OTTAWA – Baseball Canada’s 2006 national junior team prospects will continue the selection process for this year’s club when they take part in a spring training camp April 14-24 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. A total of 28 players aged 16 and 17 years have been invited to participate in the training camp. Players will conduct practices daily beginning April 14 and will also play a total of eight exhibition games against extended spring teams of the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros as well as U.S. college programs. The selection process for Baseball Canada’s 2006 national junior team, which will compete at the World Junior AAA Championship in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba in September, began last October with a fall instructional league camp. The selection process will continue later this year with a May training camp in the Dominican Republic before a summer exhibition series in Atlanta, Ga., against the American national junior team, which will serve as a tune-up for the World Championship. Exhibition Game Schedule: Saturday April 15 – Canada vs. Atlanta Braves, 10 a.m. ESTSunday April 16 – Canada vs. Cleveland Indians, 1 p.m. ESTMonday April 17 – Canada vs. Houston Astros, 1 p.m. ESTTuesday April 18 – Canada vs. Cleveland Indians, 1 p.m. ESTWednesday April 19 – Canada vs. Stetson University, 7 p.m. ESTThursday April 20 – Canada vs. Lake Sumter Community College, 3 p.m. ESTFriday April 21 – Canada vs. Detroit Tigers, 1 p.m. ESTSaturday April 22 – Canada vs. Atlanta Braves, 10 a.m. EST RosterPitching Rotation2005-2006 Junior Team Schedule
In the second of 10 provincial association profiles, Baseball Canada speaks with Baseball Alberta representative Terry Murphy about the upcoming 2006 season. BASEBALL CANADA (BCAN) – In no particular order, what five events or initiatives are you looking forward to the most as you are in the midst of kicking off the 2006 baseball season? 1. Baseball Canada National Bantam Girls Championship: Grande Prairie, Alberta TERRY MURPHY (TM) – 1. At the top of our list would be the Bantam Girls National Championship in Grande Prairie. We’ve been working very diligently on that for quite some time now in order to make sure that it’s going to be a nice and smooth operation once the tournament kicks off. Our vice president here at Baseball Alberta, Doug Star, is on the executive committee for the tournament and with his guidance I’m sure everything will be in order when August 18 rolls around. Grande Prairie is the largest association in Baseball Alberta and they’ve got a great volunteer base to work with. As you’ve probably seen, they hosted the World Women’s Curling Championship there not too long ago, so they’ve proven they can host great events. BCAN –What kind of exposure can this championship give girls baseball, given the fact tat it will be held one week prior to the rest of the Baseball Canada Championships? TM – I really hope it can help promote the growth of girls’ baseball. The City of Grande Prairie is extremely excited about having them there. They’re extremely supportive of women’s sport and I don’t think that will be any different with our Bantam Girls. 2. League Management Initiative TM – Our next big initiative is our League Management Program, which we started at all levels last year – from Mosquito all the way to Midget as well as working with some tournaments at the Junior and Senior levels. We had a league management workshop at our AGM this year, from which some positive recommendations surfaced. We also had a very good turnout at this workshop, which included 56 representatives from a number of our associations throughout the province. The goal of the initiative is to get all of these representatives and associations on the same page and accepting how we’re going to manage our leagues and provincial tournaments. We’ve established a framework where there would be no significant travel in the first round of a tournament. Based on the results of that first round, teams will be seeded for the second round of play and will be split up into different tiers. The third round will be the final provincial championship round and each tier will have a provincial champion. In other words, we’re having more championships within each age group and more kids are going to have the chance to play through the month of July. Furthermore, we will be holding the provincial championships earlier (middle of July instead of the first part of August), giving teams that qualify for the national championships the opportunity to better prepare themselves. For example if it’s a team that needs to travel a long distance across the country, they will have more time to save the money they need to be able go. In some cases, teams would only have two weeks to get ready and that’s too taxing on our associations to raise that kind of money within that short period of time. One of the things that has really helped with the League Management Initiative is our on-line registration process, which we introduced last year. During the first year, we had 75 associations work on-line and this year we expect virtually all of them to do so. The beauty of the on-line program is that the associations can develop spread sheets for their players, which can be updated from year to year as the players move up through the different age categories. It’s also easier this way to add new players to the system. Also, it’s a good vehicle for collecting data for mail-outs or canvassing for registrations. It really gives you easy access to all of the information that you would require for each association or individual athlete. 