Phoenix Cup 2010 – Hong Kong International Women’s Baseball Tournament – February 06-09, 2010 – Sai Tso Wan Baseball Field and Lion Rock Park Baseball Field – Hong Kong Baseball Association – Focus: Phoenix Cup 2010 Dual Squad North America and China Long Zhu Players and Info

Phoenix Cup 2010 – Hong Kong International Women’s Baseball Tournament – February 06-09, 2010 – Sai Tso Wan Baseball Field and Lion Rock Park Baseball Field

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Phoenix Cup 2010 Dual Squad – North America and China Long Zhu – Players and Info

About the North American Liberty Belles:

The North American Liberty Belles is a women’s baseball tournament team that includes players from the United States and Canada. Its players participate in various women’s baseball leagues and women’s baseball teams in North America, including other women’s baseball tournament teams. Some of its members also play in men’s baseball leagues and in men’s/coed baseball competitions. The varying levels of experience of the Belles include youth baseball and softball, high school baseball and softball, adult recreational and elite level baseball and softball, collegiate baseball, collegiate softball, professional softball, and women’s national team baseball. Some of the players also have coaching and instructing experience in baseball and softball, and some are women’s baseball organizers and promoters. The North American Liberty Belles originally was created for the 2009 Hong Kong Phoenix Cup Women’s International Baseball Tournament and continues to play as a tournament team in other competitions in addition to the annual Hong Kong Phoenix Cups. This year, we are glad to have the girls from the Shenzhen Lung Zhu High School join us in the tournament.

深圳市南山区龙珠中学简介:
龙珠中学是2006年成立的一所公办初级中学,位于深圳市南山区塘朗山脚下,环境优美。学校有一座深圳市唯一具有国际标准的棒球场。棒球,垒球是学校的特色项目,建校一始,学校就成立了女子垒球队,每年都会参加全国比赛,并取得了不错的成绩。学校垒球队2009年参加广东省青少年垒球比赛荣获第三名。

Google Translate from Chinese to English:

About the China Long Zhu Players:

Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Pearl School Description:
Pearl School was established in 2006 to do a public junior high schools, located in Nanshan District, Shenzhen Tong Lang foot of the mountains and beautiful environment. Shenzhen, only one school of international standard baseball stadium. Baseball, softball is the features of the school project, only one school, the school set up a women’s softball team each year to participate in national competitions, and have achieved good results. School softball team in 2009 to participate in youth softball games, Guangdong Province, won the third place

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Preliminary notes from Shawna Macurio, Principal, North American Liberty Belles:

There are 6 of us from the States and Canada going (5 of our core Belles players and a gal from the D.C. Thunder). We will combine with 6 gals from the Long Zhu school in Shenzhen, which is next to Hong Kong in mainland China. They play both fastpitch and baseball and have been training almost everyday for the past 2 years. We will have 2 of our coaches there (Rocky Ostrom and Philipe Yan), and Long Zhu will also have 2 coaches there.

I heard there will be 7 teams there counting us. There will be 2 from Korea this year…


Appeals court: Women wrestlers can sue UC Davis – By Paul Elias, Associated Press Writer – Monday, February 8, 2010

Appeals court: Women wrestlers can sue UC Davis – By Paul Elias, Associated Press Writer – Monday, February 8, 2010

An appeals court said Monday it appears that the University of California, Davis violated federal law meant to promote gender equity in college athletics when it eliminated its women’s wrestling program.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a lawsuit filed by three female wrestlers after the school essentially eliminated their sport by making them compete against males of the same weight after the 2000-2001 academic year.

The court turned aside the school’s argument that it had cut significantly from its men’s programs at the same time, ruling that the so-called Title IX law requires institutions receiving federal funding to show they are actively trying to expand women’s athletic opportunities.

In doing so, the appeals court also removed a legal technicality that a lower court imposed on female athletes requiring them to formally notify university officials when they believe a gender-equity violation has occurred before filing a lawsuit…

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/02/08/sports/s115116S63.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0f0CLoM2y

Sabemetrics to Remain in Public Domain – sabr.org

Sabermetrics to Remain in Public Domain

On February 3, 2010, Deep Focus, Inc. withdrew its application to trademark the term “sabermetrics” for social media consulting services.

Sabermetrics was coined by statistician Bill James, who first introduced the word to readers of his Abstract in March 1980, writing: “Sabermetrics is the mathematical and statistical analysis of baseball records.” Since that time, sabermetrics has become a ubiquitous part of the baseball landscape at all levels and by players, front office staff, the media, and fans alike. Most major league teams use sabermetrically derived statistics as part of their player evaluations. Members of the Baseball Writers Association of America and others who report on baseball refer to sabermetrics and its metrics on a regular basis. Recently James has said that sabermetrics is a “declaration of no ownership of knowledge.”

