GB Seniors Florida Report
 It
took many months of planning by GM Alan Smith and ever-increasing
anticipation on the part of all participants, but finally
on 18 February four Great Britain National Team staff members
and 23 prospective members of the roster for the 2005 European
Championships converged at the Cleveland Indians' spring training
facility in Winter Haven, Florida for three days of workouts.
Immediately upon arrival at the Indians' facility, and for
the remainder of the trip, the GB group was given first-class
treatment by the Indians' staff. The Indians provided spring
training uniforms to all players as well as all baseball equipment
necessary for the group to conduct its workouts. Additionally,
the GB group was permitted to conduct each of its workouts
on the main stadium field, which was carefully manicured each
day specifically for GB's use. Finally, the ideal weather
over the course of the long weekend in Winter Haven provided
an excellent setting for the training session.
The primary goal of the GB staff was the evaluation of those
10 North America-based trip participants whom none of the
GB staff members had previously seen play. On Day 1, the GB
group was taken through six hours of evaluation-oriented drills.
Day 2 included two friendly games against collegiate opponents.
The first of these games was against a local junior college
(Florida College). Head Coach Stephan Rapaglia and assistant
coaches Lance Painter and Matt Rush fielded a lineup consisting
primarily of relatively inexperienced GB-based players. The
inexperience of this lineup was quite apparent in an error-filled
17-5 loss. In the second friendly game, which was played under
the stadium lights against Bryant College (an NCAA Division
II team that competed in the 2004 NCAA Championships), Coach
Rapaglia fielded a lineup consisting of a mixture of more
experienced GB-based players and North America-based players.
This lineup played impressively in a crisp 4-2 victory. While
the impressive play in the Bryant game generated excitement
among players and staff alike, the primary value of the game
lay again in the opportunities it provided for evaluation
and instruction.
As there had been ample opportunity to evaluate players during
the first two workout days, the GB staff shifted the emphasis
of the Day 3 drills from evaluation to instruction. The GB
group spent an additional 4 hours going through drills. This
shift in emphasis was a reflection of the GB staff's expectation
that more than half of the trip participants would ultimately
make the European Championship roster.
While there is much work remaining to be done before the
European Championships in July 2005, and many roster decisions
left to make, the GB staff believes that there now exists
ample reason for optimism regarding GB's chances for success
this summer.
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