A Dutch State of Play, Part V: A Hank in Holland

By Jason Daniels.

The Dutch have a way with athletics – and their culture at large: they get a deep squeeze out of their talents, cherish consensus, and maximize precious resources. Such is life in a pint-sized nation fraught with chronic flooding and threatening climates. In baseball, we see a game that tells the distinct Dutch story – from the people, processes, and progressive actions that fuel Dutch ingenuity and sustain its culture.

“It was a week with [Hank Aaron]. It was amazing. People still talk about it.” – Karel Crouwel

Keeping Open
Crouwel wants to expand Playball’s reach. Alumni like Kofi Frimpong have helped to that end. In 2008, an 18-year-old Frimpong won a baseball award in his native Ghana, which allowed him to attend a baseball academy abroad. He asked MLB for guidance and they referred him to Playball Europe. At Crouwel’s academy, he was voted MVP.

Frimpong took the Playball concept with him around the world, traveling to Sweden, America, Japan, and England. Then Frimpong came full circle. “About eight years ago we started helping youth in Ghana,” said Crouwel. In 2023, the Playball Africa Academy was established with Ghana as its home base.

The challenge, as the Dutch well know, has been providing funds and facilities. At the time of our discussion, Crouwel said the organization was trying to construct a field on an 8,000 square meter plot of land close to Ghana’s capital, Accra. A day prior, Crouwel sent a letter to the Dutch embassy in Accra in search of Dutch construction companies willing to build the dugouts, fencing, batting cages, and a clubhouse.

“I like to do that kind of thing,” he said. “I thought a couple years ago: when does it stop?”, as he reflected on his Playball efforts. “But it’s growing all the time.”

***

“Three days later, following many more calls, they had convinced Hammerin’ Hank to make the trip.”

Crouwel plans to keep working independent from Dutch teams.  He is at home in his academy. And, he works well with Peter Kwakernaak.  “I coached him,” Crouwel made clear. He will continue to make connections abroad. He has collaborated across continents before, even when chances looked dim.

Take one February Sunday morning in 1977 when Crouwel went to a friend’s house in Haarlem after just another winter training session. What was meant to be a coffee and chat about the team devolved into a bottle of Duff Genever, a traditional juniper-flavored liqueur. “About one and a half hours later, the first bottle was gone,” said Crouwel. “But we were in good shape, so we could handle it.”

The two discussed how to open the next season with panache. “We liked to do crazy things,” he said. They wanted to recruit an MLB player, but thought it was impossible with the overlapping MLB spring training. Around 1 p.m., they started on the second bottle.

Then someone threw out Hank Aaron’s name as a joke. “We found out Hank Aaron had stopped [playing] about one or two years ago.” The two grew excited. Crouwel called a friend at the national sports radio to gauge support, sharing his idea, Dutch gin and all. “What we didn’t know is we were live on radio,” he said. But the news was out and the announcement had been made: ‘Hank Aaron is coming to the Netherlands’.

Phones rang wild and the Dutch baseball community grew elated. It was only Hank Aaron who was unaware. Three days later, following many more calls, they had convinced Hammerin’ Hank to make the trip.

“Everybody was calling us: ‘I want one ticket, four, I want six, I want eight,’” said Crouwel. Aaron arrived in June, attended a Hoofdklasse game, and then held a youth baseball event in Amsterdam while Crouwel drove him around the country.

Aaron also participated in a home run derby and played four games for the Dutch national team before a packed crowd in Haarlem. “It was a week with him. It was amazing. People still talk about it.”

Toward the end of my conversation with Seb Visser, I asked him if anything stood out as uniquely Dutch in how baseball is played in the Netherlands. Was there anything I could take away, possibly learn about the culture by watching a game?

After a pause, he said I should come back to see Haarlem Baseball Week. “That’s a different experience,” he explained. “It’s just like if you were to go to a Dutch national team soccer game. There’s a different vibe there. We’re singing Dutch songs and there’s atmosphere.”

As for typical Dutch baseball, though? “[We] model our baseball on American baseball,” he replied somewhat deferentially. “Not a lot of typically Dutch things about baseball here.”

With all respect for the polders, I disagree.

Other articles in this series:
Part I: Making Sense of Europe’s Top Baseball Power [Link]
Part II: Polder Work [Link]
Part III: Dutch Engine [Link]
Part IV: Island Strength [Link]

More from Jason Daniels:
A German, A Spaniard, and A Hot Dominican Summer: European Baseball and the DSL [Link]
Derhak Bridging Baseball Divides for Czech Baseball [Link]
Ozanich: French Division 1 Poised for Most Competitive Season Yet [Link]
Czech Baseball Builds on Historic Partnership with Japan [Link]