Category: Club News

by AspiDimitrov

BBC VIEWERS GET A TASTE OF HERTS BASEBALL

The following article was first published on www.britishbaseball.org

GOOD WEEKEND FOR BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL ON THE BBC

 

It was a good May Bank Holiday weekend for British baseball and softball on BBC national radio and television.

Softball on Radio 2

It began on the Friday Fixture slot on Simon Mayo’s Drivetime on BBC Radio 2 just before 7.00 pm.

This segment features sports that don’t get as much publicity as they deserve, and in a three-minute interview with sports reporter Matt Williams, Bob Fromer, BSUK Communications Consultant and GB Softball General Manager, was able to promote co-ed slowpitch softball as a participation sport and the GB Women’s Fastpitch Team for their achievement in qualifying for this summer’s World Championships in Venezuela despite receiving no public funding.

Baseball on BBC 1

Then, on the BBC 1 Breakfast programme on Saturday morning, their resident intrepid sports reporter Mike Bushell visited Herts Baseball Club to see what was happening and have a go.

The report covered the encouraging growth in British Baseball league teams this season and the developing youth programme at Herts, and Herts player-manager and GB Baseball General Manager Jason Greenberg was able to promote the current fund-raising drive to get the GB Baseball Team to this summer’s European Championships.

Given the general reluctance of mainstream media in this country to pay much attention to minority sports, the coverage this weekend was very welcome, and the BBC should be commended for providing it.

Click here for more photos featuring the Herts Little Leaguers and Mike Bushell’s tryout with the Herts Falcons

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS LITTLE LEAGUERS START PREPARATIONS FOR 2010 BASEBALL SEASON

 

 

 

After the long cold winter the Herts Baseball Little League players returned to the ballpark for the first Spring Training session in preparation for the 2010 season. Apart from returning members, the Herts Little League welcomed many newcomers and all the signs indicate that this will be another great Little league season in Hertfordshire.

As usual at this time of the year the coaches put the players through their paces with a selection of drills focusing on the fundamentals of baseball. There was even time for a quick game and the coaches of the teams were some of the more experienced Little Leaguers. Some of them may be just 11 or 12 years of age, but they certainly sent a message to the Little League coaches who appeared very concerned about their job security.

The Herts Baseball Little League will be announcing more details about the 2010 season shortly.

 

FINAL TOUCHES – SECOND DIAMOND READY FOR BASEBALL

 

While the Little Leaguers were going through their pre-season preparations on the main diamond, Herts Baseball members were fine-tuning the second diamond. With the pitching mound built to MLB specifications and the anchors for the basis firmly in place, the field is now ready for baseball. The most valuable volunteers (MVVs) of the day were Tom Green, Greg Bochan, Marc Martinez, Lawrence Green and Kal Dimitrov.

The first official game which will be played on the second diamond is expected to be a Herts Little League game, while the first adult league games will take place on 23 May when the Herts Hawks play against the Sidewinders and the Herts Raptors take on Tonbridge.

 

by AspiDimitrov

THIS IS WHERE IT STARTS

Beatiful spring sunshine; a shimmering green expanse of grass, broken only by the orange slash of a home run fence; the steady background hum of the motorway. This was Opening Day for the Herts Raptors, on the road in Southampton. This is where it starts.

Whatever history shows of the season, I can say that I scored the first Raptors run. And that felt good. Mustangs were clearly a more experienced and powerful side but, after falling behind, Raptors battled back. I led off an inning — maybe the fourth — with a walk and then a steal, before the batter and I telepathically went for a hit and run and I scored on a ground ball bouncing through the infield.

Overall my batting was a rally-killer, so apologies to the team for that. Regular readers of this blog — of which I'm sure there are many — know I spent much of last season moaning about my approach at the plate. It's one area where I feel I should do a whole lot better and I needed to be more aggressive yesterday. I shall console myself that I got better each time I had to swing, going from three watched strikes, to a foul tip, to a ground-out. Had I come up again, presumably I'd have got a hit!

My fielding was more successful. I had a couple of unnecessarily dramatic catches of infield pop-ups, and didn't drop anything that came my way at first base (you can tell I have such high expectations). For rookies, the Raptors were really solid in the field. Tom made an excellent debut behind the plate; Phil and Bobby made tough plays look easy from third and short; and Jim made a really good over the shoulder grab at second base. William was our second debutant catcher of the day and he did a fine job blocking my debut effort off the mound. But more of that another time….

