Cleveland Sports Forum

December 2, 2011

Jeter, Cano, Soriano and CC Sabathia go to Panama

PANAMA.

Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, CC Sabathia, Curtis Granderson and Rafael Soriano will participate tomorrow, in the capital, in a game of softball as part of the Festival of Latino-Americano Baseball.

The five figures of the New York Yankees will be part of the team "Andruw Jones All Stars "which will face a home team that includes veteran Carlos Lee of Houston, Ruben Tejada Mets rookie Randall Delgado of the Braves and other professionals Panamanian players, told to the AP of the event by organizer, Raul Noriega.

For Jones's side will also be the catcher Jorge Posada, who performed his last year of his contract with the Yankees in 2011. "The festival aims to strengthen the ties of brotherhood between Latino baseball players," said Noriega, who with his brother Juan Carlos established the project "30treinta" and launched the first edition last year.

Andrew Jones also played for the Yankees last season, is the "godfather" of the festival and his team will be lead by the Marlins of Miami manager Ozzie Guillen, who is already in Panama.

Noriega noted particularly the presence of Jeter, the Yankee captain veteran shortstop who this year reached 3,000 hits in his career.

Before this encounter will be played the all-star game with players participating in the new Panamanian Professional League.

By the way, Toru Murata, Danny Salazar, and Steven Wright will be participating in that all-star which precedes the softball game. I wouldn't be too surprised to see Wright, Salazar, and Murata go back to back to back to start that game.

Ezequiel Carrera can play just one more week

Written by Geoff Hernández

Venezuelan Baseball Hits Dec 2, 2011

The central patroller of the Magallanes Navigators, Ezequiel Carrera got the call to halt his participation this year with the Navigators. The Cleveland Indians have a mini-camp in 15 days and Carrera's presence was requested. It is anticipated that next year Carrera will be a starter more often in the Indian lineup.

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Kroenke brilliant in Tiburones' shutout

D-backs left-hander yields one hits, fans three over 5 2/3 innings

Venezuelan Winter League

La Guaira 6, Zulia 0

Diamondbacks left-hander Zach Kroenke allowed one hit and struck out three over 5 2/3 innings as the Tiburones snapped a three-game losing streak. Dodgers farmhand Jamie Hoffmann slugged a three-run homer and White Sox prospect Jose Martinez went 2-for-3 with a run scored for La Guaira.

Lara 8, Margarita 1

Mariners prospect Johan Limonta continued a solid week by homering, driving in two runs and powering the Cardenales to their third straight win. Minor League veteran Luis Antonio Jimenez went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored for Lara, while Phillies prospect Cesar Hernandez had two of Margarita's six hits.
Zach Kroenke has a 7.59 ERA in seven games, including one starts, in two seasons with the Diamondbacks. (Getty Images)

Aragua 7, Magallanes 5

Hector Gimenez delivered a three-run double and fellow Major League veteran Lastings Milledge homered to lead the first-place Tigres to their fourth straight win. Former Pirates farmhand Jonel Pacheco went 2-for-2 with a run scored out of the ninth spot in the Aragua lineup, while Erold Andrus was 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored for Magallanes.

Caribes at Caracas (postponed)

Dominican Winter League

Gigantes 6, Escogido 3

Twins infielder Alexi Casilla went 3-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored out of the leadoff spot as the Gigantes doubled up the Leones. Phillies infielder Wilson Valdez chipped in two hits and scored twice for Cibao, while Pirates prospect Starling Marte doubled and singled in a losing cause.

Licey 4, Toros 1

Royals newcomer Francisley Bueno allowed a run on two hits over five innings for his third win, helping the Tigres knocked the Toros out of a first-place tie. Major League veteran Wily Mo Peña slugged a two-run homer for Licey, while Diory Hernandez celebrated his new Minor League contract with the Astros by driving in the Toros' lone run.

Aguilas 15, Estrellas 2

Astros outfielder Brian Bogusevic went 4-for-4 with two walks and three runs scored to lead a 19-hit attack as the first-place Aguilas rolled to their third win in a row. Rockies catching prospect Wilin Rosario added three hits and three RBIs, while big league veteran Hector Luna tripled twice and drove in four runs for Cibaenas. Former Major Leaguer Argenis Reyes was 3-for-3 with an RBI for the Estrellas.

