For more information download the attached PDF-File with the official invitation by the organizers of the Athletics Attnang-Puchheim. In the file you’ll also find contact information.

PARADISE VALLEY, AZ – Major League Baseball Club owners voted to extend the contract of Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig through the 2014 season, it was announced today.

The Executive Council placed the two-year extension in nomination after requesting of Selig that he remain in the position past the expiration of his contract on December 31, 2012.

Paul Beeston, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Blue Jays, said: “I am very pleased that Commissioner Selig remained open to the wishes of the Clubs and has agreed to continue in a role in which he excels. The great prosperity of the game today is a reflection of Bud’s record of accomplishment. He is uniquely suited to handle the demands of his position and serve as the leader of Major League Baseball.”

Commissioner Selig said: “It is an honor to be asked to continue to serve the game of Baseball, and I thank the Clubs for their confidence in the direction in which we have taken the game. This is an extraordinary era for Major League Baseball. The focus is on the field, competitive balance is strong, and fans around the world are supporting our game in unprecedented fashion. I am very humbled by the request to stay on, and I look forward to building on the great momentum our game has seen in recent years.”

Selig has led the industry since September 9, 1992, first as interim Commissioner and then as the ninth Commissioner in the history of Major League Baseball, a position to which he was elected on July 9, 1998. This marks the fourth extension for the Commissioner, who agreed to new three-year contracts in 2001, 2004 and 2008. Only the first Commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who served from January 12, 1921 until his passing on November 25, 1944, accumulated more experience as the leader of the sport than Selig.

David Montgomery, the General Partner and President of the Philadelphia Phillies and a member of the Executive Council, said: “No one understands the landscape of our sport better than Bud Selig. The Commissioner’s vision for the game has brought consensus among the Clubs and a sense of unanimity that has allowed the game to thrive. I am delighted that the Commissioner will continue to set the course for our great game.”

William O. DeWitt, Jr., the Chairman and Principal Owner of the St. Louis Cardinals and a member of the Executive Council, added: “I am grateful that Commissioner Selig is prepared to stay right where he is. The Commissioner’s determination, patience and reverence for the game and its history have served this industry extraordinarily well since 1992. The Commissioner is focused on results, and the results speak for themselves. Bud Selig remains the perfect choice to lead Major League Baseball into the future.”

The last eight years have been the eight best-attended seasons in the history of Major League Baseball, including four successive record seasons from 2004-2007. The 2007 season featured a record regular season attendance total of 79,503,175 fans. Industry revenues have increased from $1.2 billion in 1992, when Selig became interim Commissioner, to more than $7.0 billion in each of the last two seasons. Selig’s accomplishments as Commissioner include the following:

· With a new five-year labor agreement, Major League Baseball will have had at least 21 years of uninterrupted play by the end of the 2016 season. Three consecutive labor agreements have been reached without a work stoppage.

· Significant economic reforms have resulted in drastically improved competitive balance. Under the Revenue Sharing Plan, MLB Clubs transfer approximately $400 million in local revenue, which is the most in professional sports. Nine of the last 11 World Series Champions have been different Clubs. Only the Red Sox (2004, 2007) and the Cardinals (2006, 2011) have won more than once during that span. Nineteen Clubs have made the Postseason over the last five years, and 24 Clubs have made the Postseason over the last 10 years.

· MLB will add two additional Wild Cards and shift to a 10-team Postseason in either 2012 or 2013, while maintaining the most exclusive Postseason format in American professional sports. Under the new system, clubs are further incentivized for winning their division. Selig implemented fan-friendly innovations such as the Wild Card, the six-division format and Interleague Play.

· Under the new labor agreement, MLB will become the first American professional sports league to conduct blood testing of its athletes for Human Growth Hormone (hGH). The hGH testing program continues MLB’s multifaceted approach against performance-enhancing substances, hinged on increased testing, cutting-edge research, improved education and awareness, and proactive security efforts. MLB has worked with the MLB Players Association to implement the best and most comprehensive drug program in professional sports.

· By the opening of the 2012 season, when the New Marlins Ballpark will debut, 20 new ballparks throughout Major League Baseball will have opened since Selig became interim Commissioner.

· MLB and the MLBPA have partnered to host two editions of the World Baseball Classic, the most extensive international baseball event ever ventured, with a third in development for the 2013 season.

· Under the Commissioner’s leadership, Major League Baseball launched MLB Advanced Media and MLB Network.

The Swiss Senior National team will be hosting a tournament at the 2 year old ballpark in Zurich, on the weekend of August 3-5. This will be a 4-team tournament with a 4-game guarantee unless poor weather changes the format. This tournament is open to any senior national team, and the first 3 teams to subscribe will be let in the tournament.

There is no entry fee and teams will not have to bring an umpire unless they choose too. All that is required for each team is to bring 2 boxes of baseballs. This will be the first major senior level tournament held at the Zurich ballpark, so great crowds and great baseball is expected.

Teams interested in subscribing should email Swiss national head coach Andy Fleischacker at ajf1070@aol.com Once again this is open to all senior national teams A Pool or B Pool and could be a great way for some A Pool countries to prepare for the Senior European Championship.

DURHAM, N.C. — USA Baseball will offer more National Team developmental and identification opportunities in 2012, the federation announced Thursday.  The move will affect youth-level on-field programming — USA Baseball National Teams and associated identification events — for athletes ages 13-17.

The changes more closely align USA Baseball with the new competition calendar adopted by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) at its congress in Dallas last December.  The IBAF announced that beginning in 2012 it will host 12U, 15U, 18U, 21U, and Women’s championship events, each on an every-other-year basis.  An 18U, 15U and Women’s Worlds are scheduled for this year.

Effective immediately, USA Baseball will add a 15U National Team that will compete internationally, and 14U and 17U National Team Development Programs.  The federation will no longer field National Teams at the 14U and 16U age groups.  While the 15U National Team will be selected, train and compete using traditional models, the development programs are new for USA Baseball.  Each development program will feature a select number of invited players — chosen from sanctioned USA Baseball selection events — who will train with National Team coaches and compete in intrasquad exhibitions.  The 14U and 17U National Team Development Programs will serve as additional identification opportunities for the following year’s 15U and 18U National Teams.

USA Baseball will continue to compete in continental events that serve as qualifier for World Championships at each of the new National Team age levels.  The COPABE-sanctioned tournaments are traditionally held every-other-year during IBAF off-years at each respective age level.

“This is an exciting initiative not only for USA Baseball, but for all youth-level athletes playing our national pastime,” said USA Baseball President Mike Gaski.  “Our goal as the national governing body of amateur baseball is to grow the game at the grassroots level and to further develop the sport through all age groups.  We feel like these changes only further our efforts in both of those areas.”

In addition to the new National Teams and developmental programming, USA Baseball will also be making several changes to its events in 2012.  The 14U and 16U Championships — formerly known as the Junior Olympics — will shift and expand to accommodate a third age group, and will now be referred to as the 14U, 15U and 17U Championships.  Each event will continue to be held across an east and west region, with Arizona and Florida serving as the primary hosts.

USA Baseball’s cup events will have a new look in 2012 as well.  The 16U Cup will continue to be held in Cary, N.C., at the USA Baseball National Training Complex, while the 14U Cup and new-for-2012 18U Cup will no longer exist.  The National Team Identification Series (NTIS) will also be affected by the changes, as its three age divisions will shift from a 13U, 15U, 17U format to a 14U, 16U, 17U model which identifies athletes for the following season’s 15U and 18U National Teams, and 17U National Team Development Program opportunities.