No feeling could have been better than winning, especially winning against the odds, but there were plenty of smiles as the Raptors packed up for the day. We did not beat ourselves and, in fact, we made some really good plays. And perhaps more importantly, we had the same spirit that the team had last year — to play our best, and to have fun doing it.

 

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS SWEEP IN SEASON OPENER

This article was first published on www.britishbaseball.org

by NBL Special Reporter Simon Fitzjohn

Blowout victories, last-inning fightbacks and the arrival of three new teams highlighted Opening Day of the BBF's National Baseball League on Sunday, April 18.

With Southampton, Mildenhall and Essex making their top-tier debuts, there was an extended schedule of eight matches, with plenty of surprises.

Bracknell @ London Mets

Defending champions Bracknell Blazers locked horns with fellow heavyweights London Mets in the pick of the day's action at Finsbury Park, with both sides forced to settle for a game apiece in a wildly contrasting doubleheader.

Game One saw the Mets sneak a 4-3 verdict, backed by a sterling pitching effort from Jason Roberts, with Henry Collins taking the loss.

But Bracknell bounced back in fine style in Game Two, scorching the Mets to the tune of 15-2.

Truth be told, this was far from a masterclass, with a catalogue of errors peppering both contests. Bracknell committed nine errors in Game One alone and Blazers coach Rob Rance admitted he was happy to take a share of the spoils.

He said: “I am sure the London Mets are going to provide our strongest competition this season, so I am pretty happy. We were missing six starters for a variety of reasons so I am very pleased with how we dug in. They were not great games in any way and we made far too many errors, but to bounce back like we did is very satisfying.”

Mets coach Alex Pike echoed those thoughts: “I think it was a case of ironing out the bugs. We made a lot of errors and we did not really hit well. We got the win in Game One but they were much better than us in Game Two. They were two very ugly games of baseball and we just had to get them out of our system.”

Richmond @ Croydon

There was a surprise in Croydon as the Croydon Pirates, who went the whole of last season without claiming a single win, split their doubleheader with the Richmond Flames.

Even more impressively, the Pirates bounced back from a 23-3 hammering in Game One to record a thrilling 6-5 win in Game Two.

Cody Cain claimed a comfortable win in Game One for the Flames, with Jose Sosa taking a pounding for Croydon.

But all that changed in Game Two as a Michael Azuya two-run home run set the Pirates on their way to a comeback victory, earning Tim Ssali the win with Mike Osborn taking the loss.

Understandably Croydon coach Dave Ward was delighted: “In one weekend we have beaten what we achieved in the whole of last year. I am absolutely over the moon. Everyone has worked so hard over the off-season and in training and this is a reward for that work. Last year was completely dismal but hopefully we can look forward with some confidence this year.”

Mildenhall @ Essex

New boys Mildenhall Bulldogs wasted little time signaling their intentions, brushing aside the Essex Arrows in both games of their opening set at Waltham Abbey.

The Bulldogs cruised to 16-5 and 11-1 wins, with Brandon Blide earning the win and impressing at the plate in Game One (Richard Chesterton taking the loss) and Jason Coffee hurling a gem in Game Two.

Mildenhall coach Gabriel Macias insisted his side were not simply joining the NBL to make up the numbers. He said: “We love competition and we will really be going for it this season. We are really excited to be playing at this level and we aim to make our mark.

“The key for us was hitting,” Macias continued. “We put together a few good innings and scored runs consistently throughout and defensively we were sound. We just had a good day all round and it was pretty rough on Essex.”

pictures by www.hp2photographic.com
Southampton @ Herts

Fellow debutants Southampton Mustangs did not enjoy their opening series quite as much, suffering 8-7 and 12-0 losses at Herts Falcons.

But the new boys will take heart from their Game One performance, where they scored three runs in the top of the seventh and had the bases loaded before a groundout ended their rally.

Chuck Truelson took the loss, with Herts' Dan Kerry claiming the win, while Oscar Sierra clubbed a three-run shot for the visitors.

Things went downhill for the Mustangs in Game Two, with Pete Kikel pitching an impressive complete game shutout for Herts as the Mustangs fell apart.

Despite that, Southampton's Ben Davis saw plenty to encourage him: “We fell short in Game One, which was pretty heartbreaking, but there are plenty of positives we can build on. We did not let ourselves down in any way at all.

“Game Two we will wipe out of the memory,” Davis continued, “and quickly. The key for us this season is to try and compete in every game. We want to prove the BBF were right to bring us into the league.

The Falcons' Jason Greenberg admitted it was a case of job done for his side.

