World Baseball Classic Thread

[Guest SwitchHitter]

Hating guys on your team is a part of baseball. You root for your team anyway. Isn't that the definition of being a fan: you hate the players, you hate the manager, you hate the owners---but you love the team.

[Guest Edgy DC]

]Hating guys on your team is a part of baseball. You root for your team anyway. Isn't that the definition of being a fan: you hate the players, you hate the manager, you hate the owners---but you love the team.

Nah, doesn't have to be.

[Guest KC]

>>>you hate the players, you hate the manager, you hate the owners---but you love the team.<<<

I haven't felt that way about the Mets ever. .

[Guest Edgy DC]

Buck F. Martinez has been named U.S. manager, with Davey Johnson asked to be a coach.

Huh?

Their career winning percentages are like complements of one another. Martinez's is .465 and Johnson's is .564.

[Frayed Knot]

And one more thing ... can the media folks who are adamantly against this actually take the time to learn at least a little bit about it before declaring it to be an impending disaster?

I've heard several, just in the last day or two, saying some version of;
"This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of ... and, by the way, who's going to be in it and what format are they using?"

[metirish]

From klapisch today..

] NEWS ITEM: Yankees block Posada, Mussina and Johnson from World Baseball Classic. Given their druthers, George Steinbrenner would keep all his players in camp next spring while the WBC is underway. The Yankees see no upside to the tournament; instead The Boss is haunted by the possibility of injuries to his stars, which explains why the Yankees requested that Major League Baseball rule against all their players participating. Teams do have the right to request their players be removed from the rosters. And in three cases, the Yankees prevailed. As reported by the New York Post, Jorge Posada was taken off Puerto Rico's team, and it's since been learned that Mike Mussina and Randy Johnson are being kept off the U.S. squad. The Yankees made the same request for Mariano Rivera, Jeter and A-Rod, but were turned down by the commissioner's office. Rivera may decide to sit out the tournament on his own, having told friends Panama has so little chance of winning he doesn't see the value of leaving spring training. And just where, exactly, will A-Rod land? He's so torn trying to choose between the U.S. and Dominican Republic, the third baseman recently told the commissioner's office and players' association he'll abide by whatever decision they make. Since then, A-Rod has started leaning towards the Dominican squad, as he revealed to WFAN on Tuesday.

[Guest Edgy DC]

If it's a news item, Alex Rodriguez should be called by his name.

[metirish]

Well yeah you would think that , Klap is probably his buddy..more from him in the same article.

] THIS AND THAT: The Mets and Manny (Part Three). According to a major league executive, the Mets made a strong effort to trade Kris Benson to the Rangers recently, hoping to acquire starter Juan Dominguez and outfielder Laynce Nix and then package them with Carlos Beltran in exchange for Manny Ramirez. The deal with Texas dissolved, however, and Ramirez is no longer considered a front-burner issue at Shea.

[Centerfield]

What a terrible deal that would be. Who would play center? Manny? Where could we find a centerfielder? Do you think the Pads would give us Cameron for Xavier Nady?

[metirish]

Well the WBC just entered the polictical field...this is bullshit..

] U.S. bans Cuba from Classic THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Cuba won't be allowed to send a team to next year's inaugural World Baseball Classic, the U.S. government told event organizers Wednesday. The decision by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control was conveyed to Major League Baseball on Wednesday, according to Pat Courtney, a spokesman for the commissioner's office. A permit from OFAC is necessary because of U.S. laws governing certain commercial transactions with Fidel Castro's communist island nation. Paul Archey, the senior vice president of Major League Baseball International, and Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the Major League Baseball Players Association, issued a joint statement saying the organizers would try to have the decision reversed. The commissioner's office and the union have jointly organized the 16-team tournament, which runs from March 3-20 in the United States, Puerto Rico and Japan. "We are very disappointed with the government's decision to deny the participation of a team from Cuba in the World Baseball Classic," Archey and Orza said. "We will continue to work within appropriate channels in an attempt to address the government's concerns and will not announce a replacement unless and until that effort fails." In Cuba, top sports officials met late Wednesday to discuss the issue, but no statement was immediately issued. Organizers had said the Cuban team likely would have included only players currently residing in Cuba and not defectors such as Jose Contreras, Orlando Hernandez and Livan Hernandez, who have become major league stars. In the tournament schedule announced last week, Cuba was to play its three first-round games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, facing Panama on March 8, the Netherlands on March 9 and Puerto Rico the following day. If the Cubans advanced, they would also have played their second-round games in Puerto Rico. "It is our policy that we do not confirm, deny or discuss licenses," Treasury spokeswoman Molly Millerwise said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "Generally speaking, the Cuba embargo prohibits entering into contracts in which Cuba or Cuban nationals have an interest." Rep. Jose Serrano, a New York Democrat, said Tuesday that he is circulating letters to be sent to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Treasury Secretary John Snow asking that Cuba be allowed to play. "Let's leave the politics out of this," Serrano said in a statement. "The World Baseball Classic should not be tainted by our grudge against Cuba's government. Cuba produces some of the finest baseball talent in the world and they deserve to participate." At last week's news conference in Dallas announcing tournament plans, Orza sounded nearly certain about OFAC granting a permit. "I do not think that is a serious impediment," Orza said, adding he was "very, very confident that the Cubans will play."

[Guest Edgy DC]

I'd like to see the defectors put together a team (go Toca!) but obviously a team that reunifies them with their former countrymen would be ideal (if something of a pipe dream).

[nymr83]

read more closely. the world baseball championship didn't bar anyone, the US government did.

