Made available online by Project COBB

(the Project for the Chronicling of British Baseball)

http://www.projectcobb.org.uk/brit-ball.html

With kind permission from the BBF Board

BALLBRIT BIF-(\:)-~,~

The Official Voice of the British Baseball FederationIssue No: 33 85p February 1996

Coaching Achievement Award ­Steve Gilbert, CambridgeMonarchs. Steve has led thedevelopment of CambridgeMonarchs from the front. Theyalso won promotion to the PremierDivision last year. As a coachSteve has produced three GBjuniors and a GB senior player inthe last two years. He is a diamondfor the Cambridge club, workingtremendously hard in all areas fromcoaching to field maintenance, andeverything else inbetween.

(Continued on page 10)

At the Coaching Clinic there were

Coach of the Year - Matt Arrildt ­Menwith Hill Pirates. Matt, theCoach of Menwith Hill took histeam to the National Championshipin 1995. Based on good pitchingand solid defence, the Pirates didnot drop a game in the post seasongoing 5 - O. A lot of this is down tohis ability as a coach who also ledfrom the front on the mound.

Manager of the Year - NeilMcLeod - London Wolves. Neilhas done a great job for his clubLondon Wolves on and off the fieldof play. In 1995 they wonpromotion to the Premier Division.They also now possess one of thefinest ball parks in the country, andrun the biggest club tournament inBritain. Neil is also deeplyinvolved in junior developmentwhich will put the Wolves in goodstanding for the future.

Wembley Trophies Golden GloveAward - Cody Cain, LondonWarriors

The annual coaching awards,donated by Boothferry Trophieswere presented as follows:

The players awards were onlyconsidered fur players in teamswho had a registered scorer.

Sonny Goings Pitching Awards ­Ray Brownlie, Humberside Mets

Gridiron Sports Batting Award ­Cody Cain, London Warriors

Presidents Award - LondooWolves Baseball Club for theircommitment to baseball in both theconstruction of their diamond andthe organisation of the extremelysuccessful Lonoon Tournament.

Brian Holland Scorers Trophy ­Jan Macleod, Bournemouth B'sfor her continuous endeavours as ascorer and for s<>Jring the 1995National Premier League SeriesFinal.

Majestic TrophiesSportsmanship Award - KarinDonaldson, Tayside Cobras forher devotion to baseball andespecially for organising the 1995Scotland vs England game.

Junior Coach of the Year - PaulVernon, Bracknell Blazers. Paulworked tirelessly during the year todevelop one of the best junior

::************************ programmes in the country. He* Keep in touch with what's :: worked in schools and sports:: happening in British Baseball, :: centres promoting the game,* call the British Baseball * and his club Bracknell Blazers:: Federation Hotline. :: are now reaping the rewards of* * his work.

* *:: :: Junior Development Award -:: * Kevin McCallion - Halifax* t Schools. Kevin a teacher int * Halifax has made great strides* t for baseball in his area. In his* * first season as a Schoolst t Development Officer, he

* 0891 884533 * operated a Halifax Schoolst.. * League consisting of eight* t schools at two age groups. In* * 1996 he has expanded to:: Calls charged at 3!p per minute * twelve schools in two age* off-peak, 49p per minute peak time t groups, a girts league of four

*************************

Page 3

BBF Polo Shirts ­Again an excellent wayto promote the BritishBaseball Federation.These shirts areavailable in red, royalblue, white, grey or

white with a royal blue collar. Wehave XL sizes in stock but S, M, or Lmay be ordered at an excellent priceof£12 each.

The Sporting News Chronicles ofBaseball - the story of America'sNational Pastime from 1900 to thepresent day. An A4 hardback bookcontaining 700 historic photographsand 351 pages of great baseballevents - £15 including postage andpacking

Inflatable Baseball Bats - You'veseen Atlanta Braves chop, nowhere's your chance to start a newtrend and do the BBF Bash! Theseinflatables blow up to the samelength as a normal baseball bat - 32"and are approximately twice as thick.The barrel of the bats is coloured red,white and blue in a union jack design.A must for supporting the GB squadin the European Championships, andthey're only £1 each

BBF Caps - Let people know thatyou belong to the British BaseballFederation. These caps are of anexceptional quality, embroidered withthe BBF logo. The are available ineither white with a royal blue peak orred with a royal blue peak. At a cost

of £10 can you affordto be without one thissummer?

The Sporting News OfficialBaseball Rules - 1995 Edition ­SPECIAL PRICE - only £1 per copy- can your team afford to be withoutthem?

BBF Scratch Cards - what easierway can there be for your team toraise funds. Available at a specialprice of 15p a card.

BBF Baseball Camp Handbook ­This 45 page book is a must forany 0 n eorganising abaseball campthis summer. Itfull of ideas forschedules,lesson plans,posters,advertising,competitions etcto make your camp a success plusexamples of certificates and awardsthat can be made at the end of thecamp. It's available at a cost of£3.50 per book.

The Great Game of Baseball - anA2 poster explaining the game andit's history. Ideal for displaying inyour local library, sports centre andschools to encourage people to play.

Baseball Qualifications - a bookletwhich explains· the aims andobjectives of the coachingassociation and gives you details onhow to attain level A, AA and AAAqualifications.

baseball to them and gives details ofhow they should become involved inyour club.

Parent Information - a leafletdesigned for you to hand out to yourjunior players parents. It explains

If you require more information on any of the above please contact:British Baseball Federation, 66 Belvedere Road, Hessle,

North Humberside, HU13 9JJ

Baseball Information Sheet - againanother leaflet which is ideal forpeople new to the game, it explainswhat the BBF is and what we canprovide.

How to set up a Baseball Team ­How do you go about starting yourown team - ideas for fund-raising,recruiting players, details of fees,where the BBF spend the money etc.

Teeball - an instructional leaflet onthe game of teeball. Ideal forpassing on to your local school toencourage them to play the game.

History of the Gam~- a brigf historyof baseball in the UK, good for anyyoungsters doing a school project onbaseball.

Introduction to the Game - forbeginners to baseball, it brieflyexplains the rules and whatequipment is required.

Diamond Construction - everypossible dimension you could requirefor building and marking out yourdiamond.

Diamond Development - containsdetails of all bodies to whom you canapply for funding.

The following items areavailable free of charge fromthe BBF to assist in thedevelopment of your club.

Brit-BallBrit-Ball

LP•••••••

WE N' 0 YOUP..

Publicity - TV, radio, press both prior to the eventand during the competition

Programme I poster productionStewards'

PhotographyVideo

VIP EscortsPA system technicians

Raffle salesProgramme sales

Announcer I commentatorTechnical Commission liaison

MerchandisingCheerleaders

Chaperones for all participating teamsMascot

Finding sponsorshipScheduling

First AidCar Park attendants

Communications - fax, telephoneSecurity

I'm sure you'll agree the list is endless and noteverything has been covered here. If you think thatthere is some way in which you will be able toassist, even if it is only being a car park attendantfor one day of the tournament or you have an ideathat we may not have thought of then we want tohear from you. Please contact BBF Head Office assoon as possible. We are holding regular meetingsof all volunteers and hope you will be able to joinus.

The British Baseball Federation would like to makethis tournament the finest that Europe has everseen and to do this we need assistance from asmany volunteers as possible.

Some ideas of how we need people to help are asfollows:

As you may be aware, from 3 - 11August 1996 the British BaseballFederation are to host the 1996European Championships 'B' Groupin Hull. Teams competing will be fromIreland, Poland, Bulgaria,Switzerland, Norway, Croatia,Lithuania, Czech Replublic, Austria,Slovakia, Yugoslavia and of course our own GreatBritain squad.

