Episode 178
Dobar dan dragi prijatelji. Do you have what it takes to win the World Cup like Tony D And DJ Moe? No, not nogomet, but tackling difficult Croatian sentences! We’re in for big pronunciation challenges with sentences about Croatia’s opening matches in the World Cup 2026.
Lesson
FIFA World Cup 2026 - Fifa svijetsko prvenstvo dvije tisuće dvadeset i šeste
Croatia’s soccer team - Blazers - Vatreni
Match/game - utakmica
Croatia's first match is against England in Dallas - Prva utakmica Hrvatske je protiv Engleske u Dallasu.
The next match will be in Toronto against Panama. - Sljedeća utakmica igra se u Torontu protiv Paname.
to be held/take place - održati se
The final group stage match will be held in Philadelphia against Ghana. - Posljednja utakmica grupne faze održat će se u Philadelphiji protiv Gane.
Super Slatko Report
In this edition of the Super Slatko Report, DJ Moe will tell us about some of the history behind the Seven Castles of Dalmatia. These magical places vibe heavy with Game of Thrones and Helm’s Deep. Join us!
Croatian baseball. Now there’s a sentence that you might not have heard before. When you think Croatia and sports, you think football, water polo, maybe basketball. Instead, somewhere between the Adriatic Sea and a plate of ćevapi, someone yells “batter up!” and suddenly we’re talking curveballs instead of corner kicks. But Croatian baseball is very real, and surprisingly, its roots stretch back more than a century. The game first arrived in December of 1918 when American sailors docked in the city of Split and introduced locals to this strange new pastime involving bats, gloves, and standing around for long stretches while insisting something exciting is about to happen. The world had just emerged from World War I, empires were collapsing, borders were being redrawn, and somehow American sailors found time to play and teach baseball on the Dalmatian coast. Croatia’s first official baseball experiences happened in Split’s public squares, planting the seeds for a sport that would spend decades quietly trying to steal second base in a soccer-obsessed region.
Fast forward to today and Croatian baseball operates a bit like a well-turned double play (4-3 double play). There’s the domestic league structure, the Croatian Open Championship, and the Croatian National Team. The league clubs compete throughout the season, developing local players and attracting international talent, while the national team gathers the country’s best players and eligible Croatian descendants from around the world for international competition. Think of it this way: during league season everyone wears their club colors. Once international tournaments roll around, everybody climbs into the same dugout, trading club rivalries for national pride, and tries to prove Croatia can do more than dominate water polo and produce world-class midfielders. The national side has become a regular participant in European Championships and continues to climb the rankings ladder one inning at a time.
The governing body behind all this is the Croatian Baseball Association, or Hrvatski Baseball Savez, founded in 1986 while Croatia was still part of Yugoslavia. The first official Croatian baseball season was played in 1992 following Croatian independence. Before that, baseball clubs competed within Yugoslav systems, and earlier attempts often struggled with limited funding, few dedicated fields, and the simple challenge of convincing people that baseball was worth watching when football existed. Previous clubs and leagues appeared, disappeared, and reappeared over the decades, often surviving through sheer stubbornness and volunteer passion. What makes the modern era different is the existence of a formal national federation, international recognition through European and world baseball organizations. There’s also a more stable structure that connects youth development, club competition, and international play. In baseball terms, Croatian baseball was working on its farm system.
Now let’s meet the clubs keeping Croatian baseball alive. Historically and today, some of the most recognizable names include BK Nada, based in Split, one of the country’s most successful clubs and the spiritual home of Croatian baseball. There’s BK Olimpija in Karlovac, another powerhouse with numerous championships. BK Medvednica and BK Blue Wolves represent Zagreb, while BK Vindija calls Varaždin home. Teams generally play on dedicated baseball grounds and municipal sports complexes rather than massive professional stadiums, creating an atmosphere that feels more neighborhood barbecue than Dodgers Stadium. Mascots aren’t nearly as prominent as in North American baseball, but the club identities are strong, and the communities around them are fiercely loyal. If nothing else, these clubs deserve credit for convincing Croatian kids that catching a fly ball is just as cool as scoring a bicycle kick.
As for players, Croatia has produced some fascinating baseball stories. The biggest Major League Baseball connection is probably not a player developed entirely within Croatia, but rather the growing number of players with Croatian heritage who have represented the national team or supported the program. Names like Travis d’Arnaud, a catcher who has played for clubs including the Mets, Rays, Braves, and Angels, have Croatian family roots and have been connected to Croatian baseball initiatives. Other players of Croatian descent have appeared throughout professional baseball history, including several Americans whose families emigrated from the region. Today, the national team frequently blends homegrown Croatian talent with eligible players from the United States and elsewhere who have Croatian ancestry.
The ambitions for Croatian baseball today are anything but small ball. Federation leaders, coaches, international volunteers, and organizations like Baseball For Good are working to improve facilities, expand youth participation, attract new players, and raise Croatia’s profile on the European stage. The national team regularly competes in European Championships and continues to dream bigger. Reaching the World Baseball Classic remains a major long-term objective, while any future Olympic appearance would be a walk off home run. Recent international partnerships and involvement from experienced American coaches have brought new energy to the program. The reception has been encouraging, with growing interest, improving results, and increasing visibility. Croatia may still be considered a baseball underdog, but every baseball fan knows sometimes the underdog is exactly who you don’t want to face in the late innings.
So what have we learned? Croatian baseball is a century-old Adriatic curiosity that somehow survived wars, political upheaval, shifting borders, financial challenges, and countless people asking, “Wait… there’s baseball in Croatia?” From American sailors tossing a ball around Split in 1918 to a national team competing against Europe’s best, the sport has earned genuine legitimacy. Croatia has hosted international events, participated in European Championships, appeared in the Baseball World Cup, and continues building a stronger reputation every season. The Croatian baseball season generally runs through the spring and summer months, giving fans plenty of opportunities to catch a game under the Mediterranean sun. It may never replace football as Croatia’s favorite pastime, but that was never really the point. Croatian baseball matters because it proves that passion can grow in unexpected places. And honestly, if baseball can survive on the shores of the Adriatic, then maybe there’s hope for all of us to keep our dreams from striking out.
And that’s it for the super Slatko report