He said: “We won both games and we are very happy with that. I thought Southampton had a good squad and I think it is great they are in the league. Obviously, we will get a better indication of where we are at when we play London next week but we cannot ask for more than two wins on opening day.”

by AspiDimitrov

BBC RADIO TO FEATURE NBL SEASON OPENERS
  The opening of the 2010 National Baseball League season will be covered extensively this weekend by BBC Radio London, who will do live interviews with players and managers during the station's Sunday Sports Show from 2.00-6.00 pm on Sunday, April 18.  
The station will put in calls to NBL teams as doubleheaders are ending at Finsbury Park (Bracknell Blazers at London Mets), Croydon (Richmond Flames at Croydon Pirates), Waltham Abbey (Mildenhall Bulldogs at Essex Arrows) and Grovehill Ballpark (Southampton Mustangs at Herts Falcons), and will carry out post-game interviews on how the games went and how the teams are feeling about their prospects for the season.

A day earlier, on Saturday, April 17, BBC 3 Counties Radio will conduct an interview with Herts Falcons Manager Jason Greenberg around 5.30 pm to preview the new NBL season.

The coverage is part of an ongoing initiative between the BBF and the BBC that should result in good publicity for British baseball as a whole and the NBL clubs in particular.

by AspiDimitrov

OUTSTANDING PERFORMERS IN THE 2010 HSL ANNOUNCED

 

 

Over the three weeks of the Herts Spring League we saw fantastic baseball, great plays, dramatic wins and explosive hitting. The HSL has announced those players who stood out from the rest.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (MVP)

Shannon Henry (Leicester Blue Sox) – The undoubted star of the HSL delivering in a big way with his bat and also on the mound in the Final against the Sidewinders to pick up the dramatic win and the title for Leicester. His batting stats over the four HSL games were: 3 singles, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, 14 RBIs, batting average of .643 and slugging 1.357.

BEST PITCHER – Brandon Blide (Mildenhall Bulldogs) – allowed only 2 earned runs in 13 innings over the course of the HSL (ERA 1.38, K 21).

BEST RELIEVER – Pete Kikel (Herts Falcons) – pitching a no-hitter against the Herts Eagles

BEST CLOSER – Henry Collins (Bracknell Blazers) – picking up the save in the Final against the Herts Falcons.

CATCHER – Jon Mabie (Mildenhall Bulldogs)

FIRST BASE – Tim Elkins (Herts Eagles)

SECOND BASE – Oscar Sierra (Southampton Mustangs)

THIRD BASE –Perez (Mildehall Bulldogs)

SHORTSTOP – John Blose (Mildenhall Bulldogs)

LEFT FIELD – Dan Kerry (Herts Falcons)

CENTERFIELD – Mike Trask (Bracknell Blazers)

RIGHT FIELD – Chris Porter (Essex RedBacks)

BEST PLAY OF THE HSL – John Oliver (Herts Eagles) making a diving catch in right field to stop a Mildenhall rally.

Note: The nominations above were based largely on statistics from the games played at Herts therefore they do not fully reflect the outstanding individual and team performances in the games played at Ham Ground in Richmond.

 

by AspiDimitrov

BRACKNELL AND LEICESTER TAKE THE TITLES IN THE HERTS SPRING LEAGUE
The final weekend of the 2010 Herts Spring League on April 10-11 was blessed with glorious spring weather and fine baseball at Grovehill Ballpark in Hemel Hempstead and Richmond Baseball and Softball Club's field in Ham.
Majors Division

At Hemel Hempstead, Bracknell Blazers captured the Majors Division title by scoring early runs and then holding off the Herts Falcons for a 5-2 win. Mike Trask started for the Blazers, who used four pitchers on the day, combining for five hits and five walks but no earned runs.

Dan Kerry started for Herts and took the loss in a five-inning stint that saw him give up only three hits — but 10 walks proved his undoing.

Ryan Trask had two hits and two RBIs for Bracknell, who served notice that they won't surrender their National Championship title easily in the expanded National Baseball League (NBL) that begins play on April 18.

In the battle for third place in the Majors Division, Mildenhall Bulldogs also made a statement of intent about the coming season by thrashing the Southampton Mustangs 14-3. Both teams have been newly-promoted to the NBL for the 2010 season.
  The Bulldogs took an early lead with three runs in bottom of the first inning, but Southampton soon cut that back to 3-2, and then 4-3.

But six Mildenhall runs in the bottom of the fourth inning put the Bulldogs on the road to an easy win.

