If you live above Orlando Florida you are probably going through or have gone through some type of field winterization.  Winterizing a baseball field can mean many different things to groundskeepers.  I recall in West Palm Beach during my Atlanta Braves days we had a list of specific Items to winterize even though it never became cold enough to snow or freeze (except once but thats another story) the check list was composed of the following general items.  Purchasing winter rye grass seed which actually needed to be ordered in the summer as it would run out.  Removing the batters eye wind screens do save them from the abnormally high winds that could blow through across the state.  Removing the turface and diamond pro conditioner off the top of the infields.  After removing the conditioner we would actually dig a small trench around the infield clay about 3 ft in front of the grass line.  The ditch would be about 4 or 5 inches deep.   This would save us from the wind creating lips around the infield grass edge. 

Winterizing as you go farther north can mean other things such as cleaning out your irrigation lines, spraying a snow mold fungicide out on your turf before the snow covers your field for the winter and most importantly preparing the field with the proper nutrients for the spring.  This is also the time to complete all of your projects if you plan on using the field in the spring.  Developing a winterization plan is crucial for spring use.   One of the main winterizing agronomic plans everyone implements in the fall is aerifying and topdressing.   In some areas topdressing lightly ...others areas heavy -  depending on where you are in the world.  

Another common practice is covering the turf with a geo clothe. One cover I have seen do wonders is called a evergreen cover. ( The cover to the left is black which is what they used in beijing ) I was concerned about the cover but it actually helped even though no light was allowed through it.  The evergreen cover is translucent allowing both water and sun to penetrate the fabric.  You will get an early spring green field and healthy roots. The down side is keeping it in place during the winter.  Wind can play havoc on the cover so it needs to be monitored regularly to secure the pins that hold it down.  Also if it goes down to early you need to pull it up as it could get to hot and then your turf starts growing before Christmas which is not really a good thing.  If that happens many just spray preventive fungicide to reduce the problems. 

   Regardless where you are be sure to plan early to put your field away for the winter. 

A couple days ago we helped out with Minor League Baseball's first field maintenance clinic in Durham, NC at Durham Athletic Park. ( The old renovated Bull Durham Field)  With 80+ people attending it was a major success. Weather threatened to change the event the evening before and actually it was lightly raining at dawn but within a couple hours the sun came through and the day was perfect. 

Dr. Grady Miller was our keynote touching on winterization and educational assistance for the turf managers.  John Cook VP of Business Operations was on hand from MiLB.   Other speakers included Tracey Schenweis from Salem Red Sox, Scott Strickland from the Durham Bulls, Pat Coakley and Jeff Ferguson.  We had about 15 minor league groundskeepers and 15 college turf managers on hand with rest being sponsors, parks & rec members and private school turf managers.  We had a few sponsers that really helped make the event successful.  Burnett, Turface, Carolina Green, John Deere and revels Tractor and turf along with Sand Hill Key sod farm. 

Each session was broken down into turf management, infield maintenance and pitchers mound maintenance. We also had John Deere provide a program on equipment maintenance which was very well received.  It was good day seeing friends and peers.  Hats off to Josh Marden and Jill Russinko who manage the DAP!  Great Job!!

For those of you who keep up with baseballs pecking order outside the USA, IBAF issued a press release below with the new rankings an USA moved to number 2.   It was pretty cool seeing Germany in the top twenty as well.

USA MOVES TO NO. 2 IN IBAF WORLD RANKINGS

IBAF AA/16U Worlds, Baseball World Cup titles push U.S. up two spots from No. 4

( LAUSANNE, Switzerland) - The United States of America moved from No. 4 to No. 2 in the International Baseball Federation's (IBAF) latest installment of the Men's World Rankings which were released Monday.

Behind first place finishes at the IBAF "AA"/16U World Youth Championships and the IBAF Baseball World Cup, the U.S. jumped ahead of Korea and Japan and put it within striking distance of Cuba, which has held the No. 1 position since the rankings debuted earlier this year.

With these rankings, the IBAF also introduced several tournaments from the last four years that were not originally taken into consideration for the World Rankings. These events include continental pre-qualifying tournaments and invitational events like the "Good Luck Beijing" Baseball Tournament in 2007.  The inclusion of the new events has introduced 22 national baseball teams to the IBAF World Rankings, and all of the new tournaments meet the criteria of events which the IBAF considers for rankings points.

Overall, tournaments and championships that have been added, replaced or removed for the 19 October IBAF World Rankings include:

Added: 2007 "Good Luck Beijing" Baseball Tournament, 2007 and 2009 Asian Baseball Cups (for 2007 and 2009 Asian Championships, respectively), 2006 and 2008 European Continental Qualifiers (for 2007 and 2010 European Championships)
Replaced: 2005 IBAF Baseball World Cup with the 2009 IBAF Baseball World Cup, 2005 IBAF "AA"/16U World Youth Championships with the 2009 IBAF "AA"/16U World Youth Championships
Removed: None

Next to be replaced: 2005 Southeast Asia Games (2009 Southeast Asia Games set for later this year, replacement will be reflected in year-end rankings)

Other notable changes in the rankings include Italy moving from No. 15 to No. 12 and Germany moving into the top-20, going from No. 23 to No. 20.  Belgium witnessed the largest jump in the rankings, going from unranked to No. 34 while both Cameroon and Samoa saw the biggest decline, falling from a tie at No. 51 to again even at No. 72.