Puerto Rican Winter League

Ponce 2, Mayaguez 0

Former Rockies farmhand Tomas Santiago allowed three hits and fanned four over five innings win as the Leones recorded their first shutout of the season. Reds prospect Neftali Soto singled home an insurance run for Ponce, which got a solo shot from former Major Leaguer John Rodriguez.

Caguas 2, Carolina 1

Former Major Leaguer Carlos Rivera hit a walk-off single as the Criollos edged the Gigantes to grab sole possession of first place. Minor League veteran Luis Figueroa drove in the other run and Astros prospect Luis Cruz pitched six strong innings for Caguas, while Pedro Valdez homered for Carolina.

Mexican Pacific League

Guasave 7, Obregon 1

Red Sox Minor Leaguer Tony Thomas went 2-for-2 with a homer, two RBIs, two walks and three runs scored as the Algodoñeros won their fourth straight. Jorge Castillo limited Obregon to a run on three hits over six innings, while Mario Valenzuela delivered a two-run double to extend his hitting streak to 13 games.

Culiacan 4, Los Mochis 1

Dodgers farmhand Luis Cruz doubled twice and scored a run, while Yankees Minor Leaguer Jorge Vazquez hit a two-run single to extend his league RBI lead for the Tomateros. Hector Rodriguez struck out six over five strong innings to improve to 4-1. Cardinals prospect Jermaine Curtis went 3-for-5 and stole his seventh base out of the leadoff spot for the Cañeros.

Mexicali 12, Hermosillo 10

Matt Clark, left unprotected by the Padres in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft, smacked a pair of solo homers as the Aguilas stunned the Naranjeros. Luis Suarez capped Mexicali's six-run ninth inning with a grand slam and Angels prospect Ricky Alvarez delivered a pinch two-run single. Dodgers outfielder Trent Oeltjen hit a solo homer and fell a triple shy of the cycle for Hermosillo, which has lost four straight.

Mazatlan at Navojoa (postponed)

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Australian Baseball League

•Andrew Campbell (DH, Brisbane Bandits): 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K. Campbell’s first action out in the ABL in almost two weeks. Ah, such is the life of a young 19-year old prospect playing winter ball for his native country. In any case, he reached base in 3 of his 5 plate appearances; easily his best effort in 5 games played this offseason.

Dominican Republic Winter League

•Moisses Montero (C, Estrellas de Oriente): 0-for-1, K. Montero was a late game replacement and struck out in his only plate appearance. He has been out in the Dominican Republic for awhile this offseason but has just 3 at bats in 2 games played.

Puerto Rico Winter League

•Giovanni Soto (RP, Gigantes de Carolina): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 0 K. Soto gave up the winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning and was saddled with the loss. It was his worst performance in 9 outings out in Puerto Rico and he still has a allowed just 2 runs in 10.1 innings pitched.

Colombia Winter League

•Giovanny Urshela (3B, Cartagena Tigres): 1-for-3, R, 3B. Urshela is off to a slow start as he is just 3-for-19 at the plate in his first 5 games out in Colombia.

Venezuelan Winter League

•Ezequiel Carrera (CF, Navegantes del Magallanes): 1-for-5, K, SB. Carrera swiped his 9th stolen base and is still holding a solid .754 OPS in 30 games. He is still just a depth option for the Indians in 2012, but the extra time in Venezuela should help him be more prepared for any opportunity that comes his way next season.

•Paolo Espino (RP, Tiburones de la Guaira): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K. You pitch poorly as a starter and you will be banished to mop up duty, and that is exactly what looks to have happened to Espino as he came on the bottom of the 9th inning to record the last out of a 6-0 game.

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Saturday, December 03, 2011

MLB introduced the World Baseball Classic to the delegates

The qualifier during the Fall of 2012, the tournament in March 2013: even more international then before

Dallas (Texas-USA) -

The Qualifier to the 2013 World Baseball Classic, to be held in March 2013, will see 16 teams participate. The teams will be divided into 4 groups. Each one of the groups will qualify (through a double elimination format) 1 to the third World Baseball Classic, the first that will award the winners as the World Champions.