3. New NCCP Leaders TM – We’re very happy to have hired Mark Randall and Shane Bromlley to get the province on track with the new National Coaching Certification Program Initiatives. They were the two top guys during our interviewing process so we decided to go with both of them in order to get coaches together and organizing clinics. Their first assignment was to get a good turnout to the new NCCP evaluator training and that went off quite well. Now they’re continuing to press on by organizing clinics and making sure that communities are aware of what they have to do to host these clinics. In the future these are two individuals that we would like to see do more things with Baseball Alberta, so this is one way that we can start to do that. See http://www.baseball.ca/eng_news_story.cfm?NewsID=811 for more information about the new NCCP program. 4 & 5. Rally Cap and Winterball Programs TM – First of all, we’ve had so many requests for the Rally Cap Program that we can’t even fill them all. We’re going to get another batch of Rally Cap hats here in the next couple of weeks and, already, they’re all spoken for. It’s extremely exciting that all of the associations are enthused about it and looking forward to getting on board with the program. Secondly, we’ve used all but 25 of the Winterball kits we’ve received thus far. Those 25 kits are all spoken for and are going out to schools this fall. Dan Curtis and Brad Wolanski, who are running the Winterball Initiatives in Alberta, have done a great job generating interest in the program. One of the main reasons for the high interest is that they attended a teacher’s convention here in Edmonton, which was essentially a trade show for educational materials. They set up a booth at the convention to present the program and as a result, we can’t even fill all of the requests we’ve had. They’re also making sure that our baseball associations are aware that these Winterball kits are going out to schools in their communities. As a result we expect the associations to communicate with the schools. That way when spring time rolls around, they can either hold registration at the schools or at least make sure that the kids in these schools are aware that the registration process for local baseball is ongoing. BCAN – How important is it for local baseball associations to maintain a relationship with the schools that have adopted the Winterball Program into their curriculum? TM – If we don’t nurture the program and keep the lines of communication open with the schools we won’t see any growth in our registration numbers. Nurturing the program means making sure everything is going well while the program is being introduced and asking the teachers if they need any help. We expect the associations to send representatives out to touch base with the educators and most of them seem to be willing to do that. BCAN: How much optimism does that create when you’ve got such a high demand from programs like these at the grassroots level? TM – It’s pretty exciting because our baseball programs haven’t grown all that much until the last couple of years. I think new programs from the NCCP, Rally Cap and Winterball, are really going to help our associations grow stronger. See http://www.baseball.ca/eng_doc.cfm?DocID=212&Related=13 for more information about Baseball Canada’s Rally Cap Program. See http://www.baseball.ca/eng_doc.cfm?DocID=69&Related=13 to learn more about Baseball Canada’s Winterball Program. Want to learn more about Baseball Alberta? Visit their website at www.baseballalberta.com. That wraps up this weeks edition of Play Ball 2006! Come back next week as Baseball Canada sits down with Saskatchewan Baseball President Ken Hamilton. Due to the Easter Holiday, next week’s edition will be posted Tuesday, April 18. Schedule: April 18: Play Ball 2006! Saskatchewan BaseballApril 24: Play Ball 2006! Manitoba Baseball AssociationMay 1: Play Ball 2006! Baseball OntarioMay 8: Play Ball 2006! Baseball QuébecMay 15: Play Ball 2006! Baseball New BrunswickMay 22: Play Ball 2006! Baseball Nova ScotiaMay 29: Play Ball 2006! P.E.I. Amateur Baseball AssociationJune 5: Play Ball 2006! Baseball Newfoundland
The Thunder Bay International Baseball Association (TBIBA) now has seven months to strengthen its bid for the 2010 World Junior AAA Championships. The International BAseball Federation (IBAF), who was expected to make a decision on the location of 2010 World Juniors last week, deferred the matter to its next meeting, which will be held in November. Although Thunder Bay is currently the only city to have entered a bid, TBIBA Executive Director Warren Philp says there’s no reason why TBIBA shouldn’t take advantage of the extra time to make its bid even more appealing to international officials. “We will continue to work closely with Baseball Canada to keep our bid current in order to pout forward the best proposal possible to host the 2010 event,” said Philp. “We believe that the time we have, in light of the deferral, will work in our favour by allowing us to make our bid look better.” A joint effort between the City of Thunder Bay and the Northwoods Baseball League’s Thunder Bay BorderCats will create capital improvements for the Port Arthur Stadium, where the championship would be held. In addition, the Thunder Bay Baseball Association has obtained funding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund to enhance game and practice facilities at Baseball Central. “What’s great about Baseball Central is that we can have everything going on at the same place,” said Philp. “Everything from games to training camps to practices can be held in one location which makes things a lot easier for everybody.” Baseball Canada awarded the TBIBA the opportunity to present its bid to the IBAF during the national organization’s Annual General Meeting in November 2005. If Thunder Bay earns the right to host the World Junior Championships in 2010 it will mark the 11th time the event was awarded to Canada. Canada last hosted the championship in 2002 when Cuba beat Chinese Taipei to win gold in Sherbrooke, Qué.
