USA Baseball = Bronze

[Frayed Knot]

Lost to Cuba yesterday, beat Japan (who lost to S. Korea) today for 3rd

So Cuba v Korea for Gold.
Korea leading 3-2 in the 9th, Korean pitcher loads the bases with one out on walks; Korean catcher gets heaved for arguing (I have no idea in what language) over the ball/strike calls.
So SK has to change their catcher and they change pitchers at the same time - and with the bags loaded and the tying & winning runs on ... Cuba GiDPs and Korea wins the (last ever?) Gold medal in baseball.

[metirish]

That was a great game , the Koren starter Ryu was cruising through eight then in the ninth the first guy gets on , gets bunted over and Ryu then can't find the plate , although the commentators claimed he was getting squeezed.

Yulieski Gouriel made the last out.


Ryu looks like a decent pitcher , left handed with some great off speed stuff.

[MFS62]

Wasn't the reason baseball and softball were going to be dropped because of US domination?
Maybe this year will change their minds.

Later

[metirish]

The US men have one Gold and two Bronze , the women did dominate though.

[Frayed Knot]

MFS62 wrote: Wasn't the reason baseball and softball were going to be dropped because of US domination?

That was never the reason. It's because the IOC is a very Euro-centric organization that's looking to pare sports off the docket that don't have world-wide appeal - especially to 'their' world.
Both baseball and softball are also very time-consuming sports in a crowded Olympic time-frame.

[Elster88]

Frayed Knot wrote: ="MFS62"]Wasn't the reason baseball and softball were going to be dropped because of US domination? That was never the reason. It's because the IOC is a very Euro-centric organization that's looking to pare sports off the docket that don't have world-wide appeal - especially to 'their' world. Both baseball and softball are also very time-consuming sports in a crowded Olympic time-frame.

Heard on the radio this morning that the IOC says baseball will only come back if MLBers compete.

[Frayed Knot]

To which I'd say; "Buh-Bye"

No way should MLB interrupt the season to play an outside tournament. Hockey does it but that's their problem and I'd take life-style advice from Lindsey Lohan before taking advice from the NHL on sport-promotion. It works for basketball because that's a winter sport here and a summer sport in the Olympics.

MLB doesn't need the Olympics to promote its sport and if people want an int'l tournament they can check out Bud's WBC.

[nymr83]

they should cut the non-sports first, like synchronized swimming. something being difficult doesnt make it a sport, otherwise we could have a math test as an olympic event

[Fman99]

Nymr83 wrote: they should cut the non-sports first, like synchronized swimming. something being difficult doesnt make it a sport, otherwise we could have a math test as an olympic event

Oooo pick me! I'm a world class mathlete.