2012 Winner of the Dr. Anson Buck Award
2018 Elims - 4th Place
2019 Brampton Tournament Finalist
2019 COBA Playoff Finalist
2019 COBA MVP - Joe Ferreira
2022 Lakeside Tournament Finalist
2022 COBA ROY - Aidan Murphy
2023 Lakeside Tournament Finalist
2023 COBA Playoff Finalist
2023 COBA ROY - Alex Fascia
2024 Elims - 3rd Place
2024 COBA MVP - Victor Speciale
2024 COBA Comeback player - Dawson Fascia
2024 COBA Executive of the Year - Frank Fascia
A Proud member of the COBA "AAA" Major League since 2004
Blake Frost
It all started over our Jr. All-Star team when we went undefeated for the season. Other teams thought we were the Rep team for Brampton! Great group of guys. We were given two weeks to get funds together as Baseball Ontario decided we should participate in the Provincials.
It was at the end of our last game that Brad (my son) and a couple of others came to us very emotional, realizing this was the end of their competitive baseball careers asking, “was there anything after this?”
Several years before, Brampton did have a Sr. AAA team run by Frank Fascia but had folded.
Ron and I approached COBA and after several meetings we were given the go ahead after we proved to them we had players and funding. Once approved the Brampton Braves were set to play AAA.
Ian Held and Scott Stephenson and John Schwalm joined our club after a few years and it was Ian who thought we should change our name to the Brampton Battlecats.
One of the highlights was in 2006 watching one of our Cuban players, COBA Rookie of the Year John Zamora hitting one into the upper deck at SkyDome.
I think the problem for several years was that the team just didn’t gel together. We had players from House League, All-Stars and Rep players, some of whom thought they were better than others. As the Manager It was very frustrating over the years knowing that we had talent but just couldn’t get them together.
The other managers from the competing teams encouraged me for years not to give up and believe me, there was several times I wanted to throw in the towel!
Every year we would recruit from the Jr. teams in Brampton and we slowly became stronger then in 2012 it all came together and we won the Anson Buck with two of my original players, Joey and Kenny! I didn’t think I would live long enough to see this win! Lol
It’s most important to note that none of this would have been possible without our wives, Yvonne and Patti doing much of the behind-the-scenes work. I must acknowledge all the great coaches we had over the years; Steve Kretz, John Schwalm, Ian, Scott, Dave, Bruce and now Big Joe with Dave.
Our season didn’t end in August, as we attended meetings all winter long in Burlington. I think a lot of players really didn’t understand what it took to field a team. It isn’t just about the players.
Playing in Brampton, on the most expensive diamonds in the League, presented a very serious challenge year after year not knowing if we raised enough funds to field a team. This would keep me up at night!
Over the years we’ve had our up and downs dealing with the different personalities of the players, but on the other hand, it was special to me meeting and forming long-lasting friendships with the players, coaches and fans.
I always believed that the team would improve over the years and my dream was to have a team, "A Baseball Family" like some of the other teams such as Erindale that created a family atmosphere having the team cheered on by their wife’s, parents and kids with barbeques after each home game. It looks like after all these weddings and babies this past year my dream might come true!
My philosophy as a coach has always been, "you win as a team and you lose as a team."
Ron Lutz
Q - When and why were you chosen to work with Blake? What made you two work so well together?
A - Prior to 2002 Blake and I coached in different areas of Brampton. He in Brampton and me in Bramalea. After our time coaching Allstar we both decided to apply for the Rep. level and at the interview for the position we agreed to coach together. We were awarded the Tier 2 Junior team and in 2003 the team finished first and was upgraded to Tier 1. Eliminations which took place in Sault Ste. Marie. When the season ended and no senior team in the City we decided to apply to COBA to form a team. At a league meeting we presented our application and after hearing our story COBA accepted us and the new Senior team began.
Q – What was your role in creating the team?
A - I began by researching the availability of players, contacting Parks and Rec and BMBI for available nights and parks, setting up the banking, looking for a winter workout sight, planning winter workouts/tryouts and looking for other coaches.
Q – Was there any Brampton representation at the AAA level before the Battlecats? Did the team start out as the Braves then change to the Battlecats? If so, why the change?
A - There was a senior team in Brampton before us but was dissolved a number of years prior to us starting up again. It was called the Pioneers and was managed by current BMBI President, Frank Fascia. When Blake and I ended our junior term we realized there was no where for the graduating players to continue their playing time if we didn't form the new Seniors. If we didn't they would have moved on to the other teams in the league. This is what happened when the Pioneers folded.
Q - Early team challenges? Is there anything you would have done differently?
A - There were many early challenges; Player recruitment, fundraising were the most problematic. These also continued throughout my tenure with the team. I don't know if there was anything I could have done differently at the time.
Q - What were the most frustrating times? How does an unknown team recruit players?
A - There is always frustrations when you are dealing with a wide variety of players. Team fee collections, getting players to the diamond on time, and as always the various egos all coaches have to deal with. Recruiting players is always difficult but fortunately BMBI became a good farm system for us to draw from. The players would sometimes recommend players they knew, who we could try to get to play for the team. After the website was created we would get players contacting us to see if they could tryout.
Q - Other than winning the 2012 Andrews Division, what is your proudest moment, why?
A - As you say apart from the 2012 season which was a proud moment for all of us. I would say watching the players grow with the team and devote their time and efforts in making it a success and pleasure to play for was satisfying for me. There were many other individual times over the years that I have forgotten but having many of the players grow into responsible adults was probably my greatest feeling.
Q – I want to know what you did to earn the players respect.
A - You ask what I did to earn the players respect. This is difficult for me to answer and I suggest you ask those players to answer that one I am not comfortable touting myself. I did what was necessary so that the players could have a place to play at home and I could proudly watch them.
Q – Is there anything else you would like to share?
A - I just want to say thank you to the coaches, and league managers who I have had the pleasure and honour to meet over the years. The help and guidance they afforded me was critical in helping me to be able to build the team. I also want to thank this site's new Webmaster, Steve Burke for developing the great tribute to the team. You always saw Steve and Cece in the stands cheering us on. A special thank you goes out to my partner over the many years, Blake Frost. Blake put up with me and some of my weird ideas and acts while still encouraging me to keep on going.
Scotty Stephenson
Q – Where did your love for this great game come from?
A - I started playing baseball at around 8 years old in Rexdale and continued into my late teens. The league in Rexdale folded when I was 14. A friend got me to try out for a team called Legion 31 playing out of Smythe Park in Toronto where I played Bantam and 1 year of Junior. It was here that I developed a love of the game. The 2 coaches I had there were great teachers and mentors. They taught everyone all positions and rotated players around throughout the regular season. We went to the US (Utica, NY) to play and in 1969 we won the city championship (Toronto) beating Leaside 2 out of 3 at Talbot Park. There was no such thing as provincials then.
