World Baseball Classic- anyone interested in this?

[eSDee]

To be honest I haven't watched any of the Winter Olympics as I'm not much of a fan of winter sports. However I'm pretty stoked that Baseball is starting again soon (pitchers and catchers reported today). I am also excited that the World Baseball Classic is going to happen soon. Anyone here planning on watching it? I believe it's March 3rd through 20th, including the last 3 games here in San Diego. I would watch all 3 of them if I wasn't going to be watching the Padres in spring training that weekend. Should be pretty cool to watch.

I am also wondering if the games are going to be broadcast on a major network. MLB.tv will broadcast it if I can't get it on by my local cable company, at which point I am going to gladly purchase a subscription. If anyone knows if a network is going to pick it up, I'd appreciate you letting me know.

:cheers: To Baseball.

[PrObLy]

I'm excited for sure.

I just purchased plane tickets to go to Phoenix over spring break to check out some spring training games (particularly the Cubs over in Mesa).

I think the WBC will be awesome as some of the teams are really loaded...like Venezuela: http://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/2006/rosters/index.jsp?sid=t944 (not finalized)

[Merlin]

At first I wasn't too into it as the whole event seems a bit contrived. But now that it is coming up soon I am coming around. I think it can be a lot of fun and some of the games between latin american countries should be quite good - the Dominican and Puerto Rico have a pretty good baseball rivalry. So yes, I am going to watch and yes, I am getting excited about it.

With baseball having been dropped from the Olympics (stupid Europeans) this is really the only forum to see international baseball. In the future I think some of the little issues will get worked out.

Also looking forward to seeing the team from Japan.

[VTGreg]

I will probably watch a few of the games but overall I'm not all that interested in this. To my knowledge, it will be broadcast on ESPN and it's various channels.

I agree with the comment that it seems a bit contrived.

One thing I would look forward to is Ozzie Guillen getting his. His comments about A-Rod and Garciaparra were completely un-called for and instead of dismissing his comments he should be dealt with.

[Merlin]

One question about this.....can you really call something a "Classic" if it never took place before? Seems to me that something should have a little history before getting the classic label.

[Grubbie]

I'm a diehard baseball fan but I don't care about baseball until opening day. The players aren't going to be at their peak since it is still during ST. If it occured in the middle of the summer, ya I would be more interested.

On the topic of ST, I would love to go down to Arizona some time to watch my M's, but overall ST sucks. There is nothing to get excited about, spring training stats mean nothing, nothing really changes.

[eSDee]

I'm a diehard baseball fan but I don't care about baseball until opening day. The players aren't going to be at their peak since it is still during ST. If it occured in the middle of the summer, ya I would be more interested.

On the topic of ST, I would love to go down to Arizona some time to watch my M's, but overall ST sucks. There is nothing to get excited about, spring training stats mean nothing, nothing really changes.

Baseball in spring training is fun for just that reason. It doesn't matter what happens or wins the game. However you still get to watch Major League players which equals some mammoth home runs and stellar defensive plays at times. It's true that some might not give it 100% being spring training, however that is made up by those struggling to make the team and giving 110%. Plus it also means good weather, and since the M's usually play indoors it means you get to watch them outside for a change. I went last year to watch the Padres and it was a completely relaxing day at the park, with cheap beer and great baseball food on a beautiful Arizona day. The Padres also scored 4 runs in the last 2 innings to comeback and win against the M's, which although insignificant made it exciting. Basically it's a just a small baseball fix before the real season starts, so that you're ready to hit the ground running once it does.



One thing I would look forward to is Ozzie Guillen getting his. His comments about A-Rod and Garciaparra were completely un-called for and instead of dismissing his comments he should be dealt with.


What did he say? :confused:

[ialsohaveadream]

What did he say? :confused:
He said that Nomar is thinking about playing for Mexico, even though the only experience he has there is going to visit Cancun. :)

[Grubbie]

Plus it also means good weather, and since the M's usually play indoors it means you get to watch them outside for a change.



Huh????

The M's play most of their home games outdoors with the roof open. It only sucks to go to their games in the first month of the season, besides that you get some great night games at 60degrees(or warmer in the summer). The ammount of times the roof is actually closed for a game is minimal.

