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Remember who you are and where you come from; otherwise, you don't know where
you are going.
Karolina Kurkova
2003
You'll recall that the
2002 Metros were an All-Pitch / No-Hit team, which resulted in a down year in terms of results. The Coaching staff,
consisting of Field Manager Kerry Hedden, Coach Carey Spiece, General Manager Mark Walters, and Business Manager Bob
Namtzu knew that to get back to their previous level (one of the best teams in the province) the offensive deficiencies would
have to be addressed. What they didn't know in that off-season was, there would be another big turnover of talent from
the 2002 season.
Gone from the previous
year's roster after just one season, were OF Marco Canada, 1B Matt Pickett, C Ryan Hay, and utility-man Mike Teso. Also
lost to the team was outstanding OF Brad Marcus (who gave the Metros 3 very good seasons), and lefty pitcher Devon Teeple,
who had suffered through a couple of seasons of arm woes, and decided to retire. The Metros coaching staff systematically
tried to replace these lost players, and did a lot of off-season scouting and recruiting...especially at Brock Badgers
games the previous fall. To replace Hay behind the plate, the Metros signed 20 year-old catcher Jeff Leonard from Sault
Ste. Marie. He paired nicely with 2002 addition, Jono Marcheterre, to give the team 2 solid options behind the dish.
They then signed 2 more ex-Badger outfielders...Justin Czorny and Rick Bottomley, to help fill the void left by Marcus, and
Canada. Bottomley was hampered by injuries in 2003, but Czorny was outstanding from the first game on...winning the
club's rookie-of-the-year award. These two players combined with returnees Rob Lipovsky and Rocco Spano to give the
Metros a very strong outfield. It was further enhanced when Ronnie French, the legendary outfielder from the mid-90's
Metros teams, made a comeback after 3 years away. French provided the team with experienced leadership
and some power at the plate.
As for the infield, the
club retained 2B Jason Candy, and Brad Namtzu, 3B Mike Mannella and Tommi Paugh, and SS Jamie Robertson. At first base
the Metros signed newcomer Derek Boudreau from Walsh University in Ohio. But Boudreau was only with the club for 10
games...so Mannella ended up making the move across the infield, helping to replace the departed Boudreau and 2002 1st baseman,
Matt Pickett. The other big off-season acquisition was that of infielder / pitcher Jonathan Paul. Paul had moved
into the region from his home in Perth, Ontario (near Ottawa) for work. The former Ottawa Canadian prospect, and National
Capital Baseball League All-Star stepped in to the Metros and was an impact player immediately...playing some solid infield,
and providing the team with another strong starter for their rotation.
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| Jonathan Paul came in '03...providing infield depth and winning the Metros Top Pitcher award. |
Speaking of pitching, the Metros'
strong suit was only made stronger with the addition of Paul, along with a St. Catharines native, Floyd Albert (who was
a former draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays), Brock veteran Scott Vallier (a member of the Badgers Baseball Hall-of-Fame),
and 18 year-old St. Catharines minor graduate Dustin Turner (who would go on to become one of the most dominating pitchers
in COBA history). These 4 pitchers would join a very good staff that included "ace" Brian Essery, wiley vet Lou Gazzola,
Jason Rabjohn (coming off his best season), 5-game winner Phil Apa, Ryan Villers (who did a great job in the closer's role),
and infielder Jamie Robertson (who did a fantastic job as a part-time pitcher). These 10 players comprised one of the
deepest and best quality staffs ever assembled by the Metros.
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| Newcomer OF Rick Bottomley battled through an injury-filled season, batting .222 with 10 RBI's. |
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| Rookie LHP Floyd Albert was simply awesome in '03, going 5-0, with a 2.55 ERA and 60 K's in 53 Inn. |
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| Justin Czorny was voted Metros Top Rookie in '03, after batting .348, with 47 H, 17 SB and 31 Runs. |
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| Young catcher, Jeff Leonard came up with a solid rookie season, hitting .292 with 13 RBI's. |
The COBA Senior Baseball League was
made up of 8 teams in 2003, with the Metros in their customary spot in the Johnson Division alongside Burlington, Dundas,
and Glanbrook. The Andrews Division was made up of the Etobicoke Rangers, Erindale Cardinals, Oakville A's and Milton
Red Sox. They played a 28-game schedule, which for the Metros, began in Dundas on May 5th...the traditional "shotgun
start" weekend. The other tradition that had been developing for 15 years continued in '03 as well. For the 16th
consecutive year the Metros won their opener. This time it was by a 6-3 margin over the Chiefs. They lost the
second game of the doubleheader however, as the Burlington Brants edged them 4-3. The home opener was a "no-doubter"
the following Thursday, as the Metros' Phil Apa, Ryan Villers, Jason Rabjohn, and Dustin Turner combined on a two-hit shutout
to clobber Oakville 9-0.
