As the Herts adult and youth team players prepare for the first Spring Training session of 2014 this Saturday, 25 January, everyone seems to be doing some very valuable forward-planning. We are seeing fielding gloves and all sorts of other equipment being delivered for the players. Others are checking their uniform items to see what they will need to restock for the upcoming season. This is where the Herts Club Shop can give players and fans a head-start.

For most of the first 5 months of the season weather conditions are likely to require an extra layer. Herts Shop Manager, Mark Caress, has the solution. “We have just received the shipment of Herts training fleeces which are available at £29 in all sizes from small to XXXL” said Caress. He added that “sizes tend to run small so I would suggest ordering a size bigger than players normally have. Players may also want to consider Majestic therma-base feather-lite undershirts available in sizes Large and XL which are ideal to use as winter undershirts and currently available in stock at only £20. We will have these and other items available to sell at the first training session this Saturday.”

Players and fans can indicate the items which they may be interested in by sending a message to the club to make sure that the products and sizes they are looking for are available on Saturday.

With no baseball on TV it is easy to assume that baseball clubs around the world simply lock up their ballparks and fly off to warm destinations for the five months of the winter close season between November and March. In fact the close season is a very busy and important period for the MLB clubs.

This is also the case at Herts Baseball Club. The club held its Annual General Meeting appointing the Executive Board for the upcoming season.

Herts will go into the new season with a strong team in all departments, the number of which seems to be increasing every year. There are some new faces joining the club’s Board who will bring fresh ideas and new energy, and at the same time the club has retained a large number of the 2013 Board members which will provide continuity in the club’s pursuit of growth and success on and off the field.

The following is the full list of the 2014 Herts Baseball Executive Board. There are several vacant positions which the club is aiming to fill in the coming weeks as it prepares for another season of Herts baseball. Those interested in any of the vacant Board positions or for more information about them can contact the club.

President – Aspi Dimitrov

Co-Treasurers – Chris Jones and Aspi Dimitrov

Secretary – Vacant

Manager (First Team – NBL) – Lee Manning

Manager (Second Team – AAA) – Carlos Casal

Co-Managers (Third Team – AA) – Andy Cornish and Greg Bochan

Manager (Fourth Team – A) – Vacant

Manager (Fifth Team – A) – Vacant

Youth League Commissioner – Aspi Dimitrov

Head of U17 Baseball – Cristobal Hiche

Head of U14 Baseball – Jake Caress

Head of U11 Baseball – Vacant

Softball League Commissioner – Vacant

Club Shop Manager – Mark Caress

Communications Director – Ben Marques

Facilities Manager – Ben Marques

Board member-at-large – Joe Gray

Board member-at-large – Kevin Freeman

After the Board’s 2013 report and approval of the 2012 accounts, the Co-Treasurers presented preliminary financial results for the year to 31 October 2013. The full financial statements are expected to be finalised and presented to members for approval over the next few months. The preliminary results are positive with a good accumulation of reserves which are available for the club to invest in its future development and growth and as partnership funding in grant applications. Despite a reduction in debtors compared to 2012, the balance remained high and it was confirmed that the Treasury department is in the process of implementing various steps, from sending out reminder notices to court proceedings where necessary. It is hoped that these stricter procedures will address this issue.

Two constitutional amendments were approved unanimously. The implications are that Board members will now serve 3-year terms as opposed to the 1-year terms in previous years. In the interest of continuity, a rotation system will be in place every year so that only a third of the Board will stand down. At the same time the amendments give members and the Board some safeguards when it is in the club’s best interest for a member of the Board to stand down before the end of their term.

With a large number of changes in youth baseball announced earlier this month at the British Baseball Federation Congress, the Herts AGM assessed them and considered the available options. The transition will not be easy but significant gains are available for those who put the time and effort into youth baseball.

A proposal for the start of a Herts regional league were put forward. There can be significant benefits from this project provided that it can fit into the timetable of players and around the club’s existing departments and events schedule. The club will assess potential demand, scheduling and other aspects of the project.

The Single-A League department was covered extensively with various topics from the process of drafting the players to an option to enter a Herts team or teams in a proposed Midlands Single-A league.

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that its 17th Annual General Meeting will take place on Sunday, 17 November 2013.

2013 has been one of the most successful years in the club’s history with five of the club’s nine teams reaching the postseason in the various senior and youth British Baseball leagues. The AGM will provide a deeper understanding of what that on-field success means for the club’s various departments, whether the club has achieved growth financially and an increase in the number of its members and fans.

