PABA explains unfair practice allegations

Philippine National Baseball Team. Wikipedia Photo

MANILA — Recently, the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association (PABA) are under scrutiny because of allegations regarding unfair practice selection in the recent Asian 12-under Baseball Championships.

PABA President Marty Eizmendi and manager of the Philippine team Nayda Mitschiener aim to set the record straight through the letters below, as published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer website.

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Dear Sir,

I have never met nor have I ever spoken to any of the complaining parents.

Paba is trying to run things professionally, where the coaches are held accountable for the players they choose.  They know the kids, I don’t.  I take care of the organization and not the recruitment of players.  The coaches are given the free hand to choose players and their positions.

These disgruntled parents are probably used to interfering in their kids’ respective teams where they dictate upon the coaches on what to do and how to do things such as the players’ positions, lineup, batting order, playing time etc.

In Paba, we do not tolerate parent involvement.   I guess this did not sit well with them.

Paba builds TEAMS and not a “TEAM AROUND AN INDIVIDUAL”…  Baseball is a sport where every player in the team counts and every player does make a difference.  It teaches teamwork, where one puts the team ahead of oneself.

Sincerely,

Marty Eizmendi

President, Paba

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Dear Sir,

I am writing to you in response to the two previous letters that you received and were published in your column. There are some key points I’d like to cover in this response.

The first of which, is that the people who sent you those letters are parents—parents whose children were not accepted into the team. This fact will inevitably lead to bias.

To clarify, the selection process was not solely based on statistics from Palarong Pambansa (where the birth date cut off—2001—is older than Ibaf).  Other factors such as statistics from Little League Philippine series 2014 were also taken into consideration. In addition to this, the opinion of some coaches from the national team, both past and present, were also taken into consideration. This was all done to ensure the fairness that everyone so desires.

The coaches preferred players who were born 2002 for multiple reasons, such as safety and maturity. Another important factor was commitment to practices if chosen, there were some players born 2002 who were not considered because of their other commitment to other tournaments which coincide with our practices and preparation for our tournament.

Although there is one player who was born after 2002 (Jan. 1, 2003), it is because the position he plays is vital to the team. After all, when constructing a team, player positions must be taken into account in order to form a cohesive team. In the end, a team with a balanced lineup for 15 players who can all give solid contribution in their positions will trump a team of 15 magnificent players who all play the same position.

Based on these criteria, players were invited to two tryouts that was held on June 3 and June 5, 2014 at Barangka baseball field in Marikina City. The coaches formed the team based on these tryouts. Most of the players chosen are seasoned players who have been playing baseball for more than 5 years and have participated in numerous tournaments both local and international. Some of our players are MVPs, best pitchers, best defensive players, most-stolen-bases awardees etc. The experience, credibility and dedication of our players cannot be questioned because, just like the boys of the parents who are complaining, they too practice everyday and have the credentials.

Thank you,

Nayda Mitschiener

PH team manager