I do get your point that going to the games is fun though, I have always wanted to go down to Arizona to watch them and the padres. However, sitting at home I really don't care about any of the stories or how the players are doing. If I was at a game it might be different, but ST is like training camp in football, how fun is that?

[Yossarian]

nope

[eSDee]

Huh????

The M's play most of their home games outdoors with the roof open. It only sucks to go to their games in the first month of the season, besides that you get some great night games at 60degrees(or warmer in the summer). The ammount of times the roof is actually closed for a game is minimal.


I just thought it rained a lot and so most of the time the roof was closed. My bad.



I do get your point that going to the games is fun though, I have always wanted to go down to Arizona to watch them and the padres. However, sitting at home I really don't care about any of the stories or how the players are doing. If I was at a game it might be different, but ST is like training camp in football, how fun is that?

Training camp for football is super boring to me, and so I wouldn't want to see that. But baseball is different. I'll watch a Little League game once in a while if the teams are good ;)

[Grubbie]

I just thought it rained a lot and so most of the time the roof was closed. My bad.


It is understandable, that is what everyone thinks of Seattle. I guess having 30 straight days of rain in the winter doesn't help that idea at all.

Looking back on the stadium decision for a roof, it was a COMPLETE waste of money. They shut the roof a lot though since there is a "chance or rain". When it first opened they would shut the roof whenver they had a valid reason to try to justify the millions of dollars that was required for it.

Overall it is nice to watch games in Seattle though(not as nice as in San Diego for sure). I actually like watching games in Seattle more then Boston, since Boston gets so cold in the beginning and end of the season and REALLY hot in the summer time(night games are great).

[Merlin]

Hemight be thinking of the old place that was a dome. The new place opened what? About three years ago?

[Sirrich3]

I have tickets for the game in Anaheim. Pool A Winner vs Pool B Winner

[eSDee]

Overall it is nice to watch games in Seattle though(not as nice as in San Diego for sure). I actually like watching games in Seattle more then Boston, since Boston gets so cold in the beginning and end of the season and REALLY hot in the summer time(night games are great).

Have you been to Petco park yet? I like it don't get me wrong, but I don't think it's the nicest ballpark in the league. Whenever the Padres play the Mariners in Seattle, our home town announcers always talk about what an awesome ballpark Safeco is. They say that where it is located in this city is also pretty awesome. Petco is nice, but being on the bay it can get pretty cold there early in the season.


Hemight be thinking of the old place that was a dome. The new place opened what? About three years ago?

Actually I knew it was Safeco field and that it had a retractable roof. I just incorrectly assumed that it rained a lot over there all year around, and so the top was on a bunch.

[SpikeDig]

To be honest I haven't watched any of the Winter Olympics as I'm not much of a fan of winter sports. However I'm pretty stoked that Baseball is starting again soon (pitchers and catchers reported today). I am also excited that the World Baseball Classic is going to happen soon. Anyone here planning on watching it? I believe it's March 3rd through 20th, including the last 3 games here in San Diego. I would watch all 3 of them if I wasn't going to be watching the Padres in spring training that weekend. Should be pretty cool to watch.:cheers: To Baseball.

Yeah, my buddies are looking to snag some seats at PetCo soon. This is a great idea. Superstars of the MLB & respective countries/regions competing on the heels of the Winter Olympics. Did they drop baseball from the Summer or was it some other sport(s)?

Regardless, I'll need a scorecard to see who are the new Padres & I'd love to keep tabs on all the current ex-Padres like Hernandez & Loretta.

:cheers: to the 2006 baseball season!

[Merlin]

Did they drop baseball from the Summer or was it some other sport(s)?

Yes, Baseball is off the Olympic menu.

[attgig]

i'm totally not excited about the WBC. it's a gimmick by mlb to make more money, cuz they realized how huge the world cup is for soccer.

if they were serious, they would put a pause to the season once ever 4 years or so and do it right. instead, they're too busy trying to please owners and their 'investments'.

