Jeter to receive Clemente Award
He'd probably trade it for a Game 2 victory tonight at Yankee Stadium, but Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is going to be presented with the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award before tonight's game.
The award salutes the player who ''best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team,'' as voted by baseball fans and members of the media.
The award was previously called the Commissioner's Award when it began in 1971. It was renamed in honor of Clemente in 1973 after the Pirates' star outfielder was killed in a plane crash while delivering supplies to victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua.
Each year, a panel of baseball dignitaries selects one player from 30 nominees, one from each club. Teams choose their nominee during the regular season, and the winner is announced at the World Series.
The player who receives the most votes online via MLB's official website, MLB.com, gets one vote in addition to the votes cast by the panel.
This year's Phillies nominee was Cole Hamels.
Last year's winner was the Cardinals' Albert Pujols.
The last Phillies player to win the award was Garry Maddox in 1986. The last previous Yankee to receive the honor was Don Baylor in 1985.
Jeter is expected to talk about the award at a pregame press conference and receive the award during a pregame ceremony.
(c) Groller's Corner.
TD AMERITRADE Park Omaha Named New Home for Creighton Bluejay Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. --- Creighton University and the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA) have reached an agreement for the Creighton Bluejay baseball team to play its home games at TD AMERITRADE Park Omaha. The MECA board approved a 10-year lease agreement with Creighton at its Oct. 27 board meeting.
Under the lease agreement Creighton will play some home games in 2011 and all of its home games in 2012 at TD AMERITRADE Park Omaha. This includes Missouri Valley Conference games and annual games against in-state rival Nebraska. Creighton games will be part of the TD AMERITRADE Park Omaha suite and club seat packages.
MECA Board Chair Gail Werner-Robertson said the lease agreement strengthens the positive relationship between the two organizations.
"MECA and Creighton have an excellent working relationship and we thank Creighton University President Father John Schlegel and athletic director Bruce Rasmussen for their continued support of our facilities and the City of Omaha," Werner-Robertson said. "We are proud to have Creighton basketball and now baseball as anchor tenants at Qwest Center Omaha and TD AMERITRADE Park Omaha."
Creighton University President the Rev. John P. Schlegel S.J., said Creighton Bluejay basketball took a major step forward after moving to Qwest Center Omaha, and he sees the same opportunities for the Creighton baseball program.
"Creighton Bluejay basketball has become one of the nation's home attendance leaders, and we see excellent potential for baseball attendance growth at TD AMERITRADE Park Omaha," Schlegel said. "There is great excitement for Bluejay baseball and we are anxious to start playing our home games at the new ballpark."
MECA President and CEO Roger Dixon said the agreement with Creighton creates new opportunities for additional baseball action at the new stadium.
"As the home park for Creighton baseball, we intend to work together for consideration as a host for Missouri Valley Conference tournament and the regional and super-regional games before the NCAA College World Series begins each June," Dixon said. "We also intend to keep the park active after the baseball season with concerts and family events. We look forward to the completion of construction and opening of TD AMERITRADE Park Omaha in spring of 2011."
(c) 2009 Creighton University. All Rights Reserved.
UT recruiting class ranked 15th by Baseball America
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. --- The University of Tennessee baseball team's 2009 recruiting class ranks among the nation's best according to Baseball America which listed the Volunteer crop at No. 15 in its annual recruiting ratings released Tuesday afternoon.
''This ranking shows that we are on track to get our program back to the level we want it to be at,'' UT Head Coach Todd Raleigh said. ''We've added a lot of talent and depth to our roster with this class and I've been very pleased with the effort and work ethic they've shown in fall practice so far. They have helped to create an even more competitive atmosphere in our practices which will only help us be a much better team this spring. We already have a solid core of returners, but the newcomers have helped fill some holes and made us a more balanced team overall.
''Recruiting is the lifeline of any program and I'm pleased that our recruiting efforts have been recognized,'' Raleigh said. ''There has been a tremendous amount of time and effort that has gone into this recruiting class. I want to thank our entire staff for their efforts and specifically recognize Bradley LeCroy who is a tireless recruiter and one of the best at what he does in the country.''