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| Field manager Kerry Hedden had the team playing great ball, and finally got some recognition. |
In fact, the Metros were firing on
all cylinders during the month of May. After falling to 3-2, (another 1-run loss to the Brants) the Metros reeled off
5 in a row...and by June 6th, were sitting comfortably in 2nd place in the Johnson Division at 8-2. Field manager Kerry Hedden
(see picture to the right) was settling in nicely during his 3rd full season at the helm, and had the Metros playing at the
top of their game. In May of '03, Kerry finally got some long-overdue recognition for his efforts, with a full-page
St. Catharines Standard bio-story.
Two others who were on top of their
games early during '03, were veteran 2B Jason Candy and young OF Rocco Spano. After clouting a 2-run HR in the 9-0 game
versus Oakville, Candy exploded for two 3-run HR's and a double, during the second half of a doubleheader sweep
of Etobicoke. At the end of May, Candy was hitting .609 (14 for 23), with 3 HR and 9 RBI's. In what would be his
last of 9 great years in COBA, Candy was going out with a bang.
Rocco Spano, on the other hand, was
just getting started. He was considered the heir apparent as the offensive leader of the club after Frank Keltos retired
prior to 2002. Spano (see picture below) produced multi-hit games in 7 of the first 8 Metros outings,
including 3 HR and 10 RBI's. And his biggest games were yet to come. Rocco would go on to have his best season
as a Metro, winning the COBA HR title, and leading the league in RBI's. In fact, his .398 average was just behind the
.403 mark of the COBA batting champion (Burlington's Kerwin Belle)...and just .005 away from a "Triple Crown".
Mysteriously, Spano finished 2nd in the COBA M.V.P. vote at year-end.
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| Rocco Spano had his best year in '03, with a .398 BA. He added 6 HR (COBA HR Champion) and 39 RBI. |
After an 11-1 win over Erindale on
June 10th, the St. Catharines Metros were at 9-2, and were about to take part in the Thornhill Invitational Tourney.
The team played very good ball in Thornhill, but (like in the 2001 Newmarket Tourney) were ousted due to "run differential".
The good guys knocked off a surprisingly strong Kingston Ponies club, 4-3, scoring all 4 of their runs in the final inning.
Jonathan Paul pitched 3 hitless innings of relief for the win. Then, in game 2, St. Catharines managed just 3 hits,
but still topped Leaside 3-1...with Spano driving in all 3 runs, and Apa and Villers pitching well. Then in a disappointing
game 3, the Metros lost 7-6 to the host Thornhill club. The 7 runs against allowed Chatham to sneek into the playoff
round...with both teams finishing at 2-1.
The Metros returned to the COBA Senior
League, with a renewed vigor. The sting of Thornhill was fresh, but the team had played well, and were getting
great pitching every time out. That continued during league play in June. The team split a doubleheader in
Milton on Saturday, June 19th...with Jason Rabjohn pitching well in a 4-3 victory, before the Red Sox came back to beat
St. Catharines 6-2. Then the locals knocked off Erindale 5-4, with Lou Gazzola, and Floyd Albert pitching hitless ball
in relief of Jon Paul. Two more well-pitched wins by Paul (over Glanbrook), and Albert (over Dundas) left their record
at 12-4. Then the Metros split a doubleheader with Etobicoke in early July, losing 7-4 and winning 4-0. The 4-0
shutout was the 4th win (against 0 losses) of the season for Brian Essery (see picture below), and lowered his ERA to a microscopic
0.55. By July 5th 2003, Brian had allowed 2 earned runs in 33 innings!
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| Brian Essery, in his third amazing season in a row, went 5-0 with a 1.26 ERA before arm problems hit |
Unfortunately for both Brian and the
Metros, the big righthander would suffer an arm injury in his next start, and although he would make 2 more starts (Hap Walters
Tourney and Elims) and win one more game, his season was pretty much over. He would not return to form for two more
seasons. In fact, Essery's injury was the second of a series of injuries to the decimated Metros pitching staff.
