Category: Headlines

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS BASEBALL TO HOLD OPEN TRY-OUT, ROOKIES CLINIC ON SUNDAY 1 MARCH, CLUB TO RECREATE MLB EXPERIENCE IN HERTFORDSHIRE AND NORTH WEST LONDON

 

A look back at the newspapers over the last few weeks may lead us to the conclusion that the people of Britain are concerned with nothing other than snow and how the newly-elected American President is going to save us all from the worst economic crisis in 100 years, while at the same time football clubs have been breaking transfer records with hundreds of millions of pounds spent on players.

 

But in Hertfordshire and North West London a whole community has been thinking of nothing but baseball with the launch of a campaign for the promotion of the game in the region.

 

Herts Baseball Club is preparing for one of its most important seasons in its history.  After the Herts Falcons won the AAA National Championship last year, the British Baseball Federation invited them to join the top tier of British Baseball – the National Baseball League.  Jason Greenberg, the Manager who led the Falcons to the title said: “This is the first time that a team from Hertfordshire will play at the highest level of British baseball.  The Club has also announced plans to create a fourth adult team, the Herts Eagles, which is expected to join the League at the AAA level.  This would mean that Herts Baseball Club would be the only baseball organisation in Great Britain to have a team at every level of British Baseball.”

 

Greenberg added: “Whatever your baseball abilities, anyone from absolute beginners to elite players, would be able to find a Herts baseball team to fit with their level.  Those who work hard to improve will be able to progress up the Herts pyramid all the way to National League level.”

 

The Herts players have just returned to the baseball diamond after intense indoor sessions in the last few weeks.  This coincides with the launch of the Club’s 2009 recruitment campaign.  The campaign aims to make men and women, boys and girls, of any age, aware of one of the most popular sports in the world.  Not many Brits know that baseball is played by millions across the globe and that the game of baseball is alive and well right here in the British Isles, and is growing fast. 

 

Over the years, Hollywood movies have given the British public a sense of the significance of baseball and why it generates so much passion.  Club President, Aspi Dimitrov said:  “For one reason or another, the opportunity to play baseball in this country has never been marketed well.  We are hoping to change this in our region with our campaign.  Our club is looking to recreate the Major League Baseball (MLB) experience for all its members – the competition for places in pre-season Spring Training; hitting a home run like Barry Bonds; looking to have a better batting average than Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees; striking out a batter with a nasty curveball, turning a double-play, coming up to bat with two outs in the bottom of the ninth – these are just some of the aspects which our players get to experience in the course of the British baseball season.  We want more people to experience this.  In the first of a series of promotional videos which can be seen on our website, we have tried to put exactly this point across”

 

 

As part of the Campaign, on Sunday 1 March 2009, the Club is staging Open Trials for anyone who wants to get a taste of baseball.  The Try Outs are aimed at both newcomers and players who are hoping to make the Herts Falcons roster in their first season in the British National Baseball League.  They will all go through a series of skills trials which will test their batting, fielding, pitching and running abilities.  Since any adult can join the Herts Baseball Club, and all members get playing time on the diamond each weekend, the day is not about 'making the cut'… but, rather, welcoming new members to the Herts family and helping the four team managers fashion their squads (or 'Camps') for the rest of the Spring Training.

 

Dimitrov is certain that among the newcomers there will be players who unknowingly possess phenomenal baseball talent.  He said:  “We are hoping that we will discover a Roy Hobbs (from the Oscar-nominated movie, The Natural, starring Robert Redford), someone who can hit a home run or maybe a flame-throwing pitcher.  The Managers will have a radar gun ready and hopefully someone will be able to get into 80mph or, who knows, maybe even 90mph.  We may just find that player who helps one of our four teams bring home the Championship trophy.”  

 

In the afternoon, Falcons Manager, Jason Greenberg, will send his Spring Training Camp out for an exhibition game against the Great Britain Juniors National Team.  Apart from existing Herts players the Falcons NBL Camp will include a selection of invitees who impress during the morning tests.

