OTTAWA, ON – For the 2008 season, Baseball Canada is introducing the “Reaching Baseball Ideals” program to all local baseball associations. The RBI program is meant to ensure that local baseball associations apply core common criteria to ensure that consistent good practices are in place; to empower parents when choosing a local baseball association for their children; to ensure that RBI Accredited Associations are recognized through a common approach to branding; to provide a focus around which all baseball associations in Canada can come together to support good practices in working with children and young people and to promote and reward registration/membership within Baseball Canada, baseball’s national federation of sport, as well as within the Provincial Baseball Associations. “I think if everybody buys in to this program, at the end of the day, it will make the game better for all the participants,” says David Laing, Program Director for Baseball BC. “The better the experience we can create for the kids, the parents and the coaches, the better the outcome for everyone involved and that will reflect in the success that we’ll have at both the grassroots level and the high performance level.” For 2008, RBI accreditation is awarded to local baseball associations that comply with minimum operating standards in four areas: • Development Programs• Membership with Baseball Canada• Coaches Training• Accessibility An Association can become Baseball Canada RBI Approved in 2008 by being 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; fully utilizing the Rally Cap program as the main Initiation program for kids between 5 and 8; 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; providing access to all programs to boys and girls at any age and supports and uses the Baseball Canada pitch counts for the Mosquito and Pee-Wee divisions. There is no cost associated in applying to become a RBI Baseball Canada Association and there are no other fees attached to this program. There are plenty of benefits in becoming a RBI Approved Association for 2008. Here are some of the benefits: • Get 1 free NCCP On-line Module access code when you purchase 10 access codes • Your Association will be provided permission to utilize the RBI designation and logo at registration, on all printed material as well as on your Association website for that season and a mention on Baseball Canada website • Your association will be listed on the Baseball Canada and provincial Baseball websites as an RBI Approved Association • You will receive 10% of any purchase at the Baseball Canada Club House Shop on all Association orders • Your Association will receive one free dozen of Rally Caps per 100 ordered • The Association with the greatest percentage of membership increase as of June 15th will get a full Baseball Canada day clinic for free in July (value of $2000) including drinks, snacks, coaching, hats, t-shirts and more • Baseball Canada will promote the list of RBI Approved Associations to Provincial Sport Offices as well as the local/municipal park and recreation department In order to become a RBI Approved Association for 2008, 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, ON – Is your child, or someone you know a participant in the Baseball Canada Rally Cap Program? If so, this is your chance to share with the rest of the country their exploits. During the 2008 baseball season, Baseball Canada will recognize the achievements and improvements of our young baseball players enrolled in the Rally Cap Program. Starting on the week of May 11, Baseball Canada will select one player per province per week and will do so for 12 weeks concluding on August 2nd, 2008. “The Rally cap Player of the Week is a way to show how the kids are improving,” says André Lachance, Manager of Baseball Operations. “The goal is not performance, but getting the fundamental skills of baseball. We hope this will raise interest among the young players as well as get catch the curiosity of the communities who do not have the Rally Cap program in their area.” Any parent, coach, administrator, fan or friend can nominate a young player each week. In order to do so, simply fill the nomination form making sure you include the player's picture in their Rally Cap. The nomination form can be found on the home page of the website simply by clicking on the Rally Cap logo. At the conclusion of the season, Baseball Canada will draw at random from all the Player of the Week nominees it receives for a trip for two to Toronto which includes transportation, one night hotel accommodations, two tickets for two Blue Jays games and two official Baseball Canada hats. The purpose of Rally Cap is to create an environment in which children and adults can have fun with baseball; teach baseball skills, rules and strategy to our players; model and teach competitiveness with an emphasis on good sportsmanship and promote increased self esteem among Rally Cap children and adults. Nominate a Rally Cap player starting on May 11th!
OTTAWA, ON – Granby Minor Baseball and Loisirs Granby are sending out an invitation to all girls’ baseball teams across Canada to participate in one or both invitational tournaments that the associations are organizing for this summer. The first tournament is a precursor to the Baseball Canada National Championships and will take place July 5th and 6th in Granby. Teams from Québec will be hosting teams from Ontario, United States and local for the Pee Wee, Bantam, Midget and Senior divisions. There is no registration fee for this tournament. The second tournament will take place from August 15-17 in Granby for the girls’ Midget division. Teams from across Canada are invited to register. The registration fee for the girls’ Midget invitational is set at $250 with a guarantee that each participating team will play at least three games. The deadline to register for either tournament is April 15th, 2008. For more information, contact Paul Gaudet, Vice-President of les Guerriers de Granby at 450-378-9781, or via e-mail at egaudet@sympatico.ca.
