Category: Featured

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Byers joins Herts Harriers coaching staff, now the largest in British baseball

Herts Baseball Club has announced the addition of Ian Byers to its coaching staff. He joins the 2013 Under-17 national championship runners-up, Herts Harriers, as the team’s Strength and Conditioning coach.

Away from his work as a director of a multi-award winning development company, Byers is manager to Team GB Speedway international, Lewis Bridger, and he also works with London 2012 Paralympic Gold Medallist and World Champion, Hannah Cockroft, who was one of the 10 nominees for the BBC’s 2013 Sports Personality of the Year award, which was presented last week. He previously worked with Team GB sprinter Marlon Devonish, who went on to win the gold medal in the 4x100m relay in the 2004 Olympic Games held in Athens.

Apart from involvement in sports management, he has also competed for Team GB in the European Individual Veterans Fencing Championship in Italy earlier this year, although a serious motorcycle accident has since halted his progress.

His appointment with the coaching staff of the Herts Harriers is the first step in a long-term plan for Byers to develop as a baseball coach and, in due course, take up a role as a manager of one of the Herts teams. He comes with a cricket background, but after experiencing the excitement of MLB he has decided to make the transition to baseball. Byers has already started to work closely with Herts Harriers manager, Cris Hiche, and the rest of the U17 coaching staff as they plan for Spring Training and a very important season ahead for the team.

Ian said “I have been very impressed with the professional approach to sport that I have already experienced at Herts and I would like to thank to Aspi for his support and encouragement, along with Liam Carroll at BSUK for allowing me to attend some of the Academy training sessions. I am excited by the opportunity to work with Cris and the Harriers this year and I believe that as long as we all work hard the team can go one better than last season”.

“We are very pleased that our club, and British baseball, is able to attract highly-qualified people like Ian” said Herts President, Aspi Dimitrov. He added that “Ian’s professional approach and experience at the highest level will bring great value to the club”.

The Harriers now have coaching staff of seven which is the highest of any team in the British baseball leagues. It is even higher than the Great Britain Senior National Team and may soon be competing with the coaching staff numbers of MLB teams.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Wearing two caps at the GB Team tryouts

The first stage of the Great Britain Under-19 and Under-16 National Team tryouts took place last month and catcher Jake Caress had not one but several reasons to be pleased when the GB Team announcement was made. It confirmed that he is through to the next phase of the GB U19 Team selection process. Among the 13 Herts teammates who made it through was also his brother Brodie Caress.

However, it was the news that 12-year-old Ben Jones has made it through to the second round of the GB U16 team tryouts which had an unusual angle. 17-year-old Jake Caress is also the manager of the Herts Cardinals who compete in the British U14 league and Ben Jones plays under Caress for the Herts Cardinals. We had a chance to speak with Jake Caress to get a better idea about his experience at the GB Team tryouts wearing both his player cap and his managerial cap at the same time.

Q: You have experience with GB tryouts and know Ben as his team manager with the Herts Cardinals. Did you think that he will manage to go through to the second stage of the GB U16 tryouts?

Jake Caress: After seeing Ben play and train both at Herts and at the national academy I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t be able to progress further.

Q: Which news gave you more pleasure, you progressing in the GB 19 selection process or Ben Jones doing the same in the GB U16 Team?

Jake Caress: This is a hard one because although it was a great pleasure for myself being selected for the U19 GB Team it also brings great joy that I am a manager of a potential national player.

Q: Did you have a chance to give Ben any words of encouragement during his tryout or did it take place at the same time with your tryout with the GB U19 team which meant that you couldn’t talk with him?

Jake Caress: During the session breaks there was chance for me to give him some words of encouragement but majority of the tryouts were run simultaneously.

Q: Ben Jones is competing for a GB spot against players who are 2 or 3 years older than him. Do you think he can make the GB U16 final squad?

Jake Caress: I believe from watching Ben play he does have the skill to make the team but if he is competing against players who are 2 or 3 years older I think they might have the edge in areas such as strength.

Q: Do you have any advice for Ben as he prepares for the second round of the GB U16 selection process?

Jake Caress: Focus, train hard and just try to relax while playing. Oh and another thing; Hustle, whenever you can just hustle.

The scene in Germany for the Great Britain vs Canada World Baseball Classic qualifier - will we see a Herts player play for the GB Senior Team in the next few years?

Q: Millions of British boys and girls have been inspired by the 2012 London Olympics and want to represent their country. Would you recommend that they give baseball a try, and, if so, why?

Jake Caress: I would always recommend that you give baseball or softball a go as it’s a fun and enjoyable sport that can be played almost anywhere. By joining clubs and learning the basics soon you can pick up the skills and begin to master the sport looking at progressing to higher levels.

