If Ruez i s legitimately hurt from this charade of clssic baseball, I'm coming for his manager and presidnet, and they're not gonna like it

How bad is a pinched nerve?

John Kruk is a moron

Grotewold wrote:If Ruez i s legitimately hurt from this charade of clssic baseball, I'm coming for his manager and presidnet, and they're not gonna like it

What's your beef against the World Baseball Classic? Baseball is the greatest sport in the world and it deserves an international tournament. This is exciting: the best players in the world playing simply for pride and patriotism.

Players get hurt in spring training every year.

Let's all stop with these complaints and embrace the WBC for what it is and what it means to the players and countries involved.

Its still a farce. Its an exhibition with depleted rosters and pitch counts.

The WBC is a terrible idea. I really hope they scrap it. It's the red-headed stepchild of baseball games; it's just in the way.

I think it's important to stir up interest in baseball around the world, but this is not the way to do it.

oh god its orestes destrade

iladelph53 wrote:What's your beef against the World Baseball Classic?

The timing. It basically becomes the MLB players' Spring Training, so the pitchers can't go long and the hitters' timing isn't there. It's like a tournament of all star games, but worse

If they must do it, they should do is do it after the NLCS and ALCS end. The guys in the World Series couldn't play, but the pitchers from the other teams would be stretched out and able to threw a few full games. I know that it will never happen because of the TV conflicts and MLB and money, but it would be a lot better. Or just use minor leaguers

I hear what you guys are saying about WBC but

a) the place was wall-to-wall in Toronto yesterday
b) Rollins replaces Jeter - Jeter, the captain (!) who "was supposed to play the whole game" according to the announcers
c) the game was entertaining
d) Hula in center AND right
e) it didn't look more stressful than any spring training game might be
f) Matt Stairs!
g) it's just entertainment when you get right down to it
h) one of the announcers had a funny reference to saying shit during a broadcast

i watch baseball for entertainment. i've been entertained by these games. so keep it.

Pacino speaking the truth.

agreed. never did i think i'd enjOy watching italy-venezuela, but hey.

iladelph53 wrote:What's your beef against the World Baseball Classic? Baseball is the greatest sport in the world and it deserves an international tournament. This is exciting: the best players in the world playing simply for pride and patriotism.

Agreed. Baseball has long been missing a premier international tournament and it deserves one. It's a great sport playing in countries all over the world and it's a crying shame that we have only had minor tournaments like the Olympics and Baseball World Cup over the years (and we are losing the Olympics). The WBC is long overdue IMHO.

FTN wrote:Its still a farce. Its an exhibition with depleted rosters and pitch counts.

I'll agree that the competition is lacking somewhat in its structure, but this is harsh and untrue. "Exhibition"? Do you think the people competing aren't interesting in winning? Or that they aren't trying?

I actually think the biggest problem is that it isn't taken seriously enough. I find it really sad that top players are unwilling to "risk injury" -- and that even more the fans of baseball in this country support those decisions -- to play. What is really lacking in the WBC is that too many top players opt out. You don't see that happen with the FIFA World Cup. Playing in -- and winning -- the WBC should be the pinnacle a player's career, but it's not and not even close. I understand that this kind of stuff takes time, but I hope it gets there because baseball really has the potential to have an awesome national team tournament.

Grotewold wrote:

iladelph53 wrote:What's your beef against the World Baseball Classic?

The timing. It basically becomes the MLB players' Spring Training, so the pitchers can't go long and the hitters' timing isn't there. It's like a tournament of all star games, but worse

If they must do it, they should do is do it after the NLCS and ALCS end. The guys in the World Series couldn't play, but the pitchers from the other teams would be stretched out and able to threw a few full games. I know that it will never happen because of the TV conflicts and MLB and money, but it would be a lot better. Or just use minor leaguers

I think it's a good thought about how the timing could be improved. It's annoying seeing the pitchers on such strict pitch limits. Now, I do think it's possible to start spring training earlier in WBC years to help that (the Japan team started training in January, I think) or at least have a "national team" camp that starts early featuring the specific players on the team. Of course, that would cut into the vacation time of major leaguers, but I'd love to see it being such an honor some day where players would want to be involved.

But if you are using minor leaguers and not the best players in the world, what's the point? We already have the Baseball World Cup. Hmmm, you've never heard of it? Exactly. The whole point of the WBC -- and it's a void that should be filled -- is to have a competition featuring the best of the best.

As an aside -- but kind of related -- I really hope the MLB Network broadcasts some baseball from around the world. Stuff like the Japan and Korean leagues and the European Cup in baseball. They did the Carribean World Series which was cool. And I think the more they expose people to this stuff, the more Americans might recognize the global extent of the sport and become interested in the WBC. Or maybe not, we'll see.

Its just poorly executed. Ive got ideas on how to improve it.

as far as turning something on and watching it, its pretty cool. everything else about it sucks.

The idea behind it is solid, the execution is poor, but the games are really fun to watch. US/Canada was a blast yesterday, and they won't even get that kind of attendance for Blue Jays games, unless they're playing the Yanks or the Sawx.

Disappointing to see the DR cruising here.

ruiz and rollins starting tonight

go jimmy!

pedroia