The complete IBAF Men's World Rankings are listed below:

The first number is Current Rank, 2nd is Previous Rank, Member Federation, Total Rankings Points

1, 1, Cuba, 1159.68

2, 4, United States, 1051.32

3, 3, Japan, 912.07

4, 2, Korea, 850.76

5, 5, Chinese Taipei, 561.63

6, 6, Netherlands, 405.33

7, 8, Canada, 360.19

8, 7, Mexico, 353.75

9, 9, Venezuela, 298.86

10, 10, Puerto Rico, 231.39

11, 11, Australia, 211.24

12, 15, Italy, 166.00

13, 13, Dominican Republic, 135.68

14, 14, Nicaragua, 117.49

15, 16, China, 102.00

16, 12, Panama, 92.32

17, 18, Spain, 67.38

18, 17, Thailand, 63.38

19, 19, Philippines, 62.33

20, 23, Germany, 48.38

21, 25, Great Britain, 45.76

22, 24, Czech Republic, 44.91

23, 21, South Africa, 40.05

24, 29, Netherlands Antilles, 34.93

25, 40, Croatia, 34.19

26, 27, Indonesia, 28.50

27, 32, Russia, 23.45

28, 36, France, 21.63

29, 26, Sweden, 19.07

30, 37, Hong Kong, 17.92

31, 49, Pakistan, 14.75

32, 28, Palau, 12.50

33, 22, Colombia, 12.00

34, NR, Belgium, 10.96

35, 20, Brazil, 10.50

36, 30, Nigeria, 10.00

36, 30, New Caledonia, 10.00

36, NR, Greece, 10.00

39, 33, Myanmar, 9.50

40, NR, Ireland, 8.49

41, 48, Austria, 8.14

42, 33, Ghana, 7.50

42, 33, American Samoa, 7.50

42, NR, Sri Lanka, 7.50

45, 49, Lithuania, 7.00

46, 44, Ukraine, 6.69

47, 38, Virgin Islands, 5.00

48, NR, Belarus, 4.78

49, NR, Slovakia, 4.75

50, NR, Slovenia, 4.35

51, NR, Poland, 4.28

52, 39, Aruba, 4.25

53, NR, Switzerland, 4.12

54, 41, Zimbabwe, 3.75

54, 41, Fiji, 3.75

56, NR, Romania, 3.38

57, 43, Guatemala, 3.25

58, 45, Malaysia, 2.25

59, NR, Israel, 2.09

60, 45, Lesotho, 2.00

61, NR, Finland, 1.93

62, 47, Bahamas, 1.75

63, NR, Bulgaria, 1.72

64, NR, Georgia, 1.42

65, 51, Cambodia, 1.38

66, NR, Portugal, 1.36

67, NR, Hungary, 1.17

68, NR, San Marino, 0.83

69, NR, Serbia, 0.62

70, NR, Norway, 0.54

71, NR, Malta, 0.44

72, NR, Turkey, 0.25

72, NR, Latvia, 0.25

72, 51, Cameroon, 0.25

72, 51, Samoa, 0.25

 Pago Pago - Just a couple months ago I visited American Samoa to help them develop better baseball fields.  The recent tsunami that hit this island caused extensive damage and the death toll is still being determined.  During my stay I met some wonderful people that invited me into there homes like I was part of their family.  It was a great experience both professionally and personally.   My prayers go out to the Samoans through these very difficult times.   A few photos I took of the youth fields are right on the water.  In this photo you can see across the inlet, the town of Fagatogo which is the government center for the island.  If you notice the green building tops in the photo above they are the National Park Facilities seen in the photo taken by the AP after the tsunami.  Go to the web site below and you can see the same buildings damaged from the flooding.

Pele lives on the water on the north side of the island.  His family invited me to a cookout at there home which is directly on the water. He is the chief of there village and a member of the governors cabinet.   

The following is the blog I posted a couple months ago about the fields in American Samoa.

The Island of American Samoa is taking steps towards becoming a better baseball country with help from the International Baseball Association ( IBAF). With a long history of producing NFL and College football athletes, I can assure you that the South Pacific Island will soon have a few more Samoans headed for the big leagues.   

A island country of only 69,000 people with a handful of baseball fields is the beginning of true grass roots development in our International sport.  It's estimated that about 600 to 800 kids play baseball on the Island and the resources they have to compete are very limited.  One fact that is hard to believe as it relates to the countires potential athletes....there are 28 current NFL players from  Samoa.  ESPN reported that a Samoan is 40 times more likely to play in the NFL than a kid from mainland USA.  There is only 1 football stadium on the entire island.  It can use some TLC as well.

  The main ( and only) baseball stadium on the Island will require some Major improvements to bring it up to international competition standards but having spent a few days with the people here...I'm pretty confident they will get it done with a little help.  Renovated a few years ago everything looks OK except the field.  Again with the right resources and training it can be improved.  

Tony Solaita Stadium was named after the first  MLB player  out of Am. Samoa.  Playing 7  big league seasons with the Royals, Yankees, and Angels. Blue Jays , Expos.   Tony's Brother Ben is the President of the countries Baseball federation and is heading up the troops to upgrade the playing field.  Tony passed away in 1990 and  the country named the only baseball stadium after him in his honor.   There are several other players of Samoan decent that have made it to the Majors in recent years. Benny Agbayani ( Mets, Rockies) Chris Aguila ( Marlins and Mets) Matt Tuilasosopa ( Mariners) Wes Littleton ( Red Sox).   There's another 15 or so guys outside of this group that have played professional ball in the states over the past 20 years.  Again not bad for country of 69000.