[Butch]

There are a couple matches I'm interested in watching . . . just for sh*ts & giggles, I'm watching the Japan vs. China match right now . . . Japan is spanking the hell out of China 16-2 in the 8th . . . kind of cool to be able to watch a live baseball game in Japan via the Intarweb thingie

[eSDee]

I stayed up late watching Korea play Taiwan. I thought it was cool! I might buy the package next week so I can watch games from work ;)

[attgig]

Intarweb thingie

what's that?

[Merlin]

a webcast

[attgig]

is it free? can i get a link?

[Sirrich3]

How many more pro stars will drop out of this WBC?

[Merlin]

Probably not too many more at this point. MLB did a poor job thinking the scheduling through. This event would be better if it took place in December. Right now players, pitchers in particular, feel like they are out of shape due to the winter layoff.

I heard a good idea yesterday. Hold the event once every few years but take a couple of weeks mid season. Put MLB on a break for it. Make it an extended all star break and do away with that silly game.

[Butch]

Good game between Korea & Japan right now . . . Korea just took the lead 3-2 on a 2 run homer in the 8th inning off the Japanese closer . . . fun game!

By the way, you can watch on www.mlb.tv . . . but you have to either pay $9.95 for the WBC or $79.95 for a full season pass . . . I have the full season pass since it's the only way I can watch baseball on a regular basis out here in Germany.

Of course, you can also catch the WBC games on ESPN or ESPN2 . . . current game is on ESPN2 right now.

Edit: Game's over . . . Ichiro really had to eat some crow. He made some comments a little over a week ago that he wanted to show that the Koreans and Chinese Taipei would not be able to beat Japan in the next 30 years . . . welllllll, Ichiro had the 'honor' of being the last out in Korea's victory over Japan today.

[speedracer120]

Lee Seung-yeop is a monster. He was integral part in getting his old squad the championship last season.

[Butch]

Dominican Republic just beat the crap out of Venezuela . . . that was supposed to be a big game!

Right now, USA is playing Mexico . . . 2nd inning . . . worth watching in my view :)

[attgig]

Probably not too many more at this point. MLB did a poor job thinking the scheduling through. This event would be better if it took place in December. Right now players, pitchers in particular, feel like they are out of shape due to the winter layoff.

I heard a good idea yesterday. Hold the event once every few years but take a couple of weeks mid season. Put MLB on a break for it. Make it an extended all star break and do away with that silly game.


yeah, that's what i was suggesting above.

they gotta do what hockey does with olympics or soccer does with world cup.

[zenbooty]

Dominican Republic just beat the crap out of Venezuela . . . that was supposed to be a big game! :stupid: that was awesome. Basically like an all star game.

[Merlin]

Like the WBC or hate it....Merlin is very happy to be watching baseball again.

[eSDee]

Canada just upset USA 8 - 6. Dontrel Willis blew it!!!

[TofuNinja]

I just picked up tickets to see Korea vs. Japan.... woot! I'm happy! I only wish Taiwan did better (not into this whole Chinese Taipei crap)

[Butch]

A couple good games today that are happily on at times I can watch . . . USA vs. Japan and Cuba vs. Venezuela . . . yay!

[AlpineJay]

Like the WBC or hate it....Merlin is very happy to be watching baseball again.

same here.

can't wait to get my season tickets - coming so soon!

[Butch]

By the way, Cuba is no-hitting Venezuela right now through 4 . . . 1-0 game . . . good stuff.

Edit: Well, Cuba beat the crap out of Venezuela - quite a surprise! Definitely going to try to catch the Cuba v. DR game tomorrow.

In the meantime, the US is losing to Japan . . . bah . . . down 2 in the 6th

Edit: WooHoo . . . Derek Lee tied it up with a 2 run dinger.

I have to say, the more I watch of the WBC, the more I like it. Of course, I would much prefer to see baseball back in the Olympics and top players playing in it . . . but in the meantime, this is a decent proxy.

Edit 2: Wow, something you never see in MLB. The Home Plate Ump overturned the 2nd Base Ump's call on a sac-fly by Japan. The run would have put Japan in the lead in the top of the 8th. It looks like the original call allowing the run was probably correct. The runner on 3rd definitely started moving before the ball hit the left fielder's glove, but it doesn't look like his foot left the base before the ball hit the glove.

