Wednesday 28 February 2018

ISG Baseball finishes Coaches Development Program in Kiev, Ukraine


Over 35 coaches attended a 3-day coaches’ development program which included classroom, gym work and player demonstrations to help coaches understand how to work with young kids.
The first evening included ISG speakers and former professional coach Kash Beauchamp, a former first-round draft pick and Chris Carminucci, a Major League scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks with 19 championship rings to his coaching portfolio. Day 2 included an all-day session in the gym which had coaches doing the skills and drills. The seminar also included youth players used as demonstrators so the coaches were able to see the special techniques used to organize a fun successful practice.
http://baseballua.com/2018/02/28/isg-baseball-finishes-coaches-development-program-in-kiev-ukraine/

Beach baseball tournament in Chornomorsk, Ukraine


New baseball season in Ukraine will contain numerous spectacular events. This summer, baseball fans will be able to cheer up their favorite teams at the Beach baseball tournament which will be held in Chornomorsk city.
Usually, such tournaments were led by Ukrainian baseball and softball federation, but this year Ukrainian beach baseball federation will be responsible for the organization of the competition. Beach baseball federation was established at the end of the last year.
The start of the Beach baseball tournament is set on June 29th and finals will take place on the 7th of July.
Classic baseball appeared in Ukraine in the late 1980s. And in 2012, Chornomorsk city hosted the first beach baseball competition.
«We are planning to come in line with the USA. In America about 1 200 teams participate in similar events. As for us, we have eight teams in our league. Also, we are planning to invite baseball teams from Moldova and Belarus»- said Stanislav Bakan, the president of the Beach baseball federation of Ukraine.
It should be noted that the rules of beach baseball are different from the classical one. In particular, players have other equipment and usually play without gloves, except women’s teams. In addition, the regular bats are replaced by softball ones or by bats for children.
http://baseballua.com/2018/02/28/beach-baseball-tournament-in-chornomorsk-ukraine/

Tuesday 27 February 2018

Cesar Jimenez from Nettuno to T&A San Marino

 
T&A San Marino has added another pitcher. 33-year-old former Major Leaguer Cesar Jimenez is joining the team of new manager Mario Chiarini.
The Venezuelan pitched for the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers in the big leagues. Last year he played in Italy for Nettuno with an ERA of 1.53 in 10 games.

“Mr. 3000” (2004)

“Mr. 3000” is an American sports comedy film starring Bernie Mac and Angela Bassett and directed by Charles Stone III.
“Mr. 3000” revolves around over-the-hill baseball star Stan Ross, who retired after making what he thought was his 3,000th base hit for the Milwaukee Brewers (i.e. the exact amount of hits it takes to qualify for the Hall of Fame).
During the next nine years, Ross uses his nickname as a business tool, owning several profitable properties under the name “Mr. 3000” that make him increasingly wealthy.
Ross learns that, due to a clerical error, he retired with 2,997 hits instead of 3,000. The error also partially contributes to Ross not being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and makes his “Mr. 3000” marketing gimmick inaccurate. Ross, the 47-year-old out-of-shape ball player returns to the game intending to stay only as long as it takes to get the hits he needs, but something unexpected happens along the way – he rediscovers his love for the game, and begins to serve as a mentor to one of the younger players.
In his last at-bat of the season, with a chance to be a hero, Ross has a vision of his earlier years, when he was considered always dependable for the team. It inspires him to sacrifice his last chance with a bunt instead so the team can win a game and finish third in its division. Although Ross never reaches the “3000” milestone, his newfound generosity and attitude gets him inducted into the Hall of Fame. He renames his businesses “Mr. 2999”.

Monday 26 February 2018

Velazquez not coming to Hamburg Stealers


The Hamburg Stealers are adding Callum Murphy for the 2018 season in the German Baseball-Bundesliga.
The Canadian infielder with British passport, who has been playing for various British national teams in the past, is currently in Australia. He is expected to play at short for Hamburg.
He is taking the spot of Vicente Velazquez. The Spanish infielder, who was supposed to transfer from the Dortmund Wanderers to the Stealers, has decided not to join Hamburg. He has an offer from an Italian team.

Indoor baseball tournament in Mykolaiv city


Recently, Mykolaiv city (Ukraine) hosted qualifying matches for the «Zorilla Cup 2018» championship.
Five teams from the south of Ukraine competed for the chance to participate in the final of the championship. Namely, there were teams from Mykolaiv, Chornomorsk, Odesa region and the Vypasne village. Mykolaiv team «Desant» KDUSSH «Kommunarivets» won all four games. Thus players of «Desant» will compete for the first place at the «Zorilla Cup 2018» championship. The final will take place in Kiev city in late March 2018.
The «Zorilla Cup» championship is considered to be one of the most prestigious baseball events of the indoor format. The «Zorilla Cup» has been established and organized by the famous MLB player- Ben Zobrist.