Mildenhall first baseman Perez had a homer, a double and six RBIs to lead their attack, wile pitcher Brandon Blide struck out 14 Mustangs in nine innings while surrendering just five hits.

  
Fifth place in the Majors Division went to one of the BBF's new teams this year, Essex Redbacks, who defeated Herts Eagles by 12-7, while Richmond Flames took seventh place with an 11-4 win over the Milton Keynes Bucks.
Majors Division Placings
1 – Bracknell Blazers
2 – Herts Falcons
3 – Mildenhall Bulldogs
4 – Southampton Mustangs
5 – Essex RedBacks
6 – Herts Eagles
7 – Richmond Flames
8 – Milton Keynes Bucks

Minors Division
  The tightest games of the weekend were in the Minors Division, and you'd go a long way to find a more exciting game than the title decider between the Leicester Blue Sox and the Sidewinders.

The Sidewinders led 10-2 after three innings and 15-5 after three, and the title was surely theirs.

But then the Leicester charge began. Six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning certainly chopped the lead, but a Sidewinders run in the top of the seventh meant the Blue Sox still needed five in their last at-bat to tie and six to win. Surely they couldn't stage that kind of rally again…?

Well, they could and did! Six more runs poured across the plate in the bottom of the seventh and Leicester had a wildly improbable triumph.

In a game of 33 runs, Shannon Henry was the pitching saviour for Leicester, holding the Sidewinders to just one run over the final two innings in relief of Richard Hu. Shannon also chipped in with three hits and four RBIs, while Oscar Martinez and Richard Hu had three RBIs each for the winners.

Third place in the Minors Division went to the Windsor Bears, who defeated Richmond Dragons by a score of 18-2.

Guildford Mavericks captured fifth place with a 13-12 squeaker over Herts Hawks, while a bad day for Herts continued (they had four teams in the Majors and Minors playoffs and all of them lost) when London Marauders crushed the Herts Raptors 31-5 to win seventh place.
Minors Division Placings
1 – Leicester Blue Sox
2 – Sidewinders
3 – Windsor Bears
4 – Richmond Dragons
5 – Guildford Mavericks
6 – Herts Hawks
7 – London Marauders
8 – Herts Raptors

All photos by Soody Ahmad.

OTHER HSL LINKS

Full HSL Scoreboard and links to box scores

Group Standings

HSL League Leaders

HSL Batting Stats

HSL Pitching Stats

HSL Running Stats

by AspiDimitrov

A NEW PEARL IN THE CROWN OF HERTS BASEBALL

 

As the adult and little league baseball seasons approach, Herts Baseball Club is one of several clubs in the country unveiling a new baseball diamond and improved baseball facilities.

Over the last 3 years the club has been on a relentless mission to create the best facilities in British Baseball. Last month the club reached a major landmark by completing the creation of the second diamond at its home ballpark in Hemel Hempstead. This project was made possible thanks to funding from BSUK as part of the facilities grant awarded to Herts last year as well as funding from Dacorum Borough Council and separate Herts fundraising projects and donations from Herts members and supporters.

The funds were invested in constructing a backstop, creating the infield clay areas, pitching mound, as well as a cut-off drain to improve the drainage in the infield. The funding was also used to repair the infield on the first diamond. The icing on the cake is the two scoreboards, one for each of the diamonds, which must be the biggest and best scoreboards in living memory in British Baseball.

All of this makes Grovehill Ballpark the only baseball venue in the country which has two high standard baseball diamonds with permanent outfield walls.

The venue will be a tremendous boost for the Herts youth baseball programme. The expanded facility increases the capacity to six little league diamonds which will enable the club to accommodate the growing number of teams in its Little League and especially when hosting events like the Herts Futures Tournament.

Herts Baseball Club President, Aspi Dimitrov, said: “We are grateful for the incredible support we have received from Dacorum Borough Council, BSUK and all of the club’s members and supporters without whom this would not have been possible.” He added: “These facilities will benefit not only the residents of Hemel Hempstead and Hertfordshire, but the whole British Baseball community as teams from across the country come to Grovehill Ballpark to take part in league games, tournaments and other events. Our only concern is that rumours are being spread on the internet that a Bracknell Blazers jersey was secretly buried under the home plate to cast a Bambino-like curse on our Club”.

