World Baseball Classic games

[Cujo]

Who in San Diego is going to go watch any of those final four teams??  What a waste.

I vote for this being the one and only WBC.

Congratulations on being in the vast majority.

I went to two games in Orlando, and they were the most exciting sports atmospheres I've ever been in. Americans REALLY need to get over the whole "we're the only important country in the world and everyone else sucks" philosophy.

Sorry, but just because the atmosphere is great doesnt mean I'm going be into any of the games.

When it comes down to my country vs. the world, it's hard for me to root for anyone but the United States, especially if they've just been eliminated.

[FiddySicks]

Who in San Diego is going to go watch any of those final four teams??  What a waste.

I vote for this being the one and only WBC.

Congratulations on being in the vast majority.

I went to two games in Orlando, and they were the most exciting sports atmospheres I've ever been in. Americans REALLY need to get over the whole "we're the only important country in the world and everyone else sucks" philosophy.

Sorry, but just because the atmosphere is great doesnt mean I'm going be into any of the games.

When it comes down to my country vs. the world, it's hard for me to root for anyone but the United States, especially if they've just been eliminated.

Unless of course its countries like South Africa or Australia where it seems they take a bong load or two in between every inning...

[Swiss]

I think USA was out of the WBC because of its sporting hungry's lack.

The others show their winning appetite.

If Japan was robbed of a probable win against USA, there is some kind of justice for the Asians advancing to the semifinals.

I think it's "good" that USA lost because baseball can be considered as a sport which USA isn't hegemonic there.

[yh]

(singing nervously)

Oh say do you see...

Ooh say do you see...

IT'S ENRICO PALLAZZO!!!

[pcgd]

Ummm...how did Japan get "robbed?" Assuming that run scores. Japan is up one...IN THE TOP OF THE NINTH! If everything that happened still happened, the US ties the game in the bottom of the ninth with A-Rod's base hit, and then who knows what happens.

How do you think the US fans feel when the our best players don't play? (the Cy Young winner wasn't there, arguably the best player ever wasn't there (even if he's a cheater) guys that grew up in the country, went to HS in the country, are citizens of this country, are great because of this country, weren't there)

That's the problem. The guys that did play cared. We didn't roll our best team out there and that's the main problem. And that's not the other countries to worry about, cause those that won beat us. Hopefully that hungers the players that didn't go this time around.

The other thing about this is, we (the US) does not have to be the best at everything in the world. We've NEVER been that great at international baseball. We won one 2 golds in baseball, that's it.

I guarantee 2009 will be different and the best team will show up now, especially if they move the games to after the WS.

[yh]

Hey, the bottom line is that the World Series is the only championship that really matters. The rest of the competitions are simply glorified exhibitions. That being said, I'm still enjoying the hell out of the WBC and will continue to watch the games.

Go Dominican Republic!

[CC97]

How do you think the US fans feel when the our best players don't play? (the Cy Young winner wasn't there, arguably the best player ever wasn't there (even if he's a cheater) guys that grew up in the country, went to HS in the country, are citizens of this country, are great because of this country, weren't there)

You mean like most of the other countries competing?

Did you see Eric Gagne, Larry Walker, Ryan Dempster and Rich Harden out there for Team Canada?

Exactly. They would've filled the spots of minor leaguers... much more significant than an all-star replacing an all-star on Team USA.

So, did Canadian fans still watch the games and care about the outcomes? Big time.

The American market just seems to not care about international competition and talent, always has been, and it probably will be for a while.

I mean, if you don't like it then don't watch it. I couldn't care less if you don't watch. it What I do hate to see is people just complain and complain about it ad naseum when the rest of the world is trying to enjoy it.

I really hope they hold this tournament in Puerto Rico and Mexico, or even Asia in 2009... there's no better environment than a bunch of fans screaming, cheering and dancing all game.

[Breakwood]

How do you think the US fans feel when the our best players don't play?  (the Cy Young winner wasn't there, arguably the best player ever wasn't there (even if he's a cheater) guys that grew up in the country, went to HS in the country, are citizens of this country, are great because of this country, weren't there)

You mean like most of the other countries competing?

Did you see Eric Gagne, Larry Walker, Ryan Dempster and Rich Harden out there for Team Canada?

