Maybe biggest of the "OUTS" was never really "IN" with Australia's 20th major league player Justin Huber snatched from the squad at the last moment for pre-season training camp duties with the Kansas City Royals. We will all be disappointed not to be watching any of our 2005 major leaguers in action at Blacktown in 2006, but such is life in the baseball stratosphere. Of course we wish Justin every success with more major league playing time in 2006.

A HUGE statement we admit, but maybe just as severe as the loss of Huber (who is yet to really make his mark on Australian soil) is the disappointing unavailability of star Aces outfielder Jarrod Hodges who has had to give business commitments his priority this year after being such a standout performer in the IBLA and in five Claxton Shield carnivals where he has averaged a career .342 from 55 AMLB games. The former Seattle Mariners professional has not done anything but build upon the memory of his famous father and 1981 Helms Award winner John Hodges... after perhaps his lowest form trough at Claxton 2005, Jarrod has been back in sizzling form this year and he will be sorely missed.

Next among the departures is one-time Melbourne Reds youngster and recent Victorian stalwart Glynn Kimberley who has batted a career .263 from 30 AMLB appearances. The former Toronto Blue Jays 'A' ball player hit a modest .211 at Blacktown last year, but this followed his stunning .438 effort at Claxton 2004. Ryan Booth was an AMLB "rookie" in 2005 but the 22yo outfielder was a revelation, batting .348 from seven games for 8th best at the carnival and second among all Victorian batters. It earned him selection in our First Team All-Stars for 2005 and it is shame that he couldn't nail down selection again this time around after suffering a nasty wrist injury.

To be fair, Claxton Shield first-timers David Tierney, Glen Mascoll and Dean Malthouse were little more than bit-part players at Blacktown in 2005, even though they would not have let anyone down. Tierney batted .125 from only 8 at bats but at least he could boast a GRAND SLAM home run against the Provincials at his debut tournament. Back-up infielder Mascoll was allowed only 5 AB's and a serious broken leg during winter ball last year de-railed his chances for this year. 16yo Malthouse was possibly the youngest ever Victorian player at a Claxton Shield and his one at bat will surely not be his last as his career develops.

Dean Barker is the only pitcher to be missing from the 2005 campaign and, although he performed quite creditably he has probably lost his job to the more "senior" inclusion of Adam Bright. The son of former test cricket spinner Ray Bright, young Adam Bright is an emerging professional, reaching 'A' ball after three seasons with the Colorado Rockies, owning a 4-2, 3.38ERA from 2005. While he has yet to prove himself in AMLB, he may be ready to do so after being one of the solid stars in the AROOS bullpen at the World Baseball Cup in the Netherlands late last year!

Next among the additions is former 2002 Championship Final MVP Brett Tamburrino who has overcome some injury problems to resume his AMLB career that had stalled after 2004 with a lifetime Claxton Shield average of .240 from 29 games. Brett played six seasons while reaching 'A' ball with the Minnesota Twins organisation and he has his own silver medal from Australia's historic 2004 Athens Olympic Games. He is a proven and experienced performer at this level.

The next three offensive players are all products of the US college system after being junior stars. Waverley duo Andrew Russell and Danny Berg have made welcome returns to the local baseball scene and both are emerging stars in Victorian baseball. Infielder Danny Berg has an improving and dangerous bat, while 'Rusty' Russell is a versatile and talented hitter who can play almost any defensive position, whether it be as catcher, outfielder or infielder. They are joined by Geelong's little known star infielder Cameron Clarke who has returned from four years in US college baseball with a blazing bat in Victorian Division One baseball. These mature young baseballers can be expected to make an impact this year, even though only Berg has played in the Claxton Shield cauldron before as a youngster who batted .154 from 13 AB's in 2003.

Scott Wearne is also a new face for the Aces but he has been building a growing reputation as both a hitter and catcher. He can be expected to be a very adequate backup to Mathew Kent at Claxton 2005.

