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| Great Britain makes history at European Championship |
Great Britain 9, Ukraine 0
September 12, Barcelona
While back home right now the attention of the Home Nations’ sports fans is dominated by the Rugby World Cup, international football and cricket, in modest baseball stadiums around Barcelona a definite buzz surrounds Great Britain’s baseball team and its travelling entourage as Team GB makes unprecedented progress in the European Baseball Championship.
Great Britain eased into the medal round of the European Championship with a comfortable win over Ukraine in its final Group B game on Wednesday. The result – the team’s first shut out of the tournament – means GB wins the group and ensures that, whatever happens between now and close of play on Sunday evening, Britain will record its best ever finishing position in the modern EC format.
Britain’s progress to the latter stages means GB cannot finish lower than sixth place of twelve overall. Previously, GB’s highest placing in the modern EC era was seventh in the last Championship in 2005. Going back in the record books, a Great Britain team won the silver medal in 1967 but the format was different then and that year did not feature Euro-giants such as Italy and the Netherlands – which finished in the top two spots 17 times in a row from 1969-99.
General Manager Alan Smith admitted to not knowing the complete back story to GB’s exploits in European and World competition, but with good reason. Over the weeks and months leading up to these ten days, his mind has been absorbed by the logistics of getting the squad to - and through - the event.
“There’s enough to concentrate on just thinking about the here and now. But reaching the second round does go a long way to making all the work worth it.”
Head Coach Stephan Rapaglia acknowledged that Wednesday’s was a “history-making result” but, with a 2-0 record carrying over to the next stage, the team is in a great position to achieve more than just a personal best – Coach Rapaglia has his sights fixed on medal spots and World Championship and Olympic qualification.
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GB v Ukraine at Sant Boi
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Small ball wins the day
Great Britain by no means overwhelmed the Ukraine but took a patient approach against a team that had nothing to lose and wanted to spoil the party. Through a combination of punishing errors and playing small ball, GB built the lead up gradually and was not troubled much by Ukrainian hitters, restricting them to four hits in the first three innings and nothing after that.
GB put one run on the board in the first inning when, with two outs, rightfielder Serhiy Korobko let Mike Nickeas’ single bounce past him and Brant Ust came round from first to score.
An error helped another runner in during the third and two walks and a hit-by-pitch saw GB load the bases in the fourth for Darren Heath to add another with a sacrifice fly. With Chris Falls at the plate next, Alex Malihoudis stole home and Britain had a more comfortable 4-0 lead.
GB finally scored a run off a legitimate hit when Ian Young doubled in Ust in the fifth. Two more runs were added in each of the sixth and eighth innings.
As victory looked increasingly secure Head Rapaglia rang the changes, both in the batting lineup and on the mound, to give players an outing. He used four relievers - all flawless with the exception of a hit-by-pitch - before Gary Tongue came in with two outs in top of the ninth to close the game.
Of particular note were Simon Whitehead, who retired five in order including three strikeouts, and Paul Waterman, who faced two batters and struck both out in the final inning. Starter Brian Essery threw five innings, giving up four hits, for the win.
At the plate Brant Ust was outstanding, going 3-for-3 (including two doubles) with two runs, an RBI and two walks.
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A mouth-watering prospect – and we’re not talking about the hotel breakfast’s watermelon
Pitching coach Brian Cleary was referring not to the way the game was won but to the importance of getting the win itself when he described the result as “monumental”.
A significant by-product of GB’s beating of the Ukraine was that it mathematically eliminated Italy from the competition. As well as ousting one of Europe’s most historically dominant baseball nations, it means Spain and France will now finish in Group B’s other two qualification spots. As each team carries over its record against the other qualifiers from its group, Britain starts the medal round on Friday (Sept 14) tied in first with the Netherlands on a 2-0 record and three games to play.
Great Britain could not be in a better position from which to challenge European baseball’s hierarchy.
For 28-year-old outfielder and catcher Alex Malihoudis, Britain’s current position is “amazing”. Having grown up playing baseball in England, Alex first played for the senior GB team in 1995 and is the longest-serving member of the current squad.
