 Hello and thank you for tuning in to town meeting TV. My name is Bobby Luciae and today we're going to talk about something very near and dear to my heart baseball and baseball in Vermont and we're joined by one of the most experienced Members of the community is when it comes to Vermont baseball don mcdonnell. Thank you so much for joining us today. Yeah We're going to be talking about Lake monsters university from my baseball and baseball around the state of Vermont exactly and Son do you want to start by just talking a little bit about how you Got into baseball in Vermont and how you've tracked it in your life, right? You're starting off like anybody. I played a little league ball and uh I was born in new jersey and uh orange new jersey grew up in south orange new jersey And uh an athletic field was right across the street from where I grew up there And uh when I was about four or five years old My grandmother took me on a trip We had relatives in Montreal. We had relatives in northern New England and We eventually moved to poltony, uh, Vermont Um It was probably about 10 years old or something. You know And uh, I've been involved in baseball in burlington for a long time Um my sons My son played little league all the way up through and There was several things with baseball here in burlington that I got involved with more or less pressured in the First off was Babe Ruth My son was 12 and that's the the name of the league is the Babe Ruth league. Yeah, it was the Babe Ruth league Yeah, and it was uh north burlington. Yeah, it was north. It was burlington Babe Ruth and he had some problems with the previous year and uh That's basically how I got into the Um operations I guess you'd say of baseball general manager type of thing um and uh And when was when was that that you got involved in the when he was 12 now there was when Andy was Had Andy had a birthday at a time that Uh his birthday splits on the uh age thing, you know between the league and uh Babe Ruth anyway, um You know, they didn't have the coach they didn't have a We're looking for somebody to run the league. You know as a president and uh I more or less got drafted into that deal But it was fine. It was it got along. We got through the year without any problems and and um The next year came along the same thing. You know needed coaches needed Little bit of this and uh This was at the time when Bernie Sanders was running for mayor And I was on the police department. Um at the time and um We Had been trying to get a minor league baseball team In burlington. We had some exhibition games Uh with sherbrook. Quebec. Um, I'll say Usually play in the red sox team, which at the time was new britain and this is a eastern league and um We finally got a team Uh, probably a couple years after bernie got elected I'm not sure exactly about 81 or so and that was the vermont reds and um, I went to work for them. Uh and um And they were they affiliated with the major league club? Yeah, they were affiliated with the reds the Cincinnati reds Cincinnati reds and those years we did very well they had um championship teams In the final year, uh, the five-year contract um They had king king country jr. It was here the mariners had their, uh Uh minor league, they were the affiliate for one year, uh the Seattle mariners and the um next season we had I got it was uh got the exples and uh They they needed a guy to do the filming video work and um I got offered, you know, he's taking help us out and I used my buddy's camera and we uh started Video work on the on the team. Are you filming for broadcast or were you filming for the team? That was uh, I was basically employed by the development department And uh as a videographer And the keep track of players how they're doing. Yeah. Well, yeah, you get We we meet um before every game and then after every game and um There would be that with the pitching coach hitting coach manager um Then you know you'd uh Get who you And we're supposed to you know, you'd get a chart and you'd get this information on the players that You're going to be working with you know where they are in the lineup When say when a pitcher's coming in who's coming in for a second in that type of thing That was interesting stuff. So yeah, I got to the end of the first season and um And it was a butchus. I think it was yeah um Say you did pretty good. You know, he says you would you be interested in in this next year? I said, yeah, if it's okay with my voice, you know type of thing And uh, so that's how that that got going at the same time. I was Uh president of burlington bay booth baseball and then uh, I took a state job. I think no, I think it was uh You know district commissioner. That's right this point. We're at the in the 90s Yeah, yeah, I mean the 90s. Okay up till actually technically Probably still you know that uh You know, it's kind of like the mob Once you're in How long were you the president baseball? Like I mean, you know, yeah, yeah I was uh with the Um expose nationals Um For uh 17 years I was on the contract. Um So, yeah, yeah, and I still hang around the park, you know And so there's a minor league team. There was also a uvm varsity team for a very long time So do you want to tell us a little bit about this? Yeah, that the varsity at uvm went uh was from Uh Started in 1888 we can put the finger on it as being that year Doing the mathematics