Author: Rob Jones

9 March 20139 March 2013 by Rob Jones

The Summer Search for Silver

Herts baseball fans, you can now plan your summer. The hotly anticipated BBF league schedules are out, and the club’s five adult teams now have the roadmap they must follow if they want to bring a championship trophy back to Hemel Hempstead. Hopes are high that after another winter of strong recruitment — and an experience of “oh-so-nearly” last year — Herts can claim silverware in 2013.

From April 7 through to August 25, a total of more than 600 regular-season games will be played across the country at all levels. They range from the top tier, the National Baseball League, to what the BBF refers to as the “feisty” teams of the Single-A divisions. Herts will be there at all levels. And the finals are set for Farnham Park in September. Keep your diary clear.

Falcons at the NBC in 2012 — Herts Falcons in action at the 2012 playoff finals (photo: Will Baxter)

The top level of British baseball, the National Baseball League (NBL) is the first to get going. On the 7th of April, Herts Falcons will open their account at home to the newly renamed South London Pirates. The Croydon club is a veteran presence on the British scene and is hoping to bounce back from some disappointing seasons. However, Lee Manning and his side will be aiming for a winning start.

Fans don’t have to wait long for the juiciest clash. Just two weeks later, on April 21st, the Falcons travel to the defending champions the Harlow Nationals, who beat Herts in last season’s deciding series. The Nationals come to Grovehill for the return fixture on the last weekend of June, by which point the hierarchy for this year will be well established. What will be at stake at that match-up? Could it be decisive?

Of course, there are plenty of other strong sides challenging for the NBL title. At either end of the season, the Falcons will take on the Lakenheath Diamondbacks, who featured in last year’s playoffs. And the final regular season fixture is at home to the newcomers to the NBL, the Essex Redbacks, who last year challenged all the way to the AAA final. Who knows what they will bring to The Show?

The Herts Ravens are the club’s new team, giving a presence in AAA for the first time since the Eagles lost controversially in the 2010 playoffs. They start off at home on April 14th against the Richmond Knights. The first road trip is two weeks later to Finsbury Park to take on the London Metros, while the London club will also be providing the final opponents on 25th August, when the Mets II come to Grovehill.

The Hawks reached the final weekend of the 2012 playoffs, losing to the ultimate victors, the Nottingham Rebels. The co-managers Andy Cornish and Greg Bochan are looking to take the players all the way this year. There are 13 teams in the AA South division, and the Hawks will kick off at home to the London Mammoths on April 14th.

Herts Hawks at Daws Hill, 2012 — Herts Hawks at Daws Hill Spitfires, 2012

They have a long home-stand to begin the year — facing opponents incuding the freshly promoted Hove Tuesday and last year’s regular season elite the Guildford Mavericks — and they don’t have to leave Hemel Hempstead until June when they travel to Enfield to take on the Sidewinders. The last scheduled game is on August 4th, against the Poole Piranhas.

And so on to Single-A, which this year features 12 teams split into three pools of four, and also features the mouthwatering prospect of two Herts derbies. The club once again fields two teams in this division, with the Raptors and Eagles both building on good years in 2012.

Then, Arnold Longboy’s Raptors narrowly missed out on the postseason while the Eagles secured an excellent .500 record in their first season in the division. Bragging rights went to the Raptors when the teams met up, with Duncan Hoyle’s Eagles going down 14-5. This year the first face-off is on 12 May, with the return a month later on 16 June. Both promise to be classic matches.

Of course, there are some other teams in the division to be faced, too. Raptors open up on April 21st at the Leicester 2Sox, the first time for years that the southern clubs have taken on the Midlands clubs in league play. The Raptors head off to Milton Keynes to play their new Single-A side the Coyotes on May 19th, while they face last year’s top league side the Essex Archers on June 30th.

The Eagles make their trips north on Opening Day, April 21st, when they play Milton Keynes, and on June 30th, when they head to Leicester. The 2Sox will also be the final visitors to Grovehill for the Eagles, when they play on August 11th. By then, the height of summer, everyone will be thinking seriously of the playoffs. At this point, we can only speculate and dream.

As Herts knows perhaps better than anyone, British baseball is not just about the adult game. Grovehill Ballpark has become the home of one of the most powerful youth movements in the country, with a national championship being claimed in 2010. Players from the Little League are feeding through into the adult sides with great success, and this season the youth leagues will be watched as closely as ever.

