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Post by BQ Moderator on Dec 26, 2008 12:20:52 GMT 10
We have heard it for years now but it would seem the new ABL is possibly going to be in place for next season with the current format Claxton Shield a "test drive" as it were. I'm sure most baseball fans in QLD and around the country would welcome the new and long awaited ABL. If so, that raises many questions :: - How many QLD teams , 2 or 1 possibly Gold Coast and Brisbane based ?
- How will the team structure and ownership be setup?
- Where will the team/s play out of ?
- How many Players should be contracted/rostered in each ABL Team ?
- How many Import players will be allowed per team?
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Post by 17starter on Dec 27, 2008 20:33:02 GMT 10
Just read on another forum that the QLD ABL coach may have been chosen.He was described by a poster named Dragon as( A recently unemployed South OZ legend) any thoughts as to who fits this description?
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Post by snoball on Dec 27, 2008 20:40:38 GMT 10
I don't think that's accurate. Not sure even if the MLB has signed the agreement yet.
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Post by puff on Dec 27, 2008 21:06:39 GMT 10
I'm sure it's just guesswork 17 starter. the ABL has a lot of work to do before even discussing coaches. The league is no certainty. history tells us that.
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Post by philallen on Dec 28, 2008 7:03:11 GMT 10
Just read on another forum that the QLD ABL coach may have been chosen.He was described by a poster named Dragon as( A recently unemployed South OZ legend) any thoughts as to who fits this description? Interesting to read. Just flicking through your forum from down South to see what's up in baseball in Qld. Seem like plenty of healthy debate. Could the person you refer to here be Tony Harris? or perhaps Brian Cakebread, I hear he has recently retired. Keep up the good work. I'll be looking on with interest. But surely with the quality of people available from within your own program this is just a malicious rumour?
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Post by 17starter on Dec 28, 2008 9:26:05 GMT 10
The forum it is on is the Baseball Radio National Forum in the Qld section ,,Claxton page.
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Post by 44 on Dec 28, 2008 11:56:12 GMT 10
For sure there is a lot of speculation about the new ABL ( or ANL ?). BUT.. some facts :I was at BOP week before the Clacko Showcase with School National Softball Titles. As a Guest of MLB Australia a head MLB Honcho from New York Office was there for the Clacko Showcase. He even did a guest commentary on some of the kids softball games. ANYWAY. Mr. MLB New York was in some way involved with the Clacko showcase Rounds. Sorry for being vague but I can't remember his name or actual role with MLB. The MLB has already committed financially to this years Clacko. That is a given and papers signed. Whether that means they have commited long term financially, not sure. Coincidentally Mr. MLB Australia and my son were in same team at BOP softball titles. I spent some time chatting this and that with him and had the burning question to ask but it would not have been appropriate to come straight out and ask... WHEN IS THE ABL HAPPENING MATE?? I did sort of skirt the ABL subject and the vibes I got from him were positive that it IS FOR SURE going ahead... But still speculation on my part. He is a long time baseball acquaintance of mine and I respect his Professional role too much to just ask him outright.. He would probably not tell me anyway. ASSUMPTION: I would think that if MLB are on board for the long haul, they already have Winter league Models in place Hawaiian Winter League for example www.hawaiiwinterbaseball.com/Plus other Winter leagues in Mexico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic. I would ASSUME that a similar Model would be setup in Australia with maybe 4,5 or 6 Teams to start. One would hope that top Local non contracted players get into the roster also but looking at the Model, most are already signed players and Coaches from various Clubs A or A+ Pro Level. No Local unsigned Players a negative BUT possibly it would create a High Profile MLB affiliate Website similar to the MLB Model. Personally I'd love to see a Local Brisbane team with possibly 50-50 percent Signed Pro players from any Country and Top Local Amateur players looking to get signed. If it was up to me.. I'd use the 50-50 mix. Or at worse 75% signed pro and 25% Amateur Local. It might be a very large roster with not a set team each week. Pro players in Winter Leagues seem to float in and out just to get some off season work in as advised by their BIG MLB Club. Let's hope for a Grand ABF/MLB announcement at the conclusion of this seasons Clacko... That would be great Fodder for Mainstream Media ABF ? are you listening?
