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Canada Victorious in Final Classic Tune-up

Canada Victorious in Final Classic Tune-up

March 05, 2009

TAMPA, FL – Team Canada only needed one inning to take care of the New York Yankees as the Canadians came out strong in the first inning and the pitching took care of the rest as the Canucks topped the Yankees 6-0 in their final World Baseball Classic exhibition. Canada took advantage of an erratic Joba Chamberlain, who started for the Yankees, scoring all six of their runs in the first frame. Chamberlain would only last five hitters, walking four and did not record an out before being pulled from the game. Jonathan Albaladejo came in relief of Chamberlain and inherited a bases loaded situation with no outs and 2-0 deficit. Matt Stairs (Fredericton, NB) put the dagger in the inning with a two-run double, scoring Nick Weglarz (Stevensville, ON) and Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC) and made it 4-0. Mark Teahen (Redlands, CA) drove in the fifth Canadian run on a sacrifice fly to bring in Jason Bay (Trail, BC) and then Stairs would score the final run on a Luke Carlin (Aylmer, QC) RBI single. “We were able to take advantage of some mistakes today,” says Morneau.”It’s important as a team to recognize what’s going on out there. We have alot of professional hitters here that have been around long enough and are able to realize those situations and that’s what we did in that first inning.” The Canadian pitching then took it from there and was lights out, beginning with starter Scott Diamond (Guleph, ON). Diamond went two innings and only allowed a pair of walks in what was a solid outing. He also struck out a pair. “This was my first time facing big league hitters and guys on the 40-man roster, so I was pretty excited about it,” says Diamond. “I was pretty nervous going out there facing that Yankee lineup, they have some pretty big hitters, but I was able to settle down after the first couple of strikes and stay calm and not get ahead of myself.” The shutout was preserved the rest of the way with the help of Jesse Crain (Toronto, ON), Steve Green (Greenfield Park, QC), David Davidson (St. Catherines, ON) and T.J. Burton (Ottawa, ON). All told, the Canadian pitchers allowed only four hits to a Yankee lineup that featured Mark Texeira, Nick Swisher, Melky Cabrera, Hideki Matsui and Xavier Nady. With the exhibiton portion of Team Canada’s schedule now over, Manager Ernie Whitt says his troops are set for action. “All the players are ready to go,” says Whitt. “I hate to use an old cliché but we’re going to take it one game at a time. If our pitchers can throw strikes and our offence does what it does we will be in good shape.” “Alot of pitchers I hadn’t seen before, alot of players I hadn’t seen before but I’m impressed,” adds Whitt. “We’re going to be led by our offence but I’m confident in our arms... they’re inexperienced arms, but they’re quality arms and now we’re going to see how they handle the big stage once we get there.” Team Canada now makes its way to Toronto where they will hold a workout on Friday morning at the Rogers Centre and will then open the first round of the World Baseball Classic against the United States on Saturday, March 7th with game time at 2 pm at the Rogers Centre.