Friday 23 February 2018

15 kickass and interesting facts about baseball

  1. Baseball gloves have evolved more than any other piece of the sport’s equipment.
  2. The first pro baseball game ever to be aired on television was on August 26, 1939. It was a doubleheader between Brooklyn and Cincinnati.
  3. While baseball games today last about 3 hours, the fastest game ever played in major league history lasted just 51 minutes on September 28, 1919. The New York Giants defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 at the Polo Grounds
  4. The longest game on record was between the Chicago White Sox and the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on May 9, 1984. The game lasted 8 hours 6 minutes and went 25 innings
  5. The most valuable baseball card ever is the 1909 Honus Wagner T206 baseball card, worth about $2.8 million
  6. The Hanshin Tigers baseball team of Japan is believed to be cursed by KFC founder Colonel Sanders for throwing his storefront statue into the river by Hanshin fans while celebrating their team’s victory in 1985.
  7. There are nine ways a batter can reach first base safely in MLB.
  8. America has only won the World Baseball Cup four times. Cuba has won it 25 times.
  9. MLB National League (1876) predates the Football League of England (1888) and is the oldest professional sports league that is still in existence.
  10. Boston Red Sox slugger, Ted Williams (1918-2002) missed almost five full baseball seasons while serving as a fighter pilot in WWII and the Korean War and still managed to hit 521 home runs.
  11. Baseball bats in the minor and major leagues are made from wood. However, metal bats are used at the college level.
  12. During the Battle of the Bulge, American soldiers used their knowledge of baseball to determine if others were fellow Americans or if they were German infiltrators in American uniforms.
  13. Baseball hall of famer, Dave Winfield was arrested in 1983 for killing a seagull during a game.
  14. During a typical MLB season, approximately 160,000 baseballs are used.
  15. There is a version of baseball for the blind called “Beep Baseball.” It has its own World Series, Hall of Fame, and 27 teams.

Jose Escalona and Eduard Pirvu added to Parmaclima


Parmaclima has added two pitchers for the 2018 season in the Italian Serie A1.
Jose Escalona is transferring from Rimini to Parma. The left-hander from Venezuela with Italian passport played for Nettuno and San Marino in the Italian Baseball League during his career. The 32-year-old also has been a member of the Italian national team.
Additionally, Parma has signed Eduard Pirvu from Romania. The right-hander, who also has played for the Stuttgart Reds in Germany, pitched for an Italian team last summer and was part of Team Europe in the fall of 2016, which participated in the Asia Baseball Winter League. He is not the first Romanian player with Parma, as Mihai Burlea suited up for the Italian team between 2009 and 2013.

Thursday 22 February 2018

Stuttgart Reds sign Venezuelan RHP Jesus Parra


The German Baseball-Bundesliga club Stuttgart Reds has signed 26-year-old right-hander Jesus Parra from Venezuela.
He is a former minor leaguer, who has played in Europe for San Inazio Bilbao, Picena and Padule in the previous seasons. He is succeeding Jimmy Jensen as pitcher for game two in Stuttgart.

Wednesday 21 February 2018

Achievements of Ukrainian baseball players in USA

Recently, the baseball National Team of Ukraine took part in “Roy Hobbs World Series” tournament.

The tournament was held among 38 teams in Fort Mayers Beach (Florida). The Ukrainian National Team participated in the tournament from 21 to 28 October. The National Team of Ukraine won the first game of the tournament with the score 13-10. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian players didn’t manage to win in further games. But the players are sure that they would have enough inspiration to become the winner at least in two more games. 

According to the results of the tournament, the Ukrainian National Team ranked 4th place in its group. Despite the results of the tournament, players are pleased with their participation, because they have gained invaluable experience during the “Roy Hobbs World Series” tournament.

Alex Liddi returned to Kansas City Royals Organization

Italian corner infielder Alex Liddi is back in affiliated minor league ball.

Liddi has signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals organization. The 29-year-old is expected to be assigned to Double-A or Triple-A to start the new season.

Liddi already played for the Royals organization in 2015. In 2016 he went to the Baltimore Orioles. Last year he played in Mexico. Between 2011 and 2013 he appeared in 61 MLB games, batting .208 with six home runs.