The Herts Little Leaguers will probably be the first to grace the second diamond in the middle of May when the new grass is expected to be all set for baseball. With the Southern Adult League schedule published a few days ago it has been confirmed that the first official adult league game on the second diamond will be on 23 May when the Herts Hawks host the Sidewinders. Herts Baseball Club has not yet confirmed the date when the facility will have its official opening. The club is hoping to bid for one of the NBL special events which are scheduled in June as announced by the British Baseball Federation and, if they are awarded that event, then it could be the ideal occasion to mark the official opening of the new facility.

This project is ongoing and it will continue for many years to come. What’s next? Dugouts? Grandstand? Floodlights? One thing is certain. Herts Baseball Club has proven that there are no boundaries to what its members can achieve with the support of its partners and supporters.

by AspiDimitrov

BBF PUBLISHES 2010 SEASON DETAILS AND SCHEDULE

 

The Brtish Baseball Federation has issued details of the 2010 League Season.  It is set to be another exciting season for all four Herts baseball teams in each of the four leagues of the British Baseball league structure.

 

The Club’s first team, the Herts Falcons, open the National Baseball League (NBL) season on Sunday, 18 April, at home against the Southampton Mustangs who are one of the three expansion teams entering the NBL this year. The Herts Eagles will start their AAA-League campaign on 25 April with a trip to the Bristol Badgers, who will have building work at their field in the second half of the season, so they will play all their home games in the first half of 2010. On the same day the Double-A Herts Hawks travel to the Essex Archers.  This means that the Hawks will be one of the first teams to play at the revamped Townmead Field in Waltham Abbey.  The fouth Herts team, the Raptors start the season on 18 April making their longest trip of the year to Southampton where they will face the Mustangs.

 

The following are additional details about each of the BBF leagues in 2010.

 

2010 ADULT LEAGUE SEASON PREVIEW

 

The BBF Adult Leagues have made tremendous progress recently and going into the 2010 season there are positive news in all departments. The number of teams entering the league has grown from 45 to 51 teams (13% increase). This includes nine new teams entering the BBF leagues (the leagues they will be playing in are shown in brackets):

 

 

· Bracknell Blazers III – A (South)

 

· Chelmsford Clippers – A (South)

 

· Essex RedBacks – AAA (South)

 

· Glasgow Baseball Association – AAA (North)

 

· Horsham – AA (South)

 

· Leicester Blue Sox II – AA (Midlands)

 

· Mildenhall Bulldogs II – AA (Midlands)

 

· Poole Piranhas – AA (South)

 

· Tonbridge – A (South)

 

 

The BBF has just concluded a contract with the number one baseball brand in the world, Rawlings, confirming them as the official ball supplier of British Baseball. New baseball fields are starting to appear on the British Baseball map, with the Essex RedBacks, the Chelmsford Clippers and Herts Baseball Club unveiling new diamonds this season. Existing baseball venues are being improved by clubs receiving grants from BSUK and other organisations, as well as carrying out separate fundraising projects. Essex is one of the clubs which will be unveiling its improved facilities including an impressive grandstand with a 150-seat capacity. Baseball clubs are putting emphasis on increasing publicity by working closely with regional and national media organisations which is starting to generate a lot of interest from new players who want to get in the game and former players who want to get back into baseball.

 

 

National Baseball League (NBL)

 

The NBL has been expanded from 5 to 8 teams. The new members are the Essex Arrows, the Mildenhall Bulldogs and the Southampton Mustangs. The British Baseball Federation’s decision to expand the league will not only bring excitement to the NBL in 2010, but the hope is that the three clubs will take advantage of this unique opportunity to continue their growth and development and create vibrant baseball communities in their regions.

 

 

The following is the NBL line-up in 2010:

 

 

· Bracknell Blazers

 

· Croydon Pirates

 

· Essex Arrows

 

· Herts Falcons

 

· London Mets

 

· Mildenhall Bulldogs

 

· Richmond Flames

 

· Southampton Mustangs

 

 

Number of regular season games per team: 28 games

Number of weeks: 15 weeks (13 double-headers and 2 single games as part of NBL Special Events – see below for more details)

League Format: Teams play 4 games against each of their opponents.

Postseason: teams finishing in first and second place progress automatically to the National Baseball Championships. Teams finishing third, fourth, fifth and sixth will have to win in a single 9-inning playoff game to progress (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

AAA-League

In a change from the 2009 structure, the Northern Conference has been divided in two, with the top 6 teams forming the AAA (North) League. In AAA (South) Essex and Southampton may have moved up to the NBL but in their place the BBF has approved the addition of the Bracknell Blazers II, the Kent Mariners and the Essex RedBacks, which is a new club in Essex comprising adult and youth teams entering the league for the first time.