A complete list of FAQs regarding the changes can be found here.

“Next summer we will be providing more identification and developmental opportunities for these athletes than ever before,” said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO.  “It will provide an increased number of players with high-caliber coaching and instruction, while also allowing for a more effective National Team selection process for our organization.”

USA Baseball has made no decision or announcement regarding the 12U and 21U levels.  The next 12U championship is scheduled for 2013, while the inaugural 21U event will be in 2014.  The 18U, Collegiate, Women’s and Professional Team programs will continue to move forward unchanged.

The on-field changes also require updates to USABaseball.com, USA Baseball’s online home, powered by Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM).  USA Baseball is working with MLBAM to have all changes in place by the end of March 2012, and any updates that require feedback or information prior to that date will be posted to the website first and/or will be communicated with participants directly.

USA Baseball has fielded a 14U National Team since 2007, and its 16U National Team has competed internationally since 1997.  Both programs took home a gold medal in 2011, at the COPABE 14U/A Pan American Championships and the IBAF Youth 16U/AA World Baseball Championships, respectively.

About USA Baseball
USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Baseball Federation (IBAF).  The organization selects and trains the World Baseball Classic, World Cup and Pan American teams (and all other USA Baseball professional teams); and the Collegiate, 18U, 15U, and Women’s National Teams, all of which participate in various domestic and international competitions each year.  USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country.  For more information, please visit www.USABaseball.com and www.GoldenSpikesAward.com.

On October 15, 2011 the Dutch National Team turned the International Baseball World upside down by defeating Cuba in the finals of the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup, becoming the Baseball World Champions. Remember the memorable night one more time with this nine-plus minute highlight reel.

“IBAF announces inaugural 15U Baseball World Championship”

Additionally the IBAF published the new international baseball competitions outline at www.ibaf.org. It gives an overview about the planned tournaments between 2011 and 2019, including the announced introduction of 21U Baseball World Championship and IBAF Premier 12 events on the international baseball stage. This should give national federations a chance to plan activities in the next couple of years.

“IBAF introduces new Format of International Tournaments”

It didn’t take long for the local organizers. The official website for the 2014 ISF XIV Softball World Championship was launched last week. The tournament will be played from August 13 to 23, 2014 in Haarlem, Netherlands. Obviously there is still a lot to be determined, but the organizers make sure that at least the fans have a chance to plan in advance. Visit www.wcsoftball2014.com for more information.

Results:
Friday, December 16:
New Zealand – Australia 0-7
Taiwan – Canada 2-1
USA – Japan 0-9
Australia – Taiwan 2-3
Saturday, December 17:
Bronze Medal Game:
Taiwan – USA 3-12
Gold Medal Game:
USA – Japan 4-1

Official Website

Results:
Thursday, December 15:
New Zealand – Brazil 8-0
Taiwan – China 5-0
USA – Australia 7-4
Japan – Canada 7-1

Official Website

Results:
Wednesday, December 14:
New Zealand – Botswana 16-8
Taiwan – Zimbabwe 7-0 (forfeit)
Canada – Czech Republic 11-1
Puerto Rico – USA 3-12
Australia – Argentina 7-0
Russia – Germany 4-1
Brazil – Japan 8-0
China – South Africa 11-5

Final Standings First Round:
Pool A

1. USA 7-0
2. Canada 6-1
3. New Zealand 5-2
4. China 3-4
5. Czech Republic 3-4
6. Puerto Rico 3-4
7. South Africa 1-6
8. Botswana 0-7

Pool B

1. Japan 7-0
2. Australia 6-1
3. Taiwan 5-2
4. Brazil 4-3
5. Argentina 3-4
6. Russia 2-5
7. Germany 1-6
8. Zimbabwe 0-7

Official Website

Results:
Tuesday, December 13:
Argentina – Zimbabwe 7-0 (forfeit)
Canada – China 12-3
Australia – Chinese Taipei 9-4
Puerto Rico – Botswana 9-1
Japan – Germany 21-0
Russia – Brazil 3-10
USA – Czech Republic 17-0
New Zealand – South Africa 10-2

Official Website

Results:
Monday, December 12:
Puerto Rico – New Zealand 3-4
Germany – Brazil 0-19
USA – Botswana 17-0
Taiwan – Argentina 5-1
China – Czech Republic 1-0
Australia – Zimbabwe 7-0 (forfeit)
Russia – Japan 0-20
South Africa – Canada 0-7

Official Website

Results:
Sunday, December 11:
Australia – Germany 10-0
Botswana – Czech Republic 3-11
Canada – New Zealand 7-1
Puerto Rico – China 4-2
Argentina – Brazil 2-4
USA – South Africa 8-0
Japan – Zimbabwe 7-0 (forfeit)
Taiwan – Russia 6-0

Standings:
Group A:

1. USA 4-0
2. Canada 3-1
3. Czech Republic 3-1
4. New Zealand 2-2
5. Puerto Rico 2-2
6. China 1-3
7. South Africa 1-3
8. Botswana 0-4

Group B:

1. Japan 4-0
2. Australia 3-1
3. Taiwan 3-1
4. Argentina 2-2
5. Brazil 2-2
6. Germany 1-3
7. Russia 1-3
8. Zimbabwe 0-4

Official Website

Results:
Saturday, December 10:
Argentina – Germany 5-3
Chinese Taipei – Brazil 9-1
USA – New Zealand 7-0
Botswana – China 0-12
Japan – Australia 7-2
Russia – Zimbabwe 7-0 (forfeit)
Puerto Rico – Canada 0-7
South Africa – Czech Republic 1-8

Official Website

Results:
Friday, December 9:
Russia – Argentina 2-5
Botswana – Canada 0-7
Brazil – Australia 0-3
Germany – Zimbabwe 7-0 (forfeit)
China – USA 0-5
Czech Republic – New Zealand 3-13
Japan – Taiwan 1-0
South Africa – Puerto Rico 4-7

Official Website

Results:
Wednesday, December 7:
South Africa – Botswana 6-5
Thursday, December 8:
Argentina – Japan 0-10
China – New Zealand 4-7
Taiwan – Germany 14-0
Australia – Russia 9-1
Brazil – Zimbabwe 7-0 (forfeit)
Puerto Rico – Czech Republic 8-9
Canada – USA 4-11

Official Website

Tonight in Cape Town, South Africa, the International Softball Federation IX Jr. Women’s World Championship will get underway with Opening Ceremonies, followed by the host team taking on Botswana. The (age) 19-and-under fast pitch event runs through and including December 17.

Not being there in person won’t mean that you won’t be able to keep up with the goings-on from the Turfhall complex, however.

All games played on Field 1, plus Opening and Closing Ceremonies, will be webstreamed via the official tournament website, http://jwwc2011.co.za, at no charge to viewers. On the first two days and the last two days, full seven-camera broadcasts will be done. The days in between will be shot with a single camera.

There is other coverage planned for the world championship as well.

A “Live Score” text update feature will be available for all 66 games. Live Score will update at the end of each half inning and will be coupled with the scoreboard for that particular game. Live Score is accessed via the game schedule page on the tournament website. All Live Score updates will be archived.

In addition to Live Score there is a feature for daily Team and Championship statistics. This page will be published and updated at the end of each competition day. Team Stats will be coupled with the competition standings.

There will also be daily picture gallery updates (watermarked), to include 80 images per day (ten per game).

All of the above will be activated tomorrow (December 7) at 16h00 (CAT).