Finally, Australian Major League Baseball will get an early viewing of Melbourne's "child prodigy" James Beresford who was too young for selection last season, but who has earned a late call-up to replace major leaguer Justin Huber... what huge cleats they are to fill! The younger brother of 2005 Golden Arm pitcher Simon, 'Jimmy' Beresford is fresh from signing a lucrative deal with the Minnesota Twins who won a hot contest for his signature. He will be turning 17yo during the tournament, but he has been an outstanding baseball talent since graduating from kindergarten. Beresford was equally adept as a right-hand pitcher or as a hard-hitting infielder in junior national championships, but the Twins have signed him to play short stop and this is what he will concentrate on for the foreseeable future. While it is the next big step for James to play at Blacktown in 2005, he has risen to every challenge so far as an already established star in senior Division One baseball and as the recently crowned Batting Champion at the 2006 National 'AAA' Championships... a competition that he will be "age eligible" for again next year! This young fellow is capable of ANYTHING and, while he may not see too much action this time, you can bet that he will make a big mark in future years... he is one out of the proverbial box!

The Conclusion: As we have stated, the main reason for our speculative selection of the Victorian Aces to take the Claxton Shield from the worthy clutches of NSW this season is that the Aces squad appears to have been maintained (or improved) much closer to its strength from 2005 than the New South Wales roster that is visibly weakened. Whether it is weakened enough for teams like Victoria to bridge the gap is open to much speculation and this is exactly what all these previews are primarily all about... speculation! The history will be written during the next week-or-so.

It will not be making us sound any cleverer or more courageous to suggest the obvious... that this will certainly be another hard-fought and highly competitive tournament where any early slip-ups can be hard to turn around and the odd slice of good fortune here or there is likely to be even more important than pure talent. This is the nature of the famous Claxton Shield and it ALWAYS has been... just like it has ALWAYS been part of its tradition to be shared annually around the baseball centres of Australia. Unfortunately, it only serves to sum up baseballs biggest ongoing problem in the Australian sporting market... we KNOW that baseball is a GREAT sporting product, it's just that we have always been very bad at marketing and delivering it in such a way as to attract reasonable numbers of new supporters... it's sad indeed, but then I suppose the same can be said for our own marvellous baseball BOOKS, sob!

Hold on, we must have left that paragraph in from last season??... What a pity that it is still relevant, ONCE AGAIN!

In any case, what are we doing a preview about NSW for today?... surely the dual defending Champions should be the last preview again? Well, don't touch that dial, stop hammering the "refresh" button on your web browser, there is nothing wrong with your computer and you have not missed the Victorian preview... that one is coming tomorrow! And, NO, we haven't simply got sick of selecting the New South Wales Patriots to win every year... well, not nearly as sick as we have become of seeing the event staged in the State of New South Wales anyway!!

So, enough of the emotional histrionics, 'Flintoff & Dunn' would never make a prediction of this kind without a proper evaluation of the facts... and here are a few for starters. Has any team in Claxton Shield history EVER had such an illustrious list of players missing from its previous season's carnival? A list of six past and present professionals who have been among the genuine "go-to-guys" in their past few successful campaigns and two cornerstone players who reached the US major leagues just last season? Don't even bother answering... not even close!

Let's start with the major league guys. Star infielder Glenn Williams has been getting better each year for the Patriots and he already boasts a .260/102RBI/27HR record from 196AMLB games, while in the USA he had risen to 'AAA' ball with Toronto before finally becoming Australia's 19th major leaguer with the Minnesota Twins last year. We expect that he is still in rehab from the nasty shoulder injury that has halted his remarkable 13-game hitting streak from debut. We wish him every ounce of luck as he tries to re-kindle that streak and maintain his current ML average of "only" .425!!

