February 13, 2025

Episode 1083 On the Other Side ... Your Pathway to International Baseball with Dave Dagostino and Czech Reublic HOF & ISG Board Member Jim Jones

47 minutes

Jim Jones has over 50 years of baseball coaching experience at the youth, high school, college, semi-pro and international levels. He served as assistant coach at Stanford University before becoming head coach at the University of Wyoming and St. Mary's College (CA). Presently he is retired from teaching, is assistant golf coach at Oregon Tech and is PastPresident of International Sports Group, Inc. In 1991, Jim began his international experience by becoming coach in residence in Czechoslovakia as part of a joint IBA-MLBI program. Following that “Lone Ranger” assignment, he served with Bill Arce as MLBI's Co-coordinator of Game Development in Europe. His duties there allowed him to over-see the selection and evaluation of Envoy Coaches assigned to various European federations as well as overseeing many of MLBI's winter coaches' clinics. When his MLB duties took him further away from the baseball field and into the administration offices, Jim decided he wanted to return to activities that allowed him to work directly with European coaches and players. That desire allowed him to take a new path in international baseball. Since that return to the field, he has worked with baseball federations in the Czech Republic, France, Spain, Holland, Croatia and Portugal. He has served as an instructor, manager and assistant coach at all levels from Cadets through the Senior level of play. At the 2006 European Baseball Coaches Association's winter convention, Jim received EBCA's Achievement Award in recognition of his work in European Baseball since the early 1990's. He also has received MLB's Julio Puente Award for his outstanding work as an MLB Envoy Coach From 2005 to 2009, Coach Jones worked with the Spanish Baseball Federation working with coaches and players in clubs and camps - as well as serving as the pitching and catching coach from the Cadet, Junior and Senior National Teams. Following his work in Spain, Coach Jones worked 5 years with the French Baseball Academies in Toulouse, Rouen, Montpellier, Bretagne and Talence, helping them prepare for various up-coming international tournaments. During June 2010, while back in the USA, Jim served as head coach of the Armed Forces team, US9, during an exhibition tour in Western Wisconsin. An additional international opportunity arose in 1998 when he joined with Bill Arce and International Sports Group to take over the administration of the winter baseball and softball clinics. The demand for coaching clinics remains high in Europe and ISG is committed to fulfill that game development need with the help of outside sponsorship. Jim served as ISG's president until he chose to step back on his administrative duties. He remains as an active board member of this important organization. Jim has had the opportunity to work with players of all ages and coaches from many European countries and Canada as well as staging baseball camps in New Zealand. These experiences combine with his USA coaching to give him a strong background to help game development programs in those federations desiring outside assistance. Jim and his wife, Sally, have two grown sons, Don and Mickey and a grandson Kalliah Creek

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