Swiss Report #2

There was no action in the Swiss NLA baseball league this past weekend due to Swiss Cup action. This coming weekend will see the Embrach Rainbows (1-5) battle the Reusbuhl Eagles (2-4) and the Lausanne Indians (2-4) taking on the Therwil Flyers (1-3).

In other NLA games, two-time defending champion Bern Cardinals (5-1) will meet the Sissach Frogs (4-2) while the Zurich Barracudas (5-1) will take on their rivals, the Zurich Challengers (2-2).

The Cardinals, led by player/coach John Baum and INF/P Angelo Rodriguez, remain the favorites to win their third straight Swiss title. But both the Barracudas and the Challengers have the talent to deny the Cards a threepeat.

The Barracudas are led by veterans Farid Bekkali, Stefan Suter, and Ueli von Burg and look to be hungry again. An American pitcher could be the final ingredient for another championship.

The Challengers are awaiting the return of their volatile All-Star, Saentis Zeller, who is serving a suspension. Thomas Landis, Bryan Shemley, Tobias Siegrist and Joe Cox are other players who should contribute well.

Pitching will be the key as the Cardinals should be getting national team pitcher Severin Fries back from the US college he is attending in late May or early June. It seems to be a three team race but anything can and does happen in Swiss baseball.