The Herts Harriers — the newly named Under 17 Pony team — are scheduled to play 7 double-headers. They start on Saturday April 27th, against the London Mets at Grovehill. Their regular reason finishes with a trip to the Forest Glade Redbacks on July 6th. The Herts Bronco team, now known as the Cardinals, travel to the defending champions the London Mets for their opener. They host the Redbacks as their closer.

17 February 201317 February 2013 by Rob Jones

2013: A New Hope

The Herts club’s occasional blogger, equally occasional player, and former Chief Correspondent Rob Jones has returned for another year of baseball. Here he offers his random views, glimpses and hopes for the coming year.

The sound echoed around the hall. It was of a loud slap, a loud snap, not unlike the report of a gun. It was a baseball hitting a leather mitt. Baseball season had begun.

Fifty or so players were there on the first week of indoor Spring Training, and the fact that a cavernous sports hall seemed crowded showed how far Herts has come in the past couple of years in expanding its reach. By the time I was there — barely even a few minutes late, which is excellent by my standards — there seemed hardly room to throw. On the second week there were slightly fewer of us, but still dozens of players, all turning out on a cold Sunday morning. The first excellent result of the season.

Never fear, though, about the apparent lack of space. Once the session had got rolling and the coaches had stepped in to organise, every inch of the hall was well used. At the second session, the club’s new strength and conditioning coach made his first appearance and worked the players into submission. Crouching like crabs, jumping like grasshoppers, lunging like refugees from Python’s silly walks sketch. The Herts media department kindly used a photo of the event which showed me as the only player bent double trying to recover from the exertion!

I am by no means a hardcore devotee of exercise. But I do love to play, and the last thing I want to do at a session is stand around waiting for stuff to be sorted. And that doesn’t happen here at Herts. It hasn’t for years now, and we have reaped two benefits from that. Number one — passionate, hard-working club staff. Number two — better players.

Those players include some of the top names in British baseball — Robbie Unsell, Ryan Bird — who now turn out in a Herts uniform and helped take the club to the NBL final in 2012. It also includes some excellent youth players who have begun to pull on the jersey for our adult teams, and who could take us even higher in the future. Guys who already had great talent going for them — Kyle Lloyd-Jones; the Caress brothers — seemed to have grown a foot taller over the winter and to have filled out. They will be an imposing presence on whichever diamond hosts them this season.

Caros Casal argues his case during the Hunlock Series in 2009 There are plenty of new faces, as well as some which have returned from the past. The Casal family, who always play with fire and passion, will be a shot in the arm for the club on the field after a successful sojourn at the Harlow Nationals. A return is also on the cards for Ross Asquith, the King of the Bunt, the Fastest Thing in the South from the early days of the Herts Hawks, I think it was. Because we now have a fifth adult team, we will need a deep bench, but that seems to be a luxury we are developing. Last weekend was the first of many sessions which I will miss this year. Work often keeps me away from Herts baseball, but like so many others I keep coming back. Last season was a bit of a low ebb for me, in terms of playing time. I only made it to five games, I think, and one of them was incomplete. I never really got my swing together and batted only about .440, disappointing after previous seasons. But my OBP remained high, and I felt I was contributing to the team and to a few victories. Who knows what 2013 will hold for me, and for Herts. But that is one of the great things about Spring Training. Anything seems possible. Everything is out there to be worked for, and aimed at. The grainy photos of Herts part-timers in a cavernous sports hall are the equivalent of those sun-dappled pictures from the MLB’s Spring leagues. But although the visual image is rather different, the spirit is the same. It is about hope, and about what it can bring.

5 October 20126 October 2012 by Rob Jones

Heading for the Hunlock

My regular readers — of which I know, there are literally several — will know that I like to write a paean to the Hunlock series every year. One of those articles referred to it as an encore, an extra flourish once the season is over, and something of an added bonus. This year’s event is slightly different for me, as I didn’t have much of a season at all. So it’s not an encore — it’s almost the main event.

Rob Jones in action — Your correspondent, Rob Jones, legs out an infield hit against the Blue Dogs

The Hunlock Series brings together players from all the club’s teams, both youth and adult, and spreads them around in a way which creates four new evenly-matched teams. That makes for great competitions, and you should have no doubt that a friendly series can be genuinely competitive! There is a great atmosphere to the event, but if you think Greg Bochan wants you to get a hit off him, or if you think Glen Downer is after anything less than a home run, you’re mistaken.

