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About Me
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The Site
Welcome to the world of Brampton Royals senior baseball here in Brampton, Ontario! As we step onto the diamond, let’s celebrate the legacy of this remarkable team, its founders, coaches, and players who’ve proudly worn the navy blue over its 20 year history.
 
I share your enthusiasm for the Brampton Royals senior baseball team! Creating this website back in 2019 reflects my deep passion for the game and a desire to propel the team toward greatness. 
 
Blake Frost and Ron Lutz, the founding fathers, laid the groundwork for something truly remarkable. Their vision extended far beyond wins and losses, emphasizing character development and community impact. As fans, we stand alongside them, cheering for every home run, celebrating every victory, and supporting the players.
 
Let this website serve as a beacon—a rallying point for fans, both old and new. It’s a digital bleacher where the city of Brampton can gather, share stories, and collectively root for our senior Royals. Let’s extend that support beyond immediate circles, reaching fans who haven’t yet witnessed the magic of a well-executed double play or the thrill of a walk-off homer.
 
Together, we’ll build a following that transcends familial ties, uniting the entire city behind our beloved team. So here’s to our website—a powerful start on this most exciting journey.
 
For more updates and to stay connected, visit this website throughout the season. Let’s continue to spread the word and ignite the passion for baseball in every corner of Brampton!

In an effort to make this site as interactive as possible, I have dedicated a page for the storytellers out there, and a Q & A page for past and present players and coaches to add their contributions to this project. I hope you find this site informative and insightful. I have taken great measures to ensure everything you read is accurate and correct but if you do find errors (and no doubt you will) please let me know so I can correct them.

I should first explain who we are. Thanks to Blake Frost and Ron Lutz Brampton has reconnected with the COBA (Central Ontario Baseball Association) league where players over 22 years of age have a place to play competitive ball. We have seen many great players use this league as a spring board to get drafted into the major leagues, like Joey Votto, Connor Panas, Zack Pop, Zack Fascia, Greg O’Halloran and many more. Dave Davidson, after getting bounced around for a couple of seasons in Miami came back to COBA to play with Niagara. So, this tells you that this league is filled with quality ballplayers. The pandemic took its toll on the league, after its return to regular baseball in 2022, Niagara and Mississauga folded leaving just 6 teams to fight it out. Niagara was one of the cornerstones of the league with its rich history. Mississauga was built to be a tournament team giving little regards to the regular season. For many years both teams enjoyed lofty perches with the other top teams in the province.
The Early Years
I never intended on becoming a coach, but I learned over time as a player's parent, that if you are not pleased with the way the team is being coached then get off your butt and do something about it. I had plenty to say, but no one to say it to while sitting in the stands. It was my daughter Jen's 5th season in 1995 when I realized you can't coach from the stands, so I traded in the bleachers for a clipboard, coaching either Jen or Mike for the next 14 years or so, but mostly with Brampton Girls Softball Association (B.G.S.A.), with whom Jen and I just sadly ended our amazing 32 year association including a Scholarship we provided in her name for 17 years, something we are very proud of. I always enjoyed coaching the girls more because they played for the love of the game, whereas many parents of the boys thought their little Johnny was destined for the major leagues and wanted the team to revolve around them.

Now that my coaching days are far behind me I find myself back on those same bleachers I left so long ago bringing my baseball life to full circle. Over my 15 years back in the stands I have taken great pride in not only my son's progression as a player, but equally in his team's evolution through the years. I may not be a coach anymore, but I still have something to say, so with the help of Blake Frost, Ron Lutz, team manager Dave Flannagan (who was manager at the time of this writing in the spring of 2019), and many of the past and present players, I am hoping to tell their story using words, photos and numbers. These players are far too good to be playing in obscurity. Brampton baseball fans should know about the effort the players and coaches put out representing this city.  