Then there is Chris Oxspring, the 2004 Golden Arm winner and one of the key pitchers in NSW past two Claxton Shield wins... I bet his native Queensland are just thrilled about that!? Oxspring was also a hero for Australia in their silver medal performance at the Athens Olympic Games before becoming the 21st Aussie to crack the US majors with the San Diego Padres in 2005. Chris is no doubt preparing for his new baseball challenge in the Japanese League this year.

Perhaps next in line is Ryan Rowland-Smith who has been a favourite bullpen guy of NSW manager Shane Barclay in recent years, owning a 1-0, 0.38ERA record from nine appearances over five Claxton Shields... not too shabby! The young Seattle Mariners 'AA' professional will be sorely missed this time. As will San Diego Padres 'A' leaguer James Darby who owns a 0-0, 3.38ERA record from four games with NSW over the past two winning carnivals. Recent Toronto Blue Jays 'A' baller Jarad Mangioni has also pitched and played position with good reward for the Patriots as part of two Claxton triumphs.

Deliberately left until last is one-time Sydney ABL 'Superman' and 'Flintoff & Dunn AMLB Hall-Of-Famer' the GREAT Gary White. A sterling 14-year AMLB "fixture" of no less than 472 games and an incredible .308/292RBI/82HR record. The former Philadelphia Phillies 'AA' league player has been a colossus for Sydney and NSW teams and, while age has dulled his numbers over recent years, it is still with a hint of sadness that we probably will not see him again on a National diamond. Our very highest accolades to you Gary... you have been one of the truly GREAT ones in AMLB history... thank you!

Sounds pretty damaging to any squad doesn't it?... but we ARE talking about New South Wales here, and who else would be able to replace such big names with six other rising young professionals who will no doubt relish the opportunity to simply pick up where the others have left off?

Catcher Trent D'Antonio has "graduated" from the Australian Provincial team and, as we said in their preview, even though he batted only .157 last time, the Florida Marlins 'A' baller is maturing fast and he didn't let anyone down when playing for the 'AROOS' at the 2005 World Baseball Cup in the Netherlands. Keep an eye on him!

Talented pitchers Wayne Lundgren and Liam O'Flaherty will also do their best to fill the vacancies in the NSW bullpen. Lundgren was last seen in the 2001 IBLA "boutique league" where he pitched 2-3, 4.50ERA, but he has risen to 'A' ball with the Boston Red Sox and St.Louis Cardinals where he had a 3-3, 4.15ERA record in 2005. O'Flaherty has been "hiding" from AMLB but he has been in the LA Dodgers system for a few years. After missing 2004 with injury, Liam returned to action with a 3-2, 5.96ERA record for a Dodger's 'A' team in 2005.

Previously unable to crack the mighty NSW Patriots teams are 19 year-olds LHP Tim Cox who had a good season in Rookie and 'A' ball with the Boston Red Sox, utility Joshua Dean who batted a terrific .340 from 106 at bats for Minnesota's Rookie Gulf Coast Twins in '05 and infielder Dean Zorn who graduated to 'A' ball with the Seattle Mariners last year.

Make no mistake, with a host of other top players still missing, the NSW team is not lacking in talent, or depth!

The Conclusion: 

Let's face it, with the home field advantage still very much a factor, the NSW Patriots will still probably start favourites for this 2006 Claxton Shield Championship. However, our evaluation is based on the fact that the "revitalised" Victorian team ran them very close to the wire in the Championship final last season and that the Aces should be closer to similar strength this year than the Patriots in view of the departures mentioned.

But, before anyone thinks that we might be ready to mortgage our houses on this, FORGET IT! We still think that NSW are very likely to qualify for the finals and they still have the experience and talent for a three-peat of Championship wins!

Maybe we are just swayed into thinking that it is about time that the Claxton Shield was taken south of the Murray River... not to mention the famous event itself that MUST be taken SOMEWHERE else in Australia... there, I've said it AGAIN!

And, unlike our assessment of WA's prospects for 2006, the Rams can easily claim that their squad has been clearly strengthened rather than weakened.