The 16 teams participating to the qualifier are: Brazil, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Germany, Israel, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Panama, Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Thailand.

The hosts of the 4 groups will be determined in January and the qualifier will be played in a date yet to be determined in the Fall of 2012.

The update on the tournament was introduced to the delegates of the IBAF XXVI Congress by MLB Senior Vice President International Business Operations Paul Archey.

"Tonight is going to be informal" said Archey, but he actually expressed a lot of pride for the accomplishments of the 2 editions of the tournament. To mention just one, the fact that $ 13 million where distributed to the IBAF and the participating Federations for development.

Archey talked about the future of the tournament and the hope that it will help showcase the best players: "To do this, we may need to make the tournament shorter".

Archey said that the 2013 Classic may be involving more international venues and that the ultimate goal is to have a tournament that gives a chance to every country to participate through a qualification system

Santana will not see action with Leones this winter

12/03/2011 12:00 AM - Espn.com

Orlando .-

The information was provided by the agent of the Dominican catcher who this year played his first full season with the Indians. The receiver Carlos Santana can not play winter ball in his native Dominican Republic,which was decided this week by the Cleveland Indians, the agent reported the player to ESPN deportesLosAngeles.com.

The director of Communications of the Indians, Bart Swain, confirmed that "it was decided to exercise our right under clause "extreme fatigue" Winter League Agreement". Santana will rest until the opening of spring training. Santana , who belongs to the Leones del Escogido in the winter league. Santana announced his intention to start playing at home in December and the idea received the approval of manager Manny Acta, who is also Dominican. "Carlos wanted to play and had the support of Acta, but the management of the Indians decided that the sensible thing is to rest until spring training, "said Andy Mota, agent Santana. "Carlos is the jewel of Cleveland and the boy knows. He feels bad, but understands the decision of the Indians, "said Mota. "An injury in the winter would be fatal to the Indians."

In his previous involvement with Leones, in winter 2009-10, Santana broke his right wrist in his first game and had to be operated in the United States.

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Gigantes' Casilla has another big game

Twins infielder collects four hits and an RBI, scores twice

Dominican Winter League

Gigantes 9, Toros 3

Twins infielder Alexi Casilla followed up a three-hit night by going 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and an RBI to lead the Gigantes to their second straight win. Brad Nelson, who spent the season with the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate, contributed three hits and drove in two runs for Cibao, while Astros newcomer Diory Hernandez was 3-for-4 with a run scored for the Toros.

Aguilas 7, Escogido 6 (17 innings)

Rockies prospect Wilin Rosario ended a nearly seven-hour marathon with an RBI single in the 17th inning as the first-place Aguilas extended their winning streak to four games. Major League veteran Joaquin Arias collected three hits and drove in two runs for Cibaenas, while Pirates prospect Starling Marte went 3-for-7 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored for Escogido.
Alexi Casilla hit .260 with two homers, 21 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in 97 games this season. (John Williamson/Getty Images)

Estrellas 7, Licey 5

Braves farmhand Donell Linares had three hits, including an RBI single in a five-run eighth inning, as the Estrellas rallied past the Tigres. Rangers Minor Leaguer Dusty Brown capped the rally with a two-run single and Pirates newcomer Jake Fox chipped in two hits and an RBI for Oriente. Royals infielder Yamaico Navarro was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for Licey.

Venezuelan Winter League

Zulia 3, Aragua 2 (12 innings)

Tigers farmhand Justin Henry had three hits and scored the go-ahead run on Jose Flores' sacrifice fly in the 12th inning as the Aguilas outlasted the Tigres. Yankees Minor Leaguer Colin Curtis went 3-for-5 with an RBI for Zulia, while Blue Jays prospect Anthony Gose had two hits, a stolen base and a run scored for Aragua, which had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Lara 1, Caracas 0

Raul Rivero, who spent the season with the Orioles' Double-A affiliate, struck out seven over six innings to pitch the Cardenales to their fourth straight victory. Marlins infielder Jose Lopez supplied the offense with his second homer, while Padres infielder Jesus Guzman had two of the Leones' six hits.

Margarita 5, Magallanes 0

Reds farmhand Matt Klinger struck out nine and allowed six hits over seven innings as the last-place Bravos handed the Navegantes their fourth straight setback. Sean Burroughs sparked Margarita's five-run eighth with a two-run single, while Indians outfielder Ezequiel Carrera had three hits in a losing cause.

