Australian Baseball League Revival?

[Freo Big Fella]

Americans back new Aussie baseball league
30th November 2006, 8:00 WST

US Major League Baseball is expected to throw its financial muscle behind a new national league in Australia next year.

Almost 10 years after the demise of the once successful Australian Baseball League, Australia’s best players — many of whom now make a lucrative living playing professionally in the United States — should again be able to play at home during the summer months.

Major League Baseball International, professional baseball’s marketing arm, is expected to formalise a decision during the next week.

Australian Baseball Federation chief executive officer Don Knapp would not elaborate but said he was expecting an announcement within the next couple of days.

“We are confident a new competition will be up and running next year,” Knapp said.

He said Australia now had between 80 and 90 players contracted to Major League teams in the United States — about 50 more than when the Australian Baseball League was operating during the late 80s and 90s.

He said the proposed new competition would be less reliant on American players than in the past, yet the standard would be considerably higher given the development of Australians on the international stage.

Though Knapp would not comment, it is expected Major League International will own 70 per cent of the league and the ABF 30 per cent.

Teams would be based in the five major capital cities — Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide — with a sixth team most likely operating out of Canberra.

The teams would be run centrally from the ABF office on the Gold Coast with standard marketing and promotion.

Player contracts would be uniform, while salary caps would be strictly controlled to ensure the financial viability of the new league.

The former ABL had a $6 million a year budget but was raising only $4 million a year in revenue, and was eventually forced to fold.

It was anticipated that teams in the new league would be sold off after a few years if the single entity ownership went well.

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=21&ContentID=15038

Would love it if this went ahead, used to enjoy watching the Heat Play as a good alternative to the cricket during summer.

 

[DaSawx]

I can't get into cricket for some reason, would love for this to happen

 

[Borry]

Hope it goes ahead, and the Baseball stadium at Canning Vale is up to scratch.

Use to go regularly to Perth Heat matches in the early 90's, a great alternative to the other summer sports.

 

[- PC -]

I think the Major League lost a lot of support that soccer and rugby grabbed when they died. I wonder if they can survive and , most importantly, have the patience and money to see it through

 

[Dave The Man]

Will it be on free-to-air tv?

 

[haterade]

Sammy Sosa, Jose Canseco and Ricky Henderson need jobs. Who knows, they might be interested.

 

[DaSawx]

Sammy Sosa, Jose Canseco and Ricky Henderson need jobs. Who knows, they might be interested.

Sammy has 2 Spring Training HR's

 

[DoubleA]

I remember hearing about this on SEN months ago now, but have heard nothing of it since...is it still on?

 

[moomba]

Would be good, baseball games at Norwood Oval were fantastic particularly in the early days of the $1.50 can of beer and steak sandwich underneath the main stand.

Same old names though, in charge of making something happen, I'd rather we just started totally afresh.

 

[Bronx Bomber]

I'd rather we just started totally afresh.

Exactly right, similar to the way the A-League was started.

 

[Crosby87]

I hope this happens. I used to go all the time as a kid.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Used to love going to Brisbane Bandits games.

 

[Alex99]

League plan for Oz

JORDAN CHONG
April 25, 2007 02:40pm

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,21619065-12428,00.html

SOME of the world's most famous baseball clubs could Australia bound under a proposal now before Major League Baseball.

The league is looking to open either its 2008 or 2009 season outside the U.S. and Australia is one of five countries bidding to host games.

Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan are also in the mix.

Australian Baseball Federation special projects manager Alan Weir said the ABF was in discussions with the Victorian Government about Melbourne hosting the game.

"To host a high-profile game like an opening series of any Major League team would be outstanding for Australian baseball," Weir said.

"It's a great opportunity to highlight Australia to the world, particularly Americans, as well as for Australians to get to see high-class baseball.

"We and Major League Baseball have been working on this for a while and we'll see what happens."

MLB has opened its season outside the U.S. or Canada four times – once in Mexico (1999) and Puerto Rico (2001) and twice in Japan (2000 and 2004).

The director of Major League Baseball for Australia and New Zealand, Tom Nicholson, said the league may award games to several countries this time.

"To create that emphasis of a single series opening it has usually been just two teams opening and it's one event, but there's certainly possibilities of entertaining the concept of maybe series in a couple of countries," Nicholson said.

"That's one item that's being looked by our international office."

MLB's senior vice president of international business operations, Paul Archey, told the league's official website last month: "We're definitely planning on having a season opener (outside the U.S.), but right now I can't tell you where it's going to be."

"We're considering a couple of options for 2008," he added.

Archey described Australia an outside possibility for an opening day site.

Nicholson said Australia has been "on the radar screen" at league headquarters.

"It would sure be nice but certainly a long way off. We'll see," Nicholson said.

"The emphasis for Major League Baseball (is) the global growth of the game it's important that this is showcased around the world."

Weir said the bidding process would be very competitive, given the popularity of the sport in Asia and the Australia's distance from the United States.

"Without a doubt it's not something that's going to be easy to get and it will be a coup for Australia if we do get it," Weir said.

"Baseball is a very major sport in Taiwan, Korea and Japan.

"China is embryonic but if they get one per cent of the Chinese population turned on to baseball then they've got an instant audience straight away of millions of people."

Nicholson said about 40 per cent of players at Major League teams are from outside North America.

Australia has about 100 professional players in the U.S. and two on Major League rosters – left fielder Chris Snelling at the Washington Nationals and relief pitcher Peter Moylan at the Atlanta Braves.

The national team won the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

 

[Left Foota!]

