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ABL 2010/11

The Second Spitter Jul 01 2010 08:21 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 11 2010 03:08 PM

I'm so happy, I can cry! http://www.theabl.com.au/

DocTee Jul 01 2010 08:23 PM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Is Dave Nilson involved? I recall him opting out of his Brewers contract to help develop the sport down under.

themetfairy Jul 01 2010 08:26 PM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Very nice!

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 01 2010 08:31 PM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Good on y'all!

The Second Spitter Jul 01 2010 08:36 PM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Nilsson actually purchased the last incarnation of pro baseball in Oz and bankrupted it. But the reason he opted out of his Brewers contract was because the Brewers wouldn't release to play at the Sydney Olympics. He went to Japan and never made it back to the Bigs. Btw, in the mid to late 80's when pro- baseball was at its peak in Oz, the Sydney franchise was called the Metros - they played in royal, orange and....... powder blue! They finished their only season with a 3-36 record. I'll see if I can dig up a photo.

Zvon Jul 01 2010 08:51 PM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

That's very kool bro. When they come to the realization that they need a kool logo to be successful, bring em here and I'll make em one.

DocTee Jul 01 2010 09:52 PM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Can I be in charge of the wifeywatch thread? [url]http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/g/a/2010/06/30/miss_australia.DTL&o=2 No shortage of hot WAGS

The Second Spitter Jul 01 2010 10:53 PM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Well, Jennifer Hawkins went all the way in 2004, then she had her famous wardrobe malfunction which has nearly 300m google hits (almost one for every person in the United States...) \ Anyhoo....I found a pic of a Sydney Metros player from the 80's The word emblazoned across the jersey is "Tooheys" which is a local brewery and obviously was their major sponsor.

A Boy Named Seo Jul 02 2010 08:53 AM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Dude, that's great. I looked all over for a baseball field when I was there (tons of cricket and rugby grounds) before I finally saw the empty field for, I think it was, the Newcastle White Sox. Doesn't look like the franchises have nicknames yet huh?

Ceetar Jul 02 2010 08:57 AM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

I'll wait for team names before I decide if i'm gonna be a fan of one. We should (whether as a forum, or Mets fans in general) try to all pick a team to root for together if they're gonna televise the games in anyway. Baseball to watch in the winter is like Christmas in July..

Frayed Knot Jul 02 2010 10:04 AM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Maybe the Aussies need to tell Nilsson that they can't play if playing is without you.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 02 2010 10:20 AM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Frayed Knot wrote: Maybe the Aussies need to tell Nilsson that they can't play if playing is without you. Probably a busy guy at this point-- everybody's talking at him; he don't hear a word they're saying.

dgwphotography Jul 02 2010 10:23 AM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Now we know where tmf's next trip is going to be...

themetfairy Jul 02 2010 10:25 AM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Australia is definitely on our radar. But we're waiting for the kids to be out of the house first.

The Second Spitter Jul 02 2010 10:29 AM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Dude, that's great. I looked all over for a baseball field when I was there (tons of cricket and rugby grounds) before I finally saw the empty field for, I think it was, the Newcastle White Sox. Doesn't look like the franchises have nicknames yet huh? There's a special purpose baseball field not far from where we had a drink at that pub on the beach (remember the "Baltimore Ravens" chick?). It didn't occur to me to drive you past there. Sorry, bro. The Metros played in a multi-purpose stadium about a 15 minute walk from my house. No nicknames yet. If you're interested what the former ABL franchises were called you can find them here. (The Hunter Eagles would have been the Newcastle team)

A Boy Named Seo Jul 02 2010 10:56 AM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

I do remember that Ravens chick, yes. That big, but empty-ish bar where we watched the NZ/OZ cricket replay and drank rum?? That was a fun night, man. The Metros would probably be my club. The Melbrourne Bushrangers (!) and the Brisbane Bandits would have to be contenders, too, but ultimately, Sydney'd win out, I think. Congrats again. I'd be just as stoked.

Edgy DC Jul 02 2010 11:10 AM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Benjamin Grimm Jul 02 2010 11:14 AM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Zvon Jul 02 2010 12:07 PM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

The Second Spitter wrote: Well, Jennifer Hawkins went all the way in 2004, then she had her famous wardrobe malfunction which has nearly 300m google hits (almost one for every person in the United States...) WHOA! Where was I in 2004 that I missed out on that! *Heads off to google Outta my way,..comin thru,..sorry, your foot should not have been there...scuse me..

Zvon Jul 02 2010 12:08 PM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Ceetar wrote: Baseball to watch in the winter is like Christmas in July.. Only one thing trumps that. Playing(yourself, playing) baseball in the snow. It's much safer than playing baseball on dry land.

Ceetar Jul 02 2010 12:16 PM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Zvon wrote: Ceetar wrote: Baseball to watch in the winter is like Christmas in July.. Only one thing trumps that. Playing(yourself, playing) baseball in the snow. It's much safer than playing baseball on dry land. sign me up.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 02 2010 12:21 PM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

What about playing with yourself in the snow?

Zvon Jul 02 2010 12:26 PM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Benjamin Grimm wrote: What about playing with yourself in the snow? Been there, done that. NEXT!! [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqx5j-FuqeI

Edgy DC Jul 02 2010 12:28 PM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Strangest presentation of cherry Gibson SG use ever. They've got to be Scots.

