2013 World Baseball Classic

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Apparently the defending champions may boycott next year.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

Does anybody in the US actually care about this tournament?

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

The Second Spitter wrote: Does anybody in the US actually care about this tournament?

I care.

[Ceetar]

The Second Spitter wrote: Does anybody in the US actually care about this tournament?

sure. It's baseball, it sorta counts more than Spring Training. Stadium was more into the WBC game I went to in 2009 than any Met game that season.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

Maybe the question should have been: do any MLB'ers care about winning this tournament?

[Guest Swan Swan H]

It's a charade, a huge waste of time and effort, and the qualification process is entirely fraudulent. Anybody who eats at Olive Garden during 2012 qualifies to play for Italy. Blow it up.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

Swan Swan H wrote: Anybody who eats at Olive Garden during 2012 qualifies to play for Italy. Blow it up.

Not as bad as Clay Bellingeropoulos playing for Greece in the 2004 Olympics, on the basis of one Greek Great-Grandparent.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

The Second Spitter wrote: Swan Swan H wrote: Anybody who eats at Olive Garden during 2012 qualifies to play for Italy. Blow it up. Not as bad as Clay Bellingeropoulos playing for Greece in the 2004 Olympics, on the basis of one Greek Great-Grandparent.

Indeed. Anything to get MLB players on the rosters.

[bmfc1]

Josh Satin is playing for Team Israel during this month's WBC qualifying round.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2012/09/israel-spain-among-final-wbc-rosters-released/

[G-Fafif]

Too bad Josh didn't stick around. Never got to hear his walkup music.

[youtube:1pcavwfu]BYoSsdvEzxM[/youtube:1pcavwfu]

[Vic Sage]

their big hitter is Shawn Green!

[Benjamin Grimm]

I was really into the WBC the first time around, to a degree that surprised me.

The second time, I didn't pay a drop of attention. That surprised me too, because of how much I enjoyed it the first time.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

It's far from perfect wrt scheduling, player participation, etc., and I knida wish it weren't under MLB's direction, but all that said I think it's important for the longterm global health of the game. And it does beat spring training.

[Frayed Knot]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: It's far from perfect wrt scheduling, player participation, etc., and I knida wish it weren't under MLB's direction, but all that said I think it's important for the longterm global health of the game. And it does beat spring training.

This is where I'm at too.
It's not perfect and will never be perfect (not even sure what perfect could be) but the suggestions to "fix" it that have it being played in November, or in mid-winter, or whenever, are going to have just as many drawbacks as holding it in March.
I also think that the comments from those (like say Keith) who seem almost violently against it are hyper-boling and hyper-ventilating at the same time. Even the teams who stay in it the longest are playing, what?, like six to eight games max, and are doing so during a time in which they'd be playing games anyway - even if somewhat more relaxed ones.

So while announcer Keith is, I'm sure, fondly remembering his days of ST as a relaxed time filled with half-days of work followed by beach or golf and wouldn't want to give that up, I've a feeling that if player Keith were given the option to participate and, let's not let this fact slide, get extra paid for it, he wouldn't be so quick to trash the concept.

[Frayed Knot]

Among the players on the roster for the German team trying to qualify for the WBC: Toby Gardenhire
Born in 1982 in Manhasset L.I.
Spent six years in the Minnesota minor league system
Qualification: Father born in West Germany

[Fman99]

The WBC can die in a fire, were it personified or objectified properly for that to occur.

[Frayed Knot]

Fman99 wrote: The WBC can die in a fire, were it personified or objectified properly for that to occur.

So I should put you down as 'Undecided' on this topic then?