Canada Falls to Phillies in Exhibition Play

Canada Falls to Phillies in Exhibition Play

March 04, 2009

CLEARWATER, FL – Team Canada was unable to take advantage of their opportunities today as the Philadelphia Phillies were able to put together a couple big innings in a 9-2 victory over the Canadians in a World Baseball Classic tune-up. The Phillies put up a four spot in the third inning to open the scoring when Raul Ibanez hit a bases loaded double off of Mike Johnson (Edmonton, AB), bringing in all three runners. Ibanez would later score on a Ryan Howard single to make it 4-0. Johnson came in relief of starter Vince Perkins (Victoria, BC) who went two and one-third innings, allowing three runs on two hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts. For Perkins, who has not seen alot of action over the last two seasons due to injury, it was in the process of refining his game. “Everything feels good. The only issues today were just a matter of timing and just being more consistent,” says Perkins. As for Johnson, he pitched in a game after arriving Tuesday night in Florida after over 20 hours of travelling from Japan, where he is for Spring Training for his club in Korea. “When I was on the mound it was 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning (in Japan),” says Johnson. “I’m not bad,” adds Johnson when asked if he was tired. “I thought I did pretty good, just left that one pitch up to Howard, but other than that I thought it went fine.” Manager Ernie Whitt sees Johnson’s outing as him putting his work in rather than a complete evaluation of his performance. “He threw on Sunday over in Korea and flew all night, and right now he just said goodnight to me,” quipped Whitt. “It was just about getting the one inning in, a little touch and feel and hopefully he’ll get grounded and be fine for Saturday.” Brooks McNiven (Vancouver, BC) came in relief of Johnson and gave up a two-run home run to John Mayberry, Jr. to start the fourth, but settled down and retired the next six batters he faced in order. Chris Leroux (Mississauga, ON) followed McNiven and threw one and two-third innings giving up two unearned runs on a pair of hits. Bryan Dumesnil (Nanaimo, BC) closed out the game allowing an unearned run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout in one and one-third innings. “This is their chance to pitch on the big stage,” says Whitt of his young pitching staff. “You look at some of these guys and they’re out there throwing 90-plus mph and now we’ll see how they’ll handle the big picture.” Team Canada’s offence came in the fifth inning as Adam Stern (London, ON) hit an RBI single to score Stubby Clapp (Windsor, ON). Chris Barnwell (Shelburne, NS) would score the second Canadian run on a sacrifice fly from Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC). Despite this recent minor setback, Morneau still holds confidence in his team and their chances at the tournament. “We’ve got a pretty good team here,” says Morneau. “We play with a lot of heart and when you’re asked to play for Canada, you usually don’t turn that down.” Canada will play its final tune up game prior to making their way to Toronto to open the World Baseball Classic on Thursday, March 5th at 1:05 pm in Tampa against the New York Yankees. Scott Diamond (Guelph, ON) is scheduled to start for Team Canada.

Canada Looking Good in First Classic Tune-up

Canada Looking Good in First Classic Tune-up

March 03, 2009

DUNEDIN, FL – The offence found its groove and the pitching was solid in Team Canada’s first Spring Training game as the Canadians took care of the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4. Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC) led the way offensively for the Canadians going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Peter Orr (Newmarket, ON) knocked in a pair of runs with a double, going 1-for-3 on the day and Luke Carlin (Aylmer, QC) also had a two-run double, going 1-for-2. On the mound, Scott Richmond (North Vancouver, BC) threw a solid two and two-thirds innings, allowing a pair of runs on four hits with one walk and two strikeouts. For Richmond, it was all about getting things right. “I just wanted to go out there and work on my pitches,” says Richmond. “I think I got it down. I worked on my breaking ball and it looked good. I just want to get the kinks out.” As for when he will take the mound next, that is yet to be determined. But when the call comes, Richmond will be eager to get the ball. “I’m just going to be ready. I’m ready. It’s only my second start of the spring, but I came into camp in shape so I can handle (the work load).” Russell Martin (Chelsea, QC), who came into camp with a minor foot injury, looked healthy and ready to compete going 1-for-2 with a double and a walk and was solid defensively behind the plate. But in exhibition play, Martin is taking it one day at a time. “Right now I’m just taking the necessary precautions to make sure that I can be as good as I can be when the tournament starts,” says Martin. “It’s a hundred times better now than when it first happened. Moving behind the plate I’m not a hundred percent but there’s still four days before the tournament starts and like I said it already feels a hundred times better.” One thing that was on display today on this edition of Team Canada is more balance at the plate. There are six right handed hitters this time around, a rare commodity in 2006. Manager Ernie Whitt will have more options to matchup in this year’s tournament. “Today was the first time I’ve seen (Chris) Barnwell play and I’ve looked at his numbers and he has really good numbers with a good on base percentage and he’s a hardnosed player. So it’s nice to have him as a right-handed hitter,” says Whitt. “We have Martin, we’ve got (Jason) Bay so it does break it up a little bit.” Team Canada on the mound we’re able to hold the Blue Jays to four runs on 11 hits with three walks on nine strikeouts. Chris Begg (Uxbridge, ON) got the win, allowing only one run on three hits with three strikeouts over two and one-third innings. David Davidson (St. Catherines, ON) earned the save pitching a perfect ninth with one punch out. Team Canada will hit the field again on Wednesday, March 4th against the Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater. Game time is 1:05 pm and Vince Perkins (Victoria, BC) is scheduled to start for Canada.

