By Michael Letendre
NEWINGTON – The start of the 21st century in Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League play was owned by the Bristol Merchants.
After a trying first season, Bunty Ray was brought in as a player-coach for the squad and, along with his roster of players, the tremendous all-around talent turned the fortunes of the franchise around.
Ray, an already well established player in the GHTBL – along with teammate and best friend Adam Peters – made the Merchants title contenders within one year as Bristol ended up winning four postseason titles.
And by the time he finished up in 2010, Ray had put together a resume that would stack up with the best managers in the history of the GHTBL.
That’s why Ray, along with Peters, were inducted into the GHTBL Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 18 from Indians Hills Country Club in Newington.
“It’s nice to see Bunty and Adam going in like this,” said presenter Hal Benson, Ray’s coach from the East Hartford Jets. “The Bristol Bobbsey Twins once again sticking together, and they deserve each other.”
Ray was exactly what the GHTBL needed over the years: an eloquent speaker of the game of baseball who could also execute at a high level.
He was a shining example for the league, backing up his All-Star play in the field with his outstanding mind from the dugout.
Benson said that Ray remembers everyone’s name, outworks everyone, and “when Bunty tells you something, he delivers.”
He has a tremendous demeanor about him and was the perfect yin for Peters’s yang and once the duo became teammates, the GHTBL was never the same.
“Bunty was Adam’s ambassador of goodwill,” said Benson with a smile. “They rode together, they left together, they drank together, and it was a pleasure to have coached them.”
But if Ray wanted to leave the induction ceremony with a way to get home from the Indian Hills that evening, first and foremost, he wanted to thank his wife, Meghan, before anything else.
“I watched a few guys give great speeches and were outstanding players who forgot to thank their wives,” said Ray with a grin. “I’m going to start by thanking my wife because if I [don’t], I’m going home with you guys.”
She sacrificed to help Ray put together an outstanding career – both as a player and manager in the GHTBL – at the expense of summer trips, gatherings and even birthday parties – noting that Meghan’s birthday fell on August 1 and it was never celebrated due to GHTBL playoffs or the completion of regular season competition.
Ray has been thankful for the sacrifices made by Meghan along with his son Jackson and daughter Sydney.
“You want to talk about support, you’re talking about a marriage, two kids, coaching, illness, soreness, complaining and coming home maybe a tad late…I wanted to thank her first,” said Ray of his wife.
Ray had an amazing baseball education after Edgewood Little League and various other leagues before playing scholastically at Bristol Eastern under head coach Mike Giovinazzo and assistant Spec Monico.
“Mike Giovinazzo and Spec Monico, you don’t go anywhere without people that challenge you and tell you what you need to do,” said Ray. “But those two are even more special to me because they’re lasting friends.”
It wasn’t just about playing baseball when Ray talks about his former head coach.
It was his conversations with Giovinazzo about life and all the pitfalls – and successes – that come with it.
That’s what a model coach brings to a workhorse like Ray who has completely emulated his former coach in every way.
Ray even pressed Giovinazzo into duty on his 60th birthday when the Merchants were short a player and the coach was watching from the stands at Muzzy Field.
Ray recruited Giovinazzo to play, stuck the long time left fielder at first base, placed him ninth in the batting order (Giovinazzo always said he wanted a chance to hit that day but Ray put him dead last in the line-up) and what did the scholastic Hall of Fame coach get for his efforts?
A Bristol Merchants hat which Giovinazzo was more than happy with.
So on that fateful day, Ray had a lineup that featured Matt Arburr, Nick Macellaro, Adam Peters and Coach G – another Hall of Fame lineup Ray put together in a pinch.
More of those life lesson also came from Monico who helped Giovinazzo coach at Eastern and later was a very successful mentor for the American Legion baseball program in the city.
“Whenever you need something from Coach Monico, he’s always there,” said Ray.
While playing at Eastern Connecticut State University under the legendary Bill Holowaty – who was also honored that evening in Newington – Ray knew that being around the coach was an amazing experience, helping to give his game another dimension.
“It was very special to be around coach,” said Ray of Holowaty. “You talk about people in your life, when you’re 18 years old and you walk into coach Hotowaty’s office, [you] get a warm and fuzzy feeling in there. You go in and you sit down and you’re 18, the first thing he tells you is, ‘why should I play you? Why should you come here?’ He challenges you right away and that’s why we’re here. We’re here to be challenged, you’re here to understand what sports is all about.”
“I’ve coached 71 seasons between three sports and I use both my coaches [as examples]. They’re legacy lives on.”
Ray started his GHTBL career off playing for Herb’s Sports Shop.
