USA Baseball names Olympic team includes Hessman and Neal

07/16/2008 4:23 PM ET
USA Baseball names Olympic team
Former big league skipper Johnson to lead squad in Beijing
By Mark Newman / MLB.com

Fourteen players currently at the Triple-A level were among those named on Wednesday to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Baseball Team, which is now only a few weeks away from a trip to Beijing and a chance to win gold at the Summer Games.

USA Baseball revealed 23 of the 24 members of a roster that will be led by Davey Johnson, who won World Series championships as a player (Orioles) and manager (Mets). His team features 12 pitchers and 11 position players, and the final roster spot will be filled in the coming days -- ahead of Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad's (BOCOG) cut-off date next Tuesday.

Opening Ceremonies are on 8/8/08, a number that purports good fortune in China, and now it remains to be seen whether that applies to the U.S. contingent. The team will open against Korea on Aug. 13 at Wukesong Baseball Stadium, site of the entire baseball competition. The Olympic Medal Round will be on Aug. 23, a day before Closing Ceremonies.

"We are proud of the ball club we have assembled," USA Baseball executive director/CEO Paul Seiler said. "The team is strong from top to bottom, and we are confident it will succeed in Beijing. We applaud our coaching staff and selection committee for their tireless work in putting together an excellent team."

Any athlete not on an active 25-man Major League roster at the time of selection is eligible to compete. The roster is stockpiled with bright prospects, including such players as Indians outfielder Matt LaPorta (Port Charlotte, Fla.) and San Diego State right-hander Stephen Strasburg (San Diego).

LaPorta was recently dealt by the Brewers to the Indians as the key piece of a trade that brought 2007 A.L. Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia to Milwaukee. Baseball America currently ranks LaPorta as the top prospect in Cleveland's farm system, and the outfield slugger was also a member of the 2005 USA Baseball National Team (collegiate). He had one of the USA team's three hits in their 3-0 loss to the World team during Sunday's XM All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium.

"Just the chance to represent my country and bring back a gold medal, it would mean so much," LaPorta said after that game. As for this stretch of developments in his baseball life, he added: "It's been crazy, a roller-coaster ride up and down. The last two weeks just haven't stopped. One day you think you can catch your breath, then something else happens."

Like going off to China for the month.

Strasburg, who turns 20 on Sunday, made national headlines with a 23-strikeout performance against Utah on April 11 -- part of a breakthrough sophomore season. He is presently anchoring the pitching staff on the 2008 USA Baseball National Team. The team of collegiate all-stars is fresh off a first-place finish at Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands, including two victories over the Cuban National Team.

In addition to the 14 players currently a step away from the bigs, the 23-man USA roster features seven players in Double-A, one in Single-A, and one at the collegiate level.

Bob Watson, USA Baseball general manager of professional teams, said they were looking for a roster of experienced players. He and Johnson were planning to speak with the media about the team on a teleconference shortly after the 2:30 p.m. ET announcement that was a free live stream for fans on BaseballChannel.TV.

"We knew going in that we wanted a veteran club -- a team of guys who have been battle-tested, so to speak," Watson said. "But we wanted younger prospects as well; guys with the fire to go out and showcase their talents on the international stage."

The 2008 Olympic Games will be the ninth time USA Baseball has utilized Major League-affiliated professional players for international competition, including the 1999 Pan Am Games, the 2000 Olympic Games, the 2001 World Cup, the 2003 Olympic Qualifier, the 2005 IBAF World Cup, and the 2006 COPABE Olympic Qualifying Tournament and the 2007 World Cup.

Team USA did not qualify for the Olympics in 2004. Cuba will be back again in its customary role as one of the favorites, having won three of the four Olympic gold medals since baseball became a medal sport in 1992. The lone exception was settling for silver in 2000 when it was upset by the U.S., which won gold on Ben Sheets' three-hit shutout.

"We had the best team in 2004. We gave up two runs and didn't qualify," Watson said recently. "The thing we learned the most from the not qualifying in 2004 is to have some semblance of balance. We had great pitching, but it wasn't a balanced-hitting club. Dave likes power, speed, balance. So we're going down that path now."

Mark Newman is enterprise editor for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Mike Hessman and Blaine Neal to Play for USA Baseball in 2008 Olympics!

Subject: 2 Mud Hens to represent U.S. in Olympics Wed Jul 16, 2008 2:07 pm

Article published Wednesday, July 16, 2008
2 Mud Hens to represent U.S. in Olympics
By JOE VARDON
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

Two Toledo Mud Hens will represent the United States in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Third baseman Mike Hessman and closer Blaine Neal, who are both in Louisville, Ky., for tonight's Triple-A All-Star game, were chosen for Team USA manager Davey Johnson's final roster.

Hessman, 30, leads the International League with 30 homers. Neal, 30, leads the IL with 23 saves. Both will make their first appearances as Olympians.

"It's an honor for both of them to be selected," said Dave Dombrowski, general manager for the Detroit Tigers. "It's a tremendous honor when anybody is selected to represent their country in the Olympics, which is why in my career we've never stood in a player's way in those situations.

"The only way we would stand in a player's way is if for their health, going to the Olympics wasn't the right thing to do. Being the major league club, there are mixed feelings that sometimes go into these things because for our minor league affiliates, the Olympics don't carry the best timing. But we want to honor the individual's wishes, and it's ultimately their decision to make."

Also on Johnson's 24-man roster is outfielder Matt LaPorta, the key component for the Cleveland Indians in the deal they made to send CC Sabathia to Milwaukee.

Team USA has its first exhibition game Aug. 1 in North Carolina against Canada. Olympic play lasts from Aug. 13-23.

C'mon USA!
_________________
Coming soon: A better signature!

Guest

GOO USA!

GOO HESSMAN!!!!!!!!!
I bet I'm the only one who has seen him hit a ML HR!