Michael 'Baino' Bainbridge

Universally known as “Baino,” Michael Bainbridge came to the Lions in 1990 with perhaps the best pedigree of any of the young Lions at the time, having played scrumhalf for London’s famed Harlequins club, then (and still) one of the top clubs in the world.

Hailing from northeast England, outside Newcastle, Baino was an integral part of the Lions’ rapid ascent to Division I, the scrumhalf’s crisp passes, quick kicks, and tireless attitude toward bringing down big forwards on the fringe pacing the club. After several years as the club’s first-choice scrumhalf, Baino eased into the old boys, and has played a large part in the Lion Kings' reinvigoration. He was recently spotted stumbling out of the 15th anniversary party to join wife Eileen and two young sons (Sam is five, and Patrick’s an infant) back in Jersey City.

A PINT WITH: What keeps you coming out?
BAINO: The camaraderie – that’s probably the biggest part of it. When you don’t do it for a while, you don’t think you miss it. And then you play, and say, “God, I miss this.”

APW: Did you meet many of the younger club members at the formal?
BAINO: I did, but I was so blind drunk I can barely remember. I vaguely remember some conversations where they were probably thinking, who’s this old fart, waxing lyrical about complete bullshit?

APW: How did you end up with the Lions?
BAINO: It was September 1990. I’d been here for about nine months, and by that time I’d gotten tired of hanging out with the same bunch of ex-pats that I worked with. One of the guys had walked by the Red Lion and told me it looked like a rugby bar, so on a whim one night, I walked in. I met Alan Whelan, who told me, “Blah blah blah, fookin’ come down to training.” I met him and a few others, and can honestly say, in about two hours, I found more people that I had more in common with than I had in the nine months before. And that was it!

Alan told me about this great side he had, so I went out to training and there were four people out.

APW: What was your playing experience back in England?
BAINO: I played for Harlequins, and I played for a bunch of local sides – seriously gritty, northern bastard, very rough, blue-collar sides. I played with a bunch of coal miners and oil-rig guys.

APW: How far up the Harlequins ladder did you get?
BAINO: I played for the second team, but got dropped literally because my car broke down and I missed training. Another guy got dropped because he missed training when his wife went into labor! Someone filled in for me, and then the first-team scrumhalf got hurt, so my replacement moved up. He played against Llanelli at Twickenham…That should’ve been me! Just because the fucking car broke down!

But since I played for the seconds, I was eligible to play for their old boys, though I was only 22. They were all over 30, and just took me under their wing and completely looked after me. We went on tour to France, and they fronted me the cost. They really mentored me.

APW: Who were some internationals on Harlequins?
BAINO: There was Marcus Rose, who played fullback for England, former England captain Will Carling, Peter Winterbottom, an England sevens player named Chris Sheasby, and some others. I was rubbing shoulders with some world-class players…God, I was so out of my league!

And the coach at the time was Dick Best, who went on to coach England. He was a total c*&%, just really, really unpleasant.

APW: How old were you when you got to the US?
BAINO: I was 24. I can honestly say the reason why I stayed here was the Lions. At one point I told (original Lion) Chris Ratay at the Red Lion that I was ready to go back, that I didn’t belong here, that I felt like a migrant. He told me, “None of us belong here. We’re all migrants.” That really got me thinking. Until I started having babies, everyone in my social circle was from the Lions.

APW: Do you envision your sons as rugby players?
BAINO: I think Sam’s a little delicate for rugby – he’ll probably be a thespian. But based on Patrick’s shape, no question. He already likes being barreled over by his big brother on the bed.

Quick Facts:

• Occupation? Brand Design Consultant
• Favorite Beer? Too many to choose from...Leffe, Boddingtons, Guinness, Stella, Fuller's ESB, Old Speckled Hen!
• Best Lions Memory? Binghamton Tournament 1991 -- 20 guys sleeping in a festering dorm room in Binghamton, drunk out of our minds, then waking up, winning the tournament and doing it all over again that night.
• Beatles or Rolling Stones? Both too lightweight; I'm more of a Zeppelin man.
• Most Valuable Teammate? Thierry Langlais -- superbly versatile and a great biter!