Bill Cortes arrived at Duluth East's baseball practice Friday wearing a hat purchased from the Field of Dreams site in Dyersville, Iowa.
Cortes knows a thing or two about a field of dreams. He helped organize and fund the building of the original baseball field next to Ordean Middle School at a time when there were few places to play a game outside of Wade Stadium.
East now plays at refurbished Ordean Field, one that Cortes has helped maintain as a Greyhounds assistant coach. But that time is coming to an end. The 70-year-old Cortes, who has served as East head or assistant coach in baseball or football since 1988 -- including as a volunteer since 2000 -- is retiring for good. He plans on eventually moving to Wilmington, Del., but has fond memories of his days in Duluth.
"There are all kinds of ways to give back to a community," Cortes said. "I just think being part of a community, all of us are obliged to give back. The community's been good to me and I can't argue with that. I've enjoyed all my time here since I moved here in 1965."
The Chicago native and University of Minnesota graduate moved to Duluth and worked on-air at KDAL radio and KDLH-TV for 14 years. After working in public relations for the Seaway Port Authority, Cortes returned to college and earned his teaching degree at Minnesota Duluth.
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It was teaching for 15 years in the Duluth school district and coaching that Cortes found his true passion.
After coaching numerous youth programs in several sports, Cortes coached baseball at East from 1988-95 and again since 2000 under John Rudolph. He was Greyhounds football coach from 1991-2001.
"There's something about working with [teenagers] that transcends the wins and losses," he said. "I've had more than one person tell me, 'If you had won more, you wouldn't be saying things like that.' Maybe that's true, but on the other hand maybe these kids are getting something from me that they won't get anywhere else."
Rudolph says he'll miss Cortes' wisdom.
"He's been a great mentor for me," said Rudolph, who doubts many of today's coaches would volunteer their time as much as Cortes has. "It's pure love of the game. He echoes that pure love of the game -- football, baseball, whatever sport. It's a love of being with the kids and the relationships he's built with the kids."
That time is running out. Second-seeded East (15-6) plays twice in today's Section 7AAA elite eight, starting with a 1 p.m. game against Anoka in St. Francis.
Another field of dreams -- Siebert Field on the Minnesota campus -- could await the Greyhounds in the Class AAA state tournament.
