The Career of Julien Henri - A look back in time
 

I'm just 16 years old so I'm not sure how good of a job I will do with my Francais Baseball Newspaper column. The Francais Baseball League is made up of 12 teams divided between these french speaking nations: France, Canada (french half), and Martinique (Caribbean Island).

The league has just completed its first season and Giverny (home of Monet) won the championship. My parent team is Diamant, a small city on the southwestern tip of Martinique. They finished last in their league with a 50-88 record.

I play for the Basse-Pointe Bandits a team in the lowest division at Level A. Our team finished in last with a 34-90 record. I was the number one draft pick for Diamant and was drafted as a pitcher. The Bandits used me in two relief appearances before the season ended. But, while my arm was healing they asked me to play in CF. I have mixed feelings about the move. I see myself as pitcher, first, and a hitter second. Since I was a two way player in high school they thought it wouldn't be a problem. I'm not so sure. I'm their number one pick in the draft, three overall, so I guess my career is pretty important to them. OSA has not included me in their top 100, which is a disappointment for me. All I know is I didn't perform very well as a hitter this past season. But, they (management) have told me to not get discouraged, that it takes time.

"Just get in shape this off-season and we'll go from there", they told me. Unlike the other two countries, Martinique always has nice weather. It will be easy to practice outdoors and swim in the warm ocean. I will get myself ready for the 1961 season and hopefully reward them for their confidence in me.
Attachment 554293

My Ratings
 

Some of you may be interested in the Head Scout, Patrick Beck evaluated me for the team. He's from St. Pierre (the city overcome by a volcano at the turn of the 20th century) and is 41 years old. Well, here are the reports.

I'm not sure why they evaluated me as 'angry' in their profile. I say I'm more concerned than anything else. But, it's their report so they can fill it in any way they want.

I'll have some more updates during the off-season and hope to be able to post some stuff about our games next year, and how they team does.

Attachment 554294

Attachment 554295

The Final Francais Standings
 

One more thing, here are the standings for the league after the first season. Our franchise can only go one way, I guess. I've heard that many scouts think the Diamant minor league system is the strongest of the 12 franchises. I've asked for the report and will share it if they give it to me.

Attachment 554303

Diamond Rock
 

Here is the view from town with the famous Diamond Rock in the background. Someday, I may have time to give the history behind this famous landmark.

The other pic is looking down the beach from east to west. It's rough swimming in this bay but awesome for waveriding.

Team Pic
 

Here is a pic of the team. We have a lot of fun together. Most of the guys are pretty committed to improving our record next year. That's me in the 4th row from the bottom, 2nd from the left. My mom says I'd look better without the facial hair. Just like a mom, right? :) I don't know, I might shave it for next season. Change my luck, ya know.
tout ce qui fonctionne!

Top Systems
 

Oh, yeah, almost forgot, before I head to Anse d' Arlet for some snorkeling and beach fun I'll post up that Scouting Report for the teams. You can see, Le Diamant is #1 rated. The only player on that list from the Bandits is Herve Delage. He's way older than me (22) and we expect him to be promoted by next season. An amazing talent, Herve. He's like, smooth as silk in the field. Makes it look effortless. At the plate, geez, I wish I had that swing. The ball cracks off the bat. We don't use any metal bats in our leagues. Just wood. The thing about Herve, and he has so much talent it might not mean anything, but he tends to lose focus out there. One time, when he was supposed to be up next, the on deck circle was empty. Like, he just wasn't there. Skip sent me to the locker room and I found Herve on his phone. Seriously? ;), but, hey, he's good people. And, yeah, we will miss him next season if the reports are true.

Interesting project :thumbup1:

Heading into Spring Training 1961
 

Some of the guys got together in Fort de France (capital of Martinique) to say good-bye and good luck to Herve Delage. He's been promoted up to AA and now plays in Le Vauclin for the Parrots. It's pretty cool seeing him go to the next level and definitely something I hope happens to me, soon. OSA also bumped up Herve to #3 in the Francais baseball system. He joins other le Diamant prospects AAA Jean-Luc LeGrand (#1) and ML level Sebastian Vautier (#2) as the top 3 prospects.

