NEWS

2010 SEASON TRYOUTS

 The Mets will starting indoor workouts for existing players and tryouts for new players on Monday, April 5 at the Dundee Sports Dome. The sessions will be from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm every Monday starting on April 5. Anyone interested in trying out for the Mets is welcome to come out.

If you would like more information please contact the Mets Head Coach Glenn Burt. Glenn can be reached by Email at
burtg@nb.sympatico.ca or by phone at 384-1398.

METS NAME HEAD COACH

The Moncton Mets went back to their roots to find a new head coach.

The N.B. Senior Baseball League club named former player Glenn Burt its new bench boss yesterday. Burt was an original Met, playing with the team from its first season in 1984 until 1992. He also served on the team executive from 2000-03.

"This is something that is pretty exciting for me. I'm really looking forward to working with this team," said Burt, 53, who has coached in the Moncton & District Minor Baseball Association as his son, Aubrey, climbed the ranks.

"This was something I always thought I would like to do, but I thought it might be more down the road. The thought was always there though, I always wanted to be a part of this team again."

Burt was a pitcher and infielder/outfielder with the Mets during their 1980s heydays, when they dominated senior baseball in New Brunswick. He played alongside future major leaguers Rheal Cormier and Matt Stairs, as well as standouts Bill Lee and Doug Simunic, and helped Moncton win five league championships, several Atlantic titles and a bronze medal at the Canadian senior baseball championship.

"We had a lot of good players and coaches at that time and it was always a good organization, from the top brass all the way down," said Burt, who played his minor and senior baseball in his hometown of Corner Brook, N.L. before moving to Moncton in 1984.

"Playing with those guys was a great experience and I learned a lot from it. Just being associated with those guys along the way, players like Rheal Cormier and Matt Stairs, was pretty special."

The Mets hired a young and up-and-coming coach in Moore back in 2007 when he was just 21 years old out of the U.S. college ranks. He got Moncton in the league final in two of his three years here. In Burt, the team said it was looking for someone to bring more experience and maturity to the dugout.

"That's something our players asked for. They really enjoyed playing under (former head coach) Rod Wilson Sr. and wanted someone a little older who could bring a level-headedness to the game," said Moncton general manager Greg Lawlor, who knows Burt well from their past days together in the organization.

"Glenn was a good ball player when he played and he understands the way the game should be played and the strategy behind it. He brings some discipline, he can teach and he's got a good demeanor."

Burt watched a few Mets games last season, but said it's too early to set expectations for the 2010 season.

"My philosophy is that when you come to the field, you come to play and that hard work always pays off, whether that's extra time put in at practice or training and exercising to be in shape," said Burt, who works in sales for Saputo Foods.