Team Canada Getting Ready to Take on the World

Team Canada Getting Ready to Take on the World

March 02, 2009

DUNEDIN, FL – Team Canada held its first team workout in Dunedin, Florida today and as the team prepares for the World Baseball Classic, it is also fine tuning the finer points prior to beginning the tournament on March 7th. Team Canada Manager Ernie Whitt has some work ahead of him in order to piece together the lineup he will put out on the field. “These three days will be interesting,” says Whitt. “Hopefully we will have enough time to take a look at (the players we haven’t seen), evaluate them and do the best that we can.” If there is one thing the Team Canada staff does not have to worry about, and is common with Canadian teams in the past, is team bonding. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve got 20 years experience or if you’ve got no experience, that doesn’t matter here,” says Adam Stern. “Everyone get treated the same and everyone is here for one goal and that is to win.” One example is Team Canada newcomer Mark Teahen. Teahen was born in Redlands, California, but his father Michael is from St. Mary’s, Ontario. Michael was a member of the Canadian National Team in the 70s and the stories he would share with his son was motivation to follow his roots. “My dad would tell me stories about playing for the Canadian team and going to the Pan-Am Games and everything else he got to do and he still has alot of close friends who played with for those years and I’m excited to be able to follow in his footsteps in that way,” says Mark Teahen. But if his father was not motivation enough, there were some extra nudging from contemporaries. “I’ve been talking with (Justin) Morneau quite a bit and I played with Matt Stairs for two years in Kansas City and this is something I’ve wanted to do is represent Canada,” says Teahen. “I’m sorry I missed out on the first WBC, but it was just too early in my career and the Royals needed me in camp. It’s nice to be able to finally to play for Team Canada.” On the field today, players went through fielding and batting practice and some strategy in order to get in the best game shape as quickly as possible. The pitching continues to be the biggest head scratcher for the coaching staff as they are still deciphering through who will get the ball in the first game. “Our biggest challenge at this time is that we have 27 innings to cover with 13 pitchers and if you do the math it just doesn’t work out very well,” says Whitt of using his pitchers over the three upcoming exhibition games. Team Canada begins their exhibition schedule on Tuesday, March 3rd against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin. Game time is 1:05 pm. The Canadians will follow that up with contest against the Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater on March 4th and finally against the New York Yankees in Tampa on March 5th. Then Canada will make its way to Toronto for Pool C action of the World Baseball Classic and will first take on the United States on March 7th at 2 pm at the Rogers Center.