A total of 15 Canadian players were included on the opening day rosters for 12 different Major League Baseball Club yesterday. The players are as follows: Erik Bedard (Navan, Ont.) - Baltimore Orioles Adam Stern (Port Stanley, Ont.) - Boston Red Sox Matt Stairs (Fredericton, N.B.) - Kansas City Royals Mark Teahen - Kansas City Royals Justin Morneau (New Westminster, B.C.) - Minnesota Twins Jesse Crain (Toronto, Ont.) - Minnesota Twins Rich Harden (Victoria, B.C.) - Oakland Athletics Peter Orr (Newmarket, Ont.) - Atlanta Braves Chris Reitsma (Calgary, Alta.) - Atlanta Braves Ryan Dempster (Sechelt, B.C.) - Chicago Cubs Jeff Francis (North Delta, B.C.) - Colorado Rockies Eric Gagné (Montréal, Qué.) - Los Angeles Dodgers Corey Koskie (Anola, Man.) - Milwaukee Brewers Rheal Cormier (Moncton, N.B.) - Philadelphia Phillies Jason Bay (Trail, B.C.) - Pittsburgh Pirates Canada also has 79 players currently listed in the minor leagues including outfielder Aaron Guiel (Vancouver, B.C.), shortstop Danny Klassen (Leamington, Ont.), pitcher Steve Green (Longueuil, Qué.) and first baseman Scott Thorman (Cambridge, Ont.) as well as catchers Pierre-Luc Laforest (Hull, Qué.), Russell Martin (Chelsea, Qué.), Eric Langill (Point Clair, Qué.), Maxim St. Pierre (Québec, Québec) who are all playing at the Triple-A level. Each weekday morning, Baseball Canada will track the progress of Canadian Major League Baseball players at www.baseball.ca. Here’s what happened last night. Position players 1. Red Sox Outfielder Adam Stern came in as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers. He did not get an at-bat. 2. Peter Orr of the Atlanta Braves went 1-for-1 with a pinch-hit single and one total base against the Los Angeles Dodgers. 3. Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Jason Bay was 0-for-1 with three walks and one outfield assist against the Milwaukee Brewers. Pitchers 1. Atlanta Braves closer Chris Reitsma picked up his first save of the game in a wild 11-10 win over the Los Angles Dodgers. The line on Reitsma: 1.1 Innings pitched, 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 0 walks, 14 pitches-10 strikes, 3 ground outs-0 fly outs, 6 batters faced. 2. Ryan Dempster threw to five batters for the Chicago Cubs against the Cincinnati Reds. The line on Dempster: 1.0 innings pitched, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 0 runs, 17 pitches-10strikes, 2 ground outs-0 fly outs, 5 batters faced 3. Phillies reliever Rheal Cormier threw one scoreless inning in a 13-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. The line on Cormier: 1.0 innings pitched, 1 hit, 0 walks, 0 runs, 0 strikeouts, 12 pitches-10 strikes, 3 ground outs-0 fly outs, 4 batters faced. Five MLB games tonight feature at least one Canadian player: Boston Red Sox vs. Texas RangersMinnesota Twins vs. Toronto Blue JaysOakland Athletics vs. New York YankeesAtlanta Braves vs. Los Angeles DodgersMilwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
In the first of 10 provincial association profiles, Baseball Canada speaks with Baseball British Columbia President Peter Buxton about the upcoming 2006 season in the country’s westernmost province. BASEBALL CANADA (BCAN) – In no particular order, what five events or initiatives are you looking forward to the most as you are in the midst of kicking off the 2006 baseball season? 1. Baseball Canada National Pee-Wee Championships: Victoria, B.C. PETER BUXTON (PB) – 1. Obviously we would have to say the hosting of the Pee-Wee National Championships in Victoria because that will be one of our biggest events. From a family perspective and participation point of view it’s one of the most enthusiastically supported championships across the country. Summerside, P.E.I., has led by example and proved what a great family event this can be. We think that in Victoria, people will find the same type of atmosphere. BCAN – With Baseball Canada’s National Pee-Wee Championships having been held in Summerside for eight consecutive years leading up to the event in Victoria, does that put a little bit of extra pressure on Baseball B.C. to put on a good show? PB – If you look back what transpired at our fall convention two years ago, you could even see then that we were ready to step up to the plate with the event in Victoria. We wouldn’t dare compare anything we do to Summerside, but what we want to do is create our own very special version of the championship. We’ve got an extremely strong core of volunteers with us and we’re going to make sure that all of the athletes and their families have a wonderful time. There’s always pressure to succeed at something like this, but we know that the volunteers in Victoria and Baseball B.C. are going to be able to pull it off. 2. Girl’s Baseball PB – We’re really pleased to be involved in girl’s baseball and continuing to develop in that area. We see that as a strong part of our mandate both provincially and nationally. If you look at our track record in participating in invitational tournaments and in Bantam (Girls) National Championships, B.C. has always been well represented by our teams. Al Foreman and Ken McKenzie who are two of our executives here are going to continue with this programming and we’re hoping to expand participation numbers and competing at a high-level on the national stage. 