Source Link: http://baseballua.com/2018/02/21/alex-liddi-returned-to-kansas-city-royals-organization/   

Tuesday 20 February 2018

“The Perfect Game” (2009)


The Perfect Game” is a 2009 American drama film directed by William Dear, based on the 2008 book of the same name written by W. William Winokur.
The film is based on the events leading to the 1957 Little League World Series, which was won by the first team from outside the United States, the Industrial Little League of Monterrey, Mexico, who defeated the heavily favored U.S. team. Mexican pitcher Angel Macias threw the first, and so far only, perfect game in championship game history.
Cesar Faz moves to Monterrey, Mexico after he is let go by the St. Louis Cardinals from his job as a clubhouse attendant. There he meets local children being led by Padre Esteban, enjoying baseball. He takes pitcher Angel Macias, under his wing and brags about his own pitching skills and how he used to coach the Cardinals. Angel convinces Cesar to help recruit and coach Monterrey’s first-ever Little League team.
With Cesar’s skills and Padre Esteban’s support, the boys hone themselves into a competitive team worthy of international competition. At the final game of the World Series of Little League, Monterrey defeated the team of West La Mesa, California 4–0. Enrique Suarez hit a grand slam home run, and Angel Macias pitched a perfect game, a feat that has not since been repeated in Little League World Series history.

Italy nominates players for training camp in Messina

Italy has nominated 29 players for a training camp of the Italian national team in Messina, Sicily.
From March 3 to 18 Italy will prepare for the new season and will face national teams from Germany and Czech Republic as well. Manager Gilberto Gerali will be supported by John Cortese, Rolando Cretis, Alberto D’Auria, Marco Nanni, Claudio Vecchi and Augosto Medina on the coaching staff.

Monday 19 February 2018

Christopher Morel returns to Savigny Lions

The Savigny Lions announced the return of Christopher Morel for the 2018 season in the French Division I last week.

He is coming from the Tigres de Thiais, where he played last year. Besides for Savigny he also played for the Templiers Senart in the top division in French Baseball.

Promoted Bremen Dockers add RHP Nick Miceli

The promoted Bremen Dockers have added right-handed pitcher Nick Miceli to the roster in the German Baseball-Bundesliga.

The 23-year-old US-American is a graduate of Wesleyan University. He played for Kaunas Lituanica in the past and is currently playing in the South Australian Baseball League in Adelaide, Australia.

http://baseballua.com/2018/02/19/promoted-bremen-dockers-add-rhp-nick-miceli/ 

Friday 16 February 2018

International baseball coach clinic in Kyiv!

Recently, international baseball coach clinic was held in Kyiv.Foreign and Ukrainian professional coaches and scouts took part in the event.
This time, famous baseball representatives from abroad visited Kyiv seminar. Former USA baseball National Team coach Peter Caliendo, professional scout coordinator of the “Arizona Diamondbacks” club Chris Carminucci and former minor league baseball outfielder Kash Beauchamp who is currently engaged in scouting work.
The event was organized by the FBIS. 25 coaches and players had attended the clinic and received relevant certificates after seminar’s completion.

Jan Esselman received Xavier Mateu Award

Netherlands native Jan Esselman received this year’s Xavier Mateu Award during the CEB Congress in Val d’Europe.
After working several decades in the technical commission of the Confederation of European Baseball, Esselman became CEB President for the 2013 to 2017 term. Last year he got succeeded by Didier Seminet from France.
The Xavier Mateu Award was created in 2014 after the sudden death of Xavier Mateu in the year before and is honoring people in European baseball. Last year Jason Holowaty was honored for his work as MLB’s development director.

Niels van der Weert transfer to L&D Amsterdam

34-year-old infielder Niels van der Weert made a transfer from Quick Amersfoort to L&D Amsterdam.
While the transfer deadline in the Netherlands already closed at the end of October last year, due to the agreement of Quick Amersfoort the transfer was still possible.
He is replacing outfielder Gilmer Lampe on the roster, who has left the Pirates for Unipol Bologna in the Italian Serie A.

Thursday 15 February 2018

Chris Byrnes new Head Coach of Swiss National Team

The Swiss Baseball and Softball Federation is pleased to inform that Chris Byrnes has been engaged as the new head coach for the men’s baseball national team.

Chris has succeeded over 30 other candidates from Switzerland and abroad. It’s thank to his excellent coaching abilities he has proved while being with the Embrach Mustangs and the Zurich Barracudas, as well as the experience, being Head Coach of the U18 National Team, that convinced the SBSF to trust this job to Chris.

Chris Byrnes will take over as Head Coach from James Sanders during winter practice already. This way he has round 18 months time to prepare the Team for the EM 2019. The first highlight, however, will be the appearance of the team at the Alpine Cup in Zurich between the 29th June and 1st July.

Wednesday 14 February 2018

Ukraine will host European baseball championship 2018!



The Confederation of European Baseball (CEB) announced Ukraine will become the host country of the “European baseball championship” that will take place from 23 to 29 of July 2018. Ireland will be another host country of the tournament.
Games between “C” division teams will be held on the baseball field in Kropyvnytskyi city (Ukraine). Teams that will participate in the pool will be determined by a draw. Ukrainian baseball team will probably compete against teams from Romania, Estonia, Hungary, Georgia, Slovenia, Norway and Finland which played in the same division during the last championship in 2016.
The winner of the “C” pool matches will continue to compete for the main prize of the tournament with stronger teams of the division “B”.

