Thoughts on Baseball and Softball’s Olympic hopes being dashed

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board announced on 13 August that golf and rugby would be put forward for entry to the 2016 Olympics.  The decision ended baseball and softball’s hopes for an immediate return to the Olympic fold after a previous decision in 2005 removed the sports from the 2012 London Games.

Read more at BaseballGB about what this means for the future of baseball in Great Britain and as an international sport.

Keeping score: Pirates-Cubs 14 August 2009

When the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs met last Friday, there was plenty of action to witness both on the field and in the sky. Read my report of keeping score of the game at BaseballGB.

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.

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.

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.

BaseballGB reviews New York Yankees and the Meaning of Life by Derek Gentile

The New York Yankees: love them or loathe them, you can’t deny their amazing history.  It’s a history full of great players, magical moments and memorable quotes.  All of which is celebrated in a new book by Derek Gentile.  A full review can be found at BaseballGB here.

Baseball Prospectus 2009

BaseballGB reviews the 2009 Baseball Prospectus annual.

Review of Dickson Baseball Dictionary: Third Edition

The third edition of the Dickson Baseball Dictionary is now available

The Third Edition of the Dickson Baseball Dictionary is now available in the States (Amazon.co.uk is taking its time to make it available though).  Read a full review at BaseballGB here.