Tennessee was one of six Southeastern Conference teams listed in the top-25, finishing ahead of No. 15 Kentucky and following top-rated Florida, No. 8 Mississippi State, No. 12 Ole Miss and 13th-ranked Vanderbilt.
Raleigh and his staff welcomed 13 newcomers to Rocky Top last month, including eight freshmen, one transfer and four junior college players. Highlighting this year's group of newcomers are four freshman who were drafted in June, including right-handed pitcher Jon Reed from Tulsa, Okla., a 21st round selection by the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox 29th round pick, first baseman Cody Stubbs from Waynesville, N.C. Native Tennesseans and right-handed pitchers Alan Walden from Chattanooga and Andy Hillis from Brentwood were also drafted by the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals in the 43rd and 49th rounds, respectively.
Highly regarded freshman outfielder Drew Steckenrider from Lawrenceville, Ga., and infielder Matt Duffy, a transfer from the University of Vermont will also be looked upon to play large roles for UT this season. Steckenrider, a 2008 AFLAC All-American, was ranked as the No. 19 overall prospect in the nation by PGCrosschecker.com, while Duffy was the 2009 America East Player of the Year and an honorable mention selection to the All Ping! Baseball National All-America Team after hitting .388 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs for the Catamounts in the program's final season before being discontinued.
Other freshmen joining the team include 6-6 right-hander Nicholas Blount from Loganville, Ga., Christopher Fritts, an outfield from Houston, Texas, and the top pitching prospect from the state of Michigan, Michael Theodore from Bloomfield Hills.
Joining the Volunteers from the junior college ranks will be 6-5 right-hander Spencer Clifft from Manatee (Fla.) Community College and Young Harris (Ga.) College catcher Adam King, as well as infielders Khayyan Norfork and Tyler Hannah from Jackson State Community College and Wallace State-Haynesville (Ala.), respectively. Norfork picked up honorable mention All-America accolades from the National Junior College Athletic Association and was named to the 2009 Tennessee Junior and Community College Athletic Association First Team, while Hannah also earned first-team honors from the Alabama Community College Conference.
The newcomers join a group of 21 returning players from the 2008 season, led by juniors Bryan Morgado, Blake Forsythe and Cody Hawn. One of just three college players drafted in the first three rounds to return to school, Morgado is expected to lead the Vol pitching staff, while Hawn and Forsythe are set to carry the load offensively. This past season, Hawn became just the 10th Vol to ever win the team Triple Crown, leading the team in batting average (.364), home runs (22), RBIs (81), hits (72), doubles (15) and slugging percentage (.773). Forsythe, meanwhile, spent his summer honing his skills with the USA Collegiate Baseball National Team after hitting .347 with 15 home runs and 46 RBIs during his sophomore season.
TIMES SET FOR ORANGE AND WHITE WORLD SERIES GAMES THIS WEEKEND
The Orange and White World Series will resume this weekend with games at Noon on Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Led by first-year pitching coach Jason Beverlin, the Orange squad will look to clinch the series victory, as it holds a 3-0 advantage over infield coach Bradley LeCroy's squad. The seventh and final game of the World Series will take place on Friday, Oct. 30.
(c) WVLT.
Baseball Unveils 2010 Schedule
KENT, Ohio - Coming off one of its most successful seasons in program history, which included the school's seventh MAC Tournament Title and ninth NCAA appearance, Kent State head coach Scott Stricklin announced Tuesday (Oct. 13) one of the toughest schedules for the Golden Flashes in recent memory.
"We've gone to Florida and Alabama in the past, but when you look at the first five weekends, all five trips are really challenging," said Stricklin. "Playing in great venues is always something that we promised our players. We want to make sure we play great teams in great stadiums."
Kent State kicks off the 2010 season Feb. 19 in Bowling Green, Ky. as it plays three games against Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers, who captured a share of the Sun Belt regular season crown, finished 23rd in the final Collegiate Baseball Poll last season and made the finals of the Oxford Regional in the NCAA Tournament.
