54'40 or Fight: WBC IGT - USA v. CAN 3-8-06

[Willets Point]

Those Hosers are leading the USA 5-0 in the third inning! Announcers are talking about how Clemens may have to pitch a big game on Friday. I hate the sound of fellation on baseball casts.

[Guest sharpie]

Would be kinda funny if the US doesn't make it outta the first round. The curse of A-Rod continues.

[Willets Point]

Alois on the mound for the US.

[Willets Point]

Larry Walker is a coach not a player. Interesting. I think he's the marquis name for Team Canada.

[Guest Rotblatt]

When's the last time Rahjah came up big in a big spot?

The 80's?

[Willets Point]

Leiter taken out with runners on 2d & 3d and 1 out. And Matt Stairs hits a single to drive them in. Canada up 7-0 in the 4th. Boos from the stands. Announcers talking about mercy rule!!!

[Guest Rotblatt]

Okay, so maybe a little more recently than that, but in this millenium:

2005 WS--2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 K. He got the loss.
2004 NLCS--13 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 9 K. 1-1 record, but the loss eliminated Houston.
2003 WS--7 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 5 K. He got the loss.
2002 ALDS--5.7 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Loss.
2001 WS--13.3 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 19 K. Pitched well, but ultimately the Yankees lost.

I won't delve in to the past millenium.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It's now 8-6 with Canada coming up in the top of the ninth. The Yanks put up six runs in the fifth.

[Guest KC]

8-6 is the final. I'm enjoying what I've seen in drips and drabs of this
exhibition. I was much happier when it 8-0 Canada, I can't root for the
collection of players on the USA team.

Davey Johnson looks old, makes me feel old.

[metirish]

The US must now beat South Africa Friday to stay alive, surely they will....

[Guest Rotblatt]

I'm just thrilled to pieces that Team America lost. I caught the last two innings, and was really really rooting for Stern to catch that A-Rod shallow pop up for the final out.

Assuming both Mexico & USA beat South Africa, here are the following scenarios:
1. Canada beats Mexico. Team USA comes in second and advances.
2. Mexico beats Canada.
a. The first tie-breaker is head-to-head matchup. Since it's a three-way tie, with the US having beaten Mexico, Mexico having beaten Canada, and Canada having beaten the US, there is no clear winner, so we move to ERA.
b. Currently, Mexico has the best ERA, with a 2.25. USA has the second-best with a 4.00 and Canada is third with a 6.50. Canada will have to pitch quite well & USA will have to pitch quite poorly in order for the orders to change.

Team USA still looks like a virtual lock, so far as I can tell.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Oops, I was wrong.

]The tied teams shall be ranked in the standings for that Round according to fewest runs allowed divided by the number of innings (including partial innings) played in defense in the games in that Round between the teams tied.

It's only between the games between the tied teams. Team America has allowed a total of 8 runs total to Mexico & Canada. Mexico allowed 2 to the U.S.. Canada has allowed 6 to Team America. So, in order to prevent Team America from advancing, Mexico has to beat Canada by 1-0. If they win 2-1, Mexico wins Pool B, and Canada & Team USA go to the second tie-breaker, which is ERA between the tied teams. Which is kind of bizarre, but I guess that would mean that Canada would advance, since they, you know, gave up fewer runs against the USA than the USA did.

If Mexico allows Canada to score more than 2 runs, Team USA advances.

[nymr83]

I can't root for a bunch of yankees when the team doesnt even have a Met player on it, but i'm curious why anyone would actually be happy that our country's team lost?

[Guest Rotblatt]

Nymr83 wrote: I can't root for a bunch of yankees when the team doesnt even have a Met player on it, but i'm curious why anyone would actually be happy that our country's team lost?

I like underdogs. Team USA is nowhere near an underdog. They're basically the Yankees of the baseball world--a collection of well-paid All-Stars who are heavily favored to win the whole thing.

It's a little weird, though, as I always root for USA in the Olympics and I'm sure as hell rooting for the US in the World Cup.

Mostly because I hate the smug Italian & French soccer teams.

Yeah, it's definitely the underdog thing.

Go Japan!!!

[Guest KC]

I was hoping they'd lose because there are other teams in the exhibition
who have players that I like. If Arod or Jeter hits a homer to win it all, they
ain't gonna put a map of the United States on the back page but rather a
picture of two Yankees humping and slobbering all over each other at home
plate. Viva La Dominica ... or whoever .. boo US.

[nymr83]

ok those explanations make some sense, you can just root for the yankee players to not do anything though... like when you root for the NL to win the all-star game but hope Chipper strikes out twice and Smoltz gets rocked

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

A USA victory won't give me any sense of national pride. A win would mean much more to Puerto Ricans, or Dominicans, etc. I'd rather see one of those teams win.

[Willets Point]

I'm curious what the reaction among fans, players etc. would be to a USA first-round elimination:

1) Our national pride is wounded, we MUST, MUST win the next one to regain our pride. The USA spends a lot of time training a superteam and the next WBC becomes a flag-waving drama followed across the country.

or

2) The whole WBC is stupid and this just goes to prove it. Even the USA players didn't care and it only mattered to some mamby-mamby small country that won the thing. This should be the final nail in this failed experiment's coffin.

Probably somewhere in-between. I can't root against the USA completely, but if an underdog is going to win it's much more interesting if the knock off the USA in the semis or the finals so I hope our boys make it through group play at least.

[soupcan]

]why anyone would actually be happy that our country's team lost?

What? Just because we're Americans we HAVE to root for the US team?

Isn't a big part of being American having the right to think, feel or root for anything you want?

Screw the ugly Americans, Cuba's my team.

Hasta la victoria siemp�!

[nymr83]

traitor! if you like cuba so much we have a place there for those who are anti-american!

[sc=100 incase anyone didnt realize it]


I find the whole idea foolish because this isn't soccer or basketball, 1 game in baseball is simply meaningless and until each game becomes a 5 game series its hard to take much interest in the outcome of the tournament, but that would clearly requiring using amateurs.

[Willets Point]

You know something, this is the greatest upset in the history of the World Baseball Classic.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Good point, WP! Korea beating Japan was a pretty big upset, but Canada knocking off Team USA . . .

Good times.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yeah, I'm in favor of pool play where you play at least three games against each team in your pool.

[Guest Rotblatt]

So a few observations: Buck Martinez is a retard. If you ever needed an example of how a manager can lose a game, last night's a fine example.

1. He started Holliday (0-3) over Damon. Why?
2. He started Chipper over A-Rod. Chipper's good and all, but why bench your best player? Especially when Chipper could have replaced Holliday in the OF, giving Team USA even more firepower?
3. He let Griffey play CF instead of Damon. Stern wouldn't have had an inside-the-park HR with a competent CF out there. Griffey looked lazy and a little lost.
3. He replaced Tek (2-3, GS) with Schneider after 5 or 6 innings. Makes no sense, espcially with Team America getting a day off today.
4. He went to Leiter (0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB) with 2 on, 2 out in the 3rd with Team USA down by 3 (I think). Leiter, I love you, but you're done. That's a spot for one of your best pitchers, not Al.

Martinez is clearly a) a little retarded & not taking this seriously at all. He's treating it like an exhibition game and Canada took advantage.

Yet another reason not to root for Team America. I daresay even Willie would have taken it seriously enough to play Damon & A-Rod and leave Tek in there.

[MFS62]

He replaced Varitek after he hit a grand slam?

echhh.

Later

[metirish]

Bobby Valentine should have been the manager.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, Vee has a season to prepare his Marines for, but Davey Johnson sure seemed like he was on track to get the job.