Paul Quantrill pitched 14 years in some of Major League Baseball's most high-profile and media-crazy markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Toronto.
But he's never been happier than he is right now, spending his retirement in little Port Hope, a small community east of Toronto.
Quantrill, a London native, retired from the majors two years ago. It was a quiet retirement. He played in the 2006 World Baseball Classic for Canada and then walked away from the game.
"For me, it wasn't difficult. I never, ever, even when I was younger, I didn't care for the travel so much," Quantrill said. "When you see one ball diamond, you've seen them all. They all have 90-foot bases and 60-foot, six-inch mounds. I loved, loved playing the game of baseball. But I loved to be home. I had a real distinction between my baseball life and my family life. They were very actively involved in my career but when they came home, they were home.
"Jumping back into this life wasn't really hard. It was fantastic. I knew I was ready to be done and I knew that for some time but I thought 'I'm going to miss it.' But I haven't. I haven't missed it, not even a bit."
Quantrill played for seven major league clubs, including a six-year stint with the Blue Jays.
He was born in London when his father attended Western, but he only spent the first few months of his life here.
Since retiring, Quantrill has spent much of his time improving minor baseball in Port Hope.
This weekend, Quantrill is bringing to St. Marys the Port Hope peewee and mosquito teams to battle their St. Marys counterparts in a Friendship Series tomorrow and Sunday at Canada's Baseball Hall of Fame Rotary Field. He will cap the weekend by delivering a 90-minute pitching clinic for coaches and players at the field at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Unlike many baseball players who crave the limelight and playing the game, Quantrill is in a good place in his life.
"It's fantastic right now, much busier than I ever expected when I stopped playing ball," Quantrill said. "I'm busy in a good way, doing the things I want to do like spending time with my family. I don't live day-to-day living by an itinerary that somebody gave me at a ball field all the time. It's a nice change."
It's given him time to revive a Port Hope minor baseball system that was close to dead.
"Five years ago when I was still playing, boys who were five and six years old, didn't have a team to play on. They had to drive to Oshawa just to try out for a team and that was brutal. Some of my best friends from around Port Hope didn't think that was right. My wife and I sponsored a team. My friends ran it. We called it the Quantrill All-Stars. We started with 12 boys.
"Three years later we took over baseball and softball in Port Hope. We have one program. Now we have 270 registered and I'm having fun."
Right now, Quantrill doesn't want to commit to anything that will force him to spend time away from his wife and three children. He would eventually like to work with Team Canada's national team program.
"But when you go to Cuba, you're away three weeks and that's why I retired from baseball," he said.
But this weekend with the mix of baseball and family time is just perfect for the righthander.
Port Hope and St. Marys mosquitoes will play at 1 p.m on Rotary Field tomorrow with the peewee game to follow at 3 p.m. On Sunday, the teams will play at 10 a.m. with the mosquitoes on Teddy's Field while the peewees return to Rotary Field.
Quantrill's pitching clinic is open to both coaches and players. The clinic will include a question-and-answer-session. The fee of $20 per adult and $10 per player will be donated directly toward the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
