Come anticipate the World Baseball Classic with me

I'm optimistic about Canada's team. The pitching will solid, that's for sure (will Gagne be ready in time?).

I am really excited about this.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/news/050511worldcuprosters1.html
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/news/050511worldcuprosters2.html
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/news/050511worldcuprosters3.html
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/news/050511worldcuprosters4.html

The Dominican team looks terrifyingly good.

BWAH HAH HAH

CRIMINY WHAT A BATTING LINEUP!!!

SP—Johan Santana (Twins)
SP—Carlos Zambrano (Cubs)
SP—Freddy Garcia (White Sox)
SP—Kelvim Escobar (Angels)
RP—Francisco Rodriguez (Angels)

Translation: Yeah, that's OK.

Don't forget that ARod said he wants to play for the Dominican, which would push ARam to the bench!

Interesting note: after the first pool round, the remaining eight teams will be split into two pools for another round, rather than play single-elimination quarterfinals. Therefore:

Teams eliminated in Round 1 will have played: 3 Games
Teams eliminated in Round 2 will have played: 6 Games
Teams eliminated in the Semi-Finals will have played: 7 Games
Teams in the Final will have played: 8 Games

"Each team will comprise a roster of up to 30 players (with a minimum of 13 pitchers)." I'm interested in seeing how managers will handle pitching staffs, since at most they're looking at eight games over two and a half weeks. Pitch count limitations may be part of tournament rules, according to the FAQ (and to the great relief of MLB managers, I'm sure).

Mike Young? Adam Dunn? Travis Hafner? Mark Teixeira? You could put a pretty good pitching staff together out of Halladay, Peavy, Willis, Hudson, Carpenter, Oswalt, Lidge, Cordero, Ryan...

I read an article about Gagne gearing up to reutrn to play for Team Canada, much to the chagrin of the Dodgers.

Assuming that you're not a MLB pitcher, that's smart thinking.

Less than 12 hours after getting a message from Cuba that the Cubans would decline the invitation to play in the World Cup, the Cubans announced that they would participate. The announcement was accompanied by Fidel Castro launching a stinging criticism of Cuban players who have defected in pursuit of money. Fidel added that the defections had not diminished the quality of baseball on the island and asserted that for every player who left, ten more take their places.

We will await word on who the Cubans send to the World Cup. It is not
certain that he will send the best players in the 16-team Cuban league. According to my Cuban friends, the National Series will not be interrupted by the World Cup. In fact, the tournament takes place over the final days of the regular season in Cuba, which is slated to end on March 12th.

it's not really a true competition w/o cuba. btw...the netherlands? is it safe to presume that there are pretty much no dudes from the continent on the team and it's all guys from the antilles and surinam?

i can only hope that win remmerswaal re-surfaces. he was a reliever with the bosox in the early 80's who had a lot of success at pawtucket then one year he never showed up for spring training. sox couldn't find him, his agent couldn't find him, everyone assumed he just went back to the netherlands. he had this scrunched up face with a fruity little mustache that made him look like clayton from the robert guillome vehicle Benson.

i thought aruba WAS part of the netherlands antilles? if not, i meant dutch holdings in the carribean.

oh, well. all bet that italian team is SWEET! can i get a lou merloni, please?

As for the Nederlanders: don't forget Rikkert Faneyte!

hensley "bam bam" meulens!

COCKPUNCH

http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/58869.htm

http://shop.mlb.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=2164444

I'm assuming that since these are all BP jerseys, the official ones will be a little more tasteful, but the caps mostly look like they ripped off the team logos from Baseball Stars or something.

--former Boston GM Theo Epstein, on the prospect of seeing one of his pitchers compete in the WBC in March (Boston Herald)

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news;_ylt=AlGEe33IJPRH9NqpcSgRtNMRvLYF?slug=ap-classic-cuba&prov=ap&type=lgns

thanks, ofac.

With injuries a primary concern for many players and major league teams, the WBC has implemented strict pitch counts for each round of the event, which will run from March 3-20.

Pitchers can not pitch more than 65 pitches in the opening round, 80 in the second round and 95 in the semifinals and finals. Both managers and the umpire will be informed if the pitcher is within 20 of the limit at the start of the inning, although he will be allowed to surpass the limit to complete an at-bat.

