samantha

Could you imagine Howard, Utley, Jeter, Wright in the same infield, with Pedroia and Rollins backing up. The conflict of many players wanting to be fresh for the season is a tough one.

Not complaininng about Howard not playing but just hoping Rollins and Victorino stay healthy.

and you can tell that these guys actually care. Adam Dunn said its the most nervous he’s ever been in a game. that’s what makes it work. the fact that these guys actually care

There are plenty of stars in the US that aren’t going near the playoffs anytime soon, as Adam Dunn pointed out, so this is the closest they’re going to come to fun, intense, meaningful baseball all year. Why wouldn’t players want to be a part of it, especially because it’s for their country? Maybe US players don’t feel like they need to prove anything, and that it doesn’t matter if Japan can more credibly claim that it has the best team in the world, but as a fan, it matters to me.

You can prepare for the season by competing against the best players in the world, for your country, or you can shag balls in Florida, playing against minor league scrubs in meaningless games. Is that really a tough call?

Something that came accross my mind, what if the WBC took place earlier in the year? Have it be in December or January, for example. Here it will still be plenty warm to have games. The other sites can either be in warm locations as well or in indoor stadiums. That way the players will have a rest period after it is done and before the season starts to get ready or heal up after any injuries happen AND we get something to do while waiting for Spring Training to start.

BE INSULAR! tailor the competition to be a top-tier demonstration of the best with the passion of winter league play in the Dominican Republic not a half-hearted attempt to export the game to countries that don’t care unless you’ve taken steps to make them care. You can’t get the WBC on tv in the UK. To be honest I wouldn’t care to much if I was following the US team because it’s what essentaily is the back-up team with a FEW of the elite guys, it’s only the Japanese, Koreans and Dominicans taking this tournemount seriously.

You can’t be a good door to door salesman if no-ones at home or slamming the door in your face but the international baseball community hasn’t quite understood that yet. They have to tailor the top international competition around the MLB and the Japanese league whilst trying to set up proper competitive leagues in Europe, Africa and Asia. You can’t just invite a weak side like Taiwan or China with no baseball heritage and expect them to compete, expect countries with even less baseball exposure like Holland and Australia to care and then expect countries like the US to take it serious when their not fielding their best sides (and don’t ask the Canadians to care either when they know they have no shot). This tourney is for the countires like the Japan, DR and Cuba to ‘prove their the as good as the US’, nothing more.

I had a discussion with my wife about watching baseball games that don’t have the phillies playing. She would say “who do you want to win?”

I would answer with “they both cheat, so i want both of them to lose”

I have a very nice baseball card collection but of course I have my Phils segregated. The groups are Phillies and Not-the-Phillies.

Simplistic? you betcha

Regarding the WBC, I don’t think that we Americans can get used to our MLB heroes being equal to other baseball players in a competition.

And the “division bell” argument is weak…. I wasn’t born in the U.S. and I can assure you that in every country in the world, sports divide a country in the same intensity as here in the U.S. Maybe even more. Manchester United fans HATE (literally, DESPISE) Liverpool FC and wish them the worst, and they are the happiest in the world when the other team loses. It’s nature, and it’s not unique to America. But when it’s time to cheer for the national team, they do it together even though existing rivalries will remain.

The issue is that here in the U.S. the sports culture is self-absorbed. It’s the old idea that the U.S. is the biggest, the most important country in the world. So who cares what happens beyond its borders? There’s this idea that there’s no need to compete against other countries with your best athletes because you’re already the best. And I’m sorry to say that this article’s proposed solution to the WBC validates that same old and arrogant viewpoint.

I think it is a good tournament that could afford some changes. And saying the Netherlands are the baseball powerhouse in Europe is like saying you are the best Bocci Ball player in Alaska. Just like the majority of Americans don’t care about soccer, most Europeans do not care about baseball. You’re right, most the players are from former territories, but you cannot make an argument that the D.R. did not get upset yesterday. That was a huge upset.

I understand why it is a bit thin on pitching… In a day where you are considered a workhorse for pitching 200 innings, Anything more at a high level can really be a detriment to a teams success during the regular season. I’m not saying I agree, but that is the age of baseball in which we live. I don’t think I would want Hamels pitching 20 innings in the tournament if it meant 20 less in the MLB.