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News and information relating to the Project for the Chronicling of British Baseball

British Baseball Hall of Fame 2019 Elections

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Four new members join the British Baseball Hall of Fame

The 2019 elections to the British Baseball Hall of Fame have introduced four new inductees, increasing the class to 38.

Ryan Bird, Jason Holowaty and Darrin Muller were inducted from the modern ballot, with Alan Asquith being elected by the historical vetting panel that was introduced in 2016.

Hall of Fame Chair Matt Smith commented: “I’m delighted to see four such worthy candidates joining our Hall of Fame, all with different stories to tell but sharing a true commitment to the game in Britain and excelling at what they did.

Ryan Bird and Alan Asquith had memorable playing careers in different eras, with Ryan representing the Richmond Flames and Herts Falcons and Alan being a pillar of the strong Humberside baseball community.

Jason Holowaty combined a playing career that brought four national championships with a long tenure of service to baseball at MLB and BaseballSoftballUK. As for Darrin Muller, for many years he has been one of the most widely recognised and respected representatives of British Baseball at home and abroad, both as a coach and particularly as an umpire.

The task of electing figures who represent the best of British baseball is both a difficult challenge and a hugely rewarding process.

There are so many players, coaches, umpires and officials who have left a mark on our game over the decades and, in contrast to the process Stateside, the full depth of their achievements is rarely packaged neatly through comprehensive statistics or biographical data. However, for us, this is part of the fun. The work that goes into researching potential candidates and writing their stories goes largely unseen but is, to us, as important as the final balloting process that determines who among that year’s list of candidates shine through the most.

Thanks to the Great Britain national team programme, we were able to honour the 2018 class at an event over the MLB London Series weekend back in June, and we will hopefully be able to do something similar in June 2020 for this year’s class. Beyond this, the contributions of Ryan, Jason, Darrin and Alan will be there for all to see on the BBHOF website as we continue to document and celebrate baseball’s rich history on these shores”.

Ryan Bird

Over eight seasons in British domestic play, South African-native Ryan Bird etched a place in the history books as one of British baseball’s greatest hitters. At the time of his retirement, Bird, whose career ran from 2008-2015, posted the highest career batting average (.508), on base percentage (.578) and slugging percentage (.822) in modern British baseball history. He was named the country’s most valuable batter three times (2008, 2009, 2013) and led the National Baseball League in RBI in 2013 and home runs in 2009. He was also recognised as the best fielding first basemen in 2012. All told, he tallied 15 HRs and 119 RBI over the course of 385 plate appearances for the Richmond Flames and Herts Falcons.

Jason Holowaty

Both on offence and defence, Jason Holowaty shined in a distinguished British playing career. He was a key player for four national championship teams – Richmond (2006), London Mets (2007, 2008) and Southern Nationals (2011). Off the field, Holowaty contributed to baseball in the UK and, more broadly, in Europe and Africa, as a key game development executive for Major League Baseball in the region from 2002 to 2016. He has also worked for BaseballSoftballUK in a game development capacity. A lifetime .423 hitter, Holowaty not only earned a batting title as a member of the Richmond Flames in 2006, but also nabbed a Gold Glove award as the best defensive second baseman for the London Mets the following season.

Darrin Muller

Darrin Muller has had a long-ranging and successful involvement with British baseball over many years. His accomplishments in particular include numerous successes as coach and then one of the most impressive umpiring careers of any British umpire. Darrin has umpired in more than 2250 games. They include 17 National Baseball Championships and 13 Youth National Baseball Championships, 445 International games, 11 ISST’s (International High School) European Championships, 4 Pony Baseball European Championships, 2 Pony World Series, 6 Little League European and African Nations Regionals, the 2016 Little League Junior World Series, 12 CEB European Tournaments and the 2009 IBAF World Cup.

Alan Asquith (Historic Committee)

In 1974, the leading British baseball journal of its day, Baseball Mercury, described Alan Asquith as “for years, the country’s leading pitcher.” Indeed, for more than a decade Asquith was a leading light in the Humberside area in particular and one of the best nationwide. In both 1966 and 1967 he received the award as the top pitcher in the Northern Division of the National League, but his 1968 season may have been his most rewarding. Asquith pitched his club, the Hull Aces, to a national title by winning both the semi-final match against the Liverpool Tigers, and the finals versus the Hull Royals. He allowed just a combined five hits while striking out 17 in those two games.

Further information

Full details of the four new members, and the other 34 individuals previously elected to the British Baseball Hall of Fame, can be found a: www.bbhof.org.uk

British Baseball Hall of Fame 2018 Elections

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Marcelino and Marshall join the British Baseball Hall of Fame

The 2018 elections to the British Baseball Hall of Fame have introduced two new inductees, increasing the class to 34.

Brad Marcelino was inducted from the modern ballot, with Ron Marshall being elected by the historical vetting panel that was introduced in 2016.

