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VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2 February 28, 2011

Perth Heat Win Inaugural ABL Championship

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In its successful inaugural season, the 'Alcohol Think Again' Perth Heat won the Delta Airlines Australian Baseball League Championship Series after beating the Adelaide 'ETSA' Bite in a best of 3 game series. The Heat won 7-1 in a final Game 3 match at Barbagallo Ballpark.

Perth rallied to win Game 2 with a final score of 9-2 courtesy of eight runs and a grand slam home run in the fifth inning before wrapping up the title with Game 3's victory.

Perth’s starting pitcher Ben Moore was named the Finals MVP after throwing nine complete innings, giving up four hits, one run, and no walks while striking out ten Adelaide batters.

Earlier in the playoffs, Sydney’s Blue Sox pitcher David Welch pitched the ABL’s first ever no-hitter blanking the Adelaide Bite 8-0.

This season ABL fans witnessed over 54 players representing twenty Major League Baseball teams with seven of them on their respective 40 man rosters.

The league is governed by the Australian Baseball

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Federation, and is jointly funded by the ABF, Major League Baseball and the Australian Federal Government. The winner of the Delta Airlines ABL Championship receives the coveted Claxton Shield as its main prize.

There are currently a total of six ABL teams: Adelaide Bite, Brisbane Bandits, Canberra Cavalry, Melbourne Aces, Pearth Heat and the Sydney Blue Sox.

Line up:

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Who’s Who: Ethan Guevin

Perth takes first ABL title.

The Traveling Fork visits Brooklyn, NY!

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PBI Member Zone: Monges, Beck 3

BY Mark Cardillo

Updates

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PBI: What is your baseball background in America? EG: I played four years as a pitcher and infielder at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. After a solid junior and senior year, I knew I wanted to keep playing. I hit the road right after graduation, attending several Independent tryouts with no success. At one of the tryouts, I spent some time catching up with a guy I played against at Carleton. He said that if he didn't get signed at the tryout, he was set to agree with a team in Sweden. Playing in Europe sounded like a pretty good deal to me, and after looking into it more, I decided that is what I wanted to do. PBI: What position do you play? EG: I think of myself primarily as a pitcher, but have also spent extensive time at 2B, 3B, and SS in both college and since playing abroad. PBI: What is your baseball background internationally? EG: I spent my first season overseas playing for the Merchtem Cats in the Belgian 1st Division. Right after the season ended in Belgium, I followed summer down to the southern hemisphere where I play for the Balcatta Bears just outside of Perth, Australia. I also enjoyed playing for the Team USA in a six game exhibition series

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against the Perth Heat of the ABL. Like Belgium, playing in Australia has been a great experience both on and off the field. PBI: What has the overall experience been like? EG: The overall experience has been absolutely amazing. Not only do you get to keep playing the greatest game on earth, but the opportunities it provides to travel, live in new places, meet new people, speak new languages and experience new cultures is more than I could ever ask for. PBI: What is the baseball like overseas? The difference between countries you've played in? EG: Abroad, baseball is very much about the social interaction that takes place not only during the game but before and after. Win or lose, people hang around after games to have a drink, talk about the game and as they say here in Australia have a "catch up." The major difference between playing in Belgium and playing in Australia is the weather... by about 30 degrees Celsius. PBI: What other countries are you interested in playing in? EG: I am really open to playing anywhere, but from a competitive standpoint I would love to play in Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, or anywhere in Latin America. Having done a bit of traveling in

Who’s who in PBI: Sit down interview with Ethan Guevin

U.S. Citizen, Ethan Guevin, 24, shares his international baseball background with PBI.

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Croatia and Czech Republic, I also think those would be great places to play. PBI: Do you have foreign citizenship? If so how did you get it? EG: I don't have foreign citizenship, but would jump at the opportunity to get it. With the limitations many leagues have on foreign born players, having dual citizenship would be a big advantage. PBI: Do you have a family? If, so do they come with you overseas? EG: My girlfriend has joined me for extended time in both Belgium and Australia. It has been great to get to share the experience with her and to

Continued on Page 3

BY Mark Cardillo




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(Continued)

Pellentesque:

Consectetuer:

Member zone

Alvaro Monges

Monges, 27, is a Venezuelan citizen who has played pro ball with the Atlanta Braves at the Rookie level in 2001. As a left handed pitcher he received Pitcher of the

Month of July award and Pitcher of the Year award

in the Dominican Summer League.