Q: This is the highest number of Herts players to reach the second phase of the GB U19 and U16 tryouts. Obviously, it is unlikely that all Herts players will secure a place in the final squads, but is there a belief that with hard work anything is possible and players from this fantastic Herts baseball generation can earn a place in the GB Senior Team in the coming years?

Jake Caress: I believe with dedication the Herts players of this generation could have a great potential to play in the senior team in tournaments such as the World Baseball Classic. We like to talk a lot about ‘intent’ at practices so if you have the intent to play at a higher national level then I really feel strongly that they could.

by Herts Baseball News Editor

13 Herts players through to the second stage of the U19 and U16 GB Team selection process

The Great Britain National Team has confirmed that 13 members of Herts Baseball Club have successfully progressed through to the second stage of the GB Under-19 and GB Under-16 National Teams selection process for the 2014 season.

GB U19 TEAM

In the Under-19 GB tryouts, pitcher and catcher, Jake Caress, and third baseman, Kyle Lloyd-Jones, are through to the next stage. Both players took part in these tryouts a year ago, and it will be interesting to see if they will secure a place in the final roster in 2014. They have made outstanding progress over the last 12 months at club level and in 2013 they were promoted to the Herts Ravens team which competes in the British Triple-A League.

They are joined by three other Herts players who are one or two years younger than them. Jose Morillo, Warwick Byrne and Will Zucker reach this stage of the GB U19 selection process for the first time and this is a great achievement for these young players who in 2013 were part of the Herts Harriers who were runners-up in the Under-17 national championship.

GB U16 TEAM

In the Under-16 age group eight Herts players took part in the GB U16 tryouts and all of them are through to the second phase. Callum Vangundy, Carlos Casal Jr, Conner Brown, Tom Everex-Armstrong and Zack Longboy made the final GB U16 squad in 2013 and all of them have progressed again this time around. They are joined by Ben Jones, Brodie Caress and Ollie Johns.

Ben Jones is only 12-years-old so it is very impressive to see him compete with the U16 players at such a young age. Another interesting fact about Jones is that he plays for the Herts Cardinals in the Under-14 league and the manager of the team is the aforementioned Jake Caress, who is through to the second round of the GB U19 tryouts (click to view interview with Jake Caress).

THE HARD WORK HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN

There will be additional evaluations in the Spring and the size of the GB U19 and GB U16 rosters will be reduced further ahead of the GB Team’s 2014 international games schedule. It is unrealistic to expect all 13 Herts players to make the final squads, but the rising number of Herts players battling for a place in the GB teams is exciting news for everyone connected with Herts.

MORE TO COME

Herts Baseball Club is even more excited by the fact that there are many more talented players coming through the various age groups of the Herts youth system, from the U-11 and U-14 teams through to the U-17 age group. The opportunity is there for any young players who want to get involved in baseball to progress and wear the GB Team jersey. But you don’t have to be a GB National Team player to play baseball. The club is expected to make exciting announcements in the coming weeks about the expansion of the Herts youth baseball programme which hopes to give many more youngsters from around the region the opportunity to play the game.

Any interested boys and girls between 6 and 16 years of age from complete beginners to advanced players can join the Herts baseball youth teams (contact the club for details how to join or for more information).

by Matt Bell

The long dark offseason of the soul

written by Ken Pike

Dear Santa. Please get me a time machine so I can skip past Christmas. If you could deliver it now, that would be peachey.

Bloomin Christmas. Baahhhhhhh Humbug. It’s not sunny. I’m not playing baseball. That horrific whiney sound of Mariah Carey ‘singing’ that fe**in ‘song’ that sounds like a mating call for bats (the flying rodent type, not the maple-wood Louisville type). People eating turkey at every chance, ignoring the dry tastelessness that cause them not to eat it for the rest of the year. Shopping department and well known soft-drinks manufacturers saturating tv and Facebook with something designed in equal parts to tug at our heart strings and purse strings. A billion pointless cards to make you feel guilty about not having sent a card to your long lost fifth cousin twice removed, and oh YAY, a jumper featuring a reindeer. That never gets old. FFFUUUUUUU….and breathe…I hate it. Hate it all. Humbuggery all round.

On a plus note, with the club’s AGM out of the way, we can at least reflect that Herts baseball club had a tremendously successful season in 2013. Staggeringly successful in fact. Several teams (both youth and adult) seeing post season, the Falcons finishing top of their league, and the continued growth of the club and wonderful development of our entry level teams. The Raptors for one shed their traditional “Craptors” tag from a couple years back in wonderful style while the Falcons came top of the regular season league. Amazing results really, especially when you consider that most teams were working on a shallow roster to facilitate having five teams compete.

All of these aspects combined are surely a great testament to the hard work that everyone, not least out board and managers, have put into developing the individual teams and the club as a whole. We all deserve a massive collective pat on the back, and especially Aspi, Lee and co for making it all possible. Thanks guys.

