By Michael Letendre  

Over the summer months, TBE Sports Sunday is going to have a series of articles highlighting the Bristol Merchants, one of the top squads to play in the Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League in the decade of the 2000s, as the sport is heating up around the city.  

In the first chapter of story about the Merchants, we’ll take a special look at the program’s humble beginnings in 2001.   

The Making of the Merchants  

It’s been too long since the Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League had a franchise in Bristol.  

And before the Bristol Greeners came along – moving from the Connecticut Tri-State Baseball League to the GHTBL for the 2021 campaign – there was a program from the Mum City that used to be one of the best squads in that division.  

The Bristol Merchants (2001-2011) had a tremendous showing over its 11-year history as the program won nine GHTBL titles between regular and postseason play.  

Bristol took home the regular season championship in 2005-2007 and in 2009 and 2010 while the Merchants earned the postseason title in 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2009.  

The squad was coached by three outstanding individuals over its 11 seasons with current Bristol Central skipper Bunty Ray in charge of the Merchants from 2002-2010.  

Ed Smith coached the initial campaign while Ray helped the squad to over 200 wins before handing the program off to Joe Parlante in 2011 for the Merchants’ final season.  

Overall, the program took part in 358 GHTBL games which always included the entertaining and competitive postseason tournament from McKenna Field in East Hartford.  

Bristol had a few successful entries in the Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League over the decades with the Bristol Cassins, Big Dollar Liquors and the Merchants all performing near the top of the league.  

The Cassins won three championships, the last coming in 1978.   

After the Cassins and Liquors franchises moved on, former player Ed Smith Jr. put together the Bristol Merchants as an expansion team for the 2001 campaign.  

Smith noticed a void for local players after American Legion and collegiate play, wanting to put together an entry for the GHTBL.  

“Kids get through American Legion and there’s really no place locally for them to play,” said Smith to David M. Fortier of the weekly newspaper Bristol Today.  

But even back then, there were significant costs in running a team in the GHTBL.  

Equipment cost $2,500 (or more) while the entry fee was $2,300 was also a steep price to pay.  

And Smith had a good idea to get the Bristol Merchants off the ground and rolling.  

He wanted to raise funds directly from the public so the Bristol team would be supported by the people in town. 

And Smith, a local himself, wanted the squad to have a Bristol vibe to it in terms of players.  

Smith played for the Bristol American Legion squad from 1967-1971, competed collegiately at Boston College and spent four seasons with the Bristol Cassins.  

“After the first year, I think the [Bristol] team would take off,” said Smith to Fortier about the Merchants. “Right now, the start-up would be hard, but once the kids saw what was going on, they would be there.”  

The team was originally sponsored by the accounting firm of Adams Samaratino and Co. P.C.  

Home games were initially played from both Muzzy Field and Bristol Central high school though Muzzy would be the only venue the Merchants competed at later on. 

Bristol started play in the Greater Hartford Twilight League during its 73rd year of operation – replacing the Simsbury franchise which had recently folded.  

GHTBL president Jim Gallagher planned a 112-game schedule between the eight squads of the league with the playoff round starting on August 9, 2001.  

In an ironic twist, Ray was playing for the East Hartford Jets – carrying a slick .352 batting average in 2000.   

Future Merchants’ star and current Bristol Knights’ standout Rick Barrett moved from the defunct Simsbury squad to the Newington Capitals but eventually made his way to Bristol – playing for both the Merchants and the Knights of the Connecticut Twilight League.  

Next Sunday, we’ll visit the 2001 campaign as the season commences for the GHTBL’s newest franchise, the Bristol Merchants.