A perfect 10: St. Dominic baseball retires longtime coach Rick Garrett's number
Former St. Dominic baseball coach Rick Garrett and his son, Thomas Garrett, pose with Rick's retired number prior to a CHSAA baseball game at the Charles Wang Athletic Complex, on Saturday April 27, 2024 Credit: David Meisenholder
The day was a perfect ‘10’ for the No. 10 and the St. Dominic baseball program.
The school paid the ultimate tribute to legendary baseball coach Rick Garrett on Saturday by making the uniform number he wore through 17 years as head coach the first to be retired with a marvelous ceremony before the Bayhawks’ CHSAA game against Archbishop Molloy on their field in the Wang Athletic Complex.
Decades of St. Dominic’s finest baseball players paid homage to the architect and patriarch of the program in a fete that concluded with the unveiling of an impressive No. 10 on the left field wall and words that will remind fans and visitors in the years to come of Garrett’s tenure as coach from 1997-2014 and the Bayhawks’ first Catholic championship in 2009.
“I watched people from the last 30 years of my life say the kindest words about me and it was amazing,” Garrett said as he stood in left field and then gestured to the marker. “And in a year when I lost my father – who is the reason I always wore No. 10 – to see this is really touching.”
And then St. Dominic senior catcher Thomas Garrett, Rick’s son and the last Bayhawk player who will don the No. 10, put the perfect punctuation mark on the day. His two-run single was the centerpiece of a six-run rally in the third inning as Nassau/Suffolk Diocese front-runner St. Dominic beat Brooklyn/Queens Diocese leader Molloy, 9-5, in a matchup that could be seen again in the state tournament.
“It was a special day and I’m glad I could perform well and help us win,” Thomas Garrett said.
“It was great to get a win for coach Garrett,” coach Joe Fusco said of his Bayhawks (13-2, 9-4). “Obviously this game had a little something extra to it and, in typical coach Garrett form, St. Dominic was able to win. . . . It made for a great all-around day.”
The story of Rick Garrett’s connection to the number he would wear for a lifetime lies in an enduring cliché – “give 110%” – said by his father to him at an early age. The youngster asked what it meant, given that 100% is everything. The dad explained to him that the extra 10% was what set the excellent apart from the very good in all aspects of life.
“The extra 10%, and so I wore No. 10,” he recalled.
Rick Garrett’s name is synonymous with the Bayhawks program for reasons that reach beyond the wins and championship. He played an instrumental role in St. Dominic acquiring the grounds where its home athletic fields stand and he helped the school – long known for high-achieving basketball teams – become a baseball destination.
“He put St. Dominic on the baseball map,” athletic director Chris Mueller said. “Even after stepping away as head coach, he had remained very involved. Having that plague in the outfield is, we thought, [was] a fitting tribute to recognize his time here.”
Rick Garrett is also beloved by the school community and the players he taught and mentored, Of course, there were memorable players like 2008 Catholic Player of the Year Dan Lackner; 2009 Pitcher of the Year Kyle Hansen who was drafted into the White Sox organization; 6-11 lefthander Kyle Young, who was picked by the Phillies; and Steve Goldstein, who played on the Bayhawks’ title team and Stony Brook’s 2012 College World Series team.
“The people who became part of our program were so great and went on to do so many great things,” Rick Garrett said. “There might be only one championship, but I felt like I won a championship every year.”
His embrace for the St. Dominic community was formed soon after he began working at the school. He was on his first baseball trip with the team when he learned his mother had died. He returned and the wake was held on Holy Saturday, he recalled.
“It was packed with people from my new St. Dominic family,” Rick Garrett said. “I was so moved by that and so inspired. I’ve always wanted to give back to this place that’s given me so much.”
“There have been so many people to come through our program and to hear the way they talk about coach Garrett is second to none,” Fusco said. “He’s made a lasting impact. It’s why I feel today like I am [shepherding] Rick Garrett’s program.”
It was Rick Garrett’s day, still he couldn’t stop talking to all who stayed for the game about his son’s three-hit performance.
“I am honored to be last player to wear the number,” Thomas Garrett said. “He is being recognized for building this program, making it [thrive] and all the lives he touched. No. 10 is our family number – I wear it, my sisters wear it – and we do it to make a statement to everyone. Retiring his number makes a statement to us.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