There are also limits to how often a pitcher can pitch. If a pitcher throws at least 50 pitches, he must take the next four days off and one day off if he has thrown at least 30 pitches or thrown on consecutive days.

There are no restrictions on position players. However, no more than 14 players from one major league organization - or 10 on an active roster - will be allowed to participate.

The WBC also finalized the parameters for a mercy rule, which figures to be invoked in the earlier rounds, when powerhouses like the United States and the Dominican Republic face lesser countries like South Africa and Italy. Games will be called if one team is ahead by 10 runs after seven innings or by 15 after five.

The designated hitter rule will be used and winning and losing pitchers will be determined much like the All-Star Game, when the number of innings pitched will not be a factor. All players will be tested under the Olympic drug policy although a positive test for the WBC will not count under MLB's new steroid policy.

The teams in the World Baseball Classic will be divided into four pools and feature round-robin play in each of the first two rounds.

The top two teams from each pool advance to the second-round, where the same format will be used to determine who advances to the single-elimination semifinals and finals, which will be held at Petco Park in San Diego from March 18-20. Ties will be decided by head-to-head record in each round.

Japan will host the opening round in Pool A, which also includes Korea, China and Chinese Taipei, from March 3-6.

The top two finishers will travel to the United States for the second round to face the qualifiers from Pool B, which includes Team USA, beginning March 13.

Pool B also consists of Canada, Mexico and South Africa and will play in Arizona.

Puerto Rico will host Pool C, which also includes teams from the Netherlands, Panama and Cuba.

Pool D will be occupied by Australia, the Dominican Republic, Italy and Venezuela and play in Florida.

The WBC will be held again in 2009 and every four years thereafter.

Joe Sheehan on the WBC rules:

[The pitch limits] look reasonable and conservative, the prudent thing to do. They’re not. Those numbers are each about two weeks ahead of where pitchers typically are in March, and even considering that those intending to compete in this thing have been planning on getting that kind of work, the numbers make me uncomfortable. You can’t find any examples of pitchers going 65 pitches before March 10, or 80 before March 20, in the last ten years. Pitchers just aren’t brought along that quickly.

What I don’t understand is why this isn’t more of an issue. The entire reason we have a six-week spring training is so that pitchers can ramp up from playing catch to throwing major-league innings. If not for the delicate nature of pitchers, you’d need about a week of workouts and maybe another week of games to get ready for the season. Yet now, because it’s convenient for MLB and its coffers, pitchers are going to be asked to do things they haven’t done in years, shift their schedule and be ready to throw competitive innings in early March. I think it’s a terrible idea, I have all along, and I will not be surprised to see more and more pitchers either beg off or have their teams do it for them as the season approaches.

Dominican Republic 11/10
U.S.A. 11/8
Venezuela 8/1
Japan 10/1
Puerto Rico 12/1
Cuba 16/1
Chinese Taipei 28/1
Korea 33/1
Mexico 50/1
Panama 66/1
Canada 66/1
Holland 200/1
Australia 500/1
Italy 500/1
South Africa 500/1
China 500/1

http://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/2006/schedule/index.jsp?sid=wbc

I smell an NYC FAP for March 18 or 20, right? Just a little premature to nail down.

Anyone watch the Caribbean Series? In the trad place for names on the back of unis, The Dominicans had VERIZON and Puerto Rico had MCS (?). One small step closer to Nascar.

the ad for this last night was horrible though using clemens to represent the us seems about what we deserve.

(I never watch soccer)

C'mon, 'projections and stats' are your ...projection! She just thinks it'll affect the regular season, ie injuries, wins and losses. I wanna see how the WBC plays out, but I never watch the Olympics myself. Around here we certainly treat the reg season as the"actual ballgames" too.

Starters (4): Roger Clemens, Jake Peavy, Dontrelle Willis and C.C. Sabathia.

Relievers (10): Chad Cordero, Brian Fuentes, Todd Jones, Brad Lidge, Joe Nathan, Scot Shields, Street, Mike Timlin, Billy Wagner and Dan Wheeler.

