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Bill Stanton

First American female to attend Independent pro baseball instructional league

Congrats to long time CheckSwing member, Tiffany Brooks!
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First American Female Ballplayer to Attend Arizona Winter League

Spokane Baseball Player Looks to Win Pro Contract

Who: Tiffany Brooks, two-time silver medalist in women's international baseball play in Hong Kong, China; veteran baseball player; former pro softball player

What: First American female to attend Independent pro baseball instructional league

When and Where: Jan. 24-Feb. 28, 2010, Yuma, Arizona

Details:

Tiffany Brooks, a two-time silver medalist in women's international play in Hong Kong, veteran baseball player, and native of Spokane, Washington will soon be the first American woman to take part in the Arizona Winter League (AWL), a professional-level instructional baseball league to be held in Yuma, Arizona from January 24, 2010 through February 28, 2010. Brooks hopes to win a professional contract, which would make her only the second female pro ballplayer in Independent League Professional Baseball since Ila Borders blazed the way back in the late 1990's.


Brooks, a 6' right handed pitcher (RHP) – who throws six different pitches – and also plays 1B, hopes to show that she and other female baseball players in the world can compete at a professional level. Says Brooks, “ I've been playing since I was four years old when I started tee-ball, and have had a lifelong dream to play professional baseball. I hope I can prove myself and win a contract, but no matter what, I hope that my being at the Arizona Winter League will help to show other girls and women that they CAN realistically pursue playing pro baseball, and if they work hard, they can make their own dreams come true.”


Brooks will be drafted to one of eight teams and will join approximately 170 other ballplayers , primarily experienced minor leaguers, college players overlooked in the draft last summer, and a few major league experienced players. Brooks will play about 20 games over 35 days, following a short “Spring Training.” The league focuses on showcasing players to give them an opportunity to sign a pro contract -- over 120 have done so in the last three seasons. Two AWL pitchers from 2007 have already made the big leagues -- San Francisco Giant reliever Sergio Romo, and Toronto Blue Jays starter Scott Richmond, and many major league clubs attend the AWL to scout talent. The Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, and Kansas City Royals have all signed AWL players along with every major independent league in the U.S., the Mexican minor leagues, the Italian League, and the Dutch League. All the instructors and managers in the league are experienced major league players, managers, or minor league coaches and include former MLB All-Stars and players such as Mike Marshall, Garry Templeton, Ozzie Virgil, Jr, Cory Snyder, Les Lancaster, Boots Day, Brent Bowers, and Tim Johnson (who was also an MLB manager with Toronto).

Brooks will room with Eri Yoshida, who played for the Kobe 9 Cruise last year as the first female professional baseball player in Japan's Independent Leagues. Brooks said she is looking forward to having Eri as a roommate, and is excited about the cultural exchanges she hopes will occur. Said Brooks, “I'm always excited to see women's presence expanding in baseball, and I'm very pleased Eri and I will be helping to pave the way for the global future of women and girls in baseball.”

Media Contacts:

Tiffany Brooks: Kaitlyn Sawyer, (414) 899-8282; KLSMediaRep@gmail.com

AWL: Kevin Outcalt, Commissioner, AWL, koutcalt@goldenbaseball.com

Tags: arizona, baseball, brooks, golden, independent, league, tiffany, winter

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pw Comment by pw on January 29, 2010 at 1:00am
http://www.arizonawinterleague.com
pw Comment by pw on January 4, 2010 at 5:20pm
Arizona Winter League

http://djej.org/AWL.html



74 MPH
+ Fastest speed my fastball was clocked at. Not major (or even minor) league caliber, but the discrepancy between it and my changeup made a lot of people look stupid.

55 MPH
+ Slowest speed at which my changeup was clocked on the radar gun.


85
+ Approximate number of players from this year’s AWL who will be going to spring training with professional independent or affiliated teams this summer.

150
+ Total number of players in this year’s AWL.
Shawna Macurio Comment by Shawna Macurio on December 23, 2009 at 11:49am
Kick some booty, Itza! You better do us proud, since you won't be in Hong Kong with us! Now, Coach Rocky will have more responsibilities... LOL!
Mike Janes Comment by Mike Janes on December 22, 2009 at 12:47am
Is there going to be any training before the 24th in AZ? Going to be in Tucson for a high school tournament the 15th-18th and thought of staying an extra day or two (or if I had my choice a week to avoid the Buffalo winter!)
Tiffany Brooks Comment by Tiffany Brooks on December 21, 2009 at 1:56am
Dion -- I looked it up. You're talking about SOFTBALL, not baseball. It was Jennie Finch, pitching a softball. She struck out both Piazza and Pujols from 43' with a windmill (fastpitch) pitching motion.. Just to clarify, I'm playing baseball (although I did play softball internationally).
Tiffany Brooks Comment by Tiffany Brooks on December 21, 2009 at 12:49am
Thanks to everyone for the supportive comments!

Not sure, but that might have been Ila Borders int he Northern League who struck out Piazza?

Costa...yes, it's an independent instructional league (no paid contracts -- you pay for instruction, games, exposure, etc.), with tons of scouts and quite a few signings...most of which are in Indy Ball, but a few in MiLB. For women, it's about our best chance to be seen and possibly signed.

Happy Holidays to all!
Dion Chamar Owens Comment by Dion Chamar Owens on December 18, 2009 at 3:31pm
Who was the female baseball player who struck out Mike Piazza in the late 1990s?
Costa Kapothanasis Comment by Costa Kapothanasis on December 18, 2009 at 3:24pm
Without sounding tooo chauvinistic, anyone can pay the 3000 dollars and go to the Arizona League....Its like an independent placement program almost.
NBTA Comment by NBTA on December 18, 2009 at 1:14pm
Way to go Tiffany! I hope you make it happen.
Rocky Ostrom Comment by Rocky Ostrom on December 18, 2009 at 12:56pm
Congrats Tiff,
I wish you all the best and will miss you in Hong Kong. I know you will make us all proud. Keep in touch.

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