._, .;.. OJlIR,IES -IlEditorial Enquiries:

British Baseball Federation,66 Belvedere Road, Hessle,

North Humberside, HU13 9JJ,... Tel: 01482 643551

l Fax: 01482640224htqJ:/Iourworld.compuserve.com:801•tiomepages/SRHERBERT/bbf.htm

Sponsorship and Event Enquiries:Keith Peskett (01243 867867)

SUbscription Rates: 12 issues. inclusive ofpostage £10.00. Cheques and PostalOrders payable to 'British BaseballFederation' and sent to Brit-BallSubscriptions. 66 Belvedere Road, Hessle.North Humberside. HU13 9JJ

BBF Handbook: Printed annually. price£4.00 inclusive of postage. Contains allcontact details for BBF teams and leaguefixtures. Cheques and Postal Orderspayable to 'British Baseball Federation' andsent to BBF Handbook. 66 Belvedere Road,Hessle. North Humberside, HU13 9JJ

Advertisement Enquiries:Kevin Macadam (01482643551)

BBF Technical CommitteeConfer.ence Commissioner - South:Sharon BonfieldConference Commissioner - North: Nigel MossConference Commissioner - Scotland:Brian EdwardsUmpires Commissioner - North: Frank SchererUmpires Commissioner - South:Mack McKinneyGreat Britain Team Manager: Ralph RagoYouth: Ian Smyth

BBF ExecutivePresident: Steve HerbertTechnical: Gary MortimerNational Premier League: Gerry WalmsleyConferences: Sharron BonfieldPublicity and Publications: Kevin Macadam

Editor: Kevin MacadamDeputy Editor: Wendy Macadam

Page 2____~_u_ ... ~ ._

Page 4 Brit-Ball Brit-Ball Page 5

As a postscript to this review, Ryne Sandberg as of twomonths ago unretired himself. He will play this comingseason with the Chicago Cubs.

If you would like to purchase a copy of this book, pleasecontact Gazelle Book Services, details below.

Ralph Rago, GB Head Coach

Sure-to-be Hall of Farner Ryne Sandberg could haveloafed through the remaining years of a 28 million dollarcontract. But "Ryno", the Chicago Cubs perennial All-Starsecond baseman, gave it up all one sunny Monday inJune 1984. His mid-season retirement startled sportspundits and fans everywhere.

Authors: Ryne Sandberg with Barry Rozner

~lEecOINl[D) 10 U1I0ll1lE~ ~._--------------_.

Falcon HouseQueen Square

LancasterLA11RN

~AZELLE:ElOC>~S:E:R."'VIO:ES

:L.IlVIIT:E:K>

Tel: 01524 68765Fax: 0152463232

BBFCONSTITUTION

At the 1995 Annual General MeetingGary Mortimer informed the memberspresent that the current constitution wehave is very outdated, and does not fitwith our Bye-laws.

The process of re-writing theconstitution has now commenced. Ifyou have any amendments that youwish to be considered, please submitthem in writing to BBF Head Office by16 March 1996.

£80.00For further details contact:

Cliff CourtDroitwich Spa-Tans5 Shepherds Place

Droitwich Spa, WorcsWR-99DQ

Tel: 01905775277

One set of umpir,sequipment comprising:

1 Face Guard1 Chest Protector1 Pair Leg Guards

1 Pair Arm Protectorsin a carrying case

The equipment has onlybeen used twice and is abargain at:

Now Ryno tells his story. Why he left the way he left. Ashe reviews his 17-year career, this reticent man nowdiscloses what he never felt comfortable discussing as anactive player. Here are the contract details. Here, atlength, are discussions of players, coaches, managers,and general managers with whom he spent 17 years ofprofessional baseball. Here are batting tips thatconverted him from a singles hitter to a feared home-runslugger.

Here is Ryne the human being, Ryne the father, and Ryno

•...the ball player. Here is the Ryne Sandberg that no-one

ever knew - until now.

So if you are planning a Club Tour/Holiday _Tournament - Supporters Tour - Special Event ­Flight Only or Package Holiday, then d9 not hesitateto contact us for a no obligation price quotation.

©M@@lM ir@lUJ~ (1UJ..1lt) ~irlQ)1I~1L ( @U c6<i)~ ) 7F#) U7l @@I?~~ ( @U c6<i)~ ) iJ<i) U7l @@Sole Official Tour Operator and TravelAgent for the:

Registered in England Reg No 2963665 VAT No 648 4J09 20

CLUBTOURS-TOURNAMENTS-SUPPORTERSTOURS

6 UPPER COED CAE, BLAENAVON, GWENT, NP4 9JA. UK

TEL: (01 495) 79 12 60 TEL/FAX (01 495) 79 12 66

For Further Information Contact:

•British Baseball Federation

DRAGON TOURS (U.K.) LTD. is a fully licensed Toura Operator / Travel Agent offering complete financial

protection to our clients. .

DRAGON TOURS (U.K.) L TO. was formed toconce~trate on all aspects of Sports Travel, whether it bearranging Club participating Tours/Holidays - Tourna­ments - Supporters Tours, and Special Events. Since1970 our experienced staff have specialised in outboundgroup travel Worldwide and inbound group travel to theU.K. and Ireland. . .,".-

DRAGON TOURS (U.K.) L TO. are licensed to offerFLIGHT ONLY (Scheduled and Charter); PACKAGE

~_---l HOLIDAYS; ACCOMMODATION and CAR HIRE' obtain-~~ ing SPECIAL OFFERS and LATE AVAII:.:ABILITy'with our

fully Computerised Information and Reservation System.

___UII_P_IR_E_S_·_~_o_u_._i_"_._d_o_u_'_b_i__g_'_i._._1 IPage 6

ISouthern Conference

YmPlres CommissionerApplications are invited for the above position. Theapplicant should live within the BBF SouthernConference, and be a BBF registered umpire.

The role of the umpires commissioner is to ensurethat all BBF games have an umpire in attendance,with the Premier Division as first priority. He I sheshould also be available to answer queries fromfellow umpires.

Attendance at two half yeany Technical Committeemeetings and the Annual General Meeting is alsorequired. Travelling expenses will be paid forthese meetings, along with postage and telephoneexpenses at the current BBF rates. This is not asalaried position.

If you are interested in the above position, pleaseapply in Writing, giving details of any relevantexperience to BBF Head Office, 66 BelvedereRoad, Hessle, North Humberside, HU13 9JJ

Great BritainJunior Squad Coach

Brit-Ball

INational Umpiring

EvaluatorApplications are invited for the above position. Theapplicant should be a BBF registered umpire.

The role of the umpiring evaluator is to attend BBFgames, primarily GB and Premier Division to assess andassist umpires with their role. This review will be usedas a baseline toward promoting umpires through theleagues and recommendation for CEB registration. He Ishe should also be available to answer queries fromfellow umpires, and to conduct umpiring clinics aroundthe country. Another function of the successful applicantwill be to assess ground standards.

Attendance at two half yeany Technical Committeemeetings and the Annual General Meeting is alsorequired. Travelling expenses will be paid for thesemeetings, along with postage and telephone expensesat the current BBF rates. This is not a salaried position.

If you are interested in the above position, please applyin writing, giving details of any relevant experience toBBF Head Office, 66 Belvedere Road, Hessle. NorthHumberside. HU13 9JJ

Scorers.~Commlssloners

North, South and Scotland

Brit-Ball

Runner on 1st and 3rd, noouts...batter hits a pop-up in theinfield.....

Batter swings at a pitch and theball hits his hand and and rollsback to the pitcher .

These were just a couple of thesituations presented at theManchester '96 Umpire'S Clinic by MrDick Nelson, with the Baseball Officefor Umpire Development in the UnitedStates. Mr Nelson brought manyyears of practical as well as teachingexperience to the clinic and it was anabsolute pleasure for those inattendance (and it wasn't many) tolisten to him and learn. I knoweveryone there managed to learn afew things about umpiring baseballgames. From the youngest and leastexperienced to those with many yearson the field, it was time to put thethinking caps on 'cause school was insession.