Catchers (3): Michael Barrett, Brian Schneider and Jason Varitek.

Infielders (7): Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, Derrek Lee, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Chase Utley and Michael Young.

Outfielders (6): Johnny Damon, Jeff Francoeur, Ken Griffey Jr., Matt Holliday, Vernon Wells and Randy Winn.

“I will make them see that they won’t beat Japan for the next 30 years,” said Ichiro Suzuki in an interview after the first day of Japanese World Baseball Classic practice yesterday.

After the Japanese team’s practice at the Fukuoka Yahoo Dome yesterday, Ichiro said, “Not only will we win, but also we’ll make Japanese baseball fans feel that they saw a truly great game. I want to make [Korea and Taiwan] see that they will not be able to beat Japan in next 30 years.”

Ichiro: Korea Smells Like Garlic
Ichiro’s provocative remark is nothing new. Back in 1997, Ichiro, a member of the Orix Blue Wave at the time, visited Korea for friendly baseball games against Korean pro teams. When asked what his first impression of Korea was, he replied, “It smells like garlic.”

Ichiro’s remark angered many Korean players. Pitcher Sohn Min-han (Lotte) said, “Hearing what he said, I want to make him eat his own words by beating the Japanese team.”

“I have been called five times to play on the national team, and from 2000 Sydney Olympics through the 2002 Busan Asian games, the Korea national team has never been defeated by Japan,” said the team’s slugger Lee Byeong-gyu (LG). “We have many world-class ballplayers on the Korea national team; we won’t be easy to beat,” Lee added confidently.

The World Baseball Classic preliminary round match between Korea and Japan will be held on March 5 at the Tokyo Dome.

Can you see that I am not afraid?

I bet this quote was 100000X more vicious (and entertaining) in the original Korean.

3-Mar 4:30am Japan vs China - ESPN 2
4-Mar 4:00am Japan vs Chinese Taipei - ESPN 2
5-Mar 4:00am Korea vs Japan - ESPN 2

Nice overview of the burgeoning Venezuela/Dominican rivalry (luckily, and perhaps unsurprisingly, they play against each other in the first game of pool D). I really wish I could get ESPN Deportes; something tells me that watching all these early rounds on tape-delay is gonna get old fast.

http://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/2006/schedule/index.jsp?mc=television&sid=wbc

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/03/06/sports/06cuba.xlarge1.jpg

Bottom 7TH B:0 S:0 O:2
Pitcher Change: Julian Tavarez replaces Damaso Marte.  
Bottom 7TH B:1 S:1 O:2
Miguel Cabrera doubles (1) on a fly ball to center fielder Willy Taveras.    Omar Vizquel scores.  
Bottom 7TH B:0 S:0 O:2
Ramon Hernandez hit by pitch.

Mexico vs. USA just started:
Peavy cruised through the first on 7 pitches.
Rodrigo Lopez is pitching for Mexico, if he's only pitching 3 innings, he should be solid.

He hit a HR today, but Chipper Jones is really looking old in his face.

I like to get to know my fantasy players, even the ones picked up solely based on the humorous name factor.

I saw the SA pitcher fool Kanadian Korey Koskie real real bad on a couple pitches last night and started to despair for the Brewers' season this year. Then, this morning, I saw that he hit a two-run homer later in the game. So yay, I guess. Still, though.

1 double (ground rule), 3 singles, 1 walk and a HBP

And uh... the Cubans are not moneyball advocates:

bloop single followed by sac bunt followed by sac bunt

The US is getting killed right now.

(xpost) hahaha!

Will we see the mercy-rule invoked today?

"Bud Selig needs to resign. That's what he needs to do," Wells said. "He needs to resign and bring someone in who's capable of communicating with the players association and the owners, as well as the players, because there's so much hatred against Bud right now. It's a joke. Nobody likes him."

Wells, who estimated 95 percent of the players dislike Selig, was set off by a New York Times story where the commissioner ordered the Yankees to remove sign at Legends Field in Tampa that apologized to fans because players such as Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Damon are not playing in exhibition games. All three, along with Bernie Williams and Al Leiter, are participating in the World Baseball Classic.