Carlos Mirabal new head coach of Cologne Cardinals


The Cologne Cardinals once again enter the new season with a new head coach.
Carlos Mirabal is succeeding Devery Van De Keere, who has left for Canada at the end of last year. Mirabal is a former professional player from the United States, who played six seasons in Japan. Last year he worked as pitching coach for the Rockland Boulders.

“The Rookie” (2002)

The Rookie” is an American sports drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the true story of Jim Morris, who had a brief, but famous Major League Baseball career in 1999–2000.
The film stars are Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, Jay Hernandez, and Brian Cox.
Jim Morris never made it out of the minor leagues before a shoulder injury ended his pitching career twelve years ago. Now a married-with-children high-school chemistry teacher and baseball coach in Texas, Jim’s team makes a deal with him: if they win the district championship, Jim will try out with a major-league organization. The bet proves incentive enough for the team, and they go from worst to first, making it to state for the first time in the history of the school.
Sure enough, the 39 year-old father of three finds himself at a camp for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and he somehow seems to have regained his pitching arm, easily throwing a 98 mph fastball. Signed to a contract, Jim was soon on the road to becoming the oldest rookie in the major leagues!

Tuesday 13 February 2018

Beau Maggi joins Unipol Bologna for 2018 Season


Unipol Bologna has signed another import player for the 2018 season in the Italian Serie A.

27-year-old US American catcher Beau Maggi is joining Fortitudo. He is a former Minor Leaguer in the Kansas City Royals organization, reaching Triple-A for a couple of games in 2014. He already played in Italy.
 


Monday 12 February 2018

Ireland set to host first ever European Championships


Baseball Ireland would host a European Championships Qualifying Tournament for the first time. The tournament will take place in Meath in July.
The event — which sees Ireland face off against Greece, Finland, Slovenia and Norway between 23 and 28 July– will decide which team gains promotion to Europe’s second tier in 2019.
In being awarded the tournament, Ireland is not only in a great position to improve its standing in European baseball, but it also gives Baseball Ireland a chance to showcase the Ashbourne International Baseball Centre, something they had in mind when they redeveloped the site in recent years.
http://baseballua.com/2018/02/12/ireland-set-to-host-first-ever-european-championships/

Friday 9 February 2018

Rimini added more players for 2018 Season


Rimini has added a couple of more players for the 2018 season in the Italian Baseball League.

The best-known player of that group among European Baseball is probably Enorbel Marquez-Ramirez. The 43-year-old German national team pitcher, who was born in Cuba, already played in Italy from 2010 to 2014. The past two seasons he was coaching and playing for the second-division club Berlin Flamingos.


Also new acquired in the last couple of days by Rimini were Yuri Morellini (from Nettuno), Nathaneal Batista and Raul Ruiz (both from Novara) and Pierangelo Cit (from San Marino).

Thursday 8 February 2018

Netherlands National Team coach Steve Janssen joins Chicago Cubs organisation

Steve Janssen, the manager for Team WBSC at the Asia Winter Baseball League, has signed a contract for the Chicago Cubs organization of Major League Baseball. He will be a Minor League pitching coach.

Born in 1972 in Wilrijk, Belgium, Steve Janssen was a catcher in his playing days. He made his debut at age 15 in his home country’s top league and made it to the National Team.

As a manager, he won the 1999 Belgian title with the Braschaat Braves and moved to The Netherlands. He became the pitching coach for the Dutch National Team and held the position till 2005. He briefly returned to Belgium as the Technical Director of the Federation, before going back to The Netherlands.

After winning back to back titles (2009, 2010) with Neptunus Rotterdam, he was given another chance as the National Team pitching coach. He won the 2011 IBAF World Cup and was the bull pen coach for the team that made it to the Final Four of the World Baseball Classic 2013.

Steve Janssen was appointed the manager of the Dutch National Team in 2014 and has won back to back European Championship (2014, 2016). He managed the All Star Europe team that competed against Samurai Japan at the Tokyo Dome in March 2015.

Wednesday 7 February 2018

The Birmingham Bandits are now a part of the British national baseball league

The National Baseball League (NBL) is the marquee league in the British Baseball Federation (BBF). In 2018, it will be a six-team division with the announcement the Birmingham Bandits has been accepted to be a part of the NBL for the upcoming season.

«I'm really pleased that we are going to be stepping up to facing the best teams in the country. We will play tough but in the right spirit and I am confident we will be competitive from the off», - said James Moran, coach for the Bandits. The management of the Birmingham Bandits assured the BBF of its plan to work on meeting targets. 

The complete list of teams for the 2018 NBL season is as follows:
·        Birmingham Bandits
·        Essex Arrows
·        Herts Falcons
·        London Mets
·        Southampton Mustangs
·        London Capitals