MONTREAL, QC – The Regional Training Centre for Baseball of la Mauricie (Baseball CRM), in conjunction with its Les Estacades Baseball Academy, announce the creation of a new women’s baseball program. Now, high school girls from Grades 7-12 from all over the province of Québec can register at Les Estacades Baseball Academy. The girls will be able to benefit from the same quality coaching as the other baseball players and take advantage of the unique facilities of the Alphonse-Desjardins Sports Centre as well as the quality professional coaches of Baseball CRM. Also, Patricia Landry, member of the Women’s National Team will be joining les Estacades Baseball Academy at the Baseball CRM as a coach. A minimum of six and a maximum of ten spots are available for the first year program. Girls who are interested in registering must act fast as spaces are limited. For more information, contact the Baseball CRM offices at 819-373-5121, ext. 6548, or Luce Mongrain at Les Estacades Academy at 819-375-3702, ext. 325. Also, contacting via e-mail is available at clicking on the “contact” link at les Estacades website at www.baseballcrm.com where on-line registration is also available. Women’s baseball continues to grow in Canada and they too deserve the best coaching and training available.
OTTAWA, ON - Baseball Canada has announced the Junior National Team’s roster and schedule for the annual Spring Training Camp, which will take place from April 10-20 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida. The roster will feature 29 Canadian prospects, including Brett Lawrie (Langley, BC) and Carter Bell (Courtenay, BC). The camp will serve as an evaluation of the team as it prepares for the World Junior Baseball Championship in Edmonton from July 25th-August 3rd, 2008. The Junior National Team will take on Major League affiliated teams of the Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros. For the complete roster and schedule of the Junior National Team, click here.
OTTAWA, ON – Major League Baseball announced in Tokyo, Japan the groupings and sites for the first round of the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Canada will be once again paired with the United States in Pool C who will play its games at the Rogers Centre in Toronto from March 8-12. Pool C will also include Venezuela and Italy. “That’s going to be unbelievable,” says Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jason Bay in an interview with the Canadian Press. “Just seeing how many Canadian jerseys there were in Arizona was awesome. With the reception it got the first go, to do that again in Toronto would be even better.” The Canadians were eliminated in the first round of the 2006 Classic due to allowing more runs per nine innings than the U.S. and Mexico after all three teams finished 2-1. For the ’09 edition, the tournament has adopted a double-knockout elimination format rather than the straight round-robin which means a team will have to lose twice before being eliminated. Bay feels that the team Canada can field should definitely be able to get out of the first round this time around. “If all the Canadian guys who are out there are healthy and can play, we’re definitely not an also-ran.” “We’ve got some legitimate starting pitching and a full starting nine that’s pretty good. We can make some noise.” The other groups were also announced with Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China playing in Pool A out of Tokyo. Mexico City will host Pool B and Mexico, Cuba, Australia and South Africa and Pool D will comprise of Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Panama and Netherlands who will play out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Schedules and host cities for all other rounds will be announced at a later date.
OTTAWA, ON – Since 2001, Canada has had the privilege of sending a small contingent of kids to a different country to take part in the experience that is the World Children’s Baseball Fair. This year, British Columbia has the honor of representing the country at the 19th edition of the fair. The event, which will take place from July 28th to August 8th in Aichi, Japan, was founded by legendary sluggers Sadaharu Oh and Hank Aaron in the interest of promoting baseball and providing an opportunity to develop international relationships, goodwill and cultural understanding among the youth of the world. In years past, the provinces selected to represent Canada at the event were only able to select five kids to go at the fair. This year, BC has the distinctive opportunity to send a team of 15 players over to Japan. “We’re getting the unique chance of playing in an exhibition series with the other counties selected,” says David Laing, Program Director for Baseball BC. “We play each country once with the emphasis on having fun and not on winning, which I really appreciate.” Player selection is divided into three, between BC Minor, Babe Ruth BC and Little League BC who will be selecting from each respective memberships to construct the team. The associations asked each applicant to write a small essay along with their application form to explain why they would benefit from the experience of going to the WCBF. But Laing adds that they are not necessarily looking for the best players. “We’re looking to send the kids who will benefit the most from this cultural exchange opportunity.” There will also be three and not just one chaperone this year. Each association will send one chaperone to the event. Babe Ruth and Little League have yet to announce who they will send as chaperones, but BC Minor will send Mike Sarai, a long time volunteer with the association. “We felt that this was an excellent opportunity to recognize some long standing volunteers and for someone who has given so much of their time, this is a tremendous reward for them,” says Laing. This event will be a unique opportunity for the players and chaperones alike. Baseball is the foundation that will bring these people together, but they will have the chance to savour some diversity. “I’m hopeful the kids will get to meet people from other countries and get to learn a little bit about the world. Also they will really get to see first hand and up close another culture and see how they go about their lives,” says Laing. Each province will get a chance to represent Canada at the WCBF. Alberta, Saskatchewan, PEI, Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Manitoba have all represented Canada since 2001. Québec will get the honour next year with Nova Scotia to follow in 2010.
