Japan Defeats Cuba 10-6 To Win WBC!

[KennyRock]

Love it or hate it, I believe it's good for baseball - I just wish they had a better time of the year to put it in... congrats, Japan!

[KennyRock]

By the way, for those interested, here's the setup for the next WBC Tournament in 2009:

Auto Bid Entrants(The 8 Teams That Advanced to Pools 1 and 2)

- Japan

- Cuba

- Korea

- Dominican Republic

- United States

- Mexico

- Venezuela

- Puerto Rico

The remaining 8 spots will be decided by means of regional qualifiers - meaning it's likely 24 nations will take place in the next WBC. It's 99% confirmed that the next event will be held in another American ballpark, but the regional stadiums are obviously a long time away from being named.

All in all, I think the event grew on some, but most won't even think of embracing it until it's NOT during Spring Training.

[FiddySicks]

I gotta say this tournament was great, but on top of that ill also say this. It just doesnt feel right that the inagurial world tournament, being palyed in the home of and center of the baseball world, wasnt won by team USA. It just doesnt feel right, i feel like i do after almost every baseball season, dissapointed.

And one more thing, the championship game was played between a team whos country were holding an embargo against, and a team who's country we went to war with. Can that be defined as irony?

[NJTank]

Better then Cuba winning thank god its over now we get to see real baseball next time they do this fix it or scrap it and fix it includes play it November.

[KennyRock]

Better then Cuba winning thank god its over now we get to see real baseball next time they do this fix it or scrap it and fix it includes play it November.

It's funny - it seems to me that November would be perfect - it's just as cold/a little warmer across America then - then you could have the MLB World Series followed by the World Baseball Classic. Every player would be in baseball mode still or at worst 3 weeks removed from it. If anyone got hurt, they have all of December, January, February and March to rehab for the regular season.

It seems that November has been shot down over and over by the MLB offices, but I've yet to hear a clear reason WHY.

[harperdc]

Nippon Ichi! Behind the US I was pulling for Japan the most. glad to see them win with a clinical performance.

Ichiro = beast

[FiddySicks]

Better then Cuba winning thank god its over now we get to see real baseball next time they do this fix it or scrap it and fix it includes play it November.

Oh yeah thatd work. Play it JUST after an 8 month season. You think player interest was low now, itll fall off the face of the planet if its played in November. And honestly, even im sick of baseball by the time october is over. Its perfect right where it is, everyone is excited about baseball and missing the hell out of it. If theyre gonna change it at all, make it January or Febuary.

[KennyRock]

Better then Cuba winning thank god its over now we get to see real baseball next time they do this fix it or scrap it and fix it includes play it November.

Oh yeah thatd work. Play it JUST after an 8 month season. You think player interest was low now, itll fall off the face of the planet if its played in November. And honestly, even im sick of baseball by the time october is over. Its perfect right where it is, everyone is excited about baseball and missing the hell out of it. If theyre gonna change it at all, make it January or Febuary.

I certainly agree with the second part of that - I know a lot of people who were watching the WBC cause it was competitive baseball a month early. And yeah, player fatigue is the obvious reason - but I haven't even heard that mentioned by the MLB offices as their reason for shooting down November. That said, it's very tricky - they will never interrupt the MLB season for it - I'd say the only months for it are March, November and January(two months after the playoffs end and six weeks before Spring Training)

[FiddySicks]

Better then Cuba winning thank god its over now we get to see real baseball next time they do this fix it or scrap it and fix it includes play it November.

Oh yeah thatd work. Play it JUST after an 8 month season. You think player interest was low now, itll fall off the face of the planet if its played in November. And honestly, even im sick of baseball by the time october is over. Its perfect right where it is, everyone is excited about baseball and missing the hell out of it. If theyre gonna change it at all, make it January or Febuary.

I certainly agree with the second part of that - I know a lot of people who were watching the WBC cause it was competitive baseball a month early. And yeah, player fatigue is the obvious reason - but I haven't even heard that mentioned by the MLB offices as their reason for shooting down November. That said, it's very tricky - they will never interrupt the MLB season for it - I'd say the only months for it are March, November and January(two months after the playoffs end and six weeks before Spring Training)

I say this. Keep right where it is but play the majority of the games in Arizona (which they did with the first round) and Florida (maybee second round or a split of the first round) that way it doesnt affect Spring Training too much.

[winghaz]

I'm happy for Japan because of Sadaharu Oh.

He's always been a classy man, not worried about Henry Aaron getting more attention than him even though he hit more homers than Aaron. And when the two of them were together in the pregame ceremonies Monday night, it was just great.

[Swiss]

I was rooting for Cuba because it's an American country (forget the politics, that's just baseball).

But I also was rooting for Japan because of its baseball, Sadaharu Oh and Ichiro.

When Japan won, I was happy! Japanese ballplayers deserved to win it all.

Congratulations Japan!!!

[CS85]

I'm just glad Cuba lost because of their goofy looking monochromatic unis. Japan had the coolest uniforms in the whole shabang.

[CC97]

It was a damn good tournament, especially for an inaugural one... as bucfan said November wouldn't work because nobody cares about baseball in November, you gotta hold it when interest in the games would be highest, and that would be right where it is now.

I was rooting for Cuba because I thought it would've been great that a team that was being barred from the tournament, and comprised of non-MLB players, would go on to win it all.