 

Those who are interested to attend should register online at: http://www.hertsbaseball.com/trials/

Any questions about the day's events can be directed to join@hertsbaseball.com. 

 

If you can’t wait until 1 March, you can join the Herts players in their upcoming Spring Training sessions.  All of these sessions and the Open Day on 1 March are open for anyone to attend and there are no costs involved.  Newcomers who don’t have a baseball glove will be provided with one.

 

·         BULLPEN SESSION, Sat – 14 Feb 2009 – 11:45 , Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead

·         HEADSTART CLINIC, Sun – 15 Feb 2009 – 11:15 , Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead

·         SPRING TRAINING, Sun – 15 Feb 2009 – 12:45 , Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead

·         BULLPEN SESSION, Sat – 21 Feb 2009 – 12:45 , Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead

·         SPRING TRAINING, Sun – 22 Feb 2009 – 10:45 , Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead

·         OPEN HERTS TRIALS, Sun – 01 Mar 2009 – 09:45 , Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead

·         TEAM TRAINING (SPLIT-SQUAD), Sun – 08 Mar 2009 – 09:45 , Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead

·         TEAM TRAINING (SPLIT-SQUAD), Sun – 15 Mar 2009 – 09:45, Grovehill Ballpark, Hemel Hempstead

 

Note: These events are for adults (14 years old and above).  For boys and girls under 14 the Club will soon be publishing details of the 2009 Herts Little League season.  If you are under 14 years of age please contact the club for more details about the Herts Little League.

 

by AspiDimitrov

RAPTORS TO FOCUS ON DEFENCE AND TEAMWORK IN 2009 – EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MANAGER, ANDREW SLATER

As we build up to the start of the 2009 baseball season, the Herts Newswire will be running a series of exclusive interviews with some of the people who will be making the headlines in British Baseball in 2009.  Leading off we have an interview with the newly appointed Herts Raptors Manager, Andrew Slater.

 

What was your reason for choosing to play the game of baseball and not one of the other sports?

 

I had previously played many sports including football and more recently American football.

I never had any link to baseball until my friend Kyle Hunlock (member of Herts Falcons in 2005) alerted me of how big baseball was in this country. I was looking for a new challenge and having only been a rookie last season and now a manager I certainly have one.

 

Do you prefer managing or playing?

 

I have captained and coached in other sports and have enjoyed the experience. So I hope that will not change. One thing I do know is I love playing the game.

 

How would you describe yourself as a manager?

 

This is a hard question to answer. The words that come to mind are: Committed; Passionate; Easy to talk to; Motivational.

 

Baseball teams in Great Britain always try to find the right balance between being competitive and providing enjoyment and a fair amount of playing time for all.  Which of the two would be more important for you as a manager, competitiveness or individual player satisfaction?

 

Both competitiveness and individual player satisfaction go hand in hand. If you seize the playing time you are given with full commitment in improving yourself and helping the team move forward. Then both the player and team will win. If you have a squad of 15 players all fighting to improve themselves this will lead to a great level of competitiveness within the squad as well as in the league.

 

What are you looking forward to most in 2009?

 

I’m looking forward to another season of playing and helping to introduce new players to some enjoyable baseball, and moving the team forward into its 2nd season.

 

Which will be the most important ingredient for your team in 2009 – pitching, defence, offence, speed, teamwork or maybe something else?

 

I believe all are important in the game of baseball.  On previous experience in sports I have learnt the team with the better defence tends to be victorious. I believe this is the first place to start with a team, which include rookie players. I also feel that no team will work without good teamwork.

 

Being the manager of the Club's Single-A team, means that the other three managers are able to pick players ahead of you.  Do you think that this is going to be a big problem in fielding a competitive team?

 

With our existing Herts players and the very good group of new players who have made an appearance so far this year, I am full of confidence that all 4 teams will be strong in 2009.

 

Is there one player that you are hoping the Falcons, Eagles and Hawks Managers will forget to pick for their team?