The organizers in Cape Town also set up a Jr. Women’s World Championship page on Facebook.

The participating countries are: Argentina, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Russia, South Africa, USA, and Zimbabwe. At the last edition of the junior women’s world championship, the Americans unseated the two-time defending champions, Japan.

Major League Baseball International is holding its first-ever MLB African Academy at the facilities of the Athlone A’s Baseball Club in Cape Town, South Africa from December 6 to 15, 2011. 40 players from South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Cameroon, Zimbabwe and Kenya take part in the Instructional League like training camp.

The best young players from Africa are invited to make the next step in their development. The coaching staff includes Major League experienced coaches Rick Magnante, German Geigel and Lee Smith. Besides the practices sessions and games on the field there also will be classroom seminars in conditioning, health and nutrition. MLB scouts will be on hand to evaluate the skills of each player.

Invited Players at the MLB African Academy in Cape Town:

Last Name          First Name      Nation       Position
Ajayi Omokoje      Peter           Nigeria      RHP, OF
Aklesi             Michael         Ghana        C
Asavela            Zithutha        South Africa RHP
Bibis              Kyron           South Africa 3B, OF
Blount             Adrian          South Africa SS
Brummer            Courtney        South Africa OF
Clarke             Keenan          South Africa C
Ebersoh            Rowan           South Africa LHP
Einu               Timothy         Uganda       OF, SS
Frost              Javier          South Africa OF, 3B
Gabriel            David           Nigeria      SS, 3B
Gachi              Christ          Cameroon     LHP
Gaddin             Kyle            South Africa RHP
Gonsu              Kevin           Cameroon     SS
Grundling          Gareth          South Africa 1B
Koff               Devon           South Africa RHP
Kotei              Henry           Ghana        RHP, SS
Larkins            Matthew         South Africa RHP, OF
Lebebe             Michael         South Africa LHP, OF
Lubega             Jordan          Uganda       SS, 1B
Mafany             Sihle           South Africa RHP
Mahoney            Marvin          South Africa 3B
Manyeki            Brian           Kenya        1B
Mashile            Samuel          South Africa C
Merrick            Wesley          South Africa C
Murdoza            Rodney          Zimbabwe     1B, SS
Mustapha           Abbas           Kenya        RHP, 1B
Ocen               David           Uganda       3B
Okello             Benard          Uganda       UTIL
Palmer             Keegan          South Africa OF
Pearce             Callan          South Africa RHP
Phiri              Sumani          Zimbabwe     LHP, 1B, OF
Signi              Jo Jo Michael   Cameroon     C
Siphelo            Gadudu          South Africa RHP
Ssekandi           Jimmy           Uganda       SS, 2B
Stoltz             Tyrone          South Africa C
Tawede             Akinyemi        Nigeria      LHP, 1B
Tenesi             Tapiwa          Zimbabwe     RHP, OF
Tighe              Rowan           South Africa 2B
Wafula             Paul            Uganda       OF

Organizers are pleased to invite you to 31st Prague Baseball Week 2012 to Eagles complex in Prague. The dates are 27th June – 1st July, 2012. Like in the 2011 season, in 2012 teams will be also devided into several groups according to to their level. This system guarantees participation of each national team in the tournament. During the same time, there will be also traditional Prague Softball Week.

More information are in the invitation attached or can be requested by email to executive director of PBW, Jan Bagin at janbagin@volny.cz.

The IBAF Congress started with a meeting of the Executive Committee: “IBAF Executive meets in Dallas”.

Riccardo Schiroli wrote a book about the history of the International Baseball Federation, which was presented in Dallas. “The game we love”

The Executive Committee received a new member with Jorge Otsuka from Brazil, who is the new Continental Vice President for the Americas after the COPABE Elections. “Israel Roldan is new President of COPABE”

We already posted it on the website: Major League Baseball introduced the 2013 World Baseball Classic to the delegates. The long anticipated announcement on the qualifiers now apparently will be delivered in January. The winners of the WBC will be called “World Champion” for the first time. “MLB introduces World Baseball Classic to Delegates”

On Friday also a couple of commissions gathered for meetings, including development and tournament commissions. “Friday was the day of the Commissions in Dallas”

The actual IBAF Congress on Saturday started with a strong commitment by Baseball towards a joint Olympic Reinstatement campaign with Softball. An agreement will be signed by both executives hopefully soon. “The Congress opened in Dallas”

IBAF also announced the ban of former secretary general John Ostermeyer. “Lifetime Ban on John Ostermeyer”

IBAF President Riccardo Fraccari addressed various topics in his speech to the delegates. “Together we can”

And finally IBAF announced and approved changes to the International Calendar. The Baseball World Cup will be gone with the World Baseball Classic taking over. There also will be Women’s World Cup, 21U, 18U (will become 18U World Baseball Classic), 15U (formerly 16U), 12U (all every other year) and a Premier 12 (every four years) competition. The transformation will happen until 2015. Additionally the IBAF Statues were altered. “IBAF Congress approves new Format of International Tournaments”

And last but not least, the awards for 2010 and 2011 were announced and handed out. From Europe the Dutch National Team collected more trophies, as head coach Brian Farley and MVP Curt Smith were honored. “IBAF Awards presented at Gala Dinner in Arlington”

SPRING BASEBALL TRAINING SCHEDULE FEATURES MLB TEAMS VS. NETHERLANDS, CANADA AND USA

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (December 2, 2011) –The 2012 schedule has been announced for the second annual International Spring Baseball Training series at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg. The ten game series, which runs from March 6 to March 18, features the 2011 World Cup Championship team from the Netherlands, Team Canada and St. Petersburg College playing MLB squads from the Tampa Bay Rays, the Detroit Tigers, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Atlanta Braves.

Reservations for season box tickets will be taken beginning December 9. Season tickets will be offered for a limited time for only $80 — a 36 percent discount off the single game price of $12.50 per game. For group discounts for ten or more tickets, call 727-827-2078.

2012 St. Petersburg International Spring Baseball Series

Tuesday, March 6 7:05 p.m. Canada vs. Netherlands

Wednesday, March 7 7:05 p.m. Netherlands vs. Team USA

Thursday, March 8 1:05 p.m. Netherlands vs. Detroit Tigers

Friday, March 9 7:05 p.m. Canada vs. Team USA

Saturday, March 10 5:05 p.m. Netherlands vs. Canada

Sunday, March 11 1:05 p.m. Canada vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Monday, March 12 1:05 p.m. Netherlands vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Tuesday, March 13 1:05 p.m. Canada vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Friday, March 16 1:05 p.m. Netherlands vs. Atlanta Braves

Sunday, March 18 1:05 p.m. Netherlands vs. Tampa Bay Rays

St. Petersburg International Baseball is an international baseball program created by Mayor Bill Foster to bring spring baseball back to the historic Al Lang Stadium, originally built in 1977 to replace Al Lang Field built in 1947.

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks dominated during the preliminary phase with three wins in three games, which included a 9-0 blowout over the Samsung Lions. However in the championship game, the Samsung Lions prevailed 5-3 to bring the trophy home to Daegu, South Korea. The 2012 Asia Series, its sixth edition, will be played in South Korea next fall and most likely extending to six teams.