Alex remembers a few “rugby score” losses and having to fight a way out of the B-Pool of the competition. He acknowledges that the strength of the 2007 squad is down to the influx in recent years of eligible European and North American-based players who bring game experience from more-advanced baseball climates.
Yet Malihoudis – who, aside from high school and college stints in the States, has almost twenty years of British club baseball behind him - proves that GB-based players can still have an impact.
Making his 2007 EC debut on Tuesday as a pinch hitter against France, it was his clutch single which drove in the winning run.
Malihoudis cites the “positive and relaxed” team spirit as another important factor in the current success. Added to that should be self-belief. On hearing Malihoudis speaking on GB’s aims for the second stage of the tournament, it seems the team is relishing another meeting with Germany despite losing twice to them in the pre-EC warm-up event and falling to Germany in a 4-3 heartbreaker in the last EC in 2005.
And then a final game against the Netherlands which has gone 5-0 scoring 66 runs and conceding a measly five.
“We will just go all out to win it and hope to make an impact.” Malihoudis gives a wry smile. “That game makes the pro-guys eyes light up.”
A forthcoming weekend full of potential
After a well-earned rest on Thursday, GB resumes play against the qualifiers from Group A: third-placed Sweden on Friday, runners-up Germany on Saturday and group winners Netherlands on the Championship’s final day on Sunday.
Medal spots are decided by the final placings in the second group stage. A win against Sweden would guarantee Britain a winning record in this stage and set it up nicely for the meetings with Germany and the Netherlands.
As well as European Championship medals, a top three finish will keep GB’s Olympic dreams alive. The EC winner automatically qualifies for the 2008 Beijing Olympic baseball competition, while the silver and bronze medallists enter a final Olympic qualification tournament.
A top-four finish should qualify GB for its first modern-era entry into the World Championship. Added to all this is the potential that an impressive showing will result in an invitation to the 2009 MLB World Baseball Classic.
Perhaps never before has Great Britain baseball team looked so strong and had so much to achieve.
By Tim Stride. Alex Malihoudis was giving an interview to Simon Fitzjohn.
Follow GB in the EC
You can keep up with GB's progress in the medal stage with reports on this site, a wealth of stats and live play-by-play updates on the European Baseball Federation's EC site, photos on Spain's official EC site, and live televised coverage of select games on stadeo.tv.
It has been announced that Eurosport 2 will broadcast select games from the medal stage. According to the current schedule GB's game against Germany (Sept 15, 11am) and Netherlands (Sept 16, 11am) will be televised. Check the official EC schedule and the Eurosport 2 listings in case of change.
Click for links to these sites
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EC NOTES
PATCH WORK Reference should be made to the sterling work of GB's trainer, Alan Dean, and physio, Johnny Abrams. The pair estimate they've already patched up a dozen of the GB roster at the halfway stage.
SCHEDULE CHANGE The official EC schedule includes a note in small print explaining that if Spain qualifies for the medal stage (which it has), as host country it's games will be moved to the 'prime time' slots of 7pm on Friday and Saturday and 5pm on Sunday. These would have been GB's slots as the original schedule has Group B winner playing it's games at these times.
Now, GB has three more 11am games which means an early start, a big helping of the buffet breakfast and playing as the hottest part of the day kicks in.
It also means that the perceived 'final' of sorts - the game between Group A and B winners which could well be the gold medal decider - will not be the end game of the tournament.
MAMMA MIA In only the third time in the last 20 Championships, Italy will fail to finish in the top two spots, having crashed out of the first group stage. Defeats to France and Spain relegated one of Europe's most successful teams to the placing stage - the best Italy can finish is seventh.
If the A-Pool is reduced in size for 2009, it may also mean Italy plays its next EC in the B-Pool as it could be replaced by the best finishers in the current qualifying pool.
GB General Manager Alan Smith commented "Italy are still a good team, but it goes to show that you can be a good baseball team but things just go wrong on the day."
Coach Rapaglia added, "Italy would slice through the B-Pool like a knife through butter."
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