One of the best things about the Hunlock is that you get to meet up with players you might not have seen all year. There are guys turning out who were already part of the club when I joined up a decade ago, and in that sense it’s a bit like a class reunion. Rod Naghar has been doing his thing successfully for the Hawks this year — after doing it with various teams over the years — and it is fun to play alongside him for the first time in a long time.

Old faces return, too, including Carlos Casal Jr and Snr who both did so much to make the Herts club a force in British baseball. And for lower league guys like me it is good to play alongside the best that Herts can offer. I’ve never really seen Kevin Niedringhaus play baseball before, but it was a revelation to watch somebody work like that on the mound, and to turn their hand to so many skills so well.

Another fine thing is to meet new talent, and to see guys who could do great things for Herts next year. You can read elsewhere on the site about Guv Bhangal’s exploits, and I think he got one of those hits at the expense of my Red Roosters. Matt Cox — whose surname I admit I only knew after I read the match reports — made a great impact for us, and I know I would want him for any future team. Great speed, good hitting, and great exuberance. All of those contributed to the inside the park home run he notched up against the Black Widows. Straight out of the box, he was clearly going to stretch it as far as possibly could, and it was a perfect example of putting pressure on a defense. A well deserved feat.

My own performances were rather less dramatic. On the couple of occasions I have turned out this autumn I have played like a 40 year old who has barely played any baseball this year. So, no great surprises, but I’d rather be able to make a more flattering comparison! I did actually get a couple of RBIs, but I think there was only one proper hit in there. The rest were luck and nonsense. As for fielding, I missed both of the balls which came my way in the course of the day. On a routine ground ball, I singularly failed to “get my ass down”, and it went right by. I have a clear mental image of myself as that stiff 40 year old, tightened up further by lack of game time. No excuses, really — I always marvel at those guys who just show up and just do it, whether they be young or old — but instead a fresh determination to try to get the most playing time I can.

Maybe this coming week will find that I have worked some of the old man stiffness out of my system. That’s assuming the coach even dares put me on the field this week! This year has been disrupted by weather, work, and family issues, and the plan to get lots of playing time before moving my old legs into management needs a bit of rewriting. Whatever turns out, I shall hope for another good day at the diamond this Sunday, definitely my last of 2012. For the real beauty of the Hunlock is that the good parts of it far outweigh any grumbles about results or booted ground balls. It’s about playing for the fun of the game and whatever else happens, it’s always fun.

22 July 201222 July 2012 by Rob Jones

The true value of the cliche

It’s been a rich and varied baseball season for me so far — but only when I have had the chance to play baseball, writes Rob Jones. And because those opportunities have been rather sparse, I have had far too much time to simply mull over the beautiful game, instead. Games that I have played in have had highs and lows, swings and roundabouts, and plenty of talking points. To that end, I have been considering the validity of various truisms — some might call them cliches — about baseball, and about life.

Pitching and defense win ball games

I can’t claim any great insight in this one – any coach will tell you it’s true. Perhaps it’s the greatest cliche of all for anyone who plays the game. But it is worth highlighting, and here’s why. You often think about the differences between baseball at the Major League level and where we play it, at the nether reaches of the British game. Stealing a base is a very different proposition, for example. And the positioning of fielders is far more sophisticated – think about how often you have seen an MLB outfielder stand patiently to receive a room service catch, having already assessed the matchup and the situation.

Falcons v Mustangs — The Falcons defense comes up trumps against Southampton - but only by an inch

But this one is a truism which is equally true at all levels of the game. The fewer mistakes you make, and the more strikes you throw, the better your chance of getting a win. Even in a high-scoring league like ours, it is the defense which will make all the difference. In this year’s game against the London Marauders this was particularly true. Our first three hitters got bat on ball, but their fielders made every play. None was spectacular, perhaps, but they could all have gone wrong, and they didn’t. On the other side of the coin, we failed to make a succession of close plays.

We were undone by walks too — in a previous year I remember us opening a game with six consecutive walks. You just can’t do that and get away with it. When the average viewer watches Major League pitching, you don’t appreciate how hard it is. Watching guys like us makes it abundantly clear! I should point out that I am not just criticising from the sidelines here — in my only pitching start last year I walked two of my first three guys, and I have always made it my special purpose on the mound NOT to give free passes. Once you are up there, it’s a different scenario.

Young pitcher Zack Longboy has been a boon for us this season with his tremendous consistency. More of him later, but let me give this final thought about pitching and defense. No matter how good the man on the mound is, he will need help. When the San Francisco Giants’ Matt Cain threw his first perfect game last month, it was made possible by Gregor Blanco making a phenomenal diving catch in right field, and by Joaquin Arias making a series of excellent plays from third. Pitching and defense go hand in hand if they are to succeed.