BUT..

but…

One thing in that list of achievement rankles. It bugs me. Its sits horribly at the back of my mind…(a bit like Mariah’s bat-mating song)…and festers. Despite all the success, the growth and the progress….there was a distinct lack of trophies at the end of it all, and to make it worse, all three teams that made it to playoffs were most certainly capable of going the whole way. Ultimately any team that makes the knock-out rounds of any competition can go all the way in the right circumstances…bit of luck here, good call there, nice strategy then…

I blinking hate off-season, not just because of the aforementioned ‘festive’ twaddle, but also because its the one time of the year that you absolutely cannot do anything to improve your league position, personal game, etc. You just get to think about the things that nearly went right. Hopefully you have a nice stockpile of things to think about that did go right, and we have more this year than we ever have before, so that is a good thing, but I can’t help but replay my last out at Farnham Park, that one dropped catch that could have closed that one inning out slightly sooner, that one bad throw to second that could have stopped that scoring runner dead had it not been two…ok… five feet wide. Yeah you win and lose as a team, but lets face it, that one individual’s performance can, and often does, make the difference, so I get a few long winter months to ponder if I could have been that person.

I know, defeatist introspective navel gazing talk is never productive, but these are the facts, and that brings me to my main point (“Finally!” they say, “stop insulting our 2013 results!”-I’m not, honestly!). I imagine many, if not every single player in the club, will share my desire to get back into the swing of things. (I nearly said ‘yearning desire’ but that sounds a bit weird.) Training and pre-season really can’t come soon enough if you ask me. I for one had an absolute blast last year. It was easily the most enjoyable year of baseball in my six year long ‘career’, but having come so painfully, tantalisingly, and agonisingly close to a trophy but falling short at the last means the hunger to play, to win, has grown beyond all belief. I’ve joined a football team to quench the competitive thirst, but frankly they are rubbish and while its helping to maintain fitness it’s doing little to replace the crack of the bat, the snap of the pitch, and that enigmatic sound “STEEEERAAAIIIIK!” which is a simultaneous joy for one bunch of people and an agonising cringe for another bunch. I guess at least my beloved Broncos are doing well, but it’s just not the same as my beloved Herts doing well. It’s certainly not the same as playing and (occasionally) doing well myself.

So I look forward to the first training session, seeing if my vague attempts to keep fit have worked…. finding out what new additions have joined the club… seeing if that talented young prospect from last year who showed glimpses of raw ability has grown a couple inches in height, gained a few pounds of muscle and developed the calm confident swagger that will translate to hits, strikes, outs, you name it….seeing if the existing talents, and developing players of last year have continued that trend and seeing which of them make a push for promotion up the teams….seeing the aging and experienced players and the young newcomers alike all struggle with rust, match fitness issues, aches and minor pains from pushing too hard too early….seeing the managers scrutinise every play, and noting how the players groan with the same anguish as they would missing a playoff play in the knowledge that each slip takes them further from promotion….its exhilarating, addictive, wonderful, and terrible all at once.

I don’t care if it’s two foot deep in snow come January. I will happily run up and down an outside court chasing a ball I can’t see for whiteness. I don’t care if I can’t feel my nose, I will happily don a glove and mask and work on zoning in the target for our young pitchers (I can’t feel my nose anyway and certainly don’t need it for baseball). Heck, I don’t care if the ball has icicles hanging off it, that won’t stop me from trying my best to smack it with a bat. At least until I land flat on my arse for the first time.

I for one know that as Christmas approaches and I munch yet another bland and slightly chewy turkey-related food item whilst listening to my other half humming the tune to Wham, or Slade, Pogues, or Live Aid or whatever other horrendous 80’s pop band Christmas-tune/travesty-of-music she last heard on the radio , I will be thinking of the crack of a bat every time I hear a Christmas cracker, and there will be a little ditty running through my head all along that I really won’t mind hearing again and again and again…. “Take me out to the ball game, take me out with the crowd…dum di dooodidooohhhdidaaa……….aaallll I wan’t for Christmaaaass…is a ball game.”

Merry Christmas everyone…see you in January. Bring yer game faces.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts Falcons players pick up the big 2013 NBL Awards and 3 gold gloves

Project COBB has published the 2013 National Baseball League leaders in the various categories and Herts Falcons players have picked up the Most Valuable Batter and Most Valuable Pitcher awards which are the most prestigious NBL individual prizes. They are the equivalent of MLB’s MVP and Cy Young Awards.

BATTING AWARDS

Most Valuable Batter has been awarded to Ryan Bird. This is the third time that he receives this award. He previously won it in 2008 and 2009 as a member of the Richmond Flames so this year he receives it for the first time as a member of the Herts Falcons. This season he led in all the key batting statistics including batting average (.549), on-base average (.623), slugging average (.843), runs batted in (31). These numbers are a continuation of Ryan Bird’s dominance in the NBL over the years. In the modern era he leads the NBL in career batting average (.500), career on-base average (.572) and career slugging average (.808).

