Brown adds local blood to Border Cats bullpen

Eric Brown spent a good chunk of his childhood selling 50-50 tickets at Port Arthur Stadium, raising money to keep the Thunder Bay Border Cats alive and kicking.

This summer his retail days are over.

Brown, a 6-foot-1 right-hander out of the University of British Columbia, is pegged to start the 2010 Northwoods League season in the Border Cats bullpen, just the sixth local player after Chris Toneguzzi, Dan Grant, Adam Roos, Alex Lagadan and Rob Harynuk to make the roster.

The 21-year-old Brown posted a 7-2 record at UBC, which plays out of the American-based NAIA, a rung down the baseball ladder from the NCAA.

"I’m really excited to finally be here," Brown said, surrounded by a contingent of local media on the Cats first official day of practice Monday, two days in advance of the opening of the team’s eighth season.

"When I first left for university, I’m not sure I was at the level to play here. But I’ve been working hard and I’m ready to have my chance. I think I’m ready to go."

Brown, one of a record eight Canadians on the Cats roster, is set to enter his fourth season at UBC, where he’s posted a 16-4 record since first joining the Vancouver-based school in 2008.

This year he finished 7-2 with a 3.92 ERA, numbers that looked a lot better before a trio of rough outings against Oregon, Idaho and Houston-Victoria to finish the regular season. He began the campaign 7-0.

"It was a great start. We had a little bit of a rough finish, and it was disappointing to get eliminated, but overall it was a really good season for us."

Brown, who tossed 66 innings for the Thunderbirds, said he’s OK with a return to the bullpen.

"Last summer I kind of threw a lot too, and it could maybe hurt me a little bit this year. I’m in the bullpen to start, but that’s kind of where I want to be."

As for carrying the city’s colours, Brown said he’s just going to do what he can to prove manager Mike Steed’s faith in him was justified.

"When I do go out there, when I get my chances I’m going to give everything I’ve got on the mound. I have no real expectations, but I want to do well. I want to do well for this team and prove that this city does produce good players.

Steed, a fellow Canadian who coached Brown at the midget level, says he’s confident the starter-turned-reliever has all the tools to succeed at the Northwoods League level.

"I’ve had a relationship with Eric since he was a junior and senior in high school from the Ontario youth team that I coached with him. I’ve known Eric since he was in high school and he was definitely one of my first calls when I was hired," Steed said.

Given UBC’s reputation in the baseball world, combined with Brown’s record, the call was not unwarranted, Steed said.

"The UBC program is a top 5 program in the NAIA rankings, which is fabulous. So even though they’re all Canadians, their entire schedule is played against American teams. It’s UBC, but quite frankly I don’t consider it a Canadian university."

Brown and the Border Cats kick off the 2010 season Wednesday night at Port Arthur Stadium. Game time is 6:35, half an hour earlier than the team has started in previous years.


Cat tracks: Other Canadians include pitchers Paul Barton (Qualicom Beach, B.C.), Nathan Kennedy (Guelph, Ont.), Zak Miller (Surrey, B.C.) and Corey Pappel (Mississauga), catchers Brooklyn Foster (Langley, B.C.) and Will Thorp (Surrey), and outfielder Tanner Nivins (Kitchener) … Five returnees, another record, are back in 2010, including pitchers Drew Erwin and Garrett Yount, infielders Curtis Wagner and A.J. Schugel and outfielder Garret Houts … Steed, an assistant with the Cats in ’09, takes over from Joel Barta, who elected not to return this season.