It’s a game of inches

It’s been said that the set-up and measurements of the baseball diamond are perfect, and that this can be seen in the way a close play fifty years ago is still a close play today — even as fitness and strength and equipment improve, the margins of success and failure remain consistently small. Once again, this truism can be neatly transposed onto the rough and ready amateur game. We may be consistently less fit and powerful than Major Leaguers, but that means we end up just as close!

Stealing bases against the Essex Archers, I was often an inch from being out. My second time on base, the pitcher knew I was going to steal. He threw over four times, and the third time I was only just able to dive back, safe by an inch. An inch away from embarrassment. (I would have been more comfortable, except that I caught the peak of my helmet in the dirt — there are lots of reasons that the inches count!) Later, as a runner at third base, I was pushing my luck as far off the bag as I could, and when a grounder went back to the pitcher, he looked at me, and I looked at him. He waited, just a few heartbeats, then went for the out at first. As soon as he did, I was off, going for home. I slid in, clattering into the catcher and scraping skin off my arm. But, by an inch, I was safe. As it was, a vital run scored. Had I failed, it would have been a foolish wasted out.

The cliche isn’t just true of base-running, either. A pitch which paints the corner can be given either way, depending on how the umpire sees it. How many times have you seen a pitch which just needed to be an inch higher, an inch lower? And it’s true when batting. Against Essex, Glen Downer just missed out on a couple of big hits, because a potential homer becomes a pop-fly because the contact is just an inch further up the bat. In the same game, Gilberto Medina hit a beautiful drive out to left field. I was running from second, and stopped half way down the line to watch what happened to the ball. It carried past the fielder, onwards towards the fence, onwards, and then — by just inches — it fell short of being a homer. I think it was only a single. I am delighted to say that, since then, Gilberto has deservedly hit one all the way out.

Young stars — Longboy and Caress - two rising young stars for the Raptors

Age ain’t nothing but a number

Herts has some tremendous veteran players, and the Falcons have picked up some with golden track records this year. But the club is perhaps best known for its youth set-up, and the youngest stars have been some of the biggest for the Raptors this year. Zack Longboy has been a revelation on the mound. The league-leading Essex Archers marveled at his poise and accuracy, after he had pushed them close to defeat for the first time this year. He has secured key strikeouts, thrown a variety of pitches for strikers, and fielded his position calmly. His perfromance belies his years, and he has put a lifetime of preparation to good use.

And Zack is not the only young star in the ranks. Brodie and Jake Caress have made the step up to adult baseball, with Jake closing out the win against the Old Timers with the game on the line (the Raptors had never beaten the Old Timers, and the come from behind victory was vital to playoff hopes). Both have performed well with the bat, while Jose Morillo has matured enormously as an offensive weapon, and the team also had a little pitching help from GB’s Tom Everex-Armstrong in the win over Tonbridge. These players have shown a fearlessness and a technique which we can all look to emulate.

Winning isn’t everything

This was an issue I began to chew over as I considered the contrasting experience of winning at a stroll against the Tonbridge Bobcats, and then losing by a narrow squeak against Essex. Winning is a wonderful thing, don’t get me wrong — I am not here to extol the virtue of the gallant defeat! When we thumped Tonbridge last season I thoroughly enjoyed it, as my first victory for two years. But whether you win easily or lose disastrously, you can come away with a similarly empty feeling.

It’s the competition which gives life and meaning to a win. It’s one of the reasons we always want to see a World Series go to seven games, or a Wimbledon final go to five sets. Winning a tough game is the best feeling of all. In that sense, I suspect the Raptors’ defeat of the Old Timers was an absolute corker. Sooooo sorry to have missed that one. The Eagles victory over the Essex Redbacks was the best game I have had this year, coming from behind to take a late lead, then clinging on for an 18-16 win. Those are the most exhilarating games. Just winning isn’t enough — we want to win with style, and after a battle.

27 June 20121 July 2012 by Rob Jones

West Kent hunt: Raptors show no mercy

The Raptors came into the season with two big weapons, and both served them well on their visit to Tonbridge this weekend — a powerful offense, and a seemingly endless supply of talented young pitchers.

It was the bats which got to work first on a blustery day at Deacon’s Field. Brodie Caress hit the opening pitch of the day for a single, before stealing second, advancing on a passed ball and then scoring on a double by shortstop Gilberto Medina.