Field maintenance equipment is minimal.  Pull behind gang mowers and hand tools.  There is no packing clays for the mounds/bullpens and the Island chiefs will not allow you to move soil from part of the Island to another.  The native language is Samoan but everyone speaks English as it is a US territory and all American Samoans have US citizenship.  The area is also Known  for "Charley the Tuna" and the "Mermaid Tuna"  factories. The highest speed limit on the island is 25mph...and the police do not even have to carry weapons.  It's very common to see Samoan men wearing traditional skirts (known as Lava Lavas) and sandals like you and I wear jeans.  One of the guys told me jokingly that the Irish were descendents of the Samoans as they have the kilt.  i began to chuckle but with 28 players in the NFL... I dont think anyone will ever poke fun at the Samoan men.   Everyone I have met looks like they all play for the NFL right now.  All kidding aside they are a very proud and kind people. Ben Solatia and Ken Tupua have been great to work with and there sincere ability to do whats right for the future generations of Samoan baseball players is really remarkable.   Hopefully soon we will be seeing more baseball players in the Majors and more back on the field here in Pago Pago.

How about this island!

Wow..this will be short. USa beat Cuba 10-5 in a typical battle between 2 powerhouse teams.  Impressive win for USA and a great tournament.  Our crew did a wonderful job across the board.  Bottom line no one was injured due to field conditions and everyone was thrilled with the venues and field improvements we all made. 

Thanks to all the field crews for making this such a successful event for baseball around the world!

We made a lot of new friends on this one and quite a few memories.  more to follow as the crew leaders send in there photos and stories. 

IBAF notes below provide info for final game which will be on the MLB Network at 2pm EST.

The United States of America and Cuba will meet in an International Baseball Federation (IBAF) Baseball World Cup final for the second time in a row, Sunday, at 15:00 (9:00 am EDT)  in Nettuno, Italy.  The U.S. enters the game at 7-0 (13-1 overall), and Cuba, 5-2 (12-2 overall) in third round play.  The USA's only loss was their first game, 13-9 in 11 innings to Venezuela on 10 September. Cuba has lost to Puerto Rico 5-2 on 18 September and to the USA 5-3 on Thursday.

The game will be seen on the MLB Network in the United States, Eurosport2 across Europe, ICRT in Cuba, RAI Sport in Italy and on tape delay on ESPN STAR Asia, making it the most widely-broadcast final since World Cup play began in 1938.

The final game will be a rematch of the 2007 IBAF Baseball World Cup, held in Chinese Taipei.  The United States won that match-up, 6-3, ending Cuba's run of nine-straight World Cup titles. Although the USA has seen the most recent success in the event, Cuba has historically dominated World Cup play.  The current No. 1 in the world, Cuba has won a staggering 25 titles out of the 29 World Cups in which it has competed.  Of the 25 wins, three of them have come in World Cups held in Italy (1978, 1988, 1998), and in the four tournaments it has not placed first, it has never finished outside of the top-3.

Team USA - current world No. 4 - will make its 12^th appearance in a World Cup gold medal game,The USA is looking to take back-to-back titles for only the second time ever, the last time being in 1973-'74. Sunday.  The U.S. has won the World Cup three times in 1973, 1974 and 2007.  Overall, this will be the seventh time Cuba and the USA have played for World Cup gold, with Cuba holding a 6-1 lead. The last time two nations met in consecutive World Cup Finals was in 1994 and 1998, with Cuba defeating Korea both times to win the gold.

They met for the gold medal twice before in Italy, in both 1978 and 1988.  Sunday's final will take place in Nettuno, which is referred to throughout Italy as the country's foremost baseball town.  Stadio "Steno Borghese" will play host to the two world baseball powers, providing a dramatic backdrop for the IBAF's crown jewel event.

Both Cuba and the United States have seen balanced offensive and pitching performances throughout the World Cup, but it is hard to ignore the prolific power numbers put up thus far by Cuba's Alfredo Despaigne and the USA's Justin Smoak.

Despaigne homered on Friday to break the Cuban and World Cup record for home runs in one event, with 10. Not to be outdone, Smoak, a Texas Rangers (MLB) prospect, already holds the U.S. Record in this World Cup with nine home runs.  His 21 RBIs also lead the club.

Cuba continues to dominate in the pitching categories as well, leading all nations with a 1.70 ERA. It has three pitchers now at 3-0, Norge Vera, Miguel and Yulieski Gonzalez, while reliever Pedro Lazo has three saves and has yet to allow a run.

On the U.S. side, Terry Tiffee (.353 4 HR 19 RBI) sits two RBIs behind Smoak for the team lead, while Jon Weber leads the team in hitting (.435 3 HR 12 RBI).  The U.S. pitching staff, which has been key in the squad's current 13-game winning streak, boasts a 1.93 ERA and is led by 3-0 Lucas Harrell (no runs allowed in 10 innings in relief) and a five-man starting rotation which has allowed a total of 12 earned runs in 83 innings.

Retired Colonel Joe Bevilacqua is the Superintendent of the American cemetery in Nettuno Italy and has also helped us with the field preperations over the past few weeks with equipment and resources .During our conversations he wondered if the USA baseball team may have some time to come over to the cemetery to see the site. One thing lead to another and it worked out that Team USA could be there a few minutes before BP of the Netherlands game.

The site is as impressive as Arlington with over 8000 Americans laying rest from the Anzio beach invasion of the allied forces during WWII.  The 77 acre site is American property. The players were obviously moved by Colonel Joe's presentation of the invasion and the cemetary facts. Joe has a crew of over 16 guys that maintain the grounds which were breath taking. 