[MFS62]

Didn't the Cuban team play the O's in OPACY a few years ago? Why is this different?
The President is a big baseball fan. Let's see what he does.

Later

[seawolf17]

A-Rod chooses © none of the above.

]"When faced with the decision to choose between my country, the United States of America and my Dominican heritage, I decided I will not dishonor either. "Sports participation should only include the admiration and respect an athlete has for a nation and family. I intend to play baseball only when I am dedicated to both. "Playing baseball for the New York Yankees allows you to honor and advance the interest of both without division."

BARF.

[metirish]

LOL...straight from his PR machine...oh and the IOC is not happy with Cuba getting banned by the Goverment..

Cuban ban hurts U.S. Olympic bids

[Guest Edgy DC]

That is pretty puke-worthy.

Playing for your nation is not an insult to other nations, chump. Often it's an opportunity to show competitive respect for others. John McEnroe and Jimmy Conners were welcomed as heroes when they played Davis Cup for the United States against their hosts in Ireland. They then proceeded to respectfully pound their "family's" team to bits

[Frayed Knot]

"When faced with the decision to choose between my country, the United States of America and my Dominican heritage, I decided I will not dishonor either.

I'm so adverse to controversy I decided to take the wimpy way out.


"Sports participation should only include the admiration and respect an athlete has for a nation and family. I intend to play baseball only when I am dedicated to both.

No one really likes me anyway


"Playing baseball for the New York Yankees allows you to honor and advance the interest of both without division."

George said I couldn't go

[metirish]

]George said I couldn't go

He can say what he want's but this is how his decision will be seen, Rodriguez may have turned a non-issue into a controversey, no one would have cared who he had chosen but now with this stupidity people will be wondering what the hell is up with this guy.

[Frayed Knot]

The Yanx have already put the kibosh on Posada, Unit, and Mussina. They apparently tried to do the same with Jeter but that request was denied (I have no idea what criteria the various committees are using). Meanwhile, Mariano was on the radio the other day claiming he hasn't decided yet but that the decision is totally up to him.
Sure it is.


Omar was quoted in one of the papers saying while that they haven't denied anyone's participation, they retain the right to do so and would monitor Pedro before making a decision (or something along those lines).

[Willets Point]

Well you know, Jeter is the face of baseball so he has to participate.

[HahnSolo]

Mariano's reason (per story above) is pretty lame as well. He's one of the best players in the nation's history, but won't participate b/c he doesn't think his team can win? Nice message to the homeland, Fruitbat!
If everybody took his cue, we'd have three countries in the tournament.

And don't worry, ARod, that Dominican lineup will be just fine without you.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Lots of movement on the Cuba front.

1) Baseball officials re-applied for a permit to allow Cuba to participate.

2) Puerto Rico has threatened to withdraw San Juan as a tournament host if Cuba is not allowed to participate.

3) US Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Blart (R-FL, 21st C.D.) is working with expatriates to put together a team of defectors to represent Cuba.

[Frayed Knot]

Hideki Matsui is the latest to "decide" not to play.
Funny how all those MFYs are deciding this at the same time even though the teams aren't supposed to be able to block their guys except for injury reasons.


Although, to be fair, it is going to be a pain for U.S.-based Asian players to participate. They'd have to be over here for the beginning of ST, then heading to Asia where their team's early round games would be, then come back here for a while, then head to the west coast if their team is still in it, ...

[Guest Edgy DC]

He explained it all in a fifteen-page letter to Saduaharu Oh. Wow.

How do you maintain your stature in your native country while forsaking them for the interests of the big-bucksing Yankees, when honor is a primary value in your country? Get the Yankee PR department to work with some Japanese lawyers in helping you write a torturous letter.

Mets, Met farmhands, former Mets, and former Met farmhands who are already on a roster (acknowledging that some of these rosters have 40 or more players and still need to be pared down):

Australia Justin Huber Canada Jason Bay Chinese Taipei Dominican Republic Pedro Martinez Italy Mike DiFelice Mike Piazza Marco Scutaro (currently unaffiliated, but expected to be designated as Italian, after MLB DNA testing) Korea Dae-Sung Koo Mexico Rigo Beltran Karim Garcia

Panama Bruce Chen Puerto Rico Carlos Baerga Carlos Beltran Carlos Delgado Rey Sanchez United States Jason Isringhausen Al Leiter Billy Wagner David Wright Venezuela Edgardo Alfonzo Miguel Cairo Melvin Mora Victor Zambrano

[Elster88]

Frayed Knot wrote: Funny how all those MFYs are deciding this at the same time even though the teams aren't supposed to be able to block their guys except for injury reasons.

If the MFYs really are exerting pressure to keep their players from competing in this thing, I hope the Mets do the same. I don't really give a crap about this thing. I'm not going to go nuts if the US wins.

[Guest Edgy DC]

http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2005/12/20/Cd23Lo7l.jpgKorea (and I'm assuming that means South Korea) has announced their 30 man roster and Jae Weong Seo has agreed to participate. I'm assuming that means it's all cleared with the Mets.

I think the team considers Seo their top pitcher.

They apparently have included five players on their roster who play a very short centerfield.

[nymr83]

]I think the team considers Seo their top pitcher.

At least someone realizes that he's good.

[Guest Edgy DC]

]I'm not going to go nuts if the US wins.

Maybe not, but I can imagine some pro-Dominican enjoyment if Pedro Martinez outpitches Roger Clemens.

[seawolf17]

A-Rod says no again.

[metirish]

This thing looks like being a disaster, they should hold it a week after the WS so players can go full bore .