The elections of Marcelino and Marshall have produced two family pairings in the British Hall of Fame.  Brad Marcelino’s father, Oscar, was elected in 2016 and Ron Marshall’s grandson, Gavin, was elected in 2010.

Hall of Fame Chair Matt Smith commented:

“It’s always exciting to see the ballots coming in and the stories that unfold when any of the candidates reach the majority threshold to be elected.

This year’s elections highlight something that we all know is true: baseball is truly a great family sport.  Fathers and mothers, sons and daughters all enjoy this sport and from Little League competitions to GB Junior teams the support and encouragement of actual families mirrors the wider relationships forged in the overall baseball family that we are all part of.

The Marcelino and Marshall families have left an indelible mark on British baseball and continue to do so to this day. Seeing Brad and Ron join Oscar and Gavin in the Hall is a great story.

As we announce our 2018 elections, I can’t help but look ahead to 2019 and the excitement and interest that will be generated by the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees playing regular season MLB games in London. Whilst the initial narrative understandably will focus on American teams bringing their game across the pond, it will be a great opportunity for all areas of British baseball to promote and celebrate our own past, present and future.

With that in mind, we’re keen for anyone interested to get involved in looking at the game’s history, from helping with research to becoming a regional expert or a role as an elector. Further details can be found on the Hall of Fame website”.

Brad Marcelino

When Brad Marcelino hung up his cleats as a national team member in 2012, no British player had appeared in more top-tier European Championships (7) than the left-handed hitting outfielder. Marcelino, who made his GB debut as a 17-year-old in 1999, also represented Great Britain in a World Cup and a World Baseball Classic qualifier. Not only that, but Marcelino did so with distinction, earning a spot on the All-Tournament team at the 2001 Euros thanks to his stellar performance at the plate where he posted a .346 batting average with 6 runs in 7 games played.

Other impressive showings included batting .333 at the 1999 Euros, .389 at the 2010 Euros and .462 at the 2011 European Championship Qualifiers. Marcelino’s British baseball roots run deep. He was born in Essex and is the son of British Baseball Hall of Famer, Oscar Marcelino. He played as a junior in Britain until he was 11 before moving to the United States. He would go on to play college baseball at Occidental and California Lutheran and work as a top-tier collegiate coach at the University of San Diego, also serving on the Great Britain national team coaching staff.

Ron Marshall

Ron Marshall’s considerable British baseball legacy comes from a combination of accomplishments. He was a long-time GB manager, whose seven-year tenure from 1980 to 1986 represents one of the most extensive runs as head of the national team. He would helm Humberside teams in the 1970s before taking the reins of the national team in 1980. In both 1984 and 1986, he led GB to third-place performances at the European B-Pool Championship. He also skippered Great Britain to a victory over Belgium in a 1980 friendly.

Before joining the coaching ranks, he was also a top-notch pitcher in the Hull area. In 1950, a young Marshall was describe as an “[a]ce right-hander” by the British publication Baseball and Basket Ball Monthly. Marshall proved the title was deserving that year. By late August, he’d pitched 63 innings and struck out 109 batters. (His best single-game performance that year: an impressive 19 punch-outs.) He remained a stalwart performer on the mound throughout the decade as evidenced by being chosen as the starting pitcher in numerous representative games, including ones against the US Navy in 1958 and an American Air Force squad in 1959.

Finally, Marshall probably proved his great coaching acumen within his family. His sons Keith and Barry were both stand-out players, representing GB on numerous occasions between them, including in European competition. Barry was also a coach for GB, while Keith had a spell as manager of the dominant Hull Mets. In addition, Marshall’s grandson, Gavin, is a British Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, who was the first born-and-bred British player to earn a professional contract in the United States.

2017 British Baseball Hall of Fame class announced

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Carter, Young and Smallwood join the British Baseball Hall of Fame

The 2017 elections to the British Baseball Hall of Fame have introduced three new inductees, increasing the class to 32.

Nick Carter and Ian Young were inducted from the modern ballot, with Don Smallwood MBE being elected by the historical vetting panel that was introduced in 2016.

Carter and Young are two of the most decorated Great Britain national team players of the past thirty years. The former was a mainstay on the GB team between 1996 and 2005, competing in six European Championships, whilst twice being the starting and winning pitcher in a decisive national championship game for the Brighton Buccaneers (1999 and 2001).

Young’s Great Britain career lasted 13 years between 2000 and 2013, the highlight of which being his ‘All-Tournament’ team performances for the side that won a silver medal at the 2007 European Championship.

Smallwood’s involvement in British baseball spanned six decades, during which he achieved considerable success as a player, most notably on the formidable Hull Aces teams of the 1960s and 1970s, and even more in a wide variety of administrative roles.  Upon passing on the news of his election, sadly I learned that he passed away earlier this year at the age of 84.