Not only was there a memorial but also a chapel where the names of over 3000 soldiers  considered missing in action have their names etched into the Roman traventine marble.  Inscribed in  bold letters in the chapel"  IN PROUD REMEMBERANCE OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF HER SONS AND IN HUMBLE TRIBUTE TO THEIR SACRIFICES THIS MEMORIAL HAS BEEN ERECTED BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"   On some unknown cemetary markers the inscription reads..HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY A COMRADE IN ARMS KNOWN BUT TO GOD"

A couple of the players were talking and I over heard one say that had the guys laying here not given the ultimate sacrfice  we would not be here today playing this game.  And the other player responded ...yes an we would probably be speaking a different language as well. 

Im glad it worked out they could get over to see the cemetery as it really puts things in perspective as to why we are playing these games.  Many Many thanks to our armed forces for keeping us safe.  God Bless you Guys and Gals.

 Anyway   .... CUBA - USA tommorow for the GOLD MEDAL   Check out the poster .

Below are IBAF updates for today.  Check out USA CUBA on the MLB Network at 2pm live from nettuno. Photo below is in Grosetto where kevin is taking care of the field.

Netherlands - Canada:

The Netherlands and Canada both enter their third round matchup sitting in second place in their respective groups.  For Netherlands, the game provides a chance to move one step closer to the championship match, while the Canadians look to improve upon their best ever finish, which was 5th in 1988.

The Netherlands, who are hitting a tournament leading .325 as a team, are led offensively by three players who are batting over .400;  their double play combo of Sharlon Shoop (.464) and Hainley Statia (.417) and catcher Sidney de Jong (.435).  Others who have been impressive include former major leaguer Randall Simon, who went 3-5 with 3 RBI's in the victory against Chinese Taipei, and first baseman Sharnol Adriana, who also added 3 RBI's in the win.  

The Canadians are led by MLB Futures Game MVP Rene Tosini, who is hitting .388 with three home runs, 15 RBI's and two stolen bases.  Teammates Adam Stern and Jimmy Van Ostrand are also hitting over .300.  Amazingly, the Canadian pitching staff has two members who have yet to give up an earned run in extended work; Matt Kniginyzky (18.0 innings pitched) and Nick Bucci (14.1 innings pitched).

Cuba - United States:

In a rematch of the 2007 Baseball World Cup, Thursday night promises to be an exciting rematch between the United States and Cuba, and a potential preview for the Championship game on Sunday.  Cuba will look to avenge its loss to the USA in the 2007 World Cup Championship game, when the US beat them to take home the World Cup crown.  Heading into the match, both teams are 2-0 in the Third Round so far.   With the United States 5-0 record against teams in this round thus far this tournament, they are currently in first place in pool 2 and have already clinched a spot in the finals of the Baseball World Cup.  Cuba has defeated Australia 2-1 and Chinese Taipei 8-0 in the Third Round thus far, while the USA has defeated Venezuela 6-3 and Puerto Rico 3-0.  

Cuba is 4-1 in the tournament against the final 8 teams, putting them atop pool 1.  Therefore, Thursday night's game has huge implications for the Cubans, who can put themselves in an ideal position to face the USA again in the finals with a win tomorrow night.  Both teams have been very impressive so far this tournament, with both teams with an overall record of 11-1.    

One of the most intriguing stories coming into this match-up is  Justin Smoak of the USA (.341 AVG,  9 HR, 19 RBI) and Alfredo Despaigne of Cuba (.442 AVG, 9 HR, 15 RBI), are tied for the record of most HR's in a World Cup tournament at 9 apiece.  Both have gathered lots of attention throughout the tournament. 

Venezuela - Australia:

Day three of Round Three of the 2009 Baseball World Cup will see a slew of interesting games. Although Venezuela enters the game 0-5, they are stiff competition for Australia (2-3). Australia defeated the Netherlands 5-2 after losing tough games to the USA 4-3 and Cuba 2-1. In their game against the Netherlands, Liam Hendriks led the way by hurling six innings of scoreless baseball, while Luke Hughes provided the offense, hitting two home runs and knocking in four runs.  Australia is led by Dushan Luzic who has a 0.00 ERA in 18 innings but remains at 1-1 because of 3 unearned runs. On the offensive side, Luke Hughes is hitting .313 with 4 home runs and 12 RBI's.

Venezuela (0-5) lost to Canada on Wednesday night 9-2. Orlando Perdomo took the loss for Venezuela when he was hit up for four runs in the second inning, and only lasted 1 2/3 innings.  Rene Reyes provided the Venezuelan offense by hitting a two-run seventh inning home run, and now has 4 home runs and 18 RBI's in the tournament.  Also leading the way for Venezuela is Lino Connel, hitting .370 over 12 games, and Luis Torres who has a 0.00 ERA over 10 innings. 

Puerto Rico - Chinese Taipei:

The third round of the 2009 Baseball World Cup has been a difficult road for Puerto Rico and Chinese Taipei.  Both teams come into their Thursday match up with an 0-2 record, and face a hard road in order to advance further in this tournament. 

Puerto Rico, who entered the third round with an 8-2 record, has dropped two straight to Canada and the United States respectively, and have yet to score a run, losing both matches by the score of 3-0.

Chinese Taipei has been outscored by a combined run total of 19-2 in their two third round match-ups.  Prior to the last two games, they had won 5 of their last 7. 

Puerto Rico's offensive attack is lead by power hitting Miguel Abreu and Luis Matos, who are both hitting over .300 for the tournament.  Chinese Taipei is headlined by Han Lin, who boasts an impressive .409 batting average through 12 games.  