On the offensive side, out goes former Florida Marlins' signing Brett Baker who batted .385 in six appearances for the Gold Coast Cougars, Scott Browning who batted .294 from five games in 2005 and David Bylett who batted .333 in five games at Claxton 2005. I guess that you have to add here veteran utility / pitcher Todd Fairbrother who has batted .185 in 32 games over the years for Queensland as well as owning a 3-4, 8.62ERA pitching record. Also missing, but hardly likely to be missed, are little known catcher Shane Watson and outfielder Luke White who have both hit below the "Mendoza Line". 

While the Rams pitching has been bolstered with the influx of young professionals for Blacktown 2006 they might still feel the loss of well performed John Veitch who has carried the team in recent campaigns with his 6-2, 3.25ERA record from 16 games dating back to the 2001 IBLA. Veitch was also the Golden Arm Award winner from the 2003 Claxton Shield.

Other pitchers missing from the 2006 squad are Adam Battaglene (1-1, 6.93ERA from 2000), Tristan Loetzsch (0.00ERA from just 0.1ip), Daniel Paradise (0-0, 2.13ERA from nine games) and Chris Mowday (0-3, 6.42ERA in AMLB). However Mowday was much better in the USA where he pitched in the minor leagues for Toronto, Oakland and the Chicago Cubs for a 24-19, 4.20ERA over several seasons... he will be missed more than most.

Headlining the inclusions for Queensland is the welcome addition of 2004 Helms Award winner Brett Roneberg who had reached 'AAA' with the Florida Marlins before playing 'AA' ball with both Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh. Our 2004 Athens Olympic Silver Medallist has battled his (long and painful) way back from a nasty shoulder injury to play for Australia again at the 2005 World Cup in the Netherlands and he has recently re-signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the upcoming season. Roneberg has always been a superb performer, when available, on Aussie soil and we reckon that he will be jumping out of his skin to remind everyone what a tremendous natural talent he is. Brett may not have been quite ready to play his best in Holland, but we're guessing that he'll be really dangerous at Blacktown next week! He already owns a .301 record from 120 games as a relative youngster with Brisbane and Queensland... only the very elite players can boast that kind of early career resume.

Former Melbourne Reds favourite Andrew Utting will also add experience to the Rams' offence and defence even though his .207 AMLB average from 111 games looks modest most of this was produced when he was a youngster and we must remember that he did briefly reach 'AA' and 'AAA' level with the Baltimore Orioles... he is a dangerous hitter. Also playing this year is Brad Dutton who batted .333 for QLD in 2003 and the highly rated Cleveland Indians signing Jay Nilsson. They tell me that Jay Nilsson can hit more like his famous uncle David than his almost-as-famous pitching father Bob! Both of these ancestors are 'Flintoff & Dunn AMLB Hall-Of-Famers' so there is reason to be scared of him... very scared!!

Pitching wise, the loss of Veitch and Mowday, in particular, is possibly more than balanced in the positive direction by the inclusions of past and present professionals James Albury, Tristan Crawford, Matt Haynes, Drew Naylor and Luke Thwaites... as well as the unknown right arm of Mark Kearney.

Albury owns a 5-0. 1.15ERA record from 2004 and a 2-2, 4.83ERA 2005 record with the Rookie League Gulf Coast Red Sox. Crawford pitched for a 2-1, 4.94ERA record in AMLB along with a good 11-7, 4.06ERA pro record in rookie and 'A' ball with the Minnesota Twins organisation. Haynes pitched just two games for Queensland, but he boasts an 8-7, 3.77ERA record in 'A' baseball with the Cleveland Indians. Thwaites has played Rookie League ball with the Twins, while Naylor is a recent signing with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Conclusion: 

Much like the theory about a "woman scorned", history has taught us to beware a Queenslander (or any other baseball team) when its pride has been dented in the same way that the Rams endured at Claxton Shield 2005. Not only would we naturally expect them to hit back hard under any circumstances, but they will also find this challenge easier with the welcome addition of some more talented and experienced players.