AAA (North)

· Glasgow

· Halton

· Harrogate

· Liverpool

· Manchester A’s

· Menwith Hill

Number of regular season games per team: 28 games

Number of weeks: 14 weeks (14 double-header)

AAA (South)

· Bracknell Blazers II

· Bristol Badgers

· Essex RedBacks

· Herts Eagles

· Kent Mariners

· London Metros

· Oxford Kings

Number of regular season games per team: 24 games

Number of weeks: 12 weeks (12 double-header)

League Format: Teams play 4 games against each of their opponents.

Postseason: The team finishing in first place progresses automatically to the National Baseball Championships. Teams finishing second and third will play a single 9-inning playoff game to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

AA-League

This season the AA League has a structure which resembles that of MLB in that it has several separate sub-divisions of five teams. A total of 20 teams from every corner of the country are part of the AA League line-up and with a MLB-like postseason format the season in the AA is expected to bring a lot of excitement.

AA (North)

· Bolton

· Humber

· Manchester Torrent

· Oldham

· Sheffield

Number of regular season games per team: 24 games

Number of weeks: 12 weeks (12 double-header)

AA (Midlands)

· Birmingham Maple Leafs

· Leicester Blue Sox

· Leicester Blue Sox II

· Mildenhall Bulldogs II

· MK Bucks

Number of regular season games per team: 20 games

Number of weeks: 12 weeks (8 double-header and 4 single)

League Format: Teams play 5 games against each of their opponents (2 double headers and 1 single game).

Postseason: Teams finishing in first and second place progress through to the postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC. Teams finishing in third and fourth place progress through to the A-League postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

AA (South) Pool A

· Croydon Pirates III

· Horsham

· Poole Piranhas

· Windsor Bears

· Thames Valley Bisons

Number of regular season games per team: 18 games

Number of weeks: 13 weeks (5 double-header and 8 single)

League Format: Teams play 2 single games against each of their opponents plus interleague double-header against each of the teams in the other AA (South) pool.

Postseason: Teams finishing in first and second place progress through to the postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

AA (South) Pool B

· Brentwood Stags

· Essex Archers

· Herts Hawks

· Richmond Knights

· Sidewinders

Number of regular season games per team: 18 games

Number of weeks: 13 weeks (5 double-header and 8 single)

League Format: Teams play 2 single games against each of their opponents plus interleague double-header against each of the teams in the other AA (South) pool.

Postseason: Teams finishing in first and second place progress through to the postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

A-League

The A-League will also have two sub-divisions of five teams and the top two teams in each of them will qualify for the postseason where they will be joined by teams finishing third and fourth in AA (Midlands) and AA (North). The A-League (South) welcomes three new teams to the line-up this season – the Chelmsford Clippers, Tonbridge and Bracknell Blazers III.

A (South) Pool A

· Bracknell Blazers III

· Guildford Mavericks

· Richmond Dragons

· Southampton Mustangs II

· Tonbridge

Number of regular season games per team: 13 games

Number of weeks: 13 weeks (single games)

League Format: Teams play 2 single games against each of their opponents plus one interleague game against each of the teams in the other A-League (South) pool.

Postseason: Teams finishing in first and second place progress through to the postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

A (South) Pool B

· Braintree Rays

· Chelmsford Clippers

· Herts Raptors

· London Marauders

· Old Timers

Number of regular season games per team: 13 games

Number of weeks: 13 weeks (single games)

League Format: Teams play 2 single games against each of their opponents plus one interleague game against each of the teams in the other A-League (South) pool.

Postseason: Teams finishing in first and second place progress through to the postseason where they will play two rounds of playoff games to qualify for the NBC (see Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details).

Special Events

This year British Baseball will introduce several special events as part of the league schedule. The objective is to start to turn our league games into a real celebration of baseball which will not only enhance the enjoyment of players but will add a sense of occasion. This is expected to generate interest from the general public and attendances at our events are expected to rise.

As our clubs continue their development and improve their facilities in the next two or three seasons, they will have the capabilities to turn every one of their league game days into special events. This will be a gradual process which will have to start at the NBL level where the clubs are in a stronger position to execute this. AAA, AA and A teams that make progress and show that they are capable of staging such events will move up the leagues and the hope is that in time all teams at all league levels will be in a position to turn their regular season game dates into special events.

The BBF Special Events which are being introduced this season are listed below. Most of these events will be subject to a bidding process and clubs from all parts of the country are able to submit their bid to host them. Full details of how clubs can apply to host these events will be provided in the coming weeks.

