2017 World Baseball Classic

[TBGKon]

1 minute ago, SilverBullet1929 said:

South Africa still exists in this thing. There's 12 teams that never got past the qualifying round. Only one team has appeared in the WBC/WBC qualifiers and never returned and that would be Thailand. So in total there's been 29 WBC teams. Would love for the site to one day have all of them represented here. 

Yes, the qualifier rounds included the four squads that mad the round of 16 (Israel, Colombia, Australia, and Mexico) and nations like Great Britain, Pakistan, Spain, Panama, South Africa, New Zealand, Philippines, Germany, Nicaragua, Czech Rep, France, and Brazil.

 

The rule is that the team that finishes last in each pool in Round 1 in the WBC has to enter thru the qualifier next time around.  This means Mexico, Canada, Chinese Taipei, and China will have to play in the qualifiers for 2021.

[Silent Wind of Doom]

I've had trouble with the US team's identity for quite some time, but this year I'm actually starting to come around on the wordmark on the uniform.  The color scheme is sharp, although the navy on the helmet looks to be midnight while the navy on the jersey is lighter.  It's strange, because I could swear watching them play on TV that their uniforms were using royal blue, and I was upset about this because they should be in navy, but everything I'm seeing in terms of photographs seems to show that to be false.  Nevertheless, the wordmark is pretty good looking and timeless looking at it now, although I'd prefer they add a little blue to the S.

 

The most egregious part is the cap logo.  The lettering is too thin, too pointy, and the angled silver star in the background looks terrible.  It looks dated and what it is: trying to be hip and trendy in 2006.  I've been thinking about ways to rectify this, as the best solution is kind of already taken by the Dominicans, but perhaps a USA done diagonally like the SOX on Chicago's cap could work.  I equally find Puerto Rico's script to be trying a little too hard to look cool.

 

Jeez.  I'm just now seeing Japan's jerseys for this year.  I've only been seing the black, and I thought it was just an odd alternate much like how different their different uniforms have been in the past.  I'm really disappointing.  I think it's a decent design, but not for the Japanese team.  At least in terms of the color palette.  I had issues with the old Japanese wordmark, and their preference to put the entire thing on a cap rather than an initial.  But I thought their old navy alt was beautiful, and would have preferred they go in that direction.

 

 

This is a color scheme that looks great and doesn't get a lot of play.  I don't know why they'd decide to go black and old gold.

 

On 3/12/2017 at 0:39 AM, FinsUp1214 said:

Agreed, I think it would be a much better cap logo also. It's certainly more distinctive, but even beyond that, the block "I" is just too narrow and merely a thin strip in regards to the area it covers; I was watching the game earlier today and at one point thought that one of the players didn't have a batting helmet decal on. He did, its just that he was looking in a particular angle (but still not that far to the side) which, with a little glare, made the "I" unreadable. It just sort of disappeared.

 

Granted the script "I" still doesn't cover much area either, but 1) it's better designed, and 2) still covers more area than a toothpick and has substance to it.

 

I'm guessing it's because on its own, that I looks like a J.  Of course, that didn't stop the Indians before, but that's at least recognizeable as a cursive "I".

[SilverBullet1929]

1 hour ago, Silent Wind of Doom said:

I don't know why they'd decide to go black and old gold.

Get ready to have your mind blown... the Japanese this year are not using black, it's navy. 

[el_gmac]

whi is Mex the only one with color matching sleeves and contrast color under pit?

 

[VDizzle12]

3 hours ago, AstroBull21 said:

USA Baseball looks good with the deck dealt against them.  Could they have better logos on the jersey, yes, but they is the identity for the USA Baseball organizing committee.

 

USA Basketball and Soccer both rebranded for the better. This would have been the perfect opportunity for USA baseball to do the same. 

[Silent Wind of Doom]

20 hours ago, SilverBullet1929 said:

Get ready to have your mind blown... the Japanese this year are not using black, it's navy. 

 

...

 

Really?

 

*looks at picture he was looking at earler*

 

 

Re... really?  That's navy?  Jeez.  They done jumped midnight all the way to... I don't even know what I'd call that, but jeez it's dark.  Even looking back at the pictures, it takes a hard look and you telling me it's navy to see the blue.

[Big Yellow Flag]

7 hours ago, SilverBullet1929 said:

South Africa still exists in this thing. There's 12 teams that never got past the qualifying round. Only one team has appeared in the WBC/WBC qualifiers and never returned and that would be Thailand. So in total there's been 29 WBC teams. Would love for the site to one day have all of them represented here. 

I know the qualifiers exist, my team just played in one in Brooklyn last fall. I'm just saying that we need a massive update on the main site to get it up to date, so that at least teams playing in this year's tournament can be represented properly (I have a decent copy of the Team Israel logo, if that would help).

[MJWalker45]

5 hours ago, VDizzle12 said:

 

USA Basketball and Soccer both rebranded for the better. This would have been the perfect opportunity for USA baseball to do the same. 

I disagee regarding USA Soccer. That new logo is so generic other USA sports teams were using it up until the Olympics. USA baseball could use a new wordmark though. Just not sure what it should look like yet.

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

On 3/12/2017 at 0:39 AM, FinsUp1214 said:

On 3/11/2017 at 8:43 PM, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

I also like the "Italia" script a lot.  I just wish that the letter I from this distinctive wordmark were used as the cap logo, instead of the block I.

 

Agreed, I think it would be a much better cap logo also. It's certainly more distinctive, but even beyond that, the block "I" is just too narrow and merely a thin strip in regards to the area it covers; I was watching the game earlier today and at one point thought that one of the players didn't have a batting helmet decal on. He did, its just that he was looking in a particular angle (but still not that far to the side) which, with a little glare, made the "I" unreadable. It just sort of disappeared.

