Random Thoughts Today

World Baseball Classic
My "coverage" of the World Baseball Classic didn't go so well. I'm a little disappointed that I wasn't able to dedicate more time to it. I missed the miracle of the Netherlands squeaking past the might Dominicans. And I missed it when they did it the second time to eliminate David Ortiz and company. I saw the highlights from the ninth inning of the elimination game between the United States and Puerto Rico lying on a bed in a room at La Quinta in Amarillo. This morning, I watched most of the replay of US vs. Japan, but stopped when I accidentally saw the final score while checking other baseball news. With the championship game to be played tonight between Korea and the defending WBC champions, Japan, I have a few thoughts on the Classic.

I'm truly sick of hearing sports radio hosts and sports writers tear down this event. That said, they make a few good points. First, the timing of the Classic is poor, at best. Perhaps Major League Baseball, if they truly are behind this event, should mandate a three week break in the regular season every four year to allow the best players in the game to join their countrymen and represent their Tierra Madre. There shouldn't be any doubt that more baseball fans would watch the Classic if it was the only show in town. Part of the trouble now is that fans are more concerned about what their team is doing in Spring Training, or how their college basketball bracket is shaping up in their office pool.

Second, and this may be related to the first point, the United States can't win this tournament unless they can consistently get its best players, particularly pitchers, to commit to play on a more regular basis.

Third, understandably, teams and fans worry about their superstar players getting hurt in what, at this point, amounts to little more than an international exhibition in their minds. These players make a lot of money. Teams have made enormous financial investments in the players on United States' roster, and can't afford for them to miss the first few months of the season. As a solution to the anxiety this causes, I wonder how good a team of the best college baseball players in the nation could be?

Just some thoughts.

Curt Schilling Retires
Curtis Montague Schilling announced today that he is calling it quits. The 42-year-old pitcher was a fierce competitor who, over the course of his 20 year career, won three World Series rings, including 2001 as the co-MVP, and the fabled bloody sock championship for the 2004 Red Sox. But, he missed the entire 2008 season because of shoulder trouble. Now he says it's time to hang up the cleats, "with no regrets."

I'm sure the debates will take place soon (or maybe in five years), but is Schilling Hall of Fame worthy? I'll leave that topic to the guys at ESPN and the like, but let me say this: Some of the most dominating, memorable playoff performances I have witnessed were when Schilling took the mound. But, you know, I don't have a vote on the Hall of Fame ballot.

WBC: Japan vs. China

Just a few quick thoughts on the opening game of the World Baseball Classic:

Japan started a 22-year-old pitcher named Yu Darvish. In four innings of work, he struck out three, walked one, and held China hitless, earning the eventual win. This kid is totally legit and I believe it is only a matter of time until he is making headlines as a frontline starter here in the United States. Dice-K is good. But Darvish can be better. He may already be better. He throws hard (topping out at about 96-97mph at times), and has a good, tight slider. And his 6'5" frame atop the mound, along with his long arms and legs, give him the look of a prototypical ace.

Overall, Japan did what they should have done, which was to win the game. But they had some trouble scoring. They missed multiple opportunities with men in scoring position to get the big hit. I don't think that they'll repeat as WBC champions, but I'm not counting them out either. They have a tremendous amount of pride, and they know how to play the game. They will definitely be in the mix, and if they don't take the championship, whoever does, will likely have to beat them head to head.

Lastly, I don't know what it was, but I really liked their batting helmets. Nicely shaped, with a matte finish, almost like a hard version of their ball caps. It also looked like the team logo was stitched, a la the Chicago Cubs.

Today I'm going to watch the replay of the game that took place early this morning, and if I have any thoughts, I'll share them.

First Day of Spring Training Games

I have recently noticed a few signs of Spring: the weather has been warming up; the trees in my yard are budding; and birds have begun their migration back to their summer homes (as evident by the increased amounts of white globs streaking down various surfaces of our car). But for me, today marks Spring's most powerful promise: the first day of Spring Training games.

If you have been following your team in the off-season, today is a very big day. Teams have made trades, signed free agents, released and promoted ball players, and today we finally get to see the new version of the Royals, Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees, Angels, or whomever else on display. For my team, the Royals, I'm excited to see if Mark Teahen can actually handle second base. I'm excited to see how the additions of Mike Jacobs and Coco Crisp can bolster the lineup. I'm excited to learn if Alex Gordon and Billy Butler finally break out and become the Major League hitters the experts have always said they will be.

Another exciting aspect of this season's Spring Training is the second installment of the World Baseball Classic (baseball's version of the World Cup). Many stars will soon be leaving their respective training camps to represent their countries in this international baseball tournament. I cannot understand why I hear so many "baseball fans" disparage the WBC. I love the idea, and the drama that played out on the field in 2006 was incredible.

I just saw that all WBC games will be streamed on ESPN360.com, for those of you fortunate enough to have it (having access depends entirely on who your internet provider is; my provider, at&t, does participate, which means I'll be able to watch). Play begins March 5 when Japan and China meet in round one. Team USA's first contest is against our neighbors to the north on March 7, at 2:00pm EST.

So between Spring Training and the World Baseball Classic, it looks like their will be plenty of baseball to keep us occupied.

Contradicting Views of the World

The Oakland Athletics and the Boston Red Sox are probably asleep right now, still trying to get over their jet-lag. They just participated in the season's first official games, and they traveled all the way to the Japan to do so.

On a side note: Am I alone in thinking it is ridiculous to have three different "Opening Days?" First, the Opening Series in Japan. Then there's the traditional Opening Day, which will be this Monday, March 31. There's also the special Sunday-before-Opening-Day Opening Night on ESPN that they added a few years ago. Can we please just pick one Opening, and hold everyone to it? It was a glorious thing to think that every team in Major League Baseball was playing it's first game of the season on the same afternoon. Everyone started fresh, 0-0. Now, at least for the A's and Sox, they both have one win, one loss, and a little charter flight hangover.

Multiple openings aside, I'm growing tired of every major sport's attempt to globalize their game. Major League Baseball in Tokyo, the National Football League in Amsterdam, the National Basketball Association in Beijing. Do we have to globalize everything? They already have McDonald's, and Coca-Cola, isn't that enough? Oh well. Call me an ethnocentric jingoist if you want. It's one thing to play an exhibition, where the game doesn't actually count. But it just doesn't seem fair to make these players travel that far to play in a meaningful game. To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure why this bugs me. It just doesn't sit right.

And now for the contradiction. Oh ye hypocrite.

The venues, dates, and match-ups were recently announced for the 2009 World Baseball Classic. The inaugural World Baseball Classic (WBC) was tremendous. Japan came out on top, but it was a great ride. I loved it, and I'm already excited about the second WBC. For me, it's the international competition of the FIFA World Cup coupled with the greatest game of all, baseball. How could it go wrong? The WBC is a great concept that will only gain more and more notoriety as the years go by.

Anyway, the season has "officially" began, so to speak, with the A's and the defending World Champion Red Sox. Speaking of "World" Championships, how long before we see either the title changed to something like "National Champions," or the MLB champs taking their crown on the road (and then to the skies) to face the champs from Japan, Korea, Cuba, or the Dominican Republic to try to gain the title of World Champs?