Olympic Baseball Blog

olympicbaseball March 8th, 2008

On the second day of the Final Olympic Qualifier, Canada, Korea, Chinese Taipei and Germany Win, but South Africa, Australia, Mexico and Spain lost.

Baseball America let us know more about players from minor league, and The China Post describe detail on Chinese Taipei beat Mexico, Seung-woo Kang of The Korea Times wrote an article about Korea hammers Australia, you can also get the game recap form IBAF new official websites.

WP: Periard (1-0) LP: Dancer (0-1) HR: Chris Robinson (1, 7inning)
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WP: Yang (1-0) LP: Ortega (0-1)
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WP: Ryu (1-0) LP: Wiltshire (0-1) HR: Seung Yuop Lee (1, 3 inning, 3Runs)
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WP: Marquez-Ramirez (1-0) LP: Hernandez (0-1) HR: Sascha Lutz (1, 8inning)
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olympicbaseball March 8th, 2008

The 2008 Final Olympic Baseball Qualifying Tournament has opened on Friday. The first four game winners are Korea, Canada, Australia and Chinese Taipei.

As expect, Korea, Australia and Chinese Taipei all defeat their opponent. As for a tough game between Canada and Mexico, both got 18 hits, both used six pitchers, but Canada take advantage on four errors with timely hitting, won by five runs.

“That’s international baseball because you never know,” Canadian manager Terry Puhl said in a news release. “Mexico has a lot of experienced hitters and they got back into the game. They just kept coming at us every inning and that’s a trademark of this ball club.”

“That’s a big win for us right off the bat,” said Canadian second baseman Stubby Clapp of Windsor, Ont. “It wasn’t pretty, but we hung in there and kept swinging the bats and our pitchers kept going out there, attacking the strike zone and they did a great job.”

Both Canada and Mexico are not fielding their best teams as some players are vying for a spot with teams at Major League Baseball spring training in Florida and Arizona.

Baseball Canada lobbied last fall to have the tournament rescheduled, but was rebuffed by the International Baseball Federation.

Pitchers Steve Green and T.J. Burton cemented the Canadian win on Friday, combining to shut out Mexico over the final 2 2/3 innings.

Canada jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a pair of hits by Mike Saunders and Matt Rogelstad. Another run in the second and three more in the third frame gave the red and white a seemingly comfortable advantage.

But Carlos Valencia helped vault Mexico into the lead in the bottom of the inning with a two-run home run before the Canadians plated three runs in the fourth to move ahead 9-8.

In Canada’s five-run seventh inning, Adam Stern and Jimmy VanOstrand drove in two runs apiece on a double and triple respectively.

“It’s a good start for us to beat a team like Mexico,” said Rogelstad, who went 3-for-4 with three runs scored. “We came out ready to play. We got some runs early in the game and we were able to keep that going.”

Below is the score and result of Game 1:

WP: Son (1-0) LP: Verschuren (0-1)
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WP: Richmond (1-0) LP: Alvarez Ramirez (0-1) HR: Carlos Valencia (1, 3inning)
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WP: Mildren (1-0) LP: Henkenjohann (0-1)
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WP: Chiang (1-0) LP: Olivera Cavero (0-1) HR: Chen-Ming Peng (1, 1st inning), Kuo-Hui Lo (1, 4th inning)
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olympicbaseball March 6th, 2008

After exhibition games with Australia, Canada’s national baseball team head to Taiwan, and hope to get a chance to regain a berth in the Summer Olympics.

Four years ago, Canada fell frustratingly short of a medal in the Athens Games, so the flight out from Down Under represented a new beginning.

“It looks good for us,” said outfielder Jimmy Van Ostrand of Richmond, B.C., as the Canadians headed to the final Olympic qualifying tournament for this summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing. “It’s a tough tournament and there is going to be a lot of tough competition there but we definitely have a good team to give ourselves a chance. It’s going to be lots of fun.”

Van Ostrand and the rest of the Canadian roster felt upbeat and confident after going 3-1-1 in a tune-up series against the Australians that began Feb. 27. They were able shake off a winter in which most of the players were away from baseball.

Canada must now claim one of three open Olympic spots. The week-long tournament, starting tomorrow, will see Canada in a stiff competition to come out ahead of baseball-strong countries Australia, Germany, South Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, and the host Taiwan.