In the Home Run category Maikel Azcuy (Harlow Nationals) and Kevin Carr (Lakenheath Diamondbacks) were tied in the lead with 4 home runs. Maikel Azcuy was the Home Run Champion in two previous seasons 2012 (4) and 2010 (6).

Southampton’s Victor Aizpurua was the Stolen Base King setting a new season record of 46 stolen bases. He currently stands on 108 stolen bases in his NBL career just 5 behind the career stolen base leader, Robbie Unsell.

PITCHING AWARDS

The Most Valuable Pitcher award went to Herts Falcons’ Robbie Unsell. This was a close race as Pietro Sollecito of the London Mets had an outstanding year on the mound leading in wins (7) and ERA (1.23), however when factoring in all the pitching data Robbie Unsell came out on top. This is the second time that Unsell receives this award. The first came in 2011.

Kevin Carr led the league in strikeouts (82), however many would use the Strikeouts per 9 Innings statistic to determine the strikeout king and the leader in that was Bracknell and Great Britain National Team rising star, Jordan Edmonds with 11.3.

Robbie Unsell was also awarded as the Most Valuable Two-Way Player, an award he reclaims after first receiving it in 2011. This category recognizes players with outstanding performances in both offence and defence during the season. This is a very fitting tribute to a player who has been a true superstar since his NBL arrival in 2009. In his first 3 years, while he was with the Richmond Flames, Herts fans could only admire Robbie Unsell’s performances from a distance, but in the last two seasons they have had the opportunity to appreciate just how fortunate British baseball has been to have a player like Robbie Unsell in its ranks. Most importantly, Robbie Unsell’s human qualities brought a lot more to Herts. He brought something for which a statistical category has not been created yet.

FIELDING AWARDS

Herts feature heavily in the Fielding Awards which are the equivalents of MLB’s end of season gold glove awards. Robbie Unsell picks up the gold glove at Second Base, Cristobal Hiche’s outstanding performances in centerfield are recognised as he picks up one of the three outfield gold gloves, but we must give a special mention to Xavier Gonzalez who made his NBL debut in 2013 with the Herts Falcons and he stood out as one of the most accomplished shortstops in the NBL for many years. In a way this was expected when Herts announced him at the start of the season along with his impressive CV which included the fact that he has previously been under professional contract with the Minnesota Twins minor league teams, however it has been a joy for British baseball fans to see Gonzalez in person. He shone not just defensively, but offensively too and is proving to be one of the very few 5-tool players in the NBL. We strongly recommend to young baseball players who want to develop to come and see Xavi Gonzalez in action.

GOLD GLOVE AWARDS

POSITION                        PLAYER                       TEAM

Catcher                         Will Lintern              Harlow Nationals

First base                     Jarrod Pretorius     Harlow Nationals

Second base                Robbie Unsell          Herts Falcons

Third base                   Martin Tucker          London Mets

Shortstop                     Xavier Gonzalez      Herts Falcons

Outfielder                    Cristobal Hiche       Herts Falcons

Outfielder                    Gio Escalona            Essex Arrows

Outfielder                    Edwin Alcantara     Harlow Nationals

For more details about the NBL awards, statistics from the 2013 season, career stats and a lot more visit ProjectCOBB.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

2014 Herts Raptors manager confirmed

Herts Baseball Club has confirmed that Arnie Longboy will continue as the manager of the Herts Raptors in 2014. He was out of the country in the week of the Annual General Meeting therefore this appointment was confirmed subsequently.

Longboy has held the managerial position since the start of the 2012 season and has had two very successful seasons so far. In 2012 the Raptors just missed out on a Single-A League playoff spot with a regular season record of 6-4 finishing in third place one-and-a-half games behind the leaders. In 2013 the team stepped up its efforts and finished at the top of their Single-A Division with 10 wins and 4 losses. They reached the national championship semi-finals where they lost 10-6 against the Haverhill Blackjacks.

We understand that the executive Board of the club will soon be looking at the question of how many Herts teams to enter and in which tiers of the British leagues. Over the years this has always been a very difficult process with so many different factors to consider. Which league will Arnie Longboy be managing the Herts Raptors in? We will keep you updated as soon as the club makes further announcements.

We are also waiting for news of who will be the manager of the Herts Eagles in 2014. Those who are interested in the Herts Eagles Manager role or would like to receive more information, can contact the club.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Tom Everex-Armstrong is the 2013 Herts Harriers MVP

The 2013 season for the Herts Under-17 team was capped-off in style at the annual awards. This year the event was held in Basildon which is located in the neighbouring county of Essex. It was hosted by the Brown family and organised by the parents of the U17 players.

