Category: Adult Leagues

2 March 2008 by Matt Bell

CULLEN TAPPED AS FALCONS BENCH COACH

Infielder and slugger Marty Cullen was officially named as the Herts Falcons Bench Coach, amid many rumours and much speculation as to who Manager Jason Greenberg would appoint for the important leadership role.

Cullen – also the Herts Baseball Club VP in charge of Little League operations – came out of retirement last season and earned his place on the first team. His stellar performance at the plate in 2007 was much rejoiced by Herts fans, who were skeptical about how Cullen would play after injuring his lower back early in Spring Training. Despite the setback, Cullen hit .457 with 5 doubles and 13 RBI in 35 official at bats. His on base percentage (.583) led the entire Herts Club among regular starting players.

But it's not Cullen's performance on the field that earned him this coveted role. Rather, it's the work he puts in off the diamond, helping rookies to the game develop proper swings and fielding fundamentals. He is a tireless champion of youth baseball and the development of the great game in the United Kingdom. He is also well respected by his teammates and has developed a Clubhouse charm that will only aid him in the role of Bench Coach, where Cullen will need to walk the line between management and 'bat brother'.

Greenberg had only the highest praise for Cullen. “I trust him implicitly. He is the kind of guy that will lift up those around him, and the bottom line is that Marty shares my determination and optimism for what's developing on and off the field this year for the Club. There's a very special sense of activity and growth… and Marty is a big part of that. He's right in the middle of it. I couldn't ask for a better partner.”

After practice on Sunday the Falcons held a private strategy session, at which Cullen was reintroduced to the team in his new post. In his first words as Bench Coach, Cullen emphasized a 2008 gameplan which included revamped coaching signals, greater use of the designated hitter, and a commitment to 'small ball'. Timely bunting, stealing,
the hit-and-run, and effective 1st-and-3rd offense will factor greatly in the Falcons' tactical playbook this season, and Cullen will be at the helm, no doubt, helping to push runners around the bases.

11 February 2008 by Matt Bell

SPRING TRAINING BACK IN FULL SWING

The three Hertfordshire adult baseball teams, Falcons, Hawks and Raptors returned to baseball training this weekend with the first outdoor training session of 2008.

Drenched in the sun and temperatures of 14^oC it would have been easy to mistake Grovehill ballpark with one of the MLB Spring Training bases in Florida. The players had not felt the ball nestle into their gloves since September so the excitement and enthusiasm amongst the players was evident.

The three team managers Jason Greenberg (Falcons), Carlos Casal (Hawks) and Jake Kikel (Raptors) together with a strong team of assistant coaches have adopted a new professional approach in the preparations for the new season. More will be expected from players and the competition for places has already begun. As Jason Greenberg said: “Today, we all start as members of the Herts Raptors and everyone has the opportunity to earn their place and position in the organisation”.

Apart from the on-field developments the club’s webmaster has added an additional online tool for players to prepare for practice, improve themselves, learn more about baseball theory and other useful aspects of the game.

29 January 2008 by Matt Bell

NEW LOOK FOR HERTS IN 2008

New ballpark, new team, new website, new team managers, new club logo, and now Herts Baseball Club will unveil a new uniform for the Falcons, the Hawks and the Raptors in time for 2008 Opening Day.

Over the last 11 years the club’s teams have been wearing the classic pin-stripe jersey with the Falcons name across the chest and distinctive black pants. After months of deliberation and several rounds of voting by club members, it was decided that the club will be wearing an all-white jersey. The name on the front of the jersey will be Herts which will have scarlet colour and a jet black outline. The squad number on the back will have the same colour scheme. The new jersey will also include neck and sleeve trim, which will also be black.

Since 2004 Vice President, Lee Manning, has led a campaign to change the colour of the club’s pants from black to white. With Gandhi-like persistence and determination, Manning has finally prevailed against all odds and the new uniform will comprise white pants with black side trim.

Both the jersey and the pants will be custom made using the same American-made fabrics used at the professional level by MLB teams.