TAICHUNG, Taiwan – With Canada qualifying for the Olympics the night before, the only thing on the line is this game was a spot at the top of the standings of the Final Olympic Qualifier and it took a bases loaded walk in the tenth inning for Canada to beat Germany 2-1 in the tournament finale. The Canadians began the tenth with a leadoff walk to Stubby Clapp (Windsor, ON), followed by Emmanuel Garcia (Montreal, QC) reaching by error and Adam Stern drawing a walk to load the bases. Clapp was forced out at home on a fielder’s choice by Ryan Radmanovich (Calgary, AB), which kept the bases loaded with two out. Then Emerson Frostad (Calgary, AB) drew the bases loaded walk to force in Garcia and get the win. This game was a pitcher’s duel to the bitter end. Brooks McNiven (Vancouver, BC) got the start for Canada and threw four shutout innings, giving up only two hits and a pair of walks with three strikeouts. “I just tried to stay focused on what I was doing and try and throw first pitch strikes and go right at the hitters,” says McNiven. On the German side, André Hughes went eight and 1/3 innings, giving up one run on six hits and two walks with eight punch outs. The only run came off a home run in the fourth inning by David Corrente (Chatham, ON). The Germans would tie the game in the sixth inning on a pair of doubles off of Jamie Richmond (Mississauga, ON) to make it 1-1. The Germans almost took the lead in the inning on a single from Simon Guhring as Jendrick Speer was being waved in, but Radmanovich threw a strike from right field to the plate to get the out and end the inning. From there, Richmond took control as he would go four innings, giving up the one run on three hits with three strikeouts. Steve Green (Greenfield Park, QC) came in relief of Richmond and would only give up one hit with four strikeouts in two innings of work. “The pitching staff did a really good job again today. They kept us in the game,” says Manager Terry Puhl. Canada finishes the tournament with a 6-1 record and first place. The Canadians wanted to send a message to the other countries competing at the Olympics. “The goal coming in was to qualify for the Olympics and open everybody else’s eyes that we’re not just cruising into this but that we’re here to win,” says McNiven. “We’re going into the Olympics with the goal of medaling and show everyone that we can play ball too,” says Stubby Clapp. The Canadians are returning from Taiwan to their respecting clubs on Saturday, March 15th to finish Spring Training and begin their professional seasons. Team Canada will reunite for the Beijing Olympic Games which are scheduled to go from August 8th – 24th.
