After nearly a decade without a senior baseball team in the Sunshine City, the Orillia Majors are being revitalized.
Mike Provenzano’s application to field a team in the North Dufferin Baseball League was accepted yesterday.
“It’s been a long journey,” said Provenzano, who was diagnosed with stage three lymphoma in 2017. “Having cancer changed my whole perspective and outlook on life.”
The 50-year-old started thinking about what was important to him beyond his family. The answer, he found, was baseball.
“I love baseball,” he said. “If I’m going to go down, besides my family, baseball is one of the greatest things I’m going to miss.”
After battling through eight rounds of chemotherapy and surviving cancer, Provenzano started his mission to give back to the game he’s loved since he was a child by coaching Orillia's junior baseball team.
He also sees his new quest as a chance to make good on one of his biggest regrets.
“I quit in junior,” he lamented, adding he "became a little too high-strung and foolish” at the time.
Provenzano says he’s kept in touch with some of Orillia’s top hardball players who are committed to playing on the "new" Orillia Majors.
“We have quite a roster,” he chuckled. “I have about 19 to 20 players who are active and out of respect and tribute, I kept some of the legendary Majors on my roster who said they would come out of retirement if they absolutely had to.”
It might not be a championship team, but Provenzano says the Majors will be competitive right off the hop. The team plans on playing out of the Jerry Udell Diamond and the Yeo Diamond for day games. The team is currently in need of a lead sponsor.
“Because of COVID, I’ve gotten a late start on this,” Provenzano said. “We are broke, and I don’t know if what I’m going to charge the guys to play is going to cover everything. I also don’t know what diamond time is going to cost us.”
Provenzano encourages potential community supporters to call him if they are interested in sponsoring the team. His number is 705-725-3761.
Former Orillia Majors catcher Greg McMillan, a mainstay on the team for 25 years, says he is excited about the team's return. McMillan was a key player for the Majors team that won a provincial title in 2011.
“I think it will be good,” he said of the team's rebirth. “This is a team that has been around for generations, they are a fairly iconic sports team in Orillia.”
McMillan says the Orillia Legion Minor Baseball system has improved over the years and young, local players seem to have aspirations to pursue their baseball careers.
While Orillia Legion Minor Baseball is not affiliated with the Majors, the organization's president, Wes Winkel, is looking forward to having more baseball opportunities in Orillia.
“It’s a great place to go watch some very good baseball,” he said, while encouraging local fans to support the team. “It’s a great place for the youth of Orillia to graduate and continue playing baseball in their hometown.”
