The Patriots broke a 5-5 tie at the resumption of their suspended game and a 7-7 deadlock in the eighth to defeat the Bulls, 11-7, and finished the classification phase on a winning note.

An hour after losing to the Cebu Dolphins, Forward Taguig erupted for a four-run binge in the eighth inning behind the efforts of Fernando Badrina and Tawi delos Reyes.

With the win, the Patriots finished with an 8-2 record, tied with the Cebu Dolphins. But, they will take second spot after losing the tiebreaker and will meet either the Dumaguete Uni-Bikers or the Manila Sharks in the semifinals.

Badrina, acquired from the now-defunct Antipolo Pilgrims, delivered a base-hit to right off losing pitcher Randy de Leon to score Ernesto Binarao from third before delos Reyes padded the lead to two runs on a single to left that drove in Rizel Santos.

Delos Reyes took the win after finishing the Bulls in the last two innings in relief of Binarao.

Chris Jimenez led the Patriots with four hits in five at-bats with playing manager Ricky Jimenez, Ryan Garcia and delos Reyes making two RBIs apiece.

Both squads resumed their suspended game held last November 8 when the fading sunlight forced baseball officials to halt the game at the fifth inning.

At that time, the Patriots took the upper hand by taking a 4-0 lead in the second inning as playing manager Jimenez hit a two-run single to center. But, the Bulls slowly mounted a comeback, as Matt Laurel and Chris Canlas each connected a solo homer in the second and fourth frames, respectively, before Jojo Apura drilled a single to center that scored Alex Tolome from third to tie the game at 5-5.

Batangas centerfielder Carlo Banzon was perfect in four times he batted with an RBI but it wasn’t enough to give the Bulls a 3-7 record after the classification phase to finish in fifth place.

The Bulls will meet the Muntinlupa Mariners in a one-game playoff to decide who will face the Cebu Dolphins in the semifinals.

Uni-Bikers Claim Fourth Spot

Despite a disappointing campaign, the Dumaguete Uni-Bikers were able to finish the classification round on a winning note, and earned a much-better position heading into the playoffs.

The much-rested Uni-Bikers took advantage of a restless Muntinlupa Mariners for a 5-4 win for claim fourth spot in the postseason.

Darwin dela Calzada pitched four shutout innings while a pair of youngsters Boc-boc Bernardo and Justin Payongayong sealed the win after the Mariners made a run in the last four innings.

Dumaguete finished the elimination round tied with Muntinlupa at 4-6 but the latter still won the tiebreaker despite the loss.

The Lito Pulgo-managed squad will meet sixth-seed Manila Sharks in the first round of the playoffs.

Catcher Edmer del Socorro had three hits in four times he batted while 41-year old first baseman Kiko Ramos made three RBIs off a hit in four at-bats to help the Uni-Bikers’ cause.

Ramos drove home the first run of the game when his groundball pulled home leadoff runner Saxon Omandac in the opening frame. Dumaguete extended the lead to 3-0 in the third after Denver Largo scored from third on a passed ball while del Socorro scored all the way from first on an error by Muntinlupa first baseman Andoy Velasquez.

Ramos, then hit a two-run in the fifth inning that enabled the Uni-Bikers to grab a commanding 5-0 lead. But Muntinlupa threatened to pull off a comeback when Jerby Diego hit a two-run single in the sixth before Wilfredo Hidalgo drilled an RBI single to scored Hashim Omandac before touching home on a passed ball that narrowed down the margin to a single run.

However, Payongayong, who took over for Bernardo in the seventh, settled down and retired six of the last seven batters to secure Dumaguete’s victory.

Payongayong, a 16-year old standout from Makati, gave up two hits and walked two batters but left two runners on base.

Dela Calzada had a decent four-inning outing, fanning four batters and yielding just two hits to get the win.

Jonas Terrado is the Chief Writer for the Baseball Philippines league website.

Norris, who hit .278 with a league-high and team record 63 walks for the Lake Monsters in 2008, was one of 12 players selected to the All-Star team. The 19-year-old, who was chosen by the Nationals in the fourth-round of the 2007 draft, hit 10 home runs for Vermont and led the league with a .444 on-base percentage. He also threw out a league-high 47% of attempted base stealers.

