Brian Mee, a name that has left an indelible mark on the world of baseball. As a kid in gym class, he defied the norm by inventing Mee Ball, a hybrid form of baseball that fit perfectly into the cramped junior high gym. This innovation not only brought excitement to the game but also became a part of the local baseball culture.

His Impact on Baseball

After months of declining health, Mee passed away on Wednesday, leaving behind a legacy that extended far beyond the baseball diamond. With 413 career baseball wins and a 53-game winning streak from 1973-75, a record that still stands in New York state public high schools, he is remembered as one of the greatest coaches in the region. His induction into various halls of fame, including the Amsterdam Baseball Hall of Fame (2008), the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame (2012), and the Fulton County Baseball and Sports Hall of Fame (2019), is a testament to his excellence.Mee's success on the field was not his only claim to fame. He was a three-sport star who graduated from Johnstown High School in 1955 and taught physical education in Amsterdam for 50 years. His expansive presence in baseball, particularly in Amsterdam, was felt by many. As current president of the Amsterdam Mohawks Brian Spagnola said, "Let's face it, he's the biggest name in the last 100 years in Amsterdam baseball."His players remembered him not just as a coach but as someone who cared about them as people. Paul Mound said, "A lot of coaches can say they cared about the person more than they cared about the player. I really think, in Brian's case, he did care about the person way more than the player." Bob Noto added, "Brian had a way about him that could get the best out of you. He knew how to push all the right buttons to get his players to do what they needed to do."

Early Years and Semi-Pro Games

At Johnstown High, Mee quarterbacked the football team to two Eastern Conference Championships and an 8-0-0 season in 1954. He was also good enough in baseball to sneak into some semi-pro games while school was in session. "If you ever talk to older people from Johnstown, he's like a god there," Rich Allen said. "If you say you worked with Brian Mee or coached with him, he's revered there."In a 2019 interview with the Leader-Herald, Mee said his participation in the semi-pro games while at Johnstown High drew "a talking-to" from coach John Siedlecki on Monday mornings. But his love for the game was too strong to resist suiting up whenever he was asked.

Minor League Baseball Career

In 1960, Mee got the opportunity to realize his love for baseball in full when he was drafted as a catcher by the Chicago Cubs organization. His years in the minors took him to St. Cloud, Minnesota; Wenatchee, Washington; and Amarillo, Texas. Among the players he crossed paths with were Joe Torre, Willie Stargell, Gene Michael, and Lou Brock, who was his teammate on the St. Cloud Rox in 1961 before going on to have an illustrious career in the major leagues.

Coaching Career in Amsterdam

Mee retired from pro baseball in 1963 and took teaching jobs in Duanesburg and Broadalbin before settling in Amsterdam in 1968. He coached baseball from 1968 to 1995 and football from 1972-78. His 53-game winning streak in the 1970s is a defining moment in his coaching career. Spagnola pointed out that Amsterdam rarely fielded a sub-par team during Mee's long tenure. "Nowadays it's a little bit different, because you'll get people who build a program, and they work 12 months a year at it. Back then, coaches were coaching multiple sports, so you were getting your players only in-season. So you really had to be coaching them during those three months as hard as you could. Obviously, what he was doing as far as teaching the game and motivating was certainly working."Mee also faced the challenge of assuaging a large pool of talented players who expected to get time on the field. In Paul Mound's case, it meant a shift to the outfield despite never having played there. "He made it crystal clear that, if I was ever going to see the field, it was going to have to be out there," Mound said. "He called me 'The Winemaker.' I'm looking at him, and he says, 'Your feet could stomp grapes with the best of them.' My take on that when he said it was, 'Yeah, I'm going to prove you wrong, dammit.' But I never looked at him and thought, 'You're an idiot.' Frankly, as a coach and as a person, I really worshipped the ground he walked on."

Reciprocated Love and Respect

Reciprocally, Mee defined Amsterdam baseball. Rene LeRoux, executive director of the NYS Baseball Hall of Fame, said, "When we induct people, three words: Body of work. It doesn't have to be a major leaguer or a college guy. It's your work in the game, your legacy in the game, and Brian created a winning culture of baseball in Amsterdam that lasted a long time."Mound added, "He left this long line of players that worshipped him. And I'm one of them. He didn't pull any punches, but in a weird way, he was graceful, and yet firm. It's hard to explain it or describe it. But with all of us, he was always like, 'Guys, we're in this together. There's opportunities, but you have to earn them. Nothing's going to be given to you.' And believe me, he never played politics."Spagnola said, "Amsterdam baseball had a reputation, and that's what you wanted to emulate. Just a good guy. All the guys you coach, they're like one of your kids, and we had talked over the years, and he was happy to see what was going on with the park [Shuttleworth] and everything. So it was always good seeing him. Certainly, he'll be missed, that's for sure."