In-WBC Thread

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Cubans pull ahead on a 2-run shot in the 8th... and hold on to win, 5-4.

Hell of a go, though, Oz.

[nymr83]

I'm rooting for Australia to beat Mexico and advance, they deserve it.
They have a hard road here, some teams have had it very easy.

The double elimination is much better than the system they had 3 years ago where you could get sent home in a manner that didn't involve losing, but its still a little strange that you can advance by beating the same team twice without having to beat anyone else.

[Frayed Knot]

Four games remain in Round 1, three today:

Pool 'B' features Mexico-Australia (10EDT - MLBN) in a rematch of the 17-7 thumping Mexico took in front of the home folks a few days back.
Loser goes home; winner joins Cuba in Round 2 after facing off on Thursday for 1st/2nd seeding.

the only Pool 'C' game remaining is today's USA-Venezuela tilt to determine 1st/2nd seeds (6:30 - MLBN)
Canada & Italy are out

and in Pool 'D' the flying Dutchmen take on undefeated Puerto Rico for 1st/2nd seeding (5:30 ESPN2)
Dom Rep & Panama are out


Round 2 action starts Saturday in Miami (Pools C & D) and Sunday in San Diego (A &

[bmfc1]

With leaders like C. Jones and D. Jeter, how can Team USA lose?

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090310&content_id=3959616&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[metirish]

Mike Schmidt says David Wright might be fit for Hall of Fame
BY ANTHONY MCCARRON
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Tuesday, March 10th 2009, 8:55 PM

] TORONTO - Mike Schmidt calls himself "a nearly 60-year-old man who's a fan of these young stars and their lives," so he's been watching David Wright closely in the week or so the two have been together with Team USA. And Schmidt, perhaps the greatest third baseman of all time, thinks Wright is not only the kind of guy "you'd want in a son," but possibly headed to Cooperstown. "I think," Schmidt said Tuesday, "you've got yourself a future Hall of Famer there on the Mets." Schmidt, who is Team USA's third-base coach, starred for the Phillies in the '70s and '80s, making 12 All-Star teams, winning three MVP awards and collecting 10 Gold Gloves. In 18 seasons, he hit 548 home runs. Who knows if Wright is on a similar career arc, but the Mets' third baseman already has an impressive resume, with 100 RBI in each of his first four full seasons. It took Schmidt seven full seasons to reach 100 RBI four times. "From a baseball standpoint, he seems way beyond his years," Schmidt said. "Hitting-wise, he's your prototypical good modern generation hitter in that he stays inside the ball. In my day, we hit around the ball - pulled the ball more. It's impressive to me he creates the production he does as a righthanded hitter, seeing a lot of righthanded pitchers, the tough relievers, the matchups he gets. "Back in our day, you'd compare him to a (Steve) Garvey or heck, even a Roberto Clemente-type hitter where he uses the whole field, hits around .300, can hit you some home runs, break up a game. He's a good solid RBI guy - what did he have last year, 128 (actually 124). I think my best year was in the low 120s (121 in 1980), so even last year he had more than I ever had." Wright is 3-for-9 in the World Baseball Classic entering tonight's game against Venezuela, which walloped Italy, 10-1, Tuesday night. The game is only for seeding purposes because Team USA has already clinched a berth in Round 2 in Miami. Schmidt also marveled at how Wright handles his celebrity status in a media-saturated age. "People might say I had an existence like that coming up in Philly, but there was nowhere near the media exposure there is today," Schmidt said. "Privacy is a hard thing to come by for these young players and I admire the way they deal with it. People would be surprised how well they handle their fame."

[Guest Edgy DC]

"That's nice of Mr. Schmidt to say and all, but Steve Garvey
and Roberto Clemente can wash my underwear for all I care."

Edited March 11, 2009 by Guest

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Good golly. Is that Molly?

[Guest Edgy DC]

No, I'm guessing that's one of Molly's friends. But that seems like one shirt button more than he typically opens for Moll.

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy DC wrote: I wonder if they'll blame A-Rod.

Of course -- he didn't show up and they lost therefore it's his fault.
Just like if they had lost and he HAD showed up it would be his fault too.
Didn't you get the memo on this?

[metirish]

No more chest hair sprouting from his open shirt.....what the hell David. I can't imagine Mike Schmidt ever got rid of that.

[Benjamin Grimm]

metirish wrote: No more chest hair sprouting from his open shirt.....what the hell David. I can't imagine Mike Schmidt ever got rid of that.

Reading that made me feel as gay as watching "Ugly Betty" does.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Steve Garvey? Ugh.

[Gwreck]

Edgy DC wrote: No, I'm guessing that's one of Molly's friends. But that seems like one shirt button more than he typically opens for Moll.

According to the photo URL, that's Kelly Dechon.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

K-Rod versus Jeter, 1 out in the 9th. Captain Intangibles is the tying run (Rollins is at second).

I REALLY don't know for whom to root here.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Was rotting for Wright vs. Frankie with the game on the line but a Jeter CS takes care of that.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Korea's Ki Hyuk Park: not at the top of my list of 'roid suspects.

[metirish]

Is that a girl?

From Bon Klapisch

]NEWS ITEM: WBC turns heads. We have to admit: Seeing Dustin Pedroia and Derek Jeter as teammates is better eye candy than we thought. But the most interesting aspect of Venezuela�s 5-3 victory over the U.S. Wednesday night was Francisco Rodriguez�s devastating change-up, which he used to strike out Kevin Youkilis to end the game. It may K-Rod�s best pitch in 2009. �We couldn�t touch that change-up,� one Yankee veteran said recently. �For [National League] hitters that haven�t seen him before, he�ll be lights out.�

[Centerfield]

Edgy DC wrote: Korea's Ki Hyuk Park: not at the top of my list of 'roid suspects.

You should have seen him before the juice.

[Guest Edgy DC]

He'st he shortstop for Korea's Lotte Giants:

[Frayed Knot]

Biggest difference in the far east and here is that in Japan they have Lotte Marines and in Korea Lotte Giants.
Over here we just have giant lattes.

[Guest Edgy DC]

We have a lotte marines stationed in Japan also.

[nymr83]

Edgy DC wrote: We have a lotte marines stationed in Japan also.

If the U.S. doesnt win I'll happily root for our asian allies, i hope they both advance out of round 2, though i have nothing against Mexico. send the commies home. in our round 2 i'm rooting for the netherlands to advance along with us, because it would be a good story.

[Frayed Knot]

Round 2 - Saturday's games (in Miami):

Netherlands vs Venezuela - 1PM EDT
USA vs Puerto Rico - 8PM EDT

Sunday (in San Diego)
Some combo of Japan, Korea, Cuba & Mexico
exact matchups to be determined after tonight's Cuba/Mexico game - loser faces Korea, winner vs Japan