Olympics News

No Aussies in action in MLB spring training today.

There was though, some disappointing news about our Olympic squad. Unfortunately they have failed to qualify for Beijing, and wont be there to defend their silver medal from 2004. This is really quite a farce when you think about it, and it would seem only fair that they be given a better shot to qualify and defend their earlier achievement.

However, Canada beat Korea to cement their spot in the top 3 of the tournament, and seal Australia's fate.

For a good rundown of Jon Deeble's thoughts, including the suggestion that this was all a conspiracy on the part of the Asian nations, read this article

Spring Training Updates & Olympic News (13 Mar 08)

Australia went down to Chinese Taipei last night 5-0. This was not a good result for the team, who are keen to defend their silver medal from 2004. It means that their chances of making it to Beijing are slim. They need to win their remaining games against Spain and South Africa (on paper this should be no problem, and at the time of writing, Australia were beating Spain 9-0 in the sixth). The bigger problem is that we need Canada to lose to Germany. Given Canada's recent performances against the Aussies, and Germany's run in the tournament so far, this does not look good. But, where there is life there is hope!

In today's spring training action:

• Trent Oeltjen had one at bat but did not get a hit, in the D-Backs' loss to the A's. His spring average is sitting at .300 over 10 at-bats
• Travis Blackley pitched 3 innings in relief in the Phillies loss to the Reds today. He faced 13 batters and struck out 5. He gave up two walks, and two hits, one of which was a home run.

Spring Training updates and more Olympics news (11 Mar 08)

More Aussies in action in Spring Training today, and with only a bit more than 2 weeks till opening day, things are heating up. Most camps have started to make cuts to their squad? How many Aussies will make it? Looks at this stage that 3 or 4 are looking alright, with a few more on the cusp. Today's action:

• Chris Snelling scored an RBI double against the Pirates
• Grant Balfour gave up a homer in his 1 inning of work against Cleveland. That was the only hit he gave up, and cemented Cleveland's 12-10 win
• Trent Oeltjen had 2 at-bats in Arizona's 10-9 win over Colorado, but did not manage any hits, he still sports a plus .300 average over his appearances this spring
• It seems Craig Anderson is still in the mix at the Orioles, with the first cut being announced, and his name absent from the list. He has only had two outings this spring, only giving up 2 hits over 2 innings pitched.

In more Olympic action, Australia went down to Mexico last night 7-4. Coach Jon Deeble has emphasised the importance of winning the remaining 4 games, one of which is up against the home side.

Spring Training Updates and Olympic News (10 Mar 08)

Two Aussies in action today:

• Peter Moylan faced and retired three batters in his outing against the Cardinals. It was his first outing since concerns about his arm, but it seems all is well.
• Chris Snelling got a hit, but the Phils went down to Toronto.

In other MLB news, Trent Oeltjen has managed to avoid the Diamondbacks first cut of the spring training camp. Good work from Trent! Hopefully he can crack it for a spot in the D-backs outfield.

In Olympic news, Australia managed to beat Canada yesterday to keep our hopes alive. It was a good offensive performance, with Glenn Williams going 3-for-4 and Daniel Berg driving in 3 RBIs. Tonight we meet Mexico, who have a good squad, but have lost their opening 2 games.

Olympic News

The Aussie Olympic Baseball squad has commenced play in the qualifying tournament in Taiwan. Friday night saw them beat the baseball minnows Germany 4-1. However on Saturday night our pitching lost the plot and we went down to Korea 16-2 in 7 innings, with the 10-run rule being invoked! As if that wasnt bad enough, our best pitching came from Paul Weichard - who started the game in centrefield! He faced six batters in two innings and got three strikeouts. Sign him up to start the next game!

Australia meets Canada today at 3.30pm (AEST) and will be looking to get an important win.

Spring Training Update (5 Mar 08) + Olympic News

Couple of pieces of news today:

• Chris Snelling went head to head with Phil Stockman today. Snelling won the battle, with a pinch-hit single off Stockman in the ninth, but the Braves won the war, with a drubbing of the Phillies.
• Meanwhile, Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched an inning and took the loss in the Mariners' game against Oakland. He allowed 1 walk, 1 hit, 1 run, and struck out 2.

In other news, Baseball Australia today announced the squad for the upcoming Olympic qualifiers. Australia play their first game against Germany on 7 March. With a lot of young up-and-comers in the squad, it will be a challenge for the team, with coach Jon Deeble noting that 'we are witnessing the birth of our next generation of Australian stars'.