Bottom of the sixth. West trailing 5-2. Guillermo Heredia with a big weekend singles to right with the bases loaded and one out to get one run in to but the East lead to 5-3. Bases still loaded with one out. Pitching change. Yadiel Hernandez fielder's choice cuts the East lead to 5-4 end of 6.

Most of the starters have been substituted for.

Top of the seventh. The East had a couple of leadoff basehits. A groundout to first advanced the runners to second and third. A flyball to Guillermo Heredia in straightaway center picked up the second out of the inning. Ayala did not test Heredia's arm in center and failed to score on the out. Alarcon flied out to Heredia in center to end the inning. The East failed to score. 5-4 East still leads.

West took advantage of a pair of leadoff walks and a basehit by Serguey Perez to tie the game at 5-5. A wild pitch gave the West their first lead of the day 6-5. Juan Torriente's rbi double gave the West a 7-5 lead after 7 complete innings of play.

With one out, an error, a walk, and a basehit by Andy Zamora cut the West lead to 7-6. With two out, Yeison Pacheco doubled home a pair of runs to give the East an 8-7 lead.

First 1-2-3 inning of the day. The West retired quickly in the 8th. Top of the 9th 8-7 East.

East down in order in the top of the 9th. East leads 8-7 heading into the bottom of the 9th. West with three outs left.

West retired in order. FINAL East 8 West 7.

Credit to the fans. It's been a loooong day with all the festivities prior to the game and with the game itself. They've stuck around for close to six hours and very few have left the stadium.

Trophy presentations. Fans still lingering.

Spring Training starts tomorrow. Is Winter Ball over yet!!!!

1/2 of a season left to go in Cuba.

The Santiago Hector Olivera won the home run derby at the All-Star Game 2012.
The Santiago Hector Olivera (center) receives his award-winning home run derby at the All-Star Game 2012. Alexander Malleta (left) and Alfredo Despaigne were his opponents.
Yosvani Alarcón celebrates his homer in the fourth inning of the All-Star Game 2012.

The East unexpectedly won the All-Star game

Yeison Pacheco, included in the list of stars at the last minute decided the match with a double against closer Yadier Pedroso in the eighth

Luis Lopez Viera

February 19, 2012 19:11:43 CDT

Matanzas. -

Again the East won the game of All-Stars of Cuban baseball and now leads the series 13-12 against the West. This Sunday the players of the East prevailed 8-7 over the West, after a good show which crowned the efforts of Matanzas for organizing the festivities.

It was a game of ups and downs, where players from both sides delivered on the field. So awarded were the fans that filled the stadium Victoria de Giron and dispelled all doubts concerning attendance.

West went ahead with two runs in the third inning against lefty Villa Clara Yasmani Hernandez Romero, but Yosvani Alarcón homered against Matanzas Felix Fuentes and tied the game in the fourth inning.

The East took over the lead in the fifth inning against Odrisamer Despaigne who allowed a double to Reutilio Hurtado, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch.

Reutilio Hurtado extended the gap with a two-run homer in the fifth inning against the Spiritus Ismel Jimenez. However, the West scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning when Guillermo Heredia singled with the bases loaded cutting the lead to 5-3. Yadiel Hernandez rbi fielder's choice narrowed the East lead to 5-4.

Then, the West scored three runs in the seventh. A pair of leadoff walks and a basehit by Serguey Perez tied the game at 5-5. A wild pitch gave the West their first lead of the day 6-5. Juan Torriente's rbi double gave the West a 7-5 lead.

But in the eighth the East scored three times. With one out, an error, a walk, and a basehit by Andy Zamora cut the West lead to 7-6. With two out, Yeison Pacheco doubled home a pair of runs to give the East an 8-7 lead. The error by Rudy Reyes of Artemisa against closer Jose Angel Garcia was important as Garcia then gave the walk to Reutilio Hurtado. Manager Lazaro Vargas decided to replace Garcia with closer Yadier Pedroso but he surrendered a base hit to Artemis' Andy Zamora and the decisive double to Yeison Pacheco.

Finally, Paul Millan Fernandez did not allow any runs over the last two innings and got the win, but Yoelkis Cruz got the final out. Cruz was the only member on the roster who did not get into the game at this point.