Results:
Friday, November 25:
Samsung Lions – Perth Heat 10-2
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions 6-5
Saturday, November 26:
Samsung Lions – Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 0-9
Perth Heat - Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions 2-3
Sunday, November 27:
Perth Heat – Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 4-0
Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions - Samsung Lions 3-6
Tuesday, November 29:
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks – Samsung Lions 3-5

Official Website Asia Series 2011

Lausanne, Switzerland – The 26th edition of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) congress is set to get under way December 1st in Dallas, Texas. The ordinary congress, (as opposed to a congress where the president and executive board are elected) will be held in the Hotel Intercontinental Dallas, and will run from the 1st to the 4th of December.

The event is an opportunity for the baseball world to come together and discuss the opportunities and challenges faced by member federations around the globe, as well as the general situation of the IBAF itself.

International Events and the international tournament calendar will be the primary focus of this congress, with possible linkages between the World Baseball Classic and the IBAF Baseball World Cup a key topic. In conjunction with this, the next champion of the World Baseball Classic could be named “World Champion” for the first time. There will be a specific session dedicated to information pertaining to the World Baseball Classic on Friday the 2nd of December at 7 PM. This will be preceded by a meeting of the executive board Thursday the 1st of December.

The congress itself will be held December 3rd, with the first session scheduled for 8:30 AM. The schedule will also feature meetings of continental federations and their members, the development commission, tournament commission and for the first time, a facilities development seminar.

Delegates have also been invited to the Ballpark at Arlington, the home of the Texas Rangers, where the official congress dinner and awards will be held.

Press Release by Major League Baseball:

Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig and Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Michael Weiner announced today that MLB and the MLBPA have agreed to a five-year collective bargaining agreement that will allow play to continue uninterrupted through the 2016 season.

The announcement was made today at a joint press conference at Major League Baseball’s offices in New York City. Commissioner Selig and Weiner were joined at the press conference by Rob Manfred, MLB’s Executive Vice President, Labor Relations and Human Resource; Tony Clark, Director of Player Relations for the MLBPA; and Major League players Andrew Bailey of the Oakland Athletics, free agent David Bush, Andrew Miller of the Boston Red Sox, and Carlos Villanueva of the Toronto Blue Jays.

The five-year agreement matches the previous labor contract, which is to expire on December 11, 2011, as the longest in baseball history. By the end of the new contract, baseball will have gone 21 years without a strike or a lockout, which continues the longest period of labor peace the sport has had since the inception of the collective bargaining relationship.

”I am thrilled for the fans that the Clubs and the Players of Major League Baseball, together, have the opportunity to further build on our game’s unprecedented popularity,” Commissioner Selig said. “Labor peace has proven essential to the best interests of baseball and its millions of fans, who have attended our ballparks in historic numbers over the last eight years. During this remarkable era, we have seen outstanding competitive balance, record business performance and a seamless transition to the new modes in which fans want to embrace our sport. I truly believe the best is yet to come for the game we love.”

Weiner said: “I am proud to announce, on behalf of the MLBPA and its members, our new collective bargaining agreements with the Clubs – the Basic Agreement, Benefit Plan Agreement and Joint Drug Agreement. These agreements address nearly every facet of our collective bargaining relationship and will benefit all involved with our great game – players past, present and future; each of the 30 Clubs; and our legions of loyal and enthusiastic fans. These agreements would not have been reached without the broad and personal involvement of our membership – roughly 250 different players attended at least one bargaining session – and without the dedication, leadership, determination and patience of the players on our negotiating committee. Player engagement has long been the key to the MLBPA’s efforts; this generation of players was as engaged in the bargaining as much as any that I’ve been privileged to represent.”

Commissioner Selig said: “On behalf of Major League Baseball, we thank Michael Weiner, his colleagues, and all the players for their shared commitment. I appreciate all of the hard work of Rob Manfred, Dan Halem and the Labor Relations staff, and I am especially grateful for the guidance of Arte Moreno and Jerry Reinsdorf, who devoted their time and expertise to representing the Clubs. I believe that the diligence and creativity of all those who participated in this agreement will take our sport to new heights in the years ahead.”

Weiner added: “I thank Commissioner Bud Selig and his committee for their contributions to these successful negotiations. I would be remiss if I didn’t also thank and commend Rob Manfred, Dan Halem and the LRD staff for their professionalism and their commitment to the collective bargaining process. “

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have won the 2011 Japan Series. They shut out the Chunichi Dragons 3-0 in game seven on Sunday to capture their fifth title in Nippon Professional Baseball overall and their first since 2003. The Hawks erased a 0-2 deficit in the process. Fukuoka had reached the Japan Series by sweeping the Climax Series against the Saitama Seibu Lions. Chunichi had defeated the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in six games to make it into the championship series between the pennant winners from Central and Pacific League.

Results Japan Series:
Hawks – Dragons 1-2
Hawks – Dragons 1-2
Dragons – Hawks 2-4
Dragons – Hawks 1-2
Dragons – Hawks 0-5
Hawks – Dragons 1-2
Hawks – Dragons 3-0

English Website of Nippon Professional Baseball

Baseball America: Bye-Bye, World Cup – IBAF, MLB plot international futures
ESPN.com: Baseball, softball weigh merger for Olympic bid

It was November 11, two months exactly after the decisive play-off game in Hoofdklasse, but Haarlem became the Dutch city of baseball again. Because one month ago Honkbal became Baseball World Champion and put the baseball world upside down. “Revolution” according to Stefano Arcobelli, since decades baseball expert for Italian pink daily Gazzetta dello Sport. Dutch federation KNBSB decided quickly that “Panama” deserved a parade for the surprise champions and picked 11/11/11 in Haarlem for this baseball champion’s parade. Minor League players were flown into Schiphol international airport in order to join their National Team mates from Hoofdklasse.

Yesterday the first twenty-four players were hosted by the city of Haarlem, during the century of KNBSB (founded in 1912) pioneering and progressing in national baseball and reputed in global amateur baseball world for 50 years Honkbal Week tournaments and Pim Mulier stadium. Champions parade day in Haarlem started with a lunch in tournaments hotel Van der Valk and a visit to Pim Mulier stadium, where baseball kids were learning first abilities indoor. Honkbal Week logistics partner Jan de Wit drove the national team in a white touring car to Spaarne riverside, where players and coaches embarked for a voyage on a tourism boat through the crowded city center.

By five o’clock p.m. the champions were received in down town Teyler’s Museum, where national Sports Minister Edith Schippers told that H.M. Queen Beatrix was pleased to have royal decorations presented to team captain Sidney de Jong, team manager Brian Farley and technical director Robert Eenhoorn at this occasion. All other players and coaches will receive their royal decorations in their home towns. Question remaining refers to Belgian pitchers coach Steve Janssen, who lives abroad in Antwerp. He told Mister-Baseball.com, that he was happy that his IBAF Baseball World Cup medal had attracted attention even from Belgian media, usually not too eager for baseball news.

Haarlem Mayor Berndt Schneider hosted a small reception for the Dutch national team in his almost 400 years old town hall at the city’s main square Grote Markt. A small reception because town hall was occupied all day by too many wedding ceremonies for couples in love with this triple eleven date. In front of Haarlem town hall, thousands of baseball fans from city and country were waiting desperately to see their baseball heroes, who appeared at seven o’clock in the beams from a central podium on main square. Announced by Andy Houtkamp (son of softball coach Nol Houtkamp) each player and coach walked over a red carpet to the central champagne shower.

