Interview Bulldogs Novo Mesto
Interview with Matjaz Rogelj manager of the Bulldogs from Novo Mesto (Slovenia).
Q: Why did you choose the name Bulldogs?
A: The team Bulldogs was founded in 2006. Initially only our little league U12 team played under this name. However, as the club grew and as we were getting more involved in slowpitch our senior team played under the name, too. From that time on all our teams called themselves Bulldogs. The official name of the club is KRPAN Little League Novo mesto club. Since 2007 we use the name Bulldogs.
We have no restrictions on gender or age of players. The first team consists of male and female players of all ages and the youngest player is only 12 years old. Our players are from different baseball clubs around Slovenia. But on the field they play with the spirit of the Bulldogs.
Q: What do you expect from this season in the ESSL? Do you have any additional players?
A: Our plan is to be competitive. For the ESSL our goal is to rank among the top five teams. However, most important for us is to meet and socialize with the other players. It’s always a great experience for us to meet other cultures, especially, when we all share the same passion – slowpitch.
This season we focus on the development of our game and we will start with some new players. One of our new players has some experience in major competitions and his advantage is speed. We’ll probably get stronger during the season with another new player.
Q: How would you describe your team and playing philosophy?
A: The team consists of players of all levels, ages, genders and backgrounds. On the field we act as a well-tuned team. We are aware of our weaknesses and we want to achieve the best possible results. Our goal is to give our best on the field and we plan to surprise even teams with more experience. We want to learn the “slowpitch spirit” from teams with longer tradition.
Q: Which team/s do you expect as the favorite/s for the 2016 season?
A: It is impossible to say which team is the favorite this year. Teams with players from the USA are definitely the strongest. All other teams are fairly equal. We expect an interesting and close season where the outcome will also depend on having some luck. This year each team can win or lose.
We hope that the Bulldogs will finish among first five teams
Q: Anything else you want to say?
A: The ESSL is making a great job on developing slowpitch in Europe. Thank you.
