Former Colt to pitch in Russia
Published on August 29, 2007 under United League Baseball (ULB)
San Angelo Colts News Release
SAN ANGELO, Texas - The temperature on an August day in Moscow, Russia may not compare to the sweltering heat in San Angelo, Texas, but the two places still share a common thread this time of year: baseball. A former Colt is providing the link between East and West, as Mark Goodman, a left-handed pitcher on the 2006 Colts, is currently in Moscow assisting the Russian National Team prepare for the 2007 European Championship, which is Europe's Olympic Qualifier for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Along with Goodman, fellow American baseball players James Beever, Kellen Raab, and Mike Rodgers will participate in the first ever Moscow, Russia - John Quincy Adams - American Labor Day Baseball Series. Rodgers is a right-handed pitcher and a 2007 graduate of Hope College in Holland, Michigan. Goodman, Beever (a right-handed pitcher), and Raab (a left-handed pitcher) all played for the St. Joe Blacksnakes of the independent American Association this past season.
According to www.russianbaseball.org, this group of four "is the first American professional baseball playing delegation to travel to Russia since the Eastern League (AA) traveled to the USSR in 1989 on the Diamond Diplomacy Tour to play against the Soviet National Team."
The Labor Day Series consists of six games that will be played from August 29 through September 4 at the Olympic Sports Center in Moscow. The four Americans will team up with the group of 25 players from the Russian National Team in the squad's training camp; the Americans will pitch against the Russian front-liners with the Russian reserves rounding out the squad for which the Americans will play. The purpose of the trip is to offer the Russian National Team top-level and fresh competition just prior to the team's journey to Barcelona, Spain on September 6 for the European Championship.
Goodman, 6-foot-2 and 230 lbs. from Glendale, Arizona, just finished his third professional season with a 2-5 record and a 3.52 ERA in 43 relief appearances. In 2006 for San Angelo, the southpaw was 5-4 with three saves and a 5.40 ERA in 26 appearances, including 10 starts. In addition, the 24-year-old only walked 14 batters in 76 2/3 innings.
Advertising, ticket, and group information are available by calling the box office at (325) 942-6587. All Colts games are broadcast live on "Cool 100" - KCLL 100.1 FM and online at the Colts' official website, www.sanangelocolts.com, which is updated daily with the latest team news.
The San Angelo Colts are a part of a six-team league that make up United League Baseball. The independent league has teams located in San Angelo, Laredo, Amarillo, Edinburg, and Rio Grande Valley, Texas as well as Alexandria, Louisiana, and began play in the 2006 season.
United League Baseball Stories from August 29, 2007
- Former Colt to pitch in Russia - San Angelo Colts
- Aces win second straight ULB title - Alexandria Aces
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