Carlos Casal Sr was the master of ceremony, while Carlos Casal Jr provided the audio-visual entertainment. This included a film showing the history of the current generation of Herts U17 players from the start of the Herts youth programme in 2007 to this day. Some great memories including the 2010 season when Herts won the U14 championship and reminded us of the families which were part of the team and have since relocated to other parts of the world, but they will always be part of this Herts generation.

Next it was time to announce and present the 2013 awards. Tom Everex-Armstrong picked up the prestigious Most Valuable Player Award. The MVP is voted on by the players and is a deserved recognition of Armstrong’s hard work over the years. Everyone is looking forward to more of his team speeches in 2014. He also received the Cy Young award for his outstanding pitching performances which included the win against rivals London Mets in the Semi-Final of the National Championship. His ERA for the U17 league season stands at 3.68 with 30 strikeouts and 5 wins.

Carlos Casal Jr and Charlie Mayhew picked up the infield and outfield gold gloves, respectively. Casal also received the Most Stolen Bases trophy with 14 steals. Tom Jansson-Wright had an impressive first season moving up from the U14 to the U17 leagues and was chosen as the Rookie of the Year. An injury from a cycling accident kept him out of the postseason, but everyone is hopeful that he will recover in time for the 2014 Opening Day.

In the batting category third-baseman Callum Vangundy was the batting champion with .444 average, .667 slugging percentage and 10 RBIs. Jose Morillo was the Home Run Champion, a change after Liam Green made this trophy his own over the previous two seasons.

The event continued with various competitions including a Britain’s Got Talent show. We hope that someone managed to capture the performance of coaches Carlos Casal Sr and Cris Hiche on video as well as that of Carlos Casal Jr and Conner Brown, who appeared to tell a story of two lovers in a balletic performance to the sound of Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven. At one point Conner Brown appeared to die and Carlos Casal Jr made desperate attempts to revive him without success at which point he committed suicide not realizing that Conner was just about to wake up from his very brief coma. Please contact the club if you have videos or photos from the event.

Apart from the members of the 2013 Herts Harriers team, it was exciting to see the new signings who will be wearing the Herts jersey in the U17 and the senior leagues in 2014.

The Herts Harriers are ready and eager to return to the ballpark in 2014 – the players and the coaching staff looked like they have some unfinished business.

 

by Herts Baseball News Editor

Herts AGM – in pursuit of growth and success on and off the field

With no baseball on TV it is easy to assume that baseball clubs around the world simply lock up their ballparks and fly off to warm destinations for the five months of the winter close season between November and March. In fact the close season is a very busy and important period for the MLB clubs.

This is also the case at Herts Baseball Club. The club held its Annual General Meeting appointing the Executive Board for the upcoming season.

Herts will go into the new season with a strong team in all departments, the number of which seems to be increasing every year. There are some new faces joining the club’s Board who will bring fresh ideas and new energy, and at the same time the club has retained a large number of the 2013 Board members which will provide continuity in the club’s pursuit of growth and success on and off the field.

The following is the full list of the 2014 Herts Baseball Executive Board. There are several vacant positions which the club is aiming to fill in the coming weeks as it prepares for another season of Herts baseball. Those interested in any of the vacant Board positions or for more information about them can contact the club.

President – Aspi Dimitrov

Co-Treasurers – Chris Jones and Aspi Dimitrov

Secretary – Vacant

Manager (First Team – NBL) – Lee Manning

Manager (Second Team – AAA) – Carlos Casal

Co-Managers (Third Team – AA) – Andy Cornish and Greg Bochan

Manager (Fourth Team – A) – Vacant

Manager (Fifth Team – A) – Vacant

Youth League Commissioner – Aspi Dimitrov

Head of U17 Baseball – Cristobal Hiche

Head of U14 Baseball – Jake Caress

Head of U11 Baseball – Vacant

Softball League Commissioner – Vacant

Club Shop Manager – Mark Caress

Communications Director – Ben Marques

Facilities Manager – Ben Marques

Board member-at-large – Joe Gray

Board member-at-large – Kevin Freeman

After the Board’s 2013 report and approval of the 2012 accounts, the Co-Treasurers presented preliminary financial results for the year to 31 October 2013. The full financial statements are expected to be finalised and presented to members for approval over the next few months. The preliminary results are positive with a good accumulation of reserves which are available for the club to invest in its future development and growth and as partnership funding in grant applications. Despite a reduction in debtors compared to 2012, the balance remained high and it was confirmed that the Treasury department is in the process of implementing various steps, from sending out reminder notices to court proceedings where necessary. It is hoped that these stricter procedures will address this issue.