The All-Star team consists of players from the New York-Penn, Appalachian, Pioneer and Gulf Coast Leagues with one player named to each position including designated hitter, two starting pitchers and one relief pitcher.

One of just two New York-Penn League players named to the All-Star team, Norris was named to the team along with second baseman Colt Sedbrook of the league champion Batavia Muckdogs.

Since the end of the 2008 season, Norris has been named the Lake Monsters Player of the Year by the Washington Nationals and was selected as the fourth best prospect in the New York-Penn League by Baseball America.

Media Release: Vermont Lake Monsters

Finley has volunteered to be the school’s head baseball coach following the resignation of Gary Patterson, CCCHS Athletic Director Jack Morton said last week.

Patterson resigned in November after accepting a position as a project manager for a construction company in Houston, Texas.

Zach Suggs, who was hired to fill the teaching position vacated by Patterson, will be the assistant baseball coach, Morton said.

Full Article:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20081203/MTCN0102/312030009/1002/RSS6002

Ferretería La Hornera scored seven runs in the opening frame and withstood a late rally by Deportes Base to capture an 8-5 victory in the first contest of the day. In the second match, Tenerfinca erased a 4-1 deficit with an eight-run fourth and coasted to a 9-4 win against Ferretería La Hornera.

SCHEDULE OF GAMES
12/14 - Deportes Base vs Tenerfinca
12/14 - Ferretería La Hornera vs Tenerfinca
12/21 - Ferretería La Hornera vs Deportes Base
12/21 - Tenerfinca vs Deportes Base

Ferretería La Hornera team members includes Héctor González, Antonio Martín, Adrián Dorta, Jonás Placencia, Samuel Villanueva, Omar Luís, Cristian Afonso, Luis Miguel Méndez, Juan Pablo Carmenate, Jonathan González, Andrea Luís, Maria de las Nieves Mendez, Iván Hernandez and Antonio Piedra.

The team is guided by Manrique Pérez (manager) and Ramón Martín (coach).

Deportes Base team members are Javier González, Leonardo Méndez, Carlos Alvarado, Pablo Ravelo, Jesús Afonso, Cristo Soca, Carlos Rodríguez, Josbel Portela, Daniel Fuentes, José Manuel Calzadilla, Dullion Gorrín, Amatista Brito, Mateo, Sara, Cesar, Héctor Delgado, Samuel Pérez

The squad is directed by Paulo Ravelo (manager) and Cesar Paramacuto (coach).

Tenerfinca team members includes Giovanni Binetti, Aitcken Galván, Edgar Pirela, Samuel Castro, Samuel Irán, Maikel Afonso, Miriam, Jairo, Jonás, Daniel Castro, Andrés Rodríguez, Kleiver Varela, Rafa, Carlos Ramírez, Airam Durán and Cristian Reyes.

The team is headed by Govani Binetti (Technical Director), Edgar Pirela (Manager), and Coach Rafael.

Media Release: www.canariasbeisbol.es

Prevost hit .327 last season helping the Warhawks win the Sun Belt Conference Championship. In his first season with the Warhawks, the Montreal native led the team with 15 stolen bases and finished second on the club with 17 doubles.

The All-Canadian College Team is selected by a panel of 42 voters from Canada and the United States. The panel includes coaches, executives, scouts, scouting directors, former players, baseball media and the Canadian Baseball Network staff.

Prevost was an honorable mention selection as a designated hitter where he made 25 starts. He split time between the designated hitter role and the outfield where he made 26 starts in left field.

He earned Louisiana Hitter of the Week honors after hitting .500 (9-for-18) with four RBIs, three doubles, two home runs and a 1.000 slugging percentage against McNeese State and UALR.

The Warhawks open the 2009 season on Feb. 20 when they host Northwestern State in the opening game of the ULM Warhawk Classic at Warhawk Field.

Bell, 39, was arrested on December 1 by Tampa police on four counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. The Tampa native and King High School graduate currently resides in Valrico and is unemployed according to arrest records.

This is not the first time that the former major league outfielder has been in trouble with the law. Bell was also arrested in Tampa in 2006 on a cocaine possession charge.