Steinbrenner has criticized the international tournament, fearing that some Yankees could get injured or become fatigued down the stretch.

"And he's entitled to that [opinion]. He pays a lot of money to these guys," Wells said. "If he needs to apologize to the fans, so be it. They get a lot of traffic down there in Tampa to see the Yankees. People want to see Derek Jeter. So if he wants to post a sign that says I apologize for [him] not being here, he owns the place. If Bud has a problem with it, tell him to go take it down himself. And then I'd re-post it again."

Games will be called if a team trails by 15 runs or more after it has batted in five innings or 10 runs or more after batting in seven innings.

I am not all that enamored of events that emphasize a parochial nationalism as a basis for competition, particularly when the rules allow for each team to have ringers, like Mike Piazza playing for the Italian team. Piazza was born in Pennsylvania. If he qualifies for the Italian team, than every player in baseball should be eligible to play for the Olduvai Gorges of Tanzania. I understand the rationale behind this, but for me it detracts from the legitimacy of the event.

Without googling:

Brian Fuentes is the closer for the Rockies (serious upside!)
Matt Holliday is the RF (upside? he could be the next Dustan Mohr... uh)
Gary Majewski plays in the midwest or in Canada

That's the thing about Fantasy Baseball, you can keep track of all this fairly easily!

That's the thing about Fantasy Baseball, you can keep track of all this fairly easily!

OTM, that's the only reason why I would know something like this.

http://www.generalbrock.com/level2/stanley.jpg

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

btw...al leiter? are you fucking kidding me?

I bet A-Rod thanked the good lord for that last out being dropped.

How about the Cubans taking down El Caballo twice with two outs and the game on the line? That is pretty impressive.

c'mon Trace, I think his general point was that Piazza ISN'T AN ITALIAN BASEBALL PLAYER.

I saw Lazo, yesterday's quickly-yanked starter for Cuba, pitch there in '04.

Veritek's grand salami:
mms://a1503.v108692.c10869.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/1503/10869/v0001/mlb.download.akamai.com/10869/2006/open/wbc/topplays/030806_canusa_stern_iphr_350.wmv

Assuming that USA crushes SA and ends up with a great run differential:

-- if Canada beats Mexico, they're in
-- if Canada loses to Mexico by one run (and USA beats SA by more than four runs, which is almost certain) then Mexico/Canada comes down to batting average (Canada is well ahead going into tonight's game)
-- if Canada loses to Mexico by more than one run (Mexico 6 Canada 0 in the third, ugh) then Canada is fucked unless SA can keep it close against Clemens and USA

Q: What are the pitcher use limitations of the tournament?
A: A pitcher must:

* Not pitch until a minimum of four days have passed since he last pitched, if he threw 50 or more pitches when he last pitched;
* Not pitch until a minimum of one day has passed since he last pitched, if he threw 30 or more pitches when he last pitched;
* Not pitch until a minimum of one day has passed since any second consecutive day on which the pitcher pitched; and
* Throw no more than:
o 65 pitches per game in Round One of the tournament;
o 80 pitches per game in Round Two of the tournament; and
o 95 pitches per game in the Semifinals and Final of the tournament.

Note: A pitcher may exceed the maximum per-game limits in order to complete a batter's plate appearance.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060312&content_id=1346635&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

That was a lame reversal.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=ArhTyBfDUnt7wfDvHLr1TesRvLYF?slug=jp-wbc031206&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3Xq9HgNZXE&feature=Views&page=1&t=t&f=b

I didn't see it.

That call was bullshit. A completely routine tag-up.

Day when baseball ends
Baseball to which umps authority is esteemed
Umps authority was lost on this day.
And, baseball ends.

This is a baseball birthplace.
Tags // baseball : WBC

TOKYO (AP) -- Japanese baseball fans were outraged over a controversial call in the World Baseball Classic that helped the United States beat Japan on Sunday.

With the score tied 3-3, Japan appeared to score the go-ahead run against Joe Nathan in the eighth when Akinori Iwamura flied to left with one out and the bases loaded. Tsuyoshi Nishioka tagged up from third and beat Randy Winn's throw home to give Japan a 4-3 lead.