Following a four-game set with Wake Forest of the Atlantic Coast Conference the following weekend, the Golden Flashes will travel to the Music City to take part in the Vanderbilt Tournament. Kent State plays one game against Illinois State and NCAA qualifiers Indiana and Vanderbilt. In the 2009 NCAA tournament, both the Commodores and Hoosiers were in the Louisville Regional where Vanderbilt eliminated Indiana and made the regional finals.
After a home game against Niagara, the schedule does not get any easier as the Golden Flashes travel to Manhattan, Kan. for a four-game series with Kansas State. Last season, the Wildcats went from being unranked in the preseason to being ranked 14th heading into the NCAA Tournament. Kansas State narrowly missed a Super Regional berth when it lost to Rice twice in the Houston Regional final.
"When we do the schedule, we do it two years in advance," said Stricklin. "We try to talk with people that we know. With Kansas State, that was something that they called us and wanted to see if we wanted to come out there and play. We're excited about going to Manhattan."
On March 19, the Golden Flashes travel to Rock Hill, S.C. for its final set of weekend non-conference games. They will play Penn State on Friday and Columbia and Winthrop on Saturday. The Golden Flashes will play in either the championship or consolation game on Sunday.
Kent State returns to the friendly confines of Schoonover Stadium for a pair of home mid-week games against northeast Ohio rivals Cleveland State and Youngstown State before beginning Mid-American Conference play at Toledo. Kent State went 3-1 against the Rockets last season, including a 5-3 win over the Rockets in the MAC Tournament championship game.
In the other three MAC West series, Kent State will play at Eastern Michigan while hosting both Western Michigan and Central Michigan. The Golden Flashes will be playing the Broncos and Chippewas during the regular season for the first time since the 2007 season.
In MAC East play, Kent State will host Bowling Green and Ohio for three games each while it travels to Buffalo, Miami and Akron. The Zips will be the final series of the year for the Flashes.
"I think that the MAC is going to be very balanced as always," said Stricklin. "I think the league lost a lot of talent, but I also think there is a lot of talent coming in. I think our conference is going to be as competitive as always."
"I think Toledo is going to jump up and I also think you're going to see teams that didn't have as good of years as they would've liked to last year like Western Michigan and Northern Illinois get back to where they normally are. They're very, very good, and they were young last year. All in all, I think it's very balanced," he added.
The MAC Tournament will be played May 26-29 in Chillicothe, Ohio with the NCAA Tournament set to begin on June 4.
For the second-straight season, the schedule includes a pair of midweek games against Penn State of the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions travel to Olga Mural Field March 30 while the Golden Flashes travel to State College, Pa. on March 31.
"We've had a good relationship with them the last couple years," explained Stricklin. "They've got a very nice stadium, and our kids enjoy going over there. We have five kids on our roster from the state of Pennsylvania. So, we think it's important to go back over there, and then they return the trip. That's a good home game for us. A competitive Big Ten team will play us in a home-and-home series. That's something that says a lot about Penn State."
Finally, the 2010 slate of games sees the return of familiar foes in Pittsburgh, Cleveland State and Youngstown State.
(c) 2009 Kent State. All rights reserved.
Grizzlies to host national baseball conference
GASTONIA --- The Gastonia Grizzlies baseball club has been named host of the inaugural Summer Ball Conference to be held Nov. 8-10.
Summer baseball leagues from across the country will meet at the Sheraton hotel in Charlotte for speeches, a trade show and breakout sessions discussing topics such as tickets, sponsors, marketing and recruiting. Attendees will also tour Sims Legion Park in Gastonia.
The conference will be headlined by feature speeches from Goldklang Group president Mike Veeck, Steve DeLay of Mandalay Baseball Properties and Madison Mallards general manager Vern Stenman. The conference bills itself as summer collegiate baseball's version of the Winter Baseball Meetings.
The Gastonia Grizzlies were chosen to host the conference because of their recent attendance growth, Grizzlies general manager Jesse Cole said.
