Canada defeated Czech Republic, 8-7, with a 9th-inning rally to clinch first place in Pool B yesterday .  Port Arthur Stadium in Thunder Bay, Ontario, was on the verge of capacity, with the home fans getting a glimpse of the baseball to follow in the playoff round.  Pool B also saw the Netherlands suprise Cuba, 9-8, and South Korea toppling Panama 12 -2.  Pool play finished with the hosts claiming first place, followed by South Korea, The Netherlands and Cuba.

Game recaps, complete results, statistics and live play by play can be found here.

Pool play saw crowds in excess of 30,000 over the six-day period, and the playoff round is expected to see capacity crowds for most games.

Thursday will be a day of rest for the teams, leading into the round of 8 on Friday, that will see one of baseball classic rivalries with Cuba set to take on the United States.  Korea will also take on Australia, Canada vs. Italy and Chinese Taipei vs. the Netherlands to round out the fixtures.

Cuba’s starter Eddy Valentin held Panama to two hits over seven innings, striking out five on his way to the complete game shutout.  The game ended after the seventh per IBAF 10- run rule.

Click here for boxscore.

First pitch of the 2010 IBAF World Junior Baseball Championships is tomorrow in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, with teams representing 11 countries set to participate through August 1.  A total of 46 games are to be played between Port Arthur Stadium and Baseball Central, both in Thunder Bay.

The 2010 field includes USA, Cuba, Panama, Australia, Italy, Netherlands, France, Czech Republic, Korea, Taiwan and host Canada.  The Canadians are the two-time defending champions and have won four of the past six titles.

The event, first played in 1981 when Newark, N.J. hosted, is the rough equivalent of the World Junior Hockey Championship and the FIFA Under 20.  It was an annual event through 1997 and has since been held bi-annually.

BaseballDigest.com will have daily updates on the action through to the final.

After nine seasons with the Montreal Expos, Cromartie played for Japan’s Yomiuri Giants under world career home run record holder Sadaharu Oh and later signed on as manager of the Samurai Bears in an effort to jumpstart his managerial career.   He also played for the Kansas City Royals in 1991 after his successful Japanese league career.

Cromartie is not the only former Major Leaguer to participate in the Golden Baseball League: 60 others have played in the league, including Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, who played for the San Diego Surf Dawgs in 2005 and is featured throughout Season of the Samurai.

Season of the Samurai was directed and produced by Danny Gold and Matthew Asner of Mod 3 Productions.  The film premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and the Comedia Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, Canada.

Major League Baseball, in conjunction with the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau, MLB.com, Baseball America and the 30 Major League Clubs, selected the 25-man rosters for each club, the U.S. Team and the World Team. Each Major League organization is represented and the World Team features players from 10 different countries and territories. Players from all full-season Minor Leagues were eligible to participate.

The XM All-Star Futures Game will last nine innings, and in the event of a tie, a 10th inning will be played. The game will not go longer than 10 innings, regardless of the score. Players and coaches will be outfitted in special XM All-Star Futures Game jerseys and will wear caps of their Major League organization with an XM All-Star Futures Game logo embroidered on the side.

The Minor League Baseball Umpires who will work the XM All-Star Futures Game are Adam Hamari (home plate) of the Eastern League, Brett Robson (first base) of the Texas League, Gerard Ascani (second base) of the Southern League and Daniel Oliver (third base) of the Texas League.

Sixty-two players have competed in both the XM All-Star Futures Game and the Major League Baseball All- Star Game. In 2009, a record 30 Major League All-Stars were alumni of the XM All-Star Futures Game (including Evan Longoria and Matt Cain, both of whom were replaced on the All-Star rosters due to injury), edging the previous mark of 23 set in 2008.

There are currently 201 players from the first 11 XM All-Star Futures Games on active rosters or disabled lists in the Major Leagues as of today.

Tickets are still available for purchase for the XM All-Star Futures Game and Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game by visiting www.allstargame.com, calling 1-888-326-3378 or visiting the Angels box office at Angel Stadium.

The 81st Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and Le Reseau des Sports, and around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8:00 p.m. (EDT)/5:00 p.m. (PDT). ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage. MLB Network, MLB.com and XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Game coverage. XM will provide satellite radio play-by-play coverage of the XM All-Star Futures Game plus live pregame and postgame talk programs from the State Farm Home Run Derby and the 81st All-Star Game.