Puerto Rican Winter League

Caguas 9, Mayaguez 6

Royals prospect Rey Navarro had three hits, including a bases-loaded triple, and four RBIs to lead the first-place Criollos to their third straight win. Alex Cora scored twice for Caguas, while fellow Major League veteran Randy Ruiz picked up a pair of hits, including a three-run homer, for Mayaguez.

Carolina 10, Ponce 3

Former Minor Leaguer Alex Fernandez drove in five runs and Marlins farmhand Jeff Dominguez went 4-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI in the Gigantes' romp. Big league veteran Matt DeSalvo pitched seven solid innings for the victory, while Ryan Rowland-Smith tossed two scoreless frames for Ponce.

Mexican Pacific League

Guasave 5, Obregon 4

Former Southern League All-Star James Avery struck out seven and allowed two runs -- one earned -- on five hits over seven innings as the Algodoñeros won their fifth straight. Christian Herrera broke open a tight game with a three-run double in the sixth, while Rockies outfielder Ryan Spilborghs went 3-for-4 and scored twice for Obregon.

Hermosillo 10, Mexicali 4

Cardinals prospect Mark Hamilton had two hits, including a three-run homer, to help the Naranjeros snap a four-game losing streak. Former Reds Minor Leaguer Jesse Gutierrez also went deep and had three RBIs for Hermosillo, while Pacific Coast League All-Star Gil Velazquez homered and scored twice for the Aguilas.

Culiacan 11, Los Mochis 1

Dodgers farmhand Luis Cruz homered, doubled, drove in three runs and scored twice to power the first-place Tomateros to their third straight victory. Former Tigers Minor Leaguer Maxwell Leon slugged a three-run shot and also scored twice for Culiacan, while Sandy Madera supplied the Cañeros' offense with his 11th homer.

Navojoa 5, Mazatlan 1

Major League veteran Wes Bankston homered for the fourth time in his last six games as the Mayos ended a three-game slide. Former Minor Leaguer Steve Moss chipped in two hits and two RBIs, while ex-Braves farmhand Azael Alvarez overcame five walks by striking out eight over 5 1/3 innings for Navojoa. Miguel Ojeda reached base three times and scored the Venados' lone run.

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Australian Baseball League

•Mitch Nilsson (DH, Brisbane Bandits): 0-for-3, K. The 20-year old Nilsson played in just his second game in a month out in the ABL and in two games is 1-for-7 at the plate.

•Andrew Campbell (DH, Brisbane Bandits): 0-for-4. Campbell gets another chance to play thanks to a doubleheader. In 6 games he is just 2-for-17 at the plate and has an ugly batting line of .118/.250/.176.

Puerto Rico Winter League

•Roberto Perez (C, Indios de Mayaguez): 1-for-3, R, 2B, BB. Perez’s second game of action in Puerto Rico, and his first in a week. He has played well this offseason showing his ability to get on base but also showing some pop.

•Joseph Colon (RP, Leones de Ponce): 0.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R/ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HR. Ouch. Colon pitched for the first time in almost two weeks and showed the rust as he could not get anyone out. Outings like this could have him quickly cut by his winter ball team.

Venezuelan Winter League

•Jesus Aguilar (1B, Leones de Caracas): 0-for-4, 3 K. Aguilar has done a lot of nice things this offseason, but this was a game that he should quickly forget and just move on.

•Ezequiel Carrera (CF, Navegantes del Magallanes): 3-for-4. Carrera is starting to hear up hitting 13-for-35 in his last 8 games (.371).

sports forum

Dream night

TEAM Andruw Jones and Derek Jeter ALL STARS Battle TEAM PANAMA ALL STARS
Jeter picks up a grounder and is preparing to drop to first base. MY DAILY | Raul Valdes

It was a dream night. A magical night that will live in the minds of many Panamanians, especially in females.

Yesterday, Rod Carew Stadium was dressed in gala to host the II Latin American Festival of Baseball, which highlighted the match between Team Andruw Jones and the Team Panama All Stars. The All-Star
Game yesterday was entirely different from those generally performed here. The bases were closer, the balls were bigger, there was no need to wear a full uniform.


