World Baseball Classic

[skyscraper]

Does anyone care about this?
I know it's trying to be like soccer's World Cup, but baseball is a different beast than soccer. Baseball fans like the fact that the sport is ours, and couldn't really give a shit if anyone else in the world plays it. It's fine that Japan, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Australia, South Korea, and a few other places have produced a lot of really excellent, hall of fame players, but come on. The game is American. It just doesn't lend itself to high-level international competition. That's why the American team has so few real MLB stars on it; they care more about the MLB season and don't want to get injured playing an international tournament that really means very little to anyone.
The rest of the world can have soccer. We'll take baseball. (Not hating on soccer, I like soccer too.)

[drjoek]

My son and I enjoyed watching it last time. Some of the other countries like Korea and Cuba are exciting to watch. Dice K was the stand out star of the first one. i just booked a few days in FLA for spring training then realized a bunch of stars won't be around like Jeter and ARod. I'll watch , its going to be on the new MLB channel. But then again I watch spring training games so i'm not exactly a casual fan.

[skyscraper]

I'm a huge baseball fan myself. I'll listen to spring training games on xm, let alone watch them on mlb channel. I thought the last wbc was interesting and I enjoyed it, but I don't know what it really accomplishes.
they started the world cup because soccer was being played at high levels in most countries, and they wanted to settle all claims of world supremacy in the sport. that is not the case in baseball. other countries who play it simply do not have the talent or interest in creating leagues on par with mlb. even the Japanese leagues are only considered equivalent of AAA here.

[drjoek]

Id rather watch AAA baseball in March than the rest of TV programming. I'm not so sure about the world dominance theory. The US team got booted pretty early last time and I doubt they make a big splash this time. I'll just sit back and watch.
Love the international Unis too

[skyscraper]

Id rather watch AAA baseball in March than the rest of TV programming. I'm not so sure about the world dominance theory. The US team got booted pretty early last time and I doubt they make a big splash this time. I'll just sit back and watch.
Love the international Unis too

if our best played the rest of the world's best, we'd annihilate them. but we don't field our best team because of what I said earlier. most of what makes up our team are players looking to get noticed by scouts. in fact, I think the whole tournament is a big mlb scouting exercise, to see the best players from other countries that scouts might not otherwise notice.
there's nothing wrong with that, in fact it's a good idea.

[razorboy]

Love the international Unis too

The USA bacon strip jerseys kind of blow. I do enjoy watching the WBC to answer the original poster.

[drjoek]

The USA bacon strip jerseys kind of blow. I do enjoy watching the WBC to answer the original poster.

Actually Its the other uni's I like
Cuba
Mexico
DR

[TheGameHHH]

if our best played the rest of the world's best, we'd annihilate them. but we don't field our best team because of what I said earlier. most of what makes up our team are players looking to get noticed by scouts. in fact, I think the whole tournament is a big mlb scouting exercise, to see the best players from other countries that scouts might not otherwise notice.
there's nothing wrong with that, in fact it's a good idea.

i dont think thats the case at all, remember a lot of "our" best arent even Americans. they just play here. America has a lot of great talent but nothing to put us head and shoulders above other countries.

[IMSlacker]

Rickey Henderson would like to play in the WBC (http://www.nypost.com/seven/01142009/sports/yankees/rickey_to_big_league_gms__dont_lose_my_n_150123.ht m)

"What is [the WBC], wrestling?" Rickey said when asked if he would like to play in the WBC. Told it was the World Baseball Classic and games will be played in March, Rickey said, "Can I get in?"

[vjr97]

any1 thats likes baseball should be into this.im going for the dominican repblic on this one. disclaimer: IN WAR I WILL BE THE 1ST TO KILL DOMINICANS ! USA #1

[TheMojoPin]

I really enjoyed the WBC the first go-around.

Baseball definitely has a pretty big international presence that's only getting more expansive.

[TheMojoPin]

The game is American. It just doesn't lend itself to high-level international competition. That's why the American team has so few real MLB stars on it; they care more about the MLB season and don't want to get injured playing an international tournament that really means very little to anyone.

The reason there's "so few stars" on the US team is because most of the best players in baseball right now are not USA-born.

You stack the US team with all the best American players and it's still a wash they'd be able to beat most of the Latin American teams.

[jetdog]

the games are great, best-of-three really amps up the agressiveness, every pitch counts.

[brettmojo]

More baseball = more gooder.

It would be nice for the USA team to get into the later rounds though.

[ZigZagBigBag]

love the classic. i know its cheesball, and it didn't end up meaning too much, but watching canada go on to beat the US with an inside-the-park home run, was kinda special to me.

[K.C.]

I'm a big big fan of the idea, and last time around was great, but I get the feeling that by the time it rolls around next time (2012?), most of the big stars will be out of it.

It was a big draw for the players last time because it was a new idea. This time around, the interest seems kind of lukewarm, and a lot of players sound like they're reluctantly going to do it.

I can see the players bailing on it en masse by next time.

[jetdog]

Does anyone care about this?
I know it's trying to be like soccer's World Cup, but baseball is a different beast than soccer. Baseball fans like the fact that the sport is ours, and couldn't really give a shit if anyone else in the world plays it. It's fine that Japan, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Australia, South Korea, and a few other places have produced a lot of really excellent, hall of fame players, but come on. The game is American. It just doesn't lend itself to high-level international competition. That's why the American team has so few real MLB stars on it; they care more about the MLB season and don't want to get injured playing an international tournament that really means very little to anyone.
The rest of the world can have soccer. We'll take baseball. (Not hating on soccer, I like soccer too.)

I completely disagree with this. International ASAP. Going international does nothing but good for the sport. More styles, more techniques, more top players, more dimensions, more intelectual...Make the international teams top notch, just like the world cup...I would love to start seeing a real contrast in styles between countries. I think right now the way the system is set up, that it favors Japanese like teams, teams that are experts at "small ball," aggressive base running, sacrifices, etc.

[Knowledged_one]

whats the over under on cuban defectors

[jetdog]

over...over...oh, that one went under....over...uh oh, here comes the coast guard...

[cougarjake13]

this is a waste of time


no one really cares

[jetdog]

whatever negative nancy... (http://www.wasteoftime.com/)

[cougarjake13]

whatever negative nancy... (http://www.wasteoftime.com/)

thanks

[jetdog]

ok