Q – How did you become a coach of the Battlecats? How long were you with the team?
A - I was approached by Ron when they were still the Braves but I had some personal stuff to look after. I decided to take some time off from baseball after I had finished coaching rep with BMBI. Ian Held joined the coaching staff with Ron and Blake that year. It was early the next year I ran into Ron at a Tim Hortons. We talked and he asked me then if I would be interested in becoming a coach with the Senior team. I agreed. I looked forward to coaching with Ian again and the affiliation with Ron and Blake. I’m not sure the length of time I was with the team. Ron would probably know that.
Q – Was it difficult coaching a team through its infancy years?
A - No, for the most part the guys were great and the coaching part was easy. We knew talent was out there but it wasn’t deep and as a new team it was hard to attract more and better talent. Our teams could be competitive on any given night but not over the long haul of the season. It was the administration part that was really difficult. It was the affiliation Ron and Blake were developing with BMBI that would start to pay off over the years. The Braves had no home field to play on. The city wouldn’t give them a diamond for a home field so they had to see what was open on a given night from BMBI. They had no practice field so they had to find a field that was open. Later we were given Fred Kee Park and we used that for a number of years but it had no mound and was unsuitable for Senior age players. It was as the Battlecats that we started to grow as a team. Ian Held was responsible for getting us into a major AAA tournament in Windsor that brought us some recognition in the province and we started competing in the AAA Senior Elims. Some good talent has come out of BMBI over the years. Ian Held, Steve Kretz and Dave Doherty coached teams from the BMBI junior rep system have contributed talent to the Senior club as well as some quality walk on players such as a Jesse Edmunds and Mike Burke (I’m not kissing up, that’s a fact). Sorry for the long answer but the coaching was easy. Most players had the skills. They needed to improve, in some cases knock the rust off, and work on the mental part.
Q - What was the best part about coaching with Blake and Ron in this new league?
A - Being allowed to coach and manage. They didn’t interfere or micromanage. They let me do my job as a coach and a manager. Communication was always open and up front.
Q – What was your most memorable/rewarding moment(s) with the Battlecats?
A - The year we won the COBA league championship. It was a pleasure to see Ron and Blake’s faces at the October banquet when they took home the Len Andrews Division Champions trophy and the Anson Buck League Champions trophy for the first time. These were team awards that meant a lot to these 2 individuals. Everyone contributed that year!
Q – What was your strongest attribute that you brought to the team?
A - Reliability! Honesty! Good times, bad times, I was always there.
Q – What went through your mind when you were called upon to bat in 2011? How good did that hit feel?
A - Bottom of the ninth, 1 run down and no players left on the bench to put in. Forfeiting was not an option! Ian Held had done this once before (Shakey has a funnier story about his experience) so I guess it was my turn. The brain says you’ve done this before, you can do it again so the adrenalin kicks in, but at some point the body says “I’ve had enough you dumb ass!” The hit felt great but the aftermath was painful! For days. Oh, I was safe by the way.
Q – Do you have anything else you'd like to share?
A - I’ve gone on too much already. I would like to say thanks to Ron and Blake for inviting me to be a part of the teams that they started. It was an honour to have coached with all the coaches I’ve worked with through those years and a pleasure to have known all the players that have played for the Brampton Braves/Battlecats/Royals.
Ian "Shakey" Held
Q – Where did your love for this great game come from?
A - My love for the game came with the growing of my sons (Stephen and Matthew). My love of sports in my youth was Lacrosse and Hockey.
Q – How did you become a coach of the Battlecats? How long were you with the team?
A - Through being part of the Executive of Brampton Minor Baseball Inc. I coached in the Rep System for twenty plus years. I got to know both Ron and Blake in our Midget and Junior years and worked very well together. As they formed the senior team in my last year of junior. I was honoured when I was asked to join the team as the Field Manager, where I served for four years. I did return to the team as the Bench Coach and Base Coach.
Q – Was it difficult coaching a team through its infancy years?
A - I never found it difficult Managing the Team with the backing of Ron and Blake. they were very understanding in where I believed the Team stood in comparison with other teams in COBA and throughout the Province. Once players understood their positions and roles things are easy.
Q - What was the best part about coaching with Blake and Ron?
A - Their compassion for the game. They are two gentlemen that are willing to go out on a limb for the benefit of young men. They are two who are willing to seek out advise from others. It was a honour to work with them and we are still friends today.
Q – What was your most memorable/rewarding moment(s) with the Battlecats?
A - Making it to the Provincial "C" Championship game. The fact that the team completely sold into the understanding that this was the Division they would compete in the best. This was hard for most of the team as they were accustomed to always playing in the Provincial "AAA or A" Championship. Not every player understood that Divisions weren't based solely on your record but also population of an area.
Q – What was the strongest attribute that you brought to the team?
A - As a Level III NCCP coach and being a student of the game I brought to the team an understanding of positional play. Sportsmanship. The ability to communicate with players and coaches. To make players understand the difference between fair and equal playing time. My knowledge of coaches and players from some of the other centers. Being approachable at any time.
Q - I understand you had some input in naming the team the Battlecats from the Braves. Do you recall why that name was chosen?
A - It was my feeling that as a new senior team we needed a new identity. This I brought forward at one of our coaches meetings where we all had our input as always. We were not being funded by BMBI but did require a COBA affiliation. On many of my Rep. team visits to the States we played in Battlecreek Michigan Mayors tournament. There was a Single A team called the Battlecats that had a great logo.
Q – Do you have anything else you would like to share?
A - I can only say that it has been a honour and a privilege to have lead the Battlecats through their first few years. I have worked with a lot of coaches and players from T-Ball to Senior, from Team Ontario (Canada Games) to Intercounty and the Battlecats have had some of the finest gentlemen I have every been associated with.
Dave Flannagan
Q - Who is Dave Flannagan?
A - Educated at Brock University, coaching credentials down below. Passion to develop players in life and in baseball.
Specializing in catcher development, involved with BMBI as an Umpire in Chief and helping other coaches within the organization.
NCCP Trained:
o Regionally Trained Certified
o Provincially Trained Certified
· Brampton Senior Royals General Manager, COBA Major (August 2016 to Present)
· Brampton Senior Royals Head Coach, COBA Major (August 2017 to Present
· Junior Representative Manager, Brampton Minor Baseball Inc. (2011– 2016)
· Junior Representative Manager Ontario 2 – U21 National Tournament, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia 2014
- Took the Junior Royals to the nationals in 2014
· U17/18 Representative Assistant Coach (September 2012 – 2014)
· Midget AAA Representative Head Coach (September 2008 to 2011)
· Select Manager Minor & Major Bantam (September 2006 to September 2008)
· Select Assistant Coach Junior (September 2005 to September 2007)
Q - What has made you such a successful coach?
