Guilford’s Rams Leading Little League into the Future

Armando Rams' dedication to Little League is so strong that you may just catch him sneaking out of his house late at night for a rendezvous with his lifelong passion.

"I love Little League; it is just one of those things," Armando says. "I just love the game; I'd rather watch the kids than the pros."

Armando, the vice-president of the Guilford Little League Executive Board, does indeed have a strong love for the game of baseball and his town's Little League program. A ballplayer in his own right, Armando has dedicated himself to coaching and the progression of Guilford Little League while bringing a refreshing approach to the program.

"He brings an amazing baseball experience to these young kids and he is wonderful even as a coach-he follows up with parents and dedicates so much time to Guilford Little League," said Chrystyne McGrath, whose son played for Armando. "Armando is even there watching teams he isn't coaching, giving support to all of the teams and Little League as a whole."

Originally from Cuba, Armando grew up in Bridgeport playing catcher for Notre Dame-Fairfield. He continued to play baseball into his mid-20s, though he never played collegiately. When he became a Guilford resident and father of two children, Alissa and Tripper, Armando quickly saw a need to volunteer.

"Actually, a couple of things started getting me involved; I saw the need for more parents to get involved," says Armando. "In the beginning, I couldn't take on coaching a team because I was traveling a lot for work. But once that stopped and I started coaching, I really encouraged all parents to get involved with the league because it's a big help for the kids in town. I saw that the league was fantastic and I wanted to make it better, striving to improve one thing each year."

A manager of the Wells Fargo Bank in Guilford, Armando commits tons of his time to the youngsters. As a coach, he took on multiple teams and for three years coached fall, spring, and All-Star squads, saying the biggest thrill he got was having the kids call him "coach."

"I enjoy coaching more than playing," he says. "One of best feelings in the world is when a player calls you 'coach.' You coach this little kid at six years old and then he is all grown up and comes up behind you and says 'hey coach'; that is just a great feeling."

Still, Armando's coaching style isn't all about happy feelings and ice cream cones after a game. At some point-and according to Armando, that is around age nine-kids start to become competitive and the notion that "everyone wins, let's not keep score" doesn't work as well anymore. As Armando suggests, baseball is often a game of failure and there are as many life lessons in losing as there are in victory.

"You have to let them know that if they make a mistake, it isn't a good thing," Armando says. "You can't teach that losing is okay; they have to learn to accept and deal with that. Baseball is a game of failure; if you strike out seven out of 10 times, you can make the Hall of Fame. You have to teach kids to study hard and work hard to achieve their goals."

McGrath has no problem with that philosophy.

"I appreciate it because that is part of the learning experience, part of the Little League experience. I appreciate it as a parent," she said.

More important than winning and losing is the bond baseball has built amongst Armando and his family. As a Little League player himself, his family wasn't afforded the time to catch all of Armando's games, which is why it is so special now that Armando, his wife, Tracy, and their two children can all be found at the field on game day.

"My wife will be in the concession stand with my daughter making signs, selling food, stocking shelves," says Armando. "It is great to all be on the field together, watching kids play. We are not the only family that contributes like that. There were a few days when I wasn't coaching and I was helping out in the concession stand and people would be like 'do you live here?'"

Tripper is now playing Babe Ruth ball, while Alissa has taken to field hockey and lacrosse at Guilford High School and so Armando has taken a step back from coaching to focus on his duties as the Executive Board VP. Continuing the program's success is priority number one and doing so requires finding more people like himself to give their time to the kids and the league.

Says Armando: "Doing one little thing for the town or the league goes a long way."