Bradleys — father and son — coaching together
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Twelve years ago, Tom Bradley coached his son Tommy as their Media Little League 10U team captured district, section, state and Mid-Atlantic Region championships.
Flash forward and the Bradley's again are linked as a new Media team reaches unprecedented heights. This time, though, they are coaching together.
Tom is the manager and Tommy a third base/pitching coach and both helped Media reach the Little League World Series for the first time. Whether bonded as coaches or as coach/player, father and son sure have created some fantastic memories.
"It's been so wonderful spending time with him and he's an awesome kid," Tom said. "It's been a great time and my wife and daughters have been here watching us. It's really special to be doing this and to be coaching with him."
Tommy's team was the first at any Media Little League level to win a Mid-Atlantic championship. That accomplishment is posted on the league's Wall of Fame at the field. Part of the team's goal this year was not only matching that achievement, but going topping it.
Granted, Tommy's team never had a chance to go beyond regionals since there is no Series at the minor division. Nevertheless, it is mission accomplished. And one won't find Tommy complaining about this team going farther. That was the plan all along.
These kids mean so much to Tommy, 21, that he sacrificed his job to continue coaching them. Earlier this summer, Tommy promised his players he would coach them all the way until the run ended at the major level. He was not about to go back on that after Media defeated Washington, D.C., 2-0, and clinched its Series berth.
So, when his employer would not grant him a leave of absence, Tommy left. Other jobs likely will come. An opportunity like this may never come again.
"He said, 'I promised these kids and I've been there for two two years and I have to be there now. They said he would have to resign, so he told them he was resigning," Tom said. "He made sure he was going to be with the kids. It was a great decision because he is so great with these kids."
So is Tom.
After coaching his son through the major division, Tom stopped coaching. Tommy graduated from Monsignor Bonner following an outstanding scholastic baseball career in 2020 and Tom returned to coaching Little League. He was not seeking the all-star coaching job, but Media Little League board members respected him so much and thought that he would be the perfect choice to lead an up and coming team, so they went looking for him.
The rest is history. Literally.
"Tom is just a great guy," Media Little League president Josh Steinberg said. "He helps out around the complex with league stuff even though he's not on the board. Even without going to Williamsport, Tom is a huge help to the league, in general."
Tommy has provided a similar jolt and adds a level of relatability which goes beyond him being part of a decorated team. With it only being nine years ago that Tommy and his teammates won regionals he is connected with the players in a way that some older coaches may not be. He knows exactly what they are thinking and feeling.
Having gone to regionals, Tommy also could prepare the players well for what they might encounter when they reached Bristol, Connecticut. Tommy also continues playing baseball and is a starting catcher for Wayne, which just won its 19th Delco Adult League championships.
Add all that with his baseball acumen and Tommy has provided Media another terrific resource.
"He still plays and he is an instructor at the indoor facility, so he comes with a credibility. He's a younger guy who is a baseball player and he's not a dad. He's a player that's coaching them," Steinberg said. "From the outside, it seems like having a baseball player as part of the staff is something the kids seem to respond to. To have a kid who grew up playing in the Media Little League in the last 10-15 years and come back is unique and is something which helps the team."
A few days before Media captured the Mid-Atlantic championship on Trevor Skowronek's dramatic two-run, walk-off home run, Wayne secured another Delco League title. Like Media, Wayne has displayed its resilience, continuing to thrive despite playing without Tommy.
Media competes through the loaded District 19, so there was a chance Wayne would be without its catcher for just one tournament. Then Media knocked off last year's 9-11 division regional champion Aston-Middletown to win that title. And then Media won sections … and states … and regionals. Never was Tommy so happy that he couldn't play baseball.
"As we kept going, he said, 'I hope I never play again (this summer),'" Tom said. "They look up to him."
The players might not know it, but the Bradleys look up to them as well. They coach, but the players are the ones who have to execute and deliver. Time after time, on the big stages, every player has repeatedly done so. Media had not won a state championship since 1957 and now it is one of the world's top 20 Little League teams.
The Bradleys have taken summer vacations before. But good luck topping this one.
"It's really unique what we've experienced," Tom said. "It's something that he can tell his kids about someday."