Looks like Japan got the shaft.

Hate to see a game impacted by the umping.

[AlpineJay]

un-freakin-believable. Korea just beat the US in convincing fashion.

Of course, ESPN in their infinite wisdom completely neglected to broadcast the game live, so I had to rely on a series of different text broadcasts from the Korean press and the MLB.

I guess this is right in the line of what the press was hoping would come out of the WBC - upsets and emergence of countries and players. Puerto Rico's doing very well right now (although they lost to Venezuela today) and Japan should have beaten the US if the right call was made. It looks like this isn't a wash with the US domination as many (including myself) suspected, which is going to be good for baseball and makes for a great tournament.

[speedracer120]

:stupid:
Crazy game. Who would've thunk that they'd walk Lee to have Big Choi just step up and crush one.

[eSDee]

I never thought the US team would win without challenge. They don't play little ball well enough. The Japanese team, although not as powerful as the US team, plays the game with such respect and attention to detail that I thought and still think they can win it all. In the other pool I think Puerto Rico is really good, but I think that the Dominican team has the most talent. They play a flashier game which can backfire should they ever make a mistake. However, these guys are so good that they haven't made many mistakes yet.
My projection is Japan vs. Dominican in the finals, with Dominican winning it all. Anyone else care to take a shot?

[kimchicowboy]

the US team should eat some kimchi and ramen.

hahaha

j/k.

[cheapie]

was it jeter the other day that said other players were telling him that they wished they would have played because it looks like fun?

that bodes well for '09.

[Merlin]

I never thought the US team would win without challenge. They don't play little ball well enough. The Japanese team, although not as powerful as the US team, plays the game with such respect and attention to detail that I thought and still think they can win it all. In the other pool I think Puerto Rico is really good, but I think that the Dominican team has the most talent. They play a flashier game which can backfire should they ever make a mistake. However, these guys are so good that they haven't made many mistakes yet.
My projection is Japan vs. Dominican in the finals, with Dominican winning it all. Anyone else care to take a shot?
Perspnally, I'm pulling for Japan. Most of the other squads are filled with players we see all the time while Japan is mostly from a different league. Plus everyone talks about how good biesbol is in Latin America, time to remind them that they play to the east as well.


was it jeter the other day that said other players were telling him that they wished they would have played because it looks like fun?

that bodes well for '09.
Yeah, now that others have had a chance to see it in action I think a lot of the skepticism will be laid to rest. That will result in more players wanting to play. Hopefully something developes like they have in golf with the Ryder Cup where players are trying hard to play their way onto the team.


As for the game I watched yesterday.....Yeah David Ortiz had a nice home run but if he flipped the bat like he did and I was pitching then his next at bat would get one right in the ear! No reason to behave like that. Just plain rude.

[Butch]

As for the game I watched yesterday.....Yeah David Ortiz had a nice home run but if he flipped the bat like he did and I was pitching then his next at bat would get one right in the ear! No reason to behave like that. Just plain rude.

Except that his next at bat came with the bases loaded!

It was a ridiculously show-boat move, though . . . lack of class duly noted.

[cheapie]

read this article on www.cnnsi.com good stuff

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/tom_verducci/03/14/wbc.classic/1.html

[ShawnLee]

I like that article, I think he's right on. I'm loving this. Every game I've watched has been absolutely fun, starting with the Asian games through now. I'm definitely going to tomorrow's Korea-Japan game, and I'm still thinking about the US-Mexico.

Shoot, if I can get tix to the San Diego semi's and finals, I want to be there too. This is just awesome fun for me to watch.

I see this getting huge in the years to come.

[ShawnLee]

Woot. Going to tonight's game. JApan v. Korea. Alright!

"Hwai-ting!" And all that other good Korean stuff...

[TofuNinja]

I'll be there too. Got my tickets last week woot I want to see Asian Baseball

[AlpineJay]

Absolutely sucks that they've scheduled zero games in the east coast.