We were given instruction in thevarious stances an umpire can takebehind the plate and how to call Qallsand strikes the proper way. After theclassroom session we headed into thegym for some practical work. Timing,timing, timing. If we heard that once,we heard it a hundred times. When to

get "set" for the pitch to how to makea proper signal on a called strike. Allof these required concentration andwork. And believe it or not, by theend of the session everyone was inthe groove. GUys who had nevereven been behind the plate werecalling balls and strikes with authorityand confidence. However, callingpitches in a controlled environmentand calling them in an actual gameare two entirely different things. Thiswas just the beginning.

We were given many, manysituations to work out in theclassoom instruction. Situations thatoccurred in Major league gameswhere the four umpires had justseconds to work out the ruling andplacement of the runners, we weregiven minutes to work out. It wasn'teasy. Sometimes the obvious rulingisn't always the correct one.

Handling pitchers, catchers,managers (not coaches) and workingwith your partner. Ii was ali coveredin detail with illustrations andexamples from Dick's experience.

Dick's ability to instruct and receivethe maximum participation from hisstudents speaks volumes about theman. He had us all thinking andinterpreting rules; placing runners;scoring runs; rendering outs; as

Page 7

much as anyone could have hoped forin such a short session.

I'm sure those in attendance willagree, these were three days wellspent.

So the next time you're on the fieldand and the manager wants to chat,and it's not about the family, theweather, or if you'd like a cooldrink.....you'll wish you had attendedthe clinic to leam how to handle thesituation in the proper andprofessional manner.

Clinics are for EVERYONE! The onlyway to get better at your game is towork at it by reading, discussion,practical exercises and attendingclinics!

Thanks go to those who attended anda hearty "BOO..HISS" to those whodidn't.

Frank SchererNorthern Conference

Umpires Commissioner

Applications are invited for the above position.

The applicant should be a BBF registered coachand have passed the advanced coaching course.He I she must also be willing to follow the coachingPhilosophy of the Great Britain Senior team.

Attendance at junior coaching sessions and anygames I competitions in which the team competeand the BBF Annual General Meeting are required.Travelling expenses will be paid for these events,along with postage and telephone expenses at thecurrent BBF rates. This is not a salaried position.

If you are interested in the above position, please applyin writing, giving details of any relevant experience toBBF Head Office, 66 Belvedere Road, Hessle, NorthHumberside, HU13 9JJ. If you wish to discuss theposition further please contact Ralph Rago on 0113 2669530.

Applications are invited for the above three positions.The applicants should live within the relevant conferencearea and be a BBF registered scorer.

The role of the scorers commissioner is to ensure that allBBF games have a scorer in attendance, within theirconference, and to produce statistics for each divisionwithin their conference on a monthly basis for inclusionin Brit-Ball. He I she should also be available to answerqueries from fellow scorers.

Attendance at two half yeany Technical Committeemeetings and the Annual General Meeting is alsorequired. Travelling expenses will be paid for thesemeetings, along with postage and telephone expensesat the current BBF rates. This is not a salaried position.

If you are interested in the above position. please applyin writing, giving details of any relevant experience toBBF Head Office, 66 Belvedere Road; Hessle. NorthHumberside, HU13 9JJ

Boothlerrv Trophies limitedSuppliers to the

British Baseball Federation

For all your baseball trophyrequirements call 01482 226459

94 Spring Bank, Hull, North Humberside, HU3 1QH

---------_.-_._------._------------------------------------Page 8---- -- - -_.

Brit-Ball

----------

Brit-Ball----------------

Page 9

1996 EUROPEAN BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS 'B GROUP'

Join us and give your support to the GB Squad

We would like to thank Barry for taking goodcare of the roadshow over the last three years,and wish him and his family a long and happyretirement.

Lee SmithEastbourne Mariners

93 Princes RoadLangney Point

EastbourneEast SussexBN236HR

Tel: 01323 739034

Barry Mayfield will be moving on 1 March1996. His new address is 7 Cedar Road,Bedfont, Middlesex, TW14 8EU, Tel: 0181751 3080.

Old Timers

It is now based with

The BBF roadshow based in the south has anew home. Should you wish to make use of itfor your club this summer, remember all it costsyou is to transport it to and from your event,such as your local fete or fair. It's also a greatopportunity for your club to make some moneyby charging members of the public to test theirskill and have a few hits against the pitchingmachine.

BBF Roadshow

Sell tickets to your spectators at each game, theycould help pay for your ground rent and umpiresfees - what could be easier. Each team will initiallybe sent 10 books of tickets. If your club can sellmore, give us a call now and let us know how manyyou require.

3 - 11 August 1996 in Hull, Hessle and Leeds

Watch out in future editions of Brit-Ball for details of local accommodationand the game schedules.

The draw will take place at the final of the EuropeanChampionships in August, with the first prize beinga holiday for two. Again there will be many othersmaller prizes.

PRIZE TICKET WINNERNO

Baseball Cap 1544 Mr CUrry, Hull

Baseball Cap 5176 Mrs H Elliott, Hull

T-shirt 1386 Mark Anderson, Hull

Baseball Cap 2589 Paula Trowell, Hull

Easton Bat Bag 1052 Dave Sharpe, Hull

T-shirt 0156 Colin Cross, Harrogate

Baseball Cap 0149 G D Sellers, Harrogate

Baseball Cap 3214 Tom Gray, Perth

Baseball Cap 3189 D Bryning, Dundee

Baseball Cap 7227 Wright, Hull

If there is, now is your chance to make somemoney. We will be running another raffle during thesummer months. The same system will apply, ie foreach book of 4 tickets you sell, your club keeps 50pand 50p is returned to the BBF.

to

If after reading through this list you're thinking whata fix, all the prizes were won by people in Hull,Harrogate and Dundee, then you're wrong. Thereason there are more winners from these places isbecause the teams in these three areas sold morethan 75% of the overall tickets sold. Is thereanybody else out there?????

~ TICKET WINNER ~ TICKET WINNERNQ NO

Holiday for two In 0131 Ray Quayle, Harrogate Baaeball Cleats 2046 F Parker, HullTenerlfe

BayaoxCup ~2 P Howarth, PrestonBottle of Rum 7217 Alan Milliken, Belfast

Baaeball Cap 5417 A Whittaker, HullBaaeball Cap 0123 Ray Quayle, Harrogate

T-shIrt 24a5 S Gilbert, CambridgeInllatable Bat 5126 Janet Sparrow, Hull

T-shIrt 3016 H Scott, DundeeBaaebaliCap 2274 E Swanson, Hull

BaaebaliCap 1193 J Knight, HullBaaebaliCap 2261 T B Thompson, Hull

Bottle of Red Wine 0064 Mrs A E Bond,Rookie of the Year Pack 3187 Valerie Mylesm, Forfar Boumemouth

Bottle of Red Wine 2668 Mr F Cadd, Hull BayaoxCup 7258 J Hopkin, Hull

UmpIres Ball Bag 2659 Mr F Cadd, Hull WCBFT-shlrt 2653 M Walker, Hull

WCBFT-shlrt 0055 M Hagen, Harrogate Baaeball Cap 0023 M Craig, Harrogate

Baaeball Cap 6531 Mrs S Churchill, Poole BBF Polo Shirt 4612 B Morris, Sheffield

Une-up Card Holder 7210 Gary Abbott, Harrogate Maximising Baseball 0125 Paul Bevacqua,Practice Book Knaresborough

Bottle of Red Wine 0063 Ken Lockwood, HarrogateT-shirt 7181 N Gamer, Hull

Baaeball Cap 5418 Andy Whittaker, HullEaston Bat Bag 1728 A Haines, Bracknell

All-Star Game Baseball 26E Terry, HullBaseball Cap 6740 F Hoar, Chichester

T-shIrt 2406 S Gilbert, CambridgeBaseball Cleats 1380 ACross, Hull

Coaching Baaeball Book 11n R Mercer, HullScorers bag 3470 B Edwards, Dundee

BayaoxCup 7124 S Watts, SamptingBaseball Rule Book 3184 R Skaton, Dundee

Baaeball Book 5381 T Holland, HullBayaoxCup 6499 M Heissenbuttel,

BBF Polo Shirt 4862 C Richardson, Leeds Manchester

Baaeball Cap 2761 S Pollard, Oxford Clinic T-shIrt 6525 Mrs D Kingsbury, Poole

EaatonBag 2365 Parker, Hull Baaeball Cap 2425 Mrs A Megson, Hull

WCBF T-shIrt 3010 N Kinnear, Dundee Easton Bat Bag 5149 M Symonds, Hull

Bottle of Whisky 2254 G Evans, Brigg Germany Pennant 1001 D Hodgson, Stretford

Sporting News 4453 A Kendal, Manchester T-shirt 0013 F Scherer, HarrogateChronicles of Baseball