I have observed the game from both sides now and have come to the conclusion this is where I belong (some might say where I always belonged), in the stands talking baseball with other fans of this great game. Rarely do we chat about our sons' achievements, it's always about the game, but there are exceptions, like the time back in 2007 in Burlington in Mike's rookie season when a parent came up to me (being the new parent on the block) telling me of how great his son is because he played college ball in the States, then rhymed off a long list of his kids accomplishments. I humbly replied this is a dream come true for Mike, because he never envisioned playing with or against players of this calibre. I told the gentleman that I found it ironic that our sons went in two totally different routes, and yet, here they are playing on the same field. I told him Mike is a product of BMBIs House League system. I think it was then, he realized the father of a lowly house league player wasn't worth impressing and walked away. I'm still not sure who that guy was. 

It would be impossible to try to impress another parent with your son's baseball prowess, because their son is most likely equally skilled or better, especially at this level. Many years ago, before I started coaching, I received the biggest compliment from another parent from our seats in the bleachers, who at the end of the season asked me "which kid is yours?". It doesn't get any better than that.
The Game
I especially enjoy it when a passerby stops to take in a few innings and answering their queries about the league and team. Many of them are surprised Brampton had a team at this high level. These people don't have an vested interest on the field, they don't know who is playing, nor do they care, it's the game they came to see.

A few years ago I noticed this one fan at Dave Dash who obviously knew the game and was in a world all his own as he tried to call all the pitches before they were thrown. He wasn't always right, but that was how he injected himself into the game.  On deep fly balls he would stand up and step towards the backstop, as if he wanted to be on the field to catch it, to be in the game. He was totally oblivious of anyone sitting near him. As he constantly glanced at his watch, it appeared the game had grabbed him by the throat, preventing him from being where he was supposed to be. Now he was a part of the game. Since he lived and died on every pitch he left after 4 or 5 innings looking exhausted. I remember feeling empty when he left because only a few minutes beforehand our bleachers was a place of energy and excitement, just  by watching this guy. I had never seen anyone get so into the game and then just get up and walk away from it. This team belongs to not only the coaches and players, but also to the community.

I remember a game at Oakville when I met the dad of a young girl who was there for her soccer practice next to the ball diamond. I guess the practice was a little boring, so he came over to watch our game. As a relatively new Canadian he was very inquisitive about this game of baseball. Since he had never seen it before, he asked a million questions thinking he could learn it all in one night. He was so fascinated by the movement of the players after each batted ball, that when his daughters practice was over, he tried to explain the game to her, but failed miserably. He wouldn't let all the unknowns about this game steer him away, as he was too eager to learn. On that night baseball reeled in a new fan. 
All In The Family
My grandfather Harris Burke was a pitcher in one of the top industrial leagues in the early 1920’s in the Junction area of Toronto. When I searched for more info on 1920's industrial baseball I found an author (Louis Cauz) who wrote a book on the subject. Mr. Cauz told me "In my opinion, I would think it would be one step lower than the Intercounty League, which is a semi-professional league and does have numerous players who have played in the pro minor leagues. I would think, though, the baseball was very good and competitive. But it would seem that these players all had full time jobs and baseball was a recreational sport for them." So, it's about the same as it is today, a step under Intercounty baseball.

In the 1922 city championship, up by a run, Harris (after loading the bases in the 6th), struck out the next 3 batters which was key to winning the title. He struck out 22 batters in his 2 playoff games. For Harris, the game was always fun, he never took it seriously enough to test his game at a higher level. He was also a scratch golfer, who would later name his first born (my Dad) after the legendary amateur Bobby Jones. Many of my fondest teenage memories were golfing with my Grandfather. His brother Marty on the  other hand, a hockey player did take his game to a higher level, playing 500 games in the NHL and would become a roommate and best friend of the great Howie Morenz of the Montreal Canadiens winning two Stanley Cups together.  

