The National League

There are five professional baseball teams in Moscow and its Oblast. The number one baseball team in Russia in 1999 was VATU-BBC. The other four teams are the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy Team, RusStar, Spartak, Moskvich, and Tornado.

The Russian National Baseball Team consists of the best players from teams in the Russian Baseball Federation. Games are played at the Matsumae Stadium at Moscow State University (opened in September 1989) and the Army Sport Club at Balashikha. Baseball came to Russia after the International Olympic Committee designated baseball an official Olympic Sport in 1986.

The Russian National Baseball Team played as the USSR National Baseball Team in Amarillo, Texas in 1990, before heading to the Goodwill Games in Seattle that same year. This spring marks the 10th anniversary of that tournament.

The Russian national team played in Alexandria, LA, Greenville, MI, Amarillo, TX and Ozark, MI during their US road trip from April 19 to May 2.

Persons interested in providing material support to Russian baseball can contact: Children and Youth Olympic Reserve Sport Student Exchange Sport Fund, Global Operations and Development, Giving Children Hope, 100 East Santa Fe Ave, Placentia, CA 92870, phone:714-524-4454, fax: 714-524-4452, email: [email protected], web: www.godaid.com.

For the latest Russian baseball league standings and news, visit the website: http://www.mdvor.ru/baseball/