How did South Africa land up in the first World Baseball Classic tournament featuring many of baseball's biggest stars? According to Las Vegas odds, they were the 20,000 to 1 underdogs. The cricket-, rugby- and soccer-mad country only has one professional player - double-A pitcher Barry Armitage (26) in the Kansas City Royals system. Only five other players have some kind of pro experience, including first baseman Nathan Dempsey, who played in the Montreal Expos system. Most players are amateurs, playing the game around day jobs. Each player pays to play the game - $80 to $100 per month to help their professional body with uniforms and other expenses. They play 25 to 30 games a season compared with 160 in the Major League.
Baseball in South Africa goes back to when American gold miners working at Crown Mines began playing the sport during their off days in 1898. In 1934 the South African Baseball Federation in was founded, but baseball remained a fringe sport. In 1951, the South African Baseball Association was created for black players. The two bodies remained separate until 1992, when they merged to form the South African Baseball Union.
With the help of Major League Baseball, the union has been focusing on developing baseball at the grassroots level, establishing the sport in schools across the country as well as amateur leagues. Nathan, who lives in Johannesburg, works full-time with the Pitch and Run programme in schools. Some 175 high schools now have baseball equipment. Between 10,000 and 12,000 kids play in school programmes in nine regions, and 18 adult teams compete at the amateur level. The national team was formed in 1995.
In 2000, South Africa became the first African country to reach the Olympics. They beat the Netherlands, even though they finished last among eight teams at the Sydney Games.
It was the same year that the Kansas City Royals were visiting Durban and holding a try-out camp. Barry Armitage was working at an athletic footwear shop, when not pitching at 90 mph. His boss gave him 20 minutes off to go to the try-out. The Royals signed their first South African player - for a plane ticket, and no bonus. Barry, on the Double-A Wichita roster, is about to launch his seventh season with the Royals. Barry, at 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, last spring became the first South African to play in any kind of a Major League contest. He pitched an inning for the Royals against the Astros in an exhibition game at Houston. Now he wants be the first South African to play in a full-on game.
Team manager Rick Magnante, a long-time Oakland Athletics scout, took the job when Major League Baseball offered it to him in October and he has no regrets. He was recently named manager of the Class A Vancouver Canadians. He travelled to South Africa in January, where he evaluated players and put together the WBC squad.
Sean Campbell is the main South African coach, with 30 years of experience playing and coaching on South African teams. Pitching coach Lee Smith is a former Major League reliever who has taken a break from his job as roving instructor with the San Francisco Giants to help South Africa. In the late 1980s, Lee was a teammate of Roger (The Rocket) Clemens at the Boston Red Sox.
Willie Kemp (36) is part-owner and salesman for an electrical supply company. After work, he is South Africa's starting catcher. His role model is New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza, who is playing in the WBC for Italy. Pitcher Gary Maree is also 36. The rest of the team features 10 teenagers, four of them just 17, and another five players aged 20-22.
In their first WBC game against Canada, they lost 11-8, but South Africa took the lead early and held it close until the 9th inning. Their second game was against Mexico who beat them 10-4. On Friday they were facing the USA team which includes $25 million-a-year Alex Rodriguez. Paul Bell, South Africa's second baseman and leadoff man will be the first hitter to face The Rocket. He played three seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers system.
Team USA advanced to the second round of the tournament by beating South Africa 17-0 in a game shortened to five innings by the tournament's mercy rule.