TAICHUNG, Taiwan – Canada accomplished its mission in Taiwan and qualified for the Beijing Olympic Games with a 4-3 win over Korea at the Final Olympic Qualifier. Canada came in the ninth inning with a 4-1 lead, but Korea gave the Canadians a little scare as they would score two runs on a ground out by Kab Yong Jin and a single by Joo Chan Kim to shrink the Canadian lead to one. But with two outs in the inning and a runner on first, Mike Kusiewicz (Ottawa, ON) got In Sung Cho to hit a comebacker to the mound and Kusiewicz threw over to first baseman Jimmy VanOstrand (Richmond, BC) for the final out and the beginning of the celebration. “This is what we’ve been pointing to for a year and a half now,” says Manager Terry Puhl. “I’ve never been in this type of baseball atmosphere. It’s very exciting.” Korea got the first point on the board in the top of the first inning with a pair of doubles to start the game from Yong Kyu Lee and Jong Wook Lee to give the Koreans a 1-0 lead. But the Canadians would respond quickly in the bottom of the first on Matt Rogelstad’s (New Westminster, BC) three-run homer to put Canada ahead 3-1. From there, James Avery (Moose Jaw, SK) shut the door on the Korean lineup. He would throw four innings, allowing one run on four hits with four strikeouts. “That was a big game for us. We wanted to take care of business today and not leave it until tomorrow,” says Avery. “We wanted to show that we’re not just here to beat the teams that we’re supposed to beat, but that we can beat the best teams.” “I’m speechless. I don’t even know what to say. Being a part of something with 30 guys is pretty special. I’ve never been in a pile like that before. I can barely think.” In the fourth inning, Canada added to one run to their lead on the third home run of the tourney and third in many days from Nick Weglarz (Stevensville, ON), which turned out to be the winning run. “I guess I’m just seeing the ball well,” says Weglarz of his home run and was 2-for-3 in the game. “(Rob Ducey) told me just pretend like your swinging in your back yard. That way you don’t over think, you’re just swinging.” “I don’t think there are words to describe how I fell right now. It’s a dream come true,” adds Weglarz of going to the Olympics. The pitchers would then use their experience to continue to shut down the Koreans. Scott Richmond (Langley, BC) would throw four shutout innings, giving up only a pair of hits with three strikeouts in relief of Avery. “I just wanted to make sure to follow in Avery’s footsteps and pound the zone,” says Richmond. “We just wanted to make sure we made them uncomfortable. They’ve been pretty comfortable this whole tournament and we wanted to make sure we would reverse the roles.” T.J. Burton (Ottawa, ON) and Kusiewicz would then finish off the Koreans in the ninth for the win and a trip to Beijing. “We had good pitching when we needed good pitching. The bullpen was outstanding and I can’t say enough about our hitters and how they took care of the left handed pitching we faced,” says Puhl. Before Canada can prepare for their trip to the Olympics, They have one final game against Germany on Friday, March 14th at 4:30 pm.
TAICHUNG, Taiwan – After an emotional game against Chinese Taipei, Canada came out swinging and shut down Spain defensively in coasting to a 11-0 win in seven innings at the Final Olympic Qualifer. Aaron Wideman (Mississauga, ON) was at his best, going four innings and giving up only three hits in his start for Canada. “It felt good today. It was a feeling of comfort today,” says Wideman. “It relieves so much stress for a pitcher to go out there and be comfortable and with this group of guys the comfort level is through the roof.” Alexandre Periard (St. Eustache, QC) was just as effective in relief, allowing only one hit with two strikeouts in the remaining three innings of the game. “I was just trying to get the first pitch strike today, get my pitches down in the zone and pound the ball inside. It felt pretty good,” says Periard. Offensively, Canada got off to a quick start with four runs in the first inning. Emerson Frostad (Calgary, AB) hit a two-run double to score Stubby Clapp (Windsor, ON) and Mike Saunders (Victoria, BC) to get things started. After a Matt Rogelstad (New Westminster, BC) single, Jimmy VanOstrand (Richmond, BC) drove in Frostad with a double of his own and Rogelstad scored on a David Corrente single to put Canada ahead 4-0. The Canadians scored their fifth run in the third inning on the second home run of the tournament and second in two games by Nick Weglarz (Stevensville, ON). “I’m just trying to see it and hit it,” says Weglarz. “I’m trying to stick with my plan. Not swinging out of my zone, not swinging at bad pitches and seeing the ball.” The fourth inning would see the Canadians add four more runs on only two hits with a sacrifice fly and four walks. Adam Stern (London, ON) singled to start the inning, followed by a pair of walks to Clapp and Frostad to lead the bases. Rogelstad hit an infield single that brought in Stern, then a pair of bases loaded walks to VanOstrand and Weglarz brought in Clapp and Frostad. Corrente hit a sacrifice fly to score Rogelstad and put Canada ahead 9-0 after an inning that saw them send 10 batters to the plate. Canada would put the nail in the coffin of the Spaniards with two runs in the sixth inning on a two-RBI single by Stern to score VanOstrand and Weglarz and complete the mercy win. “We got good pitching today and we came out swinging the bats,” says Manager Terry Puhl. “It’s very good that we didn’t come out flat. We had such a big game with Taipei that we could’ve come out flat, but this team is all business.” The Canadians are now 4-1 in the tournament and are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. “I can start to taste it,” says Weglarz. “If we can win against Korea that’ll take alot of pressure off and pretty much guarantees our spot (in the Olympics).” Canada now takes on Korea on Thursday, March 13 at 6:30 pm. James Avery (Moose Jaw, SK) is scheduled to start.