The BBF Adult and Youth League Commissioners will be considering ways of combining both adult and youth games as part of these BBF Special Events, if possible, in order to make them even more vibrant. This would be fantastic for club spirit.

NBL Independence Day Weekend

Date: Saturday, 3 July 2010

Venue: To be confirmed (Subject to bidding process). Venue requires two baseball diamonds.

Format: All 8 NBL teams come to the same venue and play one single game each as part of their regular league season. The games which will be played are as follows.

DATE

TIME

VENUE

LEAGUE

VISITING TEAM

HOME TEAM

FORMAT

03-Jul-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Croydon Pirates

Bracknell Blazers

9 innings

03-Jul-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Herts Falcons

Essex Arrows

9 innings

03-Jul-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Richmond Flames

London Mets

9 innings

03-Jul-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Mildenhall Bulldogs

Southampton Mustangs

9 innings

NBL Summer Classic

Date: Saturday, 5 June 2010

Venue: To be confirmed (Subject to bidding process). Venue does not necessarily have to have two baseball diamonds so clubs with one diamond can bid for this event.

Format: All 8 NBL teams play one single game each as part of their regular season similar to the NBL Independence Day Weekend event or, in order to enable clubs which have only one diamond to host these BBF Special Events, the event can be split into two smaller events with 4 teams playing a single 9-inning game each at one venue and the other 4 teams doing the same at a different venue. The games which will be played are as follows.

DATE

TIME

VENUE

LEAGUE

VISITING TEAM

HOME TEAM

FORMAT

05-Jun-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Croydon Pirates

Bracknell Blazers

9 innings

05-Jun-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Herts Falcons

Essex Arrows

9 innings

05-Jun-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Richmond Flames

London Mets

9 innings

05-Jun-10

TBC

TBC

NBL

Mildenhall Bulldogs

Southampton Mustangs

9 innings

The Postseason Playoffs

The postseason of all four Leagues (NBL, AAA, AA and A) involve playoff games on the weekends of 21 and 28 August 2010. The BBF will consider ways of bundling playoff games together to turn them into larger and better attended events. An example of a Playoff event could include the following games at the same venue and on the same day:

DATE

TIME

VENUE

LEAGUE

VISITING TEAM

HOME TEAM

FORMAT

28-Aug-10

10:00

TBC

AAA

AAA South (3rd)

AAA (South 2nd)

9 innings

28-Aug-10

13:00

TBC

NBL

NBL (5th)

NBL (4th)

9 innings

28-Aug-10

16:00

TBC

NBL

NBL (6th)

NBL (3rd)

9 innings

National Baseball Championships (NBC)

The NBC brings together all of the best NBL, AAA, AA and A League teams from around Great Britain to one venue. This is the climax of the season and is the most prestigious event on the British Baseball calendar. See Postseason Playoffs and NBC section below for full details.

Other Events

As part of the process of creating the league schedule in the Southern Adult Leagues where there is a large number of multi-team clubs, we have selected a few dates where several teams from the same multi-team clubs can all play their league games at the same venue. Throughout the season teams from the same club have limited opportunity to spend time together as their league schedule usually sends them to different locations on a given weekend. The objective of this trial is to bring large baseball communities together and enhance club spirit. These events are experimental and there is no requirement to apply for them. It is up to the clubs concerned to determine to what extent they wish and are capable of utilising these dates as larger promotional/fundraising events. If this experiment is successful we will look to increase these events as much as possible in future seasons. The following is an example of one such event involving multi-team clubs:

DATE

TIME

VENUE

LEAGUE

VISITING TEAM

HOME TEAM

FORMAT

25-Jul-10

11:00

Herts1

NBL

Bracknell Blazers

Herts Falcons

7 innings

25-Jul-10

12:00

Herts2

AAA (South)

Bracknell Blazers II

Herts Eagles

7 innings

25-Jul-10

13:30

Herts1

NBL

Bracknell Blazers

Herts Falcons

7 innings

25-Jul-10

14:30

Herts2

AAA (South)

Bracknell Blazers II

Herts Eagles

7 innings

25-Jul-10

16:00

Herts1

A (South)

Bracknell Blazers III

Herts Raptors

9 innings

Another example is combining league games with other events. For example, the Essex Archers are scheduled to play their AA home game vs Thames Valley on Saturday, 26 June 2010 , while the Essex Arrows will play their home NBL game against the Croydon Pirates on the following day Sunday, 27 June 2010. This is done to coincide with the Waltham Abbey Town Show attracting more fans and generating publicity for Essex Baseball Club and British Baseball in general.

by AspiDimitrov

FALCONS MANAGER JASON GREENBERG APPOINTED GB TEAM GENERAL MANAGER

This article was first published on www.britishbaseball.org
The Executive Board of the British Baseball Federation has confirmed that Jason Greenberg will be the new General Manager of the Great Britain Senior Baseball Team.