3. New Coaching Standards PB – We’re very proud to have a continuing involvement and taking of a leadership role in the new National Coaching Certification Program’s (NCCP) Introduction to Competition Module. Adam Debray (Baseball B.C. Information Director) continues to develop and expand our coaching website www.bettercoaches.com where people can find a video library of practice session and tips for coaches that will enable them to see first hand, on the internet, practical and modern coaching techniques. With that in mind, we’re excited to work in co-operation with Baseball Canada and the NCCP in helping develop and administer these new methods of coaching certification. See http://www.baseball.ca/eng_news_story.cfm?NewsID=811 for more information about the new NCCP program. BCAN – We’re now seeing the sport of baseball really taking advantage of information technology to expand the avenues by which we can develop athletes and coaches. What kind of impact do you see the Internet making in that regard? PB – It’s vital for a number of reasons. On the community level, it affords coaches the opportunity to see, first-hand, practical demonstrations of coaching techniques for practices and competition situations. Furthermore, it allows people to do things at their own speed on their own time in the comfort of their own home. We see it as a very exciting way to deliver this type of programming. Secondly, we feel very strongly Canada should be demonstrating to the international baseball community that we can play a leading role in the use of this technology for the distribution of this information. We are truly hoping that we can help develop an increase in participation in Europe, Asia, Australia and other markets that have already show an strong interest in baseball. 4. Rally Cap Program Pilot Project PB – We’re really looking forward to the North Delta Baseball Association’s participation, as a pilot project, in the Rally Cap Program. North Delta is a strong baseball association that has successfully represented B.C. on the national stage. North Delta’s president Bob Burkmar and his executive should be commended for their enthusiasm and their co-operation in making this a successful pilot project. Along with Baseball B.C.’s programming director David Laing that association is doing everything they can to make sure this pilot project will work very well. Given their long participation history in Canadian Baseball, we expect them to do an excellent job and we’re looking forward to them setting a standard for this program in B.C. See http://www.baseball.ca/eng_doc.cfm?DocID=212&Related=13 for more information about Baseball Canada’s Rally Cap Program. 5. Winterball Wonders PB – I was very surprised to hear that we had over 200 requests for the Winterball Program here this year and we see that as a huge success. We were given 67 kits to distribute and obviously all of them have gone out. The responses we’ve received from communities and schools have just been extraordinary. I’m looking forward to have an increased participation in this program and distributing even more kits in the coming year and meeting this very large demand to make this even more of a success story. BCAN – How exciting is it to see roughly triple the amount of requests originally anticipated for the Winterball Program in B.C.? PB – I think that’s fantastic. It fills a need in school curriculums and it’s a great introduction into the programming that will lead to an increased level of participation across the province. Another great thing about it is that, geographically, there are province-wide requests for participation in the Winterball program. I think it’s very exciting that communities in the dead of winter are interested in baseball and promoting an introduction to the sport to kids at the grassroots level. BCAN – How important do you feel it is to have the Winterball program in place in schools throughout the country and giving kids the opportunity to learn the game year round? PB – It is absolutely critical. We’ve seen, at the competition level, that getting a jump on the season is vital to our success here in B.C. and we always try to take advantage of it. If we can further extend that opportunity indoors to kids all across the province it’s critical to the development of our baseball programming not only from a skill perspective, but from an introductory perspective as well. See http://www.baseball.ca/eng_doc.cfm?DocID=69&Related=13 to learn more about Baseball Canada’s Winterball Program. Want to learn more about Baseball British Columbia? Visit their website at www.baseball.bc.ca That wraps up this weeks edition of Play Ball 2006! Come back next week as Baseball Canada sits down with Baseball Alberta’s Terry Murphy. Schedule: April 10: Play Ball 2006! Baseball AlbertaApril 17: Play Ball 2006! Saskatchewan Baseball CanadaApril 24: Play Ball 2006! Manitoba Baseball AssociationMay 1: Play Ball 2006! Baseball OntarioMay 8: Play Ball 2006! Baseball QuébecMay 15: Play Ball 2006! Baseball New BrunswickMay 22: Play Ball 2006! Baseball Nova ScotiaMay 29: Play Ball 2006! P.E.I. Amateur Baseball AssociationJune 5: Play Ball 2006! Baseball Newfoundland
