No World Baseball Classic thread?
 

Canada beating our All Stars.

Canada.

Yeah.
:banghead:

USA back on top in the seventh.

Can't believe DR lost to the Netherlands.

I bet they can't either.

Maybe they didn't have enough "Boli."

Not to mention the Netherlands never got the ball out of the infield.

If Canada had the pitching staff that they "could" have, they'd probably be a real dangerous team. Their lineup isn't as good 1-9 but having Martin, Votto, Morneau and Bay in the middle of the order is pretty good.

Go Canada...looks like we're going to lose, though. We have no pitching.


Big win for the Dutch today, I really like this tournament.

Joey Votto, btw, is going to be a monster for the Reds this year.

WTF!? Jesse Crain man!

That was some clutch pitching.

At this point, I might have to put money on Japan. They SMOKED Korea this morning.

The plan was actually to save our best pitchers for a future game. I don't really get it myself.

How big is Rollins defense now... it'd be tied if he hadn't made that play.

Good win... great game, very intense. Good start to the WBC today. The thing I like is you can tell the players are really into it. Bay cussed and slammed his bat down and Putz celebrated like he just closed a playoff game.

Damn...intense ending, though. This Canada team is good enough to advance IMO.

lol at Adam Dunn freaking out.

Is this tournament being played at the same time as spring ball? If so thats just dumb. Baseball sucks anyway.

You suck.

Just imagine if Canada had a bullpen with guys who were playing higher than AA ball... Or if our good pitchers ever decided to come out (Harden, Dempster, I'm talking to you!)

Some clutch performances by some young guys. It was the older veteran journeymen that gave up the runs.

HUP NEDERLAND

Um, Harden's arm is being held together with a few toothpicks and some duct tape right now.

God damn you for not representing your country this year, Fergie Jenkins! God damn you.

Man Pedro looked good today.

I'm really glad he isn't a Met right now (I'm a Braves fan).

Meh, he's always hurt and he still manages a 2.00 ERA somehow.

He had movement that reminded me of his first few years in Boston.

Not yet, anyway.

Part of me just wants the Cubs to bench him until October.

He's Canadian; he should have watched enough Red/Green to know duct tape holds everything together :P

Let's answer these all important questions one at a time for the simpletons who can't seem to understand the concept of how the world works

1) Yes. Spring training started about three weeks ago. So this tournament is being played at the same time as spring ball. It does kind of suck. Especially if you're at spring training to watch your favorite players and they are away.

2) Baseball is a game that moves at it's own pace. It's difficult for the humans who have no real ability to pick up the nuances of this great game. It takes a great deal of intelligence and savvy to understand how baseball works. These are two qualities that you obviously lack. Therefore, you lash out at a game that escapes your bottom of the barrel IQ.

Perhaps the World Hotdog Eating Championships are more your style?

Picking up Schilling would be nice because we could skip several of Hardens starts throughout the season..

having peavy would be even nicer

Because the Brian Cashman method works so well.

:clap:

OK,

Can someone please explain what the World Baseball classic is to me?

IM guessing most of our superstars could give two cents about playing in this. Kind of like the Olympics or NFL Pro Bowl.

The "Having the best pitching staff in baseball" method wasn't so terrible for the Yankees. It was when their rotation fell off that they fell off. Adding Peavy would have made the Cubs insanely tough in five- and seven-game series, crapshoot nature of the playoffs or not.

It's like a Little League double-elimination tournament, only with MLB players and no-names instead of 12 year olds.

The falloff of their rotation oddly coincided with the decline of their homegrown players. Their pitchers were propped up by the potency of their lineups. That's not to say that it was a bad rotation, it wasn't, but those late 90's Yankee rotations were often the beneficiary of a relatively nice park to pitch in and a great lineup.

Yea ask the Jays how the having the best pitching staff worked out for them last year.

C'mon USA.

LETS BEAT THESE VENEZUELAN PIECES OF SHIT!

Cmon Roy Oswalt...settle down.

Wow, I was just asking myself why the hell is Mark DeRosa on the US team and then he comes through in the clutch.

2 - 1 USA

Beautiful stop by the Rockies' catcher.

Come on Oswalt!!

Tied up 2-2 bottom of the 4th (Venezuela is home team)

3-2 Venezuela

Lindstrom? Who the **** are these guys?