Nevertheless, the thought of missing school, picking up a cheap cross-country air tickets and going to see the game has come across in my mind.. several times.

[speedracer120]

I bit the bullet and paid, and now I'm watching a pitching duel. Not what I wanted but better than a loss.

[AlpineJay]

jealous! this might be a 1-0 game in the end..

[speedracer120]

DUDE! I just missed the clutch hit! My connection got messed up at that crucial juncture! F*CKING ESPN! SHOW IT LIVE!

[AlpineJay]

I have it on Tivo.

[speedracer120]

Hizzell YES!
Classic look of defeat on Ichiro's face was priceless!

[TofuNinja]

Sucks that Japan loss, but Man Korea looks like they can win this one. Undefeated.

The game was pretty tight. Lots of great pitching and Defense. I think I was like the LONE BASEBALL fan in the section that I was at. I was surrended by Korean fans. They had their blue beat sticks, their flags etc. Most of them were nice and polite fans just there to support their country (notice I didn't say team, because many of the fans were NOT hardcore baseball fans). But the international flavor of this Asian vs. Asian game was great. More Koreans than Japanese supportors by far.

I am just curious as what it was that the Korean Fans kept chanting, not the names, but they were chanting something. Shawnlee can you help me out?

The only really annoying thing was these Korean girls that sat infront of me. They were annoying as hell. Not baseball fans at all. Korea fans. They kept on telling the Japanese players to go home... ummmm the Korean player aren't home either..... and they were just screaming and dancing and yelling for no real reason... everyone, korean or not was giving them disapproving looks. I think they were on TV a few times, one girl wrapped the Korean flag around her like a dress.....My big beef was that they kept on yelling the F Bomb at Ichro with KIDS around... KIDS.... that's not cool. NO COOL at all.

Besides them I really enjoyed watchign Baseball again....Can't wait until the Dodgers come to the OC for the Freeway Series. WOOT! Go Korea, win it all.

[speedracer120]

They were chanting, Dae Han Min Guk. It's just Korea's official name in Korean.

[TofuNinja]

They were chanting, Dae Han Min Guk. It's just Korea's official name in Korean.

oh ok, thanx.... ummm just so I am clear on this.... the Korean team was South Korea... or did Korea reunite and just pick the South Korean flag.....

[speedracer120]

NO chance in hell the NKs would've let their players show up and play in the land of their arch nemesis. Shoot they've jailed their cheerleaders from the Asian Games that showed up in South Korea who went around talking about how great things were in the South, and they didn't even see much. They were sequestered in their own nappy cruise ship and only went to the athletic events.

Yeah, Shawn was commenting to me on the phone about how a few of the other Korean "supporters" were being jackasses. Not really a good thing, but it's not surprising. Koreans are world-reknowned international jackasses sometimes. Seeing as how most of them are Korean-Americans: Ugly American+Korean jackass=Uber-assh*les.

[ShawnLee]

Yeah, my brother speaks well on my behalf.
My big beef was that they kept on yelling the F Bomb at Ichro with KIDS around... KIDS.... that's not cool. NO COOL at all.I think I know where you were sitting because I saw them. Were they the ones screaming at him when he nearly caught that foul ball?

I was right above that section. Wow, such a fun game. I'm glad I went, but yeah, I'm with you. Too many fans of Korea and not fans of baseball.

I had some old Korean ladies sitting behind me asking each other, "What was that?" "Was that good?" And stuff like that.

[eSDee]

Man what a game. I'm jealous of all you who got to attend. Korea is very strong. I'd like to see US v Korea in the semi's, but almost want to see Japan in there with them. 3 wins against Japan? That would be the biggest PWN ever. I have more thoughts but I gotta run...

[TofuNinja]

Yeah, my brother speaks well on my behalf.I think I know where you were sitting because I saw them. Were they the ones screaming at him when he nearly caught that foul ball?


I was down the third base line. In the club loge area. But yeah anything that Ichro was doing they were yelling and stuff.... I guess when he is the big star on the team they have to player hate....

