LISTEN to BBC Radio's coverage of the first ever Hertfordshire Baseball derby in June 2007, with studio guests, Lee Manning, Marty Cullen and Marty Cullen Jr. Hosted by presenter Luke Ashmead.
Author: AspiDimitrov
AGE VS BEAUTY
This article was written by Herts Baseball Newswire syndicated reporter, PAUL RAYBOULD. With Raybould now a member of the Old Timers, this article gives a fascinating view from the other dug-out in last Sunday’s season opening encounter.
It was only fitting that Old Timers manager Peter Crook, enjoying his 60th year in the game, elected to put long-time servant of the club George Simmons on the mound at the start of this historic game. With each passing year, George seems to get slower yet his pitches seems to get harder to hit. As each inning went by, Herts batters kept hitting little dribblers or tiny pop ups. George pitched 6 full innings collecting 5 strike outs and walked nobody. His control on the day was outstanding, only going to 3 balls with one batter.
Jake Kikel, the Raptors manager and by far the most experienced player on the team (and old enough to be an Old Timer!), took the mound in the bottom of the 1st. Considering his limited pitching experience, Jacob showed good mechanics and control. It certainly looked like his talented son Peter has given Jake a few lessons. Nevertheless, it pays to know your strike zone and even if they can’t run or throw as well as they used to, the Old Timers hitters knew when to swing or leave a pitch. With each inning, the Old Timers added runs culminating with a big 12-run 4th. This included a solo home run shot from Justin Horsnell who later also clouted a 3-bagger.
Yours truly took the mound for the Old Timers in the 7th and after a shaky start, managed to get through two innings without conceding an earned run. Meanwhile, Jake gave way in the bottom of the 7th to Jonathon Lewys.
Although the game could have been called in the middle of the 7th on the Slaughter Rule, both teams agreed to play on. This gave the Raptors a little more playing experience and the Old Timers a chance to stretch their rusty arms.
Without wishing to sound arrogant, the Raptors should not feel too downhearted in losing to the Old Timers. The current OT team includes a number of “younger” players who have played at a high level and still have plenty of ability to offer. Meanwhile, it was clear that there are players in the Herts squad who will learn quickly and I expect to see a closer game when the teams meet again.
Old Timers Batting Order
Peter Barratt – Left-field
Gary Liston – Catcher
Mike Harold – Shortstop
Justin Horsnell – Third-base
Brian Currier – Centre-field
Paul Raybould – Second-base/Pitcher/First-base
Tony Smyth – First-base-Pitcher
Rob Walker/Billy Gibney – Right-field
George Simmons – Pitcher/Second-base
A special thanks to Old Timer, Paul Raybould, for contributing to the baseball coverage on the Herts Baseball Newswire. Paul was a member of Herts Baseball Club for many years and the club now considers him Herts’ very own representative in the great institution that is the Old Timers Baseball Club.
HERTS BASEBALL STARS TO APPEAR ON BBC THIS SATURDAY
Members of Herts Baseball Club will be paying a visit to the BBC Radio studios this weekend. They will appear on the Saturday Breakfast Show on BBC Three Counties Radio at around
The show is expected to preview the 2008 baseball season for the three Hertfordshire teams – Herts Falcons, Herts Hawks and the Herts Raptors and of course will look forward to the first ever season of the Herts Baseball Little League which will be an unmissable event for boys and girls in and around Hertfordshire this summer.
Baseball has never been so popular in Hertfordshire and Herts Baseball Club is beginning to attract a lot of attention from the written press, radio and TV.
FALCONS REPEL ARROWS’ ATTACK, SWEEP HOME OPENER
The last time the Falcons faced the Essex Arrows was on June 11 2006. That double-header – also played at Grovehill – came midway through the first team's seemingly endless 13-game losing streak and pushed them deeper still into the basement of the Premiere League. While those individual losses were hardly blowouts (9-4 and 14-12), they did little to raise Herts' dispirited hopes and only perpetuated one of the worst seasons in Club history.
Sunday's opener, therefore, marked an important rematch for some veteran Falcons, as well as an important test for the revamped squad. Since mid-January they had been training diligently and making plans for a winning season. Would the Herts first team show might on the mound, focus in the field, and patience at the plate…?
2007 Best Pitcher and staff ace Nic Goetz (4-0, 3.71 ERA) took the mound for the home team. Goetz immediately had the Arrows off-balance striking out the leadoff batter and drawing a pop-out and fly-out to end the inning. The Arrows never managed to find their stride, and despite surrendering six walks, a hit batsman and two wild pitches on the day, Goetz yielded only three runs on three hits to take his first win of the season.
