Baseball: The perfect pitch

Baseball became a full medal sport in Barcelona in 1992. American baseball was played in the Olympics merely as a demonstration sport in 1912, 1936, 1956, 1964, 1984 and 1988. Finnish baseball was also (pesäpallo) a demonstration sport during the 1952 Helsinki Games. American baseball became a full medal sport in Barcelona in 1992, while the similar sport of softball was added to the Olympic programme in 1996.

Unlike basketball, baseball - despite all the hype and hoopla surrounding the sport in America - is no longer dominated by the United States in the international arena. Countries like Cuba and several Central American nations have made giant strides in the sport and produced very exciting teams in recent times. For instance, the Cuban national side defeated the Baltimore Orioles of the US major leagues 12-6 in an exhibition game in 1999.

Given such a scenario, it will be interesting to see how the different nations square up in Athens.

Re-conquer the title

Cuba, in particular, will be keen to go to Athens and re-conquer the coveted baseball title. The Cubans had lost to their perennial rivals, the United States, four years ago in Sydney, and will look forward to making amends this time around, although the US did not classify for the Athens Games, and so there will not be an opportunity for a re-match.

"I wish I were already in Athens, beginning to compete, to get over the pain of Sydney," pitcher Pedro Luis Lazo commented recently to a sports weekly.

For his part, first baseman Antonio Scull, who will be participating in his third Olympic Games, dreams of bringing home a gold to his five-month-old son. He considers the first game against Australia to be very important. "Starting off with a victory will give us confidence to continue. Besides, Australia are dangerous rivals who have always played well against us. We won 1-0 in Sydney and they beat us during the Intercontinental Cup in 1999," says Scull.

Higinio Vélez, the Cuban team's coach, comments: "We have a quality defence, strength and speed on the bases, young and versatile players, and solid and deep pitching." He adds: "We'll make a few adjustments just before going to Athens."

According to Vélez, who has led the team since 2001, the principal pitcher would be Norge Luis Vera, who played perfectly in the World Games and the 2003 pre-Olympics. Canada, too, will be keen to take a serious dash at a podium finish in Athens with players like Danny Klassen, Simon Pond and Jeff Francis expected to help boost the national team's medal prospects.

As a sport, baseball was developed primarily in the United States in the early 19th century. It is commonly believed that Abner Doubleday of Cooperstown, New York, was the original inventor of the sport.

However, this belief is often contested by people who feel that Doubleday should instead be recognised for being an American Civil War hero.

Without going into the controversies surrounding the origin of the sport, one can safely say that sport is based on several earlier British sports, such as rounders and cricket, which were popular in the 17th and 18th century.

After its early development in the United States, professional baseball teams and leagues were formed later, especially the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players in 1871, the first formal professional organisation. Five years later, in 1876, this organisation was replaced by the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs.


STARS TO WATCH

Cuba, Canada, Australia