[Edgy MD]

	Josh Satin and his hirstute eyebrows has gotten all of one trip to the plate for the Metties in 2012, but the virtue of his briss and his bar mitzvah qualify him for Israeli citizenship or to join the Israeli national baseball squad.
	Jeff Kaplan was born in Dana Point, California. But the blood of Samson flows in his veins as demostrated by his 5-0, 3.50 season in relief for St. Lucie and Binghamton. And the spirit of Judas Maccabee animates him as he, too, takes the field for Israel.
	Kai Gronauer has a less eliptical birthright for competition. He may have gotten as far as his talent will take him in affiliated ball, putting up Nickeasean numbers between high A and AA, but that won't stop the Solingen, Germany native from lacing 'em up for German glory.
	Injuries and limited effectiveness kept outfielder Adam Loewen from earning a callup to Flushing this season, but the Vancouverian will be making an interesting return to Team Canada, having thrown 3 2/3 scoreless against the US back in 2006 before his left arm started betraying him.
	Hamilton Bennett may hail from Tega Cay, South Carolina, but just sounds like a Pride & Prejudice character. His 7-2, 2.55 season in the St. Lucie bullpen may merely be Florida State League numbers, but those and his priggish name are good enough to get him an invite to take the mound for the UK.
	Five years removed from his last big league appearance, being one of the most productive Jewish players in history still gets Shawn Green an invite to be the senior member of Team Israel.
	Emmanuel Garcia climbed the ladder of the Mets system, switching from infield to outfield, but still hitting like an infielder. That ended his career in Buffalo in 2010, but the Quebec native rejoins his Canadian teammates, with whom he battled for supremacy in Beijing, back before the Olympic committee tossed baseball on the historical scrapheap.
	Injuries and the bottleneck behind David Wright slowed defensive specialist third baseman Shawn Bowman as he climbed through the Mets' system. After getting passed by Zach Lutz the Mets left him exposed on waivers following the 2010 season, from which he was claimed by Toronto, a Canadian homecoming for the British Columbian. He suited up for Canada in the 2009 classic but saw no action.
	Minor league homerun champ Mike Cevernak played with Buffalo in 2010, where he went head-to-head with wallbanging rivals Mike Hessman, Val Pascucci, and Mike Jacobs. His 192 minor league homers and his last name earn him an invite to help the Czech Republic in their qualifying effort, despite his Michigan birthrite. Being 36 with a mere 13 big league plate appearances on his record, how could he say no?

[Guest The Second Spitter]

[bmfc1]

Which baseball team that I follow has won two games in a row? Of course it's not the Mets. It's Team Israel, now one win away from advancing to the final 16.
http://web.worldbaseballclassic.com/2013/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120921&content_id=38776906

[Edgy MD]

Kaplan closed out one of those wins, I believe.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

The French national team cap is the best-looking cap in professional baseball (not biased!)



Spanish cap looks cool too...



Israeli cap is alright....a bit too busy.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

On cap alone, Spain wins this thing.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

I just found out that Eric Gagn� is our pitching coach. Scary.

[Frayed Knot]

The Second Spitter wrote: I just found out that Eric Gagn� is our [crossout]pitching[/crossout] steroids coach. Scary.

Fixed it for you.

[MFS62]

Saw a story last week (may have been the ESPN site) that when Brad Asmus returns from the WBC, he could be offered the Astros' managerial spot.

Found it:

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the Astros have interview(ed) former catcher Brad Ausmus for their managerial vacancy. Ausmus, 43, retired after the 2010 season and previously said that he didn't plan on returning to the game anytime soon, but he's obviously considering it. The three-time Gold Glover and one-time All-Star has no managerial experience at any level, but that isn't a deal breaker anymore with Robin Ventura and Mike Matheny getting jobs last winter.Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the Astros have interview former catcher Brad Ausmus for their managerial vacancy. Ausmus is currently managing the Israeli team in the WBC.

Later

[Edgy MD]

Canada qualifies behind a homer from Adam Loewen.

[Edgy MD]

In the final qualifying game, Ruben Tejada is 2-4 with a run and an RBI as Panama leads Columbia 9-4.

[Fman99]

Qualifying match on MLB network now between Brazil and Panama. Live baseball, starring guys I've heard of. I'm all in.

[Edgy MD]

And Ruben Tejada and the Panama Hats fail to qualify after all, losing 1-0 to the Brazil Nuts and now an unlikey country is on its way to the WBC.

If the goal of the WBC is to open up new markets, it sounds like a real success story. Great to have qualifying battles pop up at different times of the year instead of the invitational format the tournament originally had.