Following are the RBI programs (and cities) participating in this year’s Jr. RBI Classic:

Angels RBI (Orange County, CA)     - Baseball and Softball
Boys & Girls Club of Oakland RBI (Oakland, CA)     - Baseball
Chicago Cubs Softball RBI (Chicago, IL)     - Softball
Ciudad Deportiva Roberto Clemente RBI (Carolina, Puerto Rico)     - Softball
Louisiana RBI (Baton Rouge, LA)     - Baseball
Minnesota Twins RBI (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN)     - Baseball
Marlins RBI (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, FL)     - Baseball
Milwaukee Boys & Girls Club/Brewers RBI (Milwaukee, WI)     - Baseball
Nobu Yamauchi RBI (Hilo, HI)     - Softball
San Diego Jr. RBI (San Diego, CA)     - Baseball
West Michigan Whitecaps/YMCA RBI (Grand Rapids, MI)     - Baseball

“The RBI program’s mission is to provide young people in underserved communities with opportunities to play baseball and softball. The creation of Jr. RBI has allowed Major League Baseball to positively impact the lives of a larger group of young players,” said MLB Executive Vice President, Business Tim Brosnan.  “This trip to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be an educational experience that will offer these young people with once-in-a-lifetime experiences.”

In addition to the games, the youth will be participating in FanFest Legends clinics; will receive uniforms, equipment and All-Star Game apparel; and will attend MLB All-Star Week events including the XM All-Star Futures Game, Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game and the State Farm Home Run Derby.

In 2009, Major League Baseball launched the Jr. RBI playing divisions of the RBI presented by KPMG program to provide opportunities for young people ages 5 to 12 in underserved communities to play baseball and softball. The RBI program is designed to provide opportunities to play baseball and softball, teach the value of teamwork and encourage academic success.

With the addition of Jr. RBI and the continued growth of the overall RBI program – together equaling increased opportunities for underserved youth around the world – the RBI program has seen a substantial amount of growth over the past year. Overall, the RBI program had a 35% increase in the number of leagues around the world and an 18% increase in participants.

In 2010, there are projected to be more than 300 RBI leagues and 175,000 participants in more than 200 cities around the world. Of these, Jr. RBI currently has over 50,000 kids playing baseball and softball.

First, in cooperation with independent trainers, MLB has launched workshops that will educate unsigned young players about the dangers of performance-enhancing substances.

Second, MLB will institute a comprehensive registration and drug testing program for unsigned prospects who will become eligible to sign professional contracts after July 1, 2010.

“Major League Baseball is pleased to adopt these new measures as we continue to address vital issues in the Dominican Republic,”  Sandy Alderson, who is overseeing MLB’s efforts in the country, said in a statement. “Major League Baseball is committed to collaborating with all of the appropriate parties to educate young players and expand the resources available to them as they pursue professional careers.”

“This donation will allow 200 diabetic and 200 high blood pressure patients to learn how to care for themselves, while reliably taking medication and self monitoring their disease process,” said Robert Clink, Deputy Controller of USAID’s Mission in the Dominican Republic.

Five diabetic nurses will educate the 160 ILAC health care workers.  Additionally, the nurses will travel to small communities nearby to educate patients.

“The project will focus primarily on improving lifestyle, diet, exercise, foot care, self monitoring using glucose monitors and test strips, and medication monitoring,” Clink explained.

image courtesy ILAC

In addition, the project will supply health care workers with teaching materials such as handouts, wall charts, and audio/visual formats to help them continue educating identified patients.

ILAC has provided education and health intervention programs for over 34 years.  Dental care, hernia surgery, tonsillectomies, eye and ear surgery, orthopedic surgery, neonatal care, and other health care related activities are performed by a team of 160 health care workers and medical personnel from a variety of schools including Creighton University, Loyola University in Chicago, St. Louis University, Georgetown University, and Washington University in St. Louis.

In addition to supporting this project, the Chicago Cubs have worked with the MLB-DDA to expand a recovery room in Mission ILAC. The MLB-DDA was founded in November 2008 to tap into the potential stemming from the combined resources of the baseball industry to sponsor community outreach programs in the Dominican Republic, a country which currently produces over 20% of all signed baseball players.

In 2010, MLBI enters into new agreements with two broadcast partners in China, Chongqing TV (CTV) and Shaanxi TV, and has existing agreements with Guangdong TV (GDTV), Jiangsu TV and Shenzhen TV.  The MLB relationship with Jiangsu TV and Shenzhen TV began with the 2009 World Series and includes the 2010 MLB All-Star Game, 2010 World Series and episodes of “This Week in Baseball” (TWIB).  Over the course of the 2010 season, Guangdong TV, one of the largest and most influential sports stations in southern China, will broadcast TWIB, Championship Season games and the World Series.

