Brett Roneberg, a native Australian, takes a swing at a pitch during a Kane County Cougars game.
Roneberg is in his second stint with Kane County and loving every minute of it.

The Beacon News
Tuesday 6th July 1999

United Stated a big hit with Kane County's Aussie

Brett Roneberg The Australian stands with a paddle-like bat in his hand at one of the field's two wickets. He sizes up the bowler before whacking a hard-leather ball and choosing whether to run to the opposite crease.
Once play is completed, Roneberg might head to his favorite restaurant, the Hogs Breath Cafe, and dig into a medium-rare porterhouse steak, washing it down with a cold can of Fosters.

My, how miles and time zones can change a routine.

Here in the United States, cricket is found in basements and Walt Disnet classics.
And fine dining complemented with a can of suds?
No time for such luxuries in Class "A" ball, where you hope the bus doesn't break down before pulling into the Taco Bell.

Brett Roneberg The American plays baseball in the Midwest League.

A flight home lasts 12 1/2 hours - and that's from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia, which is still a good poke from his native Cairns.
"Cairns is nowhere near anything," Roneberg said.

Roneberg grew up playing cricket and even thought he could one day turn it into a profession. But, shortly after his eighth birthday, his family moved to a new house that "was about a two-and-a-half-minute walk to a baseball field."

As for cricket? Game over.

"I went through T-ball and Little League," Roneberg said. "And here I am now. Baseball was more of a social activity when I was growing up. But now it's growing, especially with the young kids."

For the past two baseball seasons, which last from February to September, the closest thing to Australia has been an Outback Steakhouse, a place Roneberg will visit occasionally. He says the American establishment's food is good; it is similar to Hogs Breath Cafe and "it's funny reading some of the stuff posted on the walls."

A thick Australian accent catches the ear immediately, and a "G-day, mate," closes nearly every conversation.
Although his native lingo hasn't changed a bit over the last two years, in which he has spent in Kane County, Roneberg has adapted nicely to the fast-paced lifestyle here in the U.S.
"On his way to the ballpark, he stops at Subway every day," said Robin Renner who, along with his wife, Diane, and their two sons, serve as Roneberg's host family. "As soon as he gets out of the car, they start making his sandwich. He gets the same thing every time."

Roneberg's mother, Sharon, mailed a couple of Brett's favorite recipes to the Renners. Robin said Diane has attempted to make a couple of the dishes - including "some tuna casserole something-or-other" - but a backyard barbeque and Brett's favorite, a grilled ham-and-cheese-with-tomato sandwich, seem to be postgame hits.
"We found out that Brett will eat almost anything," Robin Renner said. "Every day, before he leaves, he'll ask, 'Diane, you cooking tonight?' If so, he'll make it a point to come straight home after the game."

The Renners have provided Roneberg with exactly what the Cougars had planned when they began their host-family program - a warm, friendly home for a player who doesn't spend much time there. But, when he does, it is comfortable.

Roneberg seems to have settled in.

"He's wonderful," said Robin Renner, who mentioned that he and his family attend around 50 of the Cougars' 70 home games. "He's respectful, polite, and an outstanding role model for our two boys. On Sundays, when the Cougars play in the afternoon, Brett usually brings his team-mates over for a cookout. Then they play Wiffle Ball in the backyard with our kids for about three hours."

Roneberg's "real home" is no place nearby. There is no visiting family over the all-star break, or meeting mom and dad halfway during an off day.
"I don't miss home as much as I did during my first year (in 1997)," said Roneberg, 20, who was signed as a free agent by the Florida Marlins. "All I had were letters and an occasional phone call, but we didn't call too often because it was so expensive."

Enter e-mail as the family's most valuable player.
The Renners have set up a guest account on their home computer so that Roneberg can be in constant contact with his parents, Geoff and Sharon - neither of whom have seen their son play in America, although his sister, Tanya, visited last season while Brett was on the disabled list with a stress fracture in his back.
Roneberg and his parents converse via e-mail nearly every day when the Cougars are at home, and Geoff Roneberg is an avid Web surfer with all the Cougars' sites bookmarked on his computer.
"He'll check the box score every day," Brett said, "to see if I had any luck."
One of the nicest things about e-mail is that there is never a concern with Middle-of-the-night wake-up calls, which certainly would be a problem if the telephone was involved. If it is noon here today, it is 2a.m. in Australia tomorrow.

When the fall arrives, the 14-hour difference (not to mention jet lag) requires some obvious adjusting, but, "Don't get me wrong, I always look forward to going home at the end of the year," Roneberg said.
"But I do miss Taco Bell."