For the past 100 years sports has taken up most of the conversation regardless of the family function. We are truly a baseball family, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Evidence of this is that our family will be holding our 38th annual RBI baseball pool in 2024. It's our way to gather and do nothing but talk baseball.
Why I Love This Game
I think for anyone to read the contents of this site they should know a little about who is writing it. As a kid living in Aurora, Ontario I was already a fan of the game but in 1964, at the age of 10 my Dad took my brother Brian and I to Yankee Stadium for the Annual Old Timers game versus the Baltimore Orioles. This experience took my love for the game to a new level. I remember walking into the Stadium being in awe of it's sheer size and found it odd to see subway trains run by, high over the outfield wall. I remember thinking the stadium was bigger than our whole neighbourhood. Being a huge Yankee fan at that time, I cherished my Mickey Mantle Topps baseball card and carried it everywhere I went. We saw my hero Mickey and teammates, Tony Kubek, Roger Maris, Bobby Richardson and the “Chairman of the Board” Whitey Ford. Playing in the Old Timers game were past greats Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and “Scooter” Phil Rizzuto.  Just starting my own baseball career, I often dreamt of one day playing in a stadium like this. That dream never came true but every kid needs to have dreams and aspirations.

This trip to New York created a strong baseball bond between Dad and I that spanned almost 5 decades. As a result of that trip, Dad now had 2 boys with whom he could talk baseball. I remember one evening when I was 11 or 12 Dad was helping with my math homework, and before I knew it we were calculating ERA, GBL and BA. He made math fun, but too bad it didn’t translate into better marks. Most of those who know me can attest that I have always been a stats geek. I believe it's the residual affect from Dad's math homework help. From that time on, I had an understanding of the game that very few of my friends did. As a kid I enjoyed telling my friends what the magic number was for each of the contending teams nearing the end of the season.  

In September of 1999 I repaid dad somewhat with a trip to Detroit to see the Blue Jays take on the Tigers. We sat in the first row of the right field bleachers over-hanging the field. Sitting there with dad, a couple of my brothers and brother-in-law was overwhelming. All my life I wanted to sit in these seats and to be sharing it with my Dad at Tiger Stadium in its last season was a dream come true. Meeting and chatting with John Cerutti was pretty cool to.

With the 1964 trip in mind, in June of 2014 I had the great pleasure of going on a baseball trip to Cooperstown with Jen & Mike, my wife CeCe and my brother David. The Jays were up by 6 games over the Yankees with a 38 - 24 record at the time, so when we wore our Blue Jay's gear around town we were well received (by most). Tom Cheek and Bob Elliott were recent inductees into the HOF which gave us a great sense of pride reading their plaques. I made sure I was alone when reading the tributes to Tom and Bob because I knew I was going to tear up. Our favourite time was sitting around the fire back at the Meadowlark Inn talking baseball with dads and grandads of kids playing in the massive annual Cooperstown Ball Tournament. They were very serious about their baseball, but I think they went home with a new appreciation for Canadian ball fans. Jen and Mike both stood their ground while making solid arguments regarding free agents, baseball salaries, good and bad trades, and they backed their stance with numbers and facts our new American friends from Iowa and Colorado could not argue with. The fathers were smart enough to ask Mike about the art of pitching and how he could help their sons who were playing in the tournament. It was one of my best weekends ever.
Baseball Highlights
August 8, 1964 - Yankee Stadium old timers game

July, 1967 - A friend and I would take the streetcar to Maple Leaf Stadium (at the foot of Bathurst St.) to watch the Maple Leafs. Notable players of that season were Galen Cisco, later to be Blue Jays pitching coach; and Sparky Lyle, famed Yankee closer, and first AL reliever to win the Cy Young ten years later.

April 7, 1977 - Attended the Blue Jays first game beating the Chi Sox 9-5. I have the ticket and program to prove it. 