The presence of shortstop and captain of New York Yankees, Derek Jeter, and the visiting team was undoubtedly the major attraction of the night.

Since the first pitch, Jeter caused a furor in the ladies, who did not stop chanting his name.
With him , other luminaries such as CC Sabathia, Curtis Granderson, Rafael Soriano, Jorge Posada, Julio Mosquera, Ozzie Guillen and Andrw Jones himself also made ​​themselves felt on the field.


For Team Panama, Carlos Lee, Luis Durango, Ruben Tejada, Manuel Corpas, Einar Diaz, Roberto Kelly and Olmedo Saenz also made themselves felt at the party.

In the end, Team Andruw Jones managed to prevail 6 runs to 2 over Team Panama, but beyond the score, who really won were the nearly 10 000 fans who attended and witnessed the event.

Asdrubal Cabrera will play starting 7 December for the Leones

The shortstop 26 of years this year played 151 games this season batting .273 with 25 homers and 92 RBIs

by Joiner Martinez

03/12/11 - 07:27 pm

CARACAS .-

The president of the Leones of Caracas, Luis Avila (@ Lavila_Leones), posted on his twitter account that the Venezuelan shortstop of the Cleveland Indians Asdrubal Cabrera, will play with lions starting December 7.

Cabrera was included on the list of extreme fatigue for the Indians, but the player himself sought the permission of the management of his team in the majors to play in our country. The shortstop this year is 26 years of age and played 151 games in the season in which he batted .273 with 25 homers and 92 RBIs. He also made ​​applicable the Silver Slugger Award as the best offensive shortstop in the American League. Cabrera will debut at University Stadium against the Tigres de Aragua. Cabrera won last year 2 million dollars.

Asdrubal Cabrera starts on Wednesday


Written by Mark Grunfeld News Dec 4, 2011

The Cleveland Indians gave the silver bat winner permission to play with the Leones del Caracas. The portocruzano will debut in the capital.

Caracas did not have to wait until Christmas to receive a Christmas bonus from the offices of the Cleveland Indians, one of the organizations closely related to the Leones Caracas.

Asdrubal Cabrera won approval from the offices of the tribe to play on home soil.

Luis Avila confirmed in an email echoing the words the anzoatiguense shortstop. Avila to the reporters who covered the conflict between lions and Lara Cardinals on Saturday night.

The shortstop had its best harvest in the majors in the last season is set to premiere on Wednesday against the Aragua Tigers in the University Stadium.

Cabrera won his first silver bat in the majors after finishing the season with .273/.332/.460 averages, with twenty-five homers, 92 RBIs and 87 runs scored in 604 turns with the tree.

Alex y Ramón Cabrera will debut 10 de diciembre

The slugger of La Guaira Tiburones chose December 10 as the date for his debut along with son, Ramon. The salt that day will be the Leones del Caracas. The younger Alex, a switch-hitting catcher, signed his first pro contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Guti Lions

Franklin Gutierrez has itchy feet to play with the Caracas
Franklin Gutierrez is on a plan to gain weight and strengthen his body after the eventful campaign he had with Seattle AP

by CARLOS GUILLEN

Sunday December 4, 2011 12:00 AM

Miami .-

The "Guti" Gutierrez Franklin has followed some of the Caracas Lions games over the Internet from his home in South Florida and does not hide his eagerness to wear the number 21 in the capital. "I bite the feet to play in Venezuela.

I've been 3 seasons without getting in the uniform (for Caracas) and I have every desire to play there this year, but unfortunately there are things that escape my hands," said the gardener adding that conversations with the General Manager of the Seattle Mariners, Jack Zduriencik, gave a negative response to the request for permission to play in Caracas, so you have to wait at least until next season to see me defend the Caracas colors.

"The years before they applied the clause of extreme fatigue, but this year I want to get my rhythm back physicially, gain weight, which I've done, I feel good," he said. Gutierrez believes that playing in his country can help him recover more quickly and prepare for next season with the Mariners and leave behind 2011 when he suffered many complications, "This year with the Mariners I had a year to forget as I had many ups and downs, problems with the stomach, and a back injury, I lost too much weight and the results were not as I expected, "said the gardener from Miami.