The first five batters had all reached base, when Tonbridge got a sniff of luck and hope, turning a double play to get back into the inning. It was a brief respite, though. Herts batted around, with John Kjorstad and Mark Caress among those scoring runs. In all, 12 runs were on the board before the side was finally retired.

Gilberto Medina in action: he got 5 hits, and scored 5 runs

Then it was the turn of the club’s latest pitching phenom. Tom Everex-Armstrong took the mound and gave the Raptors a solid four innings. The Bobcats were able to get in 4 runs in the first, as everyone settled down. But Everex-Armstrong put up zeroes for two of the innings he threw, and there were noticeably few big hits.

The middle period of the game actually seemed quite sedate, compared with its opening and its finale. Tonbridge were able to bring in a couple of runs, while Herts tacked on but were also held scoreless twice. The Bobcats pitcher was finding the zone more consistently and even picked up a couple of strikeouts in the fourth inning. But the Herts offense had not been defeated, it was merely resting…

And it woke again in the sixth inning. Third baseman Ken Pike got one of his five hits, while the former Little Leaguer Jose Morillo scored one of his four runs. The Raptors were both smart and aggressive on the bases all day and this helped them put seven more runs on the board, and put the game beyond doubt. For example, catcher Ben Marques — who hit well all day — also manufactured a run in this inning, working a walk before stealing two bases and heading home on a passed ball.

By this time the starting pitchers were both out of the game. Brodie Caress had come in to pitch for Herts, and showed admirable control and poise for a young player. Tonbridge were finally able to get a couple of big hits out into left field, but none of them was enough to take advantage of the lack of an outfield fence.

And so it was the Herts offense, the big bats, that had the final word. There was no more stealing in a 9-run seventh inning, but there were plenty of hits. Everex-Armstrong showed he could wield the bat, and Rob Jones reached base again with a single — they were both driven in by a triple from Medina.

Fittingly, the 35th and last Raptors run of the day was scored by the manager, Arnie Longboy, who had played a leader’s role. He ended up with 5 hits and 4 runs, and when he moved from DH to the field in the closing stages he seemed a magnet for the ball, and made a series of plays to retire Tonbridge batters. His side played with spirit and determination, and showed no mercy to secure their first “mercy rule” win of the season by 35-8.

Raptors have now won two in a row, and are poised to test themselves against the division leaders, the Essex Archers, at Hemel Hempstead this coming weekend.

27 May 201231 May 2012 by Rob Jones

Raptors outdone by Marauders

Jake Caress was one of the most productive batters for the Raptors

The way the game ended spoke volumes about the sort of luck the Herts Raptors had all day.

In the seventh inning, Herts had scored 6 of the 7 runs they needed to keep the game alive. There was one man out, and the bases were loaded, when Gilberto Medina hit a laser shot down the third base line.

But rather than driving in the crucial runs, the ball was spectacularly snared by a leaping third baseman. Ken Pike, the runner moving off from second, was helplessly stranded and was tagged out to complete the double play and end the game. Marauders had won by the mercy rule on a score of 20-9.

The incident also demonstrated the importance of London’s defence throughout the game. They had made the play on every bobbling ground ball, they had caught every fly ball, and they had made the most of their scoring opportunities early in the game.

Starting on the mound, Ken Pike had struggled to make his strike zone match up with the umpire’s. As a result, the home side had taken seven walks by the end of the day. And when the Marauders did get bat on ball, the Herts fielders were unable to make the plays — in all, there were 15 errors, including 5 wild pitches. The visitors were also on the wrong end of some close calls, and the home side quickly took a 10-run lead.

Frustration soon set in for the Raptors on a baking hot day, and it was not made any better by the bats being consistently stifled by Thomas Flack’s pitching. A tall pitcher, benefitting from a high strike zone — the result was an unusual amount of balls popping up into the blue north London sky.

Pike did manage a couple of hits, and Glen Downer got on board, but it was the fourth inning before the visiting Raptors managed to get a man across the plate. Jake Caress — who was the most consistent performer with the bat — drove in his father, Mark. Three runs scored in all, but there was a mountain to climb, as the Marauders already had 20 runs on the board.

Zack Longboy came in to relieve in the fourth inning and he was able to quiet the London offense. He racked up five strikeouts over three innings, and put zeroes on the board. Longboy Sr — team manager Arnie — helped out with a diving catch at second base to rob the Marauders of a surefire hit. Now Herts’ powerful bats had to do their job.