Apart from the classic baseball pants model which has evolved over the years, players will also be able to choose the fashionable “Clemson Cut” model which is becoming very popular with MLB superstars such as Manny Ramirez, Barry Bonds, Johan Santana, David Wright and many others.

Herts Baseball Club has already placed the order with its American suppliers and the freshly sewn uniforms are expected to reach the British Isles in time for the first game of the Herts Spring League which is expected to be scheduled on 30 March 2008. Until then Herts players will only be able to see digital impressions of the new uniform.

20 January 2008 by Matt Bell

BIG HIT – HAPPY BODY

Herts Baseball Club returned early for training this year. The official baseball spring training sessions begin on 10 February but the team managers decided that it was important to get players ready and fit for the 2008 season by organizing several conditioning sessions ahead of the baseball-specific preparations.

From these sessions it has become clear that there are some pretty decent basketball and dodgeball players among the club’s baseball players. This applies not only to the adult players but to the Little Leaguers who were very keen to get involved alongside the big boys and girls.

Playing other work-intensive sports such as basketball is proving to be a lot of fun. Players are also benefiting from some more specific drills set by the club’s fitness guru, Dan Kerry. The first one or two weeks after the long winter break are always demanding on the body, but players will definitely feel the difference when they start to notice that everything seems physically easier this year then in previous years and that the number of injuries has reduced significantly.

One thing is for sure, having seen the kind of effort that the players are putting in, the players mean business and the rest of the league better be prepared for the Herts teams.

19 January 2008 by Matt Bell

GREAT BRITAIN TO HAVE ITS OWN GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE

Herts Baseball Club has taken the initiative to introduce a new event to the British baseball calendar – the Herts Spring League (HSL). The club hopes that this would become an annual competition similar to the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues in America. HSL would provide a competitive edge to spring training as clubs count down to Opening Day and hopefully will enhance the enjoyment of all participants.

12 teams will be placed in two divisions of six teams (HSL1 and HSL2) based on the teams’ ranking going into the new season. HSL1 is expected to include BBF teams from the National and Premier Leagues, while HSL2 will have teams from Division 1 and Division 2.

The 12 invited teams will be from the BBF Southern Conference with emphasis on London and the surrounding areas.

The league will be played over three Sundays: 30 March, 6 April and 13 April (based on the assumption that 2008 BBF League Opening Day will be Sunday, 20 or 27 April 2008).

On each of these dates three teams will meet at the same venue and will play two games (one game against each of the other two teams). The games will be either 7 innings or 2 hours and 30 minutes, whichever occurs first.

Stay tuned to the Herts Newswire for confirmation of the HSL team line-up, game schedule and other details.

17 January 2008 by Matt Bell

(VIDEO) IF YOU BUILD IT, PEOPLE WILL COME

Today, Hertfordshire Baseball Club unveiled exciting plans for the development and expansion of its baseball field.

Grovehill Ballpark, which is located in Hemel Hempstead on the outskirts of London, has been the home of the Falcons since 1996.

Over the last twelve months Herts Baseball Club has seen a dramatic increase in new members joining the club and is on track to introduce a third adult team to the British Baseball League in 2008. This, combined with the start of the Herts Little League, has meant that Grovehill Ballpark is too small to accommodate the club’s rapid expansion.

Plans are already in place to build one of the best baseball complexes in the country. The project is to be implemented in several stages which include the creation of the second diamond, building of permanent outfield fence for both baseball diamonds, and finally, steps will be undertaken for the long-term improvement of the turf quality of both fields.

On Little League Game Days the ballpark will be turned into a baseball paradise for the kids with a capacity of as many as 6 Little League fields all of which would have permanent backstops.

If Herts Baseball Club is selected to host the BBF Youth or Adult National Finals then there is the additional option of creating a temporary third field, which would also have a permanent wall covering around 60% of the outfield boundary.

2 January 2008 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

1 January 2008 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

15 December 2007 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…

16 September 2007 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.