(Story & Photos by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Hensley Meulens looks ahead to Premier12: ,,We're ready''!
Nederlands
 HOOFDDORP (Neth.) -
,,We're ready for it'', Hensley Meulens stated on Wednesday-afternoon (October 28) during a practice session of the team of the Kingdom of the Netherlands at the site of Vaessen Pioniers in Hoofddorp.
Moments later, the Manager returned to the field to hit grounders for his infielders.
After completion of the practice session, Meulens answered questions of several television crews, who attended today's press meeting.
Hereafter, he went indoors for the press conference, being joined by his Bench Coach Steve Janssen, outfielder Andruw Jones and pitcher Diegomar Markwell.
...Hensley Meulens hits grounders...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Since 2010, Hensley Meulens is the Hitting Coach of the San Francisco Giants, with whom he won three World Series.
In 2013, Meulens also was the Manager of the Dutch squad that surprised everyone by reaching the semi-final of the World Baseball Classic.
As a player, the former infielder/outfielder played for the Orange squad at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney (Australia) and 2001 World Championship in Taiwan, amongst other events.
In 1989, he was the first player from Curaçao to reach the Major League, playing for the New York Yankees.
Andruw Jones has played for 17 seasons in the Major League, most of them with the Atlanta Braves.
In 1996, being only 19 years old, he became the youngest player in history to hit two homeruns in a World Series-game.
He broke the record, which still stands, which was held by legendary Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees.
After his American career, Jones played for two seasons in Japan.
Steve Janssen became the Manager of the Netherlands Baseball Team after completion of the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Last year, he led the squad to the title on the European Championship in the Czech Republic.
With that, the title returned to the Netherlands, which was left empty-handed in the EC-finals in 2010 and 2012.
Diegomar Markwell is a veteran lefthanded pitcher in the Netherlands National Team and the Dutch big league, playing the majority of his career with Curaçao Neptunus, with whom he won the Dutch title this season, as well as the European Champions Cup.
Before coming to the Netherlands, Markwell played professionally.
...Diegomar Markwell, Steve Janssen, Hensley Meulens and Andruw Jones address the press today...
...Standing at right is Ronald van Dam, who emceed the meeting...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
,,The preparations were great'', Hensley Meulens said in his opening remarks.
,,The week we spend on Curaçao were great, nice weather, nice accomodation.''
Most players who are on the Premier12-roster are already in the Netherlands.
On Friday, all players will be in Amsterdam, then the team will leave for Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.
Meulens: ,,There, we will have a week ahead of the tournament, have a training camp, play some games and get ready.''
...Hensley Meulens talks with the press...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
The team again will play as Kingdom of the Netherlands.
To underscore the closer cooperation between the Netherlands and the six Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Saint Martin, Saba and Saint Eustatius, the flags of the seven countries that together form the Kingdom are visible on the shirts.
,,We're proud to have our flag on the shirt'', Meulens said.
Regarding the naming of the team and the closer cooperation, Meulens said: ,,You have to look at the bigger picture, as we have players from all over the Kingdom.
We spend a lot of time in the development of the team.
But also on Curaçao, Aruba and the other islands.
We're all working for the same thing.''
      
Looking ahead to the Premier12, Meulens said:
,,Some are saying that we are playing in the weakest of the two pools.
I'm not thinking that way.
There are no weak teams.
We're playing game-by-game.''
Steve Janssen on working with Hensley Meulens:
,,We have a close relationship, we already worked together during the WBC.
Having Hensley with the team is a win-win situation, both for the team as for the staff.
The staff is important also.
We have a fantastic group of players, not only a team with big name players like Andruw Jones, Coco Balentien and Jair Jurrjens, but a mix of young, talented players with players who play for years in the national team.''
Diegomar Markwell: ,,As an Antillian, it is very nice to see your flag on the shirt.''
Markwell is a veteran in the Dutch squad, with whom he won the World Championship-title in Panama in 2011.
Back then, that was the last regular World Championship.
Recently, the WBSC announced that the upcoming World Baseball Classic in 2017 again will serve as a World Championship.
,,The last few years, we are playing for the prizes'', Markwell said.
,,To have players like Andruw in the team is great.
Not only for the team, but also for us as players.
They have a lot of experience, are All Stars, you can talk with them about games and pitching.
Yes, we're ready for it.
We have very good chances to reach the top-4.''
...Hensley Meulens and Andruw Jones...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
,,It is always a pleasure to represent the Kingdom of the Netherlands'', Andruw Jones stated.
,,You play for an organization all your life, but playing for your country is another feeling.''
Looking ahead to the Premier 12, Jones said:
,,We're going there trying to win it.
We got very close on the World Baseball Classic.''
The participation in the Premier12 also is the start of the 'Road to Tokyo', the possible return of both baseball and softball on the Olympic Games in 2020, when the event will be held in Japan.
Paddy Roomer, the Commercial Director of the Dutch Association, said:
,,Baseball is big in the world.
Our Kingdom-feeling also has reached the government via baseball.
We have been invited to be part of some trade missions.''
Gijs Selderijk, Technical Director of the KNBSB and Delegation Leader during the Premier12, added:
,,We have compiled a long-term route for the coming years.
That includes strenghtening our cooperation with Curaçao.
The Premier12 also will be the start in our relations with the different part of our Kingdom, but also make connections with the business community.''
Unfortunately, Dutch baseball-fans cannot see the (professional) star-players of the recent Dutch Teams in action during actual games played in the Netherlands, meaning they have to travel abroad to see them play.
During the annual international events in Haarlem (Haarlem Baseball Week) and Rotterdam (World Port Tournament), selected players are coming from the Dutch big league.
The professional players are not eligible to play in those events, simply because they have to play for their respective clubs.
They become available after completion of their seasons, somewhere around September.
In these off-season months, the big international (professional) events are organized, such as the Olympic Games, World Baseball Classic, Intercontinental Cup and now Premier12.
In the past, some of the professional players could be seen in action for the Dutch Team during the World Championships of 2005 and 2009, which were organized in the Netherlands.
Playing in the Orange squad in 2009, when one of the preliminary rounds was held in the Netherlands, were players like Kenley Jansen, Didi Gregorius, Sharlon Schoop, Randall Simon, Curt Smith, Hainley Statia and Yurendell De Caster.
Professional players (when not on a 40-man Major League-roster) are also eligible to play for their countries during European Championships, which are now mostly organized in September in order to enable these players to be part of their national teams.
,,Therefore, we wanted to organize the European Championship next year in the Netherlands'', Gijs Selderijk said.
,,That will happen here in Hoofddorp in September.
Everyone then can see the Kingdom Team.''
(October 28)
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