Baseball: From USA, with love

Baseball: From USA, with love

SYDNEY - Ushered to the front of the crowd, a young Australian baseball player grabbed the microphone to pose a question to Major League Baseball (MLB) stars, A J Ellis, of the LA Dodgers, and the Arizona Diamondbacks' All-Star pitcher, Patrick Corbin.

But the words never left the awestruck youngster.

Baseball is not associated even with sports-mad Australia but, on Tuesday, at the Sydney Opera House, where it was officially announced that the Dodgers and Diamondbacks will kick off the 2014 MLB season - playing two games on March 22 and 23 - it quickly became apparent that America's game had already caused a ripple Down Under.

Australia's hallowed Sydney Cricket Ground will be converted into a baseball field for the fixtures, complete with a pitcher's mound and dugouts.

PRE-SEASON FRIENDLIES

With tickets selling fast at the 40,000-capacity arena, the organisers revealed that Team Australia will face each of the MLB franchises in two pre-season friendlies to give more of the locals an opportunity to catch top-level baseball action.

"In addition to the opening series, we have added two exhibition games, on March 20 and 21, between each of the visiting teams and Team Australia," said New South Wales Premier, Barry O'Farrell.

"It will give another 80,000 people the opportunity to see baseball at its best, with Australian players against the best of the Major League."

The Ashes are poised to start in Australia tomorrow and an entire nation is gripped with the thought of revenge over the English, starting with the first Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.

For a few hours on Tuesday, though, there was a reprieve from cricket here, as baseball took centre stage.

This will be only the seventh time that MLB's opening game will be played outside of the United States, following previous matches in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Japan.

Australia actually boasts a professional league.

The MLB has a stake in the six-team Australian Baseball League (ABL) that was launched in 2010.

And the country is well-represented in MLB.

Over 60 Aussies are on contract with MLB clubs.

The Oakland As closing pitcher Grant Balfour, now a free agent, is rumoured to be drawing interest from arguably the most celebrated brand in the world of sport, the New York Yankees.

Before the start of the 2014 season, seven MLB ambassadors - including Yankees' All-Star Curtis Granderson - will visit Holland, France, China, South Africa, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand, as the Americans look to increase international focus.

The Dodgers reached the National League Championship Series last season and missed out on a trip to the World Series when they fell to the St Louis Cardinals 4-2.

Catcher Ellis, who played both basketball and American football, said it was baseball that gave him a shot at excelling and making the pros.

He will be joined by US basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson (right) here next year - the NBA Hall-of-Famer Johnson is part owner of the Dodgers - and is excited at the prospect of exporting America's favourite pastime to the world.

"Baseball is a game handed from father to son back home. It is the national pastime of the United States," Ellis, 32, told The New Paper.

Diamondbacks' pitcher Corbin has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top, but has not forgotten what it was like, as a kid, dreaming of reaching the bright lights of MLB.

"I was a kid chasing players for autographs once, and (despite the raised profile now) I feel like my personality hasn't changed, I'm the same kid I was before," said the 24-year-old, who only started pitching for his high school in his junior year.

"Playing in front of kids, maybe to inspire them, as I was inspired, isn't something I take for granted.

"I'm excited to come to Australia, hopefully putting up a good show. I'm here to represent the Diamondbacks and the MLB," added Corbin.

"I want to show why baseball is America's favourite pastime."


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