Dutch baseball players have repeatedly proved themselves, for example during the World Baseball Classic against the Dominican Republic in March. But Holland's weather stymies the players, says Paul Rootenburg, manager of Sparta Feyenoord, one of the top teams in the Dutch division. "But," he says, "we're looking into the possibility of training next year in Curacao."

 All the players are looking forward to the World Baseball Cup in September which will be staged in the Netherlands. For the first time, the Netherlands Antilles will be sending its own squad to the tournament. Eldrion would like to play for the Antillean team, but if the Netherlands offers him a position in their line-up, he won't say no.

Coach Rootenburg is worried about the growing numbers of Dutch and Antillean baseball players who are going to the United States. "It's a big problem," he says. "Baseball is popular here but it's still nothing more than an amateur sport."