In the meantime I'll keep practicing at my residence "On my defense I'm still working on it but I want to know also my offense, so I brought my videos from past years to compare the mechanics and apply them next year, but unfortunately I can not practice them in Venezuela.

"To the lions fans I see and follow on the internet the Caracas games. Franklin Gutierrez says the Caracas Lions have had bad luck, "not making the routine plays and also has been affected by injuries which are things that you can't control, but much remains to be done and I hope you can overcome all these setbacks and reach the playoffs, "he said. He called for a little patience and understanding to those who give their support to all lions. The players always recognize that those who come expect to enjoy a good show: "The players always want to give their best, the years I've been with the team we have always given our best and you have to remember that is a new breed of young players who want to learn other new players in the league and create a name for themselves and they must be given a chance.

This is a short season in which you have to win games and I assure you that is what they are trying to do, but unfortunately things are going well, I say to the fans to be patient and if not this year the next year.

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Sunday, December 04, 2011

IBAF awards presented at Gala Dinner in Arlington

Texas Rangers hosted the event at their ballpark in Arlington

Dallas (Texas-USA)

The XXVI Congress of the IBAF was the right occasion to present the awards of the Honors Program, inaugurated by the International Federation in the 1980s. The awarding ceremony happened during the Gala dinner, hosted by the Texas Rangers at their ballpark in Arlington.

The Umpires of the Year went to 2010 Keisuke Kotani of Japan (the home plate umpire of the gold medal game during the Intercontinental Cup) and to 2011 Adam Dowdy of the USA (Home plate umpire for the gold medal game during the World Cup.

"As an umpire" commented Kotani "It is already a great honor to be involved in various international tournaments including, in particular, those of IBAF. I will treasure the prestigious Award and would like to thank all the people who are working hard through IBAF for the good of baseball"

Dowdy said: “I would like to thank the International Baseball Federation for this prestigious award. I am deeply honored to be selected as the 2011 IBAF Umpire of the Year. We umpires know, going into each game, that we have a thankless job of being consistent and fair, and the best umpires are those who go seemingly unnoticed on the field. I am proud to be recognized by the IBAF as having represented my peers well. The level at which the game of baseball is played has dramatically improved around the world over the last decade, and I hope to have future opportunities to umpire international events, to educate aspiring umpires, and to be a part of improving the high level of officiating as we all strive to restore baseball as a recognized Olympic sport."

The Coaches of the Year were for 2010 Eduard S. Martin (Cuba), who won the Intercontinental Cup, and for 2011 Brian Farley (The Netherlands) who won the World Cup.

Brian Farley commented: “I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to the International Baseball Federation for awarding me as the Coach of the Year for 2011. As my fellow coaches know all too well, the best coaches have the best players. I am also extremely grateful to my technical, medical and support staff who are responsible for a great deal of our success and so I wish to share this award with them. It is indeed a great honor to receive this award knowing the caliber of my peers in the world of international baseball. Our success will hopefully act as a catalyst for bringing more youth players into the game of baseball not only in The Netherlands but throughout Europe. This, in turn, will hopefully succeed in changing the landscape for baseball in the future and usher in a return to the Olympic agenda”.

The Federation of the Year was for 2010 Chinese Taipei (hosted the Intercontinental Cup and won the AAA World Cup) and for 2011 Panama (hosted the World Cup).

The Junior Athlete of the Year was for 2010 Wei Tzu Lin of Chinese Taipei (MVP and All Star third baseman of the AAA World Cup) and for 2011 Zachary Collins of the USA (MVP, best home run hitter and All Star catcher of the AA World Cup).

Wei Tzu Lin said: “I would like to thank the board of the International Baseball Federation for selecting me as the 2010 IBAF junior player of the year, It is a true honor to be recognized as the best Junior athlete out of hundreds of outstanding players from around the world. This award will further encourage me to continue to train hard and to perform well in the field. I am proud to be recognized by the International baseball community as having represented my country well on the international stage. I will definitely work hard and hopefully represent my country again in future IBAF events and maintain the dream of one day playing in the Olympic Games"

Collins commented: “This is a dream come true. There is a difference between just playing baseball and the opportunity to represent your country at this level and win this award."