 

I couldn’t possibly pick.

 

After the players are split into their respective teams this Spring, do you think there should be a lot of movement of players between the Herts teams, or would you prefer to identify your players at the beginning and work with these same players the whole year?

 

Player movement will be very important this season. This will give players the goals and aims they need to improve and work themselves up the Herts baseball franchise. It will also give players the chance to move down a level to try out new positions such as pitching.

 

What are your team's objectives for the season in terms of place in the league standings and win-loss record? 

 

My top aim this season is players’ improvement and creating a team who love to play the game and are happy whatever the end result.  When it comes to standings, an improvement of last season’s 2-9 is well within this team’s capabilities. If the season ends 6-6 then that will be a great result but I believe we can do even better.

 

What message would you like to give to the 2009 players who will be playing in your team?

 

Hopefully the previous answers in this interview will give any player who will be involved with the Raptors an insight of things to come.  All I can add is that I hope you all are looking forward to the coming season as much as I am.

 

Stay tuned to the Herts Newswire.  Next week, Hawks Manager, Marty Cullen Sr, shares his thoughts on the DH Rule, the future of British baseball, the secret of the Falcons’ success, why Baseball is the best team sport and much more.

by AspiDimitrov

SNOWSTORM REVEALS BRITAIN’S UNDISCOVERED BASEBALL TALENT

 

With the weather bringing the United Kingdom to a standstill, the top story on every TV and radio station is the snow.  The global social messaging site twitter.com is reporting that messages about the snow in Southern England are outpacing messages about Barack Obama as well as last night’s exciting Super Bowl game.

 

The heaviest snowfall in 20 years coincides with the Herts adult players returning to the diamond this weekend as Spring training moves outdoors after weeks of indoor training. 

 

The snow may have brought chaos and may scupper many sporting events this week, but has given a once-in-twenty-years opportunity for the whole country to actively get involved in practicing baseball.  Snowball fights involve many of the skills required in baseball.  The streets of Southern England are packed with children and adults who couldn’t get to school and work this morning so have chosen to have a snowball fight instead.  There are some very strong and accurate arms out there and not many people in the UK know that they have a hidden talent which could make them a superstar in the British Baseball League.  Herts officials have asked several of their coaches to go out in the snow with their radar guns and scout for the players that will bring the British title to Hertfordshire.  Herts baseball Club Secretary, Aspi Dimitrov, said: “When you see any undiscovered baseball players out there make sure to give them the website address of Herts Baseball Club.“

 

More snow is forecast for the next few days and the four Herts managers will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on conditions before deciding whether the first outdoor session of 2009 will proceed as planned. 

 

Herts Baseball Club has issued a statement advising newcomers who are planning to attend this weekend’s first session to contact the Club via the official website for more details.  Contacting the Club in advance will allow club officials to add the email addresses of new recruits to the club’s mailing list and will be able to advise them about this week’s training and future training sessions coming up this Spring.

 

The new wave of players joining the club at the start of every season will play a key role as Herts Baseball prepares for expansion into four teams competing at all four league levels of British baseball, from the National League to the Single-A League.  The Club has many positions to fill in its four rosters which offers an opportunity to baseball players of all abilities to come and play, from complete beginners to experienced players.

by AspiDimitrov

ASK THE MANAGER

Herts Baseball Newswire will be building up to the new season with a series of interviews with the managers of the four Herts teams.  Andrew Slater will make his debut as the new Raptors Manager taking over from Jake Kikel.  Marty Cullen is looking forward to a new challenge as the Manager of the Hawks playing in the AA Division.  Dave Westfallen will lead the Herts Eagles into battle in the AAA Division.  Jason Greenberg will take the AAA National Champions, the Falcons, into unchartered territory as a Herts team enters the top-tier of British Baseball for the first time in the club's history. 

Herts Baseball Newswire wants to give its visitors the chance to ask the questions.  You may be interested in the Manager's predictions for 2009 or maybe you want to find out more about what makes them tick.