BayaoxCup 2(9) A Parker, HullBaaebailCap 7326 F Scherer, Harrogate

Baseball Cap 7214 A Milliken, BelfastBayaoxCup 2638 Conyers, Hull

Baseball Cap 26<K) P Kinsley, HullEaaton Bat Bag 2323 M Kinningham, Hull

BaaebaliCap 3973 F Longford, SheffieldAll-Star Game Baaeball 1376 L Denton, Hull

Baseball Cap 2041 Jo Fry, HullBaaeball Cap 5319 L Mayfield, Fellham

Baseball Cap 6875 Jo Collings, GrimsbySporting News Complete 2300 C St Quinton, HullBaaeball Record WCBFT-shlrt 2664 Mrs D Cadd, Hull

Page 10- ~~

Brit-Ball Brit-Ball Page 11

NORTH SOUTH

POSITION PLAYER TEAM PLAYER TEAM

Starting Pitcher Martyn Dutton Birmingham Braves Don Knight Hounslow Rangers

Relief Pitcher Martin Godsall Liverpool Trojans Martin Sawyer Bristol Black Sox

Closing Pitcher Gary Abbott Menwith Hill Pirates Cody Cain London Warriors

Catcher Andy Maltby Humberside Mets Gary Bedingfield Enfield Spartans

First Base Darren Cross Hull Warriors Scott Miller Hemel Red Sox

Second Base Neil Read Humberside Mets Alan Bloomfield London Warriors

Third Base Simon Radge Humberside Mets Marco Vettese Brighton Buccaneers

Short Stop Mark Vickers Humberside Mets Harry Atwood London Warriors

Left Field Gary Sewell Nottingham Homets lain Lanario Enfield Spartans

Centre Field JoeYamold Birmingham Braves Stephen Khan Hounslow Rangers

Right Field Brian Thurston Humberside Mets Ben Moore Essex Arrows

Designated Hitter Frank Parker Humberside Mets Sean Ozolins Hemel Red Sox

Manager Matt Arrildt Menwith Hill Pirates Cody Cain London Warriors

To quote their managers;

Simon Robinson - Windsor LittleLeague.

(ContinuedFom page 1)

several new awards made. The firstwere the PONY SportsmanshipAwards to two outstanding juniorplayers. They had been nominatedby their team managers, not justbecause of their playing ability buttheir dedication to the game ofbaseball. The two winners were:

SummaryIn all the video is good to have in your library due to thelack of baseball shown on TV over here. Apart from thatthere are a number of special highlights from this seriesthat could be in the history books for some time to come.

However, the only real down side ofthe video was that forme there seemed to be a little too many shots of thecrowd. Yes, some of it was quite entertaining but I wouldrather see the baseball game as opposed to the crowd.

All of the players I manager interviews were good andgreat deal of players over here could do with taking someadvice and tips that are given.

If you would like to purchase a copy of thisvideo, please contact Silver Vision, 36Queensway, Ponders End, Enfield,Middlesex, EN3 4SA, Tel: 0181 8051354

Game 5 at Cleveland - Maddux v HershiserAnother big face up of pitchers as per game one. But thistime the Cleveland hitters had done their homework.This game shows how the Cleveland hitting coach haddone his job in analysing Greg Maddux. And his adviceproved to be invaluable for the Cleveland win.

Gary RobertsBirmingham Bandits

Game 6 at Atlanta - Glavine v MartinezGlavine pitches the fifth ever World Series one-hitter,much to the despair of the Cleveland hitters. What duringthe regular season proved to be one of the biggest hittingsides in the majors was held to just one hit, a bloop overthe infield. But both teams battled for their cause andgave everybody a good baseball treat. However, Atlantabattled that much harder to take the game and the series.

This video is a must for real baseball fanatics but to theuninitiated the things which are going on throughout thevideo could seem a little weird and confusing to say theleast.

Again we are treated to some good baseball along withthe obligatory excited crowd shots. Following anothergood game Atlanta manage to battle hard for the win.

In this section we are introduced to the new Cleveland"Bubble Head" Club. This has to be seen to be believed.Although some bubbles are fake, some are in fact forreal. Just keep looking and you can spot the real ones .. ,What a mess... !!

~rE\Y1~rE\I OillrurE ~~~5 \lO~L~ ~rE~~rE~ \Y1~~[O

~lL~~l~ [g)~~\Y1[~ \Y1 {LrE\Y1rEL~~~ ~~~~~~~

Game 2 at Atlanta - Glavine v MartinezThe main highlight was probably Eddie Murray becomingthe third oldest man in World Series history to hit a homerun.

Game 4 at Cleveland - Avery v Hill

The video continues to shoW baseball action highlights ofgame one complete with plenty of crowd shots and whatI think are excellent comments from players and teammanagers regarding the game and how situationsprogressed. Players of the game especially pitchersshould take notice of what is being said as there are somegreat psychological and mental tips to be listened toduring this video.

The video quickly moves to Game 1 of the seriesas Atlanta - Maddux v HershiserMy personal highlight was good old Fred McGriffs firstWorld Series at bat. What a way to open up with a homerun off Hershiser!

Chipper Jones and family were shown thoughout thegame. Although Chipper did not make any great impacton this game he did make the final out for Atlanta whotook the win.

Game 3 at Cleveland - Smolt v NagyThis is probably the game to watch. An exciting 11 inninggame which shows all of the excitement a baseball gamecan show, with extra innings, changing of pitchers, andhits all around the baseball field. The final score is 7 - 6to the Indians.

Again the video shows plenty of action and excitedcrowds from the game including Ted Turner and JaneFonda getting into things. Yet again Chipper Jonesmakes the final out of the game for an Atlanta win.

The video opens with a review of both teams seasonhighlights and how they got to the World Series. It alsoshows what players each of the teams had, theirstrengths and how they made an impact on each of theteams success.

Once into the 'meat' of the World Series the video takesa close-up focus on the Atlanta Braves rookie ChipperJones (I still do not know why he was not Rookie Of TheYear). We also get an introduction to his family. Bothparents seem very keen that their pride and joy is finallyplaying in such an event. Chipper's father, who is also abaseball coach, is seen strutting his stuff with chest fullyexpanded, and rightly so .,. who wouldn't ... !Note: if you do buy this video ensure that you payparticular attention to Chipper's wife .... almost worthstaying in every night for ... !!!

and

Weight Ball Training

Shoulder and ArmExercises for Baseball

Players.

PITCHING

If you or any memberofyour team would like acopy of these booklets,please send an A4 SAEto Head Office and wewill be happy to sendthem on to you.

Following the MLBIclinic, Brent Strom,Pitching Coach of theHouston Astros leftbehind two booklets:

Simon has invaluably contributedtowards the League's success thispast year. He has run the 9-12 yearsleague, both coaching and organisingthe teams. This season was hisrookie year as a coach and he copedextraordinarily well. Simon wastotally reliable and committed to theLeague, not only running the 9-12years sessions but also giving up histime to set up the diamond, sort andcheck the safety of the equipment.He has shown character,commitment, dedication,determination and flair throughoutthe season and has more thanproved himself a good coach.