I was the lone Angel hat in a sea of light blue and Korean flags hahaha

One girl had the flag....another had the flag wrapped around her like a dress, and they where with the two more robust girls.....

but yeah it was a great game. I would like to go to SD for the semis and the finals but this was good enough for me :) Love Baseball!

Doh!!! I left the game early (top of Ninth) to get out of the stadium (asian Drivers) and eat at Tofu House....dammit I missed the solo homerun! Was it a good one? Oh well A lot of the Koreans showed up at Tofu House in Garden Grove after the game... :) Good Baseball, good eats

[cheapie]

so the US is still alive right because of SK's win?

[DaFunkyUnit]

i believe US plays Mexico today, in a do-or-die.

[TofuNinja]

yeah the winner of tonights game will advance to Petco Park

[ShawnLee]

so the US is still alive right because of SK's win?They weren't completely out, but it would've been nearly impossible for them to advance without it.
i believe US plays Mexico today, in a do-or-die.Again, not a complete do-or-die. The rules in case of tied win record falls to allowed runs. If they lose and allow fewer than two runs to Mexico, then they advance.

[speedracer120]

Man what a game. I'm jealous of all you who got to attend. Korea is very strong. I'd like to see US v Korea in the semi's, but almost want to see Japan in there with them. 3 wins against Japan? That would be the biggest PWN ever. I have more thoughts but I gotta run... Well I hope we see what you hoped for. This is gonna be great. Though I wish I could've called Ichiro, Hachiro, I guess I'll have to stick to calling him Nichiro (sounds better than Sanchiro and I don't know four in Japanese) when he and his team gets smacked yet again by Korea.

[Sirrich3]

i believe US plays Mexico today, in a do-or-die.

DIE!

[zenbooty]

Hah! We suck. :dead:

[Merlin]

So glad to see Japan advancing. Just two things to comment on....


1) The format has got to be looked at. Pool A winner against Pool A runner up? It should be winner of one pool vs. the runner up from the other pool. This way we don't have to watch Korea and Japan play yet again. There is no reason why two teams ahould have to play one another three times unless it is in the final game.

2) Korea....come on folks who designed their uniforms? Those things are awful. Most little league teams can do a better job. Here is a tip for you - next time call either Nkie, Addidas, or Reebok and just ask them to help.

[Merlin]

Here is exhibit A & B to support my horror at Korea's uni's

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20060305/capt.dome13403051301.japan_wbc_dome134.jpg


http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/DOME13503051320.jpg

[speedracer120]

Actually Nike did design their unis. Koreans are self-concious about that. But Merlin have you laid eyes on the mainland-Chinese's unis? Gawd-awful.

[Merlin]

Actually Nike did design their unis. Koreans are self-concious about that. But Merlin have you laid eyes on the mainland-Chinese's unis? Gawd-awful.


http://ww2.worldbaseballclassic.com/images/2006/03/04/KTwlrbJQ.jpg

Okay, so they look like giant moving blood clots. :hehehmm: But at least they got the classic piping right. Gothic "C" on the hats remind me of the Detroit Tigers. So while not great there are not too bad.

[speedracer120]

Not too bad? Sheesh. Gold on commie red? :puke:

[TofuNinja]

I think there are a lot of things to iron out for the WBC. The rules are a little strange... but oh well. i would also like to see the Winner of Pool 1 vs Runner up for pool 2 and vice versa.... but hey. I loved the second Japan vs. Korea.. but man, if Korea beats them again..... sheesh...I feel sorry for Japan. But both teams play well.

The Korean unis are basic and simple, I kinda like them. I really like Taiwan's unis

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f259/tofuninja13/Tc2Lgms9.jpg

[Butch]

Really good Cuba vs. DR game going on right now . . . 0-0 in the 5th.

[AlpineJay]

...And Cuba lives up to the hype, whereas the DR does not.

Cuba looks pretty darn good - winning in a similar fashion as the two Asian countries have, with good pitching - and may be the favorite to win it all.

[Memo]

I think those uniforms are pretty sweet. None of that extreme gay futuristic logo crap.

[TofuNinja]

Whoa...... Japan is spanking Korea 6-0 right now...... WOW!!!!

[speedracer120]

Damn. Was a good run while it lasted.