The League Schedule
 

I thought everyone might want a quick look at the events for this season so I am posting this up for you to see. So, in just about a month things will kick off and it will be back to business for all of us baseball players.

22 year old Yanick Sicard and I are ranked the best defensive centerfielders in our system, with my range and lack of miscues being strengths and
Sicard boasting one of the best arms and plus defense. I've seen him in the outfield. The dude has like, a cannon for an arm. Some of us wonder why he plays so much third base, but that's for management to determine, not us players.

Spring Training
 

OK, this is so cool. Guess where I'm going?
Spring Training!!!

They said that the experience would be good for me, so no need to feel pressure. Yeah, right. LOL

Seriously? I'm pumped about this. Gotta pack.

Spring Training 1st Day
 

OK, upon arrival they had a le Diamant uniform for me. Hey, I know it's just for a few weeks, but, a kid can dream, right? The team unveiled it's new look for 1961. Reminds me of the waters surrounding our beautiful island. I guess that's the point. Awesome job. The road uniform is cool, too. I'll post it up when I get a second. Right now, I've got to start working on my batting stroke. I'm up in the cage in two more players. We play Chicouttimi-Jonquiere later today. They are one of the French Canadian franchises. They are a lot like our team as we both finished last (55-83). But, our prospects are more highly rated. Earley is their best one but he's not starting today. Wonder if I'll play today. Probably not. I'm just happy to be here. The truth? I want to play really bad.

The new le Diamant road uniform
 

As promised, here is the road version. We will be in these today.
How do I look?

Spring Training Game 1 Box and Wrap
 

Quite an afternoon of baseball. So much to tell you.

OK, Herve Delage was a surprise starter at 2b in place of Mercier. He made an out the first time up but then ripped a single and a double in his only other AB's.

Skip put me in to pinch hit in the T/6. I went down swinging.

In the OF my first inning B/6 I made two putouts, which was nice after the K.

T/9th and I'm up with the bases loaded and 2 outs. I can hardly believe it. My hands were shaking. I managed to loft a fly ball to the outfield that was easily caught.

It was looking like an 0 for 2 day for me. But, In the T/11th with 1 out, I'm at the plate with the bases juiced. A chance for redemption. The infield was in and I just wanted to drive a ball by them. I made decent contact. Right at the 2b. He is going to the plate and I'm hot footing it down to first. Please no DP. The throw arrives just after I cross the bag. When Lawrence grounded out to end the inning I realized that even the stars can't always come through, let alone a 16 year old kid.

They won it in the bottom of the 11th.

No hanging my head. I did my best. I got the first game jitters off me. I'm ready to settle in. At least, for as long as it lasts.

Final Spring Training Standings
 

Here are the final standings. Coaching staff said from the beginning that spring training would be about learning and development. We were told not to worry about winning games.

Back to Basse-Pointe and Single A Baseball
 

It's hard to describe what a wonderful experience my first spring training turned out to be. The team surprised me the first week and had me pitching in relief. Except for one outing, I did pretty good. The hitting was tough as it took me forever to get my first hit, but I started to relax after that and even put together a nice 2 hit game. I have a new respect for the 'Mendoza Line'.
In the field I played without making any errors.

Herve Delage was awesome. He put together a .351/.368/.459 line. I heard some of the regulars talking...guys like Mercier and Fabre....saying stuff like it's not IF he makes it, but WHEN.

I'll be heading to the bus station next. Looking forward to using what I learned here in the upcoming Single A season.

April 1 Scouting Reports
 

Our system uses a 1-5 rating for our potential. We had about a dozen new ones to look at today. Good news for Herve and me!

Opening day is Single A is just 10 days away on April 11.

No Hitter
 

I'm kind of a stat guy. Even as a little kid I would look through the papers and study the box scores. I was always looking for a player who hit for the cycle or struck out every at bat. I'm still that way. We are still a week away from our opener so the only box scores are the ones from the French Republic League (FRL). Today, I noticed a no-hitter. It was Jean Chaix's first start of the year, too. Nice.