If you want to put your question to any of the Managers please send them to the Newswire.  Please indicate which of the four managers (or maybe all four of them) you want to ask.  If you want your question to be kept anonymous, please indicate this in your message.  You can ask more than one question so please include all your question in your message.

by AspiDimitrov

HERTS BASEBALL CLUB MISSES OUT ON CASH GIVEAWAY

Herts Baseball Club has missed out on picking up a £1,000 cash award in an initiative organised by Betfair.  Herts Baseball Newswire understands that it was a closely fought contest and the club has missed out on the prize by a very small margin.

Over the last few months, members of Herts Baseball Club have been collecting tokens in order to participate in Betfair's Cash-4-Clubs scheme.  The Club successfully collected the required number of tokens and submitted a presentation giving its reasons why the Club thinks that it deserves the cash prize more than other sports organisations in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be for Herts Baseball, but the club did receive encouraging feedback from Betfair CSR Executive, Georgina Corbett, who said: “There was a great response to this initiative and it is evident that there are many desrving sports clubs in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.  Judging the entries has been a difficult task and I am sorry to say that Herts Baseball Club was not chosen to receive one of the five £1,000 cash awards.  I wish Herts Baseball Club every success for the future”.

Betfair has confirmed the five winners.  They are: Welwyn Warriors Lacrosse Club, Cambourne Cricket Club, Special Olympics St Albans, Hitchin Rugby Club and Parson Drove Cricket Club.

by AspiDimitrov

CULLEN AT THE WHEEL

 

Marty Cullen was elected as the Herts’ AA manager for the season 2009 in a contest that completed the full house of managers for the upcoming season.

 

The appointment of Cullen is thought to be a radical measure by the club, as it is hoped that his experience in AAA will bring about some tactical improvements, while his experience with the Little League will allow Cullen to bring through players of all ages and ability.

 

In retrospect, the appointment of managers for the upcoming season was the penultimate step before Spring Training is turned on full blast from January 11 onwards.  All four teams now have their managers, who will be able to cast a discerning eye on the potential of players during the combined spring sessions of all Herts players.

 

It is to be hoped that there will be no fisticuffs between managers about selecting specific players, and if there are, your reporter would like to be called in to watch.

 

Congratulations to Marty Cullen and the best of luck to the managers of all Herts Baseball Teams.

by AspiDimitrov

WESTIE TAKES EAGLES HELM

Herts Baseball Club has announced that Dave Westfallen has been appointed as the Manager of the newly formed Herts Eagles.  The Eagles are the fourth adult team of the Herts franchise and will be its representative in the AAA League of British Baseball. 

 

Dave Westfallen has had many years of experience in British baseball.  He made his return to Herts in 2008 with the Herts Hawks becoming their first-choice catcher.  He proved to be one of the key players for the team and amongst the best performers both defensively and offensively.

 

Apart from his contribution as a player he had a very positive influence on the rest of the team, always staying positive and offering quiet but timely words of advice to those who needed it.

 

This did not go unnoticed by Herts Falcons Manager, Jason Greenberg, and Westie was called up to the Herts Falcons roster for the most important games in the club’s history at the AAA Final 4 in September. 

 

2009 will be an exciting year for everyone involved with Herts Baseball.  The Herts players will have to step up their efforts in a big way if they are to succeed at all four tiers of the British Baseball League.  This will be a massive challenge for the club, but it appears that many new players like the idea of achieving something which may appear impossible and the club has reported that a large number of enquiries from new players have been received.  With Spring just around the corner, the competition for places will be fierce and it will be up to the Team Managers to find the right formula for each of the four teams.  Dave Westfallen is now a member of the management team and the Herts Baseball Newswire will be following his progress and that of the Herts Eagles in 2009.

by AspiDimitrov

2009 SEASON BUILD-UP: REPORT FROM BBF WINTER MEETINGS

Report from Herts Newswire correspondent, Kal Dimitrov

Bracknell, Westmorland Park

 

The BBF held a meeting on Sunday 30 November to review the 2008 season and set out goals and targets for the 2009 season.

