by David Burns | Aug 23, 2023 | Blog, Written Stories
If the particulars of Lennard Pietersz’ journey thus far were set to a medley of songs, an appropriate title track would be “The Long and Winding Road”. The native of Curacao, a former Dutch colony in the Caribbean now a “constituent country” of the Kingdom of the...
by David Burns | Aug 18, 2023 | BBJO Podcast, Blog
Lenny Pietersz is a native of Curaçao who has always dreamed of playing professional baseball. He recently achieved that goal, but he had to invest in himself by flying to Japan to play in the Japan Winter League in November of 2022. After two junior college baseball...
by David Burns | Jul 3, 2023 | Blog, Written Stories
Baseball. Uganda. For the vast majority of people, those words would not seem to belong in the same sentence. Yet, they do. There is baseball in Uganda – more than one might think – and that’s thanks to people such as Jaz Shergill and others. Shergill is a native...
by David Burns | Apr 24, 2023 | Blog, Written Stories
By participating for the first time in the recently completed World Baseball Classic, the Czech Republic’s national team checked off multiple items on its to-do list. “Before the tournament, we had three goals – increase the number of baseball fans in the Czech...
by David Burns | Mar 10, 2023 | Blog, Written Stories
There was a time not long ago that Sarah Edwards thought she might live in Italy the rest of her life. But it turned out that this was not the time. Instead, the rest of her life began March 1 in Clearwater, Florida, spring training home of Major League Baseball’s...
by David Burns | Dec 1, 2022 | Blog, Written Stories
By David Burns December 1, 2022 After polling our newsletter and social media audience about the top coaches in Europe in 2022, a number of European and import coaches were nominated. Will Swindling’s story stood out to us as our first coach feature, not only because...
by David Burns | Nov 24, 2022 | Blog, Written Stories
Written by: Carter Cromwell November 23, 2022 “The manager would like to see you in his office” is a line usually guaranteed to make a ballplayer think “uh, oh” and envision a trek to the guillotine. But in Kaleb Bowman’s case, it meant he would be moving onward and...
by David Burns | Oct 14, 2022 | Blog, Written Stories
By Carter Cromwell October 15, 2022 When the World Baseball Classic begins next March, the Czechs will most likely be an underdog, but that won’t faze them. After all, the Czech team wasn’t a favorite before the recent qualifying round, but it proved adept at...
by David Burns | Apr 25, 2022 | Blog, Written Stories
By Carter Cromwell April 25th, 2022 From very early on, Gary Owens had a vision – he knew he wanted to be a baseball player. But he couldn’t envision then how far the game could and would take him. At the time, his vision extended only to the boundaries of his...
by David Burns | Jan 31, 2022 | Blog, Written Stories
Seattle University alumna, Lisa Maulden, first took her career overseas in 2015 and never looked back. Her first few seasons overseas were in lower leagues including the Belgian second division and Hungarian Softball League before moving up the ranks to higher-level...
by David Burns | Nov 17, 2021 | Blog, Written Stories
November 16th, 2021 By Carter Cromwell When Billy Germaine was released from his independent league team in the summer of 2017, it seemed to represent a dead end for his baseball career. Instead, it was just a detour. And no small one, as it turned out. The new path...
by David Burns | Jun 15, 2021 | Blog, Written Stories
June 15th, 2021 By Carter Cromwell [NOTE: Alyson Spinas-Valainis is non-binary, meaning they do not specifically identify with either gender. Therefore, the following article employs the pronouns “they” and “them” in reference to Spinas-Valainis.] That Alyson...
by David Burns | Feb 13, 2021 | Blog, Written Stories
February 14th, 2021 By Carter Cromwell Will Swindling’s baseball career hasn’t gone as he originally envisioned, but he never envisioned how it has gone. A star on his youth teams and an all-state performer in high school in Eugene, Ore., he attracted attention from...
by David Burns | Jan 12, 2021 | Blog, Written Stories
January 12, 2021 By Carter Cromwell On the surface, baseball is pretty much the same game wherever it’s played. But where it’s played is often a whole new ballgame. And therein lies the challenge for the players, coaches and others who go outside their home...
by David Burns | Jan 11, 2021 | Blog, Written Stories
January 11, 2021 Written by Arik Sikula Major League Baseball recently made an announcement that significantly affects minor league baseball and all those associated with it. The “One Baseball” plan will cut the number of baseball cities, stadiums, and workers that...
by David Burns | Dec 20, 2020 | Blog, Written Stories
December 20, 2020 By Carter Cromwell One thing you can say about Zdenek Zidek . . . He’s not afraid of a challenge. Zidek is a practicing defense attorney in his hometown of Prague in the Czech Republic — That’s, you know, on another continent across a really...
by David Burns | Nov 10, 2020 | Blog, Written Stories
November 10, 2020 By Carter Cromwell When it came to baseball, Donald Lutz was a late bloomer but a fast learner. His is the unlikely story of a guy who didn’t pick up a ball or bat until the advanced age of 14, but was playing professionally in the U.S. by 19 and in...
by David Burns | Oct 13, 2020 | Blog, Written Stories
October 13, 2020 By Carter Cromwell A glance at Mark Weidemaier’s baseball resume makes it clear that he’s seen a lot. A closer inspection might remind one of an old country/western song titled “I’ve Been Everywhere”. Well, maybe not everywhere, but a lot of...
by David Burns | Sep 29, 2020 | Blog, Written Stories
September 29, 2020 By Carter Cromwell During the last decade or so, Owen Reid has traveled to five continents and approximately 50 countries because of baseball. During the last several months, he’s been to none. Thank you, Covid-19 pandemic. Like everyone, Reid has...
by David Burns | Sep 14, 2020 | Blog, Written Stories
September 14, 2020 By Carter Cromwell Tom Signore represents a case study supporting the old line about a person never knowing what’s around the next corner in life. Not long ago, he turned a corner that led him from upstate New York to Taiwan. Signore coached at the...
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