Ryan Villers had struggled with arm woes since mid-June, while Phil Apa, and (for the first time in his career) 43 year-old
Lou Gazzola had gone though arm issues. The depth of the Metros staff of '03 was being well tested.
With a record of 14-7 in league play,
a big moment occured in the history of the club, as St. Catharines hosted (for the first time) the afore-mentioned "Hap" Walters
Memorial Tournament, in mid-July. "Hap" Walters (Metros' GM Mark's father) was a legend in St. Catharines baseball circles
from the 40's thru the 70's. The 4-team friendly that the Metros had hosted in '02 became a full-fledged 12-team event
in 2003. The field included the Metros and 11 of the best Senior "A" teams in the province...Thornhill, Erindale, Woodslee,
Ajax, Etobicoke, St. Clair, Windsor Stars, Windsor Athletics, Markham, Newmarket and Burlington.
While the tournament itself was a
huge success, the Metros on the field, were once again denied. The home team were knocked off in the semi-finals
by Marham. They did make some waves in getting to the semis, however. Rocco Spano clubbed a 3-run HR,
and Jonathan Paul tossed a 4-hit shutout as they beat Thornhill 9-0. After a 4-2 win (Essery's final win of the season)
over Woodslee, and a 7-6 loss to Erindale, the Metros, with a record of 2-1, finally got into a tournament playoff via
the "run differential" rule. But Markham took an 8-1 lead in the 3rd inning of the semi-final...and despite the Metros
5-run 6th, it was too much to overcome. The Pioneers then lost to Etobicoke in the finals...making the Rangers the first
"Hap" Walters Tourney Champions.
After a couple more wins and a loss
in league play, to bring their record to 16-8, the 2nd place Metros prepared for their trip to Elims, in Windsor. With
question marks (due to health) now running rampant in their pitching staff, the Metros knew they would have to play well in
the other facets of their game. While the pitchers were "under the weather", the hitters were "under the gun".
But in a weekend that (to this writing) was their best ever at the prestigious tournament, the Metros played inspired baseball...and
made it to the semi-finals, their only trip to Monday morning in club history.
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| The Metros celebrate, after Rocco Spano's walk-off HR gave them a 3-2 win over Etobicoke in game 4. |
The weekend didn't start out as planned,
however. Ailing Brian Essery gave it his best shot, in game 1...and gave the Metros 4 decent innings, leaving the game
with the Leaside Leafs tied at 3. But Dustin Turner and Ryan Villers, were unable to hold the Leafs down, resulting
in a 9-3 Leaside win. Both Turner and Villers would come back in a big way, later. With the Metros' backs to the
wall, they would face their league-mates Burlington, in game 2. And going into the bottom of the 7th, the Metros found
themselves down 2-1. But keyed by Rob Lipovsky's 2-run double, St. Catharines came back to win 4-2. Jonathan Paul
pitched 6 strong innings, while Floyd Albert pitched the 7th, and got the win. Next up was a date with Thornhill,
and Albert came back to the mound to start game 3. This one was never in doubt, as Floyd tossed a complete game 2-hitter,
in the Metros' 3-1 win. That put the locals at 2-1, and on to Sunday for a couple of barnburners.
St. Catharines, once again, found
themselves playing a team from their own league...the Etobicoke Rangers. And, in one of the great ball games in club
history, the Metros emerged 3-2 winners, in extra innings. The pitching matchup featured a couple of wiley veterans,
who still had something left in the tank...Rob Beaton for the Rangers, and Lou Gazzola for St. Catharines. The score
stood 2-1 for St. Catharines after 5, but Gazzola's previously ailing arm was causing him problems and he had to leave the
game. The Metros turned to 18 year-old Turner, who immediately gave up the tying run...but the determined youngster
would not be scored on again. The game went into extra innings, and finally in the bottom of the 9th, Rocco Spano connected
on a Beaton offering and sent it over the fence in left for the walk-off Metros victory and making a winner of Turner
(see picture above).
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| The handshakes withTecumseh after the Metros 8-6 win...behind Ryan Villers' 4-inning relief win. |
Game 5 saw the Metros meet the 2001
Tournament Champions from Tecumseh. Scott Vallier was scheduled to start for St. Catharines, and although he hadn't
pitched a lot during the season, the Metros had high hopes with Scott on the mound. He didn't bring his good stuff however,
and the Metros were down 6-3 going into the 4th inning. But, after Ryan Villers came in to relieve, the team responded,
scoring 2 in the 5th, and 1 in the 6th to tie...with the big hits coming from Spano (3 RBI), and Ronnie French (2-run
HR). They then came all the way back, with 2 more in the 7th (on a Mike Mannella 2-run double), and left the rest up
to Villers...who shut the door. The Metros won 8-6.
