LAUSANNE, Switzerland – The International Baseball Federation (IBAF) today announced that it is moving forward with an addendum to its original submission to the International Olympic Committee, which will propose to add baseball as a women’s discipline for the 2016 games. The addendum is expected to be submitted to the IOC no later than May 1, 2009. “There has been a great amount of talk about adding women’s baseball over the past year, but recently the growth of the sport in places where baseball is already popular, as well as the request by new federations to increase the number of young girls playing in baseball, has led us to move ahead and amend our 2016 proposal,” says Dr. Harvey Schiller, President of the IBAF. “We have shown that baseball is a sport for all, and the addition of a women’s discipline for the Olympics…which will take the place of our women’s World Cup in 2016…only further illustrates that point.” Currently over 30 of the IBAF’s 128 member Federations have a full discipline for women, although almost all have combined programs for boys and girls through at least age ten. The addition of women’s discipline would likely double the number of federations offering a full women’s discipline in the next year, and will increase the number of countries eligible for the Women’s World Cup in 2010. The Women’s Baseball World Cup was held in Japan in 2008, with the host country defeating Canada in the final before a near-capacity crowd. The host of the 2010 World Cup will be announced in the coming months, with no less than eight nations interested in hosting the event.The IBAF is also in the process of finalizing a committee of sports executives who will work specifically on the growth of the women’s discipline worldwide. The committee will include Sandra Monteiro, the president of Baseball Portugal, as well as André Lachance of Baseball Canada and others. The IBAF has also received very enthusiastic support on the issue from both Major League Baseball in the United States and the Japanese Professional Leagues. Currently over 500,000 young women play baseball around the world, with the number growing exponentially every year. Two weeks ago, Eri Yoshida became the first female to pitch in Japanese professional baseball, striking out the first batter she faced and touching off an immediate growth of young Japanese women interested in baseball.
OTTAWA – Baseball Canada announces that the Saskatoon Minor Baseball Association has become the fourth amateur baseball association in Canada to be RBI Approved as they are officially recognized as “Reaching Baseball Ideals.” “We are truly honoured to be one of the first few associations to be recognized in this program,” says Geoff Hughes, Minor Division Supervisor with Baseball Saskatoon. “When we looked at the criteria to be approved, I said why haven’t we already done this?” Baseball Saskatoon initiated the pitch count in the Peewee Division for the 2008 season and will expanded it to the Mosquito and Bantam divisions for 2009. That was the final hurdle to their becoming RBI Approved. The association also has their coaching staffs for each provincial and elite level teams meet the coaching certification requirements of Baseball Canada. The house league teams must also have at least one coach certified at the appropriate level of the NCCP. The association has also established the Rally Cap program in their Rookie Division for several years, which has helped increase the number of girls playing baseball in the region. Hughes says that being RBI Approved will now help Baseball Saskatoon grow and promote the game to even greater lengths. “This stamp from Baseball Canada shows that we are offering quality services and that we comply to a national standard.” 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.
OTTAWA – Traditionally, baseball board games involved trivia questions and throwing an object at a target to get the desired result. But two Canadians have developed a new way of playing a baseball game which brings the reality of the sport to life. The new game is called Xtra innings and is described on the website (xtrainningsgame.com) as matching “wits with your opponent in a baseball card/board game that duplicates the classic confrontation between PITCHER and HITTER, or OFFENSE and DEFENSE.” The new game is developed in a style of a brain teaser and its creator François Doré was looking to develop something that would keep players coming back for more. “I wanted to create a baseball game while eliminating the dice from the equation,” says Doré. “The idea came when I saw kids play Warcraft and I saw how involved in the game they were.” The game involves a unique “Pitch Sequence” where the player chooses every pitch. The game’s website describes it as “baseball chess with a touch of poker.” A nine inning “game” can be completed in less than two hours and recreates the strategy and intensity of the real thing. Doré would then approach Dwight Baird with the idea and he saw the potential in the game. “François came to my house, sat down at my kitchen table and asked me to take a look at an idea he had for a baseball card/board game,” says Baird, who is now President of Xtra innings. “He showed me the idea for the basic ‘Pitching Sequence’, which I thought was pretty interesting, and asked me if I would be interested in helping him develop the rest of the game with him.” The game is the closest thing to really playing baseball on the field than there is on the market and it can create a bonding experience between family members as Doré explains. “When we were testing the game, we brought in a 12-year-old boy and his father to play. They had a great time and we asked them about the game and the kid said ‘it’s like playstation, you manage the game, you select every pitch but the difference is you’re not sitting in front of the TV.’ And his father was proud because now they have something they can share.” But soon they came to realize during initial testing that the game they developed was missing a core part of the demographic they wanted to attract. “At first, we developed the game to resemble as close as possible, the actual playing of a real baseball game; incorporating all the plays and strategies one would fine on the diamond,” says Baird. “At one point, we began to realize the game we had developed, because it featured every play possible in baseball, was perhaps a bit overwhelming for younger and more novice players.” With that in mind, Doré and Baird developed the “Little League Edition” within the original Xtra innings game. The premise of the “Pitch Sequence” remains the same but without all the complications of “Check Swings”, “Hit ‘n’ Run”, “Squeeze Play”, “Foul Ball” and many others. “This edition of the game involves a lot more action and excitement for kids- more home runs, triples and doubles - and less of the strategy of base-running,” says Baird. When Baird and Doré came to the Baseball Canada offices to present their idea to Director General Jim Baba and Baseball Operations Manager André Lachance, they were impressed with the game and proceeded to strike a partnership agreement with Xtra innings. “For us, it is great to have Baseball Canada's seal of approval and support for the game, because it gives us immediate credibility in the Canadian marketplace, and hopefully, easier access to a core group of baseball fans in Canada,” says Baird. “We assume the members of Baseball Canada are all baseball fans and involved in some way, with baseball, so hopefully we can tap into this, get their interest. We see this as a great way to establish a primary test market for our new game.” To find out more about this great new baseball game, go to www.xtrainningsgame.com.
With attention spans of a couple minutes, the stereotypical image of four and five-year-olds on the baseball field includes kids picking daisies and staring up at the blue sky, waiting for the ball to come their way. So to keep younger players more engaged and start skill development earlier, Ridge Meadows Minor Baseball decided to mix it up a bit and is offering its third season of Rally Cap, in which kids play short games and practice baseball skills. Rally Cap was a grassroots initiative that came out of Baseball Canada. In 2005, Baseball B.C. tried the first pilot at North Delta Minor Baseball, and Ridge Meadows came on board the next year in 2007. In Rally Cap, three teams come out to the field: the visitor, home team and the outfield. While two teams with six or seven players each play a short game, the third team practices skill development in the outfield. The three teams play two 20-minute games and have a 20-minute practice. There are still a lot of "historical hurdles" keeping clubs from introducing Rally Cap - traditional T-ball programs have been around for 100 years as the entry-level program and are well entrenched into minor baseball. "It keeps the kids more engaged and active for the time period that they're at the park," said David Laing, executive director of Baseball B.C. Last year, Ridge Meadows had 190 kids aged four and five playing rally cap, while the six-year-olds moved on to the more traditional T-ball - Super-T - format. The team leaders - the coaches - use props to help kids learn basic baseball skills: badminton birdies, hula hoops, squishy balls. Laing estimated that 15 to 20 clubs in B.C. have started a Rally Cap program. While the program is normally geared toward three- and four-year-olds, Laing said even a mini-tad program could be turned into Rally Cap as well. The program and its structure benefits the players, the coaches and the parents, Laing said. With six children on the field for a 20-minute game, there aren't a lot of kids getting bored in the outfield. Often kids at this level won't hit the ball out of the in-field, Laing said, "so (outfield players) are chasing butterflies or building sandcastles." Some kids find it boring, and at this stage might be more attracted to soccer and lacrosse, which are more action-oriented, he added. In addition, parents might not think it's enough physical activity for the children and therefore go for other sports where kids run around more. The coaches are often parent volunteers at that level and many haven't ever played baseball. The game can be overwhelming because it is so skill specific. The Rally Cap program comes with week-by-week recommended practice plans, so even a brand-new coach doesn't have to be an expert and can get a good program going. A T-ball game can eat up a few hours of an evening with six innings, but a Rally Cap program is done in one hour and fifteen minutes - this is often more manageable for families, Laing said. "We are actively, passively working toward convincing people that there's a better mousetrap out there," Laing said, but he added Baseball B.C. doesn't want to dictate what kind of programs the invidual clubs run. "I personally believe - as do people like Mark (Kauhane) in the Ridge Meadows group - that this is a better opportunity for the kids and everybody benefits from it." The Ridge Meadows Rally Cap program for this year is already full and will be played at the Pitt Meadows Athletic Field, Albion and Harris Road Park. For more information on Ridge Meadows Minor Baseball, go to rmbaseball.bc.ca.