 

Granted the script "I" still doesn't cover much area either, but 1) it's better designed, and 2) still covers more area than a toothpick and has substance to it.

 

Of course, even though I am not crazy about the cap, I still have one.

 

[Bouj]

15 hours ago, Silent Wind of Doom said:

 

...

 

Really?

 

*looks at picture he was looking at earler*

 

 

Re... really?  That's navy?  Jeez.  They done jumped midnight all the way to... I don't even know what I'd call that, but jeez it's dark.  Even looking back at the pictures, it takes a hard look and you telling me it's navy to see the blue.

Go to MLB Shop and see the Japan merchandise.  It's clearly navy, not black.  It's midnight, but it's still blue.

[SilverBullet1929]

16 hours ago, Silent Wind of Doom said:

 

...

 

Really?

 

*looks at picture he was looking at earler*

 

 

Re... really?  That's navy?  Jeez.  They done jumped midnight all the way to... I don't even know what I'd call that, but jeez it's dark.  Even looking back at the pictures, it takes a hard look and you telling me it's navy to see the blue.

It definitely is beyond dark though. I only knew it was navy because when the uniforms were unveiled last fall, the article said it was navy but yeah to me all the pics at the unveiling looked black. Knowing it was navy I kept looking for navy during Japan's games last week and I started seeing the navy more and more but yes it is definitely pushing real close to black. I don't blame anyone for thinking it's black. 

[SilverBullet1929]

13 hours ago, Big Yellow Flag said:

I know the qualifiers exist, my team just played in one in Brooklyn last fall. I'm just saying that we need a massive update on the main site to get it up to date, so that at least teams playing in this year's tournament can be represented properly (I have a decent copy of the Team Israel logo, if that would help).

Just curious, which is your team?

 

And, to anyone... how do we submit corrections to the main site? The Devil Rays have an error that has bugged me for years that I have wanted to bring up but never have. 

[Silent Wind of Doom]

2 hours ago, SilverBullet1929 said:

It definitely is beyond dark though. I only knew it was navy because when the uniforms were unveiled last fall, the article said it was navy but yeah to me all the pics at the unveiling looked black. Knowing it was navy I kept looking for navy during Japan's games last week and I started seeing the navy more and more but yes it is definitely pushing real close to black. I don't blame anyone for thinking it's black. 

 

Ahh...  I totally couldn't tell if you were being sarcastic or not.  XD

 

Also, weirdly my picture seems to have disappeared, but when I went back to the website it originated on, it started showing up again.  Huh.

 

2 hours ago, SilverBullet1929 said:

Just curious, which is your team?

 

And, to anyone... how do we submit corrections to the main site? The Devil Rays have an error that has bugged me for years that I have wanted to bring up but never have. 

 

There is a thread specifically for it, although I don't know if it actually accomplishes anything or it was created just as wishful thinking by board members to aggregate issues and hope Fearless Leader notices.

 

Aaaaand now that I look, I can't find it.

[Big Yellow Flag]

8 hours ago, SilverBullet1929 said:

Just curious, which is your team?

 

And, to anyone... how do we submit corrections to the main site? The Devil Rays have an error that has bugged me for years that I have wanted to bring up but never have. 

Team Israel. I'm an American through and through, but I'm rooting for my spiritual and ancestral homeland and loving every second of it.

[TBGKon]

And out goes Israel.  They had a good run, but round two had them having to beat 2 out of three against traditional powers Japan and Cuba and rising star Netherlands. 

[SilverBullet1929]

On 3/13/2017 at 4:00 PM, el_gmac said:

whi is Mex the only one with color matching sleeves and contrast color under pit?

 

And why are they the only team to wear the names of their country's cities on their backs instead of their last names? 

[FiddySicks]

Don't be silly, those are just the players last names. 

 

I know Mexico got knocked out early, but you'd have to imagine that the Dodgers are happy to have Adrian Mexico City and Sergio Cabo San Lucas back in Spring Training already. 

[Solaris]

On 3/14/2017 at 6:00 PM, Big Yellow Flag said:

Team Israel. I'm an American through and through, but I'm rooting for my spiritual and ancestral homeland and loving every second of it.

You do know that Israelis actually aren't paying any attention to this, right?

There is only even a single Israeli on the team.

 

[IceCap]

2 hours ago, Solaris said:

You do know that Israelis actually aren't paying any attention to this, right?

There is only even a single Israeli on the team.

 

So what? I'm pulling for Israel for the same reason. No harm in broadcasting that on a sports-centric message board. 

 

As for the lack of Israelis on Team Israel? Hey man. It's the WBC. If Italian-Americans can play for Team Italy? And Dutch-Americans can play for Team Neatherlands? Let some Jewish American players play for Team Israel. 

Ideally the sport of baseball would grow to the point that real true-blue national teams would compete up and down the standings, but you gotta start somewhere.  

[Big Yellow Flag]

2 hours ago, Solaris said:

You do know that Israelis actually aren't paying any attention to this, right?

There is only even a single Israeli on the team.

 

Both statements are false. There are two Israelis on the team, Shlomo Lipetz and Dean Kremer, although Kremer was born and raised stateside. In addition, the bullpen catcher, Tal Erel, is active duty IDF and was given leave to go to Seoul and Tokyo to do this, and much of the support staff (I believe including one coach) was Israeli.

 

I've gotten dozens of messages over the past week from friends and family in Israel, asking me to explain baseball things because they're trying to watch and they're missing a key point or two.

 

And even if neither of those statements are true, so what? A bunch of teams in WBC play are built on players not from the host country (Italy, the Netherlands, and Israel to name a few). MLB's goal in including them is to grow the game around the world. We'll see if it works, but for right now I'm more than content to put on my Team Israel cap and root for my people.