The National Premier League· AII­Star team certificates were alsopresented. Players were selected tothe All-Star team by managers of theother teams within their conference.It is hoped that the two teams willplaya game during the 1996 season.More details will appear in a futureedition of Brit-Ball. The recipientsare listed below:

Tonbridge

Louise has not missed a coachingsession, practice or game, being verywilling to remain on the bench ifrequired and supporting the teamfUlly. She volunteers to attendmatches for which she is ineligibleage-wise, helping in any way she can.She readily asks for help and adviceand is most willing to leam as muchas possible in order to improve hergame. She plays the game primarilyfor enjoyment but is a competentplayer, able and Willing to play whereneeded and was a valued member ofthe Tonbridge team for the NationalYouth Final.

Louise WalkerBobcats Youth

Page 12 Brit-Ball--------------------_.•._------------------ -_._---_.-.-

Brit-Ball Page 13

Anywhere in the country

Another fear of many teams isthat if they do register anumpire or scorer then thisperson will be sent off aroundthe country to officiate at gamesother than for their own team.This is not the case. We aregiving both scorers and umpiresthe opportunity to state wherethey would like to officiate, ie

register one of these people.They can then be responsiblefor passing the information onto the other people with whomthey share the role, and theycan all attend the clinics.

time to let us know why.With your input we canhopefully make the 1997Clinic the best yet.

UMPIRES L\NDSCORERS

The reason for this stipulationis that during the course of theseason we will be sending outseveral pieces of informationwhich are pertinent to theirroles. We would like to ensurethat this information is receivedby the correct person, who canmake most use of it. It is awaste of your registrationmonies to send out informationwhich is just going to sit on a 1.shelf gathering dust!

Now here is your chance to For those of you thatlet us know your views on couldn't afford to bUy yourwhat you would like to see clinic t-shirt on the day orat next years clinic and how wanted to go but couldn'tit could be improved. If you make it we still have somedidn't attend the clinic this left and they can beyear then please take the purchased for £10.

that and as long as these kidscontinue to play there will be agood future for baseball in thiscountry.

Editor: What do you thinkabout the players you haveseen this weekend?

I then had the opportunity tospeak to Alan Ashkinazy fromPony Baseball who had beenconducting a junior clinicduring the weekend.

2. In their local area onlyAshkinazy: The young kids Many of you have called Headabout 10,11,12 seem to have Office to say that you don't 3. For a specific team onlythe most athletic ability. I think have one specific person whothe overall standard from day scores or umpires, but several So, not more excuses, registerone to day three went up 150% of your players take it in turns. those people!so I am really encouraged by If this is the case, please just

Collins: I have two players onmy team that I admireimmensley and that is JeffBagwell my first baseman whois a National League MVP. He .-- ---.

has a tremendous intensenessabout the game, works at hisart, takes pride and is a goodbaserunner. He never wants tocome out of the line-up. Mysecond baseman Craig Biggiois a four time All-star and ishow you would like everyplayer on your team to play.He comes out every night to For the 1996 season each BBFwin no matter what it takes. affiliated team must register anThose two guys set the umpire and a scorer, as well aspersonality of our team and send the nominated person tobecause we are a fairly young ·one of the clinics which willteam our players to get any take place around the country.sort of recognition have to playthe same type of game thatthose two players play or theyare going to be overlooked.

Editor: Which players do youadmire most and why?

to win. You end up dealingwith players with different egosand earning many more dollarsthan you are. You have tomake sure you get the rightmix.

I~

Collins: No question about it.In the minor leagues theplayer's job is to get better andthe manager's job is to makethat player better. Winning issecond and the developmentof the player is the primaryfunction. At the major leaguelevel the job of the manager is

Editor: Was it easiermanaging in the minors?

Collins: They have been veryattentive and they ask a lot ofgood questions and that is thebest way to start a goodprogramme by learningsomething and passing it on tothe next person who perhapsis younger.

Editor: How did you startplaying baseball?

Collins: I started very youngand was involved in the LittleLeague programme.Continued on through HighSchool and went to College ona baseball scholarship. WhenI graduated from college thePittsburgh Pirates drafted meand fell in love with the gameand tried to learn as much as Icould and have been veryfortunate to be involved aslong as I have.

Editor: What has been youropinion of the clinic attendeesyou have met so far?

States at2.30pm in theafternoonbefore a7.00pm gameso I know wellin advancewho theopposingteam will be.At about3.00pm wetake battingpractice witha few of theplayers. Ourregularbattingpracticestarts at4.00pm. Atabout 5.00pmwe gettogether inour variousgroups anddiscuss how

Collins: In Houston our gamesstart at 7.00pm and I'm at theballpark at 12.30pm. I write myline-up out and post so that if aplayer comes in he knowswhether he is playing that nightor whether he has the night off.Then I go for a little workoutsession. At about 2.00pm ourplayers start to arrive. I think itis very important for themanagers and coaches to bethere when the players comein. At that particular time westart to talk about the opposingpitchers and how we are goingto play the opposing line-up.We exchange line-ups in the

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Coaching Clinic Chatter

Editor: Could you tell me whattakes place on a normal game

The speakers Terry Collins,Brent Strom, Dick Nelson, AlanAshkinazy, Ralph Rago and BillArce were once againoutstanding with the onlydisappointment being the lackof people there to hear them. Itook time out to speak to theclinicians and the interviewsfollow.

This years BBF/MLBI day?Annual Coaching Clinictook place at Hopwood HallCollege, Manchesterthrough 19-21 January.

we are going to pitch to theopposition tllat day or how we

.....----------------------...1 are going to hit against them.Then we go back out and takeinfield practice then we comeback in and get ready andchange uniform to play at7.00pm.

Page 14

SABR (UK)Pag~ 15

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

! MY WAY ~~ ~cofti!:h B8~:Bb811 Vet~;Oh ~

~ And now the .nd i. ne~t, ~~ ~hd so WG f~eG thG fih~1 eutt~ih. ~

~ I=out tMhlS WG h~vG this yMt, ~

13 ~hd OM of thGSG is still uheGtt~ih. ~

~ WG'VG IivGd ~ IifG of fools, ~

~ WG'VG ttiGd it W~ttGht's ~hd GVGh Bti~h's w~y, ~

~ but still thG ~eottish LG~guG is ih it ditG w~y. ~

~ ~13 YGS thGtG WGtG tihlGS I'hl SUN! you khow, 13~ WhGh WG didh't hitvG it eluG. 13~ But thtough it ~II, without ~ doubt, 13~ thoSG bl~gfGd hlGGtihgs WGht tOuhd-it-~bout, n~ .0 we'd bl~lQ. the BBl= ~nd .hout w.'", in ~ di", w~y. ~

~ 13~ R.gt.rn, we'•• h~d ~ few, ~~ ~etu~lIy thGh ~g~ih, too hl~hY to hlGhtioh. 13~ Will ~eotl~hd h~vG ithothGt tMhl, n~ bGfol'G it's tihlG to eoliGet out ~Ghsioh. n~ PI~Y(!ts go, WG khow hOt whGI'G, 1311 thG list goGS Oh •••• thGY'I'G MIA ~

~ Ahd WG e~h't uhdGI'st~hd, why WG'I'G ih ~ dil'G w~y. n~ n~ 1=01' whitt's ih out tG~hl, n13 who hitvG WG got'? 11~ A sGeOhd NltG ~hglishhlith, 11t with ~ big ~ot. t~ HG ttiGd to ~iteh m: out of ~ I~hl ~

• ., ~ fGW yMI's b~ek, ~ VGI'y bt~vG hl~h • .,t We'•• IQ....d it "~, but ~eotl~nd e~n .~y ~! "I did it hly w~y". 13

~ ~ing to the hine of My W~y. !~ Keith GtlIham~~ ~cotfj~h Team Mahaget13~~~~13~13~13~~~~~~~~1313

----.:::=:1;-- The trainingcourse will be

delivered by fully qualified andexperienced coaches and I orphysical education specialists.

After the initial training day, teacherswill be equippped to start teachingTeeball as part of the Physical

Educationprogramme.As part of theprogramme,it may bepossible forcoaches tocome intoschool tohelp or offeradvice.

Should you require any furtherinformation, or wish to start aTeeball programme in your area,please contact Ian Smyth atHead Office 01" direct on 0113261 2571.

