European Big League Tour comes to London
Although I may have left it late to shout about, the Americans are coming!
The European Big League Tour sees some of the rising stars and established heroes of the Great American Pastime visiting London this weekend for a showcase event and coaching masterclass.
Each year, some of the best and brightest visit Europe, taking the chance to leave their fair shores to spread baseball’s gospel across the world.
This year, MLB stars Rick Van den Hurk (Pittsburgh Pirates) – who started playing as a junior in the Netherlands before finding fame in the US for a number of major league sides – joins Chris Dickerson (New York Yankees), Roger Bernadina (Washington Nationals), Jeremy Guthrie (Colorado Rockies) and Alex Liddi (Seattle Mariners) at The Grange Hotel for a Q&A and a chance for over-18s to meet the stars on Friday 16 November, while on Saturday they’ll be running coaching sessions for junior players to help inspire the next generation of baseballers here in Britain.
The modest £30 to cover entry is a small price to pay for insights into the day-to-day routine of a Major Leaguer, each of whom have had extensive periods in the minors hoping to reach ‘The Show’. But more than their rise to stardom, it’s their legacy in European baseball that might strike a chord with the majority of the British public.
Bernadina and Van Den Hurk have appeared a number of times for the Dutch national team, while Liddi is the first born-and-raised Italian player to make the Majors, showing his class and pedigree and the increasing relevance of the top European leagues to those who scout for the next big thing.
The opportunity to meet these heroes, who have inspired so many already, is priceless, and it’s likely that these guys in particular might not be back to Tour again, so to coin a phrase it’s best not to leave anything in the locker room this weekend and make every effort to come down and meet some of the best and brightest of the Game. Plus how many times in your life will you be able to buy a Major Leaguer a beer and talk about how if it wasn’t for a knee injury you’d have been picked ahead of them in the 2006 draft? (Disclaimer: you don’t have to be telling the truth!)
To find out more and to take up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, visit the BSUK website at: http://www.baseballsoftballuk.com/news/view/meet-the-stars-of-the-european-big-league-tour