Members will receive the AGM Information Pack in due course and that will give a better idea of what to expect. We understand that the meeting is likely to look at the options available to the club to make the step up to the next level and stay ahead of the rest.

Apart from the end of year financial and other reports from the club’s departments, club members will be asked to elect the members of the Board for the forthcoming year. Nominations for Board members are currently invited and those who are interested to put their name forward or second a nomination can contact the club for more details.

Although only 2013 paying members have the right to vote at the AGM, the meeting is very much open to former members and those who are considering joining the club in 2014 as players, members of staff, volunteers and fans. This is a good opportunity for newcomers to learn more about the club and meet its members. The meeting is also open to observers who are not members of the Club, but they would need to advise the club in advance as spaces are limited. If you are not a current member and wish to attend the AGM please contact the club.

The AGM will be held just a few minutes away from Grovehill Ballpark. The venue is the Gadebridge Community Centre.

DATE: Sunday, 17 November 2013

TIME: Registration starts at 2:00pm, the AGM will commence at 2:10pm (expected to end at around 5:45pm)

VENUE: Galley Hall, Gadebridge Community Centre, The Nokes, Rossgate, Gadebridge, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 3LF (Directions and Map)

The final baseball games of 2013 will be played this Sunday as the Hunlock Series reach their climax. While activities on the field slow down after this weekend, off the field winter is an exciting period for British baseball. This is the time when the British Baseball Federation (BBF) and the member clubs hold their annual general meetings and carry out the planning and preparatory work which will shape the British baseball leagues in 2014 and beyond.

The BBF recently announced that its AGM will be held on 9 November 2014 in Leicester. As part of that process member clubs have the opportunity to nominate candidates for BBF Board positions, candidates for Life Members, propose constitutional amendments and submit motions to the AGM.

We have received a copy of the motions submitted by Herts Baseball Club and they are listed below.

MOTION 1: Add Under-11 division to the BBF postseason and National Baseball Championships.

MOTION 1 BACKGROUND: The number of teams in this age group is growing (6 U11 teams entered the Herts Futures Tournament in 2013) and it can be promoted further by adding it to the BBF postseason and NBCs in the same way as the U17 and U14 age groups. This would also help increase attendance at the NBCs.

MOTION 2: Change regular season game format in the Single-A League, from single 9-inning games to doubleheaders (two 5-inning games with 10-run mercy-rule after 4 innings). Any one pitcher cannot pitch more than 7 innings over the two games of the doubleheader.

MOTION 2 BACKGROUND: With many beginners playing at Single-A League level, adopting this format could help teams (i) develop more pitchers (ii) give managers more flexibility to give game time to bench players while maintaining competitiveness (iii) with no independent umpires at this level, a player can umpire one game and still play in the second.

MOTION 3: From the start of the 2015 season all clubs with an NBL team must have at least one active youth team. Their NBL team will be demoted to the next league tier if they fail to meet this requirement.

MOTION 3 BACKGROUND: All of the country’s leading clubs must have a youth programme in order to (i) become more stable organisations (ii) grow their membership and fan base (iii) improve their financial position (iv) develop and feed more players into the youth leagues, senior leagues and the GB national teams (v) promote and grow the sport in their region. Once they realize the incredible benefits of adding a youth programme, clubs will be grateful that the BBF prompted them to make this step.

MOTION 4: From the start of the 2016 season all clubs with a AAA-League team(s) must have at least one active youth team. Their AAA team(s) will be demoted to the next league tier if they fail to meet this requirement.

MOTION 4 BACKGROUND: See supporting information for Motion 3.

MOTION 5: All disciplinary actions (fines, suspensions etc) and player transactions (transfers) to be published on the BBF website.

MOTION 5 BACKGROUND: The objective is to increase transparency, make disciplinary actions more effective which would also help protect umpires. Publishing this information would also provide more talking points and can enhance the media coverage of British Baseball.

MOTION 6: The existing special relaxation of the balk rule for U17 games to apply to U17 regular season games only. This special relaxation of the balk rule shall not apply in the U17 League postseason, when the standard balk rule as per MLB rulebook shall be in force.

MOTION 6 BACKGROUND: The relaxation of the balk rule has some benefits during the regular season as new/younger pitchers are introduced to the rules of U17 league baseball for the first time. However, by the time we reach the postseason, pitchers would have had sufficient time to learn and comply with the balk rule as applied by MLB.

We would be interested to hear the views of Herts fans, as well as other baseball fans, on the motions submitted by Herts Baseball Club. You can post your comments on the Herts Facebook Page.

Herts Falcons slugger, Ryan Bird, won the Home Run Derby at Grovehill Ballpark on Saturday. He launched a total of 10 home runs over the course of the two rounds of the competition to the delight of the players and fans who had gathered in Hemel Hempstead.