Full details about the three new members of the Hall, alongside bios for the other 29 already elected, can be found on the BBHoF website: http://www.bbhof.org.uk/

I’ve been involved in the BBHoF for several years and have now stepped up to the role of Chair. I’m taking over from Joe Gray who has done a huge amount of invaluable work over the past decade, both directly on the Hall of Fame and the wider Project for the Chronicling of British Baseball (Project COBB).

Thankfully Joe’s still involved as Secretary and I’m indebted to all his support and help provided.  I’ve got a list of research topics and Hall of Fame work ready for the off-season, so keep an eye out for those here on this website and at Project COBB.

If you’re interested in getting involved in looking at the game’s history on these shores, please do get in contact either via the comments below or using the contact details on the Project COBB website.

When Joe Maddon came to Milton Keynes

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The enthusiasm and attention created by MLB Battlegrounds last Tuesday has been wonderful to witness.

We’ll have to wait and see what else MLB UK has planned to build on the momentum created by that event, but in any case it was great that there was a direct immediate benefit of the event in GB youngsters getting the chance to pick the brains of Cliff Floyd and Carlos Pena.

This is far from the first time that MLB – and those based this end – has played a part in bringing players and coaches across the pond to share their wisdom.

When Joe Maddon runs out of the dug-out at the All-Star Game in Miami on Tuesday night, many Brits watching might not realise that 22 years ago he was in Milton Keynes helping British baseball coaches.

The MLB International Coaching Clinic

There were a range of initiatives run by MLB International in the 1990s, but one of the most important was the Coaching Clinic series. These ran from 1993 to 1997 (as far as I can tell) and offered a weekend indoor course in January with a panel of MLB organisation coaches (and some umpires).

There were some good names among them, including:

  • Jim Lefebvre in 1997, who had managed the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs before then and went on to manage the Milwaukee Brewers in 1999
  • Buck Rodgers in 1994, who was the California Angels’ manager at the time
  • Bert Blyleven, also in 1994, who was part of the Angels’ coaching staff and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011.
  • Terry Collins in 1996, who was managing the Houston Astros at that point and is currently the New York Mets’ manager.

The 1995 edition

The 1995 three-day MLB International Coaching Clinic was held at Cranfield University, Milton Keynes, from Friday 20th January to Sunday 22nd.

It was led by then Oakland A’s pitching Coach Dave Duncan, the long-term right-hand man of Tony La Russa, and the group included the California Angels’ Minor League Director of Player Development.

That was Joe Maddon.

The November 1994 edition of the Brit-Ball publication proclaimed that “the 1995 clinic crew are probably the most experienced baseball people to come to Britain”. It further explained what would be in store for attendees:

“The clinic will cover all aspects of the game, catering for all coaches from beginner to advanced. This year’s clinic will be practical in nature. Based in a sports hall setting the emphasis will be on drills and practices, providing opportunities for our coaches to see the big leaguers at work, and learn through direct experience of their sessions.

Running alongside the main sessions will be a junior clinic aimed directly at junior players and coaches. This will provide first class coaching for the junior players, and the opportunity for junior coaches to observe other coaches in action”.

The February 1995 edition of Brit-Ball included a review of the event and interviews with the coaches. Understandably, the hot topic of conversation at the event was the ongoing MLB player strike, but plenty of other matters were discussed too.

When asked what the best advice he could give to managers and players starting out, Maddon replied: “If you could develop the ability to scout players then you can break players down to their grass roots, in terms of all their physical talents, and be able to correct any fundamentals”.

That sounds just as relevant to coaches today – if not even more so – than it was at the time.

Prescient British baseball minds

Joe Maddon has earned a reputation as a bright, innovative coach and someone who connects with his players. He clearly made a strong impression with the attendees in 1995 too.

The same Brit-Ball edition included a couple of letters from attendees of the event, including one from Dean Davidson of Leeds City Royals. Davidson described the event as “the best yet”, stating that all the speakers “were able to break the game down to a level where a complete novice could understand but there was enough information so that an experienced player/coach could go away knowing he had learnt something”.

But then went on to add:

“I would like to end by thanking all the clinicians involved, especially Joe Maddon, who I feel was the most comprehensive clinician we have had to date”.

Few could have guessed at the time that Maddon would go on to become the man to lead the Chicago Cubs to their first World Series in over 100 years, but I like to think that Dean Davidson’s comments showed that – even back then – Maddon’s exceptional qualities shone through.

Recent years

BaseballSoftballUK, British Baseball Federation and the Great Britain set-up have brought some Major Leaguers over during the off-season in more recent times.

Most notable was the 2012 European Big League Tour led by Dutch pitcher Rick van den Hurk, who was joined by fellow Netherlands player Roger Bernadina, Chris Dickerson and Jeremy Guthrie (who would go on to pitch in a World Series for the Kansas City Royals). GB players such as Michael Roth and Jake Esch have also spent time in the UK in recent off-seasons.