it was the guys in the team were, you know four-year students this kind of thing so And uvm had some very good teams back at that time I'm and I have had right on through um They uh went to the world's fairer in 1893 Uh, I think they came in second in the uh worlds in the National basically nationally Amos Alonzo stack put that together um a lot of baseball administrators of the day Put that on and it was basically the morphed into the NCAA back in 1906 or something And uh, so uvm said they're a pretty big deal team uvm's baseball team meeting. Oh, yeah It was a major Well, again the ivy leagues were big and you know, you had harvard Yeah, they had columbia it dart missed right down the road. So, you know um, so you had a lot of uh Um, it was a pretty big team back then. Um uvm dropped baseball First time would be in the 70s for a couple seasons and then brought it back Um And uh at this point in time um uvm has a club team And uh, that does very well with that club team Um, but the big thing is you want to get varsity well back and that's right So when how when did the varsity team get cut to 2009 2009? Yeah, it was They claimed a budget, uh, you know problem and um, I There's a lot of luck to it. And if I don't remember I don't know a lot of it and then Don't really care. I don't really want to know The politics is a thing. I don't know But such a historic team was around for 100 years. Yeah, it's it's uh There's a book out Green Mountain Boys this summer which was written by uh, well a lot of people in saber with tom simon is one of the ones that um Early head man the puck On the history of people that played major league baseball in vermont and they're from every time that can harry place And you'd be you'd you'd really be surprised at how many name players played here how many People's names are players names and institutional names and everything else Um, yeah, you've got you've got a lot and the lake monsters the same way we have three, uh For the three teams of the three years that have been here so far Uh, they've had three kids draft draft. We had yeah three that were drafted. So that's um That's quite a quite a thing. It's a baseball talent. Yeah, it is. It's it's no question about that, you know, and uh You know tom messner I guess it was announced the other day that he uh has invested in the team and part owner And um, that's interesting. He's a local personality and uh likable You know, um, he's a weatherman the weather, you know the the weather and in much yell, okay much yell take much yells an example um The words is theoretically terrible You know, it isn't really I like the ski. I like the you know, there's things about the winter that I like a lot Okay, and I'm playing ball. You're not out much. You know, that's true but um That's what the fans are. Yeah, you know in the northeast In the central part of the country, you know, but Yeah, but so the lake monsters team is now Um, they're no longer a minor league affiliate. No, they're not they're not an affiliate with they are Basically what you call a summer um league collegiate league uh What you're watching is pretty good um baseball and and uh And you get to know the players this this very fan friendly field and system um The players are housed by uh individual families, you know um It's there are several summer leagues what they call summer leagues and the uh Leagues it was a two leagues. There's a team in in the New England collegiate baseball league, which is um Out of uh central mont and um They've they've been around for about 10 or 12 years now. Um, I mean more than that uh, and um, then there's a team down on white river, which is in that Same league New England league baseball league and the league that we're in is the futures league, which is geographically similar in the sense of same area and at the same level the only difference with the futures league is the fact that they have a certain percentage of the team's roster has to be from the wing on has to be yeah from the wing on and um We've had some really good players that have come through here. We had a catcher that was It was phenomenal. Um Got drafted No, not yet. He hasn't been eligible. Yeah, well, I think he's eligible this year. Okay. Yeah See what happens to look out for yeah Well, that's it, you know, and then the thing is that you give local kids. The big thing is We've got a couple of the three guys that got drafted so far I think two of the two of the three are from here are from like union district number 32 And um, I I like that It's cold like whatever. Um Yeah, and the other the other guy was from um stoke In this town this team is so small They Merced with morris phil And it was stoke morris phil and you got a kicker drafted on the team They got they got a murt they got to have the unit because they didn't have nine kids There are enough kids to have One team and you know, I mean that's that's typical You know, it's you know a couple small schools. They played baseball forever And they don't want to give it up because they can't get the ninth kid I don't know but yeah, that's um Yeah, that's a lot of fun. Yeah. Yeah, so we've got the lake monsters. It seems like they're pretty popular Uh ball club in town, but you're hoping and it sounds like a group of of folks that working with are Hoping to bring back the varsity back of our city team. Yeah, and we