Baseball Musings: WBC Wrapup

March 21, 2006

WBC Wrapup

It was an exciting finale to the World Baseball Classic Monday night. Japan got off to an early lead, Cuba fought back, and Japan answered with even more runs. It seems to me Cuba lost the game in the first inning when Velez lifted his starter Romero after just four batters. Romero was a bit wild (23 pitches, 12 strikes), but Japan loaded the bases on luck. The three balls in play could easily have been outs, as none got out of the infield.

What the early hook did was leave Cuba short of good pitchers at the end of the game. Velez was forced to leave Palma in with an injury to his left hamstring. Palma pitched brilliantly through three innings in one of the gutsiest performances I've seen. But he was gassed in the ninth. The Cubans had fought back to trail 6-5, but Palma and the back of the bullpen gave up four runs in the inning to seal their fate.

Japan's approach on offense was perfect. They were both selective (6 walks) and put the ball in play (10 hits). They ran the bases well, and the play of the game was Kawasaki's slide in the 9th to score the seventh run. Pestano blocked the plate perfectly, but Kawasaki reached across and underneath with his right hand to just beat the tag. In real time it looked like he was out, but the closeup replay showed the ump called the play correctly.

All in all, a fitting finish to a fine tournament. Baseball is played very well in many places across the globe. With Korea and Japan playing so impressively, the Asian invasion is likely just around the corner. I expect North American scouts to step up activity in the east, trying to snap up players before they sign and give their best years to one of the Asian leagues. That will be very good for the salaries of the Pacific rim players, as competition will likely force their salaries up. Eventually, maybe all these major leagues will combine to draft and trade from the same world wide pool of players.

I'd love to see eight divisions of six teams each someday. Six teams in Asia, six in the Caribbean and six in Europe joining with the North American major leagues to form a super world league? That would be sweet.

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Posted by David Pinto at 07:25 AM | World Cup | TrackBack (0)

Comments

A Super World League, would be awesome! But I think the owners wouldn't do it because of travel cossts and the players might not like the jet lag. Flying from France to Japan for a 3 game series, would be deading on their play during the games. Unless they came up with a different way of doing things.

I've always thought it would be great if MLB expanded into Mexico or the Carribean instead of Canada. Expansion could possibly handle a whole new set of divisions all at once.

Posted by: Devon at March 21, 2006 08:22 AM

a super world league? how long the season gonna last? cuz you can't have guys playing a night game in japan then a day game in italy. guys get enough jet lag just here in the US

Posted by: lisa gray at March 21, 2006 10:24 AM

A super world league, while intriguing, would also damage the existing domestic leagues (particularly Japan's major leagues) which have traditions worth preserving.

Why not simply stage a true World Series, with the MLB champion playing the Japanese champion? Last year's winners (Guillen's Sox vs. Valentine's Marines) would have made for an interesting series.

Posted by: Chris at March 21, 2006 12:45 PM

The powers that be want to make owners the obstacle--
I've heard it countless times. This is just a tactic, repeated often enough to sway the unsuspecting. I am
the obstacle. I'm a fan. All money flows from the
fan. Not Selig, Orza, or any owner. There is big money going on behind the scenes, most of it bad. The players' contracts will have to be rewritten, schedules shortened, etc. I won't be there to watch.This game is being
taken away from the fan & put into a monopoly. Information is restricted, game coverage is restricted,
& any owner who says 2 words is demonized 1000 times
a day by the useful idiots in the media.

Posted by: susan mullen at March 21, 2006 02:28 PM

Susan, what are you talking about? What "bad money" conspiracy is this? Sounds like some kinda baseball SMERSH. MLB owners aren't bad enough?

Posted by: Residentcipangu at March 21, 2006 04:57 PM

In a way I agree with what Susan said on the 21st.No, I do not beleive there is a conspiracy or anything such as that, but, she is right in the respect that the game is being taken away from the fan. Loyalties by the players are few and far between.We are being priced out of the game for the sake of corporations.It is no longer a game for the fan , it is a game for the businessman.Its not a bad idea to have the World Baseball Classic,but I suggest they have it either in Feb. or right after the American World Series.

Posted by: David Day at March 23, 2006 06:19 PM