Now all they have to do is work on the tie-breaker format... a 3-game round robin in a 4 team pool led to way too many teams being eliminated because of such odd stats as "Runs Allowed Per 9 Innings in the Games Between The Teams Involved"... Canada, USA, Mexico and I believe Puerto Rico were all eliminated this way.

[zer0dotcom]

It was a damn good tournament, especially for an inaugural one... as bucfan said November wouldn't work because nobody cares about baseball in November, you gotta hold it when interest in the games would be highest, and that would be right where it is now.

I was rooting for Cuba because I thought it would've been great that a team that was being barred from the tournament, and comprised of non-MLB players, would go on to win it all.

Now all they have to do is work on the tie-breaker format... a 3-game round robin in a 4 team pool led to way too many teams being eliminated because of such odd stats as "Runs Allowed Per 9 Innings in the Games Between The Teams Involved"... Canada, USA, Mexico and I believe Puerto Rico were all eliminated this way.

I thought it was a good tournament, it was entertaining, and it really shows what an international game baseball has become. The States may be the heartland of baseball, but the rest of the world is catching on, much like how Canada, the heros of hockey are finding that the rest of the world is getting pretty good at being on ice.

I still don't understand the hatred of Cuba though, but whatever. I rooted for them too

[jkrdevil]

It was a damn good tournament, especially for an inaugural one... as bucfan said November wouldn't work because nobody cares about baseball in November, you gotta hold it when interest in the games would be highest, and that would be right where it is now.

No late February would be the best time to hold it. It is when there is a low point in sports do it will get more attention. It doesn't interrupt spring training that way the stars are there for the fans to see. Remember many Florida and Arizona towns get a great amount of income because of people coming down for spring training.

Have a WBC training camp so pitchers can get work in for the tournament.

I still don't understand the hatred of Cuba though, but whatever. I rooted for them too

On here there is 2 reasons. All Red Uniforms and Castro. Overall outside of the boards it is mostly because of Castro.

Just think how well Cuba would have done if the Cuban defectors in MLB had been able to play.

[CC97]

It was a damn good tournament, especially for an inaugural one... as bucfan said November wouldn't work because nobody cares about baseball in November, you gotta hold it when interest in the games would be highest, and that would be right where it is now.

No late February would be the best time to hold it. It is when there is a low point in sports do it will get more attention. It doesn't interrupt spring training that way the stars are there for the fans to see. Remember many Florida and Arizona towns get a great amount of income because of people coming down for spring training.

Have a WBC training camp so pitchers can get work in for the tournament.

I still don't understand the hatred of Cuba though, but whatever. I rooted for them too

On here there is 2 reasons. All Red Uniforms and Castro. Overall outside of the boards it is mostly because of Castro.

Just think how well Cuba would have done if the Cuban defectors in MLB had been able to play.

The U.S. Government hates Cuba because they are a communist country (of course, so is China but we're supposed to look the other way on that one, wink).

tank and jkr are gonna hate this tournament no matter how they run it, but I dont see why interrupting Spring Training games is a problem...

I didn't hear nearly as much bitching during the World Cup in Hockey about it being held during the NHL exhibition schedule in 1996... "Hold it in early August instead so we can watch exhibition hockey with all the big stars!"

[marlinfan]

Was I the only one who saw Sadaharu Oh dancing to "Lets Get It Started" in the dugout?

Anyways, I love this tournament. Miami would be a perfect home for the Finals next go around (that's if we get a stadium ).

As far as Cuba goes, I'm Cuban American and I didn't want this team to win. I was neutral when the tournament started, but when the Cuban manager and a few players started dedicating wins to "La Revolucion" it pissed me off.

[yh]

It seems that November has been shot down over and over by the MLB offices, but I've yet to hear a clear reason WHY.

November is the heart of the pro and collegiate football seasons and the beginning of basketball season. Between those two sports alone you're talking about a near blackout of available broadcasting space on any of the networks that MLB would want to carry the WBC games. Assuming ESPN and the NBA re-up their contract (which expires in 2008) ESPN will have Monday Night Football; NBA basketball or college football on Tuesdays; NBA on Wednesdays; college football on Thursdays; NBA or college football on Fridays and college football all day and night Saturday. That leaves Sunday as the only open space for ESPN and then you're going up against NFL football and the final weeks of the NASCAR Chase for the Championship. Another issue to keep in mind is that November is "sweeps month" for network television meaning that NBC, CBS, FOX and ABC roll out their "extra special" episodes of their prime time offerings, thus further reducing the chances that a casual fan is going to channel surf their way on to a WBC game and stick with it.

Naturally, MLB isn't going to state these reasons publicly as to do so would be to admitting to their diminished position on the American sports and cultural pole.

[pcgd]

I don't care when it is. As long as they start showing US games live and Chinese Taipei vs. China at 3am instead of live. I certainly understand the Big Puerto Rico vs. Dominican and the marquee teams being live, but don't you think higher ratings IN THE UNITED STATES would be netted by showing the US Live?

Stupid.

All in all, I know I was one of the few (note I didn't say only one) that was excited for this thing the whole time. I'm very happy it went so well and it turned some people around. I'm very excited for the next one, almost as excited as I am for World Cup 2006.

Just think...

2009 WBC

2010 World Cup

2012 Summer Games

2013 WBC

2014 Winter Games/World Cup

And so on...

[Breakwood]

This was a great tournament, and I believe next time it will be even better. I can see the tournament generating alot more interest next time, and in the years to come the sport will be improving much more throughout the so called 2nd tier countries (Italy, Australia, South Africa, Netherlands etc.)