yeah, tell me a little bit about that We've been somewhat dormant You know for the last little while for a lot of reasons. I mean you get covid going around And it's still, you know, still popping up here and there And that's probably the big one of the things that got a problem. Um, the other thing is The You know recruiting I you know The story of varsity re in statement, uh, there's a point that and I'm speaking out of turn here in a sense that I haven't been involved with any of that stuff, but The amount of the hold up was that If you have this huge amount you want a large amount compared to other sports um And supported outside of the system, I think uh, it's that doesn't work, you know, and that's where that's where we're at You know and again, I'm not I'm not uh I'm not saying that I'm I'm just a fan like everybody else, you know, that's what it says and Yeah, it's fun, but And yes, baseball is big in Vermont Is a high school sport as there's a lot of these schools the real small schools that Have merged not only just baseball other sports basketball um It's to give kids opportunities in sports, I mean When I first came to verman, I either was 24 I think 24 varsity football teams in in the state they had been That group read along for a long time. It was the south and then the north and uh You know as far as football goes, but football's you need a lot of kids You mean high school football high school. Yeah, sure And you I went to a small school's same thing, you know, you had That well, they were very competitive. I mean, it's almost crazy um But they uh You know, you had that problem. Yeah, you gotta have a full team. Yeah, and They couldn't you know in other sports Well, not not really you're gonna have a full team, you know, basically, you know, and what what it does is It hurts your pitching staff Um When you don't have enough pitchers, you know, yeah um, and You know this kind of thing. So, you know, I mean you open it up to more kids. Sure, you know But there is a club team right now at uvm. Yeah Yeah, so do you think there's any hope that that club team could expand into a vrc team or are there We have enough guys on that team right now. You know, I've seen them play. I haven't seen them play at all this year Do they play on this field? Yeah, I'm telling you feel yeah, they use it. That's their home field And um, that's one thing that we got that's that little diamond up there and This was built Long time ago the main field itself was built in 1906 and uh The grandstand is this area was rebuilt in 1922 The grandstand The other grandstands on the football field are Built at that time Uh, and then in the 60s they built the track up at uh by the uh, patrick jim And they took the track out of here it used to run way that's why you have so much room right here Um, it's because the track came around there. Yeah, and that's a very That they they were operating with waivers Um for a long time what happened is they expanded this out a little bit not too awful much, but I mean it it satisfied the NCAA I guess and uh, it's You know, I it they draw about 4,000 um Here in error, but uh, you know the average crowd would be about 2,500 something like that. Yeah, which is great for That's a bunch. Yeah for anything happening in berlington. That's what they come in for look in this league They have their top of the league on this league as far as attendance goes. They're up against Worcester mass They're the smallest town. They're always the smallest town And whether it's double a triple a whatever um They're always the smallest population wise And then you got come for summer league you got competition from mumpere Who are the kids that coming from the same schools? There's a there's a team in montpellier. Yeah with a future month. Yeah, no, it's not future league It's uh new england collegiate baseball. Okay. Now they've had a team for about 15 years. I'm going to say There's also another team Uh, let's start it up a couple of four or five years ago It's in the same way, you know, there's new england collegiate And that's called upper valley And that's in in white river hardford vermont As opposed to hardford connegator, so um Yeah, that's uh and they they uh, they draw fairly well, but um They don't have like The grandstand or anything, you know, that's one of the problems I guess But they draw well, you know, yeah Well, my mom pier is see mom pier has a stadium like this. It's not and I quite as old as built in the 40s and it's um Uh, and and they draw like crazy they're They're like we are, you know, I mean they just they draw Really well, I mean, I've been out there. I've been out there a lot of times. You can't get a seat Yeah, no, I have me too when I well when I well when I've come to the lake monsters games They're there's often it's often a full house. Yeah. Yeah, that's And and and rain doesn't really matter Torrential downpour coming down lightning everything else people still wondering and they're a game tonight. Yeah, sure parker Anyway, that's Yeah, it is and if you go to other ball parks, you'll notice that You know, there's a lot of spots. There's a lot of interest in a lot of towns But they just don't draw as There's a Quebec league, right? Just north of here. They got a team in St. John's or Ursula. I think I'm not sure. Anyway Um They they drop pretty good and they have a stadium that's, you