Jose Morillo came in for Arnie Longboy and immediately sparked the offense in the top of the seventh, with the Raptors needing 7 runs to avoid the mercy rule. He hit a single, stole a base, then scampered to third on a passed ball. Glen Downer’s double brought him home. Ben Marques added an RBI single.

Gilberto Medina's bullet with the bases loaded almost extended the game beyond the seventh inning

The Marauders’ relief pitcher, Saadaab Janab was struggling with his control, and Herts were patiently waiting him out, ticking round the runs. Two came in on bases-loaded walks. The stage was set for a dramatic finale.

And the drama came. Although not the way Herts had hoped. Instead, it came with that last flash of leather from the home team, and the tag which killed the rally. Suddenly, when it seemed unlikely, the game had got close.

The manager was reassured by the way his side had made a fight of it. Arnie Longboy said “This game was huge for us, so it was disappointing that we did not get the bats going. But it was really good to rally at the end, and everyone contributed.”

The Raptors now have another — slightly unwelcome — week off, but the derby game against the Herts Eagles in June could be the perfect moment to level their season record at 2-2.

24 May 2012 by Rob Jones

If you build it, Herts will come

In the United States, there are baseball diamonds in most parks and at most schools. In the UK, you find them in the strangest of places. Such as the Essex Redbacks new field in Billericay. Yes, it’s next to a football club, so that’s not so strange.

But it is in fact in a farmers field, bordered on two sides by rapeseed crops growing so high you fully expect the ghost of Shoeless Joe Jackson to emerge from them at any moment. The recent weather and its farming heritage combined to make the surface look pretty lumpy and threatening, but once the game got started there were absolutely no complaints about it. It’s great that Essex, just like Herts, have been able to expand their facilities and provide more chances to play ball.

I blame rust

I can’t blame the surface for any of the fielding mistakes I made, certainly. The most glaring bonehead play was dropping a routine pop-up in foul ground having called off Theo, who had been playing a blinder. I can’t find any reason for that one. More generally I will blame rust, and a lack of baseball this year.

Rob Jones at bat — Rob Jones, poised at the plate. He doesn't actually look TOO skinny in this picture...

Definitely I am going to blame rust for me missing out on a sliding catch in the outfield. I had started in right field, and had a pretty quiet time. Essex got very few big hits, and those that did make it to the outfield headed for left and centre. But finally a batter shanked a ball into the air in my direction, and it was time for action…

I think it was always going to be a tough one, falling in the in-between zone that separates infield and outfield. But at first I thought it was carrying pretty well. Then, maybe held up by the wind, maybe by its spin, I realised it was dropping very short and I was nowhere near it. At least that left me in no doubt that I had to run hard. So I did, and slid at the last moment in a way which has produced catches in the past. Not this time, though – it got away.

Huffed from a pea-shooter

It wasn’t my only “nearly spectacular” moment of the game. Having moved over to third base, I attempted a goalkeeping dive towards a line drive which came through at a good height. I think I was just a bit too slow on that one, because it felt like I got close. I did finally manage to get something to show for my diving around — in the eighth inning, I think, I slid to my left to snare a sharp ground ball. It was one of those where you aren’t sure the ball is in the glove until you look but, when it is, you feel pretty satisfied.

From a position on my backside, I alertly looked to second to force out the runner who had been on first base. Somewhat bathetically I capped off this moment of athleticism by giving Duncan a throw which bounced three times before rolling the last distance like a pea huffed out of a pea-shooter. But the runner was out, so I am looking on the bright side.

The big pluses

My batting showed perhaps a slow improvement on last week. It all started off with another walk, predictably enough. But after that there was sometimes too much enthusiasm to hit. The umpire had a pretty big strike zone, so I felt it would be risky to count on getting the calls you want – and I also came up with men on base quite a lot, when a walk is of more limited use.

I popped it up twice — once to the catcher and once to the pitcher — which might suggest I was swinging at high stuff. But I got a couple of hits, and scored a couple of runs. My best contact was a fly ball out to centre. I got on base, but since it was clearly dropped by the outfielder I really have to admit that I reached on an error.

There were many things I should have done better, but once again I felt good for having been in the game. Even if I was not crucial – Adrian’s home run and Theo’s pitching were the big pluses — I felt that I had helped the team win. I won’t be able blame rust for much longer! There is a good spirit in the Eagles, relaxed but competitive, with constant ribbing and a good chatter to keep guys focused. And that makes it fun to show up. The aches and pains — even my fingers ached, for heaven’s sake — did little to encourage me back, but I am definitely looking forward to the next game.