3. Starter Pack: A pack containinga set of throw down bases, a Teeballbat and incrediballs.

2. Handbook: A coaching manualdesigned to show skills and drills,which can be used as a referencesource.

1. Training: A half day trainingsession, covering the rules, basictechniques and practices. Wherenecessary this could be conducted asa twi-Iight course.

The BBF Teeball Programme

As part of the programme, the BBFwill provide free of charge thefollowing:

Brit-BallBrit-Ball

The BBF are looking toestablish TeeballProgrammes throughoutGreat Britain. Obviously toget a .. programme off theground, we need people atthe local level to be involved.This could be a teacher,sports development officer ora volunteer at your club.

It costs nothing to be involvedin this programme. The timecommitment is negligible, asafter the initial training,schools will be equipped tooperate their own programme.

A teeball programme inprimary schools in your areawill provide your club with aready made junior section.This will bring in moremembers and partents of thechildren participating.

BIFIEEBAllPROGRAMME

Teeball is an adapted versionof baseball, which is ideallysuited to the needs andabilities of young children. Itprovides the opportunity forchildren to develop physicalskills, within an enjoyable,interactive environment.Teeball fulfils the cirteria ofthe National Curriculum atKey Stage 2 for primaryschools. Teeball can beadapted for playing fields,playgrounds or school halls.In essence it is ideal forprimary schools.

or

SABRPO Box 93183

Cleveland, Ohio 44101USA

Patrick Carroll (Chair UK I EuropeBaseball Committee)

10 Court BartonCrewkerne

Somerset TA18 7HPTel: 0146074183

The first step to participation isSABR (UK)'s activities is to joinSABR itself. The annual

SABR stands for the Society for membership subscription isAmerican Baseball Research (In US$50.00. This should be paidSABR (UK) we tend to soft- directly to SABR's headquarterspeddle the 'American' bit). The in Cleveland, Ohio (details areSociety has over 6,500 members below). The Bobby Thomsonworld-wide, the majority in the Chapter does not have aUnited States and Canada, but separate SUbscription, althoughwith eighteen other countries we do collect a few pounds fromrepresented. Of these the UK members at our periodichas the third largest membership meetings, mainly to cover thebehind Japan. SABR has two costs of venue and catering.main organisational SABR membersunits: its Chapters, receive a copy ofwhich are regional; the monthly SABRand its Committees, Bulletin, thewhich are open to all magazines Themembers. The UK Baseball ResearchChapter is named in Journal and Thehonour of Bobby National Pastime,Thomson, the as well as other one-Glasgow-born hero of off SABRthe 1951 New York publications. AGiants who hit the famous 'shot recent example was theheard round the world' which beautifully produced 382pp Thedefeated. the Brooklyn Dodgers in Negro Leagues Book which,the National League playoffsl retailing in America for US$29.99,Most members of the Bobby was free to SABR members. TheThomson Chapter are also Bobby Thomson Chapter alsomembers of SABR'~ Baseball in produces the SABR (UK)UK I Europe Committee (one of Examiner which acts as aSAB~'~ sixtee~ recognise? newslette~ for both the Chapters~eclallst ~ommlttees): I ch~lr and the UK I Europe Committee.thiS Committee and our Interest IS All in all we think a worthwhileto rese~rch ~nto all aspects of the investm~nt for the student ofgame I~ thiS pa~ of. the. world. baseball research. Any Brit-BallOur pnmary objective IS the reader wishing more informationproduction of an authoritative on SABR may contact:History of Baseball, Britain &Ireland, beginning with baseball'sroots in the family of bat, ball andrunning games which areprimarily British in origin andcontinuing right up to the presentday. This is a long-term job formany hands, prominent amongthem BBF Board member IanSmyth.

Page 16~ . - - _ ... ,--_ ..-. --~._--

Brit-Ball Brit-Ball Page 17

SUPPORTED BY~SPORrS~counaL

BRIT ~~; BALL---

The Official Voice of theBritish Baseball Federation

BRIT-BALL

Return this form toBBF, 66 Belvedere Road, Hessle

North Humberside, HU13 9JJ

Name: _

Address: _

Postcode: _

Please ensure I receive a copy of Brit-Balleach month. I enclose my cheque for a £10annual subscription (cheques madepayable to the British Baseball Federation).

Why not have your own copy mailed directlyto you each month, to keep up to date with all

the news and views on British Baseball.

Name: _

Please ensure I receive a copy of the 1996British Baseball Federation Handbook. Ienclose my cheque for £4 (cheques madepayable to the British Baseball Federation).

Address: _

Return this form toBBF, 66 Belvedere Road, Hessle

North Humberside, HU13 9JJ

Postcode: _

1996BRITISH

BASEBALLFEDERATIONHANDBOOK

To reserve your copy (to be published midMarch) please return the form below along witha cheque for £4.00 made payable to the BritishBaseball Federation.

Contains all the contract details and fixtures forthe 1996 season. An excellent buy for anyintrepid baseball fan.

~EASTONofficial hat supplier tIlIJL\.

.;-- ,1111'''1'1 I',ilt! .I'IIr1I1J\;:lllI( 1\ (j\iIlil FI\ I Ii';' : ,- \I l .~

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Buckinghamshire MK1 (, aRDTellFax (0190a) 61 S(d 2

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Page 18 Brit-Ball Brit-Ball Page 19

BBF ( MLBI 1996ENVOY PROGRAMME

I found the whole weekend to be amost enjoyable experience.Everyone was friendly. Dick Nelsonfrom MLBI, held the Umpires Clinicand did a great job. I am new toumpiring and I found his coaching tobe excellent and extremely helpful.He went over all the basics plus a lotof tricky play situations. My onlydisappointment was that there werenot enough people in the clinic. Allyou would be or existing umpires outthere have definitely missed out.

I managed to grovel a lift down withthe Tayside Cobras delegationwhich consisted of two juniors, Garyand Michael, plus David Donaldsonand his infamous mum, Karin.(Majestic Sportswifey Award for1995). We arrived on the Fridaynight at about 6.15pm, aftertravelling for four hours at Mach 2. Ithen met up with the other scottishlot, none other than Nick Clark andhis fellow Reivers, Billy and youngDavid. We attended the openingceremony then went off to ourchosen clinics.

superb beginners bat for 7-10 yearolds. Thanks again Pete.

The Saturday night dinner and gettogether was great. Six of thecountless raffle prizes were won bytickets sold in Dundee. I won a stateof the art Scorer's bag containingeverything a scorer needs exceptumbrella and hot water bottle! Andyes, one of the prizes was a ChicagoBulls Cap. I spoke to a lot of people,some I knew, some I knew of andsome I had never met. What we allhad in common was a love ofbaseball and that was the main

and dedicated pople. It's a greatsport. I hope Scotland will continueto excel and perhaps in the not toodistant future we will have a team toplay in the EuropeanChampionships.

Thank you again for the honour andgood luck to Brilish Baseball in 1996.

Dear Brit-Ball

,.Yours sincerelyKarin DonaldsonTayside Cobras

Why is it at this time every year Istart spring training without a thoughtto do a decent warm-up? I onlyremember the day after when I'vebruised the muscles in my legs andanns so much that I am walkingaround like Frankenstein's monsterl

Well, spring training has not quitestarted yet. However, I attended theUmpires Clinic at the recent BBF IMLBI I PONY Clinics in Manchesterand I thought there would be nopractical lessons. WrongI On theSaturday morning we all had topractice our stance, timing, calls andmechanics - in front of a pitchingmachine with only a mask on. I was

to glad that Billy Jenkins, fromEdinburgh Reivers, was catching asI know he is one of Scotland's topcatchers (I'll get the tenner laterBilly). I found out on the Sundaymorning that yet again I hadforgotten to warm-up before takingpart in physical activities that I wasnot used to.

