Tom Dill remembers Giancarlo Stanton walking into his office after football practice as a senior at Notre Dame High School.
Stanton, tall and hulking, even as a teen, had played football, basketball and baseball at the preparatory in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles. But by his final year of high school, he realized his future would be on the gridiron or the diamond, not the hardwood. So he went to Dill, Notre Dame’s longtime baseball coach and Dean of Men, and told him that he wouldn’t play basketball as a senior. That would give him more time to train as a ballplayer.
Dill had a different idea.
He asked Stanton to make two ranked lists: the sports he enjoyed the most and the ones he considered himself best at. The first list had basketball at the top, followed by baseball and football. The second list had football first, baseball second and basketball last.
“You have the most fun playing basketball and you’re not going to play in your senior year?” Dill recalled asking Stanton during a phone call with The Daily News.
Dill went on to tell Stanton that “you only have high school one time.” Even though he coached baseball, Dill wanted his player to do what made him happy.
Stanton ended up hooping one more time, earning All-California Interscholastic Federation honors along the way. More importantly, he had a blast on the court.
Giancarlo Stanton with his high school teammates.
“He was right,” Stanton, who also consulted Notre Dame’s basketball coach, told The News. “It ended up being a great decision because I had so much fun. That was the sport that was pure fun. It wasn’t like, ‘Hey, you’re going to the next level, possible pro, etc.’”
Stanton ultimately stuck with baseball, as the Marlins used a second-round pick on him in the 2007 draft. However, Dill said that his star pupil, an all-CIF athlete in all three sports, could have gone pro in each of them.
“USC was pretty hot after him,” the coach said, noting Stanton – fast enough to play cornerback and wide reiver back then – would have probably played football and baseball for the Trojans.
“I think he picked the right one,” Dill added.
It’s hard to argue with Dill. Now 34 and a Yankee, Stanton has made millions and millions of dollars, won an MVP award, and placed himself on a Hall of Fame track. He is having another clutch postseason, tallying five home runs, 16 RBI and an ALCS MVP award.
Now Stanton is about to play in his first World Series. With the Yankees facing the Dodgers in the Fall Classic, the Panorama City, California native will do so in his own backyard in front of friends and family.
“I know he’s really pumped up about coming back home and being able to play here,” said Dill, who rushed home from chaperoning a school dance to watch Stanton hit a game-tying homer in Game 5 of the ALCS. “He always does well at Dodger Stadium, and we’re excited for that. I don’t see how he could do any better than he’s been doing the last few weeks.”
With Games 1 and 2 of the World Series taking place in Los Angeles, Stanton downplayed the significance of playing on such a big stage in his hometown.
“I can look at it as cool later, but I’m not here to just be there,” the childhood Dodgers fan said.
His dad, Mike, shared a different perspective with The News.
When the Dodgers were playing San Diego in the NLDS, the father and son talked about which team Stanton would rather play in the World Series. Mike assumed Stanton might pick the Padres because they’d theoretically be easier to beat. Instead, Stanton picked Los Angeles.
“That’s home,” he told his pops.
Mike said he took Stanton to about five to eight Dodgers games a year growing up. He understands why his child doesn’t want to get too emotional about his next visit to Chavez Ravine, though.
“He can bring out the joyful kid when they win the World Series,” said Mike, who will attend games in Los Angeles and New York. “In the meantime, he wants to keep his focus.”
While Stanton wouldn’t talk much about playing at home, he had no problem reflecting on his time at Notre Dame. He remains involved at his alma mater, has visited as a big leaguer and is in the school’s Hall of Fame.
He compared Dill to Yankees skipper Aaron Boone, calling him the “pure definition of a human- and kids-developing coach,” someone who knows how to manage different personalities and all walks of life.
Dill said that Stanton has donated Nike gear to the school in each of his 15 MLB seasons. When asked why, Stanton said he appreciated how Notre Dame instilled a “demand for excellence” on the field and in the classroom.
“I still have lifelong friends from there, lifelong memories,” he said. “A winning culture makes you understand the importance of winning and not just showing up.”
Dill also said that he often has his players watch how Stanton conducts himself on the field and during interviews.
Stanton has taken some heat since arriving in New York prior to the 2018 season, often falling short of sometimes-impossible expectations. He’s been a frequent target of Bronx boo birds, especially when he struggled and battled injuries the previous two seasons.
“I know it can be real tough at times,” Mike said. “It can be a load for him. But anything I’ve seen quoted, he’s always taken responsibility for his down times. I think that’s a great trait in him. Of course, it’s tough to have booing and things like that, but I’m proud and pleased with the way he’s handled it. I can take it pretty hard knowing he has to go through that once in a while.
“I feel some of his pain, but he feels all of his pain. But he’s taken responsibility, and I’m proud of him for that.”
Stanton’s accountability — he’s known to be succinctly self-critical in postgame scrums — is one of the reasons he’s considered a leader within the Yankees’ clubhouse.
It’s also one of the reasons Dill continues to hype Stanton up at Notre Dame.
“You very rarely see him get upset,” the coach said. “Sometimes our superstars in every sport can maybe not be a great example to the younger players. With Giancarlo, I never have a problem with that.”
When told that Dill is still holding him up as a role model, Stanton, rarely one for self-adulation, said that he’s aware. While he wouldn’t talk about his L.A. homecoming much, he did say that his impact on the school matters to him.
“That’s important,” Stanton said. “That’s what you’re here for: the next generation and the positive influence that we can give.”
