For many years the assumption was made that baseball was derived from the British game of cricket. Today however, sport historians are re-evaluating this claim. Recent historical discoveries point to the fact that baseball resembles more the game brought to America by the early Polish settlers of Jamestown, Virginia (1609) known as "pilka palantowa". Zbigniew Stefanski in his "Pamietnik Handlowca" ("An Industrialist's Memoirs") of 1625, gives the facts of the Polish game and even names some of its players. Here they are: Stanislaw Sadowski, Zbigniew Stefanski, Jan Mata, Tomasz Migtus, Gwidon Stojka and Karol Zrenica.
Augustow Little League President, Bozena Borys, cordially invites anyone interested in seeing baseball exhibition games to a pre-season tournament to be held in Augustow on May 25th, 1996. Teams from Warsaw, Miejska Gorka, Byczyna, Raczki and Bydgoszcz will be present. Augustow, Poland, was named "Baseball City of the Year 1995/96" by the Polish National Youth Baseball Foundation.
The Ministry of Education has recognised the importance of baseball by developing a one-year curriculum "Studia Podyplomowe" at the Wroclaw Academy of Physical Education. This program leads to the qualification of Baseball Instructor II. For more information on this program contact Wroclaw University.
Each year the European Championship Team is invited to America to participate in the Little League World Series held in Williamsport, PA. Warsaw's "Centaury" Little League represented Poland last year in the European Championship. "Our team made a commendable showing," said Hubertus J. van der Vaart, Director General of Caresbac-Polska SA and the proud father of two players, "... this year we hope to do better - maybe even win it all." Good luck, boys.
The summer of 1994 will remain in the memories of many young players from Brzeg, Poland, who traveled to America to compete against several All-Star American teams. They won all but one game. This year a team from Windham, Conn. is planning to visit Poland in the first two weeks of August.
Brzeg, known as the City of Champions, is inducing Stan "the Man" into its Hall of Honor this year.
A number of towns and cities in Poland have a Little League Baseball Program. The list includes: Augustow, Brzeg, Byczyna, Bydgoszcz, Dzialdowo, Jaslo, Krakow, Krosno, Liwin Brzeski, Miejska Gorka, Milicz, Opole, Osielsko, Polkowice, Raczki, Rawicz, Skalagi, Swidnica, Szczecin, Warsaw, Wroclaw. Anyone interested in finding out more about their programs, please contact:
European Little League Region
99-300 Kutno, Poland
Tel: 48-24-544569 Fax:48-24-544571