WEDNESDAY GAME RECAPS:

USA 3 Puerto Rico 0:  Behind a dominant pitching performance from Todd Redmond, the U.S. (5-0) defeated Puerto Rico (2-3) and guaranteed itself a place in the World Cup gold medal final.  Redmond tossed 8 1/3 shutout innings, struck out four and walked only one for the win.  Jason Childers recorded the final two outs for the save.  Team USA's leading hitter, Jon Weber, continued his torrid pace, going 2-for-4 with a home run, and leadoff man Buck Coats hit a home run as well, on a 3-for-3 night at the plate.  The victory keeps the U.S. perfect at 5-0 in Pool G, with Canada alone in second, two games back at 3-2.  With only two pool games remaining and with the U.S. owning any tie-breaker against Canada (head to head in Round 2), the defending World Cup champions have punched their ticket to Sunday's final in Nettuno.  The loss was Puerto Rico's second 3-0 defeat in as many Round 3 games.  Pool F's No. 2 seed coming in has yet to score a run to back up its solid pitching.  Sta  rter Efrain Nieves went 4 1/3 innings, allowing only three hits and two earned runs in the loss, and Irving Falu led Puerto Rico's hitters, going 2-for-4.

Canada 9 Venezuela 2:  Canada (3-2) continued its perfect run through Round 3 on Wednesday night, defeating Venezuela (0-5), 9-2.  The win moves Canada to 3-2 in the round and alone in second place in Pool G.  The Canadians started quickly with four runs in the second inning and they never looked back.  Eight of nine of the Canadian starters had at least one hit, with four players recording two each.  Rene Tosoni was at it again, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs.  Matt Kniginyzky contributed another stellar performance off the mound for Canada, throwing six shutout innings and striking out three for the win.  Orlando Perdomo had been among the Venezuelans top arms coming into the game, but he was tagged for all four of the runs in the second frame, and he was chased from the game only two outs into the inning.  Rene Reyes drove in both of the Venezuela runs in the seventh inning, courtesy of a home run.  Canada/Venezuela was the first World Cup game to be hoste  d by Chieti - one of the areas affected by the devastating earthquake that ripped through Italy in April of this year.

Cuba 9 Chinese Taipei 2:  Cuba (4-1) knocked off Chinese Taipei (1-4), 9-2, Wednesday, and coupled with the Netherlands loss, it now stands alone in first place in Pool F, with two pool games remaining.  The Cubans were in control throughout, buoyed by a dominating performance from starter Miguel Gonzalez, who struck out eight and walked only one in seven shutout innings.  Jonder Martinez pitched two scoreless frames to slam the door on the win.  At the plate, Cuba was once again led by Alfredo Despaigne, who, in a 2-for-5 night, added two more home runs to his World Cup leading total of nine (tied with Justin Smoak, USA).  The total also ties him with Orestes Kindelan for the most home runs by a Cuban player in a World Cup (1990).  Frederich Cepeda tacked on three RBIs as well - two of which were on a home run in the first inning.  Chia-Chun Tang took the loss for Chinese Taipei, surrendering five runs in 3 1/3 innings.  Five Chinese Taipei batters recorded one hit each.

Australia 5 Netherlands 2:  After two-straight nail-biting losses for Australia (2-3), it staged an eighth-inning rally to defeat the Netherlands (3-2), 5-2.  On the heels of a 4-3 loss to the USA to close out Round 2, and a 2-1 defeat to open Round 3, the Aussies were looking to turn things around on Wednesday.  Liam Hendriks continued the night's trend of strong starting pitching performances, hurling six innings of two-hit, scoreless baseball.  Luke Hughes had another huge night at the plate for Australia, belting two home runs and tallying four RBIs.  The Dutch stayed in the game late, scoring one run in each of the seventh and eighth innings, but their offense was never really in sync.  Randall Simon led the way, going 2-for-4 with one runs scored and an RBI.  Hard-luck starter Tom Stuifbergen threw five shutout frames of his own for the Netherlands, but the relievers gave up five earned the rest of the way.

NOTES

TWO TIED FOR THE HOME RUN LEAD:  With his two home runs tonight against Chinese Taipei, Alfredo Despaigne has tied the Cuban record of 9 for a single World Cup. Orestes Kindelan also had 9 in Italy in 1990.  Despaigne is also now tied with the United States Justin Smoak for the tournament lead.

TV COVERAGE EXPANDS AGAIN: The International Baseball Federation today announced additional game coverage for the final games of the 2009 Baseball World Cup, currently taking place in Italy.  In the United States, the MLB Network will add the USA vs. Cuba game on Thursday 24 September at 2:00 p.m. EDT, as well as the championship game from Nettuno, Italy on Sunday 27 September at 9:00 a.m. EDT. NOS in the Netherlands will add three additional games involving the Dutch team, including today's game against Australia, tomorrow's game against Canada and Friday's game against the USA.  This television coverage is in addition to already announced local broadcasts in Cuba, Venezuela and Italy, as well as on Eurosport2 across Europe.

FIRST GAME IN CHIETI:  The Canada-Venezuela game marked the first time that a 2009 Baseball World Cup game was played in Chieti.  Chieti is also scheduled to host the Chinese Taipei - Puerto Rico match tomorrow and the Australia - Puerto Rico game on Friday.

MLB INTERNATIONAL OPENS CHINA ACADEMY: Another example of baseball's growing global footprint was announced today, as Major League Baseball International announced the opening of a baseball development center in Wuxi, China. The new academy will provide professional baseball training for middle school and high school-aged students within an academic setting. This is the latest and boldest step in the development of baseball in China.  An initiative which began in 2001, continued through the Beijing Olympics and will grow into the future.