Jean Chaix 1961 Card
 

Jean Chaix

April 11, 1961 - Opening Day
 

Here is the box and recap of my first regular season game of 1961.

May 8, 1961
 

A tough day at work today, fans.

Herve Delage
 

Herve is always calling me to see if I included him in the newspaper column. I tried to tell him that the focus is supposed to be about a young player and what it is like to experience pro baseball from a 16 year old and up....but, you know Herve. No problem, I can't help but like the guy. He's like an older brother in some respects. Not a real focused one, ha ha. But, he's got a big heart and talent to go with it. So, sometimes, I will include stuff about Herve.
Le Vauclin (AA) is our closest affiliate to a .500 record (11-15). Herve guarantees me that they will finish .500 or higher. We'll see. ;)

May 9, 1961
 

One of our better games this season. We rolled.

The Box Score for the Game
 

For you stat guys like me. :)

The Minors
 

Our AAA franchise seems to be the weakest link in our system at the moment. Le Diamant is 12-26 but coming off back to back shutouts by Cosman (1-4) and Jordain (4-3) both at the expense of the Artists in front of their Parisian home crowd.
victoire sur la route

Here is a snapshot of the minor league levels and top prospects for the Diamonds. Check out Herve, would you?

My past week
 

I'm on a bit of a mini tear this last week. Man, I'd like to say good-bye forever to that pesky Mendoza Line.

editors note: Julien, cool it on the Line thing. It hasn't been invented, yet.

The 1961 Rookie Draft
 

Le Diamant will be drafting first in the amateur draft that is a little over three weeks away. There are so many rumors out there about who will be selected first.
Our Scout, Patrick Beck, is from St. Pierre. So, a lot of us think he is recommending a Martinique selection. Maxime DuPont is from St. Pierre, so, we're kind of thinking he will be Mr. Beck's favorite. I know Maxime, he's a great player. The scouting staff refer to him as 'a student of the game'. OSA is not very high on him. But, here's the thing. Maxime is a centerfielder. My position. I mean, I'd love to have him on the team. I just hope they wouldn't move me to make room. Don't get me wrong, I'd do it. I'm a team player, but, still there is something about center field that makes me just feel 'alive'. I love the straight in look. The catchers flashing the sign. The location of the mitt. It's all stuff I've trained myself to respond to.
Antoine LeRoux is a Starting Pitcher from France. I hear he is amazing. I'm looking at his stats from high school. They are obscene. I'll show them to you and tell me you don't agree. Who would you pick if it were up to you?
Well, I've got to get ready for tonight's game. We are playing the French Le Mans Racers for the second night in a row in Basse-Ponite. We won by one run yesterday as Matt Lund (3-3) went the distance for us. I was 1 for 4.

Basse-Pointe and Mt. Pelee
 

For those of you who have never been to Basse-Pointe it has an amazing location, close to Mt. Pelee. I try and take time to look around every day just to appreciate the beauty of it all. Hey, this would make a good post card, don't you think?

The Basse-Pointe Team
 

I put together this page so readers could learn a bit about the Bandits. Dave Higgens (23 years old) may be joining Herve in AA, at least, that's the latest rumor. That would open up playing time for Proctor and Jolivet.

Bandits Hot, and so am I
 

The Bandits are still in last place. The good news is we have won 7 of the last 8 games and are just 2 back of the third place Les Trois-Ilets Chargers. Only 6 games back of first place St. Anne means we can get back in this before it is too late.
As I write this account for the press I am on a ten game tear that has seen my average rise 73 points. I'm no Stan Musial, but it feels good to contribute to the Basse-Pointe team effort. I'm a lot more relaxed this past week. I don't know if I'm hitting better because of it, or, if hitting better made me relax. Our Batting Coach Hamid Pinto says it is a bit of both.