The contest saw 43 competitors from the age of 6 to 50+ compete in the same competition by virtue of different home run boundaries in line with the outfield fences which the players are used to in their respective league games.

The large number of entries forced the organisers to reduce the number of outs in the first round down to 5. This put enormous pressure on the players as they needed to produce home runs with very little margin for error if they were to progress through to the final round.

Some big names made good contact with the ball but luck was not on their side and their hits were just short of the outfield wall. One of the big favourites, Herts Falcons 2012 Home Run Leader, Dave Tretheway, really should not have taken part as he is about to undergo an ankle reconstructive operation after sustaining the injury while playing squash, so it was always going to be difficult for him to compete on one foot.

There was a lot on the line for brothers Brodie Caress and Jake Caress, as well as Charlie Mayhew and Drew Mayhew, who were competing not only for the Home Run Derby title but also for family bragging rights. They each hit one home run, so that perhaps was the only scenario which ensures peace at home.

Joining them with one home run in the first round were Cris Hiche, Liam Green, Conner Brown, and Takuso Motoheshi, but for all of them one home run was not enough to secure a place in the final.

Three players managed to get more than 1 home run form the 5 outs in the first round. Warwick Byrne (Herts Raptors), Ewan Clegg (London Mets) and Ryan Bird (Herts Falcons) each hit two home runs.

In the final Ewan Clegg impressed with 4 more home runs to bring his tally to 6. Several of them went over the permanent outfield fence so he didn’t need the shorter fence set for his Under-17 age group.

But the winner at the end was Ryan Bird. The two-time National Baseball League Most Valuable Player put on an outstanding hitting display to the rhythm of the play-by-play commentary by Cristobal Hiche on the public announce system. He hit 8 more home runs for a total of 10 over the two rounds. Some of the bombs which he launched were elevated so high up into the air that it seemed as though they would go over the M1 motorway and drop in St Albans. There are many stories of Major League Baseball superstars ruining their swings for weeks after taking part in the Home Run Derby as they try to elevate the ball up. Herts Falcons fans will hope that this event will not affect Ryan Bird’s batting as the team prepares for the National Baseball League postseason which will determine the 2013 national champions.

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Dacorum Borough in Hertfordshire celebrates one year on from the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012 in London, and one to go until the Commonwealth Games 2014 in Glasgow. Most importantly, the event brings the Olympic Legacy to life by giving people in Dacorum, of all ages and abilities, the chance to experience a range of sporting events and activities.

If you’re not already involved in sport, want to get back into sport or if you just want to have fun with the family and try something new, then this week provides the ideal starting point. Throughout the festival period, local sports clubs and other sporting organisations across the borough are opening their doors and running events such as offering free taster sessions at their clubs.

There are more than 15 sports to try at more than 30 events right across the borough – and we are very pleased to confirm that baseball is part of the Festival.

WHERE?

Herts Baseball Club, Grovehill Ballpark, Washington Avenue, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 6BB

WHEN?

6pm to 8pm on Wednesday, July 24

11am to 2pm on Saturday, July 27

EVENT DETAILS

On Wednesday, July 24, there is an opportunity for anyone to come and give baseball a try at Grovehill Ballpark. Participants will be able to sample all aspects of baseball – fielding, batting, throwing and catching, base running and more.

On Saturday, July 27, apart from the opportunity for newcomers to come and try baseball, they will also be able to take part in games, the home run derby and other baseball contests.

On both days they will be able to meet and play alongside players from the Herts youth and adult teams.

WHO IS THE EVENT AIMED AT?

Boys and girls aged 6 to 16 and men and women aged 14 to 55+, from complete beginners to accomplished players is welcome – So Basically Everyone

COSTS?

Anyone can take part free of charge.

FOOD AND DRINKS?

Throughout the event on Saturday, July 27, the Herts Baseball concessions will be selling hot and cold drinks and all sorts of traditional baseball snacks from hot dogs to Big League Chew.

WHAT IS PROVIDED BY THE ORGANISERS?

All equipment will be provided by the organisers during the events.

WHAT WILL PARTICIPANTS NEED TO BRING?

Any sport clothing for a hot summer’s day and footwear suitable for grass surface.

DO WE NEED TO CONTACT THE CLUB IN ADVANCE?

We advise all those who are considering attending one of these events and who are not already in the Herts Baseball mailing lists to contact us ahead of the event providing an email address or telephone number so they can be notified if the event is cancelled due to unsuitable weather conditions or other circumstances.