A - Being honest and open, speaking ones mind so that players understand the parameters of expectations. Doing what's best for the team, not the individual where everyone is striving for a common goal. Communication is key so that everyone knows their roles and can have a discussion. Having the ability to be calm, collected and to think the game through. Strategy has always been key but taking the ability of the players and adapting a successful plan that they can execute.
Q - What are the differences in coaching at this level than with the Junior program?
A - At the senior level, players are more established in life plus most if not all have experience playing the game. It's managing expectations and skill levels in their roles which are more refined at this point. Junior with players still in school have oversight over them so you're balancing programs where in senior you have one goal in mind.
Q - Have your first few years at the helm of the Royals gone as expected? Any surprises?
A - It's been mostly as expected, learning the team and personalities. Managing expectations of the players but also being able to start bringing in players that can help the team in the long term. Surprisingly how fast the team adapted to my own philosophies of which take time. Seeing the fruits of that labour with tournaments last year (2018).
Q - Complete this sentence. The Senior Royals have earned a reputation for…..
A - Offense, that on any day we can hit with the best teams in Ontario
Q - What do you need to do to improve on last season’s successes in tournament play?
A - Becoming deeper, the roster skill level advancing to be able to finish off our goal of winning tournaments. Continuing to work on executing good fundamental baseball that will carry us far.
Q - What was your biggest takeaway from last season’s Elims?
A - The promise of what's to come, that the players when put in the right positions to succeed can be one of the provinces best and need to believe in that.
Q - What can we look forward to in 2019?
A - Hopefully a step forward not just in tournaments but in league play that we can be that team that slowly develops into a team that can win at any level (league, tournament, Elims.)
Q - Is there anything else you would like to add?
A - I'm looking forward to the coming season to build upon what we started here.
Frank Fascia
Q - Where does your love for baseball come from?
A - My father. He was my coach for many years. Brought me to Montreal Expos games in their early years and I fell in love with the game.
Q - How has Brampton baseball changed since your playing days?
A - It used to be that athletes were born. Now we can take any ball player, and with our current development models, can turn any player who puts in the effort, into a good ball player.
Q - Being in a position to affect change within Brampton baseball, what are you most proud of?
A - I am most proud of the players I've coached, who have now come back to coach in BMBI.
Q - With the team’s recent tournament success, is it any easier recruiting players to the Royals?
A - I believe Brampton will get to a point in which we have two Senior teams. We have many good 22U players coming up the ranks and this year (2024) our roster is full at 25 players. The player attraction comes from educating BMBI players of their options after 18U and the amount of social media we use to promote our success.
Q - What is the best way for a coach to earn the player’s respect?
A - Give them the tools to succeed and treat everyone with the same standards.
Q - What do you consider a successful season?
A - Deep runs in tournaments and ultimately, winning the Elimination tournament for the privilege of representing Ontario at the Senior Nationals.
Q - How important is it for a coach to be goal oriented?
A - It's the only thing that is important, given you need to measure and define success.
Q - Is there anything else you would like to share?
A - A Championship team has a buy-in culture. All members of the team buying in to achieve the same goal. We're working hard to develop that culture.
Joey Nonis
Q - How did you find out Brampton had a senior AAA team? When and why did you try out for the team? Were there tryouts?
A - At the end of a very successful Junior season in Brampton with Blake and Ron as our coaches (we might have lost about 5 games the entire season), questions were raised amongst the team about where we were going to play the next season. There were about 5 or 6 players including myself that were in our last Junior season and had to look somewhere for a place to play the following season. Blake and Ron came up with the brilliant idea of creating a COBA SENIOR team that would take the place of the Pioneers, who left the league a few years earlier.
In our first season I wouldn’t call them tryouts, it was more like getting 16 players who can play at an elite COBA level.
Besides the 6 of us coming up from the Juniors the rest were found through friends and former teammates. We began training before the season in a relatively small gym in the spring in Brampton.
Q - What if anything did you know about the team before joining (i.e. coaches and other players)?
A - Since I was one of the original players coming up from Junior along with Ryan Knight, Ken Appleby, and Brad Frost, and the coaches. We knew we had a solid foundation to start with to make this new team, but we know now, by depleting the Junior program to make the Seniors more competitive, left the Juniors with many holes that took years to fill.
Q - Did you still find the game fun even though you knew you were going to lose 60-70% of your games, or were you content to be playing in a very competitive league? Did the team get better by playing good teams?
A - Personally the game was always fun to me, as a pitcher, I am a gamer and loved the competitiveness of the league. The coaches and players knew we were going to have a few rough years to start as we only had a small handful of pitchers. All the other COBA teams were very established, besides Dundas they were going to be very hard to beat.
We learned a lot from the other teams as well, and as the years progressed, we learned to play our game better (along with expanding our core players along the way) and became competitive enough to win.
Q - What were your fondest and most frustrating memories of the early years?
A - My fondest memory in the earliest years was experiencing our first Windsor CAN-AM tournament. I don’t know how we got in at the time because we weren’t very good and it was an invitational tournament, but somehow Blake and Ron pulled it off. This was the first time I saw the team truly unified and "fired up" as a group. That passion paid off when we beat a very good team and almost beat the eventual tournament winner from Detroit. That tournament served as reassurance we were good enough to play anywhere as long as we were ready to play.
The frustrating parts were the opposite, many players weren’t ready to compete and play. Too many errors and dropped fly balls killed me as a pitcher on the mound and off it. Most of those frustrating times were during league games where many players went MIA or were not there mentally to play at an elite level.
Q – Do you recall any growing pains the team had to endure? How long did it take for the team to jell? When did you feel you could compete with the other teams?
A - There were plenty of growing pains the team endured, figuring out how to beat just the teams in COBA was a feat in itself, never mind the tournaments where you were guessing what the out of league teams were all about. But many years of learning from our mistakes started paying off, including increased talent from the Jr teams bringing waves of players in, and winning became more expected than desired. The official jelling came about when many of the Junior National Champs joined the club, including Vic, Justin, Steve etc., and that's when expectations started to join in on team meetings.
Q – Who were the team leaders?
A - I believe Ken Appleby and myself were the first to take on the leader responsibilities, Ken more so on the field and myself on the mound. Vic took over the players role almost immediately when arriving and a few years after that Marco and Joe also helped out with that role. I can only assume Mike (Burke) is the voice for the pitching now.