Two constitutional amendments were approved unanimously. The implications are that Board members will now serve 3-year terms as opposed to the 1-year terms in previous years. In the interest of continuity, a rotation system will be in place every year so that only a third of the Board will stand down. At the same time the amendments give members and the Board some safeguards when it is in the club’s best interest for a member of the Board to stand down before the end of their term.

With a large number of changes in youth baseball announced earlier this month at the British Baseball Federation Congress, the Herts AGM assessed them and considered the available options. The transition will not be easy but significant gains are available for those who put the time and effort into youth baseball.

A proposal for the start of a Herts regional league were put forward. There can be significant benefits from this project provided that it can fit into the timetable of players and around the club’s existing departments and events schedule. The club will assess potential demand, scheduling and other aspects of the project.

The Single-A League department was covered extensively with various topics from the process of drafting the players to an option to enter a Herts team or teams in a proposed Midlands Single-A league.

 

by Rob Jones

Herts Baseball 2013: the Quest for Glory

How do you cap a year which saw two Herts adult teams in the post-season playoffs, and the cream of the youth players challenging for a trophy? How about a year in which three adult teams made the playoffs, and the cream of the youth players challenged for a trophy.

2013 was another step forward for Herts, already one of the biggest and best baseball organisations in the UK. The Herts Falcons won the National League pennant for the first time in the club’s history, and the Raptors — who just a couple of years ago were struggling for wins — made it as far as a heart-breaking semi-final defeat in the playoffs. Add to that the success of the Hawks and the Harriers, and it was a vintage year.

Let’s start with the lower leagues, where Herts is blessed with enough new players to field two teams in the Single-A division. The Eagles were nominated as the development team, and the rookies had a tough start with two big losses. But then they showed what they could achieve.

Eagles v Raptors
Will Belbin helps the Eagles beat the Raptors in the first Herts derby of 2013 (pic: Rob Jones)

The first win was a stunner against the Raptors, the Herts Single-A side which was built to run at the playoffs. On an ever-wetter day in Hemel Hempstead, Duncan Hoyle’s Eagles side racked up a big lead and survived a spirited comeback before capping it all with ninth-inning drama. Facing a two run deficit, Adrian Smithers scored the tying run, before Mike Cresswell drove in Will Belbin to be mobbed at the plate and secure the win.

There was more walk-off drama against the Milton Keynes Coyotes a fortnight later. Serge Plata was the star with the bat, and Andrew Slater on the mound, but the Eagles once again found themselves needing to score in the bottom of the ninth to win. Two out, two strikes on the batter, nobody on base — but an injured Smithers was again the key, and this time the Warsaw Express, Tomasz Kosak, barrelled in for the winner.

All the way

Duncan Hoyle is stepping down now as coach, but leaves a firm foundation for his successor. “There is no doubt this season has been a tough learning curve”, he said, “but there have been some great performances and the team’s record is really impressive”.  He said the teams victories “spoke volumes for the enthusiasm and character” of the Eagles.

The Raptors, despite that upset against the Eagles, fulfilled their promise and made it all the way to the playoffs. There were big wins over the Leicester 2Sox, the Essex Redbacks and the Archers. The Raptors scored freely all season. But they also came out on top in match-ups with the powerful London Marauders and the cunning of the Old Timers.

The team was a perfect mix of veterans and young talent, much of it having come through the Herts Little League. The coach Arnie Longboy set the tone – disciplined, calm, yet aggressive — and he led the team in batting average, and slugging percentage. There was also Jeff Witter, at first base and on the pitching mound, the Kevin Millar of the side keeping them loose. Zack Longboy and Will Zucker were the outstanding young starting pitchers.

Raptors at Farnham Park
Ken Pike at bat for the Raptors in the Single-A semi final (pic: Adrian Smithers)

One of the season highlights for the Raptors came from one of their guest stars, Ben Marques. He played for every team this season, but when he turned out for the Raptors against Guildford in July he hit two Grand Slam home runs. Exhaustive research has found no hint that anyone has ever achieved the feat in a British league game. A very strong contender for play of the year. Of which, more later…

The Raptors year ended with defeat in the semi-final against the Haverhill Blackjacks. With Zucker dealing on the mound, Arnie Longboy’s side had a strong lead in a tough game, but the Blackjacks managed to rally against the bullpen, and came from behind to win 10-6.

The walk-off hero

The Herts Hawks also made the postseason in the AA-league, for the second year in a row. Andy Cornish and Greg Bochan guided the side to a 9-7 record. Highlights for the Dynamic Duo were walk-off wins against both the Guildford Mavericks, and a particularly sweet win over the Kent Mariners. Hunter Devine, Andrew Slater (that man again) and Andy Cornish’s third home run of the year secured a comfortable win in Game 1 of a double header, but the Hawks had to dig deeper in Game 2. Devine wound up as the hero, with his second walk-off hit of the season, to secure fifth seed in the AA-league.