We have a hunch that the Queensland Rams will shade the WA Heelers for third place this year and that will place them just one win away from playing for all the marbles... as we said, anything can happen at this stage! What ever happens it will be fun to watch some of their emerging young stars strutting their stuff and the restoration of one of Australia's most talented young stars in Brett Roneberg. It may be the springboard he needs to become our 22nd major league player!

Before we move on from the 'Sunshine State', we must pay another tribute to one of its most famous and underrated sons TRENT DURRINGTON. Major League stalwart Trent has been unable to do justice to his undoubted talents during the short tournaments in Australia, but he deserves tremendous credit as one of the few big name players who consistently makes himself available to support baseball on Australian diamonds. We dip our caps to you Trent, you are a true Aussie hero and it is high time that you got the respect you deserve! As Australia's No.1 baseball journalist Adrian Dunn wrote in our latest publication: Trent Durrington is an example to all young and aspiring baseballers in the way he prepares himself to play every day and in the way he conducts himself on and off the field... could anyone disagree?... not likely!

Let's start with the "OUTS"... while we cannot really make assumptions about these things, we might have seen the last of veteran utility Gavin Edmondson after 335 AMLB games as a tremendous on-field leader and dangerous slugger who owns a .273/181RBI/43HR record that should make him justifiably proud. To jump immediately to pitchers, another major player who may have slipped away into 'big league' retirement is a genuine star in Shane Tonkin. Although he owns a losing record because of a couple of tough years in the ABL, Tonkin is a three-time First Team All-Star with a 4.82ERA and 28 saves from his 143 appearances since way back in 1992. It should not be a secret that Tonkin has been close to induction into our 'Flintoff & Dunn AMLB Hall-Of-Fame' over the past couple of years. If we don't see Gavin or Shane on the big National baseball stage again, we all owe them a debt of gratitude for their great contributions to Australian baseball.

Other offensive players who will not be starting at Blacktown in 2006 are:
Former Minnesota Twins 'A' league player Stephen Tope who owned a .246 average as a pro and a .257 average in 25 games over four years for WA. Experienced infielder Clayton Barnes who has played 48 games for Perth and WA over several years while batting a career .252. The lesser known Stuart Scott who batted .182 in 11 games for the Heelers, catcher Paul Pragnell who batted .154 at Claxton's 2004-05 and Michael Ismail who batted .182 in 2005.

The Heelers have also lost some other very useful arms from their bullpen in the shape of Ben Rowe who owns a 4-0, 1.08ERA record from the IBLA and with WA, Matthew Brendan 1-0, 1.54ERA, Bradley Thomas 1-1, 2.84ERA and Clayton Fredericks who has a 3.86ERA from two games.

Although he ultimately did not play at Blacktown in 2005 we must also pay tribute to Brett Walters who was on the original WA roster last year but who may also never be seen again at this level. The talented and versatile Walters was a terrific pitcher for Perth Heat and WA after starting in 1993, making 56 appearances for his 18-11, 3.75ERA career record. He also played with reasonable success as a position player later in his career.

Of course it's not all bad news for WA who maintain their "production line" of fresh new baseball talent. Offensively, the return of versatile Clinton Balgera who has batted .288 in 74 games, will help make up for some of the departures, along with some emerging stars who might just be ready to perform at this level. Daniel Floyd is also back after missing the 2005 carnival with his .248avg from 27 AMLB games and .274avg from three years of 'A' ball with the Seattle Mariners.

WA will showcase a couple of promising young catchers in Minnesota Twins' Allan de San Miguel who batted .242 after graduating to 'A' ball in 2005 and Kent Dixon who batted .224 in Rookie League baseball for the Seattle Mariners. They will also feature Philadelphia Phillies Rookie infielder Mitch Graham who batted .283 as a professional in 2005.