Second base umpire Brian Knight ruled Nishioka safe but Team USA appealed the play, contending Nishioka left the base before the ball was caught, and plate umpire Bob Davidson overruled the call following a brief discussion with the other umpires.

It didn't appear Nishioka left before Winn made the catch on the television replay.

"It was a terrible call," office worker Shoichi Enomoto said a day after the game. "When you have the best players in the world competing, you should have better umpires. We were robbed."

Even Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi weighed in on the call.

"It clearly looked like we were going to win," Koizumi said. "It's a shame to lose on such a strange call."

Davidson is one of 22 major league umpires who lost their jobs in the 1999 labor dispute. He's now a minor league ump who fills in at the big-league level.

In the bottom of the ninth, Alex Rodriguez hit a bases-loaded, two-out single to give the United States a 4-3 victory in the opener of Round 2.

Several Japanese baseball commentators pointed out that Nishioka was shifting his weight to his front foot before the ball reached Winn's glove but that his back foot was still on the bag and Davidson might have been fooled by this.

Former New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine, who manages Nishioka on the Japan Series champion Chiba Lotte Marines, was quoted in the Nikkansports newspaper as saying "It was a bad call."

"I wanted to cry," former Hanshin Tigers manager Senichi Hoshin said. "(Sadaharu) Oh and his players did such a good job and to lose like that is devastating."

Japan will play Mexico on Tuesday before facing South Korea the following day in Anaheim.

Hee Seop's HR was even more impressive than Lee's.

South Korea is looking great. They beat Japan at the Tokyo Dome and now are ridiculing the US team in Anaheim.

http://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/2006/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060313&content_id=1347845&vkey=wbc_news&fext=.jsp&sid=wbc

The Gary Huckabay piece in the new Prospectus on the limits of data analysis does NOT dismiss this line of thought.

I think this tournament has already been enough of a success that it will definitely happen again.

Next time, they should throw the floodgates open to more teams, and spend like two years on qualifying rounds, friendlies, etc. just like with the World Cup. That way it builds anticipation, makes international squads more familiar, and actually gives the thing meaning beyond some hokey international marketing exercise. You can't decide actual championships based on a game, or a couple games.

Never gonna happen, but -- HERETIC!

WHEN'S THE NYC FAP, BROS? Saturday or Monday night?

also, i i hope ken griffey jr. makes a huge comeback and hella kills some fools. why the hell was his whole family just chilling in the dugout?

This would kick ass, but how many countries have functionalm, successful baseball leagues?

dominican, venezuelan, puerto rican, mexican, japanese all have functional leagues, right? what about korea, italy and greece?

i mean for the lesser leagues you could maybe have play ins...i mean, to take the champs league analogy further, i don't think the bulgarian squads that make it in are expected to do really do anything but be a punching bag for the 5th place premier league club that has to play in, but hey...

Yes, the Korean squad (5-0, undefeated in the WBC) has a functional league!

JB Lee just hit a 2-RBI double and got called out at third, breaking the 0-0 tie in the top of the 8th.

7 hits + 5 walks over 8 complete innings = a combined WHIP of 0.75 so far...

vs. Taiwan: 2 - 0
vs. China: 10-1
vs. Japan: 3-2
vs. Mexico: 2-1
vs. USA: 8-3
vs. Japan: 2-1

Ha, those 1 run games are also reminscent of the ChiSox...

Larry speaks:

"The tiebreaker is bogus. I don't agree with that," [Chipper] said. "I would change that . . . Knock it down to two flights. Do like a double-elimination thing. Have the winners of the two flights play in San Diego."

In all, however, Jones has greatly enjoyed his WBC experience and would recommend it to those who opted not to participate. He most of all liked being the teammate of Roger Clemens, whom he described as "more like Jesus than I thought."

"He's got worldwide respect," Jones said of Clemens. "He's like EF Hutton. When he speaks, people listen."

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ny-spusa164664148mar16,0,7465388.story?

This quote is even weirder.

