No South Jersey family has invested more of their lives in baseball than the Barths. And yesterday the sport gave them a few hours back, a doubleheader against West Deptford, a small reprieve from the tragedy that struck them earlier in the day.
Authorities say that Bob Barth, 59, of Winslow Township, a longtime high-school teacher who coached baseball and basketball for decades in South Jersey, was traveling north on Route 42 in Bellmawr, Camden County, around 6:30 a.m. when his Mercury Mariner struck an abandoned vehicle near the Creek Road exit.
New Jersey State Police said that Barth was ejected from the vehicle, which flipped over when he struck the car, and that he was not wearing a seatbelt.
He was pronounced dead shortly afterward at Cooper University Hospital.
Police did not say how the accident happened, but family members believe that Barth may have had a seizure or some other medical emergency.
They all knew where he was going.
"He was going to Sportz Central, probably to work some kids out," said longtime friend Bruce Darrow, who grew up with Barth in Brooklawn.
Barth's accident was less than a half-mile from Sportz Central, the baseball instructional facility his brother Dennis owns, and where both brothers trained Little Leaguers and college ballplayers alike.
Those who knew Barth say the married father of four often was heard before he was seen, and had a mouth that rankled the ears of every umpire in South Jersey but also boosted the confidence of his beloved ballplayers.
"He had a way with kids; it would be something silly, maybe, but it would break the tension," said Bob Wilgus, whose son was playing centerfield for the Brooklawn American Legion yesterday. "He would tell the kids, 'Don't worry. You leave the worrying to me.' "
Barth was a high-school history teacher for more than 30 years, mostly at Overbrook Regional High School in Pine Hill, where he also coached varsity basketball for 17 years.