The second game marked the Falcons debut of 'screwballer' Darrin Ward. Ward – a recent free-agent acquisition – spent the 2007 season with Milton Keynes helping the Hurricanes earn promotion to the AAA. Using a quiver of breaking balls and changeups, and targeting his fastball with pinpoint precision, Ward allowed only one earned run and one walk. While the Arrows managed nine hits, none was for extra bases and eight men were stranded on base.
Goetz and Ward each pitched a complete game and the pair firmly established themselves as a knockout 1-2 punch in the Falcons rotation. More than any other factor in the Herts' wins was the confidence of their starters. Both men showed great command and presence on the mound and, moreover, an undaunted delivery with men on base.
Despite some sharp fastballs and nasty curves from their own pitching staff, Essex never captured the momentum and spent the entire day struggling to find a chink in the Falcons' armour. But the near-perfect Herts defence proved impenetrable… with fine plays by the entire infield including a handful of mile-high pop-ups and a slick 5-4-3 double-play.
The Falcons offence was less impressive. They managed only three hits in Game One, and it was mistake after mistake from the sloppy Essex infield that allowed the Falcons to take seven runs in the fifth-inning putting the game well out of reach for the struggling Arrows. Essex committed 12 errors on the day, and each one proved costly.
Next week the Falcons travel to Windsor to face the 2007 fifth-place Bears, where they hope to resurrect their bats and slap some crooked numbers on the scoreboard.
GAME ONE (10am)
| Essex Arrows at Herts Falcons | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| Essex Arrows | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Herts Falcons | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
| Herts Falcons 10, Essex Arrows 3 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herts Falcons | Essex Arrows | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Lee Manning lf | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Player 1 p | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | (b5) Sub 1 pr-p | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andy Cornish ss | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Player 2 c | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Greenberg c | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Player 3 1b | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marty Cullen 1b | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Player 4 2b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peter Kikel 3b | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Player 5 3b | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Dan Kerry cf | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Player 6 ss | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Darrin Ward dh | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Player 7 lf | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Aspi Dimitrov rf | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Player 8 cf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nick Goetz p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Player 9 rf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TEAM TOTALS | 28 | 10 | 3 | 3 | TEAM TOTALS | 24 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| E: Andy Cornish, Player 4(3), Player 5(2), Player 6(2). LOB: Essex Arrows 7, Herts Falcons 8. 2B: Peter Kikel. SB: Peter Kikel, Jason Greenberg, Player 4, Sub 1. |
| Herts Falcons | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Nick Goetz W | 7.00 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| Essex Arrows | ||||||
| Player 1 L | 4.67 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Sub 1 | 1.33 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
GAME TWO (12.45pm)
| Essex Arrows at Herts Falcons | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
| Essex Arrows | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 |
| Herts Falcons | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 3 |
| Herts Falcons 8, Essex Arrows 2 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herts Falcons | Essex Arrows | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Lee Manning lf | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | D. Shack 1b | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Kimiyoshi Saionji 2b | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | S. Simmons 2b-c | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Andy Cornish ss | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | C. Porter rf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Greenberg c | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | (t5) C. Castro rf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marty Cullen 1b | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | B. Hoience cf | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Peter Kikel dh | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | A. Bonsor lf | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Nick Goetz 3b | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | A. Sneasby ss | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dan Kerry cf | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | (b5) S. Smith ss | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rodney Naghar rf | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | L. Louw p | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Darrin Ward p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | A. Clark 3b | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| B. Marchant c | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| (t5) F. Perez 2b | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| TEAM TOTALS | 27 | 8 | 9 | 4 | TEAM TOTALS | 30 | 2 | 9 | 2 |
E: Andy Cornish, Jason Greenberg, Nick Goetz, L. Louw(2), S. Simmons, D. Shack, A.
Clark. DP: Herts Falcons 1. LOB: Herts Falcons 5, Essex Arrows 8. SB: Kimiyoshi
Saionji(2), Andy Cornish, Rodney Naghar, F. Perez. CS: Peter Kikel. SB: Lee Manning.
| Herts Falcons | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Darrin Ward W | 7.00 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Essex Arrows | ||||||
| L. Louw L | 6.00 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
BROKEN HERTS: THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
It feels like an eternity since the Falcons were last in the Premiere League. The 2006 season started well enough as Herts took an early 3-1 record – good enough for second place in the standings. What followed was nothing less than disastrous. The Falcons failed to perform week after week, and a precipitous 13-game losing streak saw Herts slide to 11 games under .500.
No one thing was to blame. Rather, a combination of weak offence, lackluster pitching, error-laden defence and managerial turnover meant that every Falcon donned his pessimism at some point between buttoning up his jersey and lacing up his cleats. We simply could do no good.