Concert hall Philharmonie was the honoring day final destination for a dinner party, for Hoofdklasse Star Awards Gala and an intimate after party for players, coaches and their invitees. Mister-Baseball.com dined at one table with knighted coach Brian Farley, his wife Gonny Farley from Haarlem and his father Barney Farley from Boston. The 80 years young grand-father had just arrived from USA for a week visit to his son and grandson in the Netherlands and wondered: “How can I explain to my people in the States that my son went to Europe to play baseball and then to coach baseball and then to become world champion in baseball and now to be knighted for baseball?”

Delegates from 33 European Softball Federations (ESF) and their Regional Vice Presidents in attendance at the XXV International Softball Federation (ISF) Biennial Congress in Oklahoma City, OK from 28-30 October learned first-hand how high hopes can be raised and then dashed in the blink of an eye — and two votes.

The largest ESF contingency ever to attend an ISF Congress were participants in several important developments. These included amendments to the ISF Constitution to streamline the powers granted to the ISF Board of Directors and solidify the budgetary functions in a newly formed Finance Commission. The latter is significant, given the fact that Softball, while remaining an Olympic Sport, is not a participant in next year’s Olympic Games in London nor the 2016 Games in Rio and must strive to safeguard its remaining Olympic legacy assets while turning to new sources of funding.

Also critical is the effort to regain a place in the Olympics, starting with the 2020 Games. This was the basis for a historical development, as Congress delegates from 70 nations world-wide, hand-in-hand with their ESF peers, voted by a wide margin (61%) to prepare a joint bid with the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to gain a place at the 2020 Olympics. Previously, a joint Baseball-Softball bid had not been seriously explored. However, given that the efforts of both federations to re-gain Olympic status has met in frustration, joining forces in a manner that the IOC has indicated might come to fruition let to the historic vote. It is not, as some might characterise it, an “exploratory” exercise in the Softball or Baseball communities or a “let’s hear what everyone has to say” consultation, but instructions to the ISF and the IBAF to prepare a proposal for a joint bid and table it before the IOC to have the IOC confirm whether this would be acceptable. It will thus require the IOC not only to state its position but also let the two organizations know, it is hoped, just what criteria would be used to consider and approve re-gaining a place in the Olympics.

In another historic vote, the Congress awarded the XIV 2014 World Women’s Championships to Olympia Haarlem, Netherlands. The first ever on the European Continent. “Olympia Haarlem and the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Federation are honoured to have won the bid to host the worlds,” said Peter van der Aart, Chair of the Organizing Committee. “We look forward to working with the ISF to make this an unforgettable experience for our local community, fans from all over the world and all the participating teams.”

Far more disappointing for Europe, was the decision to award the 2013 ISF Congress to Cartegena, Columbia, over the bid for Prague by the Czech Softball Federation. The vote, by electronic balloting, produced not only uncertainty but three abstentions and a margin of just two votes. Europe has never hosted an ESF Congress and all delegates were eager to have Europe lead the way for 2013. By the cruellest of fates, Europe’s valid and gallant efforts were piqued. It is certain that Europe will return in force at the 2013 Congress and vote to reclaim what many regarded as their hard-earned prize – hosting an ISF Congress.

About the ESF
The ESF is Europe’s governing body of the sport as recognized by the International Softball Federation (ISF) There are 41 affiliated countries in the ESF.

About the ISF
The ISF is the world governing body of the sport as recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and SportAccord (formerly the General Association of International Sports Federations). Softball (women’s fast pitch) made its Olympic debut at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. There are 127 affiliated countries in the ISF and millions of participants in the sport worldwide.

Lausanne, Switzerland – Cuba Remains on top of the world, the Netherlands enter International Baseball’s Top 5.

With the completion of the 2011 summer tournament schedule, the IBAF World Rankings have been amended to reflect the current positioning of nations within the IBAF baseball world.

Cuba remains at the top of the rankings, along with the United States, Korea and Japan demonstrating the top 4 nations are indeed still playing great baseball. The Netherlands, after the momentous 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup victory moved into the top 5, while Canada, Chinese Taipei , Venezuela, Puerto Rico round out the top 10.

The rise of the Netherlands into the top 5 represents a milestone for European baseball developemnt with a total of 7 teams in the top 25.

The gains by the European sector reflect a growing balance at the elite international level, and demonstrate the strides the international game is taking in terms of development. The The Americas Region (COPABE) has 10 representatives in the top 25, followed by 8 in Europe (CEB), 6 in the Asian region (BFA) and 1 in Oceania.

The rankings are compiled using all IBAF tournaments, including Senior and non senior event held over the preceding 4 year period, and assigns points based on these results.   Other criteria include

• Major World Championships with teams from five continents eligible (4x points)
• IBAF Baseball World Cup
• World Baseball Classic
• Olympic Games (to be removed from ranking system in 2012)
• Minor World Championships with teams from three or more continents (1x points)
• Intercontinental Cup
• IBAF “AAA” (18U) World Junior Championships
• IBAF “AA” (16U) World Youth Championships
• FISU World University Championships
• World Qualifying Tournaments with three or more continents (1x points) Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament
• Continental Qualifying Tournaments/Championships Scoring is as follows:
• A continental event with three or more teams in the previous year-end rankings’ top 10 – 1X points
• A continental event with two teams in the previous year-end rankings’ top 10 – .75X points
• A continental event with one team in the previous year-end rankings’ top 10 – .50X points
• A continental event with no teams in the previous year-end rankings’ top 10 – .25X points
• Note: if a member federation “wins” a tournament due to forfeit or byes, then it is automatically awarded points based on a .25X multiplier

The rankings display the 2011 place, as compared to the 2010 position.

Events Awarded, Partnerships Enhanced, Honors Given at Biennial Gathering

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA — Four busy days of softball business concluded here tonight at the International Softball Federation’s XXV Congress, marking the first time in ten years that the event has taken place in the United States. Delegates from exactly 70 countries were on-hand for meetings covering both on- and off-field activity.

The adjournment of the meeting at the Oklahoma City Marriott was preceded by the awarding of the next ISF Congress (2013). In electronic balloting, Cartagena, Colombia, won a close vote over Prague, Czech Republic.

The day began with a presentation by International World Games Association President Ron Froelich, who talked about the multi-sport event that softball (women’s fast pitch) was a part of in 2009 (Taiwan) and will again be on the programme of in two years (Cali, Colombia). Mr. Froelich is also a member of the International Olympic Committee’s Programme Commission and made remarks during a forum yesterday on softball’s Olympic reinstatement efforts, as one of the eight sports on the shortlist announced this past July by the IOC for the 2013 vote on the 2020 Games Programme.

Following Mr. Froelich’s presentation, the delegates heard from representatives of Special Olympics, with whom the ISF signed a partnership agreement in June. ISF President Don Porter and ISF 1st Vice President Dale McMann then awarded the ISF Medal of Honor – the highest recognition given by the world governing body – to Special Olympics, who was represented by Samantha Powell, a Special Olympics softball athlete from Oklahoma City, in accepting the honor.

Other honorees coming out of this session are the latest class elected by the ISF Hall of Fame Commission and approved by the full Congress. They include:
PLAYERS: Peta Edebone (Australia), Linda Marie Ford (Bahamas), Paul Maisey (Australia), Robert “Chubb” Tangaroa (New Zealand), Ray Tilley (Canada), Gina Weber (New Zealand)

COACHES: Alfred “Ali” Culmer (Bahamas), Bob Harrow (Australia), Ramon Lopez (Venezuela), Hung-Cheng Tseng (Chinese Taipei)

ADMINISTRATORS: Juan Manuel Arambula (Mexico), Franco Caverzan (Venezuela), Guller Eriksen (Denmark)

MERITORIOUS SERVICE: Russell Moffat (New Zealand)

The Congress also gave their support to the continuation of talks with the International Baseball Federation to explore the possibility of a joint Olympic reinstatement bid.