In addition, MLBI has agreements with 90 television and radio partners to broadcast Championship Season games, the 2010 MLB All-Star Game and the 2010 postseason in 19 languages to fans in 219 countries and territories around the world. In 2010, fans in Puerto Rico will be able to watch MLB games on the island’s leading broadcast station, WAPA, as well as sister network WAPA 2. MLB has also extended agreements with longtime partners, including Dentsu (Japan); ESPN Star Sports (Pan-Asia); Le Reseau de Sport (Canada), RPC and TV Max (Panama) and Formosa TV (Taiwan).

“We strive to bring the 30 MLB Clubs and the more than 800 MLB players – nearly 30% of whom hail from outside of the United States – to our international fan base. Television and radio exposure are a primary vehicle for doing this,” said Paul Archey, Senior Vice President, International Business Operations, Major League Baseball. “We are extremely excited to get the 2010 MLB season underway and to welcome billions of viewers around the world to follow along with us.”

The games will be divided between WAPA 2 and WAPA Television.  WAPA 2 will televise at least two regular season games per week as well as the Division Series and the League Championship Series.  WAPA Television will be the home of two MLB Jewel events:  the MLB All-Star Game and the World Series.

Carlos Beltran

“Producing some of the sport’s most legendary players, Puerto Rico has had a profound impact on Major League Baseball and we’re excited to bring MLB to WAPA and WAPA 2 and to highlight the current Puerto Rican players in the Major Leagues,” said Jose E. Ramos, President of WAPA Television.  “We’re proud to offer our viewers the most extensive coverage of the 2010 season on the Island and to offer our advertisers an opportunity to reach the substantial MLB fan base in Puerto Rico.”

“We are pleased for Major League Baseball games to return to broadcast television in Puerto Rico on the Island’s leading broadcast station WAPA, as well as sister network WAPA2,” said Paul Archey, Senior Vice President, International Business Operations, Major League Baseball.  “This deal exemplifies the popularity of baseball across the Island and will provide increased access to telecasts for its many passionate fans.”

WAPA will announce the full broadcast schedule in the coming weeks.

In 2008, Foley’s, which is never short of fun, promotional programs to generate interest and awareness, inducted its “Starting Nine,” the first members of the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame  (IABHOF), with such notables as Connie Mack,  Tug McGraw, Kevin Costner, and the bar’s namesake, “Red” Foley.  Last year it added six, including Walter O’Malley, Vin Scully and Paul O’Neill.

Today Clancy announced this year’s IABHOF nominees, in six categories:

HALL OF FAMERS and LEGENDS
Big Ed Walsh – Baseball’s All-Time ERA Leader
Michael “King” Kelly – Baseball’s First Superstar
“Mighty Casey” of the Mudville Nine in “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Thayer

CURRENT LIVING EX-PLAYERS
Dale Murphy, Long-time Atlanta Brave, two-time NL MVP
Joe McEwing – “Super Joe,” now a manager in the White Sox minor league system

MANAGERS
John McGraw – Legendary manager of the NY Giants
Tom Kelly – Minnesota Twins two-time World Series winning manager

BROADCASTERS
Tim McCarver – Network TV analyst
Bob Murphy – Longtime Mets Broadcaster

EXECUTIVES
Brian Cashman – GM, NY Yankees
Bill James – Stastician, Red Sox Consultant

ENTERTAINERS
John Fogerty – Writer/Singer of “Centerfield”
Bill Murray – Cubs Fan, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” singer at Wrigley Field
John Cusack – Star of Eight Men Out
Rosie O’Donnell – Co-star of A League of Their Own

Voters include past inductees into the IABHOF and a panel of baseball historians.  Results will be announced next month.

“It’s a strong and deserving class of nominees for the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame this year.  All of these men — and one woman — have made significant contributions to the game,” said Shaun Clancy, owner of Foley’s, which features one of the country’s most extensive public displays of baseball memorabilia outside of Cooperstown.

With the blessing of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Foley’s, a popular destination among baseball players, executives, umpires and fans, created the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame to recognize players, managers, executives, journalists, and entertainers of Irish descent.  Inductees are chosen based on a combination of factors, including impact on the game, popularity on and off the field, contributions to society, connections to the Irish community, and, of course, ancestry.

The game of baseball has long welcomed immigrants from its earliest days, when an estimated 30 percent of players claimed Irish heritage.  Many of the game’s biggest stars at the turn of the 20th century were Irish immigrants or their descendants, including Michael “King” Kelly, Roger Connor (the home run king before Babe Ruth), Eddie Collins, and NY Giants manager John McGraw.  Today, major league teams regularly sign players born in Latin America, Japan, Canada, and elsewhere.