It’s not even April yet and Baseball Canada has seen a surge in potential coaches seeking certification through the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). Since January, an astounding 612 people have signed up for the Initiation Coach Program, Baseball Canada’s new training module for future coaches. Baseball Canada estimates receiving up to 3,000 registrations within the next year – well beyond the 612 registrations received last year while the Initiation Coach Program was being phased in alongside the old training system. Under the old coach training system, potential coaches had to register for various technical courses along with further theory courses to begin their basic training. Under the new Initiation Coach Program, the technical and theory courses have been integrated. The result is a more efficient, more comprehensive program that will benefit future coaches as well as athletes. “The training coaches will receive will be more meaningful and directly related to what their needs are,” said NCCP contractor and New Brunswick Baseball’s Coaching Co-ordinator, Mike Bowes. “The previous program was more instructional-based while this one is more interactive. It will be more efficient in giving coaches the tools they need to become competent coaches – that’s the focus.” Another major benefit of the program is the fact that the introductory phase of the new Coach Initiation Program is completed on-line. Potential coaches can now receive their basic baseball-specific training at their own pace and on their own time, something which is receiving tremendous feedback from future coaches across the country. “The way the world works now people are more likely to do it this way,” said Bob Gillis, a technical representative with Baseball Nova Scotia. “It just makes it much easier to get people on board and begin the process of being an effective coach. That and you can have an unlimited number of people doing the courses all at the same time, which previously wasn’t possible. The Initiation Coach Program now also allows coaches to essentially better tailor their instruction to the level of competition at which they wish to coach. The new system features two different branches: “Regional Coach” and “Provincial Coach”. For example, an individual seeking to simply coach a Pee-Wee team in the local baseball league would follow the Regional Coach branch while those interested in coaching at the provincial or national levels would follow the Provincial Coach branch. The new training module will also distinguish between coaches who are “In Training”, coaches who are “Trained” and coaches who are fully “Certified”. “In Training” designates a coach who is currently taking courses. Once the coach completes the courses in question, he become “Trained.” In order for that coach to become “Certified”, he must then pass an evaluation process, which includes a module on making ethical decisions, a review of the coach’s portfolio and an observation session with a trained evaluator. “I think that’s something extremely important that has kind of been swept under the rug in the past,” said Saskatchewan Baseball Technical Director Greg Brons of the emphasis the Initiation Coach Program places on ethics. “Now, in this day in age with bullying and other such issues, it’s something that we definitely need to address because we need to be prepared for a multitude of scenarios that we may very well come across on any given day.” Furthermore, certified coaches will have to demonstrate a willingness to further their own education, keep learning, and stay up-to-date with new coaching methods in order to maintain their certification, which will come up for renewal every three years. All of the changes, says Baseball Canada Manager of Operations André Lachance, place a positive outlook on the future of Canadian Baseball. “This is only the beginning because we’re going to continue to improve many of the other coaching programs currently in place,” he said. “All of this is possible thanks to Baseball Canada’s Coaching Committee, which worked extremely hard over the last couple of years in order to allow us to introduce these more effective measures of training coaches.” Anyone interested in becoming a baseball coach at any level is encouraged to visit http:nccp.baseball.ca. Registration is only $37.45. Along with the registration, coaches will receive access to hundreds of videos and materials related to drills, practice plans and skill development tools over the NCCP website.