Q – Why Brampton? Why did you choose to play for Brampton, when you could have played for a better team elsewhere?
A - Brampton is my home, it's where I learned to play, it's who I wanted to represent for as long as I could. I also respected my coaches regardless of winning or losing, moving to a better team is just the easy way out.
Q - What would you consider a successful season?
A - a successful season in the early years of the team was to basically get more wins than the previous year, which was plenty hard enough thanks to the COBA competition. Once established as a competitive team, winning tournaments and COBA divisions became our success goals, which we did a couple of times.
Q - After each game did you share what happened with anyone?
A - We almost always had a team meeting after every game, many of which the coaches weren't to happy about especially early on, but they were important. They helped establish roles and responsibilities of everyone on the field or bench. Although many didn't like them, they were necessary and the beers did taste better when all problems were dealt with on the field than in the parking lot.
Q – Is there anything else you’d like to share?
A - Of all my years of playing baseball growing up in Brampton, from T-Ball to now, being a part of the Brampton COBA expansion Senior team was the most challenging and rewarding goal of my career, would not trade it for Windsor Stars or anybody.
Ken Appleby
Q – How did you find out Brampton had a senior AAA team? When and why did you try out for the team? Were there tryouts?
A - Way back it was called the Pioneers. I tried out for that team a couple years before I got on with the Senior Braves. Plus, I came up under Ron and Blake.
Ya, I'm pretty sure we had tryouts.
Q – What if anything, did you know about the team your first season (i.e. coaches and other players)?
I knew some of the players, probably like 75% or more? I think we may have actually just graduated out of the minor system and this team slot in the league was just recently left vacant. So having known most of the players, it was just getting to know what the calibre of ball was in the league.
Q – Did you still find the game fun even though you knew you were going to lose 60-70% of your games, or were you content to be playing in a very competitive league? Did the team get better just by playing good teams?
A - I guess it was fun and exciting to get on into a new league, but ya, we sucked. That part wasn't good at all, and I'm competitive, so that was frustrating. We sucked pretty bad for a while, we kept lots of crappy uncommitted players because we needed guys. It was cool but hard.
Q – What were your fondest and most frustrating memories of the early years?
A - Fond memories, at Blake's with all the dudes there. Blake and Ron being so consistent and good to the players. I got picked on a lot in those days, later years too, I played with the team for 10 years or so. The guys were pretty ruthless, and I was different, and not able to let it go/give it back/get over it/ etc.
Q – Do you recall any growing pains the team had to endure? When did you feel the team could compete with the other teams?
A - Ya, there were some really bad players that stuck around for a while, they impacted games big time, but usually they were decent or great people. We got an influx of "juniors" as we called them. Who were a few years younger and won Nationals once. They helped a lot, then it was smaller pieces after that.
Q – Who were the team leaders?
A - Mike's (Benyo) voice carried the most weight, especially for the first handful of years. That was both in the dugout and on the field type stuff.
When Vic Speciale joined, he carried some weight in the dugout, not like Mike though. But Vic was an exceptional talent on our team and guys listened to him for that reason.
I was kind of like the defacto leader on the field and off too. Because I didn't mind the attention, trying (and trying) to rah-rah and rally the guys, and because I led by example quite a lot. My voice carried weight, but not like Mike's did.
Al Hughes carried weight in both too, but only when he'd speak up. He was a good player like Mike and Vic and so when he did speak up, dudes listened.
Q – Why Brampton? Why did you choose to play for Brampton, when you could have played for a better team elsewhere?
A - Probably confidence and convenience.
Q – Is there anything else you’d like to share?
A - Blake and Ron put up with a lot of shit from players, the city, etc. They sacrificed a lot of family and personal time so us kids could have somewhere to play good ball. They worked real hard, got on well with the other coaches in the league. We owe them a lot I feel.
Jesse Edmunds
Q – How did you find out Brampton had a senior AAA team? When and why did you try out for the team? Were there tryouts?
A - I actually first played Brampton Rep in Junior as part of BMBI, my coaches at the time included Ian Held & Scott Stephenson, both of whom would go on to coach with the Brampton Senior AAA team. Upon completion of the Junior Program in BMBI, naturally I wanted to keep playing at a high-level, so the Senior AAA Program was a good fit. My first year with the team was 2006, and Ian and Scott were already helping coach the team, so they knew me from the one year in Junior.
There was tryouts at the time, but there wasn’t many cuts to be made as we didn’t generally have a large group of players to choose from.
Q – What if anything did you know about the team before joining (i.e. coaches and other players)?
A - Many of the players and coaches I knew from the BMBI Junior Program and early years of playing. I knew the team was a relatively new organization, and that Blake and Ronny had worked tirelessly over the years to make Brampton Senior AAA a reality. Their hard work and dedication IS the reason why Brampton has a Senior AAA team today.
Q – Did you still find the game fun even though you knew you were going to lose 60-70% of your games, or were you content to be playing in a very competitive league? Did the team get better by playing good teams?
A - I play(ed) baseball for The Love of the Game, and though winning was always more fun, win or lose our Brampton teams always fought hard to be competitive. In my opinion, we were definitely a team that played up to the level of our competition if we were the “underdog”. Unfortunately, we also had times that we took teams too lightly, and had to fight hard for what should have been an “easy win”.
Q – What were your fondest and most frustrating memories of the early years?
A - Away tournaments with the team definitely created a lot of memories to cherish. Fundraisers like the Poker Tournaments and Casino runs were always a great time too. The fondest memories were definitely going to the Elims every year.
As for most frustrating memories, practices. We ALWAYS struggled to put together decent practices. Whether it was a sub-par diamond to practice on, or simply a lack of bodies, practices were definitely the most frustrating part of the early years.
Q – Who were the team leaders?
A - Our teams always had some large Egos/Personalities. It really was a big part of our identity, especially when our hecklers travelled with us. You either loved us or hated us.
As for team leaders, we were full of them, it just depended upon the situation we were in. We had a great mix of leadership, those that were vocal, and others that let their actions/play speak for itself.
Q - Do you recall any growing pains the team had to endure? How long did it take for the team to jell? When did you feel you could compete with the other teams?
A - We had our moments when things came together, we would put up a good fight in playoffs/tournaments. There was always 'growing pains', but at the same time we always went into the game feeling we could compete.
Q – Why Brampton? Why did you choose to play for Brampton, when you could have played for a better team elsewhere?
A - While the City of Brampton now seems to be turning to shit (at least based on what you see in the media) Brampton is where I was born and raised. The only reason I would ever play for a different team, if I was still playing, was as of a result of moving. I was proud to represent my city, especially when facing rivals like Mississauga or Etobicoke.
