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 October 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 a few weeks ago appointing the Executive Board for the upcoming season and the Board has just announced the 2011 members of staff.
The club goes into the new season with a strong team in its various departments the number of which seems to increase every year. There are some new faces joining the club’s management who will bring fresh ideas and new energy, and at the same time the club has retained a large number of the 2010 members of staff which will provide continuity as the club aims to continue its growth and progress in every department.
Lee Manning has been elected as the Manager of the Herts Falcons as they prepare for their third year in the top tier of the British baseball league pyramid. He moves to the Falcons Manager position after managing the Herts Eagles last year, so the club will be looking to fill the AAA League managerial vacancy.
Greg Bochan continues at the helm of the Herts Hawks, but this year he will be joined by Andy Cornish as a co-manager and both of them will be looking for the winning formula in the AA League. One thing is for sure, the Herts Hawks season will be a lot of fun.
After the end of the 2010 season Herts Raptors Manager, Ken Pike, was concerned that commitments at work and new arrivals in his family would make it difficult for him to manage next year, but the buzz he got out of his first year as manager seems to have prevailed and the Club Board has just confirmed that Ken Pike has been appointed as Manager of the Raptors for the upcoming season.
The following is the full list of the 2011 members of staff. 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.
President, Aspi Dimitrov
Treasurer, Dave Hamilton
Secretary, Aspi Dimitrov
Herts Falcons Manager (NBL), Lee Manning
Herts Hawks (AA) Co-Manager, Greg Bochan
Herts Hawks (AA) Co-Manager, Andy Cornish
Herts Raptors (A) Manager, Ken Pike
Webmaster, Greg Bochan
Deputy Webmaster, Kimiyoshi Saionji
Club Media Officer, Rob Jones
Statistics Officer, Greg Bochan
Volunteer Coordinator, Jon Gamble
Club Welfare Officer, Kal Dimitrov
Club Shop Manager, Ilya Dimitrov