With MLB clearly keen to bring games across to London at some point, and the hope for more MLB UK events too, it would be great if these MLB promotion events (which are certainly beneficial to British baseball in themselves) are joined by more opportunities for British players and coaches to learn from MLB players and coaches.

Brit-Ball publications on Project COBB

Brit-Ball was a newsletter described as “The Official Voice of the British Baseball Federation” and was published between 1993 and 1998. All but one of the volumes of the newsletters have been scanned and are available to access on the Project COBB (Chronicling of British Baseball) website.

They are one of a range of brilliant materials and resources available. If browsing the materials inspires you to take an active interest in British baseball history and research, or if you have any materials you are willing to share, please get in touch by using the contact details on the Project COBB website.

A History of Norwich baseball

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It’s always encouraging to see new clubs joining the British baseball leagues.

One of the new entrants to the BBF in 2017 are Norwich Iceni, particularly exciting for me as they are based in my home city.

As shown by BaseballSoftballUK’s Team Finder map, the area has a number of softball teams as part of the Norfolk Softball Association, but there’s plenty of space for baseball too.

The two nearest baseball blue flags belong to the Cambridge Royals/ Monarchs in Cambridgeshire, who brought baseball back to the city in 2011, and the Haverhill Blackjacks in Suffolk.

Norwich Iceni will be the first league team in the city since the Norwich Wanderers of the early 1990s, joining the UEA (University of East Anglia) Blue Sox who compete in the university leagues.

UEA, alongside Nottingham and Southampton, were one of the key places that helped get the University Baseball scene up and running again 10 years or so ago, and UEA graduates are part of the group that have formed Norwich Iceni.

Norwich baseball history

Thanks to the Iceni club being born, a local newspaper clip was uncovered and published on their website about the Norwich Wanderers being founded in 1991.

It explains that the team was formed in 1991 and that, as known at the time (and yet to be disproved) they were the first baseball team in the city’s history (outside of the UEA team).

The team was based in Heartsease, an estate to the north-east of the city centre, and the article includes several photos of the team, showing their red and white uniform.

Inspired by the newspaper clip and Norwich Iceni’s 2017 debut this coming Sunday, I’ve undertaken some research in the records we have digitised and available online as part of Project Cobb to put together what we know about the Norwich Wanderers.

If you have any further details, please do get in contact.

1991 – Friendlies?

Norwich Wanderers were formed in 1991. Whether they played in a league in their debut year, or played friendly games as and when they could, is not confirmed. The newspaper article states that they were expecting to play Mildenhall in 1991 and the Old Timers website notes that they played Norwich in this period so it’s possible they had a game or two that year.

1992 – BBF Anglia League

Norwich competed in a BBF Anglia League alongside Bury Saints B, Stevenage Knights, Tiptree Hotsports Rays and UEA Anglians.

The UEA Anglians were part of the university in Norwich and the press article states that the UEA had been running a baseball team for a couple of years prior to the Wanderers starting out in 1991.

The press article also shows an interesting link with Tiptree Hotsports Rays. Norwich were able to gain sponsorship from the local Hot Sports shop and so presumably the branch in Tiptree supported their local team for several years too.

Further details about the 1992 season have not been uncovered to this point. If you can fill in any blanks, please get in contact.

1993 – BBF Midlands Division One

In 1993, Norwich Wanderers competed in the BBF Midlands Division One (details from the Brit-Ball series). The teams were as follows:

  • Derby Crowns
  • Leicester Hawks
  • Long Eaton Sluggers
  • Newark Giants
  • Norwich Wanderers
  • Nottingham Pirates

The season started on 9 May and Norwich took an 18-14 defeat at the hands of Nottingham, with Newark Giants crushing Derby 44-2 (no ‘mercy’ rules in effect in this league, by the looks of it!).

One week later and Norwich took another loss, this time a heart-breaker against those Newark Giants. Newark got a 26-25 walk-off victory to send the Wanderers to an 0-2 start.

By 13 June Norwich had a 1-2 record, with the other results recorded and league table showing that the win must have come against either Derby or Long Eaton.

However, that’s where the Brit-Ball records end. A league table and results from the Midlands League are conspicuous by their absence from August onwards and the record of 1993 champions in Issue 7 doesn’t include a winner from the Midlands League.

That would all suggest that the League petered out for some reason during the course of the season and wasn’t completed.

1994 – BBF Division Three South

Norwich Wanderers were one of five new teams that joined the 10-team BBF Division Three South in 1994 (details from the Brit-Ball series and the Line Drive series)

The regular season standings were split into a North and South league, with Norwich being in the North, although teams faced each other over the two leagues.

North South
Cambridge Fellows Brighton Buccaneers B
Fulham Flames Burgess Hill Red Hats
Milton Keynes Truckers Eastbourne Aces
Norwich Wanderers Gloster Meteors B
Waltham Abbey Cardinals Guildford Mudcats

Thanks to the Brit-Ball records, we’re able to piece together Norwich’s entire season, with just one educated guess along the way.

