While Vetter, 51, says he didn't know Sonny too well during the fall of 2004, when Sonny was dealing with the aftermath of his father's death, once the baseball season began in the spring of 2005, Vetter says he took several opportunities to talk with Sonny privately about a shared experience between the coach and baseball pupil. Vetter had lost his father at a young age, too, although Vetter was 24 and beginning his first teaching job when his dad died. Vetter says his father was hospitalized when Barry Vetter had just embarked on his professional career and was newly married. Vetter says he had to ask for many days off early on to first visit his ailing dad in the hospital, and then to help make funeral arrangements following his father's death.