The Grizzlies' announced average attendance of 1,637 last season ranked 15th nationally among college summer baseball teams, according to a team press release. The Grizzlies also ranked seventh among all minor league and college summer teams in year-over-year attendance growth, drawing 465 more fans per game in 2009. Gastonia broke franchise attendance records with 39,296 fans for the season and 3,788 in the Aug. 4 game.
Leagues expected to be represented at the conference include the Alaska Baseball League, Northwoods League, West Coast League, Texas Collegiate League, Southern Collegiate League, Great Lakes League and the Coastal Plain League.
The Gastonia Grizzlies are a member of the Coastal Plain League, which includes 14 teams in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
(c) Gaston Gazette.
WKU Announces 2010 Baseball Schedule
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. --- Thirteen games against NCAA Tournament qualifiers from a year ago, plus showdowns with Kentucky at Bowling Green Ballpark and other Southeastern Conference foes Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State highlight the 2010 Western Kentucky University Hilltopper baseball schedule, announced today by the school.
A printable schedule is available in .pdf form at the link at the bottom of the page.
The Hilltoppers finished the 2009 season with a 42-20 record and earned a share of the Sun Belt Conference championship with a 21-8 mark in league play. For the second-straight season the team advanced to the NCAA Tournament, this time earning an at-large bid and a three-seed in the Oxford Regional. WKU advanced to the regional championship game before falling to Ole Miss, 4-1, to end the season. As a result of the record-setting campaign, the Hilltoppers found themselves ranked 23rd in the final Collegiate Baseball Top 30 poll.
''This is probably the most challenging schedule we've put together,'' WKU head coach Chris Finwood said. ''The first three weekends are all against teams that made the NCAA Tournament or won their conference last year, plus we have a trip to VCU in our Sun Belt Conference open week.''
The season opens at Nick Denes Field on February 19 with the start of a three-game set against Kent State. The Golden Flashes won 43 games in 2009 and earned a trip to the Tempe Regional. After the series with Kent State, the Hilltoppers will hit the road to play Belmont on Wednesday, February 24 and three games at Baylor February 26-28. Baylor advanced out of the rugged Big 12 Conference to play in the Baton Rouge Regional, hosted by College World Series champion LSU.
After returning from Waco, Texas, WKU will host Austin Peay on Tuesday, March 2 before welcoming Illinois-Chicago to Bowling Green for a three game series March 5-7. The Flames won the Horizon League championship in 2009 and fell one game short of advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
Following the conclusion of the Illinois-Chicago series, WKU will take on two-straight SEC opponents with games at home against Tennessee on March 9 and at Mississippi State on March 10. Mississippi State is one of the toughest places to play in the country, with an average of over 6,300 fans coming to see the Bulldogs play in Starkville each game last season.
Sun Belt Conference games begin on March 12 with the start of a three-game series at New Orleans. Finwood's squad will have little rest during conference play, as the midweek schedule features home-and-home contests against Vanderbilt, Louisville and Kentucky, plus games against in-state rivals Murray State and Eastern Kentucky. The April 20 game against Kentucky will be played downtown at Bowling Green Ballpark, home of the Tampa Bay Rays' Class A affiliate Bowling Green Hot Rods.
''This is going to be a tough schedule from start to finish,'' Finwood said. ''There are not going to be any easy games. We're looking forward to the challenge.''
In defense of their 2009 Sun Belt Conference championship, the Hilltoppers will travel to New Orleans, Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, Troy and Louisiana-Lafayette for three-game weekend series. ULM, South Alabama, FIU, UALR and Middle Tennessee all come to Bowling Green.
The regular-season concludes in fine fashion when arch-rival Middle Tennessee heads to Nick Denes Field on May 20-22. The Blue Raiders and the Hilltoppers only played twice in 2009 due to weather issues, and the two teams ended up sharing the Sun Belt Conference championship as a result. The Blue Raiders were the other Sun Belt team to advance to the NCAA Tournament last season, winning once in the Louisville Regional and finishing the season with a 44-18 record.
