Here's the thing, I think ESPN didn't expect it to do well, poo pooed it. I have found in New York City that the games have been on local tv. (WWOR) Also, perhaps MLB wanted it this way so that they could force people into the MLB TV package. (Which by the way is amazing)
We'll see how things play out. I think its been a great Success. People seem to be into it!

The DR team certainly celebrated after winning last night. It might not be a big thing in the US, but the rest of the teams are taking it seriously. I read somewhere that the Korean players will get out of military service if they make it to the next round. I don't know how long they are required to be in the military, but even only two years of not having to do service is a big reward.

Classic or ESPNEWS. You're telling me Joe Sportsfan wouldn't mind? Just this once oh Worldwide Leader? We promise to continue to embibe your brand of Kool-Aid for many years to come. Hell, I even resisted changing the channel when they showed highlights of Dancing With the "Stars" on Sportscenter (actually I changed it, but they'll never know).

You mean you would actually prefer a real live game to a warmed over rehash of something you already know the outcome of (or can google the result in 5 seconds)? Wouldn't it be preferable to stay up half the night to watch this new game on tape delay, when you already know the score from SportCenter?

How clever, how original, how desperate Verducci is like
most other writers--they take shots at the Yankees right at the top. You mean the Mariners didn't care when they
got the call that Adrian Beltre was hurt? Maybe Damon
himself cares if he's hurt, his family, his team mates,
the fans, the groundskeepers, vendors, etc. Verducci
tries pathetically to sell hate & scorn against the Yankees, who've actually said very little, & nothing that
didn't make sense. You can't say anything in baseball
anyway because Selig & Orza control everything.

I was absolutely furious the other night trying to watch a tape delay of America v Korea in the Pacific Northwest. Not only was the game delayed (and I chose to not check any scores in the newest conventional methods), but it was then cut up due to time constraints.

What in the world is ESPN scheduling in the 11 pm-2 am (that's 1-4 am on the eastern seaboard) that's more important than the WBC, with America as one of the teams?!!!

I'm still mad. I don't even want to discuss it.

Susan -

I thought Verducci's comments about the Yankees and the WBC were fair. The Yankees were the only team to vote against the WBC (I'm pretty sure the vote of MLB owners was 29-1... or 28-1, depending on if the Nats get to vote). And the Yanks were the only team to apologize to their spring training fans with a sign about their WBC participants.

If you are in Miami you might want to check channel 41. It's a Spanish channel but they are re-transmitting the english feeds of some of the games locally.

For direct TV subscribers you may want to check the XM channels that Direct TV has on its lineup. XM is broadcasting all the games but I don't know if direct TV only broadcasts XM's music channels or if they also broadcast the talk channels including the MLB channels.

Besides ESPN, where's Fox in all this? Seems to me this is just the sort of flag-waving event that Murdoch's empire thrives on. What are all those regional Fox Sports Net channels showing?

I live in Europe, so that the only way to watch any ball game is via MLB.TV. Quality is good, but... Last season, in may they introduced a blackout filter to prevent american subscribers to watch certain games in local market areas. The filter consisted in blocking all games to all users (us, overseas, included). Then, you had to call an 1-800 no. to ask for a "token" (1-800 is not toll free, it's actually a long-distance call for us foreigners) to have MLB to unblock you. I actually spent more in calls than the $90 of the season fee.
I decided to keep my subscription despite this annoyance for the WBC and the 2006 season. But am blocked again, and this time no one picks the phone at MLB Help-Desk, no one answers any e-mail. I guess this is the poor american service everybody complaints...
(Thank God, the internet is too powerful for such negligent people, and have managed to watch games by other means)

If this is how ESPN behaves with the WBC, I wonder what kind of coverage they'll give to the real World Cup, for which they have exclusive broadcast rights in the U.S.

Susan Mullen needs a reality check. First, Verducci is clearly referencing the Yankees quite public scorn for the tournament, expressed any number of ways up and down the organization, not the supposed injury to Damon (which was obviously preexisting anyway).

Second, it's just not becoming to act so put-upon and persecuted when your team is so consistently successful. Yankees players understand (and even embrace) wearing the target on their backs; it means you're good. Their fans should do the same. Instead, they too often cry about perceived slights and demand to be loved, kind of like A-Rod.