Before a pitch is thrown in softball, a coach usually calls out a series of three numbers. They refer to the pitch being thrown, and the location up and down.Coach Mac brought that to North Jersey.

Pickoff plays at first base in which the first baseman charges in and the second baseman covers the bag?

That’s a Coach Mac thing.

The PVC pipe contraption that was used to teach young pitchers so they wouldn’t lean in when they pitched?

That’s also a Coach Mac thing.

You can point to almost any facet of North Jersey softball today and see James A. MacDonald’s fingerprints all over it. The beloved “Coach Mac” passed away Tuesday from an unspecified illness at the age of 78 leaving the game much better than when he found it.