by Pim van Nes
In our previous interview we met two Marlins players from Tenerife Island, Spain, both born in Latin America, but now we are talking with two players born in Europe, playing for Pioneers in Antwerp region, Belgium. One has an Italian name but was born in Spain and the other has a Greek name but was born in Belgium. The interview was done mainly in Dutch language, as both players have spent enough time in Dutch speaking Flanders, the northern and emerging half of Belgium.
Terence Junior Antonacci: “I was born with American and Spanish nationality in Sevilla, Spain, because my father in 1978 had an assignment with US Navy there. My family name refers to my father’s roots in the Italian Abbruzzi region and my mother was an American woman. At my age of eight, my father was transferred by US Navy to Athens, Greece, where we stayed another six years and alike in Spain I played boys baseball in teams and competitions organized by navy people. When I was 15, we moved to Baltimore, Maryland, USA where I studied and played baseball at Baltimore High School from 1993 till 1996. As from 1996 I continued playing baseball, then at University of North Carolina.
It so happened in 1998 that baseball brought me back from USA to Europe, when I was selected for an All Star Team delegated to a tournament in Belgium. When I joined the same selection for the same tournament in Borgerhout, Belgium, in 1999, I was approached by people of the local club Squirrels. They invited me to come back and stay for next baseball season in Belgium and so I decided for a try in 2000, but I stayed with Borgerhout Squirrels for another five years. In 2006 I moved to Luchtbal Greys for two seasons and in 2008 I joined to my present club Hoboken Pioneers. Three times at a row my club became “landskampioen”, national champion of Belgium: two times with Luchtbal and in 2008 with Hoboken.
Playing here in Rotterdam preliminary round of European Cup with three games a day by six best clubs from six countries in one stadium makes us play better and especially learn. Baseball in Belgium has a future and we are very proud to have one home grown talent, Thomas de Wolf, the first having earned a professional contract ever, i.e. with New York Mets. He is 17 years young and has just started his league season. On the other hand I fell in love with a Belgian girl, we are husband and wife now and I am expecting the Belgian passport, which will allow me to play for the Belgian national team, if I am selected. In that case we may meet again in Germany for the European Championship.”
On Saturday Antonacci became complete game winning pitcher in a 1-0 shutout versus DOOR Neptunus in Rotterdam.
Randy Giorgiadis: “I was born in 1979 in Antwerp, Belgium, as a child of Greek and Belgian parents. Baseball in Belgium is played and organized in the Antwerp region and a few settlements elsewhere in the country. This is illustrated best by my CV in baseball as far as variety of clubs is concerned. They are all situated in the Antwerp region with a diameter of maximum 15 – 20 km. Only exception is Namur Angels, where I played three seasons as a Dutch speaking Flemish player in a French speaking Wallon club. At the age of 6 I started playing baseball with my present club Hoboken Pioneers, when I was 8 I went to Antwerp Eagles, four years later I moved to Borgerhout Squirrels, but when I was 16 I returned to Antwerp Eagles to play as a senior player.
Then I was contracted by Namur Angels at the age of 17 and we became national champion of Belgium in 1998. In 1999 I went back to Flanders and joined in the national championship of 2000 with Mortsel Stars. When I was 22, I went to the Braves in Brasschaat. Before Terence did so three times at a row with two clubs, I did it three times with one club. In 2002, 2003 and 2004 the Braves with me became national champion of Belgium. When I was 26, I went to Mortsel Stars for two years, then two years again with Braves in Brasschaat and now I am back with my very first club Hoboken Pioneers, defending champion since 2009. As a born Belgian, I have played many games with the national team of my country and it is very nice to compete against players from better baseball countries. For instance I played versus ex-Major Leaguers Tom McGrann and Joe McKeon and versus Leon Boyd as a Hoboken Pioneer. Also they are just human beings”.
One day after the interview Giorgiadis helped his Pioneers teammates including Antonacci beat DOOR Neptunus. Both players have their own daily job for 40 hours per week to make their living in Belgium. They practice for baseball on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and play regular season games on Saturday and Sunday. For international tournaments, especially abroad, they have to ask leave from their employers. Baseball in Belgium is more or less neglected by national press media and only regional TV and radio in Antwerp from time to time brings high lights of its clubs’ performances.
Pim van Nes
Baseball writer for
www.honkbalsite.com
www.sporttribune.nl
www.baseball.it