The Canadians will field a very young team featuring up-and-coming prospects like Mike Saunders of Victoria, VanOstrand of Richmond, B.C., Matt Rogelstad of New Westminster, B.C., and Nick Weglarz of Stevensville, Ont.

“We have all the tools here to get it done. We just need to stick to our game and we’ll get the results that we want,” said Canadian manager Terry Puhl.

Canada’s experience will likely be a factor this week, with Windsor’s Stubby Clapp, Adam Stern of Port Stanley, Ont., Calgary’s Ryan Radmanovich, Jeremy Ware of Guelph, Ont.and Mike Kusiewicz of Ottawa all returning from the 2004 team that dropped an 8-5 decision in the late innings to Cuba in a game that would have sent them to the gold medal match.

The Canadians – behind starter Shawn Hill, pitching with a torn ligament in his right elbow – carried a 3-2 lead into the eighth inning before the Cubans rallied for six runs. Canada rallied for two runs in the ninth, but with two out and two runners on base, Kevin Nicholson’s apparent home run was snagged at the wall by leaping Cuban left fielder Frederich Cepeda and preserve Cuba’s 8-5 win.

For veteran like Clapp, the thought of that agonizing finish still makes him feel “sick to my stomach … it brings tears to my eyes every time I see it on the replay.” “When we didn’t medal in 2004 I felt cheated, because we had a team to do it, circumstances just didn’t allow it,” Clapp told the Canadian Press. “At that time after being so heartbroken, it was really hard to go back to baseball again.”

The Canadian baseball folk hero retired from professional play last season, and only the national team’s pursuit of a berth at the Olympics this summer keeps him on the field now. He’s put his job as a hitting coach in the Houston Astros organization on hold in the hope that the last of his trademark pre-game back flips comes in Beijing, while taking the field for the gold-medal game.

If they didn’t make it, one of the more colorful players to ever suit up for the national team will likely have played his final game wearing the Maple Leaf.

“Unfortunately, that’s the truth,” Clapp said in a recent interview. “I’ve thought about it and what it does is motivate me more to succeed in this tournament because I want to play in August. I’d rather that be my last hurrah than a qualifying tournament. It’s a special deal and we have to take advantage of it.”

“(Winning a medal) is probably about as important as anything’s been to me, especially for this program.”

The kids will be counted on to do the heavy lifting, with veterans like Clapp guiding them along.

“The toughest part is them being able to trust themselves and that’s something that will be relayed from the veteran guys,” said Clapp. “They’re at a point in their careers where they’ve got to be able to do that and if they can’t it’s going to be tough to succeed. The pressure only gets worse. It never stops, you just have to learn to deal with it.”

Clapp is the ideal player to show them the way.

He first came to national prominence in 1999, when his bloop fly ball in the 11th inning brought home the winning run in a walkoff 7-6 victory over the United States at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg. In subsequent years he played a key role in most major Canadian baseball highlights, including qualifying for the 2004 Olympics and the stunning 8-6 win over the U.S. at the World Baseball Classic in 2006.

One of his most memorable moments came after Canada clinched its berth for the Athens Games, when the team gathered on the bus and sang O Canada together over and over.

“That sends goosebumps down my skin just thinking about that moment. It was just unbelievable, the camaraderie between the guys and the coaches,” Clapp recalled. “The Pan Am Games sticks out, the game against the U.S. was huge. The game against the U.S. at the World Baseball Classic, there were some things in that game that were just phenomenal. There have been so many games that have meant so much.”

There’s been plenty of heartbreak, too.

Aside from the loss to Cuba in 2004, there was missing out on the 2000 Olympics after a 3-2 semifinal loss to Cuba at the ’99 Pan Ams and elimination from the World Baseball Classic on run differential despite tying the U.S. and Mexico with 2-1 first-round records. “International baseball is different, we talk about cutthroat baseball and we’ll relay that to the young guys,” said Clapp. “Let them know every pitch counts, every run counts.”

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olympicbaseball March 3rd, 2008

Canada won three in a row to finish the Australia Exhibition Series before going to Taiwan.

According to Canada Press:

The Canadian national team beat Australia 4-1 on Monday in the finale of a five-game exhibition series in preparation for this month’s Olympic baseball qualifying tournament.

