The Belleville Buccaneers, a team of a dozen 11-year-olds, emerged as the class of the United States Amateur Baseball League.
In the spring and summer seasons, spanning March through July, the Bucs had only five days without a game or practice.
Even when Coach William Canon would offer the players a day off, they insisted on showing up and running through an intense practice.
“After a long week and hot summer days, I’ll say, ‘OK, your parents probably want a day off,” Canon said. “They’ll say, ‘No way!’”
Their commitment resulted in a 12-0 record in the summer season, culminating with a 7-4 victory over Chatham in the championship game. The Bucs outscored opponents 97-21 in the summer season.
The summer championship came after the Bucs captured a state title in the spring. They won all 12 games, outscoring their opponents 125-18. Those 18 runs given up by Bucs pitching were the fewest among the 178 teams in all of New Jersey.
As much as the past five months have been about learning the finer points of, say, a rundown play or a squeeze bunt, the focus has also been on shaping young men through lessons in good sportsmanship and teamwork.
For instance, when the Bucs defeated Chatham, they almost immediately lined up for the postgame handshake with the players on the opposing team. Then, the Buccaneer players dutifully ran through their customary postgame sprints in the outfield.
“The coaches on the other remarked that they were impressed by the team’s maturity,” Canon said. “After their sprints, they finally did celebrate. They’re kids, after all.”
Kids, and local celebrities, too.
In fact, Mason Acevedo, Dante Armstrong, Justin Browne, Bobby Canon, John “JP” Canon, Ethan Cordero, Brandon Garcia, Chris Mejia, Isaiah Ramirez, Jace Silva, Lawrence Vanderbly and Mason Zeigler have been invited to ride the Mayor Michael Melham’s float during the Veterans Day Parade this fall.
“We are so proud of these boys,” Melham, who awarded them the inaugural Mayoral Medals of Achievement during Belleville’s Summer Concert Series, said. “I’m so impressed with their skill and aggressive style of baseball on the diamond and the way they conduct themselves away from it. You just don’t see baseball teams putting together 24-game winning streaks.”
