by Josh Chetwynd
After two seasons of Dutch domination at the top of the tables, the third annual Mister-Baseball European Top 50 has a new country taking the top spot: Italy. Fortitudo Bologna rode a combination of an Italian Baseball League championship, a co-European Cup crown and a silver medal performance in the Europe’s Final Four to claim the title. Two Dutch clubs followed Bologna: the Hoofdklasse champion, DOOR Neptunus, and league runners-up Konica Minolta Pioneers. After finishing at the top of the standings last year, L&D Amsterdam fell to a tie at the fourth spot with Rouen Baseball 76. Amsterdam did earn a European Cup crown but couldn’t progress out of the Hoofdklasse semi-finals. Rouen secured its placing thanks to a French League and a Challenge De France title as well as a third-place finish at the European Cup – in which they beat Amsterdam head-to-head.
Two IBL squads came next: League runners-up and Italian Cup winner T&A San Marino and Final Four champion Danesi Caffe Nettuno. Although Nettuno walked away with the Final Four title, its inability to make it to the IBL playoffs was reflected in its final placing. In contrast, eighth-place finisher Tenerife Marlins dominated the Spanish domestic league, but a poor performance in European Cup competition left them outside of the top-five. Dutch semi-finalist Corendon Kinheim, which shared a European Cup title with Bologna, placed in a tie with Tenerife and the German Bundesliga champion Heidenheim Heidekoepfe rounded out the top-10.
These rankings continue to be based on a combination of factors. Point totals for teams were amassed from two categories:
- Strength of baseball in the club’s country: The strength of domestic leagues and the countries’ overall international success were significant factors in these rankings. Among the elements considered were: The standing of each country’s national team in the European Championships; the country’s overall performance in CEB club events; and the size of the baseball membership in the country. In looking at country performance, both recent events and historical performance were taken into account.
- Club’s performance: This is the actual performance of the clubs. This included final standings in domestic leagues and cup competitions; clubs’ winning percentages; and performances in CEB-sanctioned competitions. Head-to-head performance against other teams in the rankings is taken into consideration – but is one of many factors. In this category, a team’s performance for the 2009 season was exclusively considered.
The combination of country strength and individual team performance is intended to give a snapshot of European club play for a single year. These rankings do not attempt to offer a historic comparison of clubs and do not assert that a team ranked higher than another is a “better” team. Rather, a combination of performance and league strength reflects the ordering.
We recognize that these rankings may stir some debate. In part, that’s their very purpose. We do not claim this list to be definitive. If you have any questions or comments, send e-mails to rankings@mister-baseball.com.
2007 Mister-Baseball European Top 50
2008 Mister-Baseball European Top 50
| Pos. | Club | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CNF Unipolsai Bologna | Italy | 32.33 |
| 2 | Curacao Neptunus | Netherlands | 30.00 |
| 3 | Hoofddorp Pioniers | Netherlands | 27.00 |
| 4 | L&D Amsterdam | Netherlands | 26.50 |
| Rouen Baseball 76 | France | 26.50 | |
| 6 | T&A San Marino | San Marino | 25.50 |
| 7 | SSD Nuova BC Citta Di Nettuno | Italy | 25.33 |
| 8 | Kinheim H1 | Netherlands | 25.00 |
| Tenerife Marlins P.C. | Spain | 25.00 | |
| 10 | Heidenheim Heideköpfe | Germany | 23.33 |
| 11 | ASD Rimini Baseball | Italy | 21.83 |
| 12 | Sant Boi | Spain | 21.50 |
| 13 | Draci Brno | Czech Republic | 21.33 |
| 14 | CB Barcelona | Spain | 20.75 |