September brought closure to the losing season… but also a crucial relegation playoff game against the lower division's second place team, the Burgess Hill Colts. In a dramatic (and all-too-predictable) finale to 2006, Herts took an early lead only to see it squandered by sloppy defensive errors. In the bottom of the ninth-inning with the game tied at 12, Herts loaded the bases (for the second time that inning), but the Gods were not smiling on Hertfordshire that day and the game-winning run was stranded just 90 feet from home plate. Burgess Hill's Gary Davison struck out 16 in his complete game win… Herts lost the game 13-12 in 10-innings… and the Falcons were relegated to BBF Division 1.
Defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory.
2007 became a rebuilding year. Under new management the Falcons retooled, retrained, and recovered from the embarrassment of their demotion. Weaker opposing pitching and immeasurable defensive strides led to an 18-2 record, a Division 1 Championship, and automatic re-promotion to the newly-christened BBF AAA (formerly the Premiere League).
But the lessons of 2006 have been drilled into our skulls with the force of a 90-mph heater. Nothing has been taken for granted… and complacency has no quarter. From mid-January 2008 the Herts Baseball Club has been conditioning, training, and emphasising player development. Club President Aspi Dimitrov manufactured a Spring Training League – akin to its Cactus and Grapefruit cousins in America – so the Falcons could flex some muscle well before Opening Day. Dimitrov even invited Herts’ onetime nemeses to take part – the Burgess Hill Colts.
The teams clashed horns in vintage style. Again with Colts hurler Gary Davison on the mound, the Falcons played tug-of-war ushering an 8-8 tie into the final inning. But this was a new year… and a new team. The Falcons connected for five runs in the 7th and walked away from the diamond with their heads high and their newfound optimism soundly intact.
Now comes the test of time – the great equaliser in baseball. Will the Falcons maintain their control and confidence week-in and week-out…? Can they keep their players healthy and off the disabled list…? Will they roll with the inevitable punches that undoubtedly lie in store…? Or will the bitter taste of a single defeat send the squad into an all-too-familiar tailspin from which they cannot recover…?
Yogi Berra said, “If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up somewhere else.” Ask any Herts player, and he'll tell you that – this year – all roads lead to a winning season. No bags are packed. There's no need. The Falcons plan to stay put.
HERTS HAWKS OPEN SEASON WITH A WIN
Posted on behalf of Herts Newswire Correspondent, DAVE HAMILTON
The Hawks got their season off to a flying start at Grovehill on Sunday, putting in a strong all-round performance to beat the Northampton Bucks 12-7 in their league opener.
After watching the Falcons starting their season with a pair of wins, the Hawks were keen to make it a clean sweep for the home team, and did well to quell an early threat from the Bucks without conceding any runs.
With their manager's team-talk ringing in their ears, the squad then produced an impressive combination of patient hitting and aggressive baserunning to take a 2-0 first inning lead, that they never lost throughout the game. After two quick outs, Humberto Concalves sparked the rally with a base hit, coming round to score on starting pitcher John Oliver's two run single.
Paul Auchterlonie's lead-off triple in the second inning helped the Hawks to extend their lead to 3-0, and Oliver held the Buck's hitters in check with the help of some excellent defensive work, right fielder Ross Asquith combining with first baseman Louis Hare to turn the Hawks' first double play of the season in the third inning.
The Hawks blew the game open in the fourth inning, extending their lead to 7-1 with another two out rally to capitalise on some mistakes from the Bucks, and while
A mention should go to Bucks’ Lithuanian pitcher Marius. Fans of Herts Baseball Club remember him well as the pitcher who shut down the Herts Falcons in last year’s Final 4 when he was playing for the Humber Pilots. Marius threw over 200 pitches in a complete game effort, but ultimately it was the Hawks' day as they completed victory behind the left-right pitching combination of Oliver and Hare.