Norwich started off their season on 8 May with a 24-14 victory over Fulham before splitting a double-header with Milton Keynes on 15 May. A comfortable 29-0 win over Waltham Abbey on 22 May gave the Wanderers a 3-1 start to the season before a rest weekend for the Spring Bank Holiday.

Norwich resumed their campaign on 5 June. Comparing against the published standings shows that they must have lost that day. The Brit-Ball records don’t show that result but they do show part of a 9-0 victory for Milton Keynes (presumably a forfeit) with their opponent obscured by the way the page has been scanned. It’s likely, if not 100% certain, that it was Norwich who forfeited that game.

The Wanderers then won six games in a row before facing off once again against Milton Keynes on 31 July. The Truckers won 13-4 and, with a couple of assumptions built in (the possible earlier forfeit loss to MK and guessing the likely tie-breaker), that would prove decisive in terms of splitting the teams in the final standings.

Norwich were handed a forfeit win on 7 August against Waltham Abbey and then edged a one-run contest with Brighton (17-16) on 14 August to put them on an 11-3 record for the season to that point.

A chastening 30-1 loss at the hands of Burgess Hill followed on 21 August and that proved to be Norwich’s last action of the season, as their final game against Guildford was forfeited by their opponents.

That all meant that Norwich had compiled a 12-4 record; however during the course of the season Cambridge Fellows and Eastbourne Aces withdrew from the league and results against those teams were removed from the standings. Three of Norwich’s wins came against Cambridge (two by way of forfeit) so their record in the final standings was 9-4 (Norwich didn’t play against Eastbourne).

Norwich ended the season with the same record as Milton Keynes, but the Truckers were crowned as the North division champions, with Norwich in second place. Burgress Hill won the South division, with Brighton coming second.

Issue 16 (July/August) of Brit-Ball includes batting and pitching leaders and there are three Norwich names in there: Wightman and Bond on the batting side, and Nock on the pitching side.

Listed below are Norwich’s full results and the final standings.

8 May. Fulham 14 – Norwich 24 (Nch Win-loss record: 1-0)
15 May (Double-header). Norwich 11 – Milton Keynes 26 (1-1)
15 May (DH). Norwich 16 – Milton Keynes 3 (2-1)
22 May. Waltham 0 – Norwich 29 (3-1)
29 May. No game
5 June. Norwich played and lost, possibly a 9-0 forfeit to Milton Keynes (3-2)
12 June. Gloster 11 – Norwich 16 (4-2)
19 June. No game 
26 June. Norwich 24 – Waltham 11 (5-2)
3 July. No game 
10 July. Fulham 15 – Norwich 26 (6-2)
17 July. Cambridge 0 – Norwich 9 (F)    (7-2)
24 July (DH). Cambridge 0 – Norwich 9 (F)    (8-2)
24 July (DH). Cambridge 3 – Norwich 45 (9-2)
31 July. Norwich 4 – Milton Keynes 13 (9-3)
7 August. Norwich 9 – Waltham 0 (F) (10-3)
14 August. Norwich 17 – Brighton 16 (11-3)
21 August. Burgess Hill 30 – Norwich 1    (11-4)
28 August. Norwich 9 – Guildford 0 (F)    (12-4)

North W L W% GB
Milton Keynes Truckers 9 4 0.692
Norwich Wanderers 9 4 0.692
Fulham Flames 5 8 0.385 4
Waltham Abbey Cardinals 4 9 0.308 5

 

South W L W% GB
Burgess Hill Red Hats 12 1 0.923
Brighton Buccaneers B 10 3 0.769 2
Gloster Meteors B 3 10 0.231 9
Guildford Mudcats 0 13 0 12

1995 – Wanderers off into the sunset

Norwich Wanderers were listed as being entrants in the BBF South – Division Two North league for 1995 in the March 1995 edition of Brit-Ball, showing that there finish in 1994 was enough to earn them promotion.

However the standings for the league in future editions do not include the Wanderers.

It would seem that they were unable to get a team together for that year, and so didn’t take to the field, and that is where the Wanderers’ story comes to an end.

Other notes

Back in November 2008, an article here on BaseballGB about Southern top-tier baseball prompted Herts Baseball’s Paul Auchterlounie to pass on some anecdotes and details from his time in Norwich in the comments section.

Paul joined the Wanderers in 1994 and confirmed that after that season “the departure of several key players (some of whom were US forces personnel)” resulted in the club folding, although he also noted that some social baseball / softball continued for a few years afterwards.

Paul’s comments are copied below:

“Matt – I was interested to read where you live.

I’m from Norwich originally and indeed that is where I first started playing baseball. Having picked up the game whilst in the States on a uni exchange program, I returned to Norwich and found out there was a team – Norwich Wanderers. I joined up and had a mediocre start to the game, competing in the then division 3 south (I think) within the BBF.

The club overall were successful, winning the division, but like so many teams followed success with the departure of several key players (some of whom were US forces personnel) and the club folded.