Jimmy VanOstrand of Richmond, B.C., doubled, homered and scored twice while starter Jonathan Lockwood of Toronto allowed one hit and struck out two over three innings.

Jamie Richmond of Mississauga, Ont., allowed two hits over three innings. Alexandre Picard of St. Eustache, Que., gave up the lone run on three hits over two innings.

“It was a good outing for everybody today,” said Canada manager Terry Puhl. “Lockwood was outstanding and he’s going to be a workhorse for us going forward. Richmond did what he always does and Periard was solid as well.”

David Corrente of Chatham, Ont., had a solo homer for Canada, who finished the series with a 3-1-1 mark.

“We have all the tools here to get it done,” said Puhl. “We just need to stick to our game and we’ll get the results that we want.”

And the Baseball Canada:

Canada’s offence got the job done and the pitching was stellar as they would take the final exhibition game of this series by a score of 4-1 over Australia.

The pitchers were solid in shutting down the Aussie offence in this eight inning contest, starting with the starter Jonathan Lockwood (Toronto, ON). Lockwood only allowed one hit and two walks with a pair of strikeouts in three inning of work.

“You have to approach this time to work on things you need to work on and treat it as a learning experience going into the tournament so you can be at your best,” says Lockwood.

“Every game is going to be a combination of guys. It’s good that everybody finished well and did what they had to do and that looks good come tournament time because guys are going to go in there and get it done.”

Jamie Richmond (Mississauga, ON) and Alexandre Periard (St. Eustache, QC) were in good form in relief. Richmond, in three innings pitched, allowed two hits with two strikeouts and Periard gave up a run on three hits and a walk with one punch out in two innings in relief.

“It was a good outing for everybody today,” says Manager Terry Puhl. “Lockwood was outstanding, and he’s going to be a workhorse for us going forward. Richmond did what he always does and Periard was solid as well.”

Offensively, the star in this game was Jimmy VanOstrand (Richmond, BC) who doubled, homered and scored twice. He hit the double in the second inning and would come in to score the game’s first run on a single from Nick Weglarz (Stevensville, ON).

VanOstrand would homer in the fourth inning off of Adam Blackley with Matt Rogelstad (New Westminster, BC) on base to increase the Canadian lead.

“It was good to have a game like that to finish off the exhibition series,” says VanOstrand who was 2-for-2 with two RBI. “I’m looking forward to going to Taiwan and hopefully keep it going.”

David Corrente (Chatham, ON) would also add to the offence with a solo-home run to lead off the fifth inning off of Gavin Dlouhy. Corrente would hit the second pitch of the inning over the left field fence to put Canada ahead 4-0.

The Aussies would break the shutout bid in the seventh inning when Andrew Utting would single off of Periard to drive in Ben Risinger and put the Australians on the board.

The Canadians finished the exhibition series with a 3-1-1 record, which could be a good sign going into the Final Olympic Qualifier.

“It looks good for us,” says VanOstrand about his hopes for the qualifier. “It’s a tough tournament and there is going to be a lot of tough competition there but we definitely have a good team to give ourselves a chance. It’s going to be lots of fun.”

“We have all the tools here to get it done. We just need to stick to our game and we’ll get the results that we want,” says Puhl.

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olympicbaseball March 2nd, 2008

This time, Canada break tie and get another Win from Australia.

According to Baseball Canada:

Canada’s offence once again came up big as they would break a 5-5 tie in the eighth inning to beat Australia in the fourth exhibition game of the series by a score of 9-5.

The Canadians would score four runs on five straight hits in the eighth inning before the Aussies could register an out.

Emmanuel Garcia (Montreal, QC) started things off with a leadoff double and would score on Mike Saunders’ (Victoria, BC) RBI triple. Ryan Radmanovich (Calgary, AB) would then drive in his second run of the game with a single to score Saunders. Matt Rogelstad (New Westminster, BC) would move Radmanovich up to third base with a double and Emerson Frostad (Calgary, AB) would cash in Radmanovich with a single. David Corrente (Chatham, ON) would drive in Rogelstad to complete the scoring.

“Manny Garcia had a wonderful night, Saunders was fabulous and Radmanovich had some big RBIs. It’s coming together for us,” says Manager Terry Puhl.