If Baseball America’s evaluation of the top-10 prospects of all 30 Major League Baseball clubs is any indication, the future of Canadian Baseball is promising as six canucks made the top prospects list for their respective clubs. Leading the list and rated No. 2 (the top pitcher) by Baseball America in the Baltimore Orioles’ organization is left-handed pitcher Adam Loewen, Canada’s highest-ever draft pick. Loewen, who was selected fourth overall in the 2002 MLB draft also received the largest signing bonus and major league contract ever handed out by the Baltimore Orioles to an amateur player. If those numbers don’t emphasize the confidence the Orioles have in Adam Loewen, his statistics on the field will certainly reinforce the belief that the Surrey, B.C. native will likely play in the Major Leagues in the near future. Loewen won seven of his last 10 starts in 2005 in addition to picking up a win in relief in his last appearance of the season with the High-A Frederick Keys. He finished the season 10-8 with a 4.12 ERA and struck out 146 batters in 142 innings of work. The 6’5”, 215 pound lefty also lead the 2005 Arizona Fall League with a 1.67 ERA. Although his up-side was well known within baseball circles, Loewen’s name wasn’t exactly a household name until he shut down a powerful American line-up at the World Baseball Classic, setting the tone defensively to pace Canada to a 8-6 upset of the U.S. where he threw 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and three walks. Loewen is expected to begin the season at Double-A Bowie. HISTORY: Selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2002 MLB draft - Signed May 26, 2003. Of the six Canadians on Baseball America’s list, Dodgers’ catcher Russell Martin (Ranked No. 4 and the top catcher in the Dodgers’ system) will likely be the first to play in the Major Leagues. Martin, who many expected to be a late-season call-up to the Majors last season, opted to make his case for a spot on the Dodgers’ 2006 big league roster rather than playing in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. His decision may very well prove to be a wise career move. Thus far, Martin is batting .357 with one homerun, eight RBIs, five runs scored and only three strikeouts in 13 spring training games. Those numbers, paired with an hamstring injury suffered by projected opening day catcher Dioner Navaro on March 15, may very well translate into Martin’s first spot on a Major League roster. The more experienced Sandy Alomar Junior is expected to get the start over Martin (should Navaro not be healthy enough to play) on opening day. However, having had seven knee surgeries over his 18-year Major League career, you would think that Alomar would need a rest sooner or later, opening the door for Martin to take to the field for the first time. HISTORY: Selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 17th round of the 2002 MLB amateur draft - Signed June 13, 2002. At No. 2 on the San Diego Padres’ prospects list is Scarborough, Ontario native George Kottaras. Kottaras, who projects to be an offense-oriented catcher, is one of three Canadian backstops in the Padres’ Organization. He and Pierre-Luc Laforest (Hull, Qué.) are both currently listed on the Padres’ 40-man roster as back-ups to Doug Mirabelli and Mike Piazza. Kottaras played his first full professional season is 2005, splitting time between Hi-A Lake Elsinore and Double-A Mobile, batting .299 with 11 homeruns, 36 doubles and 65 RBIs. It is his offensive production that scouts believe will vault Kottaras into a starting position at the big league level by the end of the 2007 season. HISTORY: Selected by Padres in the 20th round of the 2002 draft; signed May 26, 2003. The Philadelphia Phillies’ No. 4 prospect, Scott Mathieson, has been making waves since being drafted in 2002. Off the field, Mathieson is quiet and mild-mannered. On the field, he’s a tenacious competitor and an extremely hard worker. Since being drafted, Mathieson has gained over 30 pounds of muscle and has added 12 MPH to his fastball in addition to developing solid second and third pitches. Despite not having pitched beyond Single-A, Mathieson proved he can throw at a high level, finishing second in the 2005 Arizona Fall League for strikeouts, fanning 36 batters in 26 innings of work. Mathieson also threw a hitless eighth inning setting up Canada’s upset of the United States at the World Baseball Classic. Mathieson will likely begin the 2006 season at Double-A Reading. HISTORY: Selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 17th round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft - Signed July 3, 2002. The only Canadian who isn’t either a pitcher or a catcher to make it to his organization’s top-10 list is first baseman Joey Votto (Toronto, Ontario). At No. 9 in the Cincinnati Reds’ system, Votto is a catcher-turned-first baseman who can hit the ball a mile. The top first-base prospect in the organization, Votto walked 90 times in 2004 showing he can also be patient at the plate. The 22 year-old had a coming out party in his first two international tournaments with Baseball Canada’s national senior team in 2005, earning all-star honours at both the 2005 World Cup in the Netherlands and the 2005 CONCEBE Baseball Regional Olympic Qualifier in Phoenix, Arizona. Votto will likely begin the 2006 season at Double-A Chattanooga. HISTORY: Selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 2002 MLB amateur draft - Signed June 5, 2002. The final Canadian to make the top-10 list is the only one to belong to Canada’s lone Major League Baseball organization, the Toronto Blue Jays. At No. 10 on the Blue Jays’ list is the hard-throwing Vince Perkins (Saanichton, B.C.). Perkins’ premiere pitch, a heaving sinking fastball is already a major-league pitch. As he continues to improve on his second and third pitches, the 24-year old will work his way up the Jays’ system. Perkins will likely begin the season at Double-A New Hampshire and might get called up to Triple-A Syracuse. HISTORY: Selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 18th round of the 2000 MLB entry draft; Signed May 24, 2001.
Canadian Marc Besteman (Bradford, Ont.) went five-for-six with a pair of RBIs to tie a Northern Illinois University record for hits in one game, Friday, in a 13-9 loss to the University of Nevada Wolfpack in Reno, Nevada. “It was great because each and every one of those came in a situation where we needed a hit,” said Besteman, adding he would have traded all of those hits in for a Huskies win. “But I would rather have had five sac bunts and a win than five hits and a loss.” With his parents on hand, having flow in from north or the border, Besteman (Bradford, Ont.) hit five singles to become only the fifth Huskies’ player and the first since 2002 to collect five hits in one game, his only hiccup coming in the eighth inning when he flied out to left field. With two away in the top of the ninth inning and Besteman coming to the plate representing the last out of the game, the 21-year-old was solely focused on keeping the inning and his team’s hopes of winning alive. “I didn’t know what the record was or that I was even going for a record there. My coach told me after the game,” he said. “I can recall having played a good double header, but I can’t recall ever picking up five hits in one game.” Besteman, who played on a myriad of Ontario provincial teams during high school and hwoattended the Canadian National Junior Team prospects’ spring training camp in 2003, is now hitting .293 with seven RBIs and three stolen bases in 14 games this season. Besteman’s record-tying game 1st : Single to right field3rd: Single up the middle4th: Single, advanced to second on the throw, RBI7th: Single up the middle, RBI8th: Flied out to left field9th: Single to left-centre field
Baseball P.E.I. is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Kelsey McIntosh to the position of Executive Director. Originally from Souris, P.E.I., McIntosh and has been working as a Multi Sport Executive Director with Sport P.E.I. for the past 4 1/2 years. McIntosh has vast sport and recreation experience having been involved with baseball, football, and hockey as an athlete, coach, official and/or administrator. He also has administration experience with basketball, cycling, figure skating, ringette, synchronized swimming, tennis and the 55+ Games Society. McIntosh met the membership March 13th when Baseball P.E.I. held its Recognition Night and Presidents Meeting. The Recognition night was the Association's opportunity to award the 2005 Sport PEI Certificate of Achievements while the Presidents meeting outlined the plans for the upcoming 2006 season. Additional volunteers are always needed to assist with upcoming events. Anybody interested in becoming involved is asked to contact McIntosh. Baseball PEI welcomes McIntosh and encourages anyone with questions about the Association to contact Kelsey directly. He can be reached by Phone: (902) 368-4208 or Toll-free 1-800-247-6712 (in PEI) or by Email at kmcintosh@sportpei.pe.ca, by Fax at (902) 368-4548 or Toll-free Fax 1-800-235-5687 (in PEI) or by mail at Baseball PEI, P.O. Box 302, Charlottetown, PE, C1A 7K7.