A few years of social baseball / softball with some of the old guys and some new guys followed, before I moved to Herts in 1999 and found that there was a team here too! Been involved ever since. Is there any likelihood of a team (other than UEA) being started again up in Norwich?”

…

The diamond was on a council field in the Heartsease estate – behind three tall tower blocks. I have no idea whether it’s still there or not (chances are probably not).

The social softball / baseball was mainly played in Eaton Park (big wide open spaces) but with no proper diamond or anything.

One thing I do remember about the diamond is this (it seemed quite funny at the time, but wasn’t when you look back on it): There was a car park around the back of one of the tower blocks. This would be so far into foul territory down the left field line as to be out of sight, and almost in line with where our HR line was.

One of our hitters stepped up to the plate. Big bloke – worked as a bouncer in the city. He absolutely crushed the ball but was way out in front of it and it just kept on carrying into foul territory – right into the car park and smashed the quarter light (I think it’s called) on the back on window of his mates car!! Incredible shot – probably never to be repeated!

…

Also – we had a quite incredible 3rd baseman. Nicknamed Hoover – cos he seemed to field absolutely everything that came his way. Worked on the farms, so was built like the proverbial brick out house and had a bullet of an arm (still don’t think I’ve seen one as good). I was playing 1st base in a training session, and he picked one up to fire over to 1st. I just put my glove out and prayed he’d hit it cos it was travelling about 8 inches above the ground at about 90 mph!!!!

 

The Heartsease diamond is long gone, although baseball and softball has continued to be played intermittently on Eaton Park over the years. Indeed, that’s where Norwich Iceni trained last year.

2017 and beyond

Norwich Iceni are now writing a new chapter in the baseball history of the city. The team will be based at Locksley School, just to the south of the city centre.

It’s possible there will be a home for the team on the university site in the future. Norwich Rugby Club are selling up their current land to housing developers and hope to move to a new sports facility at the UEA. The potential impact on wildlife on the site has prompted plenty of controversy locally and although planning permission was granted in November last year, this decision reportedly is now out for judicial review.

If the move does go ahead, the current plans include space for a baseball field, albeit one that will cut across football, cricket and training areas (see the site plan at the bottom of this Eastern Daily Press news article).

If you’re wondering where the Iceni name comes from, it was the name given to the Celtic tribe that settled in what is now Norfolk (plus parts of north-western Suffolk and eastern Cambridgeshire) in the Late Iron Age. It’s a common name for clubs and organisations in the county (and also a Wetherspoons pub!) and makes for a unique nickname in the British baseball leagues.

Norwich Iceni’s first BBF game takes place on Sunday (23rd) at home against Kent Mariners. Further info about the club can be found on their website, http://www.norwichbaseball.co.uk/, and related social media accounts.

Here’s hoping it’s the start of a successful new club in British baseball and one that will bring the sport to Norwich for years to come.

British Baseball Hall of Fame 2014 inductees announced

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BBHoF_bgbOn the customary second Tuesday in October, the sixth annual class of new inductees into the British Baseball Hall of Fame recognizes three more of the game’s greats: Alan Smith, Cody Cain, and Josh Chetwynd.

Smith is the second most successful player in the British game’s history, as assessed by national titles, and he remains the holder of several modern top-tier pitching records. Off the field, he was a key administrator for the London Warriors, one of the country’s all-time best teams, and he provided instrumental support for Team GB’s silver medal at the 2007 European Championships.

Cain was one of the truly great two-way players in modern British baseball history and featured consistently among the leaders of pitching and batting statistical categories throughout his time in the game. His 18-strike-out game in 2004 is still a modern record, and his 0.00 earned-run average in 1993 remains an unmatched top-tier feat.

Chetwynd’s contribution to the sport in Britain has comprised a unique mix: prominent media roles; deep involvement in initiatives to grow the game and chronicle its history; and consistent success as a player, both domestically and internationally. Across the first decade of wood-bat baseball in the modern era (2001-2010), Chetwynd not only had the highest batting average (.440) but was also the hardest player to strike out.

To see full biographies of the three 2014 inductees as well as the 22 other individuals enshrined in the British Baseball Hall of Fame, please visit: http://www.bbhof.org.uk/

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On a personal note, having taken on the role of Secretary for the BBHoF this year I’ve gained an even greater appreciation for the amount of thought that goes into the voting process.

In Major League Baseball the Hall of Fame process is long-established and, aside from the recent ‘steroid era’ difficulties, is relatively straight forward. There are comprehensive records for every game, from stats to game reports to radio and TV footage. There is an overwhelming abundance of material and precedent to refer to as part of differentiating someone from being a person who had made a very good contribution to someone who made an exceptional contribution.

We don’t have that luxury with British Baseball. The (known) records can be patchy and even where we do have good records there is not always as much evidence as you’d like to fully assess the varying standard of play among teams, leagues and years. This year’s three inductees are from what you might call the recent era and certainly the more prevalent records around their contributions on and off the field can help to reassure a voter of their stance.