It was a good start to the ballgame for Canada as they would open the scoring in the first inning when Radmanovich would drive in Stubby Clapp (Windsor, ON) for the first run of the game.

“I’m feeling good about my swing right now. It was nice to get a couple big hits in key situations which is the things we’re going to have to do in (the qualifier) to win,” says Radmanovich, who was 2-for-3 with the two RBI.

From there, James Avery (Moose Jaw, SK) shut things down, allowing only two walks with three strikeouts in three innings of work to start the game.

“I’m feeling pretty good. I’m building up every time we go. I threw pretty well tonight, a couple of walks were disappointing, but other than that I thought I threw pretty well,” says Avery.

But the Aussies would comeback and score four runs in the fourth inning off Brooks McNiven (Vancouver, BC) to take a 4-1 lead. Two doubles, two singles and an error was the cause for the Australian runs in the inning.

The Canadians would tie thing up however in their half of the fourth inning on two sacrifice flies from Rogelstad and Nick Weglarz (Stevensville, ON) and a wild pitch that would score Saunders who reached on a single.

Canada would then take the lead in the sixth inning when Garcia, who tripled to lead off the inning, would score on a ground out by Rogelstad.

Once again though, Australia would comeback to tie the ballgame when Daniel Berg hit an RBI single to score Mitch Dening to tie things up at 5-5.

But the Canadians would score four in the eighth and T.J. Burton (Ottawa, ON) would pitch a one, two, three ninth inning to preserve the win for Canada.

You can find the Box Score and Play-by-play.

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olympicbaseball March 1st, 2008

Even a six-run lead, Australia can not hold the margin and tied by Canada.

From Canada Press:

Steve Green of Greenfield Park, Que., fanned five of the six batters he faced as Canada rallied from a six-run deficit in the ninth inning to claim an 8-8 exhibition baseball tie with Australia on Saturday.

Emerson Frostad of Calgary hit a two-run homer and Victoria’s Mike Saunders belted a three-run shot in a six-run ninth inning for Canada. But it was a two-out, run-scoring single by Nick Weglarz of Stevensville, Ont., that brought home the tying run.

“I mark (this game) down as a win,” said Canadian team manager Terry Puhl. “When you come back and hit the ball as hard as we did and score runs . . . a team that never has any quit in it is a team that is going to qualify (for the Olympics).”

Frostad finished 2-for-4 and drove in three runs for Canada.

“It was a great comeback,” he said. “We were slow the first couple of innings and it took a little while to get going, but that’s the type of team we are.

“We’re very explosive and we can put up those big innings.”

At Baseball Canada:

The Canadians erased a six run deficit in the ninth inning and Steve Green (Greenfield Park, QC) struck out five of the six batters he faced to preserve an 8-8 tie in the third exhibition game against Australia.

Canada was behind by a score of 8-2 going into the top of the ninth inning. Emmanuel Garcia (Montreal, QC) got things started with a single followed by a two-run home run by Emerson Frostad (Calgary, AB) to cut the margin in half.

After Adam Stern (London, ON) drew a walk and a double from Stubby Clapp (Windsor, ON), Mike Saunders (Victoria, BC) hit a three-run bomb to right field to bring the Canadians within one with nobody out.

With now two out and Taylor Green (Courtenay, BC) on third, Nick Weglarz (Stevensville, ON) drove in the tying run with a single off Aussie Brendan Wise.

“I mark (this game) down as a win,” says Manager Terry Puhl. “When you come back and hit the ball as hard as we did and score runs… a team that never has any quit in it is a team that is going to qualify (for the Olympics).”

“It was a great comeback,” says Frostad, who got the comeback started and was 2-for-4 with three RBI. “We were slow the first couple of innings and it took a little while to get going, but that’s the type of team we are. We’re very explosive and we can put up those big innings.”

The Aussies started the game with a bang as they would put across four runs in the first inning off Canadian starter Brett Gray (Petrolia, ON). Gray would allow another run in the second inning to put the Aussies ahead 5-0.

Canada would cut the gap in the fifth inning on an RBI single from Frostad, who would later score on a bases loaded walk to bring the score to 5-2.

“I’m starting to get the flow again. It’s mostly timing. We’ve all been hitting in the cages and working out. It’s just getting that (in game) timing down and it’s going to take a couple games, but a lot of the guys are starting to get going and hopefully we can keep that going,” says Frostad.

