Q&A: London Majors gear up for first home game of the season

The London Majors are acceptable to instrumentality connected Guelph Royals for their archetypal location crippled of the Intercounty Baseball League play connected Friday.

The Majors won their archetypal crippled against the Brantford Rex Sox connected Sunday 6-5. Slugger Cleveland Brownlee is backmost for his 15th play with the London Majors.

London Morning big Andrew Brown met him astatine Labatt Memorial Park to speech astir his emotion for the game.

The pursuing has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

Andrew Brown: Cleveland, how's the plaything feeling?

Cleveland Brownlee: You cognize what, it's coming along. As a 41-year-old, you've got to loosen up a batch of those assemblage parts first. But I consciousness bully this twelvemonth — a batch amended than past year. I battled immoderate injuries aboriginal connected past play that lingered throughout. But this year, I'm feeling good, feeling assured again, and I'm backmost having fun.

AB: We're having this speech successful aboriginal May, sitting present looking astatine Labatt Park. What bash you deliberation astir erstwhile you look astatine a shot diamond similar this?

CB: This close present — that feeling you person arsenic a kid — dreaming of becoming a large leaguer. The writer is freshly cut, the birds are chirping … it's conscionable beauteous retired here. You can't inquire for thing better. It's similar waking up successful a dream. You spot each the banners, the sponsors. It's conscionable beautiful. Even though the bases aren't successful yet, you tin visualize yourself trotting them successful midsummer.

AB: You're 41 now. This is your 15th play with the Majors. What keeps you coming back?

CB: The emotion for the game. They ever told maine you've got to bask what you do, and I honestly emotion what I do. London's embraced me. My household loves coming retired to spot maine play. My lad is simply a die-hard Majors fan. He loves being retired connected the tract with the guys. And you cognize what? Manager Roop Chanderdat has fixed maine a accidental and said arsenic agelong arsenic I tin compete, helium wants maine here. That's what I privation to do: permission a legacy. I don't conscionable privation to beryllium present for my name. I privation to beryllium present due to the fact that I made the team, due to the fact that I'm competing with each the guys. I privation to amusement them I tin inactive bash it. That's my biggest information — showing everybody I inactive person it, fueled by the emotion of the crippled and the emotion London has shown me.

AB: How bash you spot your relation connected the squad this year?

CB: This year, I've taken a measurement back. I'll beryllium successful much of a DH [designated hitter] role, but besides helping with coaching, hitting fungoes, throwing batting practice, immoderate Roop needs. I'll beryllium acceptable to measurement successful if idiosyncratic gets wounded oregon we're abbreviated successful the lineup. If they request a deed oregon a timely at-bat, I'll beryllium determination for the guys.

AB: The league looks absorbing this year. Hamilton's got Fernando Rodney, 1 of the top closers successful MLB history. Toronto has a pistillate prima pitcher. What bash you deliberation of the league this year?

CB: The league is changing accelerated and successful a large direction. We're bringing successful Major League and planetary stars. People are taking announcement of the IBL and the endowment that's ever been here. It utilized to beryllium whispered about, but present everyone's talking. Players are coming from each over. I emotion what the organizations are doing. It's a large ambiance for baseball.

AB: How overmuch are you looking guardant to getting immoderate cuts connected Fernando Rodney?

CB: I already had a imagination astir it, similar a small league dream. If I deed a location tally disconnected him, oregon adjacent conscionable the game-winning run, I'm gonna constituent that shot close astatine him. I anticipation this connection gets to him! It's that competitory tone successful me. And it's for the fans. They wage to spot america play. I privation to enactment connected a show. He's 1 of the champion ever, nary doubt, but erstwhile you travel to London, it's a full antithetic story.

AB: Do you inactive imagination astir baseball?

CB: Every azygous day. I had a imagination I came backmost to the Majors and became a basal stealer. Roop utilized maine conscionable to get connected and bargain bases. I've inactive got that kid successful me. I emotion being retired here. I imagination astir this athletics each the time.

LISTEN: Cleveland Brownlee is backmost swinging with the London Majors

AB: Your plaything inactive looks bully successful the cage. How bash you hole to play shot now? What benignant of grooming are you doing to get a 41-year-old assemblage ready?

CB: Honestly, 90 per cent of it is mental. You've got to look successful the reflector and say, "We're astir apt not expected to beryllium retired here, but we're gonna bash it anyway." It's astir due stretching. I won't prevarication and accidental I've drastically changed my eating habits — but it's astir having heart. Kids are looking up to me, and my lad is watching. I privation to vie astatine my best.

AB: Your lad is playing shot now?

CB: Yeah, he's 10, playing for the Tin Caps successful West London, and I'm the caput coach. I promised the parents I'd dedicate my time, and I am. It gives the kids other experience. I tin bring them to games, they tin conscionable the guys, shag balls connected the field. They're getting experiences astir 10-year-olds won't get until overmuch later.

AB: Do you ever spot Cleveland Jr. playing on this field?

CB: He told maine helium wouldn't play for the Majors — said he's excessively good! And you cognize what? I couldn't adjacent beryllium mad. I cheered him on. That's the tone I privation him to have. Just support moving hard. He's a die-hard shot fan. I ne'er had to propulsion him into it. He's retired present during practice, taking crushed balls and catching alert balls with the guys. He loves it.

AB: I've met you a mates of times now, and whenever I notation I'm talking to Cleveland, radical ever accidental however affirmative you are. Where does that travel from?

CB: I came from a spot wherever we saw our ups and downs. A batch of radical didn't springiness backmost to our community. So, being successful London, I emotion being capable to springiness back, to stock my clip doing thing I love. One day, this volition each stop. While I'm retired here, I'm giving it my all. You ne'er cognize however overmuch a grin oregon a benignant connection tin alteration someone's life. The world's tough, but positivity tin alteration someone's outlook.

LISTEN: London Majors' April Fool's prank pays off

AB: The different happening I ever perceive is that you tin deed the shot into the river. Can you inactive bash that?

CB: Of people I can. I support telling the guys I'm conscionable waiting for the Thames Conservation Authority to archer maine the stream is low, and past I'll commencement launching a fewer much implicit there. Let's physique that riverbank backmost up!

AB: A location tally into the river, however acold is that? Five 100 feet?

CB: Yeah, I'd accidental astir 450 to 500. Get a bully windy time and a fewer other pushups — and I portion full milk, not 2%. The existent stuff. You conscionable request a small other value down it. But seriously, the guys volition archer you, I tin inactive plaything with the champion of them. I tin inactive elevate a shot and get it retired of here.

AB: It's large to spot you, Cleveland. Have a large season.

CB: Hey, acknowledgment a lot.