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Less than perfect

Czechs win disappointing tournament

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
July 4th, 2007 issue

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
National team pitcher Boris Bokaj of Arrows Ostrava at work against Moscow during Prague Baseball Week.
Prague Baseball Week Finals

1. Czech Republic
2. Australia
3. Hope College (USA)
4. Prague All-Stars
Tournament Standouts
Hitters
Mike VaderVelde (Hope) .500
Mitch Ayres (Prague) .438, 2HR, 7RBI
Tony Dermendziev (Sweden) .421 2HR
Michael Wells (Australia) .412
Marek Blajer (Prague) .500
Pitchers
Pavel Procházka (Slovakia) 2-0 0.57, 16K
Dustin Wuis (Hope) 1-0 0.00, 8K
Kent Karlsson (Sweden) 2-0 2.03
Francis Aidan (Australia) 1-1 2.76, 13K
Leoš Kubát (ČR) 1-0 0.00

Frustration was evident throughout Prague’s annual Baseball Week tournament.
Although the Czech national team topped Australia 5–3 in the final, and the expected heavy hitters — including Hope College from the United States and a squad cobbled together from Czech Extraliga teams known as the Prague All-Stars — earned berths in the championship rounds, few expressed satisfaction with the week’s events.
Division III Hope College, which pounded the Czechs 10–2 early in the tourney, saw their chance for top honors slip away during a contentious loss to Australia, a game marred by official protests. Players on the Swedish national team privately complained about umpire favoritism after falling one run short against the Czech under-19 squad. The Aussies worried about the same thing prior to their championship match-up. And just about everyone commented on the poor quality of also-ran clubs in the tournament.
“The level of competition is very unlevel,” said Czech national team coach Arnošt Nesňal of Draci Brno.
Moscow, the under-19 players and Slovakia simply couldn’t keep up with the others. Hope College, for example, averaged an 8–4 margin of victory in games against the top finishers and a 10–0 margin over the rest. The champion Czech team actually compiled a losing margin, 4–6, when playing the better teams, versus an embarrassing 13–0 average score otherwise.
In the final game, the Czech nationals overcame a couple of costly errors. They rallied behind the hitting of Pavel Budský and Petr Baroch. Meanwhile, hurler Leoš Kubát worked seven strong innings to earn the victory.
Prague Baseball Week is a tune up for September’s European Championship. But, as Nesňal points out, the series only proves “we have three months to go and a lot of work to do.”
Yet Hope College coach Stu Fritz, leading his young players in their first international tournament, was impressed by the Czechs.
“They are fundamentally sound,” he said. “They’re a good team.”
The European Championship runs Sept. 7–16 in Barcelona. Twelve teams will be competing for slots in the Beijing Olympics.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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