“SABR appreciates that Deep Focus has seen the value of keeping the term ‘sabermetrics’ in the public domain,” said Executive Director John Zajc. “We now understand that there was no intent to restrict free use of the word, and we are glad that they respect that free use of the word benefits everyone.”

“The intent to use the term ‘sabermetrics’ was solely to describe our approach to evaluating engagement within social media, and not to own the term outright. In no way did we mean to restrict others’ use of the word,” said Deep Focus’ CEO Ian Schafer. “We are fans of the game and fans of the sabermetric approach of statistical evaluation. We owe great thanks to Bill James and other sabermetricians for inspiring us to think more objectively about performance.”

The Society for American Baseball Research is an international, member-driven organization whose mission is to foster the research, preservation, and dissemination of the history and record of baseball. More information is available on SABR’s website at: www.sabr.org.

Deep Focus is a leading full-service interactive marketing agency focused on measurable, results-driven engagement. More information is available on Deep Focus’ website at: www.deep-focus.net.

‘Willie Mays,’ by James S. Hirsch – (Scribner; 628 pages; $30) – sfgate.com

‘Willie Mays,’ by James S. Hirsch – (Scribner; 628 pages; $30) – sfgate.com

Willie Mays and Babe Ruth are the greatest baseball players of all time. There are many other greats: Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente. Biographies exist for all of them, but to date there has been no authorized biography of Mays. Why did we have to wait until the man is 78 years old?

Despite all the joy he took in the game and dispensed to the fans, Mays has a reputation as being isolated and irascible. “No one really knows Willie Mays,” said the baseball historian Bill James. Mays may be a celebrity, but he is a very private person. And he wants a piece of everything he is involved in. James S. Hirsch, the author of a terrific new biography, “Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend,” admits that Mays will get half of the book’s proceeds (much of Mays’ earnings will go to the Say Hey Foundation…)

Baseball Canada bringing Bantam girls to Cuba

Baseball Canada bringing bantam girls to Cuba

OTTAWA – Who wouldn’t like to go to Cuba in February?

That is why 30 bantam age female baseball players jumped at the chance when they were notified that Baseball Canada was offering a chance to head down to the Caribbean country to play exhibition games with the Cuban Women’s National Team.

André Lachance, Manager of the Women’s National Team, through Baseball Canada organized the trip to Cuba for this group in February as a way of getting to know the future of his team.

“I’m looking at this trip as a chance to see the up and coming talent that we have across this country and use this as a development camp for future editions of the Women’s National Team,” says Lachance.

“With the busy summers, I do not have lots of opportunities to see bantam girls’ athletes in action, so this would give me the chance to look at 30 of them.”

With that, Lachance put the word out that he was looking for some new female players to go to Cuba and represent their country.

Two girls who have jumped on this opportunity are Melissa Pagé of Québec and Laura Whalen of Nova Scotia. In fact the response has been so positive that Lachance will be brining two teams to Cuba.

“I am extremely excited to represent Canada,” says Whalen. “I thought it was a big deal to represent Nova Scotia and I still think it is, but to represent Canada… wow. It’s overwhelming and I’m really looking forward to this trip.”

For Pagé, she’s looking forward to seeing the different culture that is Cuba, both on and off the field.

“I’m eager to see how the girls in Cuba practice, if they have different techniques than we do and what their training programs are. I’m excited to take in a different way of doing things.”

Lachance hopes that with the success of this camp that it will become an annual event in the identification process of the Women’s National Team.

“At the moment, we don’t really have any camps that help evaluate bantam girls’ players. This can become an important tool to help with the scouting of new female players.”

The camp takes place from February 14-21 in Havana, Cuba where the teams will look to play six to seven exhibition games.

NCAA, government often differ on Title IX compliance statistics – USATODAY.com – Originally published 07/11/2007

NCAA, government often differ on Title IX compliance statistics – USATODAY.com

Measuring one aspect of a college’s compliance with Title IX by counting male and female athletes would seem simple. But counts by the federal government and the NCAA often are at odds, a USA TODAY study found.

The newspaper conducted the study in advance of today’s scheduled release of a government report that may help answer one of the most important questions in college athletics since the equity law was passed 35 years ago: Have schools’ efforts to increase opportunities for women to participate resulted in lower participation rates for men?

Schools annually report how many men and women play on varsity teams to both the Department of Education and the NCAA.

But in a study of 96 Division I-A public schools, more than half of the schools showed differences in participation rates, depending on which data source is used…

Phoenix Cup begins; is it time for women in baseball? – Lairderg – Open Salon

Phoenix Cup begins; is it time for women in baseball? – Lairderg – Open Salon

As pitchers and catchers of Major League Baseball gather in their warm weather stadiums this weekend,about 100 women from various backgrounds and of various ages throughout the world are continuing their own preparation for the 2009 baseball season—by reaching for a gold medal in the Phoenix Cup 2009 International Women’s Baseball Tournament, hosted by Hong Kong…

Women Baseball 女子好棒!