Drafted in 1987 by the Toronto Blue Jays, Bell is being held at the Orient Road Jail on $2,500 bond.

Despite allowing 11 walks in the first 4.1 innings —only three short of the game record of 14 by Ariel Prieto— left hander Ian Rendon managed to turn over the mound to Odrisamer Despaigne still with the possibility of a no-hit no-run game.

Between the two pitchers they silenced a batting order that has not awoken in the first two games of the season. By the end of the match, Industriales had 11 hits to 3 from Santiago.

Rookie manager Luis Giraldo Casanova saw his team, Pinar del Rio, win its second game of the season, 5 to 1 over hard hitting Las Tunas. Veteran Pedro Luis Lazo picked up the win and is now 11 short of the coveted 250 victories. Yosvani Peraza went 2-for-4 for Pinar including his first RBI of the season.

Luis Ulacia, another new manager, started on the right foot in leading Camaguey over Isla de la Juventud 3-2. Isla pitcher Carlos Yanes was unable to even his win-loss record in his 675th career outing. At 44, Yanes is in his 26th season in the Cuban big leagues.

After maintaining a string of 15 victories during the past season, Lefthander Yulieski Gonzalez of La Habana lost his opener 6-1 to Guantanamo while Yandri Lestapier picked up the win allowing only one run in 8.1 innings.

Yulieski Gourriel, playing shortstop, homered and drove in four runs as Sancti Spiritus opened with an 8-4 win over Granma. Meanwhile, Metropolitanos defeated Ciego de Avila 8-2; Villa Clara over Matanzas 7-4 despite a homer by Yoandry Garlobo, and Holguin beat Cienfuegos 8-4 with Luis Miguel Rodriguez getting his first win of the season.

(This article was written by Cuban sports writer Ariel Coya)

Courtesy of BaseballdeCuba.com

“My hope is to be able to contribute to the team,” a nervous-looking Yoshida told a packed news conference. “I just want to be able to play at the same level as my teammates. It is a big stage for me. I can’t believe there are so many people here - my hands and legs are shaking,” she added.

Yoshida will transfer from high school in Kawasaki, on the outskirts of Tokyo, to the Kansai region in western Japan to be able to continue her studies while playing for the Kobe team.

Japan had a professional baseball league for women in the 1950s. However, it folded after only a couple of years.

The country’s Nippon Professional Baseball body only lifted its ban on female players in 1991, while “little league” junior teams began accepting girls only one decade ago.

Weighing just over 50 kilograms and standing just over five feet (1.50m) tall, Yoshida promised to not be intimidated after smashing the sport’s glass ceiling.

“Wait until they see my knuckleball,” she said. “I’ll get a few batters out with that.”

“Rickey played his final professional season in the Golden Baseball League in 2005 as a key member of the championship winning San Diego Surf Dawgs,” said Golden Baseball League CEO David Kaval. “Cooperstown is the National Baseball Hall of Fame for professional players and the San Diego Surf Dawgs were Rickey’s last professional team and one of only three teams, along with the 1989 Oakland Athletics and 1993 Toronto Blue Jays, that Rickey won a championship with. We stood by Rickey in 2005 when no major league team would sign him and continue to support him with this offer. We are confident that Rickey will be a first ballot selection and we look forward to seeing a bronzed Surf Dawg cap displayed on his Hall of Fame plaque.”

Henderson played the entire 2005 season for the San Diego Surf Dawgs in the inaugural season of the Golden Baseball League, the premiere independent professional league in western North America, under Manager Terry Kennedy. He appeared in 73 of his team’s 88 games, hitting .270 as he stole 16 bases and led the league with 73 walks as a 46 year old centerfielder.

His team went on to post the best record in the league, led by four former Major League 1st round draft choices, and is considered one of the legendary independent professional teams of the modern era. Both coaches, plus the manager ended up signed by major league organizations along with four of the players, although not Henderson.