CROWDED TRAFFIC ON THE WEB: The IBAF's official site, www.ibaf.org, has attracted over 250,000 visitors and several million page views during the first two weeks of the World Cup.  These viewers have come from over 150 countries, an increase of over 60% from during its last heavy visit period, which was the Beijing Olympics.

WINNERS REMAINING IN THE FIELD: Of the eight teams advancing to the final round, four have won at least one of the 38 previous World Cups.  Cuba is the leader with 25, followed by the United States (3), Venezuela (3) and Puerto Rico (1).  The last European country to win was also the first, Great Britain in 1938.  The last Asian team to win was Korea in 1982 and Australia's best finish was sixth in 2007.

CUP HISTORY: This is the 38th time the Baseball World Cup has been played...it was an annual event from 1938 until 1953 and then was discontinued until 1961 in Costa Rica...it went to an event every four years in 1965 and 1969 and then back to an annual event from 1969-1976...the format then moved to every other year from 1978-1990, became a four year event in '94 and '98, and starting in 2001 has been played every other year...two World Cups were also played in 1973, one hosted and won by Cuba and the other hosted by Nicaragua and won by the United States.

HOST COUNTRIES: This is the first time the Baseball World Cup was held in multiple nations since its formation in 1938...Italy will host the final for the fourth time, after hosting it in 1978, 1988, and 1998...Cuba has won all three times Italy has hosted the World Cup....

THE WORLD CUP IN EUROPE: This is the seventh time Europe has hosted the World Cup...Great Britain hosted and won the inaugural Cup in 1938, defeating the United States...other than Italy (three times), the Netherlands hosted the World Cup in 1986 and 2005...other than the win by Great Britain in 1938, all of the other six World Cups held in Europe have been won by Cuba.

GLOBAL HOSTS OF THE CUP: Cuba has hosted the Cup the most times (10), while Nicaragua (5), Italy (4) and Colombia (4) have been the hosts the second and third most. Each of the three North American countries...the United States ('74) , Mexico ('51) and Canada ('90) have hosted the event once...Japan ('80), Korea ('82) and Chinese Taipei (2001 and '07) have been Asian hosts...Venezuela has hosted the event three times and the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica have hosted the Cup once.

HOST DOES NOT FIND GOLD AGAIN: Italy's failure to reach the final eight continues a tough run for World Cup host countries. The host country won eight of the first nine titles (Great Britain, Cuba four times, Venezuela twice, Columbia), but since 1948 the host team has only won the Gold Medal eight times...Cuba ('52, '71,'73, '84,'03) Colombia ('65), USA ('74), and Korea ('82)...Cuba's win in 2003 was the only time in the last nine events the World Cup has been won by the host country and was also one of two times in the last nine the host country won a medal (host Chinese Taipei won Bronze in 2001).

RECORD-BREAKERS THUS FAR: The World Cup thus far has seen several team and World Cup records tied for fall. They include:

 - The USA's Justin Smoak has set the USA World Cup record with nine home runs thus far.  

- Alfredo Despaigne has tied the Cuban World record with nine home runs.

- Cuban pitcher Miguel Gonzalez striking out ten consecutive batters against Puerto Rico in his first start (13 overall in 6 1/3 innings), one short of the World Cup mark of 11 set by former Major Leaguer Burt Hooton (Dodgers and Cubs) of the USA in 1971.

- Australia pitcher and Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect David Welch set an Australian record with 13 strikeouts in just seven innings Tuesday against Chinese Taipei.

- USA pitcher and California Angels prospect Trevor Reckling, had 11 K's against China last Saturday, tying the team mark of pitcher Burt Hooten, who fanned 11 consecutive batters in 1970.

- USA infielder and Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Pedro Alvarez set a team mark by hitting three home runs in Thursday's win over Chinese Taipei

Rain headed south to Nettuno yesterday.  Lack of resources ( like a big TARP) made it challenging to get the infield dried out but we did and the game was played.  

IBAF  puts out some reports on a daily basis and the following is a sample of the report with highlights. LAst night was crazy here in Nettuno.  Rain delay plus a pitching duel.  Canada edged PR in a 10 inning pitching duel on a field that was soaked.  Plus my cmaera was smoked with a rake...casualty of the game i guess.  No worries as I carry a back up.   

CUBA 2 AUSTRALIA 1: Alfredo Despaigne hit a two-run first inning home run off of Dushan Ruzic, and Cuba pitchers Norge Vera and Pedro Lazo combined to hold Australia to six hits in a 2-1 thriller. Australia scored its only run in the third on a James Bereford ground out, and outhit Cuba, 6-3, but were never able to tie the score. Australia had the tying run on third in the ninth inning, but Lazo struck out Andrew Graham to end the game.

 NETHERLANDS 11 CHINESE TAIPEI 2: The Dutch broke open a close game with a seven-run fifth inning and went on to an opening win in Messina. Hung-Yu Lin's second inning homer had tied the game at one, but Randall Simon's two-run single and another RBI single by Sidney de Jong in the bottom of the inning staked the Netherlands to a 4-1 lead. It was still 4-1 when the Dutch sent 11 men to the plate in the fifth, scoring seven runs on eight hits - seven singles and a double - to break the game open. Simon's three hits and three RBIs led the Dutch attack, while Alexander Smit pitched six innings of one-run relief for the win.

