Bootleggers and Braves - Part 2 of LFA
Here is the second instalment from across the pond as BJ De Lorenzo talks us through his distinguished baseball career.
Playing for John Bennett at the Southport Bootleggers was a new experience - we lost all the games we played, but the after-game the antics more than made up for it. Don’t forget, this was the late 1970’s and Southport was still a rockin’ seaside town back then. There was plenty of things to do and plenty of watering holes!
John had contacts throughout the U.S. and Canada and had arranged for a college team from the U.S. travelling that was through Europe to play us at the local rugby ground. Talk about getting a lesson in baseball - for a “hamshank” like me, it was an embarrassment. These guys were good and we ended up calling the game after 5 innings. I think this was the beginning of the end for the Bootleggers and after that the team sort of drifted away as the experienced players moved on. John went to visit his son in Canada and shortly after that we heard he had passed away - a great to loss to the sport!
Playing for the Burtonwood Braves was like going from being poor to being rich. They had new uniforms, white baseballs, the latest bats and, best of all, a proper baseball diamond. It was like the “Field of Dreams”. The team was made up of base personnel. Some that played college baseball, like Rick Parker and Danny Prinze (the commander of the base), while others were Yanks who just wanted to party after the game with the base bowling alley as the choice of venue. We were told sometime later that they had never sold so much beer since the ball team started going there - in fact, they ran out a few times.
The team seemed to gel throughout. We won most of the games we played, and most of all, we had fun doing it. The highlight of our season was the championship at the hallowed cricket ground, The Oval, in London, against the Cobham Yankees. Pre-game was a home run derby between the famous baseball player Ernie Banks and cricketer, Graham Gooch. Two great sportsmen in their own right. We lost that game but learned a lot by playing a team made up of a great number of GB players. Up to that time we only played teams in our area and, to be honest, the Skem Tigers and the Trojans were the only real tests we had.
The following season with Burtonwood we got Rob Alger to come and play with the Braves. With Rick Parker pitching and Rob catching, Chris Gee playing short stop or 3rd base, with myself in the infield, young Rob Orme in centre field we had the making of a solid team. But like all good things, it came to an end with me. My wife and I decided to head back across the pond and in March 1981 we said goodbye to Blighty and started a new life in L.A.
I soon got a job and shortly after talked the boss into supporting a softball team (it was easier to get into a softball league and much cheaper) but it wasn’t really ‘my cup of tea.’ All the guys in the team were really enthusiastic, and there were some good ball players, but the novelty soon wore off and we struggled to get players each week, eventually disbanding the team.
For the next 3 years, my baseball was restricted to watching the Dodgers on TV or attending a game or two. After 3 years in LA we made the trip back to Liverpool for good…I swore I would not be being going back to the US as I was getting tired of moving around. So, we packed up our household goods and suitcases, and headed back to Liverpool (and to the in-laws)…