Q - Did you discuss the team with anyone after each game?
A - The best part of being on this team was after the game many nights. Most guys would stick around and chat. My “brother from another mother” Mike Burke was my go to. We still chat about the team now, even though I have since retired.
Q – Is there anything else you’d like to share?
A - Some great people have been involved with this team over the years. I consider myself lucky to have met each and every one of them during my time, even Mike Benyo and Matt Held (LOL). We may not have always had the best record, but we always believed we could win.
Victor Speciale
Q - After your first season, did you ever think you’d still be playing for the Royals?
A - I never gave myself a timeline on when I would stop playing ball. As long as I’m able bodied, I will continue to play.
Q – In your early years, did you still find the game fun even though you knew you were going to lose 60-70% of your games, or were you content to be playing in a very competitive league? Did the team get better just by playing good teams?
A - The game has always been fun to me. I have never come to the yard thinking we are going to lose. Each team over the years got better, I’m not sure if it was because the competition was better or mentally we knew how prepared we needed to be.
Q – What were your fondest and most frustrating memories in your years as a Brampton Royal?
A - Fondest memory - had to be last season (2018). With us finishing 4th at the Elims.
Frustrating memory - definitely going two and out the previous year Elims.
Q – What does the team need to do to build on recent tournament successes?
A - Acquiring a few pitchers would help for sure.
Q – How did the 2018 Elims differ from other years?
A - We definitely picked up some solid players to help us get deeper into the Elims. Also we were more like a family, it wasn’t about the individual performances. We worked together picked each other up and each player understood their role and did what they could to help the team win.
Q – Complete this sentence. The Brampton Royals have earned the reputation for……….
A - Being a scrappy team
Q – What do you consider a successful season?
A - Winning. There is nothing else that matters.
Q – This website is dedicated to Blake and Ron. How did they make you a better ballplayer?
A - They gave me the opportunity to grow as a person as well as to grow and learn how to be a leader for this team.
Q – Is there anything else you would like to add?
A - The Brampton Battlecats/Royals could not be where we are today with out the hard work and dedication both Blake and Ron put forth for this franchise. Also coach Scotty for his part of the building years for this team.
I would like to thank all three coaches for everything they have done.
Mike Burke
Q - After your first season, did you ever think you’d still be playing for the Royals?
A - After my first season I did not think that I would be playing with the Battlecats/Royals again. I was awful my first couple years. But nobody told me to stop coming out, so I just kept showing up.
Q – In your early years, did you still find the game fun even though you knew you were going to lose 60-70% of your games, or were you content to be playing in a very competitive league? Did the team get better just by playing good teams?
A - I have always found this game fun. Regardless if we are winning or losing, sure it is more fun when you win, but I’m always happy to be out there. If we wanted to stay in this league we had to get better, other teams were not getting any worse.
Q – Who were the team leaders in the early years?
A - When I first started, the team leaders were guys like Benyo and Held.
Q – What were your fondest and most frustrating memories in your years as a Brampton Battlecat/Royal?
A - My fondest memories from playing on this team have mostly happened in 2018. From pitching a complete game vs. Etobicoke (which was my first 9 inning complete game), to our showing at the 2018 Elims in Windsor. That weekend was the most fun I’ve had playing baseball in my life. We had a real shot at representing Ontario at the Nationals in BC.
The most frustrating memory must be the 2017 Elims, where we went 0-2. In all the years that I have attended to Elims, we have never gone 0-2. That weekend really made me think about whether I was going to continue playing. That offseason was filled with tough decisions, but I couldn’t be happier with my decision to keep playing.
Q – What does the team need to do to build on recent tournament successes?
A - To build on our success our team needs to have a few more arms to get us deep into tournaments. Finishing in the top 5 of the 2018 Elims will help a lot with recruiting. Junior players will want to come play for us if we stay competitive.
Q – How did the 2018 Elims differ from other years?
A - The difference had to be that everyone stepped up and performed when they had to. We had a tough game vs. Etobicoke where they were leading after 4 innings. But nobody got down on themselves, or each other, and we played one pitch at a time. We fought back and ended up mercying them after 6 innings. It was a good example of what we were capable of. After that game we knew we were as good, or better, than any team in the tournament.
Q – Complete this sentence. The Brampton Royals have earned the reputation for……….
A - Being scrappy as hell. They can mash the baseball as good as any team out there. As I said before, add a few more arms and this team can represent Ontario!!
Q – What do you consider a successful season?
A - Win more then you Lose. Period.
Q – This website is dedicated to Blake and Ron. How did they make you a better ballplayer?
A - Those two gentlemen have made me a better player by giving us a team to play for!! There were a few years that we didn’t know if there was going to be a team the next season. But come spring time every year, they did whatever it took to get the Battlecats/Royals on the field.
Q - Is there anything else you would like to share?
A - I am just thankful for all the friendships I have made along the way. Also, I would not have been on this team without my brother from another mother, Jesse Edmunds. I still remember the day he called me around 10am one summer day about 12 or 13 years ago and said “I am playing at the SkyDome today!!! Do you want to come watch??” I had to come up with an excuse to get out of work for the rest of the day. As I sat behind home plate at the Dome watching these guys play, I thought to myself “WHY THE F&%$ AM I NOT OUT THERE WITH THEM??!!” The next year I tried out and never looked back!!
Steve Hough
Q - After your first season, did you ever think you’d still be playing for the Royals?
A - Coming into my Sr. Baseball career, I always intended to play until I no longer could. I don’t know how much longer that is going to be, but for now I can still play.
Q - In your early years, did you still find the game fun even though you knew you were going to lose 60-70% of your games, or were you content to be playing in a very competitive league? Did the team get better just by playing good teams?
A - Lucky for us the team in the early years had some great people playing on them. It was always fun coming to the park to play. Frustrating to come from a situation where winning was expected each night to a last place team but always knew we could improve and be better. We got better by working hard and recruiting more talented younger players. COBA being a tough division made for some good baseball but I don’t think you get better just by simply playing against good teams.
Q - Who were the team leaders in the early years?
A - Guys like Benyo and Nonis were our leaders back in the day.
Q - What were your fondest and most frustrating memories in your years as a Brampton Royal?
A - Most frustrating year as a Royal was the Elims. where we went 0-2 (2017). That is the only team I have ever been on to not win at an eliminations and I hope I never am again. One of my fondest memories is the night at FCCC when Deleskie got thrown out of the game in the middle of an at bat and coach Scotty had to take over with a 1-1 count. After seeing a couple pitches and fouling one off, Scotty found one he liked and CRUSHED it down the left field line. The ball short-hopped the fence and Scotty had a stand-up double…or he would have if he didn’t blow a tire half way between first and second. The throw came in just in time to tag out Scotty who was crawling into second base. I will never forget the ball jumping off his bat.