In addition to the next Congress, other host cities chosen for future ISF events were Haarlem, Netherlands (2014 Women’s World Championship), Whitehorse, Yukon (Canada) (2014 Jr. Men’s World Championship), and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Canada) (2015 Men’s World Championship).

South Africa, the host of next month’s ISF IX Jr. Women’s World Championship (19-and-under, fast pitch), also gave a presentation today, updating the delegates on the progress of the 16-nation tournament that gets underway in 37 days.

The ISF is the world governing body of the sport as recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and SportAccord (formerly the General Association of International Sports Federations). Softball (women’s fast pitch) made its Olympic debut at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. There are 128 affiliated countries in the ISF and millions of participants in the sport worldwide.

However while the Congress said yes, a joint agreement hasn’t been signed yet. So we still have to wait and hope for the best. The IOC will decide about the 2020 Sports in the summer of 2013. in other news, the 2014 Women’s Softball World Championship was awarded to the Netherlands and the 2013 ISF Congress to Colombia (75-73 votes against Prague).

After the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup saw a new winner with the Netherlands, the baseball tournament at the 2011 Pan American Games saw another surprise finish. Canada defeated Team USA 2-1 in the finals at Panamerican Stadium in Lagos de Moreno, Mexico on Tuesday to win a Gold Medal at an International Baseball event at the senior level for the first time ever. A two-out two-run double by Jimmy van Ostrand in the top of the sixth inning backed a strong outing by starting pitcher Andrew Albers (6 2/3 innings, 8 strikeouts) and lifted the Maple Leafs into first place.

Cuba, which had won the last ten Gold Medals at Pan American Games, had to settle for third place, shutting out host Mexico 6-0. Cuba had lost 10-12 to the United States in an epic semi-final on Monday. The team of manager Ernie Young came out swinging and led 12-2 midway through the fourth before Cuba tried to stage a rally, which fell short eventually. Canada overcame a 0-3 deficit in their semi-final against Mexico to advance with a 5-3 victory. The Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Panama also participated.

Final Standings:

1. Canada
2. USA
3. Cuba
4. Mexico
5. Dominican Republic
6. Venezuela
7. Puerto Rico
8. Panama

Official Website Baseball at the Pan American Games

Preview by Foxsports

The 2011 World Series in Major League Baseball starts on Wednesday, October 19 between National League winners St. Louis Cardinals and American League pendant Texas Rangers. All seven games of the series will start at 8.05pm Eastern Time or 2.05am Central European Time. Fans in Europe can watch the 2011 World Series live via ESPN America or MLB.TV.

Schedule:
Wednesday, October 19:
8.05pm St. Louis Cardinals – Texas Rangers
Thursday, October 20:
8.05pm St. Louis Cardinals – Texas Rangers
Saturday, October 22:
8.05pm Texas Rangers – St. Louis Cardinals
Sunday, October 23:
8.05pm Texas Rangers – St. Louis Cardinals
Monday, October 24:
8.05pm Texas Rangers – St. Louis Cardinals*
Wednesday, October 26:
8.05pm St. Louis Cardinals – Texas Rangers*
Thursday, October 27:
8.05pm St. Louis Cardinals – Texas Rangers*
(*if necessary)

Final Standings:

1) Netherlands
2) Cuba
3) Canada*
4) USA*
5) Australia
6) Korea
7) Venezuela
Panama
9) Dominican Republic
9) Italy
9) Puerto Rico
12) Japan
13) Chinese Taipei
14) Nicaragua
15) Germany
15) Greece

*due to rule C12 of IBAF official norms

Individual Awards:

Leading Batter: Rusney Castillo (CUB)
Pitcher Best ERA: Tom Stuifbergen (NED)
Pitcher Best W-L Average: Miguel Lahera (CUB)
Most Runs Batted In: Curt Smith (NED)
Most Home Runs: Wuilliuans Vasquez (VEN)
Most Stolen Bases: Jordan Danks (USA)
Most Runs Scored: Jose Macias (PAN)
Outstanding Defensive Player: Yuliesky Gourriel (CUB)
Most Valuable Player: Curt Smith (NED)

All Star Team:

Starting Pitcher: Hyoun Taek Oh (KOR)
Relief Pitcher: Yadier Pedroso (CUB)
Catcher: Damaso Espino (PAN)
First Baseman: Jose Abreu (CUB)
Second Baseman: Joe Thurston (USA)
Third Baseman: Chang Min Mo (KOR)
Shortstop: Jonathan Malo (CAN)
Outfielder: Rusney Castillo CUB)
Outfielder: Tom Brice (AUS)
Outfielder: Conception Rodriguez (PAN)
Designated Hitter: Fernando Seguinol (PAN)

by Pim van Nes

This morning at 08.30 hours Brian Farley, his coaches and players arrived at Schiphol, international airport of Amsterdam. Camera crews from national broadcasting system NOS, commercial stations (RTL, SBS) and regional stations ran into the orange capped team, when customs opened the doors to a mass of fans dressed in the same national color.

Eager journalists put their microphone under Rob Cordemans‘ moustache to get his first reactions, but they had to compete with the player’s fans, his wife and his parents. All the other players were being hugged by love ones and baseball fans till KNBSB office manager Hans Meijer invited Farley and three players to attend the press conference.

In that press conference board secretary general Ruurd Koopmans announced that the mass celebration of the latest World Baseball title will take place when all the 24 players will be able to attend: 11 November. Several Dutch national team players traveled from Panama to Curacao and other had to join their pro organisation in USA for fall season competition.

Koopmans reckons to get all of them around and to extend the usual baseball awards for Hoofdklasse players to a mass celebration for the new world champions. He has a pleasant problem in chosing which city may host the biggest baseball party the country ever had. Municipalities in Haarlem, Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam, they have offered their best occasions to organize a spectacular event for the national pride of baseball. Refering to Ty Eriksen’s article: yes, the country is ready for such a parade, even from city to city!

In the press conference questions came from all media: websites, newspapers, radio and television stations. Behind the table from left to right Rob Cordemans, David Bergman, Sidney de Jong, Brian Farley and PR manager Tjerk Smeets. The latter had to pick up his hotel telephone in the middle of the Panama night, because the Netherlands prime minister Mark Rutte could not wait till the Panama morning with his congrats call across the Atlantic. Also Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands had sent a wire with words of appreciation for the national baseball team.

She may remember that her three sons and her late husband played baseball in the palace garden some decades ago. The first cabinet minister to react Sunday morning was sports minister Edith Schippers. All general news programs on Dutch television screens that very same Sunday started with the fresh baseball champions and Monday morning newspapers had the national baseball team photo on front page.

After the game we had only an hour or so to party with all the players together, because several players had to catch their flight to Curacao on Sunday morning, Rob Cordemans explained. Still we have not spoiled the occasion, Sidney de Jong added. He had been televised by NOS camera in Panama with a huge cigar between his lips. Yes, a Cuban one, he confirmed. For me the four hours rain delay before our finale game was not too much a problem, being relief pitcher in the national team, David Bergman answered a question.

In Dutch major league, called Hoofdklasse, he is a regular starting pitcher for his club Kinheim in Haarlem. Can you explain what is so nice in baseball, a lady journalist asked. Yes, becoming world champion! exclaimed Cordemans. Brian Farley told his audience that he had been complimented by most of his opponent coaches for his talented team.

