SouthPaw greets fans prior to the Frontier League All Star game at the Joseph L. Bruno Stadium at Hudson Valley Community College campus on July 16, 2025, in Troy. The team won Best Sports Team in the Best of the Capital Region survey of Times Union readers.
ValleyCats and fans watch teammate Julian Boyd bat during a game against the Joliet Slammers on Aug. 22, 2025, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.
Jim Franco/Times Union
Tri-City ValleyCats manager Greg Tagert during a game against the Les Aigles de Trois-Rivieres on Aug. 6, 2024, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College campus in Troy.
Jim Franco/Times Union
SouthPaw tosses T-shirts during a ValleyCats Camp Day game against the New York Boulders on July 29, 2025, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College campus in Troy.
Jim Franco/Times Union
Tri-City ValleyCats third baseman Ian Walters makes a play during Game 1 of the Frontier League Atlantic Conference finals against the Quebec Capitales on Sept. 9, 2025, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College campus in Troy.
Jim Franco/Times Union
More than 2,400 fans came out to watch the Tri-City ValleyCats take on the Sussex County Miners during game 1 of the Frontier League wild card series on Sept. 3, 2025, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on the Hudson Valley Community College campus in Troy.
Jim Franco/Times Union
SouthPaw greets fans prior to the Frontier League All Star game at the Joseph L. Bruno Stadium at Hudson Valley Community College campus on July 16, 2025, in Troy. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Independent and minor-league baseball teams have a long history in the Capital Region, enjoying support over the years from fans young and old. That tradition continues with the Tri-City ValleyCats, one of 18 teams around the country to compete in the Frontier League and a three-time league champion.
Maybe even more impressive than a league championship is the team’s winning run in this year’s Best of the Capital Region survey of Times Union readers. The ValleyCats, based at the Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, got off to an early lead in the new Best Sports Team category and never looked back, staying ahead of the college-affiliated Siena Saints and University at Albany Great Danes, among other teams.
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When all of the votes were counted and the ValleyCats received the (purely theoretical) trophy, it seemed only right to track down the feline face of the franchise, SouthPaw, to find out what this historic victory means to the ValleyCats.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity, space and excessive cat puns.
Q: SouthPaw, the Tri-City ValleyCats were voted “Best Sports Team” by readers in the Times Union’s Best of The Capital Region survey this year. How do you feel about that?
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A: The honor is mine! When I was pitched this idea, I thought it was a paws-ability that we might hit a home run, but this is un-fur-gettable. On behalf of the entire ValleyCats organization, thank you.
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Q: To what do you attribute the ValleyCats’ popularity among readers? They can’t all be cat people, right?
A: The readers really stepped up to the plate and hit this one out of the park. I don’t think this comes out of left field either; there is something to catch everyone’s attention when they come to “The Joe.”
From the baseball side, our team has had five straight winning seasons and made the playoffs the past two years. This season’s team, led by my personal friends, manager Greg Tagert and all-star third baseman Ian Walters, is going for it again.
Off the field, the food at the ballpark is just plain claw-some, and our front office team creates a purr-fect atmosphere. ValleyCats games are exciting, wholesome, family fun and I am so thankful that the readers agree.
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Q: The ValleyCats managed to beat two local teams with dog mascots: the Siena Saints and the University at Albany Great Danes. Is that a point of pride for you?
A: Bernie, Damien, and I go back many years, and I’m not kidding when I say they are both the utmost purr-fessional colleagues. I am an enormous fan of them and the re-bark-able work their teams do. Many may think dogs and cats living together is mass hysteria, but it is never rough between us. They are certainly still invited to my birthday party on July 26 and our two “Bark in the Park” nights on May 19 and July 25.
Q: Excellent use of a “Ghostbusters” line, SouthPaw. So, what’s your favorite part of ValleyCats games?
A: The first pitch of a ValleyCats game is really the cat’s meow.
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Q: I should’ve seen that coming. OK, what are you looking forward to this year?
A: I’m excited to enjoy all 51 ValleyCats home games and I hope we can break our attendance record this season. I’m especially amped up for our 15 fireworks nights, to race my friends around the bases on our nine SundayFundays, to honor my friend Claire Hutton with her own bobblehead on June 23, and to complete my set of hot dog bobbleheads with the Ketchup one this season on Aug. 5.
I really do believe that the ValleyCats have it all this summer. I hope more friends will go to our website, TCValleyCats.com, to see how they can join us.
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Q: “Best Sports Team” was a new category in our survey this year. Any suggestions for future categories we should add?
A: I think that “Best Feline-Named Professional Baseball Team” would be popular, but if that isn’t up for consideration, then “Best Sporting Venue,” could work. My home here at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium is the cat’s pajamas!