Assignment of a Lifetime

Assignment of a Lifetime

March 01, 2009

OTTAWA – As Canada is gearing up for the World Baseball Classic, it will not only be the players who will get the chance to represent their country. Corrie Davis of Sherwood Park, Alberta and Stéphane Dupont of Mascouche, Québec will both get the opportunity of a lifetime as they will both be participating in the WBC… as umpires. The two longtime Canadian umpires will be on the field in San Juan, Puerto Rico officiating in the first round of Pool D action of the upcoming World Baseball Classic. In the inaugural event in 2006, there were no Canadian umpires. This time around, 15 international umpires, including Davis and Dupont, have worked with Major League umpire supervisors to refine their skills to prepare for the biggest assignment of their umpiring careers. “The fact that we have two Canadian umpires working at an event of this magnitude is a testament to the quality of our development program,” says Davis. “I hope that we can be successful at the WBC so that other Canadian umpires will have a chance to enjoy this experience in the future.” Davis and Dupont went down to Long Beach, California for a week to learn from some of the best umpires in the world. Everyday, their training would begin in the classroom. They were being taught lessons about mechanics and drills before going out on the field later in the day to work on those lessons with former Major League umpires such as Bruce Froemming, Steve Rippley and Larry Young. Then they would umpire live baseball games with the help of the Compton Community College. “When you’re next to legends like Steve Rippley, Larry Young and Bruce Froemming, it can give you a bit of an inferiority complex,” says Dupont. “But it helped me gain confidence because I realized that ‘hey, I have 27 years experience doing this and I’ve done this before at many different levels.’ And all the Major League umpires were very helpful and inclusive.” But it was not only on field training for these two Canadian umpiring veterans. They were also taught important lessons about nutrition and exercise from experts such as MLB Director, Umpire Medical Services Mark Letendre. Letendre taught them some new exercises to help cope with the rigours of the profession. “A neat thing Dr. Letendre taught us was that you aren’t just stretching for today, but you’re stretching and doing these exercises now so you can have a good quality of life after you’re done your career,” says Davis. “It can wear your body down after a while.” Even with all of this new training, both Davis and Dupont bring a combined 50+ years of umpiring experience to the table. Davis, who started umpiring at the age of 12, has been in the game for 25 years. He’s umpired numerous national and international tournaments in his career, including the most recent World Cup of Baseball in Taiwan. He has also officiated over 150 games in the pro ranks in the Pacific Coast League For Dupont, he has been an umpire since 1985 and has also officiated in several national and international events. His resume includes the 1999 Pan-Am Games, the 2002 World Junior Championship and the 2005 World Cup of Baseball. Both have also been supervisors and instructors to help grow and develop officiating in Canada. In fact, Davis is now the Supervisor of Umpires for Baseball Canada. “(The MLB Umpire Supervisors) may have been a bit nervous at first, not knowing what they had to work with, but I think by the end of the week we showed them we could umpire,” says Davis. Both are looking forward to the chance of being on the big stage. Now that baseball has been removed from the Olympics, the World Baseball Classic is easily the biggest international event for the sport with Major League players on the field representing their countries. Both Davis and Dupont hold that same sense of pride when they will take the field in Puerto Rico. “It is simply an honour to get a chance to represent your country at an event that, I believe, is the most prestigious and where amateur umpires can take part,” says Dupont. “I am extremely honoured to be representing Canada at this illustrious event,” adds Davis. “It’s going to be amazing to be in that environment…in a huge, sold out stadium, on the field with guys like Alex Rodriguez, Vladimir Guerrero, Carlos Delgado and David Ortiz and working with MLB umpires is going to easily make this the most incredible experiences of my career.” Davis and Dupont will report to MLB Spring Training in Orlando prior to the start of the tournament to call a few exhibition games in preparation of the big event. They will then report to San Juan, Puerto Rico for Pool D action, which features the Dominican Republic, Panama, Puerto Rico and the Netherlands. Canada also begins play on March 7 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto when they take on the United States.

Coaches Can Visit “The Inside Pitch”

Coaches Can Visit “The Inside Pitch”

February 27, 2009

OTTAWA – Baseball Canada has launched a new blog for coaches across Canada to help share information and strategy of the game of baseball. “We developed this blog so that coaches can use this as a tool to help them gain knowledge, as well as share their own knowledge with other coaches from Newfoudland to British Columbia,”  says André Lachance, Baseball Operations Manager with Baseball Canada. Coaches can post comments for every blog as well as register to receive e-mail notification when a new blog is posted. To view the current blogs posted, go to http://blog.baseball.ca or click on “The Inside Pitch” link found on the Baseball Canada website.