Also making up somewhat for their pitching losses is 25yo Brad Purcell who was a star with the Australian Provincials in 2004 and who has a wealth of pro experience with the Winnipeg Goldeyes in Independent League ball. There Purcell owned a very solid 18-10, 3.16ERA record over two long seasons. 21yo Scott Mitchinson was a burning star as a Rookie with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2004 before cooling off in 'A' ball during 2005 with a 5-6, 5.35ERA record.

Other young pros on their way up are 20yo Brendan Wise who pitched 2-4, 4.87ERA as a Detroit Tigers Rookie leaguer and 17yo Dylan Peacock who started as a LA Angels Rookie in 2005 with a 1-1, 7.71ERA record. We can't tell you anything of note about new faces 23yo Ryan Kelly or 21yo Travis Murphy, except to say that Ryan Kelly is the older brother of Mark and they will provide an interesting lefty-righty combination out of the bullpen!

Then, of course, if WA still find themselves feeling slightly short of experience in their bullpen, they only need to hand the ball to their incredible 38 years-young evergreen Simon Eissens who simply doesn't know how to perform poorly on the biggest of pitching stages. We have never regretted inducting him into our Hall-Of-Fame a couple of years ago!

The Conclusion: 

Our ever parochial friends in WA will not appreciate our judgement on this occasion after they have performed so strongly in the past few tournaments, but we can only hope that they appreciate our rationale for having done so. We can only make our case and stick by a pragmatic evaluation in moments like these.

Obviously we realise there is every chance that their infusion of young stars might well adequately compensate for the "on paper" losses of highly experienced stars, but then it is always asking a lot from youngsters to star immediately at this level. In any event, you only have to qualify for the semi-finals and almost anything can happen from there!

And, just in case you are really annoyed with us, spare a thought for the South Australians who are already determined to prove us wrong and WA will be one of the teams who they will be seeking to eliminate from the semi-finals race... it wouldn't pay anyone to feel too comfortable at Claxton Shield 2006.

We have discussed perhaps too many times how this team have consistently made up for any possible lack of pure player pedigree with their terrific team play and the camaraderie they seem to have developed as a cornerstone of their place in Australia's baseball big league. We will expect little to change in this department at Claxton Shield 2006.

As mentioned in our SA preview, we have taken the "punt" that the Australian Provincial team will join them outside the semi-finals action again this year. But, having now seen their roster for Blacktown 2006 we're not too upset to have "stuck our necks out" with our support of the 'AP' team this season. More than most seasons since their inception, the Provincials seem to have retained the nucleus of their good performers from 2005, while also doing well to replace those who will not be wearing the green shirts this season.

Probably their biggest "losses" for 2006 are in pitching, starting with Provincial's stalwart James Ramshaw who is a veteran of three campaigns... the ACT 27yo owns a 1-2, 8.25ERA from six games. John Allender has also been an 'AP' stalwart owning a 0-1, 4.77ERA record from five games over four years... he also spent two seasons in Rookie ball with the Arizona Diamondbacks organisation. Jason Blewjas pitched only 1.1 scoreless innings for the Provincials last season after earlier playing two years with the ABL Melbourne Reds in 1998-99.

Riki Paewai was a star at Claxton Shield 2005, but unfortunately he was plucked from the Provincials roster by the Queensland Rams just before the carnival... they certainly could have used the San Diego Padres Rookie ball prospect. 25yo Leigh Tudor is not returning this year after taking some hammer at Blacktown last year.

None of the offensive players departing from last season were spectacular performers for Australia Provincial on that occasion but they'd still like to have emerging catcher Trent D'Antonio who has defected to the Champion NSW Patriots after batting only .157 last time. However, the Florida Marlins 'A' baller is maturing fast and he didn't let anyone down when playing for the 'AROOS' at the 2005 World Baseball Cup in the Netherlands. Similarly, Michael Lysaught was overmatched at Claxton 2005, but he will benefit from two seasons of Rookie pro ball with the Minnesota Twins.

