Father's Day is everyday for one local man

WENDY GOLDSTEIN/Special to The Acorn HELPING HAND-Michael Petrullo teaches Joey Goldstein, 6, how to properly hold the bat. Petrullo is a local youth coach. Father's Day is this weekend, so it's time to honor the person who helped us learn how to ride a bike, tie a tie, or hit a baseball.

There are many fathers in the community helping their kids in any way they can. One of them is Mike Petrullo.

Petrullo coaches two youth teams, his 5-year-old son's squad in the Westhills Baseball league, and his 13-yearold daughter's team in the West Valley Girls Softball league.

Petrullo has only been coaching for three seasons, but has quickly discovered the real value of these leagues and the importance of being a role model to the kids.

"At first when I started doing this (coaching), I was a little nervous as I saw the seriousness of the other coaches and I wanted to do just as well or better than them," Petrullo said.

"But then I realized the main concentration should be that the kids have fun," he said.

Petrullo pointed to a number of photographs he had of all the players and said, "These smiles on the kid's faces should be the reason we try and coach."

Like many fathers, Petrullo has to balance his day job with the schedule of coaching.

Petrullo works in Calabasas at Sotheby's International Realty Ewing and Associates, which he says has been great in understanding his schedule and has sponsored his kids' teams.

"Every day I'm like an onoff button," Petrullo said. "I work hard in the day, but at 2:30 p.m., my focus turns to helping these kids. You have something here (the kids) that is very, very important. It shouldn't all be about work."

Another goal of Petrullo's is to make the leagues better than they were for him as a kid growing up in New York.

He says those leagues were more of a drop-off service; parents did not follow through with their children's activities.

"It's a big responsibility," Petrullo said. "I may lose a sale at work by leaving early to help these kids, but this is what's important.

"For years, I was stuck in the rat race, but now I just want to be a permanent influence on these kids," he said. "I don't want to be one of those dads where when my kids turn 18 I'm asking myself, 'Where did all the time go?'"

Right now, Petrullo spends his waking hours working at Ewing and Associates but he is looking forward to the fall season when he can again start helping kids.

Petrullo smiles when he says that 100 percent of the youths he coached have signed up to play again.

"Sometimes it's tough to get these kids focused as they often stare into space at an airplane or will just throw a ball at another kid for no reason," Petrullo said.

"We have to show them pride, teach them sportsmanship and get them ready and excited to play," he said. "But the most important thing is that we teach them to have fun."