know, there's a lot of ball parks around like this and nothing's really maintained as well as this but It's you know It's a gem and it's Historic, you know and the drop in it, you know, it's dripping history. It's ridiculous And when you really when you read the book of Um on the Green Mountain Boy this summer It's uh, it's a it's a great it's written by the several writers several authors Probably about 12 15 years ago or so and um It did just history, you know Vermont, you know and I'm thinking about doing some stuff myself, but uh Yeah See what happens like this. Yeah But it's a fun Fun time. Yeah So this this lake monsters team, do you know anything about? The players and coaches that we'll see this year or is it the same as the No, it's well They're They usually don't come out with the rosters. Well, we're right around now actually we're in the We're going in the February. So Um I would imagine they would have the same see the the thing about this league is The ownership the local ownership Okay, with minor league ball they put the save between the lines Uh, the the affiliate team the team that you're affiliated with Makes all the decisions based on the field Based on what the front office does them Usually, um And then with this league Uh There's uh tryouts and so on but um They're The the operation is More or less, um I'm just like professional, but but it's not you know, they're not on their contract As a matter of fact a plan they I think they play play pay pay to play Um, these guys are pay-to-play. Huh the lake monsters are yeah. Yeah, they're a college team They're used to that stuff. It's like extracurricular, you know, yeah um So that's uh Yeah, they don't they're not professionals if they sign the contract and they're professionals. Yeah, so right Thanks. Well anything that we didn't touch on don that you want to make sure you get to before we wrap Well, yeah, I'm probably thinking of about five main things Go out the door Or somebody will ask me a question on the bus that happens a lot I sold a lot of bus tickets to bus drivers. No, it says it's funny, you know The guy sitting there the next game No, I would laugh about it, but it's true. You know, it's a very very popular very I don't the the only thing the one thing that they really Need to improve and this has been the problem on that since 1906 is It parking and yeah that type of thing The uh Yeah, let's say generally speaking that's That's the biggest Problem going and coming. It's it's only it's dangerous. It's amazing. Nobody's gotten hurt. You know so far I just ride my bike. That's the only way that How to get there with it. It's a mess. I use a bus. Yeah, yeah front gate boom Exactly. It's a bit of a walk from it from but but still it's not bad in summer. They've got to dress it up You know, it's they got a lot of space up there. Yeah, and there's some space they own some they don't but I mean You know like what a lot of us are talking about is out beyond where the soccer field is now Is using that for parking somehow now out behind Center field Uh, you have a lot of room out there. There's a cemetery, but there's a lot a lot of room a lot of space That's uh, I'm not sure some all might of the city or something and there's also Where the old tennis court used to be there's a tennis court in 1906 And then it was a tennis court until 65 when they moved over by Carson Fieldhouse and they brought a lot of stuff over there and There's there's some room back over behind here a lot of room And uh, you know, it's woods. It's uh Yeah, there's that's It's scary to think about how many people they could get in there if they had adequate parking like that because you see you gotta go The major parking is over by the hockey rink over by garrison fieldhouse. So you run a Shuttle, you know between the Gate the front gate up to where the parking lot is Mm-hmm Well, you got traffic going going both ways and you know your east west and north south and you know, it's just Like the kids like it. They like to ride the bus. Yeah, you know and uh That's that's part of it, you know, it's But that's that's the major complaint. It's probably the only complaint. I you know Yeah, otherwise But you know, you got new chairs. No new seats. Yeah night 2012 New seats new this new that the press box is still Yeah leaves a bit to be desired Um, we're very lucky. It's a beautiful field. Yeah And and and the big thing about this is it's such a good field. It's such a front office production In other words, it doesn't get any better And That's what I'd like to see somehow plan to Make parking better make the experience better in other words the in and out Um Stuff You know, you got a lot of empty woods up there, you know, it's uh I don't know. It's It's about the only affiliate that anybody has the food's pretty good. I don't know Yeah, I think yeah ballpark food. Yeah, it's not bad. Yeah, and you've got a lot of specialty stuff that they've done over the last few years You know, um Evolving kids and all those other stuff, you know, it's oh, yeah, it's a fun production. Yeah. No, I want a hot dog All right, thon. Thank you so much for coming on and yeah yesterday. I really appreciate it Yeah, we're gonna do some more awesome. Yep. This is just the start And just just stay tuned. Stay tuned. Thank you so much for tuning in to town meeting tv My name is bobby lucier so long