However even just a quick glance at the previous inductees will show that participants from different eras can be assessed and recognised, from a 1930s pitcher like Lefty Wilson to a Brad Thompson whose British Baseball playing days spanned from the late 1970s to 2003.

Like any Hall of Fame, debate is always part of the fun as we will all see things slightly differently. Part of the purpose of the British Baseball Hall of Fame is to generate further interest in the history of the sport on these shores so that if there are potential worthy Hall of Fame candidates out there, records can be hunted down and compiled not just for potential voters but for anyone interested in the British game.

The Hall of Fame will never tell the whole story of British Baseball, but it will tell some of them – not least now the stories of Smith, Cain and Chetwynd – and will hopefully be another incentive to encourage people to track down even more, whether to endorse a Hall of Fame candidacy, to fill in a few blanks in the record books, or to find an interesting, amusing or touching tale to add to the collective British Baseball memory bank.

If you’d like to get involved, please visit the British Baseball Hall of Fame website alongside the Project COBB website for further details.

Alcantara and Azcuy become first players in British baseball history to win four straight national titles

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Last weekend, the Essex Arrows claimed their first ever National Baseball Championship.

Their pursuit of a title gained a boost earlier in the year thanks to the capture of sluggers Edwin Alcantara and Maikel Azcuy and, having completed their successful title challenge, they created a little piece of history, as revealed by Project COBB:

7 September 2014

Edwin Alcantara and Maikel Azcuy have become the first players in British baseball’s 125 year competitive history to win four straight national titles

Both were key players on the Essex Arrows squad that swept the London Mets in a best of three national final over the final weekend of August.

The slugging pair have been playing together since both players joined the Southern Nationals in their founding year of 2011.

The Nationals became the first British baseball team to win three titles in their first three seasons of existence but this year they fell to the London Mets in the wildcard final.

Alcantara and Azcuy moved to the Arrows during the last offseason and, in winning the championship with their new club this year, added their names to a list now 17 strong of players with four or more national titles. The full list can be viewed at:

http://www.projectcobb.org.uk/national_finals/titles-players.png

Also adding his name to the list of four-time winners was Steve Simmons, player–manager of the 2014 national champions. His titles span a period of 25 years – the longest among such players.

 

If the Arrows are to retain their title in 2015, you suspect keeping hold of Alcantara and Azcuy will be an important part of the process.

A history of the Leicester Green Sox (1954–64) told via cuttings

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John Varnam got in touch with me a few weeks ago mentioning that he had pulled together a history of the Leicester Green Sox Baseball Club (1954–64), primarily based on a collection of cuttings, a copy of which he could send through to me along with various other items of British baseball memorabilia. This post details some of these generous additions to the Project COBB collection. Continue reading →

Winners announced for the 2013 British Baseball Writing Awards

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We can now announce the winners of the 2013 British Baseball Writing Awards. There were three award-winning entries, and they were of such varied themes that it did not seem reasonable to try to rank them; thus, the prize fund will be shared equally between the winners.

The award-winning writers were:

  • Josh Chetwynd, whose history of baseball fields in Britain was truly insightful;
  • Ryan Ferguson, who entered a nostalgic recollection of American baseball played out on a British council estate; and,
  • Chris Jones, who wrote a fascinating essay on cricketing tour parties from England who played baseball in North America in the mid-19th Century.

All three entries have been accepted for publication in the first issue of This Diamond Isle, a new journal from Project COBB, and you will be able to read them all in the new year.

Four new members of the British Baseball Hall of Fame inducted in 2013

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Today the fifth annual class of the British Baseball Hall of Fame (BBHoF) has been announced, and there are four new inductees, bringing the total membership to 22. The inductees include there long-serving and well-decorated players as well as someone who built the backbone for British baseball’s historical recording. The four individuals are presented below.

To see details on all inductees, please visit the official site of the BBHoF: http://bbhof.org.uk/ 

Baseball players

Peter Crook
A true team leader, Peter Crook spent 60 years playing and coaching baseball, steering teams to success throughout the South of England. Primarily a first baseman, Crook got his start with the Dulwich Bluejays in 1948 and remained with the club until 1959. His career was interrupted when he joined the army as a regular soldier in the Royal Artillery but he always managed to get leave to play as many games as he could. As well as a solid first baseman Crook developed into a power hitter and in 1959 he was invited by the Detroit Tigers to try out at their Spring Training camp. Owing to the expense Peter was unable to accept. From 1960 to 1969, he was a member of the Richmond Red Sox, guiding the club to a Southern baseball trophy as player–manager and earning All-Star team selection twice. In 1970, he joined one of the South’s most famous clubs, the Sutton Braves, and spent 7 years with the squad. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Player twice and was a league All-Star in six straight seasons. In 1977, he returned to his original club, who now played as the Croydon Bluejays. During his second tour of duty, which lasted until 1984, he was a two-time Most Valuable Player and an All-Star on five occasions. His 1984 Blue Jays team won the national championship. Crook also played for the Gillingham Dodgers winning the Division Two title in 1986. Then, in 1988, Crook helped found of one of Britain’s most enduring clubs, the Old Timers. Under his management, the team captured an international championship trophy at a tournament in Germany in 1993. During two decades, in all, with the Old Timers, Crook was also an ambassador to the game at home. He was an architect of a friendly league to encourage new teams to form. Through the league, teams like the Medway Mariners and the Burgess Hill Red Hats, which later became established clubs, got their first taste of organized play.