Team Canada’s ride at the inaugural World Baseball Classic was an emotional roller coaster. First they fought off a pesky South African squad in one of the wildest games of the tournament. Then they shocked the world by beating a star-studded American team a day later, only to fall to an inspired group of Mexicans in their final game. Although the Canadians ended the tournament on a low point and failed to advance to the second round, there are reasons a plenty for Baseball Canada for which to be proud. Here are the top-five reasons why fans should not be disappointed with Canada’s finish at the World Baseball Classic. 5. Against what was hyped to be one of the best pitching staffs in the tournament, Boston Red Sox outfielder Adam Stern (Port Stanley, Ont.) lit it up offensively in an 8-6 win over the United States. Stern was a double away from hitting for the cycle, going 3-for-4 with 4 RBI. In addition, Stern was a rock in centre field making diving plays and leaping grabs against the wall to preserve Canada’s lead. After the first round of the World Baseball Classic, Stern was second in batting average and led the entire field in number of hits. With the departure of Johnny Damon to the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox outfield is considerably weaker than that of 2005. Canadians shouldn’t be surprised if they see more of Adam Stern this season. 4. Canada’s young guns were its best performers, especially on the mound. The four youngest Canadian pitchers, Jesse Crain (24), Vince Perkins (24), Scott Mathieson (22) and Adam Loewen (21) did not allow a single run and only gave up one hit over a combined 7.2 innings of work. In addition, Erik Bedard (27), Eric Cyr (27) and Steve Green (28) combined for 4 hits, 2 walks, 1 run and 8 strikeouts over 7.1 innings pitched. The future of Canadian baseball is in good hands. 3. As Baseball Canada shifts its focus to the Americas Olympic Qualifier which will be held in Havana, Cuba August 23 to September 2, it can take solace in the fact that more than half the players from its World Baseball Classic (18) team will likely be eligible to return to the national senior team. Any player not on a Major League Baseball 25-man roster is eligible for the tournament; meaning players like Loewen, Mathieson, Perkins, Green, Ryan Radmanovich, Scott Thorman and Stubby Clapp could help Canada on its quest for a second-straight Olympic berth. Depending on his status with the Boston Red Sox, Stern might also be available. Having recently retired from Major League Baseball, veteran pitcher Paul Quantrill would also be eligible. 2. Although Canada would have traded in their victory against the U.S.A for a berth in the second round of the World Baseball Classic, the upset of the American powerhouse has opened some eyes both north and south of the 49th parallel. Although Canada has come up with major victories in the past (1991 World Junior Championship gold medal, bronze medal at the 1993 World University Games, wins over both Cuba and the United States at the 1999 Pan-Am Games and a fourth-place finish at the 2004 Olympics), this year’s U.S.eh! game will likely go down as the most memorable. For baseball fans in the U.S. and around the world, the U.S.eh! game is the game that has put Canadian baseball on the map. Within baseball circles, Canada’s baseball teams have been earning more respect and although Canada has been producing more and more quality Major League players, fans who generally tune-out during international competitions have been oblivious the strides Baseball Canada has made over the last 15 years. Now that Canada has pulled off another major victory on the biggest stage against the best players baseball’s birthplace could provide, sports fans around the world are finally realizing that Canada is not just about hockey, curling, and ketchup sandwiches. 1. After the first round, Canada was no better or no worse than the two teams who advanced ahead of them. Canada was the only team in the entire World Baseball Classic field to be eliminated with two wins in its three first round games. After being tied with the United States and Mexico with two wins and a loss, Canada simply ended up getting the short-end of the stick on a tie-breaker rule in a sport that prides itself in determining a clear winner every time out. With two wins in the most competitive first-round pool at the World Baseball Classic, Canada’s team has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
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