Forgot about Herve
 

Herve asked me to include his past 10 games, too. Actually, he asked for the past 11 games because that way you could see his 4 hit game against Saint-Jean-sur-Richilieu Cows. Herve's Parrots lost in a close one. Herve stole his first bag of the season that game. Hits sure seem to come in bunches for him. He's like a hitting machine, that guy.

A Glimpse at our Minor League Teams
 

Here is a quick look at the Diamond affiliates and the top prospects. No surprise, on Herve. We have a second baseman on the AAA Waveriders that I will tell you about, soon. It's 22 year old Ewen Joly. He is our #7 prospect and has been playing good ball for the past year and a half.

Herve MEYER picks up 5 hits
 

In an FRBL game played in Paris, Herve Meyer put together a 5 hit performance to lead Giverny over Paris. Hitting only .262 on the young season, Meyer put on quite a show.
I look forward to my first visit to France when we play the Meyssac Blue Sox next week. The Blue Sox have a .500 record and are lead by Maxine Mathon, their 2b, who is hitting .337.

Minor League Second Sackers
 

There is an interesting situation developing at second base for our franchise. A lot of us are speculating about pecking order and I'll tell you why.

First, we have Leo Mercier playing for Le Diamant. In his 2nd season he is pretty much treading water with a 0.3 WAR. But, Leo is just 23 years old. He has good defensive range and has shown improvements from his rookie year.

Next, in AAA, we have 22 year old Ewen Joly. Ewen is probably just a bit better with the glove than Leo. At the plate his .874 OPS is making the decision to hold him back difficult for the team management. His power game is developing, and that is something the Diamonds could use more of in the line up.

To complicate the matter, we have our buddy Herve DeLage playing 2b for the AA Parrots. Herve just may be the premier defensive 2b in our system. We already know about his batting stroke, but heading towards the end of May, Herve has really ramped it up. His OPS is over .200 points higher than last year, AND he is playing at a higher level.

I don't know what they are going to do about call ups and promotions. Our head scout, Patrick Beck, was in Basse-Pointe before our last road trip and we asked him what was going to happen.
"We haven't decided anything, yet. But, I'll tell you this much boys, these situations have a way of working themselves out. Even if we call it wrong, in the end, we get it right."

So, look the profiles over while pretending you are the Scout. I mean, the safe thing is, do nothing. OK, here they are....

May 21
 

I had my 17th birthday 4 days ago. Still, just a kid. The guys and the coaching staff had a little party for us after the game. We enjoyed the cake that one of the mom's baked for the party. It was a bit subdued because we got thrashed by the Meyssac Blue Sox 10-2. It was a close game that was tied 2-2 after 7 innings. Calvet and Lalanne hit long homers in the 8th and 9th that sealed it. I had a single in 3 trips to the plate.

The good news is the next night we paid them back, big time. Down 8-4 in the 9th with 2 outs, Harrie Goudie fouled off 3 pitches in a row before lining a ball over the fence for a grand slam homer! We pushed across a run in the 11th to take the game, 9-8.

Vic Cosman
 

Vic Cosman is considered the 'Ace' of the Diamonds. His nickname should be Tough Luck. I mean imagine having a 3.14 ERA and being 1-6. He's got the goods, just not the luck. His fastball is estimated to be between 93-95 MPH and he's got 3 quality pitches...fastball, curve, and change.

I've included his pitching log for Spring and the Regular Season. I'm predicting big things for Vic. Le Diamant's pitching coach Arnaud Pommier says he will be one of the top 5 pitchers in the FRBL some day. No pressure, Mr. Cosman. :laugh:

Report Card for our Closer
 

Benjamin Andre (we call him Ben) got his 'report card' from the Head Scout which had good news/bad news. It looks like as Ben matures he is getting a little more mustard on the heater to go with his excellent movement.

Area for improvement? Control. Mr. Beck says that Ben will never make it to Le Diamant unless he gets control of his stuff. "Dial it down, if you have to, but I want walks at less than 3.0 per 9 IP, 2.5 would be better", were the words that Patrick passed along to Ben (according to Ben). Ben currently is allowing 5.6 BB/ 9 IP. So, I asked him if he was going to take that advice. Ben just looked at me with one of the 'what do you think' looks. Fits his profile, if you ask me.

