Pedroia strained Oblique

[BoSox21]

How many empty seats were there for that game?

 

Lots, but the 25,000 or so that were there were loud as hell. It still made for a pretty good atmosphere

[example1]

Sorry if I'm the only one to voice this, but I actually really like the WBC. I know the turnout has been poor, the viewership even worse, but in terms of really loving baseball I like watching countires compete in this fashion. I find the games much more interesting--or at least a taseful contrast--than spring training, and even better than most non-Red Sox baseball games during the season.

 

I have looked forward to a few games in the WBC, including Japan vs. Korea (twice), Japan vs. Cuba, and the Dominican Republican vs. the Netherlands. I have to admit I'm a bit frustrated at how anemic the US team has been. I largely see baseball as a matter of probabilities, but the discipline and unitary approach of the Japanese team makes them really stand out in a format like this--which tells me the US is doing something wrong. I'm also frustrated because the US team is the equivalent of a 4th tier US All Star team. They have a lot of good players, but I don't think they're as good as they could be and until the very best want to compete, the US won't win... even then, I'm not sure they could.

 

My all US team? I don't know...

 

Sizemore-OF

Pedroia-2B

Wright-3B

Teixeira-DH

Hamilton-OF

Youkilis-1B

Mauer-C

Granderson-OF

Rollins-SS

 

SP-Beckett

SP-Sabathia

SP-Lincecum

 

RP-Hamels

RP-Kazmir

RP-Webb

RP-Halladay

RP-Chamberlain

 

CP-Papelbon

 

 

I'm not saying they would win for sure, and I think there's plenty of room for debate about the best possible team. I'm just saying that that team, with that pitching staff, would be tough to beat. It seems to me that the US pitching staff is subpar... understandibly given the injury concerns.

[example1]

If people watched the US pull out that win against Puerto Rico and didn't feel like it was something worth watching, I don't know what to say... just good baseball.

[a700hitter]

If people watched the US pull out that win against Puerto Rico and didn't feel like it was something worth watching' date=' I don't know what to say... just good baseball.[/quote']

But more meaningless than an April game against the O's.

[BSN07]

If people watched the US pull out that win against Puerto Rico and didn't feel like it was something worth watching' date=' I don't know what to say... just good baseball.[/quote']

 

It's a losing battle Example, as you can see from my earlier posts. All they see is the $ and injury risk for their teams players. They don't get the other side of the competition. Which is fine, but I wouldn't try and debate it with anyone, huge waste of time.

[BoSox21]

I don't especially care for it but just because Americans don't care for it doesn't make it completely worthless. Americans don't give a s*** about the soccer World Cup but that doesn't mean it isn't great

[a700hitter]

If people watched the US pull out that win against Puerto Rico and didn't feel like it was something worth watching' date=' I don't know what to say... just good baseball.[/quote']I understand what you are saying. I like watching baseball even if it is not meaningful. That's why I go to ST. Spring Training games mean nothing, but there is still the beauty of the game. The crack of the bat, the pop of the mitt-- that's enough to make me smile. The two reasons that I don't like the WBC:

 

1. It screws up ST by taking all the stars out of camp. That pisses me off. Between the Japan trip last season and the WBC this year, the last 2 Spring Trainings at Ft. Myers have really been disrupted.

 

2. The players are ramping up too soon and going all out for games that don't mean a hill of beans. Even if the stadiums were packed, the games mean nothing. WBC Champion? Who gives a damn--- maybe a couple of thousand people worldwide. This is the time of year when players should be fine-tuning their conditioning, not trying to win games.

 

That's it. Those are my reasons. Unfortunately, the financial interests of MLB don't take into account what I think, because I am already hooked on the game.

[BoSox21]

You may or may not care about hockey but what's your opinion on the NHL going on haitus for two-weeks every four years so that players can compete for their countries at the Olympics?

[Keeper]

700hitter's reasons coincide with mine. I would also add the mercy rule, the pitch count on starters, and the fact that they automatically put runners on 1st and 2nd base starting in the 13th inning. That's just retarded. Why don't we just let them fungo when they walk? That's the ticket!

[a700hitter]

You may or may not care about hockey but what's your opinion on the NHL going on haitus for two-weeks every four years so that players can compete for their countries at the Olympics?

The Olympics cannot be compared to this tournament. The modern summer Olympics have more than a 100 year history and the winter Olympics have been around for more than 80 years. I am not a Hockey fan, so I am probably not the one to weigh in on this. However, the WBC is not comparable to the Olympics in stature or importance.

