The Reel: Catching up with Brendon Dadson in Germany
Following an amazing 2019 season with the Fish, including a Rookie of the Year nod and a second-team all-star selection, Jackfish first baseman Brendon Dadson took his talents to Cologne, Germany to play in the DSV (Bundesliga) for the 2020 season. The Bowmanville, Ontario native has been travelling around the world to play the game he loves including Australia for the 2019-2020 winter season. We caught up with Brendon to see what it was like playing in Deutschland.
Established in 1984, the DSV is the highest level of professional baseball in Germany with 16 teams including the Cologne Cardinals of which Dadson is part of. The season is a short 28 games in length in which culminates with the DSV playoffs that include eight of the top teams. The teams finishing 5th through 8th play a reverse playoff within their own division to determine one or two teams to be relegated to the second division.
In this new COVID-19 world, what was travelling to Germany like?
Travelling to Germany during covid was a bit different for sure. Flying from Toronto felt very safe though, the right precautions seem to be in place to keep travellers safe. On the airplane was the same everyone wearing masks and handwashing protocols. After landing in Germany it felt the same as in Toronto with safety precautions in place but no 14-day quarantine so I was able to get on my train from Frankfurt and head to Cologne. I will say though wearing a mask for 13 hours while travelling was not the greatest feeling ever. Shout out to all the people working in the healthcare industry wearing masks all day.
Why Germany? Was a Western European country a place you wanted to explore or play baseball?
To be honest I never really had Germany on my radar for countries to visit although Europe has always been a place I always wanted to travel to. The reason I chose Germany was with the IBL season being cancelled I was looking for somewhere to be able to still play this summer and Germany was one of the top leagues in Europe so I got in contact with the team here and it seemed like a good fit so I was on my way.
How has playing in Germany helped develop your skills as a player?
I believe this has been my most successful self-development season for sure. Taking my lessons from my first IBL season and applying them to my baseball career has made me very successful over here. Specifically, the skills I have improved on are being a more power hitting player this improvement came from having another full year of training and just understanding my body and the kinetic science behind swinging.
What can you be found doing while you are not on the field in Germany?
Off the field in Germany in season for me was making sure I got my workouts in, eating correctly, coaching the younger kids of Cologne baseball and hanging out with my roommates who are also on the team. With the season being done for about a month now I’ve been using my time to stay working out but trying to travel safely to really experience what Germany has to offer. Being a huge history guy I find myself heading to German cities to see massive old gothic cathedrals or Roman-built cities also with museums thrown in the mix. I’ve been lucky to meet some amazing German people who have been nothing but kind and speak amazing English.
How do you stay connected with family being so far away?
Staying connected with family I believe has never been easier, sometimes it feels as though I’m not even across the ocean. FaceTime is huge, showing interesting things and just catching up definitely helps to keep me from being homesick and keeps me in touch with loved ones.
If you could bring two things back from Germany what would they be?
Two things I would bring back that’s a tough one but number one for sure is german bakery’s, these places are heaven on earth. German bread is out of this world combined with German chocolate which is outstanding and to top it off the coffee here is just amazing. Number two would be the historic sites they have here, being able to visit Roman bathhouses one day then visit industrial era wonders the next is something we are not able to do in Canada and it is breathtaking.
Jackfish Schnitzel....Yay or Nay?
Jackfish schnitzel I’m 100% in I’m hoping to see that in the bait shop next season haha! The schnitzel here is quite amazing as well so we will have to get president Ryan Harrison a trip to Germany to learn the recipes for an authentic taste.
What do you hope to accomplish going forward?
My goals right now are to be the best player I can be and see where it takes me. Coming to Germany has given another outlook on how the other part of the world lives and I’d like to think it will help me be a better person with a broader perspective moving forward.