Q - What does the team need to do to build on recent tournament successes?
A - The team has always had a bunch of talent, the fact that we have put together some recent success speaks to our coaching staff putting players in the right situations to succeed. We have some great young players in the Brampton area that would help us take the next step.
Q - How did the 2018 Elims differ from other years?
A - As I said for the last question, our hitters have always been able to keep us in games. We have lacked this kind of success because we didn’t give ourselves a chance to win. Years of saving pitching for later rounds and never getting there, assuming we need to throw all of our pitchers before using anyone a second time, and getting beat by teams that aren’t as good as we are.
Q -Complete this sentence. The Brampton Royals have earned the reputation for……….
A - Trying to outscore the other team.
Q - What do you consider a successful season?
A - That's a tough question. Growing up playing for a team who was always considered a contender, it is hard for me to admit that anything less than a National Championship can be considered a good season. I think a successful season would be one where the team wins its first ever tournament (preferably Elims). Is the first place team in COBA from start to finish, and challenges for a championship. I want to celebrate winning something of substance. Anything else seems like a failure.
Q - This website is dedicated to Blake and Ron. How did they make you a better ballplayer?
A - Being a pitcher who did not necessarily get to play all the time, I spent a lot of time on the bench speaking with Blake and Ron. Debating what kind of moves to make and plays to put on with them, helped me see different ideas and options that I can explore as a future coach and current ballplayer.
Q - Is there anything else you would like to share?
A - Being a Royal and getting a chance to play ball each season has been my life for 12 years now. I have seen players come and go, coaches the same, friendships made then turned into family. I have always and will always be a Royal!!
Allan Hughes
Q - After your first season, did you have any expectations on how long you'd be playing for the Battlecats?
A - I came to the Brampton Battlecats in 2008, so I was 24 years old. I fully planned on being with the team until I was in my 40's. I knew coming off of University Ball in Iowa that I'd want to play high level baseball, but without the unrealistic commitment of time devoted towards it. The Brampton Battlecats were the perfect team for me.
Q – In your early years, did you still find the game fun even though you knew you were going to lose 60-70% of your games, or were you content to be playing in a very competitive league? Did the team get better just by playing good teams?
A - Whenever I play baseball, I always have the expectation to win. I never once (and still don't) thought of us as a weak team, or ever came into a game as an underdog. But ultimately, my expectations don't always align with reality, and ya, we lost a lot. But honestly, It didn't really matter too much to me though. I learned never to take losing hard, so long as I gave my best effort. Because then there's really nothing to regret, or nothing more you could have done.
Also, I had really lost my passion for baseball in the USA. I played for a coach who shared complete opposite approaches to playing the game than I did. He taught through fear - the only way to win was to yell, insult and punish until he got results. Whereas I play for love of the game - to smile, enjoy the dirt and grass, make friendships, and succeed through positivity. So coming to the Brampton Battlecats, and meeting the nicest coaches in the world (Blake, Ron and Scotty), along side a really fun and talented group of teammates, really reignited my love of the game. I planned on staying til I wasn't good enough anymore.
Q - Who were the leaders of the team in the early years?
A - I really don't think there was a team captain, or a true leader that we all looked up to, but Mike Benyo always commanded a lot of respect for how he played the game. He had fun, but made sure we all maintained a certain level of discipline to be competitive and not make asses of ourselves. Kenny Appleby always had some insightful philosophical educational moments for all the guys. It often went over a lot of people's heads, but he was a focused dude. Jesse Edmunds in the bullpen was a natural leader in the pen. He was very intense. He came to the field and didn't wanna waste his, or any one else's time with mediocre ball. He had a killer instinct that I admired, and I always wanted to make sure I caught the best game I could for him when he came in.
Q - What were your fondest and most frustrating memories in your years as a Brampton Battlecat?
A - The fondest memories I have of playing with the Battlecats are probably the tournaments we do. Going to Windsor for the Elims, or Strathroy to dominate a little tournament. We got to play a shit load of baseball in a short amount of time, which is all I ever want to do. I just want to play every weekend, over and over again. Then adding in the fact that we get to hang with our teammates in the hotels laughing, playing cards, poker, video games, or whatever we do; it was always something I looked forward to most every year.
On the flip side, there's nothing worse than heading to a tournament thinking you're going to play a shit load of baseball, and end up riding the pine for most of the time. The most frustrating memory I have of the Battlecats, is fighting for playing time, and constantly trying to prove myself as a quality player. I guess it's the nature of the game to always have competition, but it hurts the ego. When a coach thinks someone else is better than you, and have a better chance of winning with you on the bench is the ultimate smack to a baseball player.
Q – Do you recall any growing pains the team had to endure? When did you feel the team could compete with the other teams? Was it a specific game or tournament?
A - When a bunch of the rookies came up from Junior (Mike Gareri, Vic Speciale, Janiel Purohit, Greg Dodwell, Steve Hough, etc), we had a really tough time amalgamating the two together. The Seniors, (Hughes, Benyo, Held, Peaches, Nonis, Appleby, etc) thought we were getting better, and were simply put, good enough. We didn't need an influx of players coming up stealing our playing time, and thinking they can do what we do better. But the truth was, they were coming up, and we had to adapt. When they arrived, they all thought their shit didn't stink and that they were taking over this crappy, last place team. So there were real growing pains trying to live together. It probably took us about a year to really get comfortable with each other, at least it did for me, but there was a real divide on the team, and the fight for playing time was on. But in the end, I love all the guys on the team who came up, and never really had to worry (Probably because no catchers got called up, ha!)
Q – Why Brampton? Why did you choose to play for Brampton, when you could have played for a better team elsewhere?
A - Playing in Brampton was an easy choice for me. I grew up playing for the Brampton Braves, knew the parks and the area really well. But the real reason is because my family still lives in Brampton. I'm in Toronto now, and being able to play in Brampton is a chance to still visit my folks and keep to my roots.
Q – Complete this sentence. The Brampton Battlecats/Royals have earned the reputation for……….
A - The Brampton Battlecats have earned the reputation for having a pitcher who pitched a complete game shutout without throwing the same pitch twice. Joey Nonis - The Legend.
Q – What did you consider to be a successful season?
A - I mean, myself, a successful season is one that I had fun in. But as a team, it was being better than you were the year before. You never want to regress. Thankfully being in last place my first 2 years there, that wasn't had to do.
Q – This website is dedicated to Blake and Ron. How did they make you a better ballplayer?
