Baseball In Moldova

Baseball in Moldova originated as far back as 1987. Today this adds up to a 15-year history including four years under the Soviet regime when baseball was considered a pro-American game and consequently against the totalitarian authoritative system and years of an unstable political and socio-economic environment.

Back then in the former USSR young Latin American students staying in Moldova amazed local baseball beginners with their utmost skill and perfected technique. However since the Union dissolved an urgent necessity to create a national level baseball structure has been the basis for founding the Federation of Baseball and Softball in 1993 and increased training. Team performances before that time on the part of the Tiraspol team which twice won the Soviet Baseball Cup and the Chisinau team that was also an honorary member of the Baseball League showed promising potential.

This year the Association of Baseball and Softball held its ninth baseball championship as a result of which the three strongest among all Moldovan clubs were determined. They will go on to represent Moldova on a European level in 2003 and later on will form the core of the national baseball team, which will play for the republic in the future.

Moldovan championships are held under the organization of the Association of Baseball and Softball, which is a recognized member of such important sport structures as the European Baseball Federation and the International Baseball Federation. Championship and match results are reported to them so they are always up to date on the current standings of Moldovan teams and individual players. The president of EBF and IBF Italian Aldo Notari has already paid several visits to Moldova, where his help is always needed and appreciated by baseball players and coaches. International support generally comes in the former of professional literature and assistance in equipping Moldovan teams for international competitions.

Today it is fair to say that baseball is played and known all over Moldova from Tiraspol to Comrat. The level of the game is clearly different but baseball has a promising future here in Moldova not only as an Olympic sport but a game, which is already gaining permanent fans with a good knowledge of the game and their own favorite players and coaches. Current results are an additional good sign that all problems can be and will be resolved. The junior baseball team has performed extremely well winning the Silver medals at the European championships twice in a row.

Of course many problems baseball encounters today could be resolved with proper financing and especially the provision of specialized fields. There are baseball fields in Russia, Ukraine and Romania, but there are none in Moldova yet. Sometimes players and coach staff travel to Romania to practice, improve their technique, and learn about the proper rules of the game.

In fact the primary problem for the sport in Moldova is the lack of fields. Playing on a regular football field hand set-up to fit baseball needs cannot help raise a professional player. The game itself has a list of rules, which have to be followed during a match and it is not beneficial to the quality of baseball to have to modify those rules because the fields are not specialized.

Despite that the ninth championship has brought about some high results. One of the matches lasted as long as 1,5 hours with 12 instead of the usual 9 innings only the last of which determined the winner. The Association of Baseball and Softball has received several offers from American clubs to send over selectors that could come to Moldova to pick the most talented and able players. Negotiations are being conducted with French clubs to have local players professionally trained and educated abroad. This opens good perspectives for those young people that take baseball seriously and plan to pursue it as a career.

Overall baseball is a very democratic type of sport, which unlike basketball or gymnastics for example does not require any specific physical qualities and characteristics. Regardless of which position he is on in defense the player can be strong or not so strong, tall and not too tall. The main things in baseball are throw and catch and the hit.

Any sports team game is exciting. It helps develop special abilities putting players in complicated situation, which require an alert reaction and an adequate move. Baseball is not only about developing one group of muscles, it is about sport, and it is about thinking how to play well. With its increasing popularity in Moldova and enthusiasm on the part of the representatives of the Association of Baseball and Softball it will grow to be a sport to gather fans and sell tickets in the future.