Last week the organizers of the Haarlem Baseball Week announced four of the six teams, which will play in the July tournament. One of them was a squad from the USA. Since Team USA Collegiate is not available as they are preparing at this time for the FISU World University Championship in North Carolina, a different American team will come to Haarlem.
Rogier van Zon of Honkbalsite.com brings us the news. The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) will represent the USA at the 25th edition of the “Haarlemse Honkbalweek” from July 8th to 18th. Eric Campbell and Davey Johnson made the contact possible between the two organizations. Coaches from community and junior colleges, which are affiliated to the NJCAA, can nominate players until March 1st. One month later the NJCAA plans to present a selection including alternates.
Besides the NJCAA team and host Netherlands, the organizers in Haarlem announced that Venezuela and Taiwan will participate in the tournament. Two other teams will follow until April, when also the ticket sale is supposed to start.
Maybe budget is playing an issue BUT to make this a great tournament they have to invite a better team than this. After the WPT when TEAM USA Z team did not show how bad is this team going to be??
If Japan and Cuba do not make the final 2 teams then I really do think they will struggle to sell tickets.
Such a shame.
I agree. No hesitation any more between Honkbalweek and European Championship.
My Honkbalweek-wishlist was:
Netherlands
Italy
Cuba
Japan
Canada or Australia
Colombia or Nicaragua
🙂
You have to remember at this tournament you will never see current minor league guys so who could Canada or Australia send?
Italy could only happen if the Italian league was stopped for the week and again you take out the WBC guys and you get an Italian team like you had at the World Cup.
Japan will be an industrial style team but they always play with such energy which makes them fun to watch.
Colombia or Nicaragua again could only send non minors and you look at the team which Venezuela may send and it only really has Rene Reyes!!
Canada: college players and former major and minor leaguers like Stubby Clapp, Danny Klassen, Kevin Nicholson, maybe players from Europe (Ryan Murphy, Pioniers and Dany Scalabrini, Rouen Huskies)
Australia: best non-minors of Claxton Shield and players from Europe like Wayne Ough (Brno), Dushan Ruzic (Neptunus)
Italy: EC-roster
Japan: young talents of the industrial league (Satoshi Komatsu, member of the 2006 Honkbalweek team pitches now for the Orix Buffaloes)
Colombia or Nicaragua: all-star team of the national professional league