The Senior Athlete of the Year was for 2010 Hector A. Olivera of Cuba (MVP, best batting average and All Star second baseman of the Intercontinental Cup) and for 2011 Curt Smith of The Netherlands (MVP of the World Cup).

Curt Smith said: “It is a tremendous honor to be named the IBAF Athlete of the year. I could not have won this award without the help and encouragement of my teamates, coaches, fans, and the guidance of God. There are a lot of players who are worthy of this honor and it is a great feeling to be considered among them”.

The Woman Athlete of the Year was Ayako Rokkaku of Japan (MVP of the Women World Cup).

"I was very surprised and deeply honored to be selected as IBAF 2010 Female Athlete of the Year" explained Rokkaku "I would like to thank my coaches, team mates, officials, friends and families. Without their support, I could not have performed well and not deserved such an award. Women World cup is set for next year. I will make more efforts to be a better player and be able to contribute to the victory. Once again, I would like to show my sincere appreciation to IBAF for selecting me for this award and also, I would like to extend my appreciation to Federations, associations as well as players from all over the world who send us the heartwarming comments after the big earthquake stroke Japan in March".

The IBAF also awarded the Federations that hosted in the last 2 seasons competitions sanctioned by the organization: Baseball Canada (2010 AAA World Cup), Venezuela (2010 Women World Cup), Chinese Taipei (2010 Intercontinental Cup and 2011 12 and Under World Cup), Mexico (AA World Cup) and Panama (2011 World Cup).

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Panama

Friday night Giovanny Urshella played third base had a putout, three assists, and was error free. Urshella has yet to commit an error in 7 games. At the plate, Giovanny was 2-5 with a run scored and an rbi.

Saturday night Urshella had a putout and an assist. Again, no errors. Offensively, 1-3 with a walk and a run scored.

Giovanny Urshel, prospect of the Cleveland Indians will be in the Tigers' third baseman Cartagena.

20 year old (born October 11, 1991), Giovanni Urshel is the prospect number 23 of the Cleveland Indians organization.

This season he played with the team Class A Lake County Captains of the Cleveland Indians and had a great performance. He had 505 at bats , had 120 hits, 24 doubles, 9 four-drangulares, 2 triples, 46 RBIs, 57 runs, and a 238 in average.

The talented player with perform for the Cartagena Tigers this Colombian Professional Baseball 2011-2012 season. Urshella will be the machine at the hot corner - the third cushion defender - of the Tigers. Urshella is a fan of Jose Reyes, Nuva York Mets for his speed and the hands of Derek Jeter, the Yankees, for his bat and constancy and Alex Rodriguez, Yankees New York, for his patience and tranquillity to play the ball.

Glittering for him are these three figures in the mirror looking to dress very soon the big leagues. The prospect, Urshella, will be on the Tiger's stage for the fans to see this season.

Will it be like last year, the third baseman for the Tigers? - Yes, thank God the manager has given me this opportunity and hope to do a good job.

What do you expect from the fans of the Tigers? - Well, this year we have an excellent team who will fight until the end. Hopefully be in the finals this season.

How was your performance in Class A Cleveland Indians? - Good, I learned many new things and that was a long season and new to me. Participated in 140 games. I continue to improve in many ways, work hard, which is what you want to continue to develop.

What did the manager tell you before coming to play in Colombia? - I welcome the season, to follow up on the season here in Colombia get ready for next year.

Have you made ​​any special plans? - I made ​​some videos of how to play third base in the majors to see and learn little things that can help a lot in my training for next season.

What place do you occupy in the list of prospects from the Indians? - I'm on number 23.

What is your strength? - My defense.

Is your weakness? - On offense I have to make small adjustments. The way I swing.

Who is your idol forever? - Alex Rodriguez, for his peace of mind to play the game.

All the stadium

There were no excuses for not attending the stadium opener on November 11. - The first 500 women had free admission courtesy of Iderbol, through the Mayor of Cartegena. The first 500 people that presented their identity card from a different locality other than Cartagena, had free admission courtesy of Iderbol, through the Governor of Bolivar. The first 500 people that submitted the receipt of gas Surti canceled, had free admission. - The first 250 people who had paid Direct TV bills hadfree admission. The first 250 people who filed Comfenalco card will free admission.