Exactly. They would've filled the spots of minor leaguers... much more significant than an all-star replacing an all-star on Team USA.

So, did Canadian fans still watch the games and care about the outcomes? Big time.

The American market just seems to not care about international competition and talent, always has been, and it probably will be for a while.

I mean, if you don't like it then don't watch it. I couldn't care less if you don't watch. it What I do hate to see is people just complain and complain about it ad naseum when the rest of the world is trying to enjoy it.

I really hope they hold this tournament in Puerto Rico and Mexico, or even Asia in 2009... there's no better environment than a bunch of fans screaming, cheering and dancing all game.

Check and/or Mate

[HurricaneDavid]

I really hope they hold this tournament in Puerto Rico and Mexico, or even Asia in 2009... there's no better environment than a bunch of fans screaming, cheering and dancing all game.

Absolutely.

[Breakwood]

Appearently Cuba wants to hold some games if they decide to have another WBC.

But i agree it would be great to see more games in Puerto Rico, or Venezuela maybe.

[Swiss]

Old glory

By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports

March 16, 2006

What the heck is going on around here?

Is it too much money, too much marketing, too much Nike? Is it too little passion, too few fundamentals, too little heart and pride and nationalism?

The World Baseball Classic may not be the Olympic Games, but it doesn't lessen the shock that the United States baseball team was eliminated Thursday ? courtesy of a 2-1 loss to Mexico ? before the semifinals ever occurred. Team USA finished the second round of the WBC with a 1-2 record in pool play and the lone victory came, in part, because of an umpire's horrible call against Japan.

This comes on the heels of the U.S. basketball team winning bronze at the 2004 Athens Games and the U.S. hockey team finishing a deplorable 1-4-1 last month in Turin, Italy.

Two of those sports ? baseball and basketball ? were invented by Americans. All three have the world's major professional league based here. In all three, we were able to send the very best the United States has to offer ? our top professionals. In baseball and basketball, we should be overwhelming favorites to win it all.

And all we got was one stinkin' bronze?

This can't be a coincidence. This has to signify something bigger, something deeper, something that is a warning sign about exactly the kind of athletes we are raising.

Seriously, something is going on here.

Unless we figure out a way to have international competitions in NASCAR, reality television and Senate fundraising scandals, we may never win anything ever again.

We aren't one of the top four baseball countries in the world? Unfathomable.

Sure, the Dominican Republic ? a country we out-populate by a mere 291 million ? is better than us no matter what we think, but we aren't even going to make them earn it. We went out like a fat and sassy high seed in the NCAA tournament, whacked between the eyes by some plucky little school.

Yes, our roster could have been stronger, what with some of our million-dollar babies sitting out to concentrate on other things. But this was no slouch team. It was certainly comparatively better than our Olympic basketball team.

We had 30 stars. Derek Jeter, Derek Lee, Dontrelle Willis, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez ? wait, whose idea was it to let Alex Rodriguez play for us, anyway? What, Peyton Manning wasn't available? And who the heck talked A-Rod out of playing for the Dominicans and cursing their chances?

Maybe we should have drafted Derek from "Real World/Road Rules Challenge." At least on "The Gauntlet 2," that guy scraps and never quits.

All I know is that in the real world of competition, it is guys like that ? unheralded, hungry athletes ? who are kicking our rear ends.

In Athens, it was anonymous point guards schooling Stephon Marbury. In hockey, it was minor-league Latvians shutting down Mike Modano. In baseball, it was South Korea, with just one major leaguer, whipping our billion-dollar team. We needed a horrible umpire decision to beat Japan, and in true NAFTA fashion, Canada kicked our butts before Mexico finished us off.

Maybe our national pastime has passed us by. Maybe it is all passing us by.

If there is one common denominator between the three sports, it is the shock on all the players' and coaches' faces. Each time, it seemed that the Americans entered the competition expecting a coronation, not a competition. They thought they knew how hard you have to play, only to find out they didn't know a thing.

Nothing is given to you in international competition, and few of our guys have figured that out.

You can't get traded from Team USA (although you can choose to not show up as many pros have). You can't bitch to your agent about playing time (although some pout on the bench). You can't fall back on a marketing deal (although it was sour-puss Modano, who complained it was too hard for him to arrange his family's flights to the Olympics, on those McDonald's bags, a supposed model Olympian).