OTTAWA – Amid the completion of the 2009 World Baseball Classic, the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) has released its most recent World Rankings and Canada finds itself in eighth spot in the 45 country ranking. The eighth place ranking is down one from the previous rankings due to Canada’s early elimination at the World Baseball Classic earlier this month. With its victory at the WBC, Japan moves to third in the rankings, up from fourth. Cuba still remains number one followed by Korea, which moved to second from third. The USA dropped two spots down to fourth. The IBAF debuted its World Rankings earlier this year in January. Developed in conjunction with Scott Goode, a sports information director from Harding University (Arkansas), the rankings are based on a point total which IBAF member federations (teams) earn from IBAF-sanctioned events in a four-year window, or a period of time that encompasses two IBAF Baseball World Cups.Teams earn points based on their finish in an event. A tournament winner takes home 50 points, second place, 40; third place, 30; and fourth place, 15. From there, points are divided evenly among the remaining teams in the event to ensure balance between tournaments that feature different-sized fields. Once points are rewarded based on a team’s finish, that amount is then multiplied by a number based on the strength of the event. Major world championships, such as an Olympic Games, IBAF Baseball World Cup or World Baseball Classic, all receive 4X multipliers. Minor world championship events (Junior, Youth or FISU University Worlds for example) have a 1X multiplier, and all other continental championships receive multipliers from 1X-.25X based on how many teams in the top-10 of the current IBAF World Rankings compete in the event. Here are the top ten countries as ranked by the IBAF: 1. Cuba2. Korea3. Japan4. USA5. Chinese Taipei6. Netherlands7. Mexico8. Canada9. Australia10. Puerto Rico Complete IBAF World Rankings: http://www.ibaf.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Files_-_world_rankings/2009_IBAF_World_Rankings_March.htm
OTTAWA - Baseball Canada has announced the Junior National Team’s schedule for the annual Spring Training Camp, which will take place from April 16-26 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida. The team will hold daily practices as well as play eight exhibition games against Major League affiliated teams from Extended Spring Training. The Junior team will play its first game on Saturday, April 18 against the Houston Astros at 10 am and concludes it schedule with a game on Saturday, April 25 versus the Atlanta Braves, also at 10 am. The Canadians will also take on affiliated clubs of the Detroit Tigers and the Washington Nationals. For the complete schedule of the Junior National Team, click here.
TORONTO – No one saw this coming. In a must win situation, Team Canada came up short as Team Italy stunned Team Canada and eliminated the Canadians on home turf after only two games with a shocking 6-2 win at the World Baseball Classic. Chris Denforia led the way for Team Italy with a 4-for-4 night, including a WBC single-game tying record with three doubles, while Jason Grilli pitched three and one-third innings of one hit baseball to close things out for the Italians. It was not a good start for Team Canada as Vince Perkins (Victoria, BC) would give up a run in each of the two innings he pitched. He would also allow a double in the third before being relieved by T.J. Burton (Ottawa, ON). All told, Perkins allowed three runs, two of which were earned, three hits, four walks and two strikeouts in his two plus innings of work. It could have been much worse as the Italians left five runners on in the first two frames and when it was all said and done, it was 3-0 for Italy after three complete. “You know, it was tough. It was tough,” says Perkins. “Obviously some nerves played into it. That's not the way I've been throwing lately, and I was fighting myself a little bit to throw strikes.” “I should have been able to do a little better than that.” After Team Italy added another run in the top of the fourth to make it 4-0, Canada responded with three straight doubles by Joey Votto (Toronto, ON), Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC) and Jason Bay (Trail, BC) in the bottom half, with Bay’s bringing around both Votto and Morneau and cutting the lead in half to 4-2. The Italians however would get those runs back in the seventh inning. Chris Denforia led off the inning with one of his three doubles. He would move over to third on a sacrifice fly and then score on a Alex Liddi single. Then with runners on the corners and two outs, Nick Punto hit a soft grounder to short but Andrea De Santis beat out the throw to second, allowing Liddi to score from third and give the Italians back a four run lead. The Canadians had their opportunities offensively, but were unable to cash in as they would leave a total of 11 runners stranded in the game. “I think this is one of the toughest losses that I've been associated with, with Team Canada,” says Team Canada Manager Ernie Whitt. “In retrospect, you have to tip your hat to team Italy. They shut down a very powerful offensive team. And, you know, we definitely expected to score more than two runs.” “We came in expecting to win this game. You know, on paper we're supposed to win it. But you don't play the game on paper,” says Justin Morneau. “They came out and they made some great plays, defensively. They hit the ball all over the place. They did a good job of taking advantage of the mistake at the beginning of game.” “That was a game, especially being here in Toronto, that, -- something with the hometown and kind of the whole nature of this tournament, and coming here and, you know, I think that we thought we had a legitimate shot to move on. And to kind of have that ended abruptly, you know, I think it's kind of a grim reality,” says Jason Bay. Team Canada will now be making their way back to their respective clubs. The next time the Senior National Team will get together will be for the XXXVIII IBAF World Cup which begins on September 9th in Europe.
