By M1tch -
November 26th 2009 @ 2:28am
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MLB helps out Australian baseball
With news that the MLB will underwrite the new ABL for at least the next 5 years, it will give baseball in this country its best opportunity to survive in the Australian sporting market.
The new ABL which will start in October 2010 will have six teams from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra with plans already for 2 expansion teams in the coming seasons.
With the ABL operating in the off-season to the MLB, there is a chance for Australian players such as Grand Balfour (pitcher for Tampa Bay), Justin Huber who has signed with Japanese club Hiroshima after 5 years in the American system, Peter Moylan (pitcher with Atlanta), Trent Oeltjen (outfielder with Arizona) and Ryan Rowland-Smith (pitcher with Seattle) who could all get a chance to play in Australia during their off season.
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chris said | November 26th 2009 @ 7:50am | Report comment
What next another Football code like the NFL to have a SH super comp.
drewster said | November 26th 2009 @ 8:05am | Report comment
Baseball is back, great to hear the MLB is involved seriously. Been a long time since the original league disbanded
Freud of Football said | November 26th 2009 @ 8:12am | Report comment
Very good news indeed. Australia could be a top baseballing nation if it developed it’s infrastructure, it also has the advantage of being the only genuine challenger to cricket over the summer months (football is not in direct competition per se).
I’d like to see more being done on youth development though, I know from my younger days it was very difficult, it cost a fortune to play in representative teams and there was no-one but the parents to pick up the tab and it is my understanding that this hasn’t changed a great deal.
Does anyone know what was written in the recent Crawford report about baseball?
M1tch said | November 26th 2009 @ 9:11am | Report comment
I just hope this hasnt come too late and 20/20 cricket popularity overtakes Baseball support.
Chris said | November 26th 2009 @ 10:24am | Report comment
Twenty20 overtook baseball in Australia the day it was invented. Baseball might well find it’s place in the Australian sporting landscape (though I wouldn’t bet on it), but it will never get anywhere near cricket in any way shape or form.
Redb said | November 26th 2009 @ 10:44am | Report comment
Played a couple of seasons of baseball in my teens, I think your right Twenty20 will put a serious hole in their aspirations.
Mark Young said | November 26th 2009 @ 10:25am | Report comment
Bring back the Sydney Blues! The Perth Heat! Brisbane Bandits! Adelaide Giants, Melbourne Reds, Canberra Bushrangers!
I loved the ABL and can’t wait to see it back.
The Link said | November 27th 2009 @ 2:39pm | Report comment
I remember the Reds being from Waverley initially. Found that intriguing at the time becuase that’s the first time to my knowledge that a team from Waverley has been in a National Competition for any sport.
Aparently they then changed the name to Melbourne to widen the appeal.
Melbourne also had the Monarch’s at some stage!!
Joe O'Sullivan said | November 26th 2009 @ 12:33pm | Report comment
Great to see Aussie baseball on the rise again. Looking forward to the new competition.
BigAl said | November 26th 2009 @ 3:31pm | Report comment
What is so different with this event compared with the the prev. attempt to get an ABL up & running ?
I can remember them getting crowds of > 14,000 in melb.. – but it all fizzled out ??
The Link said | November 26th 2009 @ 3:42pm | Report comment
My favourites were the Parramatta Patriots and the Sydney Wave.
Baseball has always had a good nieche in Australia, at its peak in the mid 90’s it was travelling nicely. Hopefully they can get back there
We’ve produced our fair share of MLB players and we are already a strong Baseball nation at Olympics etc…
Pippinu said | November 27th 2009 @ 2:45pm | Report comment
I went to see quite a few games of the old league – it was good on a Friday night after work – you’d get two games in one evening if my memory serves me well – it was quite entertaining.
Why did it fizzle out the first time? Because most were like me – just theatre goers – not really passionate about the game to any degree.