Especially in the press conference after the win over home team Panama, also journalists predicted a medal for the Netherlands. He could not answer yet a question how the foreign press had reacted on the first IBAF title for the Netherlands, but someone in the press room refered to Italian Gazzetta dello Sport having stated that the baseball world is experiencing a revolution.

Photo: © Rob Jelsma

Mister-Baseball.com serves the whole European Community, so here is a question for those readers in the Netherlands:

How does it feel to be on top of the world?

Please share your feelings in the comments; we’d love to hear stories of all night celebrations and championship parades being planned.

I, for one, didn’t give the Netherlands enough credit at the start of the tournament. While they are routinely the best team on our continent, a look at their group was more than a bit deflating. Despite the US, Canada, and Japan missing their top players in the MLB system, there was still Taiwan and Panama to deal with. Would anyone have given a second look if the Orange finished seventh in the group?

Now we find ourselves in some uncharted territory. Never before has a European team won the Baseball World Cup (hand down, Great Britain. That doesn’t count.) In fact, they become the first champions from outside of the Americas since South Korea in 1982. Talk about raising the bar for baseball on our continent.

It must have been the rain giving them an advantage. A four-hour period of rain couldn’t throw them off their game before the final, and doubleheaders to fit in the games couldn’t mess with head coach Brian Farley’s rotation. Seven pitchers made starts for the champions. Its quite telling that the worst ERA was just 4.70, when Mr. Markwell held the US of A to four runs on eight hits in six innings. He still got the win, because his teammates put a pounding on the American pitching in the early innings. They’ll probably give him some good-natured teasing for that. Why aren’t all these guys in the minors, they just posted a team ERA 1.65 in 93 innings. Only three of them are in the US right now, so: agents, start making some calls to the other seven.

And it wasn’t a one-man-show on offense, either. Not a single Dutch player made the tournament All-Star Team. Pretty ridiculous, considering how they just whipped the whole freakin’ world. Curt Smith picked up the MVP award and also had the most RBI’s with 13. He only had 13 hits, how’s that for clutch conversion? I’m scratching my head to figure out how that even happens. Must have come up with runners in scoring position nearly every time.

Tom Stuifbergen grabbed the award for lowest ERA with most innings pitched. Zero is pretty low. They don’t give out negative ERA’s in baseball, so he’ll have to make due.

The team must have superstar status in Panama, too, since they played in front of crowds numbering over a thousand on seven occasions, including the championship. Some of the towns they played in have barely more than 20,000 people total. Now, the whole world knows who they are.

Word from colleagues on hand to witness: Netherlands can play some ball.

CUB 000 100 000 1 5 0
NED 000 200 00X 2 6 1

The Netherlands have written European Baseball history and won the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup. The team of head coach Brian Farley stunned record title holder Cuba with a 2-1 in the championship game on Saturday evening at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City. It is not only the first world title, but also the first medal overall for the Dutch squad.

After Cuba had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning on a sac fly by Alfredo Despaigne, Bryan Engelhardt and Jonathan Schoop countered in the bottom half of the same frame with RBI singles to turn the deficit into a lead. They faced several critical scoring opportunities for Cuba afterwards, but either escaped with nice defensive plays or the Caribbean team trying to hit the long ball.

Rob Cordemans got the win, pitching a gem, allowing just two hits, a run and a walk in 7 1/3 impressive innings. Juan Carlos Sulbaran and David Bergman closed it out. Yulieski Gonzalez took the loss, getting charged with three hits, two runs and two baseball on balls in three-plus innings.

The start of the game was delayed for four hours due to rain, but after it got underway it wasn’t interrupted again. Curt Smith was named Most Valuable Player during the medal ceremony.

Championship Game at 5pm on Saturday – Canada meets with USA for Bronze Medal

Panama City, Panama. Cuba is playing the Netherlands in the Gold Medal Game of the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup. The game will be held on Saturday, October 15 starting 5pm local time at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City. Cuba defeated Canada on Friday afternoon to reach the championship game. The Dutch team had clinched their place in the finals on Thursday. Canada has to settle for the game for third place, where they will face Team USA, qualifying for the game after sweeping a doubleheader, including a thrilling comeback win over Venezuela.

Korea 1 – USA 3

Team USA stays in the race for the Bronze Medal Game at the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup. They defeated Korea 3-1 on Friday morning in the first part of the twin bill of seven-inning games at Remon Cantera Stadium in Aguadulce, Panama. In the home town of big leaguer Carlos Lee, the selection of Triple- and Double-A players scored twice in the first two innings en route to the win. Matt Shoemaker pitched five scoreless two-hit innings to lead the way. The bullpen helped to stop a Korean rally in the end.

Panama 4 – Australia 5

Australia wins in an extra eighth inning (5-4) the game against Panama. The win won’t help the Aussies advance to the third place game in any case, but it was a good way to end a tournament that was off to a very poor start for Jon Deeble’s side, but showed the team from Down Under has plenty of talent. In particular, this game was highlighted by 23 year old first baseman Stefan Welch at the plate. The Mets’ Minor Leaguer went 3 for 5 and batted in four out of five runs his team scored. Left hander Steven Kent took the mound as the third pitcher for Australia and earned the win.

Venezuela 4 – USA 7

Team USA will play for the consolation prize, as they reached the Bronze Medal Game at the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup with a spirited 7-4 comeback win over arch rival Venezuela on Friday afternoon in Aguadulce, Panama. It was their second victory of the day after taking down Korea in the morning. A six-run rally in the top of the seventh helped them to turn a 1-4 deficit into a “W”, as they improve to 4-3 in the second round. Matt Clark tied the game with a two-run single. Jordy Mercer had the game-winning hit with a three-run homerun. Wuilliuans Vasquez (2) and Rodolfo Cardona had hit three solo homeruns to give Venezuela the lead early on.

Canada 2 – Cuba 8

Cuba displayed a great show of power for the win (8-2) they needed against Canada, in order to head towards Saturday’s Gold Medal game of the IBAF Baseball World Cup. For the North Americans there was not a chance. Cuba was off an impressive start, combining four hits (including two doubles and a triple) in the first five at bats and scoring three runs. In the end, scorekeepers counted fifteen Cuban hits, six for the extra base. Jadier Pedroso collected the win.

Cuba 7 – Panama 2

Cuba overcame an early 0-2 deficit to beat Panama 7-2, taking charge with a five-run rally in the bottom half of the third inning. A two-run triple by Alexei Bell set the tone on a rainy Friday night at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City. The right fielder later scored and added another RBI to blow the score open. Cuba improved to 6-1 in the second round, while Panama dropped to 2-5.

Venezuela 2 – Netherlands 12

Team Netherlands’ rush did not stop in the last game before the Baseball World Cup finals, against Venezuela. The Europeans hit constantly and for power, but the Venezuelans supported them delivering their worst defensive performance of the tournament. Besides, Dutch starter Arshwin Asjes pitched five three-hit shutout innings before giving up two runs in the sixth. The game ended with a score of 12-2 for the Orange.

2nd Round Standings

1) Netherlands 6-1
2) Cuba 6-1
3) Canada 4-3
4) USA 4-3
5) Australia 3-4
6) Korea 2-5
7) Panama 2-5
Venezuela 1-6

Outlook

All eyes on Sunday will be on the Gold Medal Game between the Netherlands and Cuba. Game time will be 5pm at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City. The Dutch team has never won a medal, with fourth place in 2005 and 2007 being the best finish in their history. Now they have already silver secured, but want to get the big prize against the record title holder, who has collected 25 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze in 38 years of Baseball World Cup history. Earlier in the day the classification games will take place, including a matchup between Team USA and Canada for third place. Also Korea is battling Australia for fifth and Panama is trying to pick up seventh against Venezuela.

