The 2018 Euro Interleague Baseball started this past weekend. In Pool A the Budapest Reds shared wins against Nada SM Split, as well as did Apollo Bratislava versus Vindija Varazdin and Olimpija Karlovac against BK Zagreb. In Pool B Medvednica Zagreb and Beograd 96 split a two-game series.
Results:
Pool A:
Pool B:
| April 14, 2018 | MED | 1 – 4 | B96 | Recap | ||
| April 15, 2018 | MED | 5 – 1 | B96 | Recap |
I have given further thought to my previous comment. To encourage a European view of baseball but also to help the areas with a strong baseball culture influence neighbouring areas and thus develop a European wide baseball fraternity. It would be no use simply imposing franchises that have no baseball heritage and to do that could be suicidal for the sport in Europe. Therefore there is a need to develop the already existing centres of baseball excellence and the new developments that have taken place recently in the last 5 years or so.
I would have a European League split into three zones or divisions with 8 teams in each division (these are not divisions as in football i.e. there is no promotion or relegation; they are divisions of equal standing.
West Coast
Antwerp,London, Rotterdam,Amsterdam,ThHague,Utrecht,Rouen,Paris
West Central
Berlin,Hamburg,Vienna,Stuttgart/Frankfurt,Cologne,Brno,Prague,Minsk
Mediterranean Coast
Bologna,SanMarino,Florence,Rome(Nettuno),Montpelier,Barcelona,
Valencia,Madrid
It can be seen that they are nearly all major cities because that is where the fan base is located. Some of these cities do not appear at the top of their leagues or to have a baseball club. However cities like Paris have a team (Senart) located just out side the city Nettuno (a famous club) are basically in Rome etc, etc. So that is the logic behind those choice of cities. it can be seen that the countries with a strong baseball culture are well represented and those that have made real improvements have fared well(e.g Germany and the Czech Republic). I put Minsk into the central Division since there seems to been a willingness to develop baseball in Lithuania and Belarus and they deserve some reward which may encourage further development. Madrid does not have a team at the moment in top Spanish baseball but it does have a baseball history.
The Italians and the Dutch teams will inevitably be the strongest teams and win the championship but there is something to aim at for the Germans and Czech teams and hopefully incentivise the weaker areas such as the UK,France,Austria and those areas not represented.
As things develop it must be understood that revision of the system must take place with chages to the distribution and location of teams and/or introduction of new divisions such as the Balkan/Danube region, Eastern Mediterranean and Scandinavia.
This is not a plan cast in stone it is just an idea .I played baseball in the 1960’s and 1970’s and it has been a long time for Europe so latch on to this sport. Europe is so besotted with football that the media have little room for anything else. Baseball has to get itself organised and is a natural sport for the summer when there is no football. I would make only one request that all teams are named after the nearest big town or city so that outsider easily know where the team is located . If you play for Saint Boi or Senart it is difficult for outsiders to know where you are. Wereas if you call yourself Frankfurt or Paris then the outsiders have some idea. The last plea would be to be very careful about the nickname of the teams. The nickname should try to be original and have something to do with the area and it should be professional. I have seen all kinds of silly names and if you use these name you get the ridicule you deserve. so things like Pamplona Bulls would be appropriate after the famous bull running festival but Pamplona Robots of Doom sound like something a six year old would suggest and is too much of a mouthful.
Three errors in transmission
West Central should have Prague and Minsk
Mediterranean Coast should have Barcelona
apologies for such a long comment but baseball has been in the long grass for too long in Europe.
Maybe an eight team league will put too much pressure to complete an adequate fixture list and therefore 4 divisions of six teams.
Northwest
Antwerp,London,Rotterdam,Amsterdam, the Hague,Utrecht
SouthWest
Rouen,Paris,Montpelier,Madrid,Barcelona,Valencia
Central
Berlin,Hamburg,Vienna or Zurich, Stuttgart/Frankfurt,Cologne,Nunich
SouthEast
Bologna,SanMarino,Florence,Rome (Nettuno), Brno,Prague
An easier schedule and easier to have four team playoff for qualification for European Series.
The Central should say Minsk not Munich.
Please criticise but lets see what people think.
The Euro-Interleague certainly seems to have boosted baseball in Eastern Europe. Good quality diamonds and facilities. many of those clubs could easily compete with many Western European clubs.
Hungary,Croatia,Slovenia,Slovakia.
Does anyone have info about Greece or Russia. I know Ukraine has a few teams that play league baseball regularly.