24 May 201228 May 2012 by Rob Jones

Back to the ballpark

It was a cold, grey and wet Monday morning as I took the children to school. It was like many other days for the past month (not all of them were Mondays, though a disproportionate number felt like a Monday!) But I was sure that just hours before, I had been playing baseball at a sun-dappled Grovehill ballpark. Was that just a hallucination? A mirage?

Maybe not… The evidence is there to back up the mental images. There is the uniform, smeared with red dust, piled in front of the washing machine. There are my aching legs and arms. And there is the typical collection of bumps and grazes. Yes, it was real. Finally, for the first time in 2012, I had played baseball.

After a cancellation and a couple of washouts, this was –in effect — Opening Day for the Raptors. The resurrected south coast franchise, Hove Tuesday, was coming to visit Hemel Hempstead. And Arnie Longboy’s men were ready to meet them. So prepared were they, that most of the players had chosen their own songs to boom out of the PA as they walked up to bat. This was Major League, baby.

Rob Jones archive — Rob Jones pops one up in his younger days

I started my tenth season of baseball positioned out in left field, amid the daisies and buttercups which still festooned the playing field. It started pretty quietly, but in due course an arcing fly ball came my way. The alert centre fielder shouted me back, but part-way through my retreat I slowed, thinking I had gone far enough. I had not. When I headed backwards again it was too late and the ball went past my despairing glove.

A frustrating start, then, and I hope that my weeks of inactivity don’t do too much damage to my rusty “skills”. Not long afterwards I was able to securely catch another hit to the outfield which, as a line drive, was probably much harder to judge. But there you go — this game doesn’t always make sense.

I hadn’t got as far as choosing an At Bat Anthem for 2012. When Arnie suggested it I thought jokingly about “He’s Not There”, or “The Invisible Man”, since I had never showed up to training or pre-season. But instead I left it, so against Hove I came up to bat listening to someone else’s random selection of heavy rock.

And I made my traditional start by getting a walk. In fact, my batting season started by receiving eleven straight balls — adding up to two walks and a 3-0 count. After the pitcher finally grooved a strike, I then made an error by swinging at the next offering, which would probably have been ball four high and away. I had put myself in a hole which I duly finished digging by striking out. Respect to the pitcher for his recovery, but as I said earlier, baseball doesn’t always make sense — and neither did my batting line of two patient walks, and then a flailing strikeout.

This was an odd game. The Raptors started badly, giving up a stack of runs. But they immediately got them back, with both starting pitchers giving up a lot of walks. Raptors were ahead after the first, but bit by bit Hove took control. The Herts bats were unusually quiet, and there were some unwise choices on the base paths. Perhaps the weeks washed out by rain had affected other players too, and I fully expect the machine to click into gear as the season gets going.

I had to leave before it was over, but it had been an enjoyable start. There were some good points, both for me and for the team. There is a lot of will to win, a lot of creativity in how to achieve it, and I think this will be a very interesting year.

20 May 201223 May 2012 by Rob Jones

Scheepers stars as Eagles beat Redbacks

Herts Eagles 18-16 Essex Redbacks III

So far this year, whoever wins the first inning of an Eagles game has gone on to claim the victory. The early exchanges have decisively set the tone. But, in a windswept field in Essex, that was about to change.

Theo Scheepers was on the mound as the Eagles visited Essex Redbacks III looking to bounce back from a defeat by the Old Timers, and to even their record for the season. Senna Ashida had driven in the only run in the top of the first, but when Essex came in to bat, the normally solid Scheepers had trouble finding the zone. Without the home side ever recording a big hit, they ran up a clear lead. After one inning, it was 4-1, then 7-2 after three.

But the Redbacks had not been allowed to pull away. The Eagles struck back in the fourth inning, scoring 6 to swing the game back their way and take the lead. There were runs for Oz Kemal and Craig Le Roux, and the second of three hits for Theo Scheepers, who had also found his rhythm on the mound.

Adrian Smithers comes home after his home run

The biggest hit of the day came from catcher, Adrian Smithers, who opened up the fifth inning with a booming home run over the left field fence. After trotting round the bases, he was met with applause and high fives from a jubilant team. As well as being solid behind the plate all day, his bat was a threat every time he came up.

The measure of the match was perhaps shown in the fact that the Redbacks hit a home run of their own immediately afterwards, with the lead off man clouting a pitch over the same stretch of fence. The lead seemed to change hands constantly as the two sides traded blows. There were some miscues but some good plays too.

