Author: Matt Bell

by Matt Bell

THE THREE AMIGOS: A BRAND NEW MANAGERIAL LINEUP FOR ALL HERTS BASEBALL TEAMS

Herts Baseball will face the upcoming 2008 season with a brand new managerial team. This was one among the number of pivotal decisions reached at the Annual General Meeting of Herts Baseball Club that took place on Sunday, 11 November 2007.

The new managers elected by the Club are: Jason Greenberg (Herts Falcons), Carlos Casal (Herts Hawks) and Jake Kikel (Herts Raptors).

Jason and Carlos were elected to replace the outgoing managers Bruce Dullea and Paul Auchterlounie, while Jake was selected to handle the Herts’ new expansion team, the Raptors. Everybody at the Club was fully appreciative of the hard work and experience that Bruce and Paul

had brought to the Club as managers in 2007. The feeling was well summarized by Club Secretary Aspi Dimitrov: “The Club owes Bruce and Paul a debt of gratitude for leading the two teams in 2007 – one of the most successful seasons in the Club’s history. As a board member, I was in a privileged position to have witnessed first hand how they dealt with various issues during the season, including some really classy moves and decisions, details of which unfortunately will have to be kept confidential at Board level. I am sure that the new managers will be able to consult with Bruce and Paul on a regular basis and use the knowledge that they have gained in their time as managers”.

The choice of new management reflected the new sense of purpose and determination that the Club members had shown throughout last season, and was predicated on the targets for new development and achievement that the Club is looking for in the new season. According to sources close to the Club management, the “task of the new management team” would be to “make playing for the Club an enjoyable, but at the same time, competitive experience”.

The membership’s enthusiasm for the new season was also reflected in the fact that all three managers will be provided with able and keen assistance from a number of volunteer deputies, so that the workload will be spread throughout the ranks in the Club.

Pundits have been reluctant to go out on a limb about the new appointments, but as one expert pointed out: “It will come, and when it comes, it’s going to be good”.

this article was posted on behalf of the author, Kal Dimitrov

by Matt Bell

“HERTS IN RAPTURE” – HERTS BASEBALL ESTABLISH A THIRD TEAM

At its regular Annual General Meeting, Herts Baseball Club approved a decision to establish a third team for the upcoming season 2008. The team will be called “The Raptors”, and it is anticipated that it will play in either the British Baseball Federation First or Second Division. A final confirmation of the Raptors’ involvement in the BBF league will be made early in 2008.

The new team will allow not only increased playing time for all members, but will represent a valuable addition to the continuously expanding Herts Baseball Club. It will also provide a pool of highly competitive players for the other two teams, as well as put pressure on the players in those two teams to perform better.

this article was posted on behalf of the author, Kal Dimitrov

by Matt Bell

LITTLE LEAGUE EXECUTIVES CONFIRMED

Herts Baseball Club confirmed its intentions to actively pursue the continuation and expansion of the Herts Baseball Little League by appointing the “masterminds” of Herts youth baseball – Lee Manning and Marty Cullen – as Vice Presidents-Little League Operations for the upcoming 2008 season.

In a sneak preview of the upcoming Little League events, Cullen and Manning indicated that “Some great things are in store for the kids in 2008. The Little League will provide a great way for kids between 7 and 13 year olds to enjoy baseball throughout the summer, whilst providing that experience with a keen competitive edge. The club will release more details soon so stay tuned to www.hertsbaseball.com”

this article was posted on behalf of the author, Kal Dimitrov

by Matt Bell

2007 AWARDS NIGHT RECIPIENTS

2007 AWARDS NIGHT RESULTS

FALCONS
MVP
Jason Greenberg
Batting Champion
Andy Cornish (Avg .506)
Infield Gold Glove
Kimiyoshi Saionji (F% .985)
Outfield Gold Glove
Andy Cornish (F% .920)
Best Pitcher
Nic Goetz (ERA 3.71)
Home Run Champion
Jason Greenberg (4)
Home Run Champion
Andy Cornish (4)
Most Stolen Bases
Yuji Endo (25)
Most RBIs
Jason Greenberg (30)
Most RBIs
Andy Cornish (30)
Coach's Award
John Oliver
HAWKS
MVP
Rodney Naghar
Batting Champion
Peter Kikel (Avg .455)
Infield Gold Glove
Ross Davies (F% .976)
Outfield Gold Glove
Dave Hamilton (F% .800)
Best Pitcher
Larry Martillo (ERA 6.48)
Most Stolen Bases
Ross Davies (19)
Most RBIs
Kal Dimitrov (11)
Rookie of the Year
Chantal Gerrard
Most Improved Player
Jonathon Lewys

