Dirk Fries, pitcher of the German National Team and the Cologne Cardinals, will give us a daily report about his time at the Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Taiwan.
Tuesday March 11th
Today I would like use this platform to thank all people interested in our team for following us. This goes for all Germans as well as all the international readers that have visited my diary. I want to thoroughly thank you very much for your posts, the good luck wishes and the positive remarks about our style of play and the way in which we conduct ourselves representing Germany in this tournament and in baseball in general. It makes me proud to be a part of this program knowing that so many of you appreciate our efforts. Also, its great that German baseball has come to greater recognition and respect throughout the world. This is exemplified in the fact that last night a Korean magazine reporter came to the team hotel to meet with me and discuss my Blog as well as our team, wanting to know more about baseball in Germany.
Further I am honored to let today’s report come from none other than our head coach himself, Mister GREG FRADY:
Often I have been called a dreamer and somehow I think it fits me. I have had a dream for all of my baseball life to coach or play in the Major Leagues and the Olympics. I wish the Yankees would call, but so far nothing and the possibilities are not good for the future. However, the Olympic chance is right before our German team with just three games to go. Our team came into the World Olympic Qualifying Tournament as a long shot according to some experts, but no one within our very proud organization believed that. Our story has been told over a four year period and continues to get bigger each day as we continue to have success. The first part of this tournament has seen many heroes from the German team. Against Australia TIM HENKENJOHANN, MIRKO HEID and KAI GRONUAER each had big games. Next came the Spain game and our first win! In the history of German baseball no one player has ever pitched a greater game than ENORBEL MARQUEZ this night in my opinion. It was very difficult to score, but SASCHA LUTZ hit a huge home run for our only run.
Oh how sweet the night victory was for all of us! Confidence plays such a big part of athletics and we had it going into the Chinese Taipei game. The crowd was loud, but provided our team an opportunity to prove we can play with the best in the world in front of 20,000+ spectators. ANDRE HUGHES was the star this day. He pitched at a very high level and the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he left the game. DOMINIK WULF played outstanding at third base and he and JENDRICK SPEER was our offensive leaders. KAI GRONAUER just missed a homerun on a great catch by their center fielder and they got a ball to drop in beyond SIMON GUEHRING that was the difference in the game. Our relievers MARTY ALMSTETTER, PHILIPP HOFFSCHILD and MARKUS WINKLER shut them down and gave us a chance at the end of the game. We had runners on base in the bottom of the 9th, but couldn’t get the big hit. Our team has always played in a professional manner and commanded respect from each team we have played along the way and this game was no different. At the conclusion of the contest the fans gave our Deutschland team a standing ovation out of respect for the world class caliber baseball we are playing. In the media interview after the game the reports were very impressed with the poise and confidence the team showed. I told them that this is nothing new; it has been growing over the past four years.
Our South Africa game had heroes where you normally don’t expect it, our rookies! DONALD LUTZ and LUDWIG GLASER played so great and provided the team with the energy level that it takes when everyone is tired. The veterans have the knowledge and experience, but the rookies always provide the excitement. This was a very hard game, because of fatigue and a total change in crowd environment (no fans). But, like a champion our team had a greater will to win on this day and our veteran pitcher DIRK FRIES came in and closed out the win for us. Our second win in the biggest tournament in German baseball history and puts an Olympic berth in reach for us. Call me a dreamer, but I believe we can achieve a spot in the 2008 Olympics and we are only three wins away. Everyone on the team, veterans and rookies are doing their part to make our dream come true. Maybe, I will never coach in the Major Leagues, but I know for sure that the German Senior National Team is Major League to me.
It is an honor to coach this team and seeing them have this level of success is so rewarding. We are starting to adjust to the culture, food and the people after our time in the 2007 World Cup this past November and now the World Olympic Qualifying Tournament here in Taiwan. Just three wins away and we will be rewarded with a trip back to China for the 2008 Olympics. It will be a great challenge to defeat Korea, Mexico and Canada over the next three days, but I believe our team can do it. This can happen because we have no shortage of German baseball heroes. Wish us luck as we go for an Olympic berth and play out our Major League dream!
GREG FRADY
Head Coach Deutschland Senior National Team
Hi Greg,
I can remember when you first came to Germany 4 years ago and took practice with the team on the YAKS field to start preparation for the B-Pool EC in Germany that year.
It’s amazing to see what a great/unbelievable progress the team made since that day.
We are all proud of our national team and wish you all the best luck to make your way to the Olympics. Lots of baseball fanatics will get up early tomorrow and the next days to follow the progress of the games provided through the DBV message board.
Thank you all for being such good representatives of the sport we all love so much.
Go Team Germany
Markus Pollmeier
Verl/Gütersloh YAKS
Baseball and Softballclub
Hey guys,
I wish you all the best for the remaining three games and deeply share the belief that you can make it to the top three of this tournament!
YOU CAN DO IT!
Hi Dirk, Hi Greg, Hi Team Deutschland !!
thank you for the job you are doing, up there in Taiwan !!
Go for it !! Go for the Olympics ! We know you can do it !! We wish you all the best !!
Greetings from Bonn ! to the team, to Tim, Mirco and the “Freezer”
Thomas and Tito