Josh is a former catcher on the British National Team and he has authored two books on baseball in Europe – “Baseball in Europe: A Country by Country History” and “British Baseball And the West Ham Club: History of a 1930s Professional Team in East London.”

Josh does a great job of explaining the current state of baseball in Europe – from the top leagues in Italy and Holland to countries where the sport is just taking hold, like Hungary and Ireland – click here to listen

Planet Hardball Podcast | Josh Chetwynd on the Top European Baseball Clubs

You can subscribe to the Planet Hardball Podcast on iTunes. Click here to check it out.

Today the African Developmental Foundation (ADF) welcomed the visit of Ghana Little League District Administrator Hugo Huppenbauer to the United States.  Mr. Huppenbauer will attend the 25th Little League International Congress in Lexington, Kentucky, March 12-15.

“Hugo’s visit to the US is another sign of the growth baseball continues to achieve in Ghana. It is significant for Ghana to have a place in the Little League International Congress,” said ADF President and Founder George Ntim.

Mr. Huppenbauer is also the On-Field Director of the Ghana Baseball and Softball Association (GHABSA) as well as the program facilitator for the ADF.

GHABSA currently operates 4 Little Leagues and has over 1,500 children playing baseball, which includes Tee Ball programs for 5 to 8 year-olds in 12 schools.

The ADF is an international non-profit organization, created to garner goodwill and strengthen relationships between The United States and Africa through youth-oriented initiatives. Its outreach includes providing African youths with computer training, health-related resources, and recreational outlets.

In 2009, Alderson served as the chairman of a committee that evaluated the operations of Major League Baseball and its 30 Clubs in the Dominican Republic. The committee, which was comprised of several current Major League general managers and representatives of Major League Baseball, produced a series of recommendations aimed at improving a variety of issues in the Dominican Republic.

“I am very pleased that Sandy Alderson has taken on this important assignment in our effort to address matters in the Dominican Republic,” Commissioner Selig said. “As both an accomplished baseball executive who understands the nature of this task and a distinguished ambassador for our game, Sandy is uniquely qualified to represent Major League Baseball.”

Sandy Alderson

Said Alderson, “I look forward to my new assignment in the Dominican Republic, where I have been involved in baseball matters for more than 25 years. Major League Baseball faces significant issues there, but all of them can be resolved favorably through the cooperative efforts of the Office of the Commissioner, the Major League Clubs and the government and the people of the Dominican Republic.”

Alderson was Major League Baseball’s Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations from September 1998-April 2005. He spent 17 years with the Oakland Athletics, serving as General Manager from 1983-1997 and as Club President before joining the Office of the Commissioner. The A’s won four American League West titles, three A.L. pennants and the 1989 World Series during Alderson’s tenure. Alderson joined the San Diego Padres as Chief Executive Officer in April 2005 and worked in that capacity until last year. While Alderson was with San Diego, the Padres won two National League West championships.

Throughout the history of the game, there has been a few pitchers that have mastered the difficult to throw, difficult to hit, and even more difficult to master, pitch.  Traditionally, baseball will see one or maybe two pitchers at a time in the major leagues that have mastered the pitch enough to be successful at the high level of play.

Tim Wakefield had the opportunity to meet a young eighteen year old who is working hard to master the pitch based solely on video tape of Wakefield himself.  The young prospect was naturally nervous showing the hard work in front of a mentor and idol.  The nerves were even higher for a prospect from Japan that was struggling to communicate through an interpreter.  Even more rewarding to here an idol praise your work.  But possibly the most remarkable and historical part of this meeting was the gender of the prospect working out with Tim Wakefield…

Eri Yoshida is the first female professional baseball player to be drafted and signed in her native Japan.  Standing a mere five-foot one-inch tall, she may be diminutive in stature, but her dreams and desire are very large.  After a year in an Independent League in her homeland, she made the trip to the United States to compete in the Arizona Winter League for the Yuma Scorpions and attempt to attract the attention of major league scouts.  Since then, Eri has attended Spring Training workouts and had the opportunity recently to meet with her mentor and have him critique her mastery.

As remarkable as all of this is, it should be noted that the meeting with Wakefield this past week was the first coaching Ms. Yoshida would receive on the pitch.  She has mastered the craft simply by watching video of her idol.  Her delivery is a sidearm one, completely unusual for a knuckleballer as the primary focus of the pitch is to avoid spinning or rotation of any kind.