 

The success of Herts Baseball did have a prominent place of pride. In conjunction with that, a number of issues were raised to make the experience in 2009 better than last year for all the teams involved.  It was agreed that a number of scheduling issues, such as stretching the season out to include September, as well as the inclusion of double headers for AA games were put forward for consideration.   The Herts Raptors and Herts Hawks remember the large number of games played against the same opponents week-after-week (Essex Arrows and Brentwood respectively) and they will be happy to know that the BBF Board will aim to provide a more balanced schedule for AA and Single-A teams.

 

In addition, it was proposed to establish an end-of-season competition – a cup or a fall league, for the clubs that have players keen to continue playing into September and even the first week of October. 

 

The BBF Board reported that several new teams are expected to join the league in 2009 in addition to the Herts Falcons joining the National League and the Herts Eagles going into the AAA league.  The London Mets are creating a third team, the London Marauders, who are expected to enter the Single-A Division.  There was also very positive news from the Midlands Division which is expected to expand from three to six teams.

 

The delegates also discussed how to handle teams that fold midway through the season or forfeit a number of games.  A proposal was reviewed on how to treat the games played by teams that have dropped out of the league, such as wiping out all their scores for the season.

 

The BBF Board reported that the Southern League Commissioner, Cody Cane, has stepped down.  Herts delegate, Aspi Dimitrov, put forward his candidacy to be co-opted as Southern League Commissioner until the next BBF AGM and this will now be considered by the BBF Board.

by AspiDimitrov

BASEBALLGB.CO.UK ANALYSES FALCONS NL ENTRY

Following Herts Baseball Club's announcements on 9 November 2008, the news of the Herts Falcons joining the National League has received a large amount of media coverage.  Yesterday, the Herts Baseball Newswire posted an article from Bruce Dullea who is in a very unique position to assess this month's developments.  Today, we offer an article published on BaseballGB.co.uk, which is well known for its intelligent analysis of the game from a British perspective.

 

SOUTHERN TOP-TIER BASEBALL TO EXPAND FOR ONLY THE SECOND TIME SINCE THE 1999 SEASON

November 10th, 2008 by Joe Gray

 

In 1999 there were nine teams in the southern bracket of the National Baseball League (NBL), but since then the yearly progression has gone eight, six, five, five, six, five, four, four, and four (in 2008). So there has been a drop five times (including a two-team drop between 2000 and 2001) and an increase only once.

 

The 2009 season should see a second increase, though, according to an article on the Herts Baseball Club website, which states that the club’s first team (the Falcons) will compete in the NBL South from next year. Of course, if the Mets were to not defend their title or if the Blazers, the Flames, or the Pirates were to not field a team in the top tier next season then we would not see a growth, but there were no forfeits in 2008, which is a good sign that the four teams are healthy at present.

 

While the growth of Herts Baseball Club can be celebrated by baseball enthusiasts up and down the country, it is not necessarily indicative of a reversal in the “shrinking south” trend. The progression of Herts Baseball Club has resulted more from an immeasurable amount of work from several members of the club than from national or local measures to grow the game.

 

Alongside the “shrinking south” trend sits a “narrowing north” pattern. Only two NBL North teams were able to complete the 2008 schedule, after the Liverpool Trojans pulled out mid-season. With the result that automatic berths in the Final Fours were available for the two remaining teams (Manchester and Menwith Hill), it could be argued that they were only involved in meaningful competition in 2008 for one game (both teams were eliminated at the semi-final stage). Clearly, then, a similar piece of news form the north, or at least a confirmation of Liverpool’s continuation in the top tier, would be very welcome.

 

In other Herts baseball news, the petition to support planned grounds improvements, highlighted on BaseballGB, was clearly a success as the club has secured planning permission for the work.

 

The publication of this article sparked a heated discussion among readers of BaseballGB.co.uk   To view the comments which were posted click the following link:

REACTION TO THE ARTICLE FROM READERS OF BASEBALLGB.CO.UK