2024 MSBL Honor Roll Inductee: Michael Caputo, Glory Days (NJ) Baseball League
By Steve LaMontia, Director of Communications
Michael Caputo is the League President of a league that possesses one of the coolest names in the entirety of the MSBL landscape. He is associated with the six-team Glory Days Baseball League, located in and around Forked River, New Jersey, and in existence as an MSBL affiliate since 2010. How cool is that?
Well, MSBL Founder and President Steve Sigler must think it is pretty cool, too. In honor of Michael’s hard work in New Jersey, Steve has inducted Michael into the 2024 class of the MSBL Honor Roll.
“Presiding over a league isn’t easy,” stated Michael. “There are new obstacles that pop up every year. The Glory Days Baseball League loves being a part of the MSBL. Steve is always very helpful with any questions we may have. I’m honored to be recognized as an Honor Roll Member.”
Michael is a 43-year-old Design Director for a marketing agency, married to Meghan since 1998, and the father of two boys, Strummer (15) and Asher (11). The family also resides in Forked River.
“We are a recreational-based league with an age group of 21-55,” explained Caputo. “We are truly a unique league in our area that caters to anyone who wants to play baseball. I liken it to being a Little League for adults. At least that’s the way I remember Little League. Our league provides a space to play baseball with friends and fans of baseball, minus the pressures of having to win at all costs.
In 2022 we had seven teams, which was a bit of a mess. We had bye weeks and a new team we were vetting. Unfortunately, that team didn’t make the cut.
This year we have six, but there’s always a chance we can grow to eight, but it rarely ever pans out.”
Michael continues to play second base for the Glory Days Blue Jays in the league and almost gave up baseball for the warm fuzzies of an electric guitar.
“I hung up the spikes in my senior year of high school in favor of an electric guitar and my love for punk rock. My brother Marc brought me back to baseball when I was 30 when he and some friends decided to start an adult team. I’ve been playing ever since, 13 years and counting, though I still love the guitar!”
Is there one moment that substantiates your decision to give up a budding music career in favor of getting back on the diamond?
“To set the stage, I have hit exactly one home run in my career. It came during my first at-bat of a game some years ago. The first pitch was a high fastball and I knew I hit it well. As I rounded first base, I could see that the centerfielder was still running, so I thought I was legging out a triple and kicked it up a gear.
As I rounded second, I noticed that the umpire was giving the home run signal! The ball hit the top of the fence and bounced over. I used a Don Mattingly “V-Grip” bat in those days, which are illegal today.”
Turning the subject back to the league, what do you think is the best thing about being a member of the Glory Days Baseball League?
“That’s easy. It is our unique makeup of members. Some young professionals want an outlet to play ball with their friends, mixed in with older gentlemen who would rather play competitive baseball than co-ed softball. Some have played high school ball, some have played college ball, and some have played as recently as last season. For others, it has been five or ten years since they have played.
The foundation of our league is based on being a community of baseball lovers. We haven’t been able to construct a team to compete in any MSBL national tournaments yet, but we continue to have that conversation. Maybe this is the year.”
We asked Michael who his favorite players are from his life in baseball and why they stand out to him.
“I like hitters. I loved watching the effortless swings of Don Mattingly, Tony Gwynn, Derek Jeter, and Pete Rose. I can’t pick one as a favorite. I loved them all.”
In conclusion, what is the most gratifying aspect of running the league, and are there any special individuals you wish to mention?
“Doing this would be impossible without the support of Vinny Gibson, Matt Madensky, TJ Ring, Paul O’Sullivan, Glen Bearden, Brian Clouser, and Shawn Woodward, just to name a few. I apologize if I left anyone out.
Hopefully, our members know I do my best to give them all an opportunity to play ball and relive their baseball dreams.”