Bandit Kiwi makes his Marck in New Zealand Baseball
Return of the Marck For 22 year old Andrew Marck, it seems his career has come full circle, from a dream he formed age 6 at the Howick-Pakuranga baseball club which was realised on Sunday at the 2012 National Championships. Over three days, seven teams played 18 games in the biggest competition on Baseball New […]
DRSEA INFORMER: Volume V, Issue 1
The Venezuelan Connection – The Dominican Republic is second only to the United States in delivering players to Major League Baseball, but coming in third – and gaining – is Venezuela. The dynamics of Venezuelan baseball are shifting, increasing the importance of the Dominican Republic in the development of Latin American players. Last season, […]
An Interview with Brisbane Bandits 2B/Captain Brad Dutton
Leading the Brisbane Bandits and one half of the ‘Bash Brothers’, 29-year-old second baseman Brad Dutton takes five minutes to talk family, the Cubs and playing for Australia… You have been playing baseball from a very young age – what does the game mean to you? I’ve been playing baseball since I was five, it […]
A Book Review: Jack and Larry by Barbara Gregorich
What do you get when you cross a successful Major Leaguer, one of the most historic teams in Major League baseball and an adorable dog? Author Barbara Gregorich answers this question in her new book Jack and Larry: Jack Graney and Larry, the Cleveland Baseball Dog. In this children’s book told in a prose style, […]
Cleveland Indians 2011-2012 Off Season So Far…
At this point, the Indians off season can unfortunately be described by three words: Roberto Hernandez Heredia. Before mid-January, those three words didn’t mean anything to anyone in baseball circles perhaps except for the man who was calling himself Fausto Carmona. As it turns out, when Carmona tried to get his new visa to come […]
Baseball Pitching Tips: How You Communicate With Your Teammates Is Critical!
I can write forever about the necessity of good communication for a pitcher with all his teammates. It’s not something that’s taught very often but it can affect the outcome of the baseball game. What can be more frustrating than losing a game because a catcher got crossed up and missed a pitch because he […]
College Baseball Showcases – Good or Bad?
I am often asked about whether college baseball showcases are worth attending. In general, I answer, “Yes, if affordable and if the showcase is not an apparent money grab. Attending one or two is a good experience for kids for a few reasons. One, it gives player (& parent) an idea of how they compare […]
DRSEA INFORMER: Volume IV, Issue 8
What’s In A Name? I used to chuckle when my mother would sometime look at me quizzically and ask, “When were you born?” My reply was generally, “You were there, weren’t you?” But as I continue to ponder the ongoing dilemma that Major League Baseball faces in the Dominican Republic concerning age and […]
Uganda’s Baseball Dream
Filmmaker Jay Shapiro shares the story of baseball in Uganda, where love of the game transcends cultural barriers.
How to Help the Baseball Player that is Extremely Hard on Himself
Baseball is a difficult game to begin with. Add in a child, who is very hard on himself when he fails, and parents have the recipe for many unhappy nights. This type child is often difficult to reason with and parents may feel like their child needs outside help. That may be true. First, parents […]
2011/2012 Brisbane Bandits (of the ABL) Imports
Editor’s Note: The ABL is the Australian Baseball League, a professional league in its second season after a long absence. Kevin Jordan, Head Coach Kevin Jordan (born October 9, 1969 in San Francisco, California) is a retired Major League Baseball infielder who played for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1995 to 2001. He also played a […]
Happily Ever After: A Tale of the 2011 Redbird Tribe
Once upon a time, there was a baseball team. This baseball team wasn’t the richest team, though it wasn’t poor by any means. It wasn’t the strongest team and it wasn’t by any means the fastest team. It wasn’t even considered the best team within its region, much less in all the land. […]
For true baseball fans, the 2011 World Series offers a breath of fresh air
I have to admit that this World Series offers a bit of optimism for those fans who realize the talent disparity between the American and National Leagues. If you were to take an overall view of the talent level, the American League has been significantly more “stacked” with talent for many years now. Sometimes you’ll […]
The Big Show: Charles M Conlon’s Golden Age Baseball Photographs, A Book Review
While there are strong debates raging today as to what sport should not be considered America’s pastime with football, basketball and baseball all making their sound arguments, there was a time when this was not in doubt. During the first half of the 20th Century, there was really only one choice for the sport that […]
DRSEA INFORMER: The Name Game & Hit Parade
Volume IV, Issue 7: A Publication For Your Reading Enjoyment The strange case of the Florida Marlins Leo Núñez – who is actually Juan Carlos Oviedo – may be just the tip of the iceberg if what some baseball insiders are telling the INFORMER is true, following the revelation that the Dominican Republic pitcher played […]
In Honor of the 10th Anniversary of 911