Draft Day
 

We are on the edge of our dugout seats waiting to get word on who will be selected by Le Diamant as the #1 Rookie Selection today.

No way do they not pick Antoine LeRoux, out of France. Look at his HS stats. I'd love to play CF behind this kid. Well, he's just 1 year younger than me, I guess.

Long Gone!
 

If Ernie Harwell (Detroit Tiger WJR broadcaster) was announcing our May 26th game against the Pantin Vultures, he might have said something like this, "Martial Andre, sets, and deals. Henri swings...it's back, way back, and LONG GONE!" Julien Henri, the kid from Sainte Pierre has just hit his first homer of the season, and 4th of his career.
Plus, we won 5-0, too. Sweet!

Ah, Ernie Harwell! Favorite baseball voice of my youth. (My favorite Harwellism: called strike out, "and he stood there like the house by the side of the road." )

Basse-Point is now + .500
 

While we await word on the rookie draft selections it's noteworthy that the Bandits are now playing better than .500 ball! We are 26-25 and have won 8 of the last 10.

After our maiden year of 34-90, the organization is feeling much better about our development. I'm not proud of the fact that I lead the team in K's (see graphic), but, knowing my numbers are improving in other areas keeps me from getting discouraged.

Hitting Coach Kevin Smith told me today that I'm doing very well. Actually, ahead of where they thought I would be at this stage of the season. That made me feel pretty good. All of us agree, Coach Smith has done a real nice job with our batting strokes this year.

I'll have word on that draft pick before the night is over so this is something that you'll not want to miss.

Le Diamant first two picks are in!
 

It's official, Antoine LeRoux has been drafted by the Diamonds. Awesome! Cannot wait to see him play. Antoine is from France but he has spent some time in Martinique.

Maxime DuPont, the CF I discussed a few days ago, actually went in the supplemental round to Le Morne Rouge, another Martinique franchise. He will probably be assigned to the St. Anne Clippers in single A.

Our second pick is from Canada. Opinions differ on his upside, but Mr. Beck is very high on him. "Lots of upside", as he exclaimed. I know Matthieu Michel as he is from Rivere-Salee, very close to Le Diamant. He is a guy who doesn't hold back with what he's thinking. I like that about him.

Well, I've got to wrap things up as we play Moncton the final game of our series tomorrow. Starting time is 12:05 PM.

Are we getting a new Manager?
 

While there is plenty of optimism with the Bandits and rookie draft in Le Diamant, it seems there are questions surrounding our skip, Joe Coleman. His authoritarian style seems to be rubbing quite a few of the players the wrong way.

A recent internal report indicated that Mr. Coleman has alienated almost half of our players. While the coaches seem to be relating to the players well, our manager may be in trouble. Just between us, here is a copy of the internal report. Nobody knows what to think right now. I'm okay with the skip, but, I think he could relax things a bit here in the clubhouse. We've heard rumors before regarding personnel moves at management level and nothing has happened. So, maybe not a big deal at this point given the team is winning.

But, according to a team spokesperson it is believed that Benoit Mahe was seen either at or very near the Le Diamant ballpark this past week. Benoit is a progressive local baseball talent that a lot of teams would love to have behind the bench.

Herve
 

I'm worried about Herve. Not his playing ability. He's a player, anyone can see that. Remember I mentioned that his mind tends to wander sometimes? We use to laugh about it, but, no big deal. The last time we spoke on the phone he was unloading about how the team wasn't performing well, that he wasn't being used properly, etc. I asked him specifically what the issue was but he wasn't very clear about that part...just started ranting about something else. I'll let him simmer down and call him in a few days.
The rumors about a new skipper are really gaining momentum around here. Nobody knows what to think. Lots happening with the new draftees joining the roster. A few guys got promotoed to the Parrots (Herve's team) and, unfortunately, a few were released to make room. I'll miss Dominique Pierre. He and I were becoming pretty good friends. He's going back to Provencal, France tomorrow. I included a pic of Dominique's hometown main street. He is going to study to be a boulanger.