Baseball Canada Unveils its WBC Final Roster

Baseball Canada Unveils its WBC Final Roster

February 24, 2009

OTTAWA – Baseball Canada, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, released their final 28-man roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. The roster features 10 current Major League players including Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins, Russell Martin of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jason Bay of the Boston Red Sox, Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds as well as Scott Richmond of the Toronto Blue Jays, Mark Teahen of the Kansas City Royals and Matt Stairs of the Philadelphia Phillies. Also being named to the roster are Team Canada stalwarts Stubby Clapp (Windsor, ON), Mike Johnson (Edmonton, AB), Adam Stern (London, ON) and Chris Begg (Uxbridge, ON) as well as highly touted prospects Phillippe Aumont (Gatineau, QC) and Brett Lawrie (Langley, BC). Of the 28 players, 11 were part of the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006 which includes Morneau, Bay, Stairs, Peter Orr, Jesse Crain, Clapp, Steve Green, Stern and Begg.  To see the entire Team Canada roster, click here. Much has been made of Team Canada’s lack of experience concerning the pitching staff, but Team Canada Manager Ernie Whitt is convinced that his young staff will rise to the challenge. “We’re confident that they will be able to throw two or three innings for us and keep us right in the ballgames and we’re hoping our offence will carry our team,” says Whitt. Team Canada will report to Dunedin, Florida on March 1st where they will begin preparations for the WBC which includes three exhibition games against the Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees.  Canada will kick off the World Baseball Classic on March 7th at 2pm against the United States at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. About the World Baseball ClassicThe World Baseball Classic is the premier international baseball tournament, sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, and features the best players in the world competing for their home countries and territories. In March 2006, 486 players – 235 of them from MLB organizations – representing 16 teams from across the globe competed in the inaugural event. More than 740,000 fans from 48 states and 15 countries attended games – 16 of which sold out – and millions more watched on TV as Team Japan was crowned the first-ever World Baseball Classic Champion. Broadcast by 48 media outlets in 10 languages to 205 countries and territories around the world, the inaugural tournament had 50 official sponsors and 21 official licensees. Media members representing 25 different nations attended the 39 games in seven host venues across three countries/territories. The next tournament will be held in March 2009 and will again feature 16 of the greatest baseball-playing nations in the world. The tournament will be held every four years thereafter, with plans in place to expand the participant field beginning in 2013. Team Canada WBC ScheduleWorld Baseball Classic Games Schedule

Baseball Canada Launchs New Website

Baseball Canada Launchs New Website

February 20, 2009

OTTAWA – Baseball Canada unveils its new-look website to the public today, revealing a clean and user-friendly version that will enhance the portfolio of the organization while offering readers more complete knowledge of Baseball Canada’s national teams and development programs. “We felt it was time for a new design of the Baseball Canada website and we hope this will allow us to provide our consumers with a more interactive, picture friendly, information resource of baseball in Canada,” says Jim Baba, Director General of Baseball Canada.  “As we continue to move the sport forward with innovative programs, we must keep up with ongoing changes in an attempt to accomplish that goal.” The website was designed by Adam Debray of BallCharts.com, a Richmond, British Columbia web design company that specializes in personalized sports websites.  The web address will remain the same at www.baseball.ca. Visitors to the site will be able to check out a brand new home page with photo news links and several other interesting links such as news on the junior, senior and women’s national teams, information on all Baseball Canada championship events and alumni, as well as material detailing umpiring and coaching tips. The revamped site, offered in both French and English, is available just as some of the national teams prepare for a busy summer. The World Baseball Classic is first on Baseball Canada’s schedule as the team will report to Dunedin, Florida on March 1st prior to making their way to Toronto for their first game of the tournament against the United States on March 7th at the Rogers Centre.  The final 28-man roster will be announced by Major League Baseball on February 24th. Then, the Junior National Team will be competing in their annual Spring Training and Dominican Summer League camps as well as a summer tour.  The Women’s National Team will also be competing on the international stage this summer and it all concludes with the Senior National Team as they will take on the world at the XXXVIII IBAF World Cup of Baseball, which will be held in countries all over Europe from September 9th-27th.