Mike Beck Beck, 23, is a US Citizen

who played college baseball at Western New England College. He is a speedy lead-off outfielder that hits for average. He has been on numerous

championship ball clubs including 4 Straight

conference championships with WNEC.

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coupon code ‘PBI’

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coupon code ‘pro’

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travel and see the world together. Both clubs have made her feel right at home and she has been able to find work wherever we have gone. PBI: What is your favorite thing about playing overseas most people don't know about? EG: The generosity of the people I have met playing baseball abroad never ceases to amaze me. These experiences wouldn't be as fun if I didn't have great people to share them with. The people I have met and relationships I have built are the best part, hands down.

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PBI: A good story from playing abroad? EG: A guy in our club in Belgium used to be a high level boxer. He had a dream that he should start playing baseball, and when he looked up the closest club and saw that it was a short way from where he lived, he took it as a sign that he needed to listen to his dream. In his late 30's he played for the first time. To me that is awesome. That probably would not happen in the U.S.




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Updates

Upcoming Events

CUBA

UNITED STATES

KOREA

JAPAN

CHINESE TAIPEI

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NETHERLANDS

VENEZUELA

CANADA

MEXICO

AUSTRALIA

Prev. Cur.

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Results

The Yaquis from Obregon are this year's Caribbean Series champions. The Mexican club

finished with a 4-2 record to mark the first Caribbean Series title in franchise history and the first championship for the country since taking the title in 2005 in Mazatlan, Mexico.

March 31, Opening Day 2011. All clubs are required to reduce rosters to 25 players.

The first action of the day comes at 1:05 (ET) with the Atlanta Braves taking on the Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers playing at the New York Yankees.

Men’s World Ranking Top 10 News Briefs

San Marino, the worlds oldest republic situated in northeast Italy will play host to the International Baseball Federation's (IBAF) inaugural Olympic Reinstatement Commission (ORC) meeting February 26th. The event will be hosted with the support of the Olympic Committee of San Marino and will allow the organization to introduce the members of the commission tasked with bringing baseball back into the Olympic Games as a medal sport.

Team Registrations for the inaugural IBAF 12U Baseball World Championship are also open to national federations at the current time. Interested federations should contact the IBAF as soon as possible with question at [email protected].

IBAF President Riccardo Fraccari and Mizuno Corporation Chairman Masato Mizuno met in Rome, Italy February 7th. The meeting allowed President Fraccari to outline the developments within IBAF over the last year and the plans for the future of the organization and the international game. The pair also discussed the need to continue to cooperate in order to better serve the international baseball community and develop baseball across the world.




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PBI is currently looking for freelance writers. If you or someone you know is interested in covering international baseball articles, please contact

us at [email protected]

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If you happened to be traveling through Brooklyn, NY this upcoming season, stop by and check out local hot spot, Peter Luger Steak House located at 178 Broadway, under the Williamsburg Bridge.

This institution of New York dining is open Monday through Thursday from 11:30am to 9:30 pm, Friday through Saturday 11:30am to 10:30pm and Sunday from 12:30 pm to 9:30pm. Either make reservations or get there early as there is typically a long

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wait for a table. There is a small parking lot across the street.

The wait staff is friendly and the bartenders poor a mean drink. Definitely order the bacon appetizer. It’s the biggest bacon I’ve ever seen, even bigger than the Scottish bacon I had in St. Andrews…well almost. They are known for their steaks, and with good reason. They come sliced and sizzling, cooked to perfection. The creamed spinach compliments it well.

The restaurant itself is a bit cozy and can be tight at times,

The Traveling Fork…

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and the atmosphere is very social. It’s a great place for a group dinner.

Be sure to bring cash, they do not accept credit cards. I learned the hard way! The food was delicious and the experience is great! You will want to come again as long as your wallet agrees!

Buon Appetite!

Visits Brooklyn’s “Peter Luger Steak House” BY Mark Cardillo

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