Thus ended the evening on the field.

Before the game were awarded the best athletes in Cuba in 2011, a ceremony that must have its own place in the future. It should not proceed in the shadow of the All-Star Game. Some athletes were not able to meet commitments abroad because of the ceremony, which can be avoided in the future if a better date were chosen.

Sanspo: Foreign players surprised about the Japanese way

Sanspo posted an interesting article on Monday that briefly discusses some of the changes foreign players are adjusting to during spring camp.

What to do about food (Yakult Swallows)

Lastings Milledge apparently is not a huge fan of rice or noodles and is having a hard time finding things he can eat at the team cafeteria. He does like yakiniku and has gone out to eat some with teammate Wladimir Balentien on a number of occasions. Orlando Roman used to Asian dishes and will eat pretty much eat anything that he is served. He has even given raw horse meat a try.

Why walk to the stadium (Nippon Ham Fighters)

Bobby Keppel is not quite sure why Japanese players change into their uniforms at the team hotel and then head to the stadium on foot. Players in the US usually drive to the stadium and then change into their uniforms.

At Nago camp, the players take the national road by foot from the hotel to the stadium.

So many staff members (Seibu Lions)

Chris Carter likes how supportive everyone on the team is because it makes him feel like he belongs and because it makes him feel positive about things. He also likes how his teammates ask him how he is doing, especially since this is his first year.

Stars's Baseball Game will leave its mark in Matanzas

Monday, February 20, 2012

Katherine Subiaut Azcanio

The 25th Cuban Stars's Baseball Game, celebrated at the Victoria de Girón Stadium, in Matanzas, will remain in the history of national sports due to its organization, beauty and dynamism. The authorities of the province and the people from Matanzas showed their pride of being the home of the game and made things more difficult for next year's hosts.

The Orientales Team dominated February 19th's afternoon because Héctor Olivera, from Santiago de Cuba, was awarded in the Home Runs's Derby.

The Orientales team celebrated its 13th victory in front of Occidentales, which had 12 victories in these Games. This will remain until the next event.

Matanzas's people also shone in the Stars's afternoon. The attendance surpassed expectations: Under the tremendous sun that was shining in Matanzas, the bleachers of the Victoria de Girón's Stadium trembled under the public's wave, the shouts of: ¡Se va! and the applauses for each good hit. It was a deluxe game, where nobody could look to another place, not even for a second, because they could miss the pitch of Pablo Millán Fernández, from Holguín, who was considered the most valuable player of the game.

The winner was impossible to be foreseen, because both teams of stars scored over and over. The scoreboard balanced out eight runs to seven.

In the Vet's Game, celebrated on Saturday, the Orientales Team was also crowned, in spite of Víctor Mesa's efforts and the support of the public from Matanzas, which repeated his name over and over.

The new ABL welcomed many fans this season

If you build it, they will come: ABL year 2

ABL completes a successful second season

By Alexis Brudnicki

Second time's a charm.

The Australian Baseball League just completed its second full season, resurging after the competition of the same name ended in 1999, thanks to the support and efforts of Major League Baseball and the Australian Baseball Federation.

The new ABL exceeded expectations in its second year, particularly with regards to the on-field display of local and international talent. Though the league is still in its infancy, the potential for long-term growth seems inevitable.

Brisbane Bandits manager Kevin Jordan, who played in the original league, believes that just re-launching the ABL made huge strides for baseball and the competition.

"The fact that it's back," Jordan said of what's great about the new ABL. "Having lost the league for 10 years I think set back baseball in the country, not just from the professional standpoint but even for the young players because they didn't have any players that they could go out and watch.

"When I first came out here we had a lot of kids and families that came out to watch us play. And I think that them seeing the players out there, then they aspire to be playing, if not possibly in the major leagues then at least for the Bandits or whatever their home team was. We have that now so they can aspire to play baseball and possibly play professionally.

"But if not, then they can still aspire to possibly play for their hometown in front of their parents. And it's the major leagues of Australia. It's the highest level you can attain professionally as a baseball player in this country."

The quality of competition in the ABL is unmatched in Australia. The calibre of play is the highest class of baseball down under, featuring the finest talent from around the continent, along with showcasing international prospects from around the globe.