Outfielder Ryan McMillan and infielder Brent Phelan may have been out of their depth at last year's carnival, but it can be unfair to judge players from such a small sample of evidence... it's a VERY tough competition and it all happens in the blinking of an eye... only the really outstanding players flourish with any consistency.

On the upside, the Provincials have added three Victorian pitchers to an already "Victorian heavy" squad in the form of right-handers Casey Jones, Peter Tautor and lefty Adam Blackley... each of whom must have been on the fringes of selection for the Victorian Aces team. The younger brother of recent major leaguer Travis, Adam Blackley owns a 1-0, 6.43ERA record for the Aces over two seasons while he has reached 'A' ball in three years with the Boston Red Sox. Peter Tautor owned a 0-0, 6.14ERA with the Aces in 2003 and he also spent three years at 'A' level with the Minnesota Twins. 

26yo "veteran" Casey Jones returns to the Provincial fold after compiling a 1-0, 3.78ERA record with them from 2002-04.

Typically, the Aussie Provincials have also provided an opportunity for up and coming new professionals who are yet to be seen on the 'big league' scene. 18yo infielder Matt Lawton has been signed by the Minnesota Twins and 17yo catcher Clint Naylor has been signed by the San Diego Padres. We look forward to witnessing their AMLB "baby steps"!

Unfortunately we have had less time than usual this year to find out anything about 21yo RHP Hayden Beard, 17yo utility Adam Courcha or 22yo infielder Justin Humphries... we simply wish them all the best of luck.

The Conclusion: 

As we said earlier, it doesn't take a whole lot of imagination to believe that this Australian Provincial team will provide just as much opposition as their previous teams at this Claxton Shield. But, with the slight upgrade in credentials and experience from previous rosters they might well expect to creep off the bottom of the table again. Whether this can happen, or whether it will be SA who is in the basement, or someone else, only time will tell.

We're just pretty sure that, to their eternal credit, they will be far from embarrassing themselves once again!

As we have paid tribute to other players in these previews, how about a mention for one of Australian Major League Baseball's GREATEST stalwarts in MICHAEL WELLS. Always a popular baseball guy, 'Wellsy' is about to embark on his 12th AMLB season. Originally from Melbourne, Michael started his career with the ABL's Reds, then Bushrangers, before making his home in Canberra. He was the Hunter Eagles all-time Batting Champion in the ABL and he has since played with NSW Country and, more recently, the Aussie Provincials. Although he has not always put up big numbers in his 235 AMLB appearances, there is hardly a more likeable person in Australian baseball circles. Good on you Michael!

So, Provincials excluded, we have made our admittedly limited assessment of the teams and, while we are are far from certain about it, we just don't fancy the South Aussies to make the semi-finals this year in what is always certain to be a tight and hard-fought competition. We also base this realistic assessment largely on our feeling that the losses from the 2005 squad would appear, on paper at least, to outweigh those players added to the 2006 roster.

To start with the pitching, players missing from 2005 include the familiar names of Tom Becker and Adrian Burnside along with the not-so-familiar Leigh Norman. Veteran Becker may have reached the end of his AMLB road after a excellent career for Australia, the Adelaide Giants and South Australia. In 52 AMLB appearances he owned a 13-7, 4.15ERA record with probably his crowning achievement a Gold Medal with the Australian team at the 1999 Intercontinental Cup, in Sydney.

Adrian Burnside continues to be one of Australia's really big stars without quite attracting the attention of many, possibly because he has played his best on shores other than the Australian continent. While quality left-hand pitcher Adrian owns a most respectable 7-6, 3.60ERA record from 29 appearances for Adelaide and SA, this hardly does justice to his quite lofty standing as a US professional. Burnside has spent the past two seasons in 'AAA' baseball with the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays and he is as close as anyone to becoming our 22nd major league player! He also played for Australia as one of our key pitchers at the 2005 World Baseball Cup in the Netherlands. 