June 3, 1989 - Watched the Opening celebration of Skydome with my Mom and my wife CeCe,  Oscar Peterson never sounded so good, even in the rain

January 1992  - Registered Mike with BMBI, guaranteeing CeCe and I entertainment for the next decade. He hated his first season because the coach kept him in the outfield the whole season. We had a quick education regarding coaches and cliques that year. He couldn't have been too bad, he made every All-Star team he tried out for. Mike has enjoyed a long, extremely fun 23 year career between House League and the Royals since then. Jim Leckie and Tony D'Agostino were his favourite house league coaches.

March 7, 2009 - Watched Canada lose 6-5 to USA in the Baseball Classic. Thanks Jen for the  Christmas gift (for the week-long pass).

June, 2014 - Visited the mecca of baseball, Cooperstown. 

October 3, 2014 - As a B-Day gift from Jen & Mike, we all went to Tiger Stadium to see the Tigers lose to the Orioles 2-1 in Game 3 of the ALDS. That's the year Tigers lost three straight with Verlander, Scherzer and Price.

July 19, 2015 - Again with Jen, Mike, (notice the pattern) my brother, his wife and CeCe had a great night watching Canada beat the USA for the Pan Am Gold medal in Ajax. What a wild game!

October 21, 2015 - Was at the game with Jen watching Marco Estrada toss a 3H 1R gem beating K.C. 7-1 in the ALCS.
Casey At The Bat
By Ernest Lawrence Thayer - 1888

The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day;

The score stood four to two with but one inning more to play.

And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,

A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

 

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest

Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;

They thought if only Casey could but get a whack at that—

We’d put up even money now with Casey at the bat.

 

But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,

And the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake;

So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,

For there seemed but little chance of Casey’s getting to the bat.

 

But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,

And Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball;

And when the dust had lifted, and men saw what had occurred,

There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.

 

Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell;

It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;

It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,

For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.

 

There was ease in Casey’s manner as he stepped into his place;

There was pride in Casey’s bearing and a smile on Casey’s face.

And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,

No stranger in the crowd could doubt ’twas Casey at the bat.

 

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;

Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.

Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,

Defiance gleamed in Casey’s eye, a sneer curled Casey’s lip.

 

And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,

And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.

Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped—

“That ain’t my style,” said Casey. “Strike one,” the umpire said.

 

From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,

Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.

“Kill him! Kill the umpire!” shouted some one on the stand;

And it’s likely they’d have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.

 

With a smile of Christian charity great Casey’s visage shone;

He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;

He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;

But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, “Strike two.”

 

“Fraud!” cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud;

But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.

They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,

And they knew that Casey wouldn’t let that ball go by again.

 

The sneer is gone from Casey’s lip, his teeth are clinched in hate;

He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.

And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,

And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey’s blow.

 

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;

The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,

And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;

But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out.

Acknowledgements

Blake Frost & Ron Lutz - I owe a deep gratitude to Blake and Ron for their contributions to this project. When I started this I had no idea where it would take me, I didn't take into account the help needed to make this a place where Brampton Senior baseball fans would come to learn about the teams past and those who made it all possible. I was overwhelmed by the support I have received. When asking for contributions to the site I quickly realized all I had to do was drop the names Blake and Ron and they were on board, which made things much easier. Everyone I asked, contributed in some way. Just like the team, this site would be nothing without you two. Thank you.

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Dave Flannagan - Dave quickly got on board regarding this project and offered any help I needed. Dave also supplied missing stats needed for the web site.

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Joey Nonis, Jesse Edmunds, Ken Appleby, Victor Speciale, Steven Hough, Mike Burke, Allan Hughes, Brad McLaughlin, Matt Piccioni, Marco DiRoma, Brian Stormer and coaches Scotty Stephenson, Ian "Shakey" Held and Frank Fascia - They all answered the call to make this site a reality by answering the Q & A portion. Through their answers they helped to form a team profile of the teams early years.

 

Thank you to Greg Lawlor for allowing me to use your article for the Royals fans to better acquaint themselves with coach Frank Fascia.  

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Chris McCanna - All the 2009 Battlecats photos were taken by Chris.

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