InternationalPastime News

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Israeli Baseball Keeps On Keeping On

The Israeli Baseball League was a minor topic of fascination among baseball people for a year or so, but in 2007 the league collapsed financially. Apparently Israeli market demand for second-tier baseball players dueling on half-groomed baseball fields is low. Who knew? So Israeli baseball went away, seemingly forever, and...

International Pastime: 16-Year-Old Japanese Girl Trying to Go Pro

International Pastime looks at baseball's influence outside the U.S.There are few pitches as strength-agnostic as the knuckleball. Get a good knuckleball, and you can look like John Daly's fat cousin and still probably end up making money to play baseball. It's a golden ticket, that knuckler. Use it wisely. That's...

International Pastime: Pitcher Is Latest American Job to Be Outsourced to India

International Pastime looks at baseball's influence outside the U.S.In recent years we've seen quite an influx of international players in Major League Baseball, with most of the players coming from the Oriental countries of Asia. You have your Daisukes, your Ichiros, your Fukudomes, and your Wangs along with many other...

International Pastime: Japan Imposes Ban on Players Returning From U.S.

International Pastime looks at baseball's influence outside the U.S.You've probably noticed over the last few years there have been a lot more players in MLB with names that are hard to pronounce, or just sound dirty. Yes, Japan is quickly becoming the new Latin America as just about every team these days is adding a...

International Pastime: Will Junichi Tazawa Change Japanese Baseball Forever?

International Pastime looks at baseball's influence outside the U.S.For years major league teams have honored a handshake agreement with Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) not to sign Japanese amateur prospects. Once a player signs in Japan, he's not eligible to test free agency for nine years, meaning any player...