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| 2003 Top Pitcher, Jon Paul pitched his best game of the season, when the Metros needed it most. |
It was on to Monday, for the first
and only time in team history. With 4 teams left, the Metros were the only team remaining that hadn't received a bye.
So, it was on to the finals with a win over Markham. With nobody left who hadn't already pitched, manager Hedden called
on Jonathan Paul, who went 6 on Saturday vs. Burlington. And in one of the gutsiest performances ever, Paul went
the distance...allowing just 2 hits. However, both hits drove in runs, while the Metros were only able to cash one run
on their 7 hits. Paul lost the game 2-1, but won the respect of everyone that saw the game. The Pioneers, then
knocked off Woodslee to become Ontario Champs. The disappointed Metros were that close...but over time, all of the players
and coaches involved with this weekend, will never forget it...and feel proud.
When the team returned from Windsor,
they still had 4 league games left to play, and then COBA Playoffs to follow. And the team, despite the dreaded "Elimination
Tournament hangover", played well, winning 3 of the 4 games and finishing at 19-9 on the season, one game behind Burlington
in the Johnson Division. The highlights in the August games included a complete game 4-hitter by Jason Rabjohn
in a 4-1 victory over Glanbrook (Spano driving in all 4 runs)...and a 2-run HR by Mannella to back the 2-hit five inning relief
job by Justin Czorny in a 4-3 win over Dundas. With Essery and Villers done for the year, Paul down with arm fatigue,
and Dustin Turner off to school, the Metros called on OF Czorny and SS Jamie Robertson to help out on the mound, the
rest of the way.
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| 18 year-old Dustin Turner as he appeared the day before he left for the U. of Arkansas - Little Rock |
As mentioned, Dustin Turner (see picture
to the right) was off to school. The young phenom was given a full-ride scholarship to the University of Arkansas -
Little Rock, the previous spring, and was using his experiences against the more seasoned, veteran hitters in COBA to hone
his skills for College. The arrangement worked out well for both Dustin and the Metros. Mr. Turner went on to
have a great Collegiate career at UALR, making the team as a freshman, and becoming a Conference leader in ERA in 2006.
And from the Metros' viewpoint, the youngster gave them a solid rookie season, with a 1-1 record, and 2 saves...with
a 2.65 ERA in 17 innings. Of course, he's gone on to greatness at the Ontario Senior level, and won the Metros
Top Pitcher and M.V.P. awards in 2008.
The Metros COBA playoffs began on
August 17th, with a 2 out of 3 series against the Glanbrook Grizzlies. As we said earlier, the decimated pitching
staff need a shot in the arm, and they got it from Jamie Robertson. "JR", the team's shortstop, was called on in game
1 of the series to help out, and did a remarkable job...tossing a CG one-hitter. The infielder walked 7 but struck
out 9, in out-duelling Grizzlies' youngster Mike Grilli. St. Catharines got a a game-tying single from Brad Namtzu,
and a game-winning single from Jono Marcheterre (both in the 9th inning) for the winning margin. In game 2,
Lou Gazzola went 8+ innings, and Rocco Spano hit yet another 2-run HR, as the Metros swept...10-4.
The finals consisted of a 4-team double
knockout tourney, and once again St. Catharines dug deep, to advance to the finals. Jonathan Paul, finally recovered
from his Elimination Tourney marathon, tossed a complete game 5-hitter, to beat Etobicoke 4-1, in game 1. In game
2, the Metros got a HR and 3 RBI's from Mike Mannella, to back the 6-hit pitching of Floyd Albert, to beat Burlington 9-4.
But on Sunday, after losing to Erindale in the morning, the two teams met, again, in the afternoon, with the winner taking
home the title. And, calling on Jamie Robertson, once again, the Metros got another solid start, as he allowed just
3 runs on 6 hits. But the Cardinals won 3-1. Erindale were COBA Champs, and St. Catharines were runners-up, for the
second year in a row.
