a squeeze play with two outs. It was one of those plays that if it failed we would lose the game. The defense was playing way back with no thought of the squeeze and we scored. We won the game and I was so proud of my team. It was either going to be the greatest call ever made or the stupidest call ever made. Luckily for me it was the greatest call ever made because my team executed it perfectly.
What is the best thing a coach has either told you or said about you? Boy that player is sure fast and he can run!
FAVORITE QUOTE OR SAYINGS: “Sorry don’t feed the bulldog!” and “Are you walking on my field!”
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COACH CHUCK CORNETT
