Hesston College, in Hesston, Kansas, has a school motto: "Start Here, Go Everywhere."
Maybe the Valley League can claim the same, because former New Market Rebel Chris Beck (05-06), from North Carolina-Pembroke, has signed with a team called the Solingen Alligators...in Germany! It's pretty sweet that Chris gets to continue playing ball, now for a living- and he'll probably have a fascinating experience, too! (I'm a firm believer of living in a different culture for a while.)
Chris said, "Things are going great here in Germany. We're finishing up our preseason right now and getting ready for the season opener this Saturday against the Bonn Capitals. The language barrier has proven difficult at times but its not nearly as bad as I originally [thought]. The style of baseball is actually very similar to that of the states. The only noticeable differences so far is the amount of games and the scheduling. We only play on weekends and we play doubleheaders. Due to that there isn't a need for as deep a pitching staff so teams usually depend on two quality starters with a 3rd spot starter just in case." Sounds like Chris is fitting in!
The team's website is here (can anyone translate?), and another article (in English) about Chris is here.
Thanks to Anna Kipps for another great tip (and the picture)!
Chris is currently leading the Northern division and and is second overall with a .491 average
Posted by: Pat Beck | June 07, 2008 at 11:13 AM