Schedule

11h00 Game for 7th: Panama – Venezuela (Aguadulce)
11h00 Game for 5th: Australia – Korea (Santiago)
11h00 Game for 3rd: Canada – USA (Panama City)
17h00 Championship Game: Netherlands – Cuba (Panama City)

Follow the IBAF Baseball World Cup also on Facebook and Twitter and to receive instant and extra information from all the fields.

NED 203 303 1  12 13 0
VEN 000 002 0   2  7 5

Box score

The Netherlands celebrated another victory at the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup on Friday evening. They crushed a helpless Venezuelan team 12-2 to improve to 6-1 in the second round, clinching first place and home field advantage against Cuba in the finals. Curt Smith set the highlight with a homerun in the third inning. He and Bryan Engelhardt (4-5) combined for six RBI. Kalian Sams scored three times. On the mound Arshwin Asjes went the distance, allowing seven hits and two runs in seven innings. He struck out five. Venezuela only was able to avoid the shutout on a two-run single by San Marino’s Willy Vasquez. On Saturday (5pm in Panama, midnight in Europe) the Dutch National Team will square off with Cuba in the championship game, trying to accomplish the unthinkable for European Baseball. The game will be shown live on TV in the Netherlands. Other European fans can go to www.ibaf.org and follow it live via stream (with subscription).

Cuba or Canada to be Opponent – Decision on Friday

Aguadulce, Panama. With one day left on the schedule of the second round, the first team clinched a spot in the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup Final. The Netherlands surprised Cuba and handed the record champion its first loss in the tournament. The Dutch team will play for Gold for the first time in history. Only two more teams have the chance to reach the finals.

Cuba and Canada remain in the race with the winner of their matchup to join the Netherlands in the finals. Canada had celebrated a pair of shutouts on Thursday to keep hopes alive. Panama on the other hand is out for the Gold Medal. They dropped a tight contest to Korea in the evening.

Canada 7 – Venezuela 0

After Wednesday’s rainouts at the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup, action on the field resumed with a matchup between Canada and Venezuela at Remon Cantera Stadium in Aguadulce, Panama. The Maple Leafs had no trouble and scored seven runs in the first two innings for a 7-0 win. Brock Kjeldgaard hit a two-run homerun. Emerson Frostad and Tim Smith drove in four more with a pair of extra base hits. Kyle Lotzkar pitched five scoreless innings for the win.

USA 2 – Australia 1

At the end of a pitching duel between left handed prospects Drew Smyly (Tigers) and Clayton Tanner (Reds), Team USA beat Australia (2-1). The fact the game was set to seven innings only leaves Australia with some regret. The Aussies scored in the seventh and the inning ended when third baseman Wearne lined into a game ending double play with the tying run on base.

Netherlands 2 – Australia 1

In a game that started on Wednesday at 2 pm and resumed on Thursday at 3.30 pm, The Netherlands beat Australia (2-1) and now they are one win away from a final that would be a milestone in international baseball, since the Dutch would be the first European team to accomplish such a goal. Australia spoiled a great start by Dushan Ruzic as reliever Andrew Russell took the mound when the game resumed and immediately got into trouble, hitting Curt Smith, allowing a base hit to Bryan Engelhardt and advancing the runners on a bad pickoff attempt. Shairon Schoop imitated his brother Jonathan and drove in the winning run for the Dutch.

Canada 4 – Korea 0

Canada completed a doubleheader sweep on Thursday with a 4-0 win over Korea. Instead of scoring in the beginning as in the shutout against Venezuela, the team of manager Ernie Whitt relied on the fifth inning to decide the outcome on the back of another strong pitching effort. The Maple Leafs improved to 4-2 in the second round and keep on track for the medal round. A pair of RBI singles and a pair of errors during the big frame helped in the process. The game was delayed for 75 minutes in the bottom of the first inning due to rain.

Panama 4 – Korea 5

Korea stunned Panama with a 5-4 comeback win on Friday evening, ending the host’s hopes for a Gold Medal opportunity. The Olympic champion turned around a 1-3 deficit with a four-run rally in the top of the sixth inning. Panama tried to rally in the end, but a flyout ended the game with runners at the corners. Jose Macias and Fernando Seguinol went deep for the home team, Yi Young Lee for the guests from Asia. The game was delayed twice due to rain.

Cuba 1 – Netherlands 4

The Netherlands are making history. After beating (4-1) Cuba, becoming the first European team in 73 years to compete for a Gold Medal in the IBAF Baseball World Cup. The Dutch deserved to win. Starter Orlando Yntema and reliever Leon Boyd were extremely solid on the mound and the offense beat Cuba with their own weapon: the long ball. All of the runs for the Netherlands came actually on home runs, a couple of two-run homeruns by Brian Engelhardt and Kalian Sams.

2nd Round Standings

1) Netherlands 5-1
2) Cuba 4-1
3) Canada 4-2
4) USA 2-3
5) Panama 2-3
6) Korea 2-4
7) Australia 2-4
Venezuela 1-4

Outlook

The second round at the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup is coming to an end on Friday. The main focus will be on the game between Cuba and Canada at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City. However, the race for the Bronze Medal Game is interesting as well with several teams still having a shot to make it. Three games apiece are scheduled for the stadiums in Panama City and Aguadulce. Cuba, Panama, Venezuela and USA will have to play doubleheaders, as a result of Wednesday’s rainouts. All games are set for seven innings each.

Schedule, Friday, October 14

11h00 Korea – USA (Aguadulce)
11h00 Panama – Australia (Panama City)
15h30 Venezuela – USA (Aguadulce)
15h30 Canada – Cuba (Panama City)
19h30 Cuba – Panama (Panama City)
19h30 Venezuela – Netherlands (Aguadulce)
(local times Panama)

Follow the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup also on Facebook and Twitter and receive instant news on eventual rain delays and other information.

NED 020 020 0  4 6 0
CUB 000 100 0  1 5 1

Box score

The Netherlands stunned Cuba 4-1 in the evening game in Santiago, Panama on Thursday and will play in the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup.

After they beat Australia 2-1 in the completion of Wednesday’s rainout in the afternoon, they used two-run homeruns by Bryan Engelhardt and Kalian Sams to improve to 5-1 in the second round of the tournament. Their opponent will be determined in the games on Friday. The championship game will be played on Saturday at 5pm local time at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City.

Orlando Yntema (W, 1-0) stifled the bats of the record champion, allowing four hits, a run and two walks in five innings. Leon Boyd relieved him in the sixth and closed it out retiring six of the remaining eight batters.

AUS 010 000 000  1 9 1
NED 010 000 10X  2 4 0

Box score

The Dutch National Team remains en course towards the Gold Medal Game at the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup in Panama. On Thursday afternoon they prevailed in the completion of the suspended game from Wednesday, which was stopped because of rain in the top of the seventh inning. When play resumed the team of head coach Brian Farley acted quickly and Curt Smith scored the decisive run in the bottom half of the seventh frame. Both teams had exchanged in the second inning, but otherwise starters Dushan Ruzic for Australia and Shairon Martis for the Netherlands had dominated. For the Netherlands the contest was just a prelude to their clash with Cuba in the evening.