But the Australians would add to the lead in the sixth when Ben Risinger, Glenn Williams and Mat Kent all came in to score off Scott Richmond (Langley, BC), who allowed one run on two hits, and Mike Kusiewicz (Ottawa, ON), who allowed two runs, one earned, on one hit, to make it 8-2 for Australia.

Steve Green came into the game in the eighth inning with Canada trailing by six and silenced the Aussie offence when he struck out two of the three batters he faced in the inning to allow his teammates to generate the impressive comeback the following inning.

Green would then shut down the Australian attack by striking out the side in the ninth inning to finish the game.

“This game gave me a great boost of confidence,” says Green. “It was an unbelievable game. The thing about Team Canada is that we never give up and that’s key. We showed it with six runs in the ninth and we got the job done.”

You can also find the Box Score and Play-by-play at Baseball Australia web site.

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olympicbaseball February 29th, 2008

At the second game of Australia vs. Canada, Canada won big by four home runs. Now they are 1-1 on the exhibition series.

Based on the Canada Press :

The Canadian national team whipped Australia 10-1 in the second game of a five-game exhibition series in preparation for next month’s Olympic baseball qualifying tournament.

Matt Rogelstad of New Westminster, B.C., belted a grand slam in the first inning, one of four home runs for Canada on the day. “You could see this team has a lot of power,” said manager Terry Puhl. “It’s going to be fun.”

Canada finished with 15 hits.

“Today guys got a lot of good swings,” said Adam Stern of London, Ont. “Now it’s going to be getting (timing) down.”

Stern, Nick Weglarz of Stevensville, Ont., and Mike Saunders of Victoria also went deep for Canada.

Starter Jamie Richmond of Mississauga, Ont., allowed two walks and struck out two over a pair of no-hit innings.

“Jamie’s been pitching with a lot of confidence really early,” said Puhl. “He did well for us at the World Cup and he’s going to be a big part of our pitching staff.”

Jonathan Lockwood of Toronto gave up one run over two innings. Alexandre Periard of St. Eustache, Que., and T.J. Burton of Ottawa combined to allow one walk over three innings.

And Baseball Canada said:

Canada was running on all cylinders as both the pitching and offense flexed their muscle in a 10-1 win over Australia in the second exhibition game of this series.

The Canadians collected 15 hits to go along with four home runs in this game which saw 10 of the 12 players who saw action get at least one hit.

“We got to see a lot of pitch tonight and this time we were squaring up the baseball,” says Manager Terry Puhl. “You could see that this team has a lot of power. It’s going to be fun.”

The Canadian offense did not waste any time to put points on the board. The first inning saw Canada put four runs on the board with the help of a grand slam from Matt Rogelstad (New Westminster, BC).

The inning started with two straight walks to Adam Stern (London, ON) and Stubby Clapp (Windsor, ON) and a single by Mike Saunders (Victoria, BC) to load the bases. After Ryan Radmanovich (Calgary, AB) hit into a fielder’s choice, Rogelstad belted the grand slam to put Canada in front 4-0.

“Today, guys got a lot of good swings,” says Stern, who was 2-for-4 with a two-run home run. “Now it’s going to be getting (timing) down, getting to hit the breaking balls and off speed stuff, because that’s going to be our biggest challenge when you don’t have a lot of time to prepare.”

After increasing the lead to 5-0 on a RBI single from Radmanovich in the second inning, the Canadians scored two more runs in the third inning on a two-run homer by Nick Weglarz (Stevensville, ON), making it 7-0.

“I had a pretty good approach, slowed it down and it went good,” says Weglarz, who was 2-for-4 including a double. “It was 3-1 knuckle ball that didn’t break, got it up and it went.”

The score would be 7-1 going into the seventh inning when Saunders hit a solo home run to bring the lead back to seven runs.

Stern would complete the scoring in the eighth inning with his two-run knock.

“Right now, results are good but you want to get comfortable, get ready to hit and today happened to be a good day,” says Stern. “I still want to see more off speed stuff, but it was one of those things that all of a sudden clicked and I was ready to go.”

As for the pitchers, they held the Aussie offense in check all night.

It started with Jamie Richmond (Mississauga, ON), who threw two no-hit innings, allowing only two walks with a pair of strikeouts.