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Post by JRA Qld2 on Dec 28, 2008 12:42:24 GMT 10
I doubt the ABF would have much say in it. It'd probably be keep MLB happy or there will be no national league
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Post by 17starter on Dec 29, 2008 8:34:46 GMT 10
If the paying customer has no one to identify with( ie; someone they know)they will go to the game and ask why can't so and so get a run. They will be told , nah only for a handfull of signed players plus foreign players. Common sense will tell you what happens next, aussies like the local underdog, that is what will get bums on seats. The people who will go to watch are 90% baseball players and familys, if there are no locals and the team doesn't win games, support will drop straight away.Anytime you want people to part with money , they ask themselves, whats in it for me. If they think that their money helps someone they know then they (Aussies and my good ex-pat south african friends) are happy to part with it . There must be a link to your heart cause the head will overrule when it comes to money.
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Post by puff on Dec 29, 2008 9:21:44 GMT 10
17starter, it's all rumours and heresay at the moment but if true Brisbane has a lot of young pros to identify with. Look at this year's Claxton team with Joel Naughton and Drew Naylor on the Phillies 40 man roster, Linger, Baker, Erasmus, Crawford, Timms, C. Naylor, Searle plus Stockman, Schoenberg, 2 Rhodes boys, Reust, Nilsson plus probably a few more youngsters on the cusp of signing.
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Post by snoball on Dec 29, 2008 11:23:43 GMT 10
My understanding, from talking to MLB guys and from the structure of the MLB run Winter development leagues in various countries, is that 3 or 4 MLB teams will feed an ABL team. For example, Milwaukee, Atlanta, San Diego, Cinci might be responsible for the Brisbane roster. Another 3 -4 teams would be responsible for one of the Sydney franchises. So, there would be no guarantee that a Qld player would be playing for a Qld team. There are a number of reasons for this, ease of admin and monitoring players, for one thing. More than likely, coaches from the responsible clubs would be on the staff to assist their players. So, I don't expect local players to be playing for the local teams. In addition, there is no benefit to a MLB organisation to allow "youngsters on the cusp of signing" to play in the league. Most on the cusp are around 16, 17 ys old, without any professional experience and would be too raw to compete in an elite professional league.
Ditto for any released players or Independent league players. There's a reason these guys have been released and/or in the Indep league and that's because they weren't good enough to make it. I know most of them and they're good people, but, according to scouts, they didn't measure up to it. Why water down the ABL with the inferior standard?
If you give the public top level baseball, they will show up.
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Post by JRA Qld2 on Dec 29, 2008 11:31:05 GMT 10
Agree with snoball 100% here, and that's exactly what I've heard
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Post by 17starter on Dec 29, 2008 12:10:24 GMT 10
The orignal ABL worked the same way but had locals in the team the first couple of years to help fill out the roster( No where near as many signed players then as there now is ) and i know for a fact it helped get the locals support. When the IBLA ( Which i played in) was on there were no crowds at all.. none.And it had top level baseball.
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Post by snoball on Dec 29, 2008 12:24:01 GMT 10
Both the ABL and IBLA are defunct. Both lost money. I don't think MLB will go into this following the same plan. I know for a fact that MLB people are concerned about crowds --especially when competing with cricket. Other Winter leagues (Arizona, Hawaii, Venezuela) are baseball places. Queensland isn't. The baseball fraternity in this state is very small --look at the lack of media coverage even with a BQI promotions person having been hired. To get the ABL off the ground, the talk is that MLB clubs have agreed to use players and coaches for the first few years.
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Post by 44 on Dec 29, 2008 12:50:54 GMT 10
That makes a lot of sense snoball and follows the MLB Winter league "Model" Look at the Puerto Rican League www.puertoricobaseballleague.comClosest to what a new ABL might look like with 4,5 or 6 teams. Check out the rosters, it seems to have an allocation of Minors players from various MLB Clubs. Most likely a lot of these guys are Puerto Ricans but some from USA or elswhere also getting in their Winter work. Similar to Hawaii , Dominican Republic, Mexican etc. puff pointed out there are maybe 20 players in Brisbane ready talentwise for this League, but will they be in the Brissy team? It might be they go when and where their Big Club tells them to ? Let's say there is a good AAA player from Brisbane.. Big Club says "Go get some winter work in to get ready for next season BIGS"Would they send him to Brisbane Winter ABL Team or the Mexican League which is more like AAA/MLB standard
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