Peters told Ray that “there were great players in this league. Pro guys, Division I guys…you’re coming to a structured environment.”
Ray watched all the veterans players in the league, learned from them and elevated his game in the process.
“You learn more not just form coaching but you learn from watching” the game said Ray.
Once Herb’s disbanded, Ray and Peters moved on to the East Hartford Jets, playing for Coach Benson.
That lasted for three years as the duo had more success but there was still another level to reach playing in the league.
“We got a little bit older, me and Adam,” said Ray. “And it was time. It was time to move on. And Ed Smith had a team he started in Bristol. They played at Muzzy, I was already coaching in town, already had a bunch of players…I was going to be able to play with good players and not have to leave town.”
From 2002-2010, there wasn’t a more successful outfit in all the GHTBL than the Bristol Merchants.
And Ray had to thank Coach Smith and the young roster he complied as it didn’t take long to find success in the Mum City.
“[Smith] brought us in, he brought me and Adam in,” said Ray. “We liked to teach the young kids how to fill up a cooler, teach them how to play a little bit, teach them the things they’re supposed to do and then brought in more and more people.”
“We had a nice run.”
Ray had a book full of ringers he eventually brought to play for the Merchants.
Several of those players were in attendance in Newington which included Joe Parlante, the final manager of the Merchants.
Nick Mullins, Jay Maule, Nick Macellaro, Rick Hewey, and Brian Archibald all came to honor Peters and Ray that night.
“I got stories on all of them,” said Ray with a big smile.
Ray knows that every relationship he made in the GHTBL was important and that the grouping of his former players coming to honor him was a testament to that very fact.
“Those relationships are important,” said Ray. “Your teammates are important to you.”
And his teammates would pick him up, whether he batted .300-plus against right handed pitching or slumped to .070 against lefties which was not good.
Holowaty also taught Ray how to run a program, how to organize, how to lead, how to teach people and do the things that would help earn him respect – on and off the field.
And over 200 career wins later, those lessons all hit home for Ray.
Coaching isn’t easy and in the GHTBL, you’re sometimes trying to pitch together a lineup that consists of former minor league standouts, college stars and extremely talented players who could all vie for the same position on the field.
For Ray to be able to micromanage everything that goes into a successful men’s league program is tremendously impressive.
Ray helped the Merchants to GHTBL Regular Season titles in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010 and won postseason championships in 2005-2007 and 2009.
The Merchants competed for postseason titles from 2004-2010, qualifying for the final round in each one of those years.
In the postseason, Ray won 33 of 45 games for Bristol.
Overall, Ray went 214-83 – winning seven out of every 10 games on average.
Ray took home the Bo Kolinsky Manager of the Year three times and was the GHTBL ‘Manager of the Decade’ for the 2000s.
As a player, Ray earned either First or Second All-Star recognition eight times for his all around play.
In his second season for the Merchants in 2003, Ray’s defense led him to a Jack Repass Award (Golden Glove) while batting .495 – the second best average that year.
“He’s just constantly working,” said Benson. “You couldn’t meet a better person.”
One of Ray’s joys was late in his career with the Merchants was having a picture taken of him with Jackson running the bases at Muzzy Field.
Now, that young man is playing baseball at Bristol Central, where Ray will coach Jackson on the field while having him as a student in the classroom.
“The other thing that’s important about what we do here, I’ll always have that moment” running with Jackson said Ray. “He’s going to play for me at Bristol Central and maybe we’ll recreate that moment and hopefully, he gives me a head start.”
Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League
2023 Hall of Fame Inductees – from Indian Hill Country Club, Newington
*Kevin Beaudoin
*Steve Cannata
*Jack Champagne
*Bill Holowaty
*Scott Jeamel
*Tom Kirby
*Walt Nakonechny
*Adam Peters
*Bunty Ray
*Dave Sacco
*Bobby Stefanik
*Mike Susi
All TBE readers, supporters and donors
The Bristol Edition will be limiting the number of stories non-members and free readers may access each week. This decision is based on our financial projections and, most certainly, to remind people that TBE is serious about providing accurate, timely and thorough reporting for Bristol. To do this we have devised a financial support structure that makes unlimited access extremely affordable, beginning with a $6 monthly donation.
- Non-members will be able to access four (4) articles per week.
- Free readers and people who have subscribed by email will be able to access four (4) articles per week.
- Donors and financial supporters will have unlimited access as long as they log in.
Note: Donors may have to contact TBE if they find they are being limited, since we will need to set up a membership account for you. Email editor@bristoledition.org for instructions. Sorry for any inconvenience. People with financial difficulties may write editor@bristoledition.org to be considered for free access.