Manager
| Northampton at Herts Hawks | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Northampton | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 8 |
| Herts Hawks | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 10 | 4 |
| Herts Hawks 12, Northampton 7 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herts Hawks | Northampton | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Ross Asquith rf | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Geoff Finning 3b | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Russell lf | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Edward Redgrave ss | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Humberto Goncalves 2b | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Tim Tamakucho c | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| (t5) Kal Dimitrov 2b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jason Mathews cf | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Louis Hare 1b-p | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | Ben Alexander lf | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| John Oliver p-1b | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Marius p | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| (t8) Larry Martillo 1b | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Simon rf | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Carlos Casal 3b | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Ross 1b | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dave Hamilton cf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | John 2b | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Paul Auchterlounie c | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Luis Goncalves ss | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| TEAM TOTALS | 39 | 12 | 10 | 4 | TEAM TOTALS | 36 | 7 | 13 | 7 |
| E: Louis Hare(2), Humberto Goncalves, Carlos Casal, John(3), Marius(2), Ross(2), Edward Redgrave. DP: Herts Hawks 2. LOB: Northampton 10, Herts Hawks 11. 3B: Paul Auchterlounie. SB: Carlos Casal(2), Ross Asquith(2), Louis Hare(2), John Oliver, Nick Russell, Luis Goncalves, Edward Redgrave(4), Simon(2), Ross, Jason Mathews, Tim Tamakucho, Geoff Finning. CS: Edward Redgrave, Simon, Ben Alexander. SB: Luis Goncalves. |
| Herts Hawks | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| John Oliver W | 5.00 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| Louis Hare | 4.00 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Northampton | ||||||
| Marius L | 8.00 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| HBP: by Marius (Carlos Casal). . . WP: Louis Hare, Marius(5). PB: Tim Tamakucho. T: 3:00. A: 60. |
(VIDEO) HERTS RAPTORS MAKE LEAGUE DEBUT IN THEIR FIRST EVER SEASON
posted on behalf of Herts Baseball Newswire reporter, ROB JONES
The Herts Raptors learned some harsh lessons in their first competitive game, against the Old Timers of Enfield. The score was tight heading into the bottom of the fourth, but then defensive lapses by Herts, and aggressive base-running by the home team, blew the game open. The Raptors were on the wrong end of several close umpiring calls, but kept their heads up to score some late runs, finally going down 33-8.
| Herts Raptors at old timers | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Herts Raptors | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 3 |
| old timers | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 33 | 27 | 5 |
| old timers 33, Herts Raptors 8 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| old timers | Herts Raptors | ||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Player 1 2b | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 | Ilya Dimitrov rf | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Player 2 c | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | Jonathon Lewys p-lf | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Player 3 1b | 5 | 4 | 3 | 6 | Andy Ringrose c | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Player 4 p | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | Paul Hawes 1b | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Player 5 3b | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Andrew Slater 3b | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Player 6 ss | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Hunter Devine 2b | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Player 7 lf | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | Rob Jones cf | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Player 8 cf | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | Pete Cox ss | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player 9 rf | 6 | 4 | 4 | 6 | Jake Kikel lf-p | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| TEAM TOTALS | 45 | 33 | 27 | 29 | TEAM TOTALS | 42 | 8 | 18 | 6 |
| E: Player 4(2), Player 5(2), Player 7, Jonathon Lewys(3). LOB: Herts Raptors 10, old timers 13. 2B: Player 2, Player 3, Hunter Devine(2), Paul Hawes, Jake Kikel. 3B: Player 2, Player 9. HR: Player 9. SB: Player 3(8), Player 6(6), Player 5(6), Player 7(5), Player 4(4), Player 1(4), Player 8(4), Player 2(2), Player 9(2), Hunter Devine(3), Rob Jones(2), Ilya Dimitrov, Paul Hawes, Andy Ringrose. CS: Jonathon Lewys. |
| old timers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Player 4 W | 9.00 | 18 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 10 |
| Herts Raptors | ||||||
| Jake Kikel L | 4.00 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 13 | 2 |
| Jonathon Lewys | 3.00 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 1 |
| HBP: by Jake Kikel (Player 1). . . . . . . . WP: Player 4. PB: Player 2. T: 2:55. A: 41. |
HERTS BASEBALL LITTLE LEAGUE PLAYER SELECTED BY GREAT BRITAIN NATIONAL TEAM
The Herts Baseball Little League was created only 9 months ago and already one of its players has been selected by the Great Britain National Team. 10-years old Marty Cullen Jr from Hitchin in Hertfordshire received a confirmation earlier today from the GB National Team that he will be a member of the GB Juveniles this season.
This comes after several weeks of highly competitive tryouts at the
Baseball may not be the most popular sport in the United Kingdom, but this is a good example of the opportunities available for kids in and around Hertfordshire to play the game of baseball and if they show commitment, desire and talent then there is a clear path for them to progress all the way to the highest level including earning the honour of representing their country.
The timing of this news is perfect as it coincides with the build-up to the first ever season of the Herts Baseball Little League. The players, most of whom are aged between 7 and 12, will soon be starting their pre-season training to get ready for Opening Day in June. It promises to be one of the top events for kids in and around Hertfordshire this summer and Herts Baseball Club is very pleased about the growing number of parents who have contacted the club to pre-register their children for the Little League on the official website www.HertsLittleLeague.com
The Little League coaches saw many talented kids during last year’s summer camps and the hope is that Marty Cullen Jr will be the first of many Herts Little League players to be selected to play for