The playoff run ended swiftly  with defeat by a strengthened Sidewinders team, but the managers were still happy with their players. As Cornish put it at one point: “We have exceeded my expectations for this season, but now my expectations have changed and every week, I want to win. Every other team had better watch out!”

Liam Green
Ravens' phenom Liam Green in action (pic: Will Baxter)

The Herts Ravens had perhaps the toughest year of any of the cub’s sides. They were a new addition to the roster, arriving in AAA boasting talent both from the Falcons and from the impressive youth movement. The year began with defeats by Leones de Feltham, London and Bristol. But the Ravens soon found their wings, gaining revenge over Leones with a sweep.

They followed that up with the biggest upset of the AAA season, winning both halves of a double-header against the Oxford Kings. Louis Hare and then 17 year old Liam Green were the pitching stars, Green recording a two hit shutout.  The Ravens wound up with a 6-18 record.

Which brings us finally to the Herts Falcons in the National Baseball League. Hopes were high that this could be the year of a title coming to Hemel Hempstead. The top team had a clutch of riches in Darrin Ward, Robbie Unsell and Mike Osborn — and they only missed out on the win narrowly in the finals in 2012.

Manager Lee Manning was hoping to go one better, with the addition of players such as Xavi Gonzalez, who had once played in the Minnesota Twins organisation. Manning’s side started the year well with convincing wins over the South London Pirates and the defending NBL champions, the Harlow Nationals.

Proud pennant winners

There were then hiccups, with injuries to key players and a sweep at the hands of the London Mets — the first that the Falcons had suffered for two years! Then they re-established their dominance, and began a remarkable run of 18 consecutive victories.  Bingo bango baseball became the norm for the Herts side, their technique and power matched by their indomitable spirit.

In a season of great achievements — including Unsell setting the career record for steals in the NBL — one stands out. Pitcher Ryan Bird not only threw a no-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts against the Pirates in August — he followed it a week later with another one. This time the Essex Redbacks were the victims, 9 of them by strikeout. Just like Ben Marques’ double-slam for the Raptors, there is no record of any player achieving back to back no-hitters in British baseball. Voters for the end of season awards face a tough choice.

The Falcons scored more runs than any other NBL side on their way to a 24-4 record and the pennant. It was the first time in the 17 year history of Herts that they had finished top of the pile at the end of the regular season, and it was a proud moment for all involved.

Robbie Unsell
Falcons' pitcher Robbie Unsell

It seemed somehow inevitable that the Harlow Nationals would stand in the way at some point, and they were the opponents when the Falcons turned out for the semi-final at Farnham Park. Herts had the best of the early exchanges, and led 4-3 going into the sixth inning.

Then the Nationals managed to grab the initiative, and a bases-clearing double which was a whisker away from being caught became decisive. Herts fought back from 8-4 down, and needed just one run in the bottom of the ninth to tie it. But it was not to be. The Nationals progressed to the final and the three-peat.

Lee Manning was able to remain outwardly philosophical. “It was not our weekend at these finals”, he said, adding “We are looking forward to next season now with new reinforcements.” The Falcons are not done yet.

Last but not least in this round-up come the youth teams. Some of the youngsters prepared for the year with a coaching session led by Major League stars such as Jeremy Guthrie, and that was an indication of their promise.

Strong foundations

The Herts Harriers got further in the Pony (Under 17) category than any team in Herts history. They beat Leicester in the quarters, then the London Mets in the semi.  Tom Everex- Armstrong, Jose Morillo Jr and Will Zucker (remember him) helped pitch them to the final, where they ultimately fell 9-6 to the defending champion Cobham Cougars. Cris Hiche had led the side, and said that taking them all the way to the finals was the definite highlight of the season.

GB National manager Sam Dempster also provided a highlight, visiting training sessions at Herts.  And the quality of the youth set-up continued to grow. The club’s Under-14 league team, the Herts Cardinals, couldn’t progress beyond the quarter finals of their league after losing first to the Forest Glade Redbacks and later to the London Mets. But the team will be looking to regroup and strengthen over the winter and return stronger in 2014.

The very foundations, the Under 11s, switched from coach pitch to kids pitch, which meant the category now boasted a number of players with the talent and confidence to pitch with good power and accuracy.

The U11s also travelled successfully to Richmond and to Essex during the year, and were runners up in the season-ending Herts Futures Tournament. In the Herts Little League, the Dodgers won out over the Giants in a season-deciding 7-3 finale.

So it’s clear the future for Herts looks strong. Not only has the youth programme continued to flourish and feed into the adult leagues, but free midweek training sessions also attracted a constant influx of brand new players. Adult teams have all taken a further step up, and that has been a step towards the ultimate target — silverware and a national title.