Pedroia can't hit the high and outside pitch.

Florida Marlins closer. His fastball barely hits the high-90s.

If only we didn't have one of the league's worst offenses. JP is an idiot...he should have signed Bonds (assuming he wasn't under orders from Selig not to do so).

As a Canadian fan, I think I'd rather face Venezuela than face the US lineup again. So yeah...hit another home run Dunn.

Infield offense stinks outside of Hill, but I love your OFs (Rios, Wells, Snider, Lind).

Snider wasn't playing last year, his spot was taken by Wilkerson and Mench. Lind wasn't on the team until mid-July. And of course, Vernon was dealing with his usual injuries.

The Jays do have a better offense this year, but they will also have worse pitching (no AJ, no Marcum).

No McGowan either. There's some hope with Purcey, Cecil and Mills.

The last time Victor Zambrano pitched in the majors he was a Jay. He sucks just as much as I remember him.

True...you must be a serious baseball fan to know those names.

Chris Ianetta, American Hero.

Ianetta is a hell of a good young catcher.

It's too bad Colorado couldn't have flipped Holliday for a little more.

Why did they bring in a lefty there? I guess they have nobody else.

I can't think of a worse guy to put out a fire. Going off memory here, but I think he used to average over four walks per 9 IP.

In other WBC games...Oliver Perez has allowed 7 hits and 4 runs to Australia in 2 innings. But Mexico is still winning 6-4.

They seem to give us a promo for the other games every half inning.

well, some of these baseball guys are very nationalistic, and proud to be japanese, dominican, etc. its got a totally dif feel than the olympics or the pro bowl. its more like the FIFA world cup.

This tournament is a huge deal for most people outside the US. I didn't think it would be so popular in Canada either, but Saturday night proved me wrong.

when does soria pitch for the mexican team? and will we be able to watch it?

i enjoy the hell out of it. its real baseball in the beginning of march. its not about money or anything here, just go win for your country. sure beats spring training.

oh, and its nice to have jeter playing for the team im cheering for, for a change.

Jeter should be on the bench right now.

Rollins was 2-3.

well, i'm not just talking about right now. jeter is the only yankee i can stand for the most part. got a lot of respect for his work ethic, sportsmanship, and ability.

Maybe tonight. The game is on MLB Network right now. I don't know if you have it.

of course not. that sucks.

MexiLOL.

Easily the dumbest move of the Cubs' offseason was trading DeRosa for nothing, to "make room for a lefty bat/salary."

If you need a lefty, there's Fontenot, and if you want to save some money, DON'T ****ING GIVE ANY TO AARON ****ING MILES.

Well said. A super utility player like DeRosa, who hits like an All-Star, is a skipper's dream. He gave Piniella a variety of lineup options. There's not too many middle infielders who hold their own with the bat at a corner spot.

And if the plan was to sign Bradley, then SWEET JESUS why would you trade a guy who can fill in for him when he inevitably gets injured?

Every time Aaron Miles comes up to bat is going to be like getting my face shoved into a pile of glass. I'm not even a huge "DeRosa is a friend to all of God's creatures and the best guy ever" person, but he was way too valuable to just dump. I like the idea of "selling high," what with him coming off of a career year and all, but it doesn't count if you're selling him for 10 Chicken McNuggets.

Also, Aaron Miles is so bad.

Blanco for Bako was straight 'gloid behavior, too. Lou's lefty fetish kills me.

Mexico needs some Designated Fielders.

This is almost as sad as the situation in Juarez.*

*Too <strike>soon</strike> current?

Im really surprised that Edgar Gonzalez is participating in the WBC for Mexico.

Hes spot is not guaranteed on the Padres roster, like his younger brother Adrian's is.

He should probably be in Spring Training instead.

Did I just see Scott Hairston in the Mexico dugout?

WTF?

Aren't the Hairstons Jehova's Witnesses?

I'm not sure, but I once told Jerry Hairston Jr to **** off right in front of his face, and in front of Scott's face.

He said "**** the Padres" to me...

You were both in the right.

Australia is about to win 17-7.

Australia is going to mercy rule Mexico. Jesus Christ.

It sure is something, alright.

EARLY TERMINATION