But here's what else we know:

If USA scores, MEX is eliminated.
MEX can only advance with a 3-0 or 4-0 win in 13 or 14 innings.
If MEX scores more than two runs (before the 13th), JPN will advance unless USA wins.
If MEX scores more than three runs, JPN advances unless USA wins (or MEX wins 4-0 – see above).
If MEX scores exactly two runs – and makes fewer than two out in bottom of ninth – JPN advances unless USA wins.
If MEX scores exactly two runs – including the winning run with two out in the bottom of the ninth – USA and JPN are tied with 5 runs allowed in 17 2/3 innings. One of JPN's runs is unearned (ERA is the next tiebreaker).
So:
• If both MEX runs are earned, JPN advances.
• If both MEX runs are unearned, USA advances.
• If one MEX run is earned, then JPN and USA must break tie with batting average in games between teams. JPN is 20 for 65 (.305). USA was 12 for 36 (.333) vs. JPN.

JP
KOR

DR
CUB

Oh my god!! I mean that is just awesome. Especially given the two games already played btween KOR and JP. That humiliated arrogance on Ichiro's face.

And DR vs CUB!!! The victory cigars will be pretty sweet regardless of which clubhouse is smoking them.

Japan got another shitty call when a fan intefered with a foul ball close to the stands. The next pitch was the game wining single.

Mexico took a 1-0 lead off Clemens in the third on a leadoff double by Mario Valenzuela and a two-out single by Jorge Cantu.

But it wasn't that simple.

A television replay showed Valenzuela's fly ball hit the right field foul pole at least 10 feet off the ground and bounced back onto the field. However, first base umpire Bob Davidson didn't see it that way, and Valenzuela wound up at second.

It was Davidson, umpiring behind the plate, who ruled that Japan's Tsuyoshi Nishioka left third base early in the eighth inning Sunday to negate a sacrifice fly that would have snapped a 3-3 tie in a game Team USA eventually won 4-3.

They should alter the jersey to read "US OF A" just like Sutcliffe the Talking Dog kept saying it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruK3uvGMg1U&feature=Views&page=2&t=t&f=b

wrt team usa, i'd say: i like buck martinez in the booth okay, but he wasn't such a hot mgr. would it make more sense to tilt the roster towards dudes that play in offseason leagues or try to do more international comps? clearly, there were some issues in the field.

i went to korea/japan the other night and it was more fun than i've ever had at a baseball game. i really wish i could get down to san diego tomorrow.

Cuba's postseason is in March. And as G3r4rd asked in CSTB, are there Japanese winter leagues? How come they're not rusty?

Part of the US' problem was treating it like the All-Star Game, ie, pulling 'regulars' in middle innings (related to the players' teams queasiness about the whole affair, obv).

His WBC performance (0W-2L, 12.71 ERA, 2.82 WHIP, 6BBs vs. 4Ks) was the 3rd least-effective to date, trailing only Calvin Maduro of the Netherlands and Barry Armitage of South Africa.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=nationalsayala&prov=st&type=lgns

Panayotis Mitsiopoulos
President of the Hellenic Amateur Baseball Federation

http://www.athens2004.com/athens2004/page/legacy?lang=en&cid=63ca470429149f00VgnVCMServer28130b0aRCRD

WHERE WAS GREECE MAN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ety10zpiZY

For a team that the commentators have noted as "small ball", Japan really knocked the ball around (and out of) PetCo Park (#1 or #2 pitcher's park in MLB).

That's funny cuz this was the final I most wanted to see. I would have been okay with Korea too, but really Japan is probably the better team. I'm really excited for Monday night.

It's strange, if you'd told me before the tourney started that Japan vs Cuba would be the final, I'd have been thrilled. But now, Korea was the biggest story of the WBC, so wanted to see them try to go undefeated. And I don't think that Cuba has looked *that* impressive.

I slept thru almost all of the night game.

Did you see Lazo take off his warmup over his head, on the mound, when he entered? So cool -- like he just got up from the BarcaLounger.

NEW YORK (AP) -- South Korea pitcher Myung Hwan Park has tested positive for a banned substance and is disqualified from the World Baseball Classic, Major League Baseball said in a release Friday.

Park tossed two shutout innings in one appearance with South Korea, striking out three and walking two.

South Korea is undefeated heading into its matchup with Japan in the WBC semifinals on Saturday night at Petco Park.

japan's up 4-0 in the first inning!!

