Tuesday, March 07, 2006
World Baseball Circus?
Bud Selig's brainchild really gets going today, and thus far the main story line has been one of confusion and controversy. Fans in different regions think players should participate out of pride, and many are. Chipper Jones is genuinely excited to play for the USA, and Big Papi may as well be draped in the Dominican flag. Other players, though, have either viewed the whole thing as a nuisance - and opted to stay with their clubs in spring training - or they've shown their true, petty ways, declining to take part because they can't play their natural position. Baltimore's Melvin Mora (Venezuela) is an example of the latter. As Peter Gammons wrote in his ESPN insider column yesterday, "Mora took so much battering from the Venezuelan media (tough as Boston's?) for pulling out of the World Baseball Classic that Magglio Ordonez was afraid to play." (Why am I getting visions of Colombian soccer players being murdered for allowing a soft goal in the World Cup? Keep your eyes open when you sleep, Magglio.) Even players with injuries are being called out. A Dominican reporter, referring to Pedro Martinez, asked: "How could someone from Managuayabo forget his country because of a toe?" Say what you want about Petey, but from all accounts he certainly hasn't forgotten about his country. Let's hope the silliness gives way to some decent baseball, starting this afternoon.
Regarding Team USA, I do have one question. Are Varitek and A-Fraud lockering up next to each other?
# posted by kampy : 8:14 AM
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Do we really need another lame event where professional athletes are supposed to get excited and motivated to play for their countries? The olympics have already proven that this formula does not work (hockey and baskeball).
# posted by 
: 1:51 PM
: 1:51 PM
After a few years of collecting their massive paychecks, pride definitely takes a backseat to complacency. We'll see what happens with the WBC, but I'm not expecting much. Coolest part for me is realizing where certain guys come from. For instance, had no clue that Erik Bedard was Canadian. How this will help me in life, I'm not sure. The US has badly botched up the process of selecting its Olympic hockey and basketball teams. I still believe Olympic hockey is exciting, but Team USA really has to recast itself - maybe pick some of the very best minor league players and mix 'em with a few pros. They need a new identity. USA basketball, I could give two craps about. Ever since those Dream Team 123-32 scores, I lost interest.
It seems funny to me to hear Johnny Damon and Mike Timlin talk about what a big deal/huge honor it is to play for their country. Timlin said something to the effect of "the palms of my hands were sweating through the first 3 innings and I was only sitting on the bench." It seems to me like a poor-man's MLB All-Star Game in a round robin format. The NHL changed their All Star game to North American vs the World a few years back. I have very little interest in the event - well, other than from a gambling point of view.
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# posted by : 3:49 PM
: 3:49 PM<< Home