The attitudes have been bad, the teamwork undetectable and the urgency almost nonexistent. Although I'll hand it to men's basketball; the players played their hearts out to win bronze. It was Larry Brown, the coach, who boasted the most selfish, silly attitude on the club. So don't just blame this on the athletes.

And nothing against the rest of the world, which is beating us fair and square at our own games. Obviously, we haven't cornered the market on talent. We certainly haven't on heart. But that doesn't mean this repetitive nightmare of failure can be ignored.

In three different sports, in three different competitions, the USA sent all professionals and got humiliated anyway.

Baseball, awful. Hockey, painful. Basketball ? well, at least they won the mighty bronze.

Here's hoping Abner Doubleday and James Naismith were busy watching "The Gauntlet 2" and didn't notice. They deserve to rest in peace.

Dan Wetzel is Yahoo! Sports' national columnist. Dan is the author of two new books.

Source

[marlinfan]

Appearently Cuba wants to hold some games if they decide to have another WBC. 

But i agree it would be great to see more games in Puerto Rico, or Venezuela maybe.

Hell a member on a Marlins forums who lives in Italy says the Italians are considering expanding a few baseball facilities to host a few games. The Italian WBC games got full page previews in several Italian papers.

The WBC has been more successful than MLB imagined.

[DEAD!]

Wow! Korea and Japan are playing AGAIN? I think Japan will come through this time. Third time's a charm, right?

OK, is there an over/under as to how many Cuban players will defect?

[TFoA]

Cuba - 3

Dominican Republic - 1

Wow, Cuba's in the final. They were a heartbeat away from not even playing in this tournament, and now they've got a shot at winning it.

[FiddySicks]

Cuba - 3

Dominican Republic - 1

Wow, Cuba's in the final. They were a heartbeat away from not even playing in this tournament, and now they've got a shot at winning it.

HA!!! Good. That nut kicking is getting closer by the second.

[HedleyLamarr]

don't forget Japan, you "lost" to them too, the umpires really tried hard, but still couldn't get the states into the semis

Not true. Japan would have been up 4-3, and would have been, in best-case scenario, tied 4-4 with the US with Chipper coming up to bat, and he's about as clutch as anyone in the game.

[DGivens87]

I've gotta say that I was skeptical of this whole WBC from the start, but after watching the first few games, I'm hooked. Even though the US is out, I still found myself rooting on other countries like DR, Japan, and Puerto Rico. The atmosphere in that PR-Venezuela game was insane - even just watching it on TV. It had a Yankee-Red Sox matchup feel to it with the game being played in Puerto Rico.

With that being said, I think it's safe to say that the WBC was a success. With it being held every four years, it won't get stale too soon. Btw, screw the IOC for eliminating baseball. I've never watched any Olympic sport as much as I have watched the WBC, nor will I ever.

[pcgd]

How do you think the US fans feel when the our best players don't play?  (the Cy Young winner wasn't there, arguably the best player ever wasn't there (even if he's a cheater) guys that grew up in the country, went to HS in the country, are citizens of this country, are great because of this country, weren't there)

You mean like most of the other countries competing?

Did you see Eric Gagne, Larry Walker, Ryan Dempster and Rich Harden out there for Team Canada?

I watched the Cardinals and the Cubs plenty of times to know that Walker and Dempster would have only hurt Canada.

Honestly, I can't remember what my point was. I was just responding to the whole Japan was robbed thing and then threw that garbage in there for some reason. But you are right, some of the countries were not represented that well, but I would still argue that the US was hurt the most by players not showing up. Cuba definatly has their best team out there, as does Korea, Japan is only missing a few pieces, Canada you named 4 guys, Venezuala was stacked, Puerto Rico was stacked, and I'm not too sure if any Mexicans sat it out (I could be wrong about that though.) You could field a whole better team of Americans out there.

And btw...I'm not complaining. I loved the WBC. I was one of the only Americans around that was excited for this months ago. I was offended when people said it was going to suck. I have every right to complain about the misfalls of my team without "ruining" it for everyone. I'm not sayig we were "robbed" by anything. We lost fair and square. But if we can send a better team, it upsets me.

I can't wait for the next one of these. I want there to be one in 2007. I hope the US just shows up better that year.