Category: Events

by AspiDimitrov

HSL OPENING DAY – YOU GOTTA MOVE WITH THE TIME

Everyone connected with the 10 teams participating in the 2008 Herts Spring League (HSL) is hoping that the snow storms of the last few days have signalled the end of Winter and the arrival of Spring.

 

The HSL Opening Day is this coming Sunday, 30 March 2008, which coincides with the arrival of British Summer Time.  At 1am on the same day the clocks go forward by one hour. 

 

The Herts Spring League (HSL) will offer plenty of game time for the participating teams with some of the games taking place late in the afternoon.  With clocks moving forward teams will have 1 extra hour of daylight and when the HSL schedule was prepared the league organisers wanted to make full use of this.  The last HSL game on Opening Day will end at 18:55 and there will be sufficient daylight as the sun will set at 19:31.

 

So don’t forget to set your clocks correctly and be on time for the start of the 2008 HSL.

 

The weather forecast currently indicates that it will be partly cloudy with sunny spells.  Most importantly no rain and temparatures of 13oC.

by AspiDimitrov

FIRST EVER BRITISH SPRING LEAGUE READY FOR TAKE-OFF

Spring is here, which means that baseball is back.  This year Herts Baseball Club has added a new event to the British baseball calendar with the first ever Herts Spring League (HSL). 

 

One of the most exciting times of the baseball season is Spring Training. After a long and cold winter everyone connected with baseball is eager to get back to the baseball diamond. Teams start to put into action their master plans to win the league. Players are jostling for a position on the roster. Pitchers are competing for a starting spot in the rotation. It is a first chance for managers and players to see new players which have signed up with the clubs. These are just some of the reasons why Spring is a special time for baseball.

 

The 2008 HSL line-up has just been announced and it will certainly provide exciting baseball action over the next three weeks.  The 10 participating teams are split into two divisions, HSL1 and HSL2. 

 

HSL1 includes Hertfordshire’s top team the Falcons, the Burgess Hill Colts, Northampton Baseball Club who impressed at the 2007 London Tournament and the ASL Eagles.  The Eagles will add an element of suspense to HSL1.  They are very much an unknown quantity as they do not compete in the BBF leagues.  The ASL Eagles is a team representing the AmericanSchool in London, which is expected to bring an all-out American baseball mentality to the diamond.  

 

Looking at the HSL1 schedule one game stands out as a must-see clash.  The Herts Falcons meet the Burgess Hill Colts for the first time since the 2006 Premier League Playoff game which the Colts won in extra innings to sink the Falcons down from the Premier League to Division 1.  Revenge will be on the minds of the Falcons after that heart-breaking game.

 

HSL2 includes the Herts Hawks, Sidewinders, Richmond Dragons, Bracknell Blazers, Milton Keynes Hurricanes, and the newly created third Hertfordshire team, the Herts Raptors.  The MK Hurricanes go into the league as the favourites, but, with other teams strengthening their rosters over the winter, it could prove to be a very competitive league with almost all of the teams having a realistic chance of taking the HSL2 title.

 

Over the next three Sundays 23 games will be played at 4 baseball venues in and around London.  Some of the venues will host as many as 6 teams on the same day which is expected to create a great baseball atmosphere.  This is the perfect opportunity for baseball enthusiasts to enjoy a Spring day out watching a game of baseball and having a first glimpse of the teams as they gear up for the 2008 Opening Day.

 

For more information about the teams, game times and venues you can visit the official HSL website.  The HSL website has linked up with the Herts Baseball Newswire to provide extensive coverage of the HSL including game reports, video news, stats and much more so stay tuned.

RELATED LINKS

Official HSL website: www.hertsbaseball.com/HSL

by AspiDimitrov

FIRST “GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE” PRE-GAME JITTERS

Posted on behalf of Newswire correspondent, Kal Dimitrov

 

Sunday morning, 4:24 am. Still tossing around, considering the best leadoff position with a lefty on the mound. In about 6 hours is the first spring training Herts Spring League game. Continue tossing, thinking about the potential for disappointment and embarrassment in the runner at second being caught out by a sharp line-drive to short.  Gradually the fog descends and a vision of a ball speeding towards your nose takes up permanent residence in the brain.

 

Alarm buzz. Must be about 8:00 am. Put on the gear, undertake morning ablutions, have a cup of coffee (not necessarily in that order). Stack the gear in the car and get going. M1 roadworks still on – some stability in an uncertain world.

 

Getting into the car park at the field – the usual hassle of finding a spot closer than a mile to the field.  Running slightly late again, grab the gear and stagger to the field. 

 

The traditional shuffle of marking out, putting the bases, removing the broken bottles and beer cans, and any other stray items left on the diamond by the weekend revellers. No need to water – the temperature is getting to about 6o C, so the ground is nicely defrosting under the weakly shining sun. Getting the netting for the fence, internally hoping that there is more than three stakes left, with which to put it up.  After some judicious hammer-wielding (no smashed fingers, good news), the fence is up for the brief time it will take the wind to turn it into something resembling next year’s Tate Gallery “Most Frowned Upon” runner-up.

 

Warm up and BP – this time it is different, as there is electricity and we can turn the pitching machine on. People rotating quickly, mainly making sure we do not lose too many balls in the process. And the little anticipatory lead ball in the stomach starts building up. By the end of BP, it is a full-fledged cannon ball with its own fuse.

