South Australia is hosting a best-of-three semi-final of the 2009/2010 Dominos Claxton Shield at Norwood Oval from next Friday, January 29, which is the first time in over a decade such an important baseball game or series has been scheduled in the state.
This is a plea to all media outlets to get behind the local team, which, if successful, will earn SA the right to challenge Victoria for the championship from February 5 in another best-of-three series.
With the new Australian Baseball League due to start next season, next weekend's home semi-final series will have huge ramifications, as South Australia will use it as a stepping stone to launch into the future with confidence.
Not since 1980 has a SA baseball team won a senior championship of any sort, including Claxton Shield and the former Australian Baseball League, which ran for 10 seasons from 1989.
South Australia has not had a lot of success on the overall sporting landscape through the 21st century, with next weekend's baseball semi-finals the perfect opportunity for the media to embrace a team that has proudly represented the state in a national competition.
On Friday SA will start its finals campaign, probably against NSW – unless it loses both ends of a double-header against bottom team Queensland tonight – from 6.35pm.
This is a call to arms for all media outlets to get behind the push to help put the state baseball team in the eye of the local sporting community.