The appointment is the latest development in the BBF's effort to restaff the programme following the resignations of former GM Alan Smith and Head Coach Stephan Rapaglia at the end of February.

However, the Board has asked Alan Smith to serve the senior national team in an advisory capacity to support Jason Greenberg, and Stephan Rapaglia has been invited to continue as Performance Director for the full GB National Teams programme.

Smith and Rapaglia will help to spearhead the search for a new Head Coach for the GB Senior Team.

 
GB Senior Team at the 2009 Baseball World Cup
Other Appointments

The BBF Board has also appointed Head Coaches for the GB Youth Teams.

Paul Vernon, also the BBF Southern Youth Leagues Commissioner, will carry on as the Head Coach of the GB Junior Baseball Team, while Will Lintern will remain as Head Coach for the GB Cadets.

European Championships

These staffing decisions have been made against the backdrop of this summer's European Baseball Championships in Stuttgart, Germany from July 23 to August 8. The BBF has informed the Confederation of European Baseball (CEB) that Great Britain is committed to fielding the strongest team possible at the tournament.

But the composition of the squad, how much money is available for travel and what kind of pre-tournament opportunities the team can afford to take part in are just some of the questions that Jason Greenberg must now confront together with Alan Smith, Stephan Rapaglia and the as yet unnamed Head Coach.

GB vs. Holland at the 2009 Baseball World Cup
Urgent Business

Preparations for this summer's national team competitions have been the first order of business for the new BBF Board that was elected at the AGM on February 28. The new National Teams Programme Official, Marty Cullen, wasted little time in assembling a committee to address the issues and conduct a search for a new General Manager and Head Coach.

Sitting on the committee with Cullen, Alan Smith and Stephan Rapaglia are BBF President Mark Salter and James Pearce, BBF Development Official and MLB's World Baseball Classic Tournament Director.

Background

It was Alan Smith who recommended Jason Greenberg to the Board as his possible successor.

Greenberg works in London as a full-time employee in the BSUK Operations Department. He is a US/UK dual national who grew up playing baseball near Seattle, attended Williams College in Massachusetts and holds a Masters degree from Kings College London and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Since 2005, Greenberg has been a member of Herts Baseball Club in Hemel Hempstead, serving as Adult Programme Director and Manager of the Herts Falcons since 2008.

“The GM appointment is a great honour and an immense responsibility,” Greenberg said. “I have so much respect for the magnificent work that Alan and Stephan have done since taking over the GB Senior Team six years ago. They have left very, very big shoes to fill — and it was heartening to learn that they have agreed to stay on as consultants to the programme.

“It is imperative that we field a competitive team in Stuttgart,” Greenberg continued. “Alan and Stephan led Britain to a world ranking of 21st place and it is our goal, at the very least, to maintain that level of success. Nothing would propel GB baseball to the next level of international recognition as quickly as a high EC placing and, if all goes well, a bid to compete at the 2013 World Baseball Classic when the field expands to 24 teams.

“The ripple effect of competing on that kind of world stage will benefit every UK team, both at the adult and youth levels, by helping more and more people in Britain to get excited about baseball.”
GB Senior Team at the Belgian Trials, 30-May-2009
Daunting Task

Of course, just getting the GB Team to the European Championships this July will require a daunting fundraising drive by the GB programme.

The BBF National Teams Committee has set a target of £50,000 to be raised over the next four months, or roughly £500 a day. Such a sum would allow players to travel to Stuttgart from locations in Europe and North America, as well as provide for a pre-tournament training camp consisting of practice sessions and exhibition games.

“I must be mad to take up this job when there is so little time to fundraise and prepare,” Jason Greenberg said. “And I have no illusions — it will be a massive uphill battle just to get to Stuttgart, let alone with a squad that can compete with the best teams in Europe.

“But I have confidence in my ability to plan and help coordinate the efforts of all the great people who are now involved in making this dream a reality. No one could do this alone, and having Alan and Stephan as part of the team and having Marty, James and Mark guiding this work at Board level will help immensely.

“These are bright, capable volunteers who all share the same vision for baseball in this country. So I'm inspired and encouraged and proud to be working with them.”