Women Baseball 女子好棒!

Women Baseball 女子好棒!

Baseball still a boys club despite Title IX :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Carol Slezak

Baseball still a boys club despite Title IX – Girls interested in playing need leagues of their own – February 1, 2010 – BY CAROL SLEZAK – suntimes.com

Occasionally, I hear something that makes me check a calendar. As in, this is 2010, isn’t it? As opposed to, say, 1970? Such was the case recently when an e-mail from a man named John Kovach found its way to me. Kovach wrote that he has successfully consulted ”in 50 cases the past few years involving girls who were originally told they could not play baseball in youth or school programs.” Say what? Didn’t we settle this issue decades ago?

We did, of course. Under Title IX and various civil-rights laws, schools and parks and recreation departments are prohibited from denying girls the chance to play baseball. But there’s a big difference between legal change and cultural change. Too often, girls still are forced to jump through hoops, up to and including taking legal action, just to play. To think they call it the national pastime.

Kovach, who has three daughters, believes girls should be afforded the same baseball opportunities as boys. By day an archivist at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ind., he also heads up the South Bend Blue Sox, an organization dedicated to girls baseball.

”I just think that anyone who wants to play baseball should be able to,” he said.

A few years ago, Kovach filed a complaint with the Indiana Civil Rights Commission after his daughter Irina, then 12, was told she couldn’t join a local boys baseball league. By the time the case was decided last December in her favor, she was too old to play.

”I’ve heard similar stories from all over the country,” Kovach said.

Why does everything have to be so darn difficult?…

Players for the Planet • founded by Chris Dickerson of the Cincinnati Reds and Jack Cassel from the Cleveland Indians

Players for the Planet

Minor League Baseball: News: Cassel marshals Players 4 the Planet

Pitcher bringing athletes on board for environmental cause – By Benjamin Hill / MLB.com11/13/2009 10:00 AM ET

Jack Cassel, like most professional baseball players, has a lot on his mind right now.


The 29-year-old right-hander is hoping to rebound from an injury-plagued season with Triple-A Columbus, where he was able to make just 15 starts. He’s currently a free agent and may soon depart the country in order to play in a winter league.

But as committed as Cassel is to his currently influx baseball career, his performance on the playing field is far from his only area of focus. Last year, the Los Angeles native teamed up with Cincinnati Reds outfielder Chris Dickerson on an altruistic project of remarkable ambition — Players 4 the Planet.

Originally named We Play Green, Players 4 the Planet is an organization whose mission statement reads, in part, “[Our] goal is to bring professional athletes together to inspire communities to build awareness of the growing environmental crisis. [Players 4 the Planet] intends to use professional athletes and how they incorporate green in their own lives to demonstrate various methods that sports fans can utilize to make a difference themselves.”

We Play Green

WePlayGreen was founded by Chris Dickerson from the Cincinnati Reds and Jack Cassel from the Cleveland Indians. The goal is to bring professional athletes together to inspire communities to build awareness of the growing environmental crisis. WePlayGreen intends to use professional athletes and how they incorporate green in their own lives to demonstrate various methods that sports fans can utilize to make a difference themselves. For this, we welcome any and all professional athletes with an interest in making their voice heard, looking for a way to get involved or who simply would like to offer their support. WePlayGreen.org is one channel that we will use to spread awareness.
This is a call to action throughout all of professional sports to provide stadiums, locker rooms and playing fields with the proper recycling receptacles and outlets to help corral the amount of plastic that is used during the extent of the season. We need our players, front office and managerial personnel to help in this fight to clean up the environment. We will call upon team officials to cooperate with city officials as well as local recycling outlets to help provide the necessary equipment. In addition, our call to action extends to the millions of sports fans on how they can play green in their every day lives.

Players for the Planet on On CheckSwing.net

Marti Sementelli

Marti Sementelli

During Birmingham High School of Lake Balboa Vs West Ranch High School in the Valley Invitational Baseball League weekend of January 30-31, 2010

As remarked by her father, Gary Sementelli:

This was a Winter league game. Marti plays for the Birmingham High School Varsity team. They played West Ranch High School, Saturday, January 30th, 2010, at Birmingham High School in Lake Balboa, California. The Spring season starts up the first week in March. Marti threw three innings in relief giving up one run, two hits, while striking out 4 and walking one. Her team lost the contest by a score of 9-2.

Birmingham Community Charter High School Patriot Baseball – Roster

Birmingham Community Charter High School Patriot Baseball – MaxPreps