| 15 | Mannheim Tornados | Germany | 20.33 |
| Parmaclima | Italy | 20.33 | |
| 17 | Buchbinder Legionäre | Germany | 19.83 |
| 18 | Sparta/Feyenoord | Netherlands | 19.00 |
| 19 | Les Templiers de Senart | France | 18.50 |
| 20 | Montpellier Barracudas | France | 18.00 |
| 21 | KNTU-OSVSM Kirovograd | Ukraine | 17.83 |
| Solingen Alligators | Germany | 17.83 | |
| 23 | San Inazio Bilbao Bizkaia | Spain | 17.00 |
| 24 | Arrows Ostrava | Czech Republic | 16.33 |
| 25 | Tornado Balashikha | Russia | 15.83 |
| 26 | Savigny sur Orge Lions | France | 15.50 |
| 27 | Bracknell Blazers | United Kingdom | 15.00 |
| 28 | Stockholm Monarchs | Sweden | 14.50 |
| 29 | MGPU S.Y.O.S. Moscow | Russia | 14.33 |
| Technika Brno | Czech Republic | 14.33 | |
| 31 | Hoboken Pioneers | Belgium | 14.25 |
| 32 | Richmond Flames | United Kingdom | 13.50 |
| 33 | Tranås BK | Sweden | 12.50 |
| 34 | Port of Antwerp Greys | Belgium | 11.75 |
| Therwil Flyers | Switzerland | 11.75 | |
| 36 | Olimpija Karlovac | Croatia | 11.50 |
| 37 | Montepaschi Grosseto Orioles | Italy | 11.33 |
| 38 | Lituanica Kaunas | Lithuania | 11.00 |
| Vienna Wanderers | Austria | 11.00 | |
| 40 | TNU Tigers | Ukraine | 10.33 |
| 41 | Baseball and Softball Club Vindija | Croatia | 10.00 |
| Brest Zubrs | Belarus | 10.00 | |
| 43 | Bern Cardinals | Switzerland | 9.75 |
| 44 | Skokani Olomouc | Czech Republic | 8.83 |
| 45 | Dinamo Bucaresti | Romania | 8.50 |
| 46 | Demony Miejska Górka | Poland | 8.00 |
| 47 | Dublin Spartans | Ireland | 7.50 |
| 48 | Óbuda Warriors | Hungary | 7.00 |
| Club | Country |
|---|---|
| Athletics Attnang-Puchheim | Austria |
| Blagoevgrad Buffaloes | Bulgaria |
| Espoo Expos | Finland |
| Kranjski Lisjaki | Slovenia |
| Oslo Pretenders | Norway |
| PapaJoe’s Eglo Tigers | Austria |
| Vojvode Zemun | Serbia |
Countries covered: Austria, Belarus. Belgium. Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine.
Pingback by Tweets that mention 2009 Final Standings Mister-Baseball European Top 50 « Mister Baseball -- Topsy.com
November 9, 2009 | 2:02 pm
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Philipp Wuerfel, Mister Baseball. Mister Baseball said: Fortitudo Bologna tops 2009 Final Standings Mister-Baseball European Top 50 http://is.gd/4QPD3 […]
Comment by Bleacher Creature
November 9, 2009 | 11:07 pm
[quote]After two campaigns as the rankings’ top team, L&D Amsterdam fell to…[/quote]
Actually it was Kinheim who topped the 2007 standings, not Amsterdam.
Comment by philipp
November 10, 2009 | 12:57 am
Thanks for the heads up. We fixed it.
Pingback by PUESTO 23 DEL RANKING EUROPEO « SAN INAZIO Béisbol – Sófbol__________ desde 1.956
December 13, 2009 | 7:47 pm
[…] WEB CON LA NOTICIA […]
Comment by poetunknown
March 22, 2010 | 7:06 pm
I plan to put Switzerland back on top!!! Zurich Challengers. If you don’t know me…wait until the season starts!
Comment by JK14
April 18, 2010 | 9:52 pm
MrCocker HCAW should definitely be in the list..
Comment by Brutus
August 26, 2010 | 8:54 pm
the Solingen Alligators should be lower. they are good but not that good. I mean come on, they play in the northern Germany league. there aren’t any good teams up there.
Comment by Bleacher Creature
November 15, 2010 | 12:51 am
Wasn’t about time now for the 2010 edition?
Comment by philipp
November 15, 2010 | 10:29 am
Yes, it is time. 2010 Standings will be coming in the next few days. Maybe as early as Tuesday.
Comment by Bleacher Creature
November 21, 2010 | 10:45 pm
Which Tuesday actually…? 😉
Comment by philipp
November 22, 2010 | 11:57 am
Yes, I know. Sorry. I was a bit too optimistic. 🙂
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November 22, 2010 | 1:08 pm
[…] Similar Posts on Mister Baseball 2009 Final Standings Mister-Baseball European Top 50 […]
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February 8, 2013 | 6:00 pm
[…] Mr. Baseball: 2009 Final Standings Mr. Baseball European Top 50 […]