OTHER AWARDS

Nob-Out – Lee locking his car keys and home keys in his car and deciding to solve the problem by taking a (-5) aluminium bat to smash the car window and ending up bending the metal frame of the car door with his “Major League” follow-through.

Play of the Year – Short Stop Yuji Endo making a full-length dive towards third base, stopping the ball, springing up and making a great throw to get the out at first.

Umpire of the Year – Geoff, good calls, bad calls, ugly calls…

by Matt Bell

CONGRATS TO MAGNIFICENT GB BASEBALL TEAM

Hertfordshire Baseball Club wishes to congratulate our Great Britain National Baseball Team who took the Silver Medals at the 2007 European Championship in Barcelona.

Apart from the silverware, this achievement has very exciting implications for British Baseball. By virtue of finishing second, the GB Team has qualified for the World Championship and the final qualifying stage for the 2008 Olympic Games.

This incredible achievement against some of the giants of European baseball also means that Great Britain may be invited to the next World Baseball Classic, which is the showpiece event of international baseball including some of the biggest stars of Major League Baseball some of whom earn more than David Beckham.

Special congratulations go to the GB Head Coach, Stephan Rapaglia, who over the years has been very supportive of the Hertfordshire Baseball Club.

by Matt Bell

HAWKS BACK IN THE SERIES

The Herts Hawks put on a solid performance to take a surprise 17-7 win against the Herts Falcons in game 3 of the Kyle Hunlock Series.  Play of the day, and of the Series so far, was Pete Kikel’s Grand Slam in the third inning which put the game beyond the Falcons.  Their lead in the Series has now been reduced to 2-1. 

 

In the Little League game, the Blue Jays won a dramatic 15-13 game.

 

Sunday’s festivities also included the 2007 Hertfordshire Home Run Derby.  38 participants entered the competition including mums and dads of the Little League kids.  Hall of Famer, Stuart Boast, won the 2007 Derby with 5 Home Runs.  In joint-second place were Dan Kerry (3 HR) and the sensational Andy Ringrose (3 HR).  It was Andy who turned out to be the star of the show.  He had never played baseball before and his preparation for the competition was to watch and learn from his children, Alex and Georgia, who are members of the Little League programme.  There were other parents who showed a lot of enthusiasm and indicated interest in giving baseball a try with the Hertfordshire adult teams for the start of the 2008 British baseball season.  This would be fantastic news for the club as it continues the great club tradition of having parents and their children playing for the same club.

by Matt Bell

SOARING FALCONS SHOT DOWN BY PILOTS

[ BOX SCORE ]
[ PHOTO GALLERY ]
[ POST-GAME VIDEO RECAP ]

The Herts Falcons lost 8-5 to the Humber Pilots in the Final of the British Baseball’s Division 1 and missed out on the title.

After five months of exciting baseball clashes across the country, the 2007 British Baseball Season culminated with its showpiece event, the Final4. The Herts Falcons reached the Final after crushing their opponents in the Southern Section of Division 1. The Northern Section was won by the Humber Pilots who also managed to beat the Milton Keynes Hurricanes in a classic Semi-Final game winning 2-1.

Expectations were high in the Falcons camp ahead of the big game, but they were visibly stunned by the Pilots as early as the first inning when they found themselves trailing 5-0. It took the team from Hertfordshire several innings to regain their composure. In the 5th inning they managed to hit back with 4 runs making the score 6-5. All of a sudden a miraculous come back seemed to be within the Falcons’ grasp.