 

Manager is giving out the line-up, setting out what we want to get out of this game (under the refrain of “witty” remarks from various smart-arses, usually led by yours truly).  Umpire calls managers over, whilst around our bench the team starts shaking up into the first three in the line-up and the rest.

 

You take your position, and suddenly everything becomes crystal clear, like an ice sculpture cut out with a scalpel. The pre-game jitters are gone, no more flutters in the stomach. 

 

You look at the umpire, calm, cool and collected, and wait for your cue.  He shouts “Batter up”, and at last I am in the game. No time for doubts or hesitation, I start brushing the front of my shirt in a manner that should suggest purpose, and by mistake give the lead-off guy the sign for a bunt.

 

Kal Dimitrov

by AspiDimitrov

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.

by AspiDimitrov

HAWKS BACK IN THE SERIES

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

 

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

 

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

by AspiDimitrov

Kyle Hunlock’s heart still going strong

Last year the Herts Falcons Baseball Club lost player Kyle Hunlock in a tragic accident. Kyle was an organ donor and the club found out recently that his heart has been successfully transplanted to enable someone else to lead a very active and energetic life, including taking part in a 10K walk.

 

The club has kept in touch with Kyle’s family in America and they have informed us that Kyle’s heart has been successfully transplanted to Jack Hunt, a 60-year old Ohioan who lives just two hours from Kyle’s home. Jack Hunt not only recovered successfully after the operation, but had seen a transformation and was taking part in a 10K mini marathon walk in Cincinnati, Ohio, on 25 March 2007. Coincidentally, it is understood that, shortly before his death, Kyle was making plans to run in a 15K marathon himself.

 

Kyle died from a fall in a tragic industrial accident last June in Ohio, USA. He had played for the Hert Falcons Baseball Club in 2005 when he was over in England studying at the University of Hertfordshire. In his memory the club retired his number 36 jersey and, in September 2006, staged the first Kyle Hunlock Series between the two Falcons teams.

 

In March 2007, Kyle and Jack’s story attracted a great deal of interest from the US media around Jack’s mini marathon, including front page coverage in the local newspapers and TV news.

 

The Herts Falcons Baseball Club send their best wishes and support to Kyle’s family and Jack Hunt.

by AspiDimitrov

2006 KYLE HUNLOCK SERIES PREVIEW

The long awaited 2006 Kyle Hunlock Series gets under way this coming Sunday, 20 August. The Series will separate the men from the boys so the heat is very much on.

 

2006 has been a tough year for both Falcons 1 and Falcons 2, with regular season win-loss records of 5-15 and 2-9, respectively. The Kyle Series provides a perfect opportunity for both teams to settle a long-running dispute as to who is better, Falcons 1 or Falcons 2.

 

Both teams go into the weekend missing several of their key players. Falcons 2 will miss their ace pitcher Paul Raybould for most of the Series due to his departure to Egypt. The rumours in the local media are that he is about to sign a contract with either the Cairo Pyramids or the Alexandria Pharaohs both from the local AAA minor leagues.

 

For Falcons 1 Louie Hare is likely to miss the Series with a recurring knee injury while Jason Greenberg will miss Games 1 and 2 as he is currently in Seattle on his honeymoon, however sources close to Falcons 1 have reported that in fact he is on an undercover scouting mission recruiting players for 2007.

 

Tickets for the Series are selling like hot cakes, however fans will be disappointed to hear that they will not be able to enjoy the much-anticipated performance of the national anthem by rock star and Falcons 1 outfielder, Justin Fung. In an embarrassing blunder organisers have admitted that they did not take into account Justin Fung’s pre-scheduled live concert in Pasadena, California. In the absence of Justin Fung, the national anthem will be performed by Lee Manning.

 

Another disappointment is the fact that the traditional pre-game air force fly-by has been scrapped in a cost-cutting exercise. Despite this the fans can look forward to some great baseball.

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS FALCONS’ KYLE HUNLOCK PASSES AWAY

 

With great sorrow the Hertfordshire Falcons Baseball Club announce the passing of Kyle Hunlock, 22. He passed away after sustaining serious injuries in a tragic industrial accident in Ohio, USA.

 

Kyle joined the Herts Falcons for the start of the 2005 season and played until the end of his studies at the University of Hertfordshire in the summer of 2005, when he returned to his home in Ohio.

 

From the day he joined the club, Kyle became one of us and he will never be forgotten by those who knew him.

 

Kyle was a fantastic baseball player who played the game with great passion and commitment. In the short period of time which he spent in the United Kingdom with the Falcons he established himself as one of the best players to ever wear the Falcons shirt. A magnificent fielder who could do everything with the glove as well as a true slugger who put fear in the opposing pitchers and fielders every time he stepped to the plate.

 

During the Herts Falcons league game at the Richmond Flames on 15 July 2006, a minute silence was held in honour of Kyle. The Herts Falcons wish to extend a special thanks to the Richmond Flames who hosted the game and joined the Falcons in remembering Kyle.

 

Apart from playing for the Falcons, Kyle was also a member of the University of Hertfordshire American Football team, the Hurricanes. On 22 July 2006 the Hurricanes together with the University of Hertfordshire are to hold a memorial service which is to be attended by Kyle's family, the Hurricanes, the Herts Falcons and Kyle's many other friends in the United Kingdom.

 

Kyle's number 36 Falcons shirt has been retired and will be passed on to his family at the service.

 

Our heartfelt sympathy and condolences go out to Kyle's family.