The 2003 St. Catharines
Metros did not win anything. They didn't qualify for the playoffs at the Thornhill Tourney, they were eliminated in
the semi-finals at both the "Hap" Walters, and the Eliminations, were second in the Johnson Division of COBA, and
lost in the COBA Playoff finals. And yet with all this "losing", the team is remembered as one of the
gutsiest clubs ever to wear the Metros' uniform. This team is remembered fondly for the run it made at Elims, and for
the way they fought to overcome injury and adversity. Their team batting and pitching numbers were good, but were
not the "whole story" when talking about 2003. Rocco Spano became the offensive leader of the team in '03,
winning the team M.V.P. award, as well as the COBA HR Champ. Here are the final batting numbers for the team:
Rick Bottomley: 63
AB, 14 H, 1 HR, 4 SB, 10 R, 10 RBI, .222 Jason Candy: 106
AB, 26 H, 4 HR, 0 SB, 20 R, 17 RBI, .245 Justin Czorny: 135 AB, 47
H, 1 HR, 17 SB, 31 R, 22 RBI, .348 Ronnie French: 114 AB, 30 H, 3 HR, 0 SB, 19
R, 26 RBI, .263 Jeff Leonard: 72 AB, 21 H, 1 HR, 1 SB, 13 R, 9 RBI, .292 Rob Lipovsky: 126 AB, 43
H, 0 HR, 16 SB, 36 R, 20 RBI, .341 Mike Mannella: 116 AB, 43 H, 3 HR, 2 SB, 21 R, 30
RBI, .371 Jono Marcheterre: 81 AB, 19 H, 0 HR, 4 SB, 14 R, 13 RBI, .235 Brad Namtzu: 124
AB, 36 H, 0 HR, 13 SB, 28 R, 15 RBI, .290 Tommi Paugh: 106 AB, 28
H, 0 HR, 1 SB, 11 R, 15 RBI, .264 Jonathan Paul: 88 AB,
21 H, 1 HR, 0 SB, 8 R, 9 RBI, .239
Jamie Robertson: 106
AB, 30 H, 0 HR, 0 SB, 20 R, 12 RBI, .283 Rocco
Spano: 128 AB, 51 H, 6 HR, 3 SB, 27 R, 39 RBI, .398
(Metros MVP and COBA HR Champ)
As mentioned...what began as the most promising, deep, and quality pitching staff, was absolutely decimated
by injuries. But this staff still managed to put up some very good stats. Brian Essery, continuing his incredible
run that began in 2001, set another Metros mark in '03 by allowing just 4.81 hits per 9 innings over the course of his 43
innings. Also Jonathan Paul set the Metros rookie record for CG shutouts pitched in a season - with 2. And
finally, 2 pitchers (Essery and Floyd Albert) went unbeaten during the season...both going 5-0 tying the club record for
fewest losses in a season (minimum 5 decisions). But based on his performance at Elims, and in the other big tournament
games during the season, Jonthan Paul was named Metros' Top Pitcher. Here are the numbers for the entire staff (minimum
15 innings): Floyd Albert: 53 Inn., 41 H, 43 BB, 60 K, 0 Sv., 5 - 0, 2.55 ERA Phil Apa: 40
Inn., 26 H, 62 BB, 24 K, 0 Sv., 3 - 4, 6.75 ERA Brian Essery: 43 Inn., 23 H, 12 BB, 33 K, 0
Sv., 5 - 0, 1.26 ERA Lou Gazzola: 35 Inn., 30 H, 8 BB, 15 K, 1 Sv., 1 - 1, 1.90 ERA Jonathan Paul: 67 Inn., 53 H, 48
BB, 62 K, 2 Sv., 5 - 3, 3.63 ERA (Metros Top Pitcher) Jason Rabjohn: 41
Inn., 47 H, 26 BB, 15 K, 1 Sv., 4 - 1, 3.29 ERA Jamie Robertson: 22 Inn., 9
H, 16 BB, 19 K, 0 Sv., 1 - 1, 1.23 ERA Dustin Turner: 17 Inn., 10 H,
12 BB, 14 K, 2 Sv., 1 - 1, 2.65 ERA Scott Vallier: 26 Inn., 33 H, 16 BB, 22 K, 0 Sv., 1 - 4, 5.88 ERA Ryan Villers: 17
Inn., 17 H, 16 BB, 10 K, 2 Sv., 2 - 1, 5.29 ERA
This young team, was starting to get a little older, and now had a "near miss"
at Elims behind them. The Metros could either take the experience, and use it to advance to the next level
of play, or consider this year as their "best", and settle back into a role as a very good team that could
threaten, but never win. Or was there a third possibility? Check back with us, as we look at "The History
of the Metros in Words and Pictures: 2004", to find out.
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