Press Release Swedish Baseball and Softball Federation
The Swedish Baseball and Softball Federation has announced that former Major Leaguer Dennis Cook will continue to serve as the head coach of the Swedish National Baseball Team over the 2012 European Championships. The 48-year old Cook pitched for 15 seasons in the big leagues, including the 1997 World Series with the Florida Marlins, where he picked up the win in Game 3 in relief.
The assistant coaches Stephen Labay, Rickard Reimer, and Doug Skiles also will continue over the 2012 European Championships.
The Swedish team finished in 5th place at the 2010 European Championships, ahead of powerhouses as Spain and Great Britain, teams who are loaded with players with professional experience.
“Our placement last year was a tremendous success given the tough group that we were assigned to. Much credit goes to the coaching staff, which was the strongest ever for a Swedish national team, and the staff made a huge impact on the development of the players,” says Ulf Steinvall, GM of the national teams.
Cook, who has Swedish roots, made his MLB debut for the San Francisco Giants in 1988 and stayed in the big leagues until 2002, pitching also for eight other teams. He received two World Series rings during his career, one with the Florida Marlins in 1997 and another one with the Anaheim Angels in 2002. The left-handed journeyman had an ERA of 3.91 in 665 appearances (71 starts) overall.
Photo: Peter Blomqvist