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
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