WBC SF#2 IGT: Japan vs. Korea (Third time's the charm)

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

You'd think things could've different had the rules not been protecting Jae Seo.

The my-lumber's-too-hot-to-handle post-swing bat-flip is just epidemic in Asia, no? Very funny.

I never made it through the rain delay but it was pretty clear at that point Japan had asserted her dominance.

[smg58]

I think you'd have to move it to December or January next time.

I get the feeling this meant a lot more to the non-ML players than it did to the major leaguers. Unless you're talking about somebody like Seo, who's still looking for job security at this level. (And if he doesn't get it now, you'd really have to wonder what he has to do. "Sure he was unhittable in the WBC, but look at how fat that wedding picture makes him look...")

[metirish]

Anyone know what station the final is on, checking the listings on ESPN I can't find it.

[Guest SI Metman]

metirish wrote: Anyone know what station the final is on, checking the listings on ESPN I can't find it.

The game is tomorrow night on ESPN at 9 PM.

[Zvon]

smg58 wrote: I think you'd have to move it to December or January next time.

I agree with this 100%.

[metirish]

Not a chance of this being moved to November or December, I can't imagine a pitcher that logged 200 plus innings wanting to pitch after the season, and the players that didn't make it to post-season play would have been idle for 4 or 5 weeks if played even a week after the WS.

[Frayed Knot]

I don't think there's a chance of that for several reasons.

- The players would then have to "gear down" after the season is over, then "gear up" again a month or so later, ... then down again once it's over, ... then up again in time for ST

- There's still the problem of FA and other unattached players who aren't going to be insured at that point. Plus there's all that FA business & GM meetings going on at that time

- and finally the problem of getting someone to televise it just as football in full swing (remember, the almighty pigskin controls EVERYTHING in TV land). Not to mention the holidays and all.


As one baseball person said when someone suggested a post-season tourney: 'The players won't play in it, the insurers won't insure it, and the television networks won't televise it'.

In other words, that idea is pretty much dead in the water.

If this thing happens again I'm almost positive it'll be during a similar time-frame to this one.
They've got some tweaking to do, but I think they pulled their maiden voyage off fairly well.

[Willets Point]

I don't know how to get past the FA/insurance thing, maybe the FA's would just sit out like a lot of players did this year anyway (remember this is a once every four years event anyhow). I think a November WBC would work well like this (using the 2006 calendar just as an example):

Oct. 1 - Regular Season ends

Oct. 3 - Division series begins

Oct. 10 - Players on non-playoff teams report to national team training camps.
League Championshp series begins

Oct. 16 - Players from teams eliminated in divisional series report to camps.

Oct. 21 - World Series begins

Oct. 23-30 - Scrimmages in WBC training camps

Oct. 25 - Players from teams eliminated in LCS join camps.

Oct. 29 - World Series ends

Nov. 3 - 10 - WBC Round I

Nov. 15 - 21 - WBC Round II

Nov. 24 (day after Thanksgiving) - WBC Semifinals

Nov. 26 - WBC Finals (primetime Sunday night)

I think the tie-in with Thanksgiving weekend would be very effective for the finals. People watch football on Thanksgiving day but the day after is free other than that we are exhorted to go shopping. I'm sure many would be much happier stuffing their faces and watching baseball. The early rounds can be weeknight games and leave Saturdays to college football and Sundays to the NFL. The WBC final will be on a Sunday night so whatever network covers it can use their day of NFL games as a lead in to the WBC final to boost the ratings.

[Frayed Knot]

Your sked has players who have been at it everyday from February -October signing up to be part of a national team from as early as Oct 10th thru the end of Nevember?

The Republicans will nominate Hillary as 'Queen for Life' before that happens.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, you've had All-Stars regularly sign on for a tour of Japan right after the World Series.

[Frayed Knot]

Yeah for about a week, not six.

[Willets Point]

Frayed Knot wrote: Your sked has players who have been at it everyday from February -October signing up to be part of a national team from as early as Oct 10th thru the end of November?

They did four weeks this year, so it's not that much different. Maybe they'll report to camp later then. Anyhow, it should be noted once again that this is not an every day / every player thing but a once every four years thing in which about only 30% of MLB players will participate.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I think it's actually once every three years. The next one will be in 2009.

[Willets Point]

The regular schedule is four years. The first one was supposed to be in 2005 but they weren't ready in time so they had this year instead. 2009 gets the WBC on its regular schedule so it won't be in the same years as the soccer World Cup and the Winter Olympics in the future.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Ah! I did not know that!

Oh well. I liked the thought that it would be every three years.

[Frayed Knot]

"They did four weeks this year, so it's not that much different"

Except that these 4 weeks were at a time when they'd be in baseball anyway. Trying to pull this thing off in November adds 6 or so weeks to their schedule in addition to the time they ordinarily spend. Or, looked at another way, 6 less weeks of vacation/rest time.
Giving them tardy slips to come to camp only somewhat makes up for that, plus it adds to the "disruption" of camp that some are complaining about now.


I think this is all a moot discussion anyway. I don't think there's anyone with MLB who wants to do this after the season.

[Guest cooby]

Considering how hard it is to get some major leaguers to go play in the All Star game, I wonder how long they will be interested in participating in this

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, beyond patriotism and bragging rights, there's always the idea of paying them enough to make it worth their while.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I think that the Latin American and Asian players will continue to be interested. I'm not as sure about the U.S. players, though.

I don't know about Japan and Korea, but the fans back home in Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela were pretty fired up about their teams. And the players from those regions form more of a fraternity than U.S. players do. (It's not like two Americans meet in Florida and say, "YOU'RE American! Hey, I'M American too!")

[Centerfield]

Announcer: Warming in the pen is righthander Byung Hyun Kim and lefthander (some other guy who's name I can't remember).

CF's Dad: Byung Hyun Kim? Jesus, I hope they bring in the other guy.

CF: The lefty? Really? Do you know him? Is he any good?

CF's Dad: I know he's not Byung Hyun Kim.

[Frayed Knot]

The reaction of the players is obviously the key to the long-term success of this thing.
If those who played this year are no back telling all their teammates (as opposed to telling the media what they think they're supposed to) that they were real into it and what a great experince it was (or how much less boring than ST it was) then the next time you'll see players making excuses to play instead of the handful who seemed to be looking for excuses not to.

But if they say it was more trouble than it's worth ...

[Guest cooby]

I'm sure it's more fun than spring training and exhibition games. It HAS to be.

[MFS62]

Is it just me, or did those Cuban unis remind you of the old Montreal Canadians' jerseys?

Later

[seawolf17]

="Frayed Knot"]The reaction of the players is obviously the key to the long-term success of this thing. If those who played this year are no back telling all their teammates (as opposed to telling the media what they think they're supposed to) that they were real into it and what a great experince it was (or how much less boring than ST it was) then the next time you'll see players making excuses to play instead of the handful who seemed to be looking for excuses not to. But if they say it was more trouble than it's worth ...

No, the sales of tickets and jerseys are the keys to the long-term success of this thing. If it sells, then they'll play. And those ballparks looked pretty full to me.

[Frayed Knot]

Well that too obviously.
But if ML players won't consent to play - and remember, this thing needs approval from the PA - then the next version will never get off the ground no matter how many tickets and dorky shirts they sold this time out.
Step 1 depends on a resonable amount of participation on their part.