Zvon Jul 02 2010 11:14 PM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

Edgy DC wrote: Strangest presentation of cherry Gibson SG use ever. They've got to be Scots. Hellzyea

Edgy DC Jul 02 2010 11:30 PM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

HA! Knew it.

The Second Spitter Jul 03 2010 03:15 AM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

A Boy Named Seo wrote: I do remember that Ravens chick, yes. That big, but empty-ish bar where we watched the NZ/OZ cricket replay and drank rum?? That was a fun night, man. The Metros would probably be my club. The first CPF meeting in the Southern Hemisphere! I wonder how much the Metros influenced my decision to be a Mets fan? Fate brought the Mets before me for the first time about 3 years after the Metros only season. The '90 Metros had many things in common with the '93 Mets. A Boy Named Seo wrote: The Melbrourne Bushrangers (!) and the Brisbane Bandits would have to be contenders, too, but ultimately, Sydney'd win out, I think. It never occurred to me before, but Bushrangers and Bandits have essentially the same meaning, except one is the Australian term and the other the American.

The Second Spitter Oct 11 2010 03:07 PM Re: We're getting a baseball league...

We got Mr Koo! ~Lets go Blue Sox~

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 11 2010 03:19 PM Re: ABL 2010/11

Sydney's got the best logo, no doubt:

bmfc1 Oct 11 2010 07:08 PM Re: ABL 2010/11

All of us should root for the same team.

The Second Spitter Oct 12 2010 12:27 PM Re: ABL 2010/11

Sydney's got the best logo, no doubt: That it is, but also quite partial to the Adelaide Bite cap logo: The nickname of the Adelaide team may sound lame to US audiences, is actually quite a clever double entendre. Btw, my opening day Blue Sox ticket cost me less than a beer at Citi Field.

The Second Spitter Nov 13 2010 06:29 AM Re: ABL 2010/11

Here's a list of former and current Mets organizational players in the ABL: Former Dae-Sung Koo is the closer for the Sydney Blue Sox. Justin Huber is DHing for the Melbourne Aces (apparently can no longer catch so he'll be splitting time between 1st and DH) There's also a hot rumor that Jae Seo will be a Blue Sock next season (maybe they can get Chan Ho Park too and have a reunion of Korean former Mets in Sydney.....) Current Stefan Welch, (1B, St Lucie Mets) is splitting time between DH and 1B for the Adelaide Bite (does that make him a Biter?). Incidentally, the player he's platooned with at 1st is Todd "Son of a Goose" Gossage. Lachlan Hodge, (LHP, Kingsport Mets) was initially assigned to the Blue Sox, but won't make an appearance until after Xmas for reasons unbeknownst to me. Hodge was a highly touted prospect when he signed with the Mets in 08 but sucked last season, so the Mets may believe that rest is what he needs) That's all I know of.

Ceetar Nov 17 2010 06:51 AM Re: ABL 2010/11

Hey, they've started. no TV though I imagine. I'd watch..

Willets Point Nov 17 2010 10:33 AM Re: ABL 2010/11

Missed this thread before. Looks like the Perth Heat will log a lot of miles getting to their road games this season.

The Second Spitter Nov 18 2010 03:15 AM Re: ABL 2010/11

I have to say some of tthe initial buzz has subsided for me for few reasons.. (1) To watch the Blue Sox, I have to travel a similar distance to what metfairy has to travel to watch the Mets. It's far from the center of Sydney and shithole of an area, really. (2) Their ground is way too small. ( Here's a vid from opening night). It has a capacity of 2,000. Every game's a sell-out, which means, getting tickets is a pain in the arse. (3) The standard of baseball sucks (Single A and I'm being generous). (4) The media coverage is abysmal, although with cricket dying a painful death in this country, that may change. (5) The playoff structure is ridiculous. It's a 6 team league and four make the play-offs. Next season there's gonna be two more teams (Newcastle, Gold Coast), so I guess that's an improvement. On the positive side, the league is very professionally run. MLB is basically bankrolling and running the whole thing. Ceetar wrote: Hey, they've started. no TV though I imagine. I'd watch.. Theres's a live audio feed of Blue Sox games on their website. Opening pitch is usually 3AM ET, so I'll be expecting most of you to be around for an IGT. I'll see what I can do about uploading some games. Meanwhile... here's a real close up vid of Mr Koo warming up in the bullpen

The Second Spitter Feb 05 2011 12:19 AM Re: ABL 2010/11

We're deep into the play-offs; (I won't bother explaining the play-off structure as it may be incomprehensible to Americans, but you can read it here) Perth Heat have made it to Championship series where they will meet the winner of the Blue Sox/Bite series. Blue Sox are up 1-0 (best of 3). David Welch (formerly of the Brewers org) pitched the league's first no-no in Game 1) Game 2 starts in about an hour and you watch it live here. Had a ticket but not going as it's about 110°F out there.

The Second Spitter Feb 05 2011 05:45 AM Re: ABL 2010/11

Adelaide got up 4-0. Game 3 tomorrow. Tune inat 21:30ET tonight for the series decider.