“Not bad for the first time out. I didn’t feel great, but it I think it went good,” says Richmond.

“Jamie’s been pitching with a lot of confidence really early,” says Puhl. “He did well for us at the World Cup and he’s going to be a big part of our pitching staff.”

Jonathan Lockwood (Toronto, ON) followed with a solid two innings of his own, allowing one run on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

Alexandre Periard (St. Eustache, QC) and T.J. Burton (Ottawa, ON) combined to close out the Canadian side on the mound, giving up only a walk with one punch out in three innings of work.

You can also find the Box Score and Play-by-play at Baseball Australia web site.

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olympicbaseball February 28th, 2008

On Thursday, February 28, 2008, Canada lost to Australia on Exhibition Game one.

Canadian press said:

The Aussies cobbled together two singles, four walks and a wild pitch for a five-run fifth off pitchers Aaron Wideman of Mississauga, Ont., and Steve Green of Greenfield Park, Que., that erased a 3-0 deficit.

“They had a soft five runs off of balls that weren’t hit real hard and our guys are still just trying to see some pitches,” said manager Terry Puhl. “Defensively we did well. We made some really nice plays. They’re good athletes. It’ll be a couple more days and they’ll be right there.”

Canada went up 2-0 in the third on an RBI double by Emmanuel Garcia of Montreal and a sacrifice fly by Emerson Frostad of Calgary. Jeremy Ware of Guelph, Ont., made it 3-0 in the fourth with an RBI double.

Starter James Avery of Moose Jaw, Sask., and Brooks McNiven of Vancouver each threw two scoreless innings for the Canadians.

And the Baseball Canada said:

It started off well, but one inning would turn out to be Canada’s downfall in their first exhibition game as they would fall at the hands off Australia by a final score of 5-3.

The Canadians would be the ones to break it open in the third inning when Emmanuel Garcia hit a double to cash in Jeremy Ware (Guelph, ON) would had reached base on a walk.

“I was just trying to see the ball well. I got a 3-1 fastball and I was able to put the bat on the ball,” says Garcia.

David Corrente (Chatham, ON), who also walked, would score the second run of the inning on a sacrifice fly from Emerson Frostad (Calgary, AB) to make it 2-0.

The Canadians would add to the lead in the fourth inning when Ware hit a double of his own to score Matt Rogelstad (New Westminster, BC) and make it 3-0.

“I’m just trying to keep it simple, put a good swing on the ball and it worked out,” says Ware of his double.

Things were going smoothly until the fifth inning when the Aussies would put up a five spot and take the lead. Aaron Wideman (Mississauga, ON) and Steve Green (Greenfield Park, QC) combined to give up those runs on two singles, four walks and a wild pitch.

“We’re obviously getting out there for the first time, facing hitters for the first time this year and it feels good to get out there,” says Wideman of his outing. “I didn’t have my control today, but I’m working on all of the glitches and the bumps and bruises, but my arm felt good. I just need to get rid of the wrinkles and be ready for the next day.”

James Avery (Moose Jaw, SK), who started for Canada, and Brooks McNiven (Vancouver, BC) threw two innings a piece and combined to shutout the Australians allowing only two hits with six strikeouts.

There were more positives than negatives for Canada in a game which saw most of the players taking the field for the first time since the end of last season.

“They had a soft five runs off of balls that weren’t hit real hard and our guys are still just trying to see some pitches,” says Manager Terry Puhl.

“Defensively we did well. We made some really nice plays. They’re good athletes. It’ll be a couple more days and they’ll be right there.”

You can also find the Box Score and Play-by-play at Baseball Australia web site.

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olympicbaseball February 14th, 2008

To prepare the Final Olympic Qualifying tournament in Taiwan next month, the Australian Baseball Team will host four games to the Canadian National team.

Based on the news released from Australian Baseball Federation, the series will be held in Brisbane and the Gold Coast from February 28 – March 2, will be the Australian Team’s final stage of selection trials and has been targeted to help the Aussies peak ahead of their must win tournament in Taiwan.

Australian Head Coach, Jon Deeble, is excited about playing the Canadians on home soil – especially as he puts some of the National squad’s youngest talent through the rigors of the two-week selection camp.

“For the first time in a number of years there are several spots in the team that are wide open (for selection) – I’m really looking forward to letting these guys go at it,” Deeble said.