World Baseball Classic Media Credential Application Deadline is Friday, February 20th

World Baseball Classic Media Credential Application Deadline is Friday, February 20th

February 18, 2009

OTTAWA - Media credential applications for the North American portion of the 2009 World Baseball Classic are available online at http://credentials.mlb.com.  All applications must be submitted online by Friday, February 20th.  Applications will not be accepted after the deadline. The World Baseball Classic, a 16-team tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation(IBAF) will feature many of the best players in the world competing for their home countries and territories.  The 16 teams invited to participate in the event have been divided into four pools of four teams for the first round of play. The four Round One pools are scheduled to be played in Tokyo, Japan; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Toronto, Canada and Mexico City, Mexico.  Round Two will feature two pools of four teams each and is scheduled to be played in Miami, Florida and San Diego, California.  The Semi-Finals and Final will be played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Pool A (Tokyo)    Pool B (Mexico City)      Pool C (Toronto)              Pool D (San Juan) China                       Australia                              Canada                           Dominican RepublicChinese Taipei     Cuba                                      Italy                                  NetherlandsJapan                      Mexico                                   USA                                  PanamaKorea                      South Africa                          Venezuela                       Puerto Rico About the World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic is the premier international baseball tournament, sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, and features the best players in the world competing for their home countries and territories. In March 2006, 486 players – 235 of them from MLB organizations – representing 16 teams from across the globe competed in the inaugural event. More than 740,000 fans from 48 states and 15 countries attended games – 16 of which sold out – and millions more watched on TV as Team Japan was crowned the first-ever World Baseball Classic Champion. Broadcast by 48 media outlets in 10 languages to 205 countries and territories around the world, the inaugural tournament had 50 official sponsors and 21 official licensees. Media members representing 25 different nations attended the 39 games in seven host venues across three countries/territories. The next tournament will be held in March 2009 and will again feature 16 of the greatest baseball-playing nations in the world. The tournament will be held every four years thereafter, with plans in place to expand the participant field beginning in 2013.

Red River Valley Most Recent to be RBI Approved

Red River Valley Most Recent to be RBI Approved

February 13, 2009

OTTAWA – Baseball Canada announces that the Red River Valley Sports League in Winnipeg, Manitoba has become the third minor baseball association in Canada to be approved in the Reaching Baseball Ideals (RBI) standards. “I believe that this will give us more credibility,” says Ollie Schroeder, Treasurer of the RRVSL.  “I think that it is great that we are able to fulfil the requirements as mandated by Baseball Canada.” The Red River Valley Sports League was able to meet the RBI criteria after it implemented the Pitch Count at the Pee-wee and Bantam divisions for the 2008 season. “I’ve been a big proponent in protecting the kids,” says Schroeder.  “I’ve been around for a long time and I’ve seen some pretty ridiculous things.  For some, winning is so important that everything else becomes secondary.” “Fun still has to be at the top of the list,” she adds. “You just can’t use the players to get what you want out of them and then not worry about what happens to them later on as far as injuries and the consequences that come with that.” The association has also mandated that at least one coach per team be certified with the Initiation Level of the NCCP.  They have also been a big promoter of the Rally Cap program, which helped increase the number of girls playing baseball in the region, since they have implemented it three years ago. “I admit when I first heard of Rally Cap I thought how silly it was to have three teams on the field and how would all that work,” says Schroeder, “but then we put it into effect I think it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread for these little kids.” For 2009, RBI accreditations are awarded to local baseball associations that comply with the minimum operating standards in these four areas: Development Programs Membership with Baseball Canada Coaches Training Accessibility An Association can become a Baseball Canada RBI Approved Association in 2009 by meeting these following criteria: The Association is a member in good standing with the Provincial Baseball Association (as recognized by Baseball Canada) and with Baseball Canada through the registration of all players, coaches and umpires participating in the local Association. The Association is fully utilizing the Rally Cap program as the main Initiation program for kids between 5 and 8 The Association is providing support to its coaches by driving them to the Baseball Canada NCCP Programs ensuring that all Rep level coaches are properly certified as per Baseball Canada requirements and that all house league/community programs have at least one coach per team who have completed the Initiation Coach level at minimum The Association is providing access to all programs to boys and girls at any age The Association is in support and using the Baseball Canada pitch counts for the Mosquito and Pee-Wee divisions In order to become a RBI Approved association for 2009, simply send an email to rbi@baseball.ca addressing all the criteria mentioned above.  Baseball Canada will contact you to approve your Association or to ask additional questions.



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