A game which started in a disastrous way for them, could now turn out to be one of the most memorable comebacks in the club’s history. But it wasn’t to be. The Falcons lost in the end 8-5. Credit has to be given to the Humber Pilots who played the game with great desire and in the right spirit.

Due to the very high expectation which the Falcons put on themselves this was a very disappointing end of the season for them and their travelling fans, but overall this was a great year for the team. The Club now awaits confirmation from the British Baseball Federation that the Falcons have been promoted and will be back in the British Baseball Premier League in 2008.

At the Premier League level, the title was won by the Richmond Knights who beat the Essex Arrows in the final, while the National League (Great Britain’s top baseball league) was won by the London Mets who beat the Croydon Pirates.

by Matt Bell

SEPTEMBER BASEBALL FEVER IN HERTFORDSHIRE

The 2007 British Baseball Regular Season may be over, but we have a great lineup of Postseason baseball coming up this September.  It will include not only the Herts Falcons and the Herts Hawks but also Hertfordshire Little League kids as well.

 

2007 POSTSEASON SCHEDULE

(Events for the kids are shown in red)

 

Saturday, 1 September

·         11:00 6th Little League Summer Camp

·         12:00 Herts Falcons vs Strathclyde, Semi-Final, Division 1 Final 4

 

 

Sunday, 2 September

·         14:00 Herts Falcons vs Milton Keynes Hurricanes or Humber Pilots (if Falcons win on Saturday), Final, Division 1 Final 4

 

Sunday, 9 September

2007 Kyle Hunlock Series Weekend

·         10:00am to 12:00pm Little League exhibition game(s).  All Little League kids and parents are invited.  (No need to pay Summer Camp fee.  Participation is FREE)

·         12:00 Photocall – Falcons, Hawks, Little League kids and parents together. 

·         12:30 to 15:00 GAME1 Falcons @ Hawks

·         15:30 to 18:00 GAME2 Falcons @ Hawks

 

 

Sunday, 16 September

2007 Kyle Hunlock Series Weekend

·         10:00 to 12:00pm Little League exhibition game(s). 

·         12:30 to 13:30 HOME RUN DERBY

·         13:30 to 16:00 GAME3 Hawks @ Falcons

·         16:30 to 19:00 GAME4 Hawks @ Falcons

 

Sunday, 23 September

2007 Kyle Hunlock Series Weekend

·         10:00 to 12:00pm Little League exhibition game(s). 

·         12:30 to 15:00 GAME5 Hawks @ Falcons (if necessary)

·         15:30 to 18:00 GAME6 Falcons @ Hawks (if necessary)

 

Sunday, 30 September

2007 Kyle Hunlock Series Weekend

·         10:00am to 12:00pm Little League exhibition game(s). 

·         12:30 to 15:00 GAME7 Falcons @ Hawks (if necessary)

 

Food and Drinks:

Hot dogs and cold drinks will be sold at the halfway point of the kids’ game (11:00) and between the first and the second games of the day’s Falcons vs Hawks Series.

 

Price List: Hot Dog (Price £0.50), Cola or fruit juices (Price £0.50), Beer (Price £TBC). 

by Matt Bell

BOAST’S TOWERING BLAST NOT ENOUGH AS HAWKS LOSE TO DRAGONS

[ HAWKS/DRAGONS: GAME 1 BOX SCORE ]
[ HAWKS/DRAGONS: GAME 2 BOX SCORE ]

The Herts Hawks find themselves in a battle to avoid finishing bottom of Division 1 South ‘B’ after losing both games of a double header against the Richmond Dragons.

The Hawks were missing a large part of their regular starting lineup which made their trip to Richmond even more daunting. In the first game the Hawks found it difficult to put together any kind of offensive effort and lost 10-3.

In the second game the Hawks found their rhythm and took the game to the Dragons. Despite falling behind they managed to catch up making it 8-7 in the 5th inning when the Hawks exploded with a 3-run home run by Hertfordshire Baseball Hall of Famer, Stuart Boast.

This wasn’t enough though and the Dragons took the win with a score of 14-10.

