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The best coaches talk about people before they talk about pitches. We sit down with Nazareth Academy legend and IHSA Hall of Famer Lee Milano alongside his son Dom Milano, the head baseball coach at Harper College, for a wide ranging conversation on baseball leadership, player development, and the habits that actually last when the season gets hard.

Lee shares why opening day still brings real energy, and why coaching is inseparable from teaching. We dig into the hard moments coaches rarely admit out loud, cutting players, sending seniors off, and trying to guide teenagers through failure without breaking their confidence. Lee explains how his background in education and counseling shapes his approach to accountability, second chances, and treating players fair instead of treating everyone the same.

Dom breaks down what it’s like to become a junior college head coach at 23, how to use age as a strength when connecting with athletes, and why JUCO baseball is a powerful training ground when resources are limited and decisions come fast. We also get practical on building an offensive identity around controlling the strike zone, valuing walks, and demanding consistency. Along the way, we swap stories about umpires, reputation, and the reality that players and parents follow the head coach’s lead in tense moments.

If you care about high school baseball, college baseball, travel baseball, or youth baseball development, this one is packed with simple coaching principles you can apply immediately. Subscribe to The Good Man Podcast, share it with a coach who cares, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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