World Baseball Classic [R]

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Anyone following this?

Apparently it's not being taken as seriously as it could be.

Team USA needs to beat the South African team in order to advance to the next pool which includes Korea, Japan and Mexico.

The other pool will be formed by Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

I'm thinking of buying tickets for the semifinals and finals since they'll be very close to me, but I'm living on a student's budget and I need a new pc. What a dilemma.

Also, why is it called a classic on it's first year?

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I believe many U.S. baseball fans look at the games as they would look at spring training exhibition games in which many of the participants are not at regular competitive levels and where players are taken out of a game because they weren't meant to play a full game.

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As for your last question, "classic" sounds good.

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these rules make it unappealing to me:

Pitchers may throw no more than 65 pitches in any Round 1 game, 80 in Round 2, and 90 thereafter. Pitchers must get 4 days off between appearances if he threw 50 pitches or 1 day off if he threw 30 or pitched 2 straight days. In Rounds 1 and 2, a "mercy rule" will end a game after 7 innings if a team is ahead by 10 or more runs, or after 5 innings if the lead is 15 or more. Games not completed in 14 innings shall be a tie.
also, many of the elite players aren't playing, fearful of injury...

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Yeah, my rotator cuff's acting up again.

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You've heard the parrochial US majority, Joe.
They say the grapes are green, anyway.

I've enjoyed the WBC tremendously.
I've seen all of Mexico's games (of course), but also most of the teams (I think the only ones I'll never get to watch are Australia and the Netherlands).
I found the Dominican-Venezuela game particularly exciting, let alone it was a Santana-Colón face-off.
It was the atmosphere: the Dominicans on the first base side of the stadium; the Venezuelans, on the third base side. Each group yelling and showing excitement at every single pitch. Reminded me of the old Mexico City "civil war", between Tigres and Diablos. And, of course, of world wide soccer fans (the civilized kind).
This is something the Americans, used to stadium unanimism, are just starting to taste.

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Yeah, I still don't get why they're fearful of injury whilst they play spring training games. I guess established players don't really juke it out during spring training so maybe it's better if those players are not on the field.

What you said about americans fbaezer, I can picture a Baltimore fan rooting for Puerto Rico when Javy Lopez was at bat and then turning against them the moment Miguel Tejada stepped up at the plate on the past DR - PR game. A clash will come if any one of them faces Rodrigo Lopez on the Final, for example... I know I do the same thing with all the mexicans on the regular season.

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What do you mean, Joe?

If Esteban Loaiza is facing the Padres, who will you root for?

I have it easy. I root for the Mexicans, so my only doubts come when Rodrigo López faces Jorge Cantú and similar situations, which happen quite seldom.

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I am rooting for the USA, of course.
(Big game tomorrow, fbaezer.)

I am also rooting for the Dominican.
And, yes, it's because of David "Big Papi" Ortiz.

It's hard to find the time to watch a game, but I caught most of Venezuela-Dominicana yesterday.

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No bigger than tonights Japan vs South Korea game. If Japan beats S.K. in a low scoring game, U.S. is eliminated. That weird runs scored against per inning tie breaker rule would knock them out.

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Upon thinking about it, it's not so weird. It amounts to a team ERA without the "E".

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From my limited knowledge, it looks like Korea has a real good chance to beat japan.

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I love baseball, but it is so unpredictable for a single game. The best of pitchers can have an "off" day or the worst of pitchers can have a lucky day.

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True 'nuff. Just have to wait and see.

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... and how everything can be decided with the swing of a bat.

If Korea beat Japan and Mexico beat USA there'll be a triple tie. I'm too lazy to work out RA between head to head teams but since there's a chance I'm rooting for Korea on the next game (does that team ever allow a groundball to pass the infield?).

And fbaezer, I meant faceoffs like López-Cantú, but Loaiza-Padres is a special one, I'd be happiest if the Padres won 1-0. But I wasn't rooting for Peavy against Japan.

I remember about 6 or 7 years ago, when I still played baseball, our team met "El Cañón" Osuna and he told us about a special duel he had with Vinicio, I think they hated each other professionaly. He said he threw at least one fastball in the upper strike zone everytime they met, only pride was at stake, a homer or a strikeout against each other made their day.

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And also, what about Boston fans... do they root for Damon, ARod and Jeter?

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Seen on a t-shirt in Boston

Johnny Damon:
Looks like Jesus
Acts like Judas
Throws like Mary

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JoeFX wrote:

... and how everything can be decided with the swing of a bat.

If Korea beat Japan and Mexico beat USA there'll be a triple tie. I'm too lazy to work out RA between head to head teams but since there's a chance I'm rooting for Korea on the next game (does that team ever allow a groundball to pass the infield?).

And fbaezer, I meant faceoffs like López-Cantú, but Loaiza-Padres is a special one, I'd be happiest if the Padres won 1-0. But I wasn't rooting for Peavy against Japan.

I remember about 6 or 7 years ago, when I still played baseball, our team met "El Cañón" Osuna and he told us about a special duel he had with Vinicio, I think they hated each other professionaly. He said he threw at least one fastball in the upper strike zone everytime they met, only pride was at stake, a homer or a strikeout against each other made their day.

I made the numbers yesterday, and we're out.
Our only hypothetical chance is if Korea beats Japan and we defeat the USA 3-0 in a 12 inning game (or 4-1 in a 15 inning game). If we are the receiving team tomorrow, there would have to be a homer with two men on base, leaving team USA on the field.
Of course, that would be even better than winning the tournament.

Mexico's team played upon expectations. Good pitching and fielding, lousy batting. Remember, Mario Mendoza, of the "Mendoza Line" fame, is Mexican.

So you met Osuna, eh? Lemme brag.
I once (june 18 1999) threw the opening ball on a Diablos-Cordoba game. According to me, it was a fastball on the strike zone. Mario "El Negro" Ojeda was the catcher, and while giving me the ball he said: "Hey, that was a very nice little change up".
I won't brag about the times I was embarassingly struck out by old glories Mario "Toche" Peláez and Luis "Tite" Arroyo while playing in an amateur league in Culiacán.

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From the WBC website:

Quote:

U.S. advances if:
It defeats Mexico
It loses to Mexico, allowing 1 run in a regulation game (8 innings in the field)
It loses to Mexico, but does not allow a 2nd run until after it has played 8 2/3 innings in the field
It loses to Mexico, but does not allow a 3rd run until after it has played 12 1/3 innings in the field
It ties with Mexico, allowing 3 runs in 14 innings
Japan advances if:
The U.S. loses to Mexico, and allows 2 runs or more before it has played 8 2/3 innings in the field
The U.S. loses to Mexico, and allows 3 runs or more before it has played 12 1/3 innings in the field
Mexico advances if:
It defeats the U.S., 3-0, in 13 innings

My brain hurts!

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One more reason to dislike the "Classic".

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