Americans back new Aussie baseball league
30th November 2006, 8:00 WST

US Major League Baseball is expected to throw its financial muscle behind a new national league in Australia next year.

Almost 10 years after the demise of the once successful Australian Baseball League, Australia’s best players — many of whom now make a lucrative living playing professionally in the United States — should again be able to play at home during the summer months.

Major League Baseball International, professional baseball’s marketing arm, is expected to formalise a decision during the next week.

Australian Baseball Federation chief executive officer Don Knapp would not elaborate but said he was expecting an announcement within the next couple of days.

“We are confident a new competition will be up and running next year,” Knapp said.

He said Australia now had between 80 and 90 players contracted to Major League teams in the United States — about 50 more than when the Australian Baseball League was operating during the late 80s and 90s.

He said the proposed new competition would be less reliant on American players than in the past, yet the standard would be considerably higher given the development of Australians on the international stage.

Though Knapp would not comment, it is expected Major League International will own 70 per cent of the league and the ABF 30 per cent.

Teams would be based in the five major capital cities — Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide — with a sixth team most likely operating out of Canberra.

The teams would be run centrally from the ABF office on the Gold Coast with standard marketing and promotion.

Player contracts would be uniform, while salary caps would be strictly controlled to ensure the financial viability of the new league.

The former ABL had a $6 million a year budget but was raising only $4 million a year in revenue, and was eventually forced to fold.

It was anticipated that teams in the new league would be sold off after a few years if the single entity ownership went well.

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=21&ContentID=15038

Would love it if this went ahead, used to enjoy watching the Heat Play as a good alternative to the cricket during summer.

AWESOME!!! going out to hit off my tee in the backyard as we speak! Fancy myself a chance to make the 25 man Melbourne Roster!

 

[kranger]

10 August 2007
Claxton Shield "home and away" series a dress rehearsal


The Australian Baseball Federation this week confirmed that the 2007/2008 Claxton Shield will be contested as a "home and away" series between two pools, with the leaders in each pool to play off for the title. Drawn in Pool A, Victoria will play its preliminary games against Western Australia and South Australia, while Pool B will be made up of New South Wales, Queensland and Australian Provincial. Victoria will play three games against W.A. and S.A. away, and three games against both in Victoria. That is to say, at least six Claxton Shield games will be played in Victoria, with finals venues to be announced. The series will run from mid January to early February 2008. Playing venues have not yet been decided.

While giving little away, ABF High Performance Manager Ben Foster suggested that the revamped Claxton Shield was something of a "dress rehearsal" for any (shhhh) new Australian national league that has been whispered about under gaslight on atmospheric street corners for some time now.

.
.
.
http://www.baseball.com.au/default.asp?Page=37821

BASEBALL IS BACK…AND IT’S COMING YOUR WAY!
Ben Foster, Wednesday, 22 August 2007

2008 CLAXTON SHIELD returns as a truly “National” Competition

For the first time in seven years the 2008 CLAXTON SHIELD - Australia’s oldest and most prestigious baseball competition – will herald the return of a regular season ‘Home and Away’ format, in what many see as a vital step in preparation for a revamped Australian baseball league.

The seven-week schedule, running from late December 2007 to mid February 2008, will see each state host a minimum of six games -- allowing local fans the opportunity to see their Aussie heroes play on home soil for the first time in almost a decade.

Australian Baseball Federation (ABF) General Manager of Baseball Operations, Brett Pickett, is confident the revamped format will help to partially fill the void many fans have felt since the departure of the Australian Baseball League in 1999.

“We know the players, the public and the State associations have all been crying out for the return of a genuine national competition,” Pickett said.

“Unfortunately, a variety of factors in recent years have limited one of the major events on the Australian Baseball calendar to a week-long tournament based in a single city.”

“We know our fans deserved better…so with this year’s Claxton Shield and the promise of a new professional league just around the corner, we are confident of going a long way towards baseball regaining its rightful place in the Australian sporting landscape,” he said.

The six-team competition will be split into two geographical pools for the 2008 ‘Regular Season’ – with the Southern Division (Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia) and Eastern Division (New South Wales, Queensland, Australian Provincial) each playing 12 games before the winners progress to the CLAXTON SHIELD Finals Series.

Series have already been confirmed for Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney; with plans for games to be hosted in selected regional centres still in the pipeline.

The Claxton Shield, first contested in 1934, remains the pinnacle event for Australian players with as many as 60 current US professionals expected to compete in the 2008 competition.

Fans can also expect the battle for state pride to be enhanced by the individual quest for National team selection.

And with the team to compete in Australia’s final Olympic Qualifying event in April still wide open – next years Claxton Shield is expected to be one of the most competitive in recent memory.

CLICK HERE FOR: 2008 CLAXTON SHIELD SEASON SCHEDULE (.pdf format)

 

[usalion]

League plan for Oz

JORDAN CHONG
April 25, 2007 02:40pm

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,21619065-12428,00.html

SOME of the world's most famous baseball clubs could Australia bound under a proposal now before Major League Baseball.

The league is looking to open either its 2008 or 2009 season outside the U.S. and Australia is one of five countries bidding to host games.

Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan are also in the mix.

Probably going to have people jump down my throat, but where would MLB actually play an opening series? Would have to do a three game set for a trip this far. There aren't any diamonds that I know of up to MLB standard in Victoria, which would have to be a major consideration.

You would be at the end of March and start of April- you can't really convert the MCG or Dome by putting in a major league infield and pitching mound....AFL would go nuts over that......

The four other options have stadia in place....I'd bet on China or Korea myself.

Good news with getting a league going again, though....

 

[DaSawx]

I thought 2008 was pretty much a lock for Japan