Space Coast Baseball

Complete coverage of Space Coast professional and amateur baseball. Established 2009.
Owned, produced and written by Stephen C. Smith. Click Here to e-mail SpaceCoastBaseball.com.
Last updated 8:45 AM EDT September 3, 2010.
All content, unless otherwise noted, is copyright © 2010 SpaceCoastBaseball.com.
The articles and photos on this site may not be used elsewhere without the prior expressed written permission of the author.

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Click here to listen to the August 26 game between the Tampa Yankees and the Brevard County Manatees. Windows Media Player required.

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Are the Washington Nationals leaving Viera for Kissimmee?
Read all about it on the Space Coast Baseball Blog on MLBlogs.com

Videos

Click the image to start the video. Windows Media Player and a broadband (cable modem, DSL) Internet connection are required to watch the videos.

August 25, 2010 — Watch Kyle Heckathorn pitch for the Brevard County Manatees against the Tampa Yankees.

August 25, 2010 — Watch Erik Komatsu homer for the Brevard County Manatees against the Tampa Yankees.

August 25, 2010 — Watch Shawn Zarraga homer for the Brevard County Manatees against the Tampa Yankees.

August 25, 2010 — Watch Brevard County Manatees catcher Shawn Zarraga tag out Tampa Yankees runner Brad Suttle.

July 30, 2010 — Take a video walking tour of the Space Coast Stadium field as seen from the players' perspective.

July 30, 2010 — Watch offense and other highlights from the game between the Brevard County Manatees and the St. Lucie Mets.

July 30, 2010 — Watch Sergio Miranda homer for the Brevard County Manatees against the St. Lucie Mets.

July 30, 2010 — Watch Cody Scarpetta pitch for the Brevard County Manatees against the St. Lucie Mets.

News

Florida Today
Manatees Lose 13-6 at Tampa

Florida Today
Talks Begin to Move Tampa Yankees to Orlando

Tampa Tribune
Tampa Yankees Could Be in Orlando by 2013

Orlando Sentinel
Will Minor League Ball Succeed in Orlando?

Florida Today
Manatees Win 5-1 at Tampa Yankees

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
2010 Manatees Jeremy Jeffress Overjoyed to Join Brewers

MLB.com
Jeremy Jeffress Vows to Make the Most of His Shot

Florida Today
Tampa Yankees May Move to Orlando, Need Manatees' Approval

Florida Today
Giants' Buster Posey Has Relatives in Merritt Island

Florida Today
Erik Komatsu, Sergio Miranda Named to Florida State League All-Star Team

MLB.com
Brewers Call Up Jeremy Jeffress, Mat Gamel, Carlos Villanueva

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Brewers Expected to Call Up Former Manatees for September

Florida Today
Manatees Lose 6-5 at Tampa

MLB.com
Stephen Strasburg Scheduled for Surgery, Will Eventually Report to Viera

Orlando Sentinel
Is a Minor League Team Moving to Orlando?

MLB.com
Current and Former Manatees Named to Arizona Fall League

Florida Today
Manatees Lose Home Finale 3-1 to Clearwater

Florida Today
Satellite Beach Resident Recalls Playing for Saudi Little League

MLB.com
Brewers' Pitching Prospects Honored for Throwing No-Hitter

MLB.com
Did Mechanics Cause Stephen Strasburg's Injury?

ManateesBaseball.com
Manatees Lose 11-8 to Clearwater

MiLB.com
Viera Nationals Lose Season Finale 3-2 to Jupiter Marlins

Washington Post
Future Unclear for Stephen Strasburg

Florida Today
Manatees Lose 7-4 to Clearwater

MiLB.com
Viera Nationals Win 3-1 over Kissimmee Astros

Washington Post
Stephen Strasburg Out At Least One Year

Need to Know

All BCC Titans and Florida Tech Panthers photos are now online in the Amateur Players' Digital Photo Gallery. All BCABA photos are now online. Photos from the July 5 Brevard County Manatees game are pending. Viera Nationals and Space Coast Rockets photos are coming soon.
The Brevard County Amateur Baseball Association continues its Fall 2010 season with games at McGrath Field in Melbourne and Rockledge Park in Rockledge. Visit the BCABA web site for more information.
The Space Coast Rockets play their next home game on Saturday September 11 against the Tampa Bay BlackSox at 7:00 PM EDT. The game will be played at Cocoa Expo Stadium.
The Brevard County Manatees have completed their home schedule for the 2010 season. The Manatees are on the road until season's end on September 5.
The Viera Nationals ended their 2010 Gulf Coast League season on August 28 with a 24-32 record. The fall instructional league schedule will be posted when available.

Features

Baseball's Extreme

By Stephen C. Smith
Publisher
July 18, 2010

Two runners on second base, and it's legal — Toby Hagelberger leads off from the wide-side, Adam Konstant from the flip-side.

I fell in love at first sight with the National Extreme Baseball League.

As with all crushes, I tend to overlook its flaws, which are many. But the attraction is there, which I wholeheartedly admit.

The NXBL describes itself as "semi-pro" but in reality the talent level is about the same as a typical adult amateur league. The players are mostly amateurs who once played baseball in high school or college. They joined the league to continue playing the game, about once a week.

What makes the NXBL unique is its “Double Diamond Baseball” format. The infield has a set of orange bases next to the traditional white bases. The first batter in each inning runs the white bases, called the "wide-side," in the counterclockwise direction. The second batter runs the orange bases, called the "flip-side," in a clockwise direction. The runners continue to alternate through the innning until the third out is recorded.

Click here to watch a video clip of Double Diamond Baseball. You need Windows Media Player and a broadband (cable modem, DSL) Internet connection to watch.

For me, Double Diamond's instant appeal is that it negates the advantage right-handed people have had in the game of baseball since its inception in the mid-19th Century. We left-handers can't play second base, shortstop, third base or catcher because the counterclockwise running motion creates all sorts of problems for lefties at those positions.