 UNITED STATES 6 VENEZUELA 3: The USA avenged its lone World Cup loss, scoring four runs in the third inning and going on to a 6-3 win in Firenze. Terry Tiffee's two-run single off reliever Jose Escalona helped key the four-run third, and Pedro Alvarez's home run stretched the lead to 5-0 in the fourth. Venezuela scored one run in each of the sixth, seventh and eighth innings and had the tying run on base with two outs in the ninth, but Geno Espanelli got Luis Landeata on a line-out to end the game. Brad Lincoln pitched 6 2/3 innings to get the win.

 CANADA 3 PUERTO RICO 0: Brett Lawrie hit a leadoff home run in the ninth inning and Rene Tosoni followed with a two-run double, breaking a scoreless tie and leading Canada to a 3-0 win in Nettuno. Nick Bucci's five no-hit innings highlighted a spectacular pitching day for Canada, as it held a veteran Puerto Rico squad to just one hit - a Jose Valentin leadoff single in the seventh inning. Seven Puerto Rico pitchers combined to hold Canada to seven hits in the pitching duel.

 WEDNESDAYS POOL GAMES: Canada-Venezuela (Chieti), Australia-Netherlands (Grosetto), Puerto Rico-USA (Firenze), Chinese Taipei-Cuba (Nettuno)

 PREVIEW NETHERLANDS-AUSTRALIA: Offensive fireworks should be on display during the Netherlands-Australia matchup in Grossetto on Wednesday as the top two hitting squads in the 2009 Baseball World Cup meet for the first time in the tournament. The Netherlands, who enter the game with a 7-1 record and are fresh off a dominating 11-2 victory, look to continue their drive towards the championship game. Australia, who has dropped two straight one run games, will look to get their hitting shoes back on.

 The Netherlands, who are hitting a tournament leading .325 as a team, are led offensively by three players who are batting over .400; their double play combo of San Francisco Giants prospect Sharlon Shoop (.464) and Los Angeles Angels prospect Hainley Statia (.417) and veteran catcher Sidney de Jong (.435). Others who have been impressive include former major leaguer Randall Simon, who went 3-5 with 3 RBI in the victory against Chinese Taipei, and first baseman Sharnol Adriana, who also added 3 RBI in the win.

The Aussies, whose success has been dependent on their bats, are second in the tournament in batting average (.316) and third in runs scored (80). Pacing the squad is the Mr. Do-Everything Tim Kennelly, a Phillies Prospect who has hit for average (.325) and power (three home runs, nine RBI). His help comes in the form of fellow Phillie prospect Joel Naughton (.478, seven RBI) and Minnesota Twins prospect Luke Hughes (.317, two home runs, eight RBI) among others. On the mound, Adam Blackley, who has an yet to give up an earned run in 13 innings of action, and Milwaukee Brewers prospect David Welch, who has struck out 22 in 18 innings pitched while only allowing two runs, have been dominant.

 PREVIEW PUERTO RICO-USA: USA enters Wednesday on a10 game winning streak and avenged their only loss, to Venezuela, on Tuesday. Puerto Rico had a five game winning streak stopped by Canada's pitching Tuesday.

Puerto Rico will look to create havoc on offense, leading the tournament through two rounds in On Base Percentage (.408) and second in stolen bases (11). The team is led by Toronto Blue Jays prospect Angel Sanchez (.400) and Baltimore Orioles prospect Miguel Abreu, their second leading hitter at .366 (15 hits) and a team best 9 runs scored. Puerto Rico has a tournament high NINE players with Major League experience on their roster in addition to their rising stars.

The United States hopes to continue to ride their hot offense, which leads the tournament in home runs after the first two rounds (31), slugging percentage (.650), and was second in hits (119). The US pitching boasts a 2.04 team ERA, and have three starters now at 2-0. Wednesday night's game between the USA and Puerto Rico will start at 8pm (CET) in Firenze, Italy. Game stats can be followed on CBS stat tracker onwww.2009baseballworldcup.com.

PREVIEW CANADA-VENEZUELA: Canada's pitching and defense continue to improve, the latest example being Tuesday night's one hitter led by Milwaukee Brewers prospect Nick Bucci, who combined with Trystan Magnuson, Dustin Molleken and Jimmy Henderson for the one hit shutout.

 The 9-2 Canadian squad faces off with Venezuela. Venezuela hopes the bat of Rene Reyes can stay hot and ignite some offense, which has seemed to abandon the team as of late.

The Canadians have scored 9.3 rpg in their 9-2 run thus far, and are led by Minnesota Twins prospect Rene Tosoni .390 3 HR, 11 RBI.

PREVIEW CHINESE TAIPEI-CUBA: Cuba will face off against Chinese Taipei in Nettuno for the second series of games from Round Three of the 2009 Baseball World Cup. The Cuban pitching staff continued its World Cup mastery today, holding the tournament's leading hitting team, Australia, to just one run. Pitcher Norge Vera improved to 3-0 today, and has allowed just one run in 20.2 innings far. The Cuban staff has amassed 114 strikeouts thought the first two rounds (second only to Japan's total of 120) and given up only 24 walks and three home runs. Freddy Alvarez is 2-0 and has allowed one earned run in 15 innings and Miguel Gonzalez struck out ten consecutive batters against Puerto Rico in his first start (13 overall in 6 1/3 innings), one short of the World Cup mark of 11 set by former Major Leaguer Burt Hooton (Dodgers and Cubs) of the USA in 1971. The Cuban hitting is led by veteran Alfredo Despagne, who is now hitting .447 with 7 HR and 13 RBI in their 10-1 run thus far.

