European Champion Cup

The European Champion Cup Final Four brings together four of the best baseball teams in the continent.  This year’s event took place over the weekend just gone in Barcelona, Spain.  The four teams battling it out were L&D Amsterdam Pirates, Corendon Kinheim (both from the Netherlands), Danesi Caffe’ Nettuno and Fortitudo Bologna (both from Italy).

Read a full review of the tournament at BaseballGB.

An All-Star team of Major Leaguers who have played in Great Britain

As part of Project Cobb, ex-’Baseball on Five’ presenter Josh Chetwynd (and author of two McFarland publications: British Baseball and the West Ham Club, and Baseball in Europe) has written an article compiling an All-Star team of players who have appeared on British soil over the years. 

Featuring greats such as Willie Stargell, Tris Speaker, Cap Anson, Sam ‘Wahoo’ Crawford, Bob Feller and AG Spalding, it makes for an impressive team.  More importantly, Josh’s article explains how every player ‘qualifies’ for the list, charting an interesting history of baseball on British shores.

Read the full article by clicking through to BaseballGB here.

Replays, earned runs and shortstops at second base: Rangers-Astros 23 May 2009

Last weekend saw the first instalment of Interleague play during the 2009 MLB season.  There are plenty of reasons to dislike the now traditional sight of AL and NL teams coming together outside of the World Series, but it does at least give fans in two-team cities and states the chance to gain bragging rights for a few weeks. 

The Lone Star Series is one such example.  The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers come together to try to gain Major League wins and to capture the ‘Silver Boot’ trophy.

(Click here to read more, including a completed scorecard of the game).

The London Twilight Baseball League of 1976

As well as the regular blog content, BaseballGB publishes occasional Full Articles to provide a more in-depth look at the game. 

In the latest such article, Joe Gray looks at the London Twilight Baseball League of 1976, a project led by Jeff Archer. While the league was short-lived, its innovative nature gives it historical importance and also provides lessons for baseball in Britain today.

The article has been written for Project Cobb (the Project for the Chronicling of British Baseball).  Find out more at the Project Cobb website.

BaseballGB reviews Baseball’s Great Experiment by Jules Tygiel

Baseball is rightly proud of the Jackie Robinson story.  When he ‘broke the colour line’ on 15 April 1947, he didn’t just set in motion the desegregation of baseball, he helped to pave the way for seismic changes throughout American society. 

Jules Tygiel’s book has been widely regarded as one of the seminal texts on this subject since it was first published in 1983.  It is therefore an important addition to any baseball fan’s collection. 

Read the full review here.

MLB has let itself down again

Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers are not the only ones affected by the star slugger’s positive drug test.  Baseball is taking a battering and Selig and company are failing to stand up for the sport.

Read more here.

Dodgers can survive Manny’s suspension

Mark George, a British Dodgers fan, was as shocked as anyone to hear about Manny Ramirez’s positive drug test.  However, he’s convinced that the absence of their star slugger doesn’t mean his team will fall apart.

Read Mark’s comments here.

BaseballGB reviews Boston Red Sox and the Meaning of Life by Mark Rucker

There have been countless books devoted to the Sox over the years and Boston Red Sox and the Meaning of Life is the latest. Great moments, players and memorable quotes from the history of the franchise are brought together in the second instalment of this new series.

Read a full review here.

Keeping Score – A Saturday night classic

Last Saturday’s 16-11 game between the Yankees and the Red Sox was a classic.  Read about the game from a scorekeeping fan’s perspective here.

BaseballGB reviews St Louis Cardinals: Past & Present by Doug Feldmann

The St Louis Cardinals are the latest franchise to have a book devoted to them in this impressive series by MVP Books.  Fans of the Red Birds will revel in this eye-catching compilation of great photos and descriptive text that provide a well-rounded history of their storied team.

Read the full review here.