I hadn't attended any of the previousNational Clinics so I didn't know whatto expect, or what to take with me forthat matter. Oh, by the way, thanksagain for the towel Wendy. The fonnI filled in asked who I wanted to sharemy room with. I asked for Meg Ryanbut Kevin said she was apparentlyunavailable. So I was shoved in withPeter Harris from PHA Leisure whowas representing Easton and had astall in the main hall. Nice man. Avery very nice man. I bought someumpires equipment from him at agood price. On hearing from meonce or twice, that we in DundeeDragons are going to start up aRookie League team, he gave me a

Birmingham Baseball Club,Director of Operations,Raymond Brownlie said "It iswith great honour and pridethat we welcome Mike onto theteam and his immenseknowledge of the game in thiscountry and at internationallevel will prove to beinvaluable to the running of theset up we have in Birmingham.Everyone involved with theClub are excited about thiscoming season which shouldprove to be an interestingyear".

Dear BBF Board

PRESSRELEASE

Thank you very much for theMajestic Sportsman Award whichyou gave to me for services toScottish Baseball - I was absolutelydelighted to receivesuch a prestigioustrophy - what aChristmas present - Iam very proud tohave beenconsidered, far lessbeing the successfulcandidate. I love baseball and ofcourse being involved because ofDavid I have met many interesting

This now brings to the club awealth of baseball experienceand knowledge at bothInternational and Club levelspanning over thirty years.

The Birmingham Braves of theBritish Baseball League havechanged their name from theBraves to the Bandits, andfollowing extensivenegotiations the club canconfirm the signing of MichaelHarrold as Team Manager.

• Your name, address and. telephone number• The names of your senior and

junior teams• An oUJline of the programme

you intend to use for the envoyfor the duration of his stay, andhow you intend to publicisethis.

• Abrief summary of Why yourarea will benefit from theenvoy's expertise.

From· our formation in 1993 to NationalYouth finalists in 1995 owes a !J'eat dealto the expert coaching received by bothour coaches and junior players.

Our envoys Ted Novio and Tom Mendozahave put Hessle flmlly on the baseballmap.

Kevin Macadan, Hessle Apaches

Applications should be sent in by31 March 1996.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALLINTERNATIONAL

coach will be invaluable to yourclub this summer, then you needto send in an application to BBFHead Office giving the followingdetails.' Envoys will be allocatedon a first come first served basisin blocks of a maximum of 4weeks.

-To provide housing and foodfor the envoy, whether this is inyour own home or a local hotel.The envoy coach must haveavailable his own bedroom,with an adequate supply oflinens, blankets and hot water.Three meals per day must beprovided, which meet therequirements of the coachesthemselves.

So, if you like the sound of theabove, and think that the envoy

>Ie Develop

This summer MLBI are sendingsix envoys to Great Britain. Theywill arrive in June, and stay inGreat Britain for approximately 8weeks. All the envoys areexperienced college coaches inthe US, and many have alsocoached in Great Britainpreviously.

The Envoy instructors' time and - To provideefforts will focus ...-----------...., transport to andmainly on our youth ...... 600 kids in 8 schools have spent from his airport ofand schools a total of 90 sessions with Vince. He arrival Ipro g ram m e S, has also taken most of the 12 youth departure, as wellhelping existing Blazer practices and the 24 summer as all local

holiday sessions and did most of theBBF clubs to grow \Wfk at the Bracknell Schools Baseball transportation.their junior ToumlJ'nent. In addition he has helped - To arrangemembership. They the club team through 28 club C 0 a chi n gwill bring to your practices, 9 ganes and 1 toumlJ'nent. sessions withclub many benefits: That's the bare bones of it. However local teams and

the most important aspect of having anenvoy is the enthusiasm that they can schools for the

your generate in the kids and people with duration of hisj u n i 0 r who they come into contact. stay. You willprogramme also need to

>Ie Players receive Paul Vernon, Bracknell Blazers supply a certainexpert coaching l- --I amount of

>Ie Develop baseball in your local baseball equipment for theschools envoy to use during his visits to

>Ie Enhance your own coaching schools etc, where equipmentskills is not available.

The coaches can be expected towork five or six days per week, a

The purpose of the ...-- --, minimum of four andEnvoy Programme maximum of eightis to provide the People in the UK don't dislike hours per day. The

CEB Federations baseball. they all just unfsnililJ' majority of their timewith it. In time, this country will should be spent on

wl'th contl'nuous have arich lradition in this sport.the field in practice or. t' . Keep up the good \Wfk.

Instruc IOn In clinic situations.bas e b a I I Vince GlJ'dia, MlBI Envoy 1995fundamentals, to L- -.J As an envoy hostplayers and your responsibilities will be:coaches of all ages and levels.

Page 20

ingredient which made for a happyand friendly atmosphere. Of course Dear Brit-Ballthe booze had a bit to do with it too!

The anagrams below describe theplays which enabled the batter toadvance around the bases to scorethe winning run. Can you work outhow it was acheived?

'RUN RIDDLE'(Devised by Will Cosgrave)

Page 21

1. First BasePHYTHIBICT

Brian EdwardsDundee Dodgers

It would beinteresting tocompare thesecosts with otherteams, to find apattern orconsistency, socome on, is Doreen's club the highestfor charges and is mine the lowest?

£0.00£0.00£16.88£12.30£12.30£41.48

Umpire'S ExpensesScorer's ExpensesBalls, 2 per gameGround RentChanging / ToiletsTOTAL

I also notice in Doreen's letter that itcosts her club £50 per game forumpires, £5 for a scorer and thateach home game requires 6 balls! Idon't know the club's circumstancesbut in comparison I don't know of ascorer in Scotland who charges andthe most an umpire charges is £15, ifat all. Two baseballs are used atgames, any more is excessive unlessballs are lost. Doreen states that atypical game on Saturday and one onSunday costs £162. One weekend'sbaseball at the home ground inDundee in 1995 cost as follows:

player. Having recently completedDundee Dodgers annual accounts, Idecided to do a bit of costing of myown. The average weekly cost,taking into account not only BBFcharges but club expenses as awhole, shows £2.17 for seniors and£0.75 for juniors.

Editor: When you've compiled yourlist, we would appreciate a copyplease Will.

In the September 1995 issue, DoreenMegson wrote regarding weekly costsper player to play baseball under theumbrella of the BBF. I do agree thatit costs more than £1 per senior

Dear Brit-Ball

Yours sincererlyWill Cosgrave26 ShelfordBurritt RoadKingstonSurrey KT1 3HR

Former regional league champions:East Midlands 1981/2/3 and 1992;Humberside 1982;Midlands (overall 1991);Northeast before 1990;Scotland before 1993;South - Div One 1992;South - Div Two 1981/4/5 and 1992;South - Div Three 1981/214 and 1990(overall / North / South);Southwest before 1991;Yorkshire 1989/90;Baseball Southwest 1993/4/5.

Brit-Ball

Dear Brit-Ball

I am trying to draw up a list of BritishBaseball champion teams since 1981but there are a number of gaps anduncertainties in my records. I wouldbe very grateful to anyone who couldwrite to the address below with anyinformation about the followingqueries:

National Champions[?11992; ?National KO Cup •winners before 1986.

If there is any way I can help convincethe other teams in the British BaseballLeague to change their vote to yes fortwo sevens everytime they take thefield please let me know. I'd love tosee the game take off in your country.My five seasons with EnfieldSpartans were great fun - I only wishI had another five seasons left in myarm!

to take.

Brit-Ball

Rob Nelson

I believe the British Baseball Leagueneeds to evaluate its proposed 1996Premier Division schedule. If Britishballplayers are to improve, theymust play at least two 9 inninggames every time their team isscheduled to play. The 9 inningdoubleheader adds about an hour tothe day'S baseball activity, but it is acritical hour. When teams play one9 inning game the players on thebench usually see little, if any,action. This hurts the game.