The focus now appears to be the development of a “setup” pitch to go with the knuckler, as most pitchers will set it up with a decent velocity fastball to make it truly effective.  Yoshida’s speed reportedly tops out in the 60s, so she has some way to go.

Yoshida debuted in Japan at a mere 17 years old and went 0-2 in 11 appearances.  In the Arizona Winter League, she posted one win, one loss, a 6.16 ERA over ten appearances, four of those starts.

Whether or not she has done enough to impress and sign a professional contract remains to be seen, but she has opened some eyes, gotten some exposure, and been able to work out with her idol.  I would call that a successful trip.  Yoshida was very proud to announce this feat, “I told him that my dream is to become a pitcher like him. And I was able to tell him that in English directly.”

Italy played host to the semifinal and final rounds of the Baseball World Cup in 2009.

It might lack the grandeur of, say, the Colosseum, but the commitment to a stadium in Rome is a huge lift for the sport.

“I was enthusiastic when I had the chance to cooperate with IBAF during the World Cup and I am enthusiastic now, since I can announce that the Government of this City has officially committed to the building of this new facility,” said Alemanno.  “Rome doesn’t have a baseball stadium that can host international events and as a Mayor, I felt I had to fill this deficiency.”

The stadium will be built in Tor Vergata, just east of Rome.  “It’s not downtown Rome,” noted Alemanno, “but it’s an area where huge development is in progress.  The second University of Rome is based there and the new sports arena projected by Architect Calatrava will be soon completed.”

Rome and IBAF share the same Olympic dream, with Rome in the running for the 2020 Games.  The 2009 Baseball World Cup finals were held in nearby Nettuno.

Fraccari added that he will be “Supporter number one” of the project.

“I think that there can be an important cooperation between the city of Rome, IBAF and MLB,” said Fraccari.  “I expect the synergy effect to be really strong.”

Mayor Alemanno also stressed that the new facility will be important for Rome to host major events, but also to help the development of the game in the Eternal City.

“I am positive,” he said, “that baseball has a great potential in Rome.”

Click here to listen: Baseball in the Czech Republic

You can subscribe to the Planet Hardball Podcast on iTunes. Click here to check it out.

“Baseball is a global game, with professional baseball located in many different places.  Asia is one of our strongest regions, and we look forward to forging long term relationships in conjunction with our relationship with MLB to develop our mutually beneficial strategic goals,” said Fraccari on arriving back in Italy.

The whirlwind journey involved an engagement with Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) Commissioner You, Young-goo, followed by meetings and discussions with Chinese Professional Baseball League Commissioner Chao, Shou-po in Chinese Taipei. The final leg of the hectic Asian schedule involved meetings with Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Commissioner Ryozo Kato in Okinawa.

“We agreed to keep in touch to discuss further. It is good to expand baseball horizons together; we discussed matters frankly,” Commissioner Kato said.

After the meetings with Asian Professional baseball, Fraccari flew to New York for meetings with MLB’s brass including MLB President, Bob DuPay, Executive Vice President Tim Brosnan and Senior Vice President Paul Archey.

“The meeting with MLB was positive, and I feel that international baseball is entering a unique stage with exciting opportunities,” said Fraccari.

Fraccari also made a stop in Hong Kong for the opening day of a women’s baseball tournament, The Phoenix Cup, which is one of the premier events in Women’s baseball.

The meetings are a prelude to Fraccari’s first meeting of his executive, which will come together in Rome on the 20th of February 2010.

One of Fraccari’s first moves is to revive the movement to reinstate baseball into the Olympics.  The Olympic goal is critical to many nations whose baseball programs are still developing, according to Fraccari, and he made a bold statement yesterday on behalf of the sport.

Some key passages:

We are well aware of the obstacles that must be overcome to recapture Olympic status; however, I believe we are ready to effectively deal with such issues as Anti-Doping, participation of the best players, female discipline and global scheduling. Baseball will be able to play a leading role in the Olympic Games within the framework of the Olympic movement.

To better address these matters, the IBAF will create a commission wholly dedicated to baseball’s reinstatement onto the Olympic program.

The commission will be officially established after the Executive Committee meeting that will take place in Rome on February 20.

Whether Major League Baseball fans think that baseball belongs in the Olympics or not, the international growth of the game internationally is in large part hinging on its reinstatement.  That’s good enough reason to support Mr. Fraccari’s position.  What is yet to be seen is whether the commission will be able to energize the mostly European-based IOC decision makers for 2020 and beyond.