With one final weekend of regular season action remaining in Division 1, the Hawks now have a ‘must-win’ game at home against the Bracknell Blazers.

The 2007 baseball season has been wrecked by the bizarre weather conditions and similarly to the cricket season, the British Baseball Federation will now have to somehow deal with a backlog of rained-out games in time for the postseason.

FALCONS HARPOON SHARKS, FINISH REGULAR SEASON WITH IMMODEST 18-2 RECORD

[ FALCONS/SHARKS: BOX SCORE ]

by Matt Bell

FALCONS SINK SHARKS, CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH

[ FALCONS/SHARKS: GAME 1 BOX SCORE ]
[ FALCONS/SHARKS: GAME 2 BOX SCORE ]

[ VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY ]

The Herts Falcons used an impressive offensive barrage to sweep the Bournemouth Sharks by scores of 13-7 and 13-3, clinching the D1A Pennant.

Bournemouth came into the game with the league’s best defence, giving up an average of only 2.5 runs per game.  The Falcons jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning of Game 1.  They were patient at the plate, drawing four walks and they were also aided by two Bournemouth errors. They increased the margin to 9-0 in the second inning.  The five runs were sandwiched around two singles, two walks, and three Shark errors. Bournemouth fought back in the fourth inning, scoring 5 runs on five singles and two walks.  The Falcons were able to escape without any further damage.

Kim Saoinji hit his 3rd home run in the top of the 7th, and the Falcons defence closed it out for a 13-7 victory. The Falcons had nine hits, with Lee Manning leading the team with two.  Catcher Jason Greenberg also had two RBI’s.

In the second game, Nic Goetz was very impressive with a complete game two hitter.  Goetz picked up his fourth victory of the year, and had good control, with only 2 walks and 1 strikeout. The Falcons bats came alive in the first inning, with 4 runs on six hits, including doubles by Lee Manning and Andy Cornish.

They increased their margin to 9-0 in the 2nd.   With one out and the bases loaded, Jason Greenberg hit the teams first Grand Slam HR, and his fourth of the year. The Falcons essentially put the game away in the 3rd as they built up a 12-0 lead.  The first four batters reached base and three runners scored.

The Sharks threatened in the bottom of the fifth with three runs, but rookie right fielder Dan Kerry made a fine catch on a hard hit ball to end the game. The Falcons had 14 hits, including a 3 for 3 performance by Greenberg, who scored 4 runs and added 5 RBI.

With the win, the Falcons qualified for the post season Final 4 and are also in a position to earn promotion to the Premiere League, where they formerly played in 2005-2006. The team closes out the regular season this Sunday with a home game against Bournemouth.  Tickets are available, and can be purchased either online or by calling 1-800-GOFALCONS.

[ HAWKS/PANTHERS: GAME 1 BOX SCORE ]
[ HAWKS/PANTHERS: GAME 2 BOX SCORE ]

The Herts Hawks had a battle for second place in the division with their direct rivals – the Shropshire Panthers.

The first game started badly for the Hawks and went downhill from there – starter Pete Kikel had trouble hitting the strike zone, and when he did, the Panthers managed to either hit it between the fielders or bloop it beyond the reach of the infield. Defensive heroics by catcher Jake Kikel, who was hard-pressed to block the large number of wild pitches but still managed to throw out a runner at second base, did not change the situation. Offensively, the Hawks struggled with the breaking stuff of starter Ashley Rogers, and when they managed to put together several hits in one inning, the Panthers piled on the runs in the next. Overall, a performance that literally anthropomorphizes the saying “there is nowhere to go but up from here”.

The second game was much tighter – Hawks starter Larry Martillo, after allowing an early 4-run lead to the Panthers, managed to hold the game from blowing completely open. However, the Hawks bats continued to be mainly silent – excepting the stellar hitting performance of Ross Davies who went 4-for-4 and the very respectable 2-for-2 of Pete Kikel and Larry Martillo. However, the lack of hitting was compounded by somewhat lackadaisical base-running, which saw several Hawks being picked off or caught off the bases. Despite a late surge in the 7th inning, the Hawks went down 8 – 4.