[Keeper]

I laughed when Linda Cohn said that for the first time ever the U.S. had made it to the semi-finals in the WBC. Like this is some great historic achievement. Like 2006 was decades ago.

[rician blast]

.

 

My all US team? I don't know...

 

Sizemore-OF

Pedroia-2B

Wright-3B

Teixeira-DH

Hamilton-OF

Youkilis-1B

Mauer-C

Granderson-OF

Rollins-SS

 

Where's ARod on your list? He's a U.S. guy...no wait, Dominican...no wait...U.S...etc?

[example1]

I understand what you are saying. I like watching baseball even if it is not meaningful. That's why I go to ST. Spring Training games mean nothing, but there is still the beauty of the game. The crack of the bat, the pop of the mitt-- that's enough to make me smile. The two reasons that I don't like the WBC:

 

1. It screws up ST by taking all the stars out of camp. That pisses me off. Between the Japan trip last season and the WBC this year, the last 2 Spring Trainings at Ft. Myers have really been disrupted.

 

2. The players are ramping up too soon and going all out for games that don't mean a hill of beans. Even if the stadiums were packed, the games mean nothing. WBC Champion? Who gives a damn--- maybe a couple of thousand people worldwide. This is the time of year when players should be fine-tuning their conditioning, not trying to win games.

 

That's it. Those are my reasons. Unfortunately, the financial interests of MLB don't take into account what I think, because I am already hooked on the game.

 

 

I understand all of your points, and my point wasn't to make you care.

 

I think the games could mean something, the same way that World Cup games mean a lot to countries all over the world. All of the World Cup players play on professional clubs and play on World Cup clubs.

 

I like soccer's model, because they have club seasons (FA, Serie-A, etc.,) and then they have Champions League where the best clubs from various leagues play each other. I guess for me, there is more to the pride of winning as a country than there is for you... or at least there is more potential there than not. I don't disagree that this is a losting battle, or that the MLB season is more important, but I do disagree that it is as meaningless as a spring training game against the O's. The teams are trying desperately to win, as evidenced by the players leaping on top of one another when the US won, the Tokyo Dome being filled for Japan vs. Korea games, etc.,

 

I just think that there are layers of selfishness that Americans show that many other countries and atheletes do not. Is it REALLY that players don't want to get hurt playing in the WBC, or is it that they don't feel any competitive drive or desire to play extra games? I know the franchises worry about their players, but if a guy gets hurt playing the game they supposedly love then so be it. It is only a real problem if some teams send players and other teams refuse, thus giving an advantage to those teams who refuse.

 

I feel like a lot of players are pampered and are really play with a "don't break me" mentality, a la JD Drew. Japanese players are encouraged to throw 200 pitches a day and to play through the ebola virus, while US players take a day off if they feel a twinge in their side. It's just a bit disheartening, even if I don't agree completely with the Japanese model.

[BoSox21]

However' date=' the WBC is not comparable to the Olympics in stature or importance.[/quote']

 

The WBC has to start somewhere. They aren't gonna gain much popularity using only players outside the major leagues.

[ORS]

The Olympics cannot be compared to this tournament. The modern summer Olympics have more than a 100 year history and the winter Olympics have been around for more than 80 years. I am not a Hockey fan' date=' so I am probably not the one to weigh in on this. However, the WBC is not comparable to the Olympics in stature or importance.[/quote']

From some of the things I've read, the first few modern Olympiads did not receive broad participation nor did they garner much attention. Give the WBC 100 years, and they may be comparable.

[kreinbihl34]

From some of the things I've read' date=' the first few modern Olympiads did not receive broad participation nor did they garner much attention. Give the WBC 100 years, and they may be comparable.[/quote']

 

I just have a really hard time believing that the WBC will ever compare to the Olympics. YEt, you may eventually be right.

[BoSox21]

It'll never be the Olympics because the Olympics symbolize more than sports to the entire world and it's probably the only event that has that distinction. It'll probably never be the World Cup because soccer is more globally popular than baseball but there are enough parts of the world where baseball is huge that it can eventually become a major sporting event.

[a700hitter]

I think ORS was kidding.

[ORS]

No, I'm serious. The WC is comparable to the Olympics in stature and importance, IMO. In America, the Olympics are bigger, but I think the WC is as big a deal as the Olympics globally. Give the WBC time, and it could be on par with the WC, thus the WBC is comparable to the Olympics in the future (potentially). However, right now it is an unfair comparison because the other two events are decades old.