“In terms of our preparation, we have had the benefit of the recent Claxton Shield season to identify some emerging talent and will now we get the chance to see how they perform against Canada – one of the World’s top sides,

“Truth be told, nobody is guaranteed a ticket to the qualifiers, so I am going to take whoever’s “hot” at the time,” he said.

The Games against Canada will mark the first time the National Team has hosted the North American powerhouses on home soil in well over a decade, and promises to deliver a thrilling showcase between two evenly matched teams.

When the two sides locked horns at the Baseball World Cup last November, Australia came away with a nail-biting 7-6 victory that eliminated Canada from the finals – a result that the Canadians will be eager to avenge next month as they battle the Aussies for one of the final three Olympic berths in the eight-nation tournament in Taiwan.

Canada, who finished 4th in Athens, remains one of the biggest threats for the Aussies’ and will join Korea, Mexico, Chinese Taipei, Germany, Spain and South Africa as they vie for their own piece of Olympic history.

Although Australia will enter the March Qualifier as reigning Silver Medallists, they clearly face an uphill battle on their road to Beijing, placing even greater emphasis on their preparation in these games against the touring internationals.

The four-game series will follow closely on the heels of a two-game exhibition schedule in Sydney that sees the Australian squad match up against the NSW Patriots at Blacktown Olympic Park on February 22 & 23.

In the mean time, Korea national team will be in Taiwan to play three exhibition games with Chinese Professional Baseball League Team. And you can find the final Olmpic Qualifier here.

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL TEAM SCHEDULE

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olympicbaseball February 8th, 2008

According to Winnipeg Sun: Umps get the call, two Canadian Umpires are selected on the Olympic Baseball in Beijing.

Baseball Manitoba announced that Ron Shewchuk, a Minnedosa native, along with Winnipeg’s Brian Hodgson, have been selected to work the baseball tournament at the Summer Games in Beijing this August. The duo will be the only Canadians on the international, 16-member crew.

Manitoba has sent an umpire to the Olympics only once before. Winnipeg native Glen Johnson, now a CFL referee living in Toronto, did the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

“The fact that there’s two from Manitoba going is unbelievable from that standpoint,” Hodgson said.

“It’s never been done before, and it looks very well for Manitoba baseball.”

Shewchuk, 48, and Hodgson, 53, have plenty of international experience, including stints at Olympic qualifiers, junior and senior world tournaments, and the Pan Am Games, but this assignment takes the cake.

“AS HIGH AS IT GETS”

“Absolutely,” Hodgson said. “You ask any athlete in any sport. The Olympics is as high as it gets. You’re only going to do it once, and this is wonderful.”

“This is it,” added Shewchuk. “Quite honestly, after this there’s really nowhere to go.”

Shewchuk and Hodgson may, in fact, be the only Canucks taking part in the Olympic baseball tournament. Canada has yet to earn a berth in the event, but their next chance is an Olympic qualifier next month in Taiwan.

This will be Canada’s last chance for a while, as baseball has been removed from the 2012 Games. It is expected to return in 2016.

Should Canada fail to qualify, Shewchuk and Hodgson will avoid much of the political wheeling and dealing that takes place behind the scenes. They wouldn’t be completely free of it, however.

Shewchuk, for example, was the target of accusations at an Olympic qualifier in 2006, when he was at second base for the gold-medal game between the U.S. and the host Cubans.

“The Cubans were accusing me of giving signs to the American hitters. It’s weird,” Shewchuk said. “The catcher goes, ‘Hey, he’s giving signals!’ I’m standing there going, ‘What the hell?’ It’s funny. They’re passionate.”

Winnipeg’s Alex Gardiner, who sits on the Canadian Olympic Committee, warned Shewchuk and Hodgson to expect almost every emotion from the Chinese spectators, from apathy to ridicule to anger.

“It’ll be OK,” Hodgson said. “Whether you’re doing it in China or you’re doing it next door, what you get from the fans is going to be about the same.

“Politically it’s a little different, and culturally it’s going to be hugely different, but we’ve done international baseball.”

I guess they are both willing to see Canada to be the final eight teams of Olympic Baseball 2008 no matter those politics or fans interference, and of course, they will not be in the game when Canada plays in case anyone has any reason to say anything.

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