A - Blake and Ron re-instilled my passion for the game. To coach through kindness. To teach through happiness, and to always smile and enjoy the silly kids game we all love so much. It's surprisingly hard to find coaches who see the best in every player they have, and to know there's more to the game than winning. It was a breath of fresh air to be coached by them.
Q - Is there anything else you would like to share?
A - I love Mike Burke.
Mathew Piccioni
Q - After your first season, did you have any expectations on how long you'd be playing for the Battlecats?
A - I was planning on playing as long as I could and still remain competitive. Little did I know that starting my family was going to be the breaking point for me... and pretty much the deciding factor. After marriage, came the kids and I truly felt that I needed to focus on my family.
Q – In your early years, did you still find the game fun even though you knew you were going to lose 60-70% of your games, or were you content to be playing in a very competitive league?
A - The game was always fun for me. It was a challenge as we were quite competitive in our junior years. We always strived to be a competitive team. When the Elims came around we would often lose a game really early on and then have a really good run and turn some heads. This league was competitive and we had a bunch of hungry guys that showed up to the yard always willing to give 110%.
Q - Who were the leaders of the team in the early years?
A - This is a tough one... I wouldn't say that we always had a captain more of a group of guys that really gave a shit and wanted to help out. Joey Nonis (although soft spoken) definitely was an important factor on the team. Kenny Appleby was another awesome individual who always cared and was not afraid to challenge the status quo. Benyo and Held, who I grew up playing with were natural leaders and were outspoken.
Q - What were your fondest and most frustrating memories in your years as a Brampton Battlecat?
A - My fondest memories were of our dedicated coaching staff. I will never forget how hard it was for Blake and Ron to find the balance on this squad. As the "younger bucks" came onto the team they had a tougher go trying to please everyone. Our annual meetings were intense and sometimes turned out ugly (I actually have a voice recording of one of our whole meetings hahahaha). I was the guy that usually said what everyone was bickering about behind the scenes. I wasn't scared to speak my mind, but I know that there were times that I caused some havoc for the coaches... but it was something they needed to hear.
Q – Do you recall any growing pains the team had to endure? When did you feel the team could compete with the other teams?
A - Most of the growing pains were when age groups collided. Challenges for coaches were giving fair playing time. Blake, Ron and Scotty tried their best always. If you were hot, you played; if you were dedicated, you played; if you let your game speak for itself... you played. The team always had the opportunity to compete. Not having our own true dedicated field was a challenge too. There were teams out there that spent time at the yard just raking the infield. Teams that would show up to the yard to cut grass, do lines etc... things like this helped with pride of ownership and I am sure they always felt part of something bigger. Something that we never really had the opportunity to do.
Q – Why Brampton? Why did you choose to play for Brampton, when you could have played for a better team elsewhere?
A - Lived in Brampton my whole life. Had many friends here and we grew up together playing the game. Brampton always had something to prove... we were that long shot, the team that could come to the yard at any time and upset a solid club. Although it didn't happen as often as we would have liked, the opportunity was always there. We also had coaches that were dedicated to the game. They honestly deserve so much credit that words cannot describe.
Q – Complete this sentence. The Brampton Battlecats/Royals have earned the reputation for……….
A - Being the underdogs... the fighters
Q – What did you consider to be a successful season?
A - Success was just being able to compete and not get lit up every game. Keeping games close, making it to the quarters/semi's in the Elims. I found that every season we were there was successful. Our record seemed to get better as the years went on.
Q - When the website went public recently, I could feel a great sense of brotherhood between the old Battlecat players on Jesse’s FB. Why do you think that bond has stood the test of time?
A - Sport relationships are like best friends that have been separated by work, marriage etc... you just continue from where you left off. Our guys were able to rip on each other for awful plays (i.e. Benyo kicking a ball foul on purpose). One thing that I love about Brampton players is that we never forget where we came from. This is where we grew up playing, this is where it all started, this is where we learned the game. We were never a really true "commercial" baseball market. We were here for the friends we made and the opportunity to represent our town. To this day we still rip on each other... Mike Benyo, Matt Held, Joey Nonis and myself are still playing with each other in the A Division in Brampton's Men's rec ball. I was the first one to make the transition and Held and Benyo followed the following year and 2nd year thereafter. Our friendship is what keeps us together.
Q – This website is dedicated to Blake and Ron. How did they make you a better ballplayer?
A - Oh man, I can go on for hours. As I said in my letter of departure from the club. These guys were like dads to all of us... I really don't think they made us better ball players to be honest... they made us better men, dads and husbands. They taught us the value of hard work. They always gave 100%... I remember Scotty thanking me for my effort on and off the field. I really appreciated this. The autonomy they gave us at the right moments was clutch. When it came to fundraising, Joey, Kenny and I really worked hard to ensure a successful event... we did this for the team and to pay it back to the coaches who put in so much time and effort for us. It was coaches like these guys that really make me want to be a better coach. I will never forget all their hard work and determination. Every year I get involved in coaching my sons teams. Not one moment goes by when I am registering that I don't think of Blake, Ron and Scotty (and Mr. Held too). Their dedication to this team and not allowing us to fold over the years was second to none. They gave us a place to play at a higher level and be close to home.
Q - Is there anything else you would like to share?
A - I am super excited for this website and I only hope that everyone comes forward.
Brad McLaughlin
Q - After your first season, did you ever imagine you'd still be playing for the team?
A - My beginnings with this team were a bit sporadic, as I initially played for them upon my return from school in 2004 (and that wasn't a full season) I played bits and pieces of '05, '08, '10, '11. I want to say my first full season was 2012. To answer the question at that point in my career I knew I wasn't going to be pursuing anything again and I saw some of the young guys coming up to the team and knew we could be competitive in the future. So I stuck it out.
Q – In your early years, did you still find the game fun even though you knew you were going to lose 60-70% of your games, or were you content to be playing in a very competitive league? Did the team get better just by playing good teams?
A - It was never fun losing all those games and we weren't just losing, we were getting blown out. The team was lacking recruiting and therefore skill. The team got better when they started funnelling in the Juniors.
Q - Who were the leaders of the team in the early years?
A - I seem to remember Mike Benyo, Matt Piccioni, Matt Held, Ken Appleby being the leaders (If I remember correctly)
Q - What were your fondest and most frustrating memories in your years as a Brampton Battlecat?
A - Frustrating memories had to be the early years, I believe we only won something like 2 league games in 2004. Fondest memories was the growth.
Q – Do you recall any growing pains the team had to endure? When did you feel the team could compete with the other teams? Was it a specific game or tournament?
A - It's crappy to say, but the Battlecats early on just didn't have very much skill. As soon as some of the Juniors started coming up and we plugged in good players at key positions, the results were much better. There were growing pains along the way in the sense there were some players that have come and gone that either did not see eye-to-eye with the coaching staff or simply did not fit the culture the club was trying to build.
