David Mills can draw from a long and impressive list of achievements when asked which stand out to him for the Barrie Baycats over their 19 years in the Intercounty Baseball League.
The Baycats president can boast about winning a record-tying sixth-straight league championship this past summer or point to the thrill that came with that first league title in 2005.
How about their overall dominance on the diamond that has included bringing home the Jack and Lynne Dominico Trophy seven times and advancing to the championship final 11 times in just 19 years.
Mills is proud of those and the many other memorable moments that have made the franchise the jewel organization of the IBL, but to this day the one that stands out for him came on a pitching mound back in 2001.
"If there's a proud moment that I have, I think it's the time when we made the opening pitch back on May 12, 2001," said Mills, who has been at the helm of the organization since Day 1. "That was the start of it."
A start that truthfully may have never arrived, nor all the success that followed, had it not been for Mills. The Baycats were nearly benched before they even took the field.
The original owner of the IBL expansion club, who was going to own the team and build a stadium, went bankrupt.
That's when Mills went to work.
"I was able to put a little bit of personal heat on a couple of my friends," he recalled. "Gary Inskeep stepped up to own the team and Alfred Hambsch, who had Barrie Metals at the time, donated $150,000 to build the stadium."
Along with Paul Marley, the group built the foundation the powerhouse organization has since stood strong on.
"(Paul's) been with us since Day 1 and he's just incredible to make things happen," Mills said. "With Gary, Alfred and Paul, that's the beginning. That, to me, is really the initial highlight."
Mills's determination to face down that early adversity and help the new organization get off the ground was born, he says, from his love for the game.
"I just have a passion for baseball," he said.
He didn't really find baseball. In a way, the game found him when he walked into the old Maple Leafs Stadium in Toronto for the first time as a kid.
"I've never played it very well myself, but I was exposed to it in the mid-'50s." he said of baseball. "I was taken to a game in Toronto to the old Toronto Maple Leafs out of the Lakeshore (Road). Walking into that stadium, for the first time ever, I was a young guy, only 10 years old.
"I looked up and I saw the green grass, I saw the sign and I saw the players on the field and it's just something that grabbed me, even back then. I just said to myself, 'I love this sport and I want to be involved'."
Mills would move away from Barrie for school and after graduating he was hired by Bell Canada, making stops in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto before returning to Barrie in 1997.
The passion for the game had always been there and when he saw an ad in a local newspaper asking if there was anybody interested in volunteering for a new franchise coming to Barrie, Mills jumped even though he knew little about it.
"I went to that first meeting and didn't know anybody at the time and I just had a feeling that this is something I really want to be involved in," he explained. "I love the game and although I never played the game well, the administrative part I truly enjoy and I just enjoy people coming to the game.
"It's a family environment and you see kids running around chasing balls, it's all part of it. I think we've built something special."
Mills says what they've built is a family. From the ownership to sponsors, to volunteers, to the players and to the fans, there's a special chemistry that makes everything work.
It's far from any one-man show.
"I think it starts at the top and goes all the way down," said Mills, who now has a board of directors of six to help Inskeep, Marley and himself with the club's operations. "I think we're one of the well thought of franchises in the league from what we've built and how we operate.
"Touch wood, we've never had issues off the field, which in 19 years is something we should all be proud of," he added. "I think it all comes back to how you treat people and how you treat players and our volunteers are exceptional."
And dedicated volunteers are a critical part of the franchise's success.
"We've had volunteers for all 19 years, if you can believe that. It says something about the entire organization. It's a culture, it's a chemistry and it's kind of family," Mills said.
Mills and the Baycats have certainly found their place in the community. Now known as Coates Stadium, the IBL club packs the stands on many nights, especially come playoff time when tickets are a hot item around the city.
"It's about wanting to build this whole culture," Mills said. "Come to the ballpark you're going to have a good time and it's not going to cost you a fortune and the kids are going to have fun. That's kind of what our philosophy has been over time."
A big part of that family are the players. That winning culture and success off the field has made the organization a place where not only players want to play, but make it place to stay and raise a family.
"They've come here, built careers and are raising families now," said Mills, pointing to 17 out-of-town players who now call the city their home. "That's something we're very, very proud of. You go down the list and I think there's four or five teachers in Simcoe County that weren't from here. You've got two cops, a fireman, so we built that culture where you come, see what we're all about and they love the city, they love the area in Simcoe County and this is where they're making their home.
"This is something they would have never been able to do without coming here to play baseball in Barrie. We're proud of that aspect of the organization."
While all the success on the field has made for quite the ride and is something Mills would love to continue, he recognizes the core group of players that have made the franchise a powerhouse, like Ryan Spataro and Jeff Cowan, are getting older.
Angus Roy, who started as a player, then manager and general manager over 17 years, recently announced he wanted to spend more time with his family and wouldn't be returning next season.
"It's going to be a big hole to fill, for sure," Mills said.
The Baycats president says there has been one unsung hero for him over the years and that's his wife, Gayle.
"She's been very tolerant in the 19 years, allowing me to do the things I love doing," he said. "I don't think a lot of spouses would put up with the time and effort that I put into this, but she's been so supportive and really someone that I have to say thanks to as well."
Mills, remarkably, has missed just one home game over those 19 years.
"I think it was my daughter's wedding," he said, laughing out loud. "I just want to be at the ballpark."
He admits, come summer there's no place he'd rather be.
The game has been his passion since Day 1, but he knows the time to step aside isn't too much further down the road.
"At 74 years old, there comes a point where you got to start looking at the succession plan, you know? I'm trying to develop young minds and young people around that hopefully some day they'll be able to take over," Mills said. "Certainly my desire, when I hang up the pencil and pen, is to leave the team so the next person can take it to that next level, whatever that maybe.
"Those days, they'll be coming, but for this year and 2021 I'm here. I love it and I want to keep going."