The Hilltoppers played some of their best baseball at Nick Denes Field in 2009, finishing with a school-record .900 winning percentage and a 27-3 record at home. The schedule once again features 30 home contests for WKU.
The Sun Belt Conference Tournament will be played May 26-30 in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and the NCAA Tournament begins on June 4.
(c) 2009 WKUSports.com. All rights reserved.
ACC should be ashamed to back NAACP boycott
The Atlantic Coast Conference recently announced a decision to move its 2011-13 baseball championships from Myrtle Beach to North Carolina. The reason? It says the Confederate flag flying on South Carolina's State House grounds violates its commitment to "diversity, equality and human rights."
The truth is the ACC folded to pressure from the NAACP, whose economic boycott of South Carolina has thus far been ignored by all fair-minded people. This decision by the ACC is an insult to South Carolinians of all races, creeds and genders. It is unwise, unfair and clearly based on intolerance and ignorance.
Officials at the ACC must not be aware that North Carolina flies a Confederate flag on its dome to commemorate historically significant dates. Other Southern states do even more to celebrate Southern heritage. Mississippi actually has the Confederate battle flag designed into its state flag. Georgia has the national flag of the Confederacy in its state flag. And Alabama flies Confederate flags (including the battle flag) at its State House alongside a Confederate Memorial that is much larger and more prominent than South Carolina's display.
And yet the NAACP has shamelessly chosen to single out South Carolina for an economic boycott over the issue of the Confederate flag, regardless of the inconsistency and the irrationality of its position. Why? Let me explain.
For decades, dating back to the middle of the last century, the Confederate battle flag flew atop the dome at the S.C. State House as well as from the podiums of the legislative chambers and in the foyer of the State House. And for years, a heated debate waged over what the Confederate battle flag symbolized.
Supporters of the flag argued that it was a positive symbol of heritage, honoring the sacrifice of those who fought and died in the War Between the States. Others insisted the Confederate flag was a negative symbol of slavery used by hate groups to support racism and should not be flown in a position of sovereignty on top of the State House.
After considerable debate and dialogue, there was a gradual realization by reasonable folks on both sides that the matter should be resolved on the basis of mutual respect. At long last, a compromise was achieved that united people of goodwill.
Ultimately, the compromise had several parts. The Confederate battle flag was removed from the State House dome, the legislative chambers and the State House foyer and flown, instead, beside the Confederate Soldier Monument, where its military meaning was made clear. At the same time, Confederate and civil rights monuments and street names were protected from change without a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly.
This almost poetic compromise satisfied all but the fringe elements on both sides, which includes the NAACP. In an effort to continue stirring the flames of controversy, the NAACP threatened to enforce an economic boycott against South Carolina unless the Confederate flag was banned altogether from the State House grounds.
Fortunately, leaders of both races and from both political parties were not intimidated by the NAACP's demands. They did not abandon their determination to resolve the issue with a spirit of reconciliation and to move forward in a way that celebrates our state's diverse heritage. The compromise was passed by the General Assembly and became law.
Previously, the State House grounds, which is as an outdoor museum, had been further broadened to speak to all of our history when South Carolina erected an African-American monument, honoring those who struggled for decades in the cause of civil rights. Today, South Carolina's State House grounds offer visitors a grand celebration of the valor of her people, spanning the American Revolution, the War Between the States and the Civil Rights Movement, completing the circle of history.
In the years that followed, no one was surprised to see the NAACP continue to push its economic boycott. The fringes of an issue seldom compromise. They thrive on controversy. Their continued existence is ensured by division. Fortunately, until now, they have been largely ignored. That's why the decision by the ACC to "honor" the NAACP's economic boycott of South Carolina is so unfair and unwise.
Far from upholding "diversity and equality," siding with the NAACP on this issue is a victory for intolerance. It also brings economic harm to honorable, hardworking, decent people of all races in the false name of political correctness.
The good people of South Carolina deserve better treatment. And the officials of the ACC, an athletic league that should be in the business of promoting good sportsmanship, would do well to ask itself a fundamental question: Is its decision an example of fair play?
(c) The State.
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