Area baseball fans get taste of Olympics
Published: Thu, Jul. 31, 2008 12:30AM
Modified Thu, Jul. 31, 2008 05:38AM
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closeAfter practicing together for a mere week, the U.S. Olympic baseball team is coming to the Triangle for final preparations before the team heads to Beijing.
Team USA will compete against Canada from Friday through Monday to fine-tune its lineup.
The first game will be at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary at 7:05 p.m. Friday. The next three games will be played at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
WARMING UP FOR THE OLYMPICS
Before leaving for the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Team USA will play four baseball games against Team Canada in the Triangle.
FRIDAY
WHERE: USA Baseball National Training Complex, Thomas Brooks Park, Cary
WHEN: 7:05 p.m.
SATURDAY
WHERE: Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Durham
WHEN: 7:05 p.m.
SUNDAY
WHERE: Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Durham
WHEN: 5:05 p.m.
MONDAY
WHERE: Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Durham
WHEN: 7:05 p.m.
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Tickets start at $10 and are available online at www.usabaseball.com or www.durhambulls.com or by calling (919) 956-2855.
The roster of mostly minor league players was finalized last Wednesday, and the team has been practicing at Santa Clara University in California.
Two members of Team USA have North Carolina ties. Pitcher Jeremy Cummings, who is playing for Team USA for the first time, is a member of the Durham Bulls. The West Virginia native has gone 7-3 with a 2.92 ERA for the Bulls. He also participated in the Triple-A All-Star Game this month.
Auxiliary coach Dick Cooke, who has served in the same position for the 1999 Pan American Games and for the 2000 Olympic Games, is the head coach at Davidson.
Nearly half of the squad has previously represented the USA on the field. Three players -- Brian Duensing, Jeff Stevens and Jayson Nix -- competed on the national team that earned the gold medal at the 2007 World Cup.
The team is two weeks from the opening round of Olympic play, with its first game, against Korea, scheduled for Aug. 13.
madeline.perez@newsobserver.com or (919) 829-8945
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