thoughts on international play

REST OF WORLD = cares abt int'l play (cf. who's the man now, dog/DR/Cuba/PR/Japans/Korias we are masters of regional supremacies)

In all seriousness, making the Final 4 has the potential to be bigger than the title game liek the NCAA, where the regional titles are more significant in a nationalistic sense.

this cuban pitcher, romero, threw breaking balls on 3-0, i thought that was cool.

With the exception of the Cuban and South Korean teams (who's best player played for Bobby Valentine's Chiba Lotte Marines who took the 2005 Japan League Series), the highlights have been dominated by guys who are everyday MLB stars.

*Except for the 18 year old who threw the no-hitter for the Netherlands against Panama, but he's in the SF Giants system anyways.

Uh yeah Joe.

I'm not a subscriber. Maybe Morbs can post the funnies that you have to pay to read.

I should hold a special place in my dark heart for Alex Rodriguez, the Dominican-American Hamlet whose waffling on his personal home team was the background for his inability to play the hero in last night's final inning. With a chance to finally perform on a big stage, to shed the labels that he has so richly earned, he instead drew a measly walk, passing the buck to the defensive-minded, offensively challenged Vernon Wells. Wells, you might know, doesn't make $25 million a season, doesn't have MVP awards on his shelf, and doesn't strike terror in the hearts of pitchers. Wells may have grounded into the WBC-ending double play, but it was Rodriguez's spitting the bit that set up the moment. Moreover...

...OK, I obviously can't keep that routine up any longer. Maybe I'll never get to be on "Around the Horn."

The fact is, my nationality aside, I'm more than a little pleased that the U.S. team didn't make the WBC semifinals. I like the chaos for one, and that the carefully crafted marketing campaign will now be without most of its familiar faces. I think the U.S.'s loss--and quite frankly, its disappointing showing throughout the tournament--highlights both the good and the bad of the event. There should be the possibility of upsets in an event like this; upsets are what make the NCAA tournament so wonderful, and certainly MLB is aiming for that kind of passion in the WBC.