The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

VERSATILE pitcher/infielder Burton ‘Juice’ Saunders, who was an avid member of the Saxons Superstars junkanoo group, has left a void among his close knitted friends after he passed away on Wednesday morning in Hollywood, Florida.

The 51-year-old full-time employee at Bahamas Wholesale Agency Limited and a police reservist attached to the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s CDU, left behind a 15-year-old son Burton Jr, two brothers, Sheldon and Edroy and sister Tina.

According to Godfrey ‘Gully’ Willie, they both left for Florida at the end of August to attend the Major League baseball series between the Miami Marlins and the New York Yankees.

While there, they hooked up with Vaughn Malakius out of Grand Bahama as they normally do when they travel.

However, on this trip, Willie said Saunders suffered a stroke that weekend and was admitted to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida.

He was transferred to a rehab facility about two days before he passed away.

“The saddest thing for me was to come back home without him,” said Willie, who considered Saunders to be a blood brother like his own, Jeff Willie.

“He will be sorely missed. I know yesterday (Wednesday) when I got the news, I couldn’t function.

“I was preparing to go back to visit him. It’s hard to know that he’s gone because every time you see me, he wasn’t too far behind. That was the kind of bond that we shared. Every morning on my way to work, I checked up on him.”

As an active player, Saunders played softball for the Police Interceptors in the Bahamas Government Departmental Softball Association, the Crusaders in the New Providence Oldtimers Softball Association, the Truckers in the New Providence Softball Association, BAF in the Bankers’ League and both Transfiguration and Macedonia Baptist Churches in the Baptist League. He also played baseball with the Heineken St Bernard’s team.

Marvin ‘Togie’ Wood, who grew up under Saunders in the Heineken St Bernard’s baseball team, remembered his long-time team-mate as a player with a “big heart,” who did whatever he had to do to help his team win. He was a good team player. He was just a good guy.”

After playing together in little league, Wood said their relationship blossomed on the Truckers’ team.

“We used to play everything together,” Wood said. “It’s a tough one. Juice was a tough guy.”

Stephen ‘Slugger’ Brown, another fixture on the Truckers, said Saunders was more than just a team-mate.

He said they were closely knitted because “when he wasn’t at my house, I was at his house. We spent a lot of time together. He was a really good friend and brother.

“He was playing against me and I remember telling him that if he wanted to win a championship, he needed to come out and play with us on the Truckers team,” Brown said. “He came and he got his championship.”

May his soul rest in peace.