TORONTO – After a heartbreaking loss to the United States on Saturday in the opener of the World Baseball Classic, Team Canada was back on the field for a workout today at the Rogers Centre in preparation for an elimination game against Italy on Monday. Vince Perkins (Victoria, BC) will be getting the ball against the Italians as he looks to follow the example set by his teammates against the Americans and also show that he still has the stuff to pitch on the big stage. “My arm's never felt better than it does right now,” says Perkins, who has had injury issues over last two seasons. “I've had a tough couple years, and I feel like I've come off it finally pretty well and I'm just ready to go.” Against the United States on Saturday, the Canadian lineup got the chunk of their offence from Joey Votto (Toronto, ON), who went 4-for-5 with a home run, double and two RBI, and Russell Martin (Chelsea, QC), who went 2-for-4 with a homer and double. But for Team Canada to be successful at the WBC, they are going to need everyone to contribute. “It's really key to have all of our guys hitting,” says Team Canada Manager Ernie Whitt. “We want to be going on all cylinders. Again, that takes a lot of pressure off the pitching staff, too. We had some opportunities yesterday, we just didn't cash in on them.” But one thing is for certain, Canada will not be taking Team Italy for granted and they will not be looking ahead. When asked how he would manage the pitching staff for two consecutive elimination games, Whitt was very direct about what lies ahead. “Well, (Monday is) elimination day.” “We're playing it one inning at a time. And, you know, we can't let the game get out of hand.” When Canada hits the field on Monday, the hometown crowd will once again be on their side. And for Perkins, who has said he never pitched in front of a big crowd such as the one on Saturday, will keep his focus on the task at hand. “For me, you just kind of try your best to just keep it simple, block things out, and just throw strikes, and, you know, focus on what you are there to do.” “It definitely helps to have a crowd behind you,” adds Perkins. “I think you can sense the urgency, sure, but I just try and focus on what my job is when I'm out there.” Team Canada will take on Team Italy in an elimination game of the World Baseball Classic on Monday, March 9th at the Rogers Centre. Dan Serafini will get the ball for Italy against Vince Perkins. Game time is 6:30 pm.