Rickey thrilled the GBL crowds that gathered to see him play with outstanding baseball on the field and with several uniquely Rickey moments off the field. From being ejected in the first inning during Little League Day at Tony Gwynn Stadium in San Diego - and then spending the next nine innings in the stands rotating seats throughout the ballpark to sit with different little league teams - to driving through the desert in a pickup truck with a lettuce farmer to reach Yuma by game time after being removed from his flight for not hanging up his cellphone fast enough, Rickey embraced the intimacy of the independent minors and demonstrated his love for the game regardless of where he was playing.

His quest to be signed that year and spend one last day in a major league uniform and officially retire went unfulfilled. His championship game win at the end of that season was the last time he would wear a professional uniform as a player after first donning one 29 years earlier in 1976 in Boise, Idaho as a rookie in Oakland’s farm system.

“This is a legitimate offer and a signed agreement has been sent to Rickey.” continued Kaval. “Considering that Rickey played for nine major league teams in his career this gives him an excellent solution to the problem of slighting any of those fine organizations by picking a favorite. We would gladly donate the funds to a charity of Rickey’s choice and look forward to being with him in Cooperstown on July 26th next summer.”

In addition, the GBL will donate Rickey’s final professional jersey and hat, now on display at the San Diego Museum of Sports History to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Golden Baseball League already has a team in the Hall of Fame as the 2005 Japan Samurai Bears, the first professional Japanese team to play as a regular member of a U.S. professional sports league had a jersey and team ball requested by Hall of Fame President Dale Petrosky at the conclusion of the 2005 season , but Rickey would be the first GBL player to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

Media Release: Golden Baseball League

The annual Hot Stove tradition, which dates back to 1997, is an opportunity for fans of the game to get together and talk baseball. It also provides a great opportunity to raise money to support the Kernels Foundation.

The Kernels are pleased to welcome Jim Abbot, former Major League pitcher for 10 seasons, who will be the guest speaker at the banquet.

Jim Abbott has battled the odds his entire life. Despite being born with only one hand, he was the Angels first round (eighth overall) selection in the 1988 amateur draft, and the 15th player to ever make a professional debut in the Major Leagues. A native of Flint, Michigan, Abbott played 10 seasons in the majors for the Angels, Yankees, White Sox and Brewers, compiling an 87-108 record with a 4.25 ERA in 263 games with 31 complete games and six shutouts. As a member of the Yankees, he threw a no-hitter vs. Cleveland on September 4, 1993, the first Yankee pitcher to throw a no-hitter in a decade. He retired from baseball in 1999.

Abbott played college baseball for the University of Michigan, posting a 26-8 record and 3.08 ERA in three seasons. He was named the Big Ten Baseball Player of the Year and Jesse Owens Award winner (Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year) in 1988. He was a member of the 1987 U.S. Pan American Games team that defeated Cuba and the 1988 U.S. Olympic baseball team that won the gold medal in Seoul, Korea.

As a motivational speaker, he uses sports stories and anecdotes from his career as a pitcher to deliver a message that appeals to many types of audiences. Jim resides in California with his wife and two children.

The 13th Annual Hot Stove Banquet will include silent and live auctions featuring sports memorabilia and local items as well as the induction of the Class of 2009 into the Cedar Rapids Baseball Hall of Fame.

Proceeds from the event will help The Kernels Foundation accomplish its vision of ensuring that all youth in Eastern Iowa have the opportunity to experience athletic and recreational activities. For the last three summers The Kernels Foundation has been the sponsor of the baseball program at Jane Boyd Community House, a non-profit agency serving children and families. In addition to continuing its support of Jane Boyd, the foundation has shifted its focus since the June 2008 Flood to support organizations with youth programs get back on their feet. These include the Boys and Girls Club of Cedar Rapids, the YMCA of the Greater Cedar Rapids Area and Taylor School, which is closed this year due to the floods.

Tickets for the banquet go on sale Monday, December 8th and are $37.50 in advance and $45 at the door with corporate tables seating 10 people available for $350. Tickets can be purchased at Veterans Memorial Stadium during regular business hours 9 AM -5 PM, by phone at 363-3887, or online at www.kernels.com.

KCRG TV-9 and Cumulus Media stations KRNA, KHAK, KDAT and KRQN are proud media sponsors of the 13th Annual Hot Stove Banquet.

Media Release: Cedar Rapids Kernels