The Import Culture

After a fantastic Australian Baseball League season, and a tremendous Finals series in Canberra, debate continues to rage about the status of Import players in the competition, specifically the number of imports afforded to Canberra Cavalry as opposed to the other 5 teams in the league. While I don’t think I can bring anything new to the debate, I do have random thoughts about the import culture in the league, so I thought I'd try this blogging thing.

Let me first in light of this start by saying, I do like watching the Imports added to the mix. As a Sydney Blue Sox fan, one of the highlights of the season for me was watching the amazing defensive plays of infielder Zach Penprase (and also his record breaking stolen base efforts too!). Imports have an important role to play in the development of Baseball in Australia, I recognise that. However, there is a negative side to the import culture that often goes unmentioned or even unnoticed. You see, to put it simply, the success of team sports off the field, like any sports really, is in large part dependent on fans. Fans become a part of the culture of a club, just like players. What does that have to do with imports? Let me explain by starting with a silly story.

I decided recently, while sitting on the train on my daily commute to work, to write a song about the Blue Sox. As I sat their penning lyrics about the team I love, I came across a dilemma… How do I write a song now and have it still relevant next season? Put simply, could we sing a song next season, about Penprase’s defensive flair or Herr’s command on the mound? How about a song about J.D. Williams’ speed or Klein’s work behind the plate? The simple reality for me is this, I can’t write about them, because I don’t know if they will be wearing the Blue Sox next season. For my song, it turned out far easier to write about Ox, Matt Williams’ Beard and Dennings’ Bat, because as they’ve demonstrated, they love playing in the blue, and they’ll be back again and again!

Consistency is important, culturally, to growth. How do you explain to your 6 year old son, who is developing a love for the game that his favourite player isn’t here anymore? Imports, in most cases, tend to be one season wonders. In rare cases, such as with Canberra’s Cody Hightower, they return and are fan favourites, but in my experience, that’s rare, here one season, gone the next (And no doubt, as soon as I click submit on this blog post, I’m sure you will come up with a heap of examples on your teams of more than one season Imports). That’s the downside of the import culture. As was highlighted by one pundit on Twitter, I have no idea who will be defending the Canberra Cavalry’s championship next season. But this I can tell you, I know who will be gunning for it. You see, while those imports may have won it this time around, and question marks abound about whether we’ll see them again next year. That said, some people you KNOW you will see next year are players like Hughes, De San Miguel and their band of Kennelly’s at the Heat, Ox, The Boss and Denning and the boys in Blue at the Blue Sox, Roberts, Dutton and their gang of Bandits in Brisbane… they’ll be there.

It’s what the Cavs won’t have for some time. It’s the flip side to the perceived “Import Advantage”. Yes, it’s great to see a Canberra team have success, and it takes nothing away from their achievement. I hope some of their core group does stay together to develop a culture the fans can get behind. But consistency is a great tool to build with. I love imports, but in this writers opinion in the Aussie culture, I’d take the multiple years of Luke Hughes passionate play for his home team, over one season of the flame-throwing pitching of Alex Maestri any day. I can still remember excitedly cheering for Ox in season 1, but I can’t name an import from that season (Did the Sox even have any that year?) And being able to see Brandon Barnes play in the outfield for the Houston Astros is great too, knowing he donned the Blue Sox once, but it’s not gonna help bring the Claxton Shield to Sydney next season. Imports will come and go, but out boys will keep coming back.

 

 

So yes, there is a lot of debate about imports and their place in our league, but just remember this one important point… Luke Hughes is pissed that someone stole his shield, and you better believe he will want it back next season!

Where do you stand on this? Would you rather a gun import for one season, or a home-grown star for five?