Leigh Norman owns a 0-1, 3.86ERA record for SA over the past three seasons and, in fairness, Danny Page is a pretty decent replacement in the SA bullpen for him with his 1-1, 2.44ERA AMLB record from 44.1 innings. 29yo right-hander Adam Widdison has had an "unspectacular" AMLB career with Adelaide Giants in 1995 and SA in 2000... he has a fair bit to prove. So too does Tyler Green who is a 21yo that has so far flown under the 'Flintoff & Dunn' radar.

While SA might very well still have enough of a pitching arsenal to keep them afloat at Blacktown 2006 with the terrific arms of John Challinor, Darren Fidge and Paul Mildren, in particular, never likely to let anyone down... we have serious doubts about the depth of offence that the 'Croweaters' can mount against the opposition pitching.

Like Tom Becker, we may have seen the AMLB swansong of a great contributor in Craig Watts who has played 348 games from 1992 with the Adelaide Giants, WA Heelers and SA. He batted a lifetime .277 with an all-time 12th most 62 home runs and, while age and wooden bats would seem to have blunted his effectiveness, he would never be an easy player to replace in any team. 

Tom Brice is a welcome addition after playing the last few years at 'A' level with the World Champion Chicago White Sox... he is likely to be much more dangerous with the bat than he was when the 'Chisox' experimented with him as a pitcher earlier this past pro season. Brice was replaced late on the 2005 roster by Ben Brusnahan who certainly did his bit as a "non-rostered" player by batting a remarkable .364... it ensured that he would be back for 2006. Brice also represented Australia at the 2005 World Baseball Cup in the Netherlands to underline his continued standing in Australian baseball.

30yo Andrew Tainty has also been a tremendous stalwart for SA teams after starting with the ABL Adelaide Giants in 1995 and his savvy, along with his .262 average, will not be replaced easily... with brother Marc still involved, we will not write his epitaph just yet!

Light-hitting Jamie Kloeden, Leigh Chenoweth and Dale Ziersch should not create cavernous holes if their replacements live up to their billings? Ben Dixon last appeared in 2004 and he owns a fine .296 AMLB career average after batting a neat .333 at the 2003 Claxton Shield. NY Mets 17yo signing Stefan Welch also comes with a most promising reputation... some think that he can be the 'Tim Auty of 2006'... let's wait and see! Troy Cook owns a .286 average and an awesome .524 on base percentage from 2004 and he will need to produce near that to help SA at Blacktown in 2006.

Sorry, but Jeremy Cresswell and Nick Talbot are complete unknowns to us, but South Australia have a good track record of introducing new teenage talent that can take the famous Claxton Shield competition by storm... look out!

The Conclusion: 

Come on, you all know that 'Flintoff & Dunn' might make excuses, but we can never stoop to outright apologies! 

OK, sorry if our ignorance about the Australian Provincial team has forced us into this predicament, but we really wouldn't be surprised if SA made the semi-finals again, especially as we're none too convinced about our selection to finish fourth... you'll have to wait a day or two for that prediction!

As we said, we reckon that SA has been slightly weakened in both pitching and batting but, while we would not be surprised if their pitching was good enough to keep them in plenty of games, we have only one main reason to respect their offensive potential. His name is BEN WIGMORE who still bats .412 after 102 AMLB at bats... if he could somehow be cloned and reproduced in the SA lineup then we'd certainly reconsider our prediction.

We did say at the outset that we would reserve judgement on the Provincials but, heh!, we have never been accused of taking the easy option or lacking courage... in the best (or is that the worst?) traditions of Texas Hold 'em poker, we'll play our cards "sight unseen" and tip the Provincials to finish (just) above the basement for the second straight year! That means that, in our view, "cellar dwellers" South Australia will be determined to prove us wrong!