Ray Reynolds
A dominant player on one of Great Britain’s all-time greatest clubs, Ray Reynolds competed for 31 seasons (1950–80) at Britain’s highest level of play. As one of the most junior players (if not the all-time youngest) to ever earn a regular place at the top level of baseball in the United Kingdom, Reynolds made his debut for Thames Board Mills (TBM) as a 12-year-old boy in 1950. During Reynolds’ tenure, TBM captured more than a dozen league titles and two national championships (1959 and 1960). Reynolds, a versatile athlete who starred in both the infield and the outfield as well as behind the plate, was named to numerous All-Star teams. He was also dubbed the British Baseball League Most Valuable Hitter in 1967 and earned Southern League Most Valuable Player honours twice. Internationally, he represented Great Britain regularly during contests in the 1950s and 1960s and was part of the silver medal-winning England roster at the 1967 European Championship A-Pool.

Brad Thompson
A member and team leader of title-winning teams in nine sanctioned national championships and two unsanctioned events, Brad Thompson won more titles than any other player in British baseball history. Thompson, whose career began in 1976 as a catcher for the Golders Green Sox, was a winner from nearly the beginning. In 1977 and 1979, the Green Sox earned national titles, with Thompson playing a crucial role in the 1979 finals. Not only did he hit a home run early in the contest, but he also later scored the game-tying run in an 11-inning triumph. Based on records available from his time with the Green Sox, Thompson batted .456 with a .779 slugging average for the club. During this period, he tallied a league-leading .500 batting average in 1979, which was one of several such titles he is reported to have won. Thompson later joined the London Warriors, helping that club to secure back-to-back national titles in 1981 and 1982. Continuing a trend of being clutch in the big games, Thompson scored 4 runs and went 2-for-2 with a double in the 1981 finals. His next stop was with the Cobham Yankees, where his .404 batting average and .603 slugging percentage were key factors in propelling that team to three straight national championships (1986–88). After the Yankees folded, Thompson served as a central figure in reforming the London Warriors. The Warriors went on to capture multiple titles, including a first-place showing in the 1988 Scottish Amicable League and national club trophies in 1997 and 2000. When Thompson retired in 2003 after 28 seasons, he was the only player to have registered more than 300 runs batted in top-tier competition, according to Project COBB’s available records. Beyond his accomplishments on the field, Thompson also served as league secretary and then president for the Southern League between 1979 and 1984 and as chief administrator for the Scottish Amicable League, which ran from 1987 to 1989.

Coaches, managers, umpires, and other officials

William Morgan
William Morgan (born 9 October 1923) was for decades British baseball’s pre-eminent historian and journalist, and his seminal research and chronicling efforts form the backbone of much of what we know about the game’s history in Britain. The most invaluable of his many important works was a list of national champions dating back to the game’s organised start in 1890. This now serves as the basis of the official record. Another considerable contribution to British baseball came by way of newsletters he self-published. He edited 24 issues of Baseball Courier between 1963 and 1967 and then went on to produce 51 issues of a second newsletter, Baseball Mercury, between 1972 and 1989. Not only did he chronicle the contemporary game, but he also made sure the history of British baseball was a major focus of his work. Without these materials, information on expansive periods of British baseball history would have simply disappeared. Moreover, by distributing the publications to over 20 countries, Morgan played a major role in maintaining an international profile for British baseball (at the time, this was probably the only source of information on British baseball for a lot of international recipients). Morgan first came across the game of baseball in 1938 in Cardiff, where, he later recounted, a seven-team league operated (two Royal Air Force sides, Central YMCA, Mail & Echo, St David’s, Lumberjacks [timber importer employees], and Penzance Social Club). He could not afford to join a club but played for a couple of innings in a pre-season pickup game for Central YMCA at second base in 1939. Aside from his role as chronicler and historian, William also served in an administrative capacity at a national level. He was engaged as both Information Officer and Treasurer for governing bodies of baseball in Britain at different times. In recognition of his contributions to the game, he handed out the MVP trophy at the 1976 British baseball national final (a game for which he was listed in the programme as ‘Official Baseball Historian’) and was the guest of honour at the 1986 final. Based on his knowledge and experience, he was chosen to serve as one of the inaugural selectors for this British Baseball Hall of Fame.