Q – Why Brampton? Why did you choose to play for Brampton, when you could have played for a better team elsewhere?
A - After playing Indy ball in 2007/08 I had gone as far as I was ever going in my career. Playing for Brampton was simply a logistical thing.
Q – Complete this sentence. The Brampton Royals have earned the reputation for……….
A - Being one of the top teams in the province.
Q – How special was it playing on the same team as your brother Joe? Had you played together before the Battlecats?
A - That was really cool, I had never played with him previous to that. I knew he was an athlete (was a top hockey talent in his day) just didn't realize he was that good of a ball player. Ended up being a pretty serviceable pitcher.
Q – What did you consider to be a successful season?
A - I always measure our success on how we do in the tournaments (including COBA playoffs). The COBA season can feel long and it's hard to get up for all the games, especially when we have teammates with jobs and various calendar items in the summer. Tournaments are when we get up and have the full roster at our disposal.
Q – This website is dedicated to Blake and Ron. How did they make you a better ballplayer?
A - Both Ron and Blake have a way of humbling you. They were a real calming influence early on, at a time when I was a hot headed young kid. They gave me perspective not only on the ball field but also in life. They were instrumental in growing this club from the ground up and really did well to keep people around that fit their values of family. I can't remember a time I ever crossed paths with both Ron and Blake that they did not ask me how I was, how my family is doing. They garnered a great deal of respect league-wide and most assuredly from myself and much of the current club that know them well enough.
Q - Is there anything else you would like to share?
A - Word is out in the league that Brampton is a contender and that will only help in the recruiting process. There are big things on the horizon and we should be fun to watch when we are on top of our game!
Marco DiRoma
Q - What was your path to the Royals? How did you get there?
A - I was playing college ball and simply couldn’t afford to stay down south to play my summer ball. As such, I ended up coming home to play with the Junior Royals. Heading into our final year of Junior, Ron and Blake kept tabs on a few of us juniors. When the year was over, I was asked if I’d like to join the Battlecats. I immediately accepted and the rest was history.
Q - What did you know about the Royals before joining the team?
A - I knew that the team hadn’t had a tremendous amount of success at the senior level. One of my goals as a rookie was to help this organization achieve more.
Q - What were your first impressions after joining the team?
A - I thought the team had lots of potential. There was a solid core of existing players and with the right additions, the team had an excellent opportunity to out ourselves on the map in Ontario.
Q - What is your fondest memory as a Brampton Royal?
A - My fondest team memory as a Royal was our extra inning walk off victory against Strathroy at the 2022 Elims
My fondest individual memory was my walk off hit against Sarnia at the 2022 London tournament
Q - Complete this sentence. The Royals have earned the reputation for …....
A - A gritty/seasoned ball club who is always knocking on the door at every tournament we’re competing in. Basically, no one wants to run into Brampton at a tournament because it’s going to be a struggle to beat us.
Q - What did you consider to be a successful season?
A - A truly successful season would’ve been if I would’ve had the pleasure to share a championship of some sort with my long time teammates. That said, I do consider the 2022 season as a success, one given that I saw the team take huge strides in the path of pursuing a tournament championship (COBAs do not count LOL)
Q - Who were the team leaders when you joined the team?
A - From what I recall it would’ve been Vic, Benyo and Burke
Q - Did you find it difficult returning to play ball after the Pandemic?
A - Yes, because the league (COBA) had lost two top tier teams (Niagara & Mississauga) and it didn’t seem to have the same competitive nature as it once had.
Q - Is there anything else you would like to share?
A - Being a Royal and the memories I have while being with my teammates on and off the field are ones that I will cherish forever. I wish nothing but the best to all current and future Royals in the years to come.
Brian Stormer
Q - What was your path to the Royals? How did you get there?
A - I started house league pretty late - Age 9, but when I was 13 my buddy from middle school (Steve Fleischer) convinced me to try out for his team, the AAA Royals. At the tryouts, I wasn't really anywhere as skilled as the other players, but I hustled my ass off and it was actually Joe Ferreira (my future father-in-law), who saw potential and fought for me for a spot on the team, as they were already very stacked and he had an even harder task of convincing my parents to let me play rep. Since then, I played AAA Royals all the way through high school, university, then joined senior Battlecats in 2012 who then became the senior Royals.
Q - What did you know about the Royals before joining the team?
A - Before officially joining the Royals in 2012, I had met most of the guys when I was a junior call up the year before. Overall the team was a bit scrappier than what I was used to and was always considered the underdogs but always fought hard till the end, and essentially everyone in the lineup 1-9 could mash the baseball.
Q - What were your first impressions after joining the team?
A - The team was actually very welcoming when I first joined (despite their scrappy reputation), and all the rookies were assigned a senior player to help them onboard. Mine was Greg Dodwell, who I still keep in touch with to this day.
Q - What is your fondest memory as a Brampton Royal?
A - Aside from proposing to my wife at Cullen field in Windsor in 2014, I would have to say my fondest baseball memory was the 2018 Eliminations where we beat our season rivals - Etobicoke Rangers, 18-4 in Round 2, then saw them again in Round 5, where Mike Burke pitched a gem shutout while showing up to the game 5 mins before, and Vic Speciale hit a 3 run walk-off bomb to send them home.
Q - Complete this sentence. The Royals have earned the reputation for …....
A - the team who's 1-9 can really "mash" the baseball
Q - What did you consider to be a successful season?
A - I considered our most successful years were 2018/2019 where we placed top 5 in Elims both years, even though the predictions didn't have us making it past round 3.
Q - Who were the team leaders when you joined the team?
A - Victor Speciale, Justin Deleske, Greg Dodwell, Mike Benyo, Allan Hughes, Steve Hough, and Joey Nonis
Q - Did you find it difficult returning to play ball after the Pandemic?
A - Yeah definitely, I think I was a little too eager to start playing again and should have eased into the season a bit slower, as I ended up tearing my labrum and rotator cuff during the first week back. I learned my lesson that catcher's really shouldn't throw pitching pens in practice, a few days before the season opener.
Q - Is there anything else you would like to share?
A - I just wanted to thank all my teammates and fans who supported me and who pushed me to continue playing throughout the years when I struggled with the throwing "yips". Although I never fully got rid of them, I was able to figure out ways to manage it successfully only because the fans and my team mates were so supportive and pushed me not to give up. A special thanks to Vic, Diro, Burkey, Joe Fe, Thomson, B'Mac, Flannagan and Hough, as without your support, I would have missed out on so many fond memories with the Royals.