In lieu of a moment of silence, which we obviously cannot do on a blog, a volunteered group of members of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) are participating in a site blackout tomorrow, 9/11/2011. In honor of the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, we have agreed to collectively go “dark” for the entire day of […]
“A GLOVE OF THEIR OWN”-PAY IT FORWARD CONTEST 2011
Winners: to be announced December 1st 2011 All children must submit your entry with permission from your parents and use a valid parent’s email address. Must be 16 or younger (parent feel free to help your child). Describe in 200 words or less something that you have done to make a difference in someone’s life. […]
“Circle Change” by Gabriel Busch: A Book Review
In “Circle Change”, author Gabriel Busch attempts to fuse a love story with a profound tale of reflection and redemption. Luckily for the reader, he succeeds by connecting on several levels. Set against the backdrop of major league baseball dreams and aspirations, the novel has something to offer for just about any reader. Make […]
Ryo Shinkawa: Interpreting the MLB
Sapporo, a city in the Japanese archipelago‘s northernmost island of Hokkaido, is more than five thousand miles from Minneapolis, but to Ryo Shinkawa the two places will be forever entwined. An internship in the former eventually led to his current position in the latter, as the interpreter for Minnesota Twins second baseman and 10-time […]
DRSEA Informer
Volume IV, Issue 4: A Publication For Your Reading Enjoyment Show Me The Money The baseball industry is spending more money in the Dominican Republic than I previously believed, according to the latest economic impact study by Major League Baseball. At an astounding $126,326,008, the annual expenditures are over $25 million more than I […]
A Month After the Quake and Tsunami, Baseball Begins in Japan
In Tokyo and throughout eastern Japan, offices are a little darker, and fewer escalators are running in an attempt to conserve electricity. But cherry blossoms are in full bloom, a sign of spring, rebirth, and renewal. Another sign of spring – and, ultimately, a return to business as usual – is the start of […]
Pinstripe Defection: A Book Review
David vs. Goliath stories never get old and sometimes it feels like the public has heard all of the ones worth hearing. Author Clay McKinney teaches readers there’s at least one more relatively unknown story out there that pits the little guy versus the big guy in a big way. In “Pinstripe Defection: A Small […]
Luck Factor Continued: AL Starting Pitchers
As John Lennon once said, “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” I love baseball, but baseball doesn’t pay the bills. This happens to be the busy season at work, so I had to sit on all of the luck factor data I had generated. I know all of you […]
B is for Baseball: Alphabet Cards; A Product Review
Artist Doug Keith has tried to make a solution for a problem many baseball fans across the country face in regards to raising their young ones. Often parents of America’s Pastime are left asking themselves, “How can I bring the game I love to my children at a young age in a […]
Me, Grandad, and Baseball
Two weeks ago we lost one of the all-time greats. It wasn’t George Washington, it wasn’t Einstein, it wasn’t Elvis, and it wasn’t Babe Ruth. It was my grandfather, Ben Robinson. Grandad was a special, special man who truly cared more about the welfare of others than that of his own. He had a huge […]
Baseball Heroes of World War II
Here’s a quick, pre-spring training, WWII video highlighting famous MLB players who gave up years of their baseball career in order to serve their beloved country in a time of war! Let’s remember them by adding any war stories of them that you have either heard of or know from first hand experience, in the […]
Book Review: Arm Chair Reader Grand Slam Baseball: The Lore and Legends of America’s Game
If a sports fan is looking for the perfect reading partner in the bathroom, this book may provide them with just what they are looking for. With over 400 pages of baseball facts, statistics and stories, Grand Slam Baseball is sure to teach even the most knowledgeable of baseball fans a thing or two about […]
SABR Day 2011
So, some of you may already be planning to attend your local SABR Day event, others may want to, but have prior engagements that they cannot break, while even others are (right now) asking just what in the world is SABR anyway?! No, it is not a group of sabermetricians; although that’s what I mistakenly […]
Major League Baseball Scores
Volume IV, Issue 1: A Publication For Your Reading Enjoyment Major League Baseball scored a significant victory recently when Dominican authorities arrested a prominent MLB scout and charged him with fraud and document forgery in connection with young baseball prospects. Victor Baez was regarded as one of the most successful Dominican scouts and ran his […]
DRSEA INFORMER: For The Love Of Money
Volume III, Issue 15: A Publication For Your Reading Enjoyment It has been said that when morality confronts profit, rarely willmorality triumph. And with profit being the main motive behind the proliferation of independent academies dedicated to developing and selling Dominican baseball talent, morality and fair play are likely to strike out. That has been my […]