If the league insisted that everyplayer play at least three innings aday, and no pitcher could throwmore than 7 innings in a day, theleague would be helping all clubs.Teams would have to develop adeeper pitching staff, and a teamsbench strength would becomecritical to the team's success.Players - talented ones and not sotalented - need to play a lot beforethey improve. Two seven inninggames on 14 days in 1996 would bea welcom.e step for British Baseball

Brian EdwardsScottish Conference Commissioner

The closing ceremony on the Sundayafternoon arrived too quickly and thenit was allover after the cliniciansshared a few funny stories. I said myau revoirs to all my new friends andthen went off to pack my things. Afterinitially losing our way amongst themany intersections, we finally foundthe right road and with David driving,we sped north at warp factor 10.

Leaving themotorway atPerth, Davidtacked the hillyand twisting B­roads to Alythwith the style ofDamon Hillwithout slowingdown. My car

was waiting for me upon arrival but ittook two hours to wait on my stomachcatching up before I could set off forDundee!

Don't delay - orderYOllr FAN PACK today!

1996 SOUTHERN LEAGUE FAN PACKSecond BaseLENSALBOBAS

2.

Answers to last month's puzzle areas follows:

3. Third BaseISHABET

4. Home PlateBELSALPADS

'MUDDLED MANAGERS'

1. Ron Fletcher2. Matt Arrildt3. Gary Cumming4. Phil Herbert5. Glyn McQueen6. Gary Roberts7. Craig Savage8. Frank Caunce9. Frank Parker10. Steve Gilbert11. David Hughes12. Matthew Darr

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1(M~ worIdaJide:

Total Amollnt Enclosed _

(Sorry--no credit cards or phone orders accepted.)Make check or money order (U.S. funds only)payable to:

Southern LeagueOne Depot Street, Suite 300Marietta, GA 30060-1909Phone 770-428-4749 -Fax 770-428-4849

Fall Pack Includes:1996 Southern League Yearbook--Team Statistics, Player Features, 1996 Schedule, ExtensiveLeague Records, Major and Minor League Club Directory, 1995 Review and much more! (Sold Separately $15.95*)1996 Bi-Weekly Newsletter (Sold Separately $15.95*)Southern League Wool, Adjustable Baseball Cap (Sold Separately $16.95*)1996 Southern League Official Baseball (Sold Separately $ 6.00*)1996 Southern League Poster Schedule (New item thisyear) (Sold Separately $ 3.00*)1996 Seleeted Team Card Sets (2 Teams) (Sold Separately $ 7.00*)1996 Opening Day, All-Star and Playoff Rosters (Sold Separately $ 3.00)Total ifi/ems purchased separately $67.85**Please add $3.00 shipping/or each item ordered separatelp.

Your discounted Fan Pack price only $45.95 + $5 postage & handling

Name, _Address _

•••••••

City, State, Zip _Day Phone _

, Please send information on '96 Fantasy Camp1 Please add my name to your mailing list

To order: please senpd&apcheque maddde£P2aY5aobfle to HKb

(EUr05Pe) Ltd; Credit Card Orders: available by phone ~C?"':iD()

: please a . or one ook ( Op for each additional book)HUMAN KINETICS (EUROPE) LTO, PO Box IW14, Leeds LS16 6TR Tel: 0113278 1708 Fax: 0113 278 1709

Page 23

1996 season.

For anyone travelling a longdistance to the course inBelfast, local accommodationis also available. Pleasecontact David Ashby on 01232681207 for further details.

If you would like a coachingcourse in your area, pleasecontact BBF Head Office.

Directions tothe venues anda detailedprogramme willbe sent upon receipt of anapplication form and fee.

The courses wi II beconducted by BBFDevelopment Officer and GBCoach, Ralph Rago. Bothcourses will commence at9.30am and finish at 4.30pmwith a short break for lunch.The cost of the course alsoincludes a certificate,coaching badge andregistration as a coach for the

BBF Level A Coaching CourseBritish Baseball Federation66 Belvedere Road, HessleNorth Humberside HU139JJ

practices and how to takenecessary safety precautionswhen coaching. Allequipment will be providedand a BBF Level A Coachingmanual will be given to eachattendee.

eel"eOAeJlllJC ,4gg0eIATIOIJl£V£l A eOURg£g

Please return this form to:

Saturday 24 FebruaryStranmillis College,

Belfast

Saturday 9 MarchCostello Stadium,

Boothferry Road, Hull

On completion of the coursethe coaches will be able toteach baseball fundamentals,skills and drills, the rules of thegame, how to organise

Two level A Coaching Coursesare being held over the nextfew weeks. Details are:

I would like to participate in the Level A Coaching- Course in (please tick)

Hull 0 0 Belfast

Name:

Address:

Postcode:

Tel No: Date of Birth:

Baseball Team:(if applicable)

I enclose £18 registration fee for the course

All cheques should be made payable to the British Baseball Federation

Brit-BallBrit-Ball

BBF COACHINGASSOCIATION

LEVEL AA COURSE

For further details contactIan Smyth on 0113 2612571.

7-9

3-6

1 - 2

10 - 11

YEAR GROUPS

5-7

7 - 11

11 - 14

14 - 16

PUPIL'S AGES

Maximizing Baseball PracticeJohn Winkin with Jay Kemble & Michael Coutts

Foreword by Tommy Lasorda

(~ great resource for all baseball coaches"

* Includes 54 illustrated drills designed to give players the gamelike experiences they needto compete successfully

* Coaches are shown how to plan a practice, make use of facilities and how to involve asmany players as possible in each segment of the practice session

* Each drill has the goals outlined, the skills emphasised, details of how to perform the drilland coaching tips

0-87322-430-2 152 pages 134 illustrations paperback £14.95

KEY STAGE

New!

KEY STAGE 1

KEY STAGE 2

KEY STAGE 3

KEY STAGE 4

HAVE YOU AFFILIATEDYOUR TEAM YET:......

Please remember that If you have not affiliated by 29February then your team will not be Included in the leagueschedules for the 1996 season. If you're havingdifficulties let us know.

To date 41% of senior teams and 40% of Junior teams havepaid their fees.

If not, It's now going to cost you an extra £20 for seniorteams and £5 for Junior teams.

At the 1995 AGM an explanation of the National Curriculum keystages was requested:

The National Curriculum applies to pupils of compulsory schoolage. It is organised on the basis of four Key Stages as follows:

The cost of the Level AA courseis £30. This includes all course

f- ~__umaterials, Level AA coaching

manual, and examination fee.Examinations will includepractical and theoreticalaspects of coaching.

Page 22

....-----------------------.IThe taught element of theseTHE STRUCTURE OF THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM awards will be towards the end

of the summer. However allcandidates must produce a logbook of their coachingactivities. To assist coacheswith this, BBF session plannersare available from Head Office.

Applications are now beingtaken for Level AA courses.

I Applicants must be registeredI coaches, should hold Level A,: or have other applicableI qualifications.I

~-----------------------------------~

.-------------------------------'----.

Page 24 Brit-Ball

OO©~O [b@1l0@ @@~

®QIT'<IDrJ@~V@ u~[P@EJ~

FBI are out in front whenit comes to sorting you

out with the kit youneed at a price you canafford. Add this to the

new points systemwhich .many teams areswitching on to and you

have a winningcombination

FBI ¥would like toSay a big B •••ball

Thank you to

\]:_£'tI The Birmingham Braves, The Chichester Kyotes, The Brighton

~~. Buccaneers, Essex Arrows, Hull Mets, London Wolves, The~ Birmingham Brewers, The Dundee Dodgers, Burgess Hill Red

~~T" Hats, Darlington Demons, Bristol Black Sox, Totteridge

~ ~Trailblazers, Liverpool Trojans, Droitwich Spatans,

#- .. Kirkaldy Baseball Club, Nottingham Pirates, West. Midland Razorbacks, Manchester Cougars, Bracknell~ Blazers, Sheffield Bladerunners. Brentwood Stags.

L Can we be of service to you soon?

And for all you other teams out there that have not had theFBI experience the season is not over for you yet. FBI aregetting ready to have a mad, bad, end ofseason sale. All

those established customers will get the details first, so if youare not on the hit list what are you waiting for.

Give us a call0171 837 5100