TORONTO – The tying run was in scoring position with one out, but the Canadians just fell short of completing the comeback in front of over 40,000 fans at the Rogers Centre as the United States held on to beat Canada in the opener of the World Baseball Classic by a score of 6-5. The Canadians came into the ninth inning down by two and facing American closer J.J. Putz. With one out in the inning, Russell Martin (Chelsea, QC) hit a double off the wall to start the rally. Joey Votto (Toronto, ON) then completed his 4-for-5 day with an RBI double and reduced the lead to one. After Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC) grounded to short for the second out, Jason Bay (Trail, BC) came to the plate and put on quite a battle, but Putz was able to get Bay to fly out to right and hold on to the victory for the U.S. “I think everyone saw it was a well-played game,” says Team Canada Manager Ernie Whitt. “You know, we kept the crowd involved, we had our chances, and we just came up a little short.” Canadian starter Mike Johnson (Edmonton, AB) was solid and kept his team in the ballgame, going four innings and allowing four runs on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts. It has been awhile since Johnson pitched in this kind of atmosphere. “It’s probably been since the late 90s,” says Johnson. “I remember pitching one game in Yankee Stadium when they were retiring Don Mattingly’s number and there were 55,000 people there.” “But that day they weren’t really cheering for me, they were cheering against me,” adds Johnson with a laugh. When it seemed the Americans were going to pull away, the Canadians kept clawing back. The U.S. took a two run lead in the fourth inning on a pair of home runs from Kevin Youkilis and Brian McCann, McCann’s being a two-run shot, and taking a 4-2 lead. Canada clawed back in the sixth when Bay came in to score on a wild pitch from Joel Hanrahan and made it 4-3. But the Americans bounced right back with another two-run homer, this time from Adam Dunn and took a 6-3 lead. After Martin made it 6-4 with a solo blast in the seventh, in the bottom half of the inning the U.S. were threatening with the bases loaded and nobody out against Phillippe Aumont (Gatineau, QC). But the 20-year-old Mariners prospect barred down and was able to retire the next three batters, including the final two via strikeout which got the capacity crowd on its feet and had Aumont pumping his fist on his way back to the dugout. “Russ and (pitching coach) Denis Boucher came to talk to me (after loading the bases) and told me to just have fun out there,” says Aumont. “After that I was able to calm down and do my job and when I got that last out I just let my emotions hang out.” Joey Votto had quite a day in front of the home town crowd, going 4-for-5 with a home run, double and two RBIs and was a key part of that exciting ninth inning. The fact that Team Canada has that never say die attitude in any situation has Votto excited. “You know, it starts from the top, the older guys, that's their attitude. It's just infectious,” says Votto. “Being a younger player, like myself, I just fed off of it. And, you know, there's so much heart on the bench, and a great attitude and a never-give-up attitude.” Team Canada will now play Italy, who suffered a 7-0 loss at the hands of Venezuela, in the elimination game on Monday, March 9th at 6:30 pm at the Rogers Centre.
TORONTO – In the midst of a media frenzy, Team Canada held it first workout in Toronto today at the Rogers Centre on the eve of kicking off Pool C play of the World Baseball Classic on Saturday against the United States at 2 pm in the dome. Earlier in the day, it was released that Mike Johnson (Edmonton, AB) will get the ball on Saturday. This has been a whirlwind journey for Johnson, who has not pitched in affiliated baseball since 2004. He had Tommy John surgery in 2005, played in the independent Northern League with the Edmonton Cracker-Cats in 2006 and 2007 and was on the verge of retirement when it all turned around in the 2008 season. “I ended up getting a call from a team in Taiwan asking me if I wanted to come and play. Not really having any expectations about the season or looking too far ahead about getting back into the game, agreed to go over there,” says Johnson. “And a for some reason, my arm just kind of went over a hump and I was able to throw, like, 185 innings, which was the most I've ever thrown in my career, and ended up having a pretty good year. And now, I'm here today.” Team Canada Manager Ernie Whitt decided to go with Johnson against the U.S. because of his experience... 17 years in professional baseball, which is the most of any pitcher on the roster. Johnson also brings alot of experience from the international stage, having played in both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. “He's done it before,” says Whitt. “We don't think that the fact of playing in front of the home crowd will bother him.” “You know, he throws strikes, he changes speeds, and so we're looking forward to Mike going out and throwing us 70 pitches.” “Just a great opportunity,” reiterates Johnson. “I mean, a couple years ago, I never thought I would be here, let alone starting the first game against the U.S., kind of relish the opportunity to pitch in front of the hometown crowd. We have a really good team here, a great line-up.” Canada is arguably in one of the toughest Pools in the tournament, with Venezuela and Italy along with their first opponent from South of the border. But the Canadians have reason to be optimistic. In 2006, Canada finished the first round with a 2-1 record, including a legendary upset win over the United States. This time around when the two neighbouring countries face-off, The U.S. side will not be surprised by the talent in the other dugout. “I think we snuck up on them (in 2006). I think they're going to come out ready for us tomorrow,” says Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC). “Our line-up, I think, is pretty solid from top to bottom. Hopefully, we can get off to a good start tomorrow, and then get the crowd on our side and just kind of feed off that.” Team Canada will hit the field at the Rogers Centre on Saturday, March 7th to take on the United States to open Pool C action of the World Baseball Classic. Mike Johnson takes on U.S. starter Jake Peavy with first pitch scheduled for 2 pm.