Really an interesting story, great write-up :thumbup1:

No Hitter
 

Saint-Michel pitcher Jordane Dupois is worthy of mentioning. I've been following his box scores lately as I went to school with his brother (his family lives in St. Pierre). We always looked up to Jordane when we were younger and often attended his school baseball games to watch him pitch.

Jordane is on a 4 game win streak and just maybe pitching the best ball of his career in the FRBL. In his last 3 contests he's yielded one run. One run! And, he had a no-hitter in his last game. Walked 8 guys, but, it's still a no hitter, right?

Antoine LeRoux
 

Our first round pick made his first start last Friday. Pretty rough going for Antoine. He took the L after 5.2 IP. But, here's the thing. The next night, yes the very next night, Skip brought him in to relieve. I mean the kid had just thrown 112 pitches, which from what I hear is about 22 more than what upper management expects, and then without any rest the skip had him toss 22 more pitches. From what I hear owner Bruno Fourcade was furious. Which made the Le Diamant GM and Asst. GM furious.

Some of us think Mr. Coleman maybe wants to get fired. I mean why would an experienced manager mishandle the #1 pick in the draft? We know his contract expires at the end of the season but none of us expect him to be around at the end of the year. The higher ups arrived in town today. I mean, it's rare to see any of them when we are on the road in a place like Montreal, but, to see all 3 at the same time...I don't know.

Anyway, here is Antoine's summary of both games. You can see the dates and pitch counts, because it's so bizarre I wasn't sure anyone would believe it without the proof!

It happened
 

When we arrived at the park tonight we learned the news that the skip has been fired. His locker was cleaned out. It was kind of eerie with the team having to play without a manager. Our pitching coach is in charge (for now), but, all us suspect that it is very temporary.

I think we're all a bit shook up. I mean the first thing you think of is Mr. Coleman is no longer with us. The next question(s) are, who will replace him and how will it affect me? I wonder if I'll still be in the starting line up. Skip was pretty good about being patient with me, even though that was not his strong suit. Still, he was an 'out of the box' type manager. I liked his strategic style, but a lot of players thought it was too weird. You know, the guys who like to utilize the sacrifice, hit and run, stuff like that.

Well, we have a game to play so no time get caught up in team management issues. Coach Kevin Hubert told us to just focus on the game. All other questions will be answered in time.

We are at home against the Le Morne Rouge Tigers. We are 4 games behind the front runners in 3rd place. We have Matt Lund on the mound for us. He is 7-4 and most of us love playing behind him.

Newspaper Account of Mr. Colemam's dismissal
 

It appears our local paper had the scoop on the personnel change. As we await the start of tonight's ball game I saw a copy of Le Diamant Press. I'm not even sure who the guys quoted are, but, I might have liked our manager more than the rest of the team. Well, if I had to guess, I'd say Benjamin Andre was the player quoted. It could be anyone, really. I mean the vibe surrounding him is just not good.

Not exactly easing in a 16-year old kid :crying:

Our New Manager
 

We met our new manager today. The rumors turned out to be true as Benoit Mahe has joined the club as of Saturday, June 17th. He's from La Trinite' and is pretty young for a manager, just 36.

What a difference in personality. He seems so relaxed and friendly. Said for us to call him Benoit. He says he loves to develop young talent and that the Bandit position was one he always dreamed about since his mid twenties.

It looks like he may be starting Goudie in CF. I hope that doesn't continue as Herb is a nice guy, good team player, but he's not a CF.

OK, I just got a clarification from our hitting coach. What I was looking is just a 'sample line-up', and not what Mr. ...Benoit intends to do. Kevin says that Benoit is going to leave me in CF. At least, for now.

I am in a bit of a slump and I've also found out that the Scouting Report has lowered expectations for me. What does that mean? Not sure, but it is nothing I can control. I'll keep working at all facets of my game. You can bank that.