And it was Duncan Hoyle’s Eagles who stepped up their defence to cling on to the lead decisively. The manager helped his own cause, turning a neat double play from his post at second base. Hoyle took a grounder and stepped on the bag before lobbing a throw to retire the batter at first. Joseph Osborne added to his three runs scored by saving runs, with a running outfield catch on a line drive which could have been dangerous. And Oz Kemal — who started the game out of position at first base to cover for missing starters — recovered from tough throws to get runners out at vital times.

Leading 15-14 going into the eighth, Herts desperately wanted to pad their lead. But although runners got aboard, some bad luck on the base paths meant that Smithers was the only man to cross home plate. 16-14 now, and then Essex nibbled one back. 16-15. Then in the ninth the Eagles were able to produce more goods. Hoyle was driven in by Tak Ashida, who finally secured a deserved hit with a double, before he too came in to score a run.

Herts were left with a 3-run lead to protect in the bottom of the ninth to secure the win. Tak Ashida — after what had been, for him, a quiet game — was suddenly the centre of the action. First a pop-up came his way. Then a sharp grounder, which he hauled in to get the second out. One run had come in on a ground-rule double, but would it be enough for the Redbacks?

At this point, the story returns fittingly to Theo Scheepers. He struck out the final man with his bat on his shoulders, and completed a tremendous win for the Herts team. He had pitched all nine innings, fielded his position flawlessly, scored 3 runs, and clubbed three hits. It was a great win for the Eagles, and one which takes them back to 2-2 for the season. Manager Duncan Hoyle said: “I think that was the most enjoyable game I have ever played in. Theo definitely earned a beer. And it was a great team effort.”

30 March 201230 March 2012 by Rob Jones

Looking bright, looking up

by Special Correspondent, Rob Jones

Every dawn breaks with a new hope. At this time of year, every beautiful Spring day makes you dream of baseball. And there is a lot of hope linked to baseball in Hertfordshire this year. The new season has brought another successful and competitive Herts Spring League, and good tidings for the year ahead.

We were blessed with sunshine for the HSL, after an opening weekend of rain. The Falcons were able to put down a marker for the National League, with a big win over the reigning NBL champions, the Harlow Nationals.

The addition of players like Michael Osborn, Ryan Bird and Robbie Unsell fills us all with excitement. Critics of the Herts club have in the past conceded that its youth and and community set up is fantastic — but have worried that Herts can’t attract the big players. Now that can be put to bed. The arrival of not only former Richmond players, but also guys like Cristobal Hiche and Jake Michels from New York — who pitched a complete game in that win over the Nationals — means the Falcons can bounce back in a big way from a disappointing 2011.

The club’s long-term plans are also progressing well. That much-admired youth set-up is feeding more players into the adult teams in 2012. If last year’s experience with Zack Longboy, Jose Morillo and Liam Green is anything to go by, this will be another fillip for Herts. And the recent BSUK grant will help to further upgrade some of the best baseball facilities in Britain.

If all of this sounds like a big puff for Herts… well, there is a bit of that. But your correspondent is simply reflecting the wholly justified spring optimism here in Hemel Hempstead. And I also believe that this is emblematic of the big strides being taken by baseball across the UK.

Torbay Barons in the HSL — The Torbay Barons are joing the British baseball leagues for 2012

New clubs have joined at many levels of the game. Teams are generating chatter not only on Twitter and Facebook, but on their local radio stations and in their local newspapers. Essex, Bristol and Liverpool have all been achieving great coverage. This can only help baseball to grow.

In the past few days, there has even been the suggestion of Major League Baseball following the example of the NFL and bringing a game to London’s Olympic stadium. Many of us felt the disappointment when baseball was removed from the Olympic roster just moments after the Games were awarded to London. Now it seems the five rings could bring us a diamond after all.

The balancing note for all this positivity is that my own connection with baseball this year has been at best, semi-detached. Despite the sunshine, I have had barely a sniff of action. Take for example, Herts’ all around good guy and totem Andrew Slater. This year I have seen him in my local supermarket as often as I have seen him at the ballpark. And he doesn’t live anywhere near me. I’ve been to practice once, and even then I was so late that I missed all the fielding drills!

It’s nobody’s fault but mine – family reasons, medical reasons, and work commitments all play a part. I have done my best to get down to the park and throw a ball against a wall to try to stay involved. But it means that my sun-kissed optimism has a cloud of frustration. Watch this space for news that I have returned if not to my dominant best, but that I have, at least, returned.

See you at the ballpark.