Lin Han leads the way for Chinese Taipei, hitting at a .415 clip, and Yen-Feng Lin sports an impressive .60 ERA over 15 innings. Chinese Taipei heads into the matchup Wednesday with a 1-3 record. Wednesday's matchup will be played at 8:00p.m. (CET) in Nettuno, Italy. The game can be seen using live streaming atwww.2009baseballworldcup.com, or with CBS Sports StatTracker.

CROWDED TRAFFIC ON THE WEB: The IBAF's official site, Ibaf.org has attracted over 250,000 visitors and several million page views in the first two weeks of the world cup, coming from over 150 countries, an increase of over 60% from during its last heavy visit period which was the Beijing Olympics.

WINNERS REMAINING IN THE FIELD: Of the eight teams advancing to the final round, four have won at least one of the 38 previous World Cups...Cuba is the leader with 25, followed by the United States (3), Venezuela (3) and Puerto Rico (1)...the last European country to win was also the first...Great Britain in 1938...the last Asian team to win was Korea in 1982...Australia's best finish was sixth in 2007...

CUP HISTORY: This is the 38th time the Baseball World Cup has been played...it was an annual event from 1938 until 1953 and then was discontinued until 1961 in Costa Rica...it went to an event every four years in 1965 and 1969 and then back to an annual event from 1969-1976...the format then moved to every other year from 1978-1990, became a four year event in '94 and '98, and starting in 2001 has been played every other year...two World Cups were also played in 1973, one hosted and won by Cuba and the other hosted by Nicaragua and won by the United States.

HOST COUNTRIES: This is the first time the Baseball World Cup was held in multiple nations since its formation in 1938...Italy will host the final for the fourth time, after hosting it in 1978, 1988, and 1998...Cuba has won all three times Italy has hosted the World Cup....

THE WORLD CUP IN EUROPE: This is the seventh time Europe has hosted the World Cup...Great Britain hosted and won the inaugural Cup in 1938, defeating the United States...other than Italy (three times), the Netherlands hosted the World Cup in 1986 and 2005...other than the win by Great Britain in 1938, all of the other six World Cups held in Europe have been won by Cuba.

GLOBAL HOSTS OF THE CUP: Cuba has hosted the Cup the most times (10), while Nicaragua (5), Italy (4) and Colombia (4) have been the hosts the second and third most. Each of the three North American countries...the United States ('74) , Mexico ('51) and Canada ('90) have hosted the event once...Japan ('80), Korea ('82) and Chinese Taipei (2001 and '07) have been Asian hosts...Venezuela has hosted the event three times and the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica have hosted the Cup once.

HOST DOES NOT FIND GOLD AGAIN: Italy's failure to reach the final eight continues a tough run for World Cup host countries. The host country won eight of the first nine titles (Great Britain, Cuba four times, Venezuela twice, Columbia), but since 1948 the host team has only won the Gold Medal eight times...Cuba ('52, '71,'73, '84,'03) Colombia ('65), USA ('74), and Korea ('82)...Cuba's win in 2003 was the only time in the last nine events the World Cup has been won by the host country and was also one of two times in the last nine the host country won a medal (host Chinese Taipei won Bronze in 2001).

RECORDBREAKERS THUS FAR: The World Cup thus far has seen several team and World Cup records tied for fall. They include:

The USA's Justin Smoak has set the USA World Cup record with nine home runs thus far.

Cuban pitcher Miguel Gonzalez striking out ten consecutive batters against Puerto Rico in his first start (13 overall in 6 1/3 innings), one short of the World Cup mark of 11 set by former Major Leaguer Burt Hooton (Dodgers and Cubs) of the USA in 1971.

Australia pitcher and Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect David Welch set an Australian record with 13 strikeouts in just seven innings Tuesday against Chinese Taipei.

USA pitcher and California Angels prospect Trevor Reckling, had 11 K's against China last Saturday, tying the team mark of pitcher Burt Hooten, who fanned 11 consecutive batters in 1970. USA infielder and Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Pedro Alvarez set a team mark by hitting three home runs in Thursday's win over Chinese Taipei

With all of the rain the we have had in Italy, the supplies needed to dry the fields with are dwindling very quickly.  Considering most ballparks in italy only planned for a couple games... there was not a huge need to stock up on drying material. It has been raining most of the week and the fields are really soft so the "rosso red" is being heavily used. 

Puerto Rico beat Nicaragua 16-0 earlier this afternoon in Haarlem ( holland)  In Italy 3 important games are progressing along with Team USA playing Italy in front of a packed house in Torino. (They just beat Italy 12-3) Skies have been  threatening all day and into the games throughout Italy.  In Parma , Chinese Taipei and Canada are in the bottom of the 7th in a rain delay. Looks like that one is completed.  Austrailia just beat Mexico 6-5 in Macerata.  So tomorrow we have a make up game in Bologna between Austrailia and USA. 

The photo above may remind you Arizona folks of a spring training ballpark in Mesa or Papago.  Its actually in Messina, Sicily.  A lot of history in Sicily and some great food.  You can get there by sea via a ferry from Reggio Calabria or by air into Catania.  This tournament is showing some really good baseball. A couple blow outs but over all very competitive.  As we go into the semi final round with 8 teams,  I am sure the teams will step up there game another level.  Finals are in Cheiti, Florence, Messina, Nettuno, and Grosetto.  To finish up the tournament field wise...We have Joe Skrabak in Cheiti, Brandon Putnam in Florence, Kevin Moses in Grosetto, Budgie Clark in Messina and Im in Nettuno.  photo below in Messina from the ferry.