"You're going to see the stars of tomorrow in the big leagues and also great Australian athletes doing their thing out on the field," said Graeme Lloyd, 10-year major league veteran and current pitching coach for the Perth Heat. "Coming to a baseball game, hopefully people are going to see the amount of skill that's involved, when someone hits a triple and guys are cutting the ball off and throwing the ball, trying to get him out at third base.

"There are guys throwing the ball 350 feet, guys hitting the ball 450 feet, we've got guys from Australia who are throwing 95 miles an hour off the mound and all these things lead to great entertainment in sport. It's a great product and a great game and I might be a little biased but that's the way I feel. And I hope the Australian public will think the same thing."

Jordan believes that the level of play will continue to grow and improve as the league ages, giving fans even more to look forward to in the future. The ABL gives young, talented players a chance to develop their skills in professional surroundings, allowing them to stand up against the best that Aussie baseball has to offer.

"It's only our second year in existence and it's a slow process," Jordan said. "But I think that slowly but surely we'll start getting the fans to come out more. I think that the talent level is going to get even better because what we have in the league now is a lot of younger players around the country now playing professionally. And in the next two or three years I think those players are going to get even better because now they have somewhere that they can play year-round and play at a higher level than they might have been playing when they came back here previously."

Perth's pitching coach shares Jordan's feeling that the progression of the product on the diamond will assist in the number of filled seats in the stands.

"I think that we're working to get better and working to improve everything," Lloyd said. "The game itself, on the field, obviously our baseball has gotten much better over the last 10 or 15 years. I'm looking back and thinking 'Wow, we had guys who really weren't up to this standard'. Now it's great. We get these great imports coming out and Australians get to see really good baseball on the field. Hopefully we can get back to the old days of the ABL where we had 10,000 to a game. I think we're a little ways off from that right now. But I'm very optimistic and hopeful that things will go the right way and baseball will find its niche in Australia and continue on for many, many years."

Sydney Blue Sox General Manager David Balfour believes that by both getting the ABL name out and reminding people that the league is back are key to its success. Balfour was around during the original stint of the ABL, and saw firsthand what worked and what didn't.

"We did a good job in the old league over a number of years and it took a long while to create brand awareness," Balfour said. "People knew that baseball was being played. We actually got a fair share of the media. But it took a lot of finances to achieve that. Back then, we spent a lot of money initially to create that brand awareness. Each [owner] had a say in how the league was to be run and so for and possibly what you did, you voted on your own self-interests rather than the interests of the whole league. Now we have a central body which takes that away. We don't have the political side. We should all be moving in one direction together."

Even with the new sense of cohesiveness, there is still a lot of work to be done. Balfour believes that the ABL and each of its six teams just need to start over completely, assuming that there isn't any sense of familiarity with the league, essentially beginning from scratch once again.

"There was a 10-year or 11-year hiatus," Balfour said. "However, I don't think people would have just disappeared. We've got to let them know that we're back on. To me it's just like starting over fresh again. We've got to assume that no one knows."

Brisbane's manager agrees that just making people aware that the game is being played should be first priority. Baseball is another choice in an already sports-obsessed nation, and it just needs to find its way into the mix when people are making decisions about what to do with their free time.

"[The league] is good and I think that it will get even better," Jordan said. "I think once the word is out more it will be better. It takes time to spread the word that the Bandits are back in town and playing again. Brisbane is such a busy city and there are so many options that people have on the weekends now. We're just trying to let everyone know so at least we're an option. With any sport you just want to be an option for someone on the weekend.

"Families can come out and let their kids come out and watch a ball game. As the league grows the young kids that we see out there now watching the games, they're going to be out there on the field."

S. Korea likely to host 2012 Asia Series

TOKYO, Feb. 23 (20:45) Kyodo

Organizers of the 2012 Asia Series are trying to hold the club
championship in South Korea, a senior Nippon Professional Baseball
official revealed Thursday.

The champion teams of Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan and
Australia are expected to take part in the series in late November,
Kunio Shimoda said.

Last year in the fifth edition of the Asia Series, the Samsung
Lions of South Korea beat the Softbank Hawks 5-3 in the final, making
them the first non-Japanese club to win the series.