Aussies ready to invade the MLB

Wow there you go Nich Henning. 162 game regular season. Overkill massively in my opinion. Plus the playoffs, pre season games, pre season training. Many baseball crowds regular season are so low because of this. Well maybe the tv ratings are high for regular season so they play so many , as tv ratings is what makes money in sports not crowd attendances. And yes in the 90's USA popular culture was at it's biggest in Australia in the 90's no question. Maybe T20 rise in cricket will help baseball, as aussies are sarting to abandon ODI and test cricket more. Baseballis shorter format to most of the time, the match will end with in 3 hours. They used to in the 90's in the ABL and also in the MLB play double headers 2 matches from the same team with in the same day, wow the pitches must of got tires back then, they can rotate pitches but still and must of been a long day for the baseball fan as well.

Yes, it's the same Bob Turner. He had some involvement in baseball in 1999 and 2000, and he is currently working with the Sydney Blue Sox ABL team. He also continues his association with basketball. I agree, the 1990s was the biggest boom of American popular culture in Australia since WWII. Major League Baseball in the U.S. has a 162 game regular season. This doesn't include Spring Training or playoff baseball.

Is this the same Bob Turner who used to coach the Sydney Kings, Nicholas Henning. And a point i will make now for what it is worth on baseball boom in the 1990's. Linked in to the USA basketball boom in Australia in the 90's to. It seemed our culture in the 90's took a much deeper connection with mass USA culture even far more than now. Basketball, Baseball,gridiron, i used to rememebr gridiron league in 90's. They used to play at brookvale oval home of manly sea eagles. And there was a team called the bond raiders. Now teenagers of today are not wearing USA sports team caps any where near as much now. And also i would argue basketball now is seen s more of a global sport than, simply the NBA as the sport of basketball has now gone global and mainstream in so many countries a bit like rugby is starting to, that countries are now developing there own culture and simply do not have to acknowledge the NBA as much. Aussie soccer via the A-leagu eis doing it now to, we are not as intimated or as hero worshipping of the english premier league since australia made the World cup, and now we are developing a decent A-league soccer. Same in USA soccer with MLS similar model. Funny in australia if baseball picks up but if cricket fails time will tell. cricket is in big problems in australia. And T20 and baseball have many similarities in style. For me baseball, basketball, ice hockey, big weakness in my opinion in USA is the seasons in all 3 sports are overkill ridiculously long schedules. Baseball players play over 120 regular season matches it is unveliable.

You've got a good memory Brendon! Baseball interest reached a high point in the 1990s. It's important to remember that Kevin Boles has only been in Australia a few weeks, and his opinion is based on what he has observed to date. Clearly he likes what he sees but Bob Turner has a deeper understanding of sporting culture in Australia, and he will no doubt educate Boles on the facets of baseball participation here.

Johnno the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney is one area where baseball needs to try to build a foothold. You're right, there's not much baseball going on there, but tee-ball is played in plenty of schools. The University of NSW have a winter team, which used to play near Little Bay, but they have been using a field outside of the area in recent times. In terms of junior clubs the nearest are probably in the Inner West such as Balmain, Concord, and Five Dock or there is the St. George Minor League to the south of you. Ice hockey is played at Macquarie Centre in North Ryde, and I'm not familiar with American Football leagues, but I had a friend who played a bit with UTS.

I remember that Aussies were about to "invade" MLB back in the days of Craig Shipley, Graham Lloyd and Dave Nilsson. Didn't happen. Baseball will always remain a niche sport in Australia.

Well nICHOLAS HENNING THANK YOU FOR That info and i would like some general information on here , if you have a little bit of time you don't have to put in a massive comment on here and i don't want to take up a lot of your time but simply yes some feedback of these junior clubs names would be good and even player registration numbers on this debate. i will tell you some information about me and where i have seen a proper baseball field. I live in east sydney you know (bond beach, bond junction area of sydney), and never see baseball at junior level being played or barley ever senior. Only once at a ground called wavily oval if you know that, there is a senior team there. Only Baseball specify field i have seen in sydney is on lower north shore 1 field only at a suburb if you know called willoboghy. The field is right next to the channel 9 TV studios. But yes i would love to know names of junior clubs in east sydney just simply for curiosity reasons, to back up this sydney blues manager statement of current MLB players coming form australia. just the tip of the iceberg. Do you know much about ICe hockey or gridiron in OZ and junior numbers to if not don't worry but another curios one that gets in my opinion more hype about junior groth than actual substance and reality.

Johnno in Sydney junior baseball is played in most areas. Higher participation occurs in the North West, South West, and Greater Western Sydney. If you're still in doubt then I'm happy to provide you with details for your closest junior club.

I would love to know who this junior are that are playing baseball. in my part of sydney where i live i only see rugby union, soccer and cricket fields, and i have never once seen a junior game of baseball begin played. Simply where are all these amazing junior baseball talent in australia coming form which part of australia is junior baseball big, same with grid iron i here stories of junior development and increase in popularity and same with ice hockey to. But i never see any ice hockey junior kids in my area of OZ. SO yes simply i wonder where all this amazing junior baseball talent tin OZ is coming form. I never here in the news baseball junior registration numbers are up in Australia, so i wonder wheel the MLB clubs are fining all this junior talent in OZ, coz i like sport and see no evidence of junior baseball in my part of Australia, so that is the point where in Australia is junior baseball begin played as, i see a lot of rugby union,soccer and cricket ovals in my part of OZ but never see any junior baseball being played at the local sports ovals.

It is pleasing that Kevin Boles has such a high regard for the potential of Australian baseball talent. There was no ABL for over ten years following the 1999 season, and the Major League Baseball Australian Academy Program helped keep Aussie talent on the radar during that time. It seems that less people are playing baseball in Australia compared to ten years ago. Numbers are stable but growth may take a lot of effort. Australians will continue to reach the U.S. Major Leagues, but an influx of players will take longer than 10 - 15 years. It is important to keep in mind how many Aussie players have had short stays in the Major Leagues; among the 31 who have reached that level to date. There is certainly great potential for Australia to increase the number of players with Major League experience, yet a steady flow rather than an influx is how I imagine the next 10 - 15 years to be.