[TofuNinja]

what kinda sucks is that Korea is 2-1 against Japan, 6-1 overall and they get denied.... but that's a tourament for you.... wow... I am in shock... I thought Korea would be in the finals....amazing...

Korea lost the one that mattered......

[AlpineJay]

With all due respect to the Japanese team, they are in the finals as a result of total fluke in scheduling that led them to play Korea, a divisional opponent, three times through the course of the tournament. It's abundantly clear that MLB made a mistake by foregoing the cross-tournament design (winner of pool 1 plays pool 2 runner-up, vice versa) which led to this oddity.

Aside from the officiating snafu(s) and the tournament layout, this was a successful Classic. I look forward to the new and improved format in the future - this has been good for baseball.

[eSDee]

I'm back from Padres spring training, ready for World Baseball Classic finals tomorrow! Field level seats! Woohoo!

[Merlin]

Watching the Japan vs. Cuba game. What a contrast. The Japanese are all these wirey guys and the Cubans are all built like tanks. Seriously, I would not want a fight with any of those dudes.


Japanese pitcher's pitches have really nice movement on them.

[Sirrich3]

Is this classic played every 3-4 years?

[Butch]

Is this classic played every 3-4 years?

It will be played again in 3 years (one time only) . . . following that, it will be every 4 years.

On a separate note, congrats to Japan!

It was a very good Classic . . . definitely topped my expectations, and I'll be looking forward to seeing the next one in a few years.

[TofuNinja]

WTG Japan!!! I wish I could see the faces of all those Korean fans who rubbed it in my face because I cheered Ichro. haha

I wish the classic was played every year or two years. This was hot. I loved it. 3 years is a long time to wait :(

Now I wait for the WBC stuff to go on clearance haha

[eSDee]

Just got back from the game. Although the game was sloppy at times that didn't matter. The atmosphere was incredible and I had an awesome time! I wish that Cuba didn't give 4 runs to Japan in the first so that the game would have been tighter, but all in all I think the game was excellent. The Japanese team was tough, and with the four run boost in the first it was going to be difficult for Cuba to catch up. The Cuban team plays similar to the US where they don't like to go for base hits all that much. This I believe prevented them from chipping away at the lead. But they played hard all the way until the end and so I respect their efforts. Both teams had some phenomenal defensive plays which proved the point that these players are the worlds best. It was quite a display and I am still pumped from witnessing it.

As some were saying I also wish that the WBC would be more frequent than 4 years. I would like to see it every 2 years but that's not gonna happen. It would reduce the attractiveness of Major League Baseball beause players would want to focus on the Classic rather than the Series. The WBC seems to have a lot more at stake than the World Series, because of the fact that players jump from team to team in MLB. If you are the losing pitcher of the losing team in the last game of the Classic, you can't just sign with another country the following year. You are stuck with your country, and you're going to be reminded that you lost the game by your countrymen, by your teammates and by your own conscience. WBC has a lot more at stake, and I like it.

Not to mention the fact that you can't buy a countryman to play on your team. The biggest wallets don't get the best players. It's pretty fair and is a true meter for talent. That levels the playing field and urges countries with weak teams to try and promote the sport. This is good for baseball.

Of course there are some flaws in the innagural season of The Classic. One way to make it better is to make the finals 2 out of 3. Perhaps the semi's could be 2 out of 3 as well, but you have to figure those extra games into the time frame as it pertains to the MLB. Lots of those guys get their paychecks from MLB, and so I don't think you should force a guy to sprain his arm trying to throw a slurve 2 weeks before opening day. Start it at least about a month earlier I think.

Congratulations to Japan and Cuba for making your country proud. The whole event was highly entertaining and inspiring at the same time. I am happy to have been a part of it, and I can't wait until the next one.

To The Classic :cheers:

[ShawnLee]

Now I wait for the WBC stuff to go on clearance hahaYes! Maybe I can get those ugly Korean uniforms for cheap now!

snipgood words.

I'm glad Japan won. Better them than Cuba. Better dead than red.

[speedracer120]

Well the Korean unis are out of stock on the WBC site.