Vince D’Adamo: Though you have stepped away from coaching, what was the No. 1 thing that kept you coming back to coaching every season?
Allen Rossi: The No. 1 thing that kept me coming back every season was coaching and teaching the game of baseball to a new group of kids. Each season is different and every team has its challenges. I always tried to put kids in positions to succeed, not fail. We did a really good job of doing that and at the end of the year when you see how much players have grown and have gotten better that is what made me proud.
D’Adamo: You took over a Justin-Siena baseball program on two occasions that would be classified as turnarounds. What was your vision for the Braves baseball program based on what you wanted them to become?
Rossi: My vision has always been to teach life lessons through baseball. What you put in to something is what you will get out of it. I am a big believer in teaching and working on fundamentals. I have always surrounded myself with great assistant coaches (Mitch Boggs, Scott Wright, Rick Leonard, Jim Campbell, Spencer Czekalewski, Tim Malloy) who had the same vision. The hardest part about coaching is getting the kids to buy into your program and trusting you and what you are teaching. I have been blessed that all my teams have done that and that's the biggest reason why we were successful.
D’Adamo: Though certain people might first associate you with Justin-Siena, you also coached for several years with the Joe DiMaggio League, what did you enjoy most about those years?
Rossi: Coaching summer baseball in the Napa Valley Joe DiMaggio League is really where I started to learn how to be a baseball coach. I enjoyed recruiting kids from all the high schools and getting them to play together as a team. In 1991, I was 24 yrs old and never coached before. I have always been a student of the game so I really wanted to be a coach. In 1993, I had a very young team. Mike Neu, Scott Kohler and Aaron Rofkahr were all 15 yrs old but I had two great 18 year old leaders in Tim Brockway and Tom Cullison. We went on to win the State Championship with a 36-1 record and that was the second time ever that a Napa team had won it. That year really put me on the map as a coach. Rich Anderson approached me to coach his Vintage JV team after that and in 1997 Steve Meyer asked me to be his assistant coach at Justin-Siena. Lynn McCarroll hired me as the head coach two years later.
D’Adamo: You hear the term "culture" being uttered in sports, what did that term mean to you and your program?
Rossi: I always wanted to create a winning culture. Justin-Siena had not had a winning culture for a long time when I took over the program in 1999. One of my first speeches I told the team I don't want to be a rival with St. Helena. I want to be a rival of Vanden and St. Pat's/St.Vincents. Those two schools had a winning tradition and had won the SCAL and Section Championships every year. The first year we tied for the SCAL Championship and Justin-Siena had not won a championship in 15 year and we made the playoffs and that had not happened in 12 years. The next year we won the SCAL and Div. III Sac Joaquin championship going 25-1. That was the first section championship in baseball.
D’Adamo: Your coaching style appeared to epitomize the idea of "practice is for coaches, games are for players," how much does preparation transcend to both sports and every aspect of life?
Rossi: Preparation is key to anything you do in life. If you prepare the correct way you will be successful, if you prepare poorly you will fail. I always preached to my teams to never be satisfied and don't settle for mediocrity. Strive to be the best at everything you do.
D’Adamo: Within your family who have been the most influential people?
Rossi: My dad has been the most influential person in my life. He raised three boys on a limited salary and always had time to play catch with us after work. I learned so much from him as a coach and a father. He is a great mentor to me and is my biggest supporter when it comes to coaching. He was pretty sad when I retired but he understands why.
D’Adamo: Name a historical figure, dead or alive, in or out of sports you would most like to meet and what would intrigue you about meeting that person.
Rossi: I have two historical figures I would like to meet. Jesus Christ because without him in my life I would be nothing. He has given me so many blessings and continues to bless my family. He died for our sins and we should all be thankful for that.
In baseball my favorite player growing up was Pete Rose. He played the game the way it should be played. When he ran over Ray Fosse in the All-Star game shows you how much passion he had. I never want to see anyone hurt in sports but that is how bad he wanted to win and it didn't matter it was the All-Star game. Pete Rose never took a play off and hated to lose.
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