Herts Baseball Club will hold its 17th Annual General Meeting in Hemel Hempstead on Sunday 17th November. All current, past and future members are welcome to come along. Proceedings begin at 2pm at Gadebridge Community Centre, The Nokes, Gadebridge, Hemel Hempstead HP1 3LF

 

by Rob Jones

The red flag and the green grass: Miliband and the Sox

Those of us who follow the game closely — and who even get lucky enough to play it once in a while —  understand why baseball has secured its place in the public consciousness far beyond a mere sport. It has acquired mystique and enviable history over the course of years. But it has that because it has rhythm, it has poetry, and it speaks to people in ways which other pastimes cannot.

And so, when something special happens inside the world of baseball it even manages to spread to the outside world. And the UK noticed when the Boston Red Sox secured their third World Series in a decade.

At the centre of much of this was the leader of the Labour party, Ed Miliband. As the Sox prepared for the ultimately decisive game 6, Miliband used his obligatory Twitter feed to post a very optional message — “Great Red Sox win last night. Hope and expectation about Weds night. But bitter experience means us Red Sox fans can never be complacent”.

Daily Telegraph
Ed Miliband's support for the Red Sox discussed in the Telegraph

The response from the Conservatives was swift. They used their Twitter feed to accuse him of being “out of touch” for commenting on a baseball game when he would not comment on that day’s British economic figures.

Plenty of people on the Twitterverse hurled abuse his way, either for jumping on a popular cause, or for commenting on a geeky foreign sport. One wag who accused him of bandwagoning got this deeply sarcastic reply from another user: “I’m sure that was calculated for the big baseball vote”.

Debate was plentiful in the press in the ensuing days. The Spectator saw symbolism in the fact that the Sox are a rich team, who often cast themselves as underdogs. But The Telegraph’s Dan Hodges defended Mr Miliband, saying he preferred an honest baseball fan to a fake football fan, as many politicians are.

Undeterred by it all, Ed Miliband tweeted throughout Game 6, concluding thus in the small hours of the morning: “Amazing to see team I watched as kid find way to win with ease. Didn’t even put us through normal red sox agony.”

Rarely has baseball been such a central topic in British political debate.

What many people were seeing for the first time was that baseball is followed closely by lots of people in the UK, including many high profile — even respected — figures. The eminent historian Simon Schama is a big Red Sox fan from his days at Harvard. Similarly, the former controller of Radio 4, Mark Damazer — now Master of St Peter’s College, Oxford – is a devoted citizen of Red Sox Nation. The former Conservative party leader, Michael Howard, is a New York Mets fan, who once told me he flew out specially to watch the team’s final game at Shea Stadium.

And whatever criticism can be thrown at Ed Miliband, there was little disputing of the simple fact that he has been a Boston fan since spending time in the city with his academic father.

Who would have thought there was this great untapped, unseen well of affection for baseball? Well, most of us reading this knew it was out there. We are part of it. But it is good to see it emerge.

Herts Baseball Club is of course, entirely independent and has no political view. But if Mr Miliband wishes to support baseball, we wish him all the best. Should David Cameron declare a deep love for the Baltimore Orioles, say, we would wish him the best too. We know he has read a baseball book — The Art of Fielding — so who knows what is next?

Credit Tlumacki/Boston Globe
The B Strong logo at Fenway after Game 6 (photo: John Tlumacki/Boston Globe)

Of course, the other reason baseball took such a high profile this October is one which goes back to the poetry and symbolism we mentioned at the start. The 2013 Red Sox had become closely linked to the city’s recovery from the bomb attack on its marathon in the Spring. The team adopted the Boston Strong slogan, and David Ortiz gave a memorable and heartfelt speech to fans: “This is our f***ing city”.

The ragged glory of Boston’s team – bristling with ridiculous beards in a gesture of brotherhood — showed spirit as much as it showed sporting talent. And that helped the Sox to persist in an unlikely turnaround from worst to first. And spirit was what Boston wanted to see after it had seen tragedy.

John Tlumacki of the Boston Globe was at the scene of the marathon bombing and took one of the most defining photos of it — police officers, wreathed in smoke, standing over a fallen runner. He took more stunning images of the World Series triumph and said it was a magical moment as smoke from the fireworks lifted after the game to reveal the B Strong cut into the outfield grass.  I include that image here — all rights, of course, remain with Mr Tlumacki and the Globe.

The New York Yankees did not win the World Series in 2001, which took place just weeks after 9/11. Perhaps they should have for a similar fairytale to be complete. But they were part of an extraordinary Series. And in 2013, Boston was able to have the final line written as if by Hollywood.

Both British and American journalists have celebrated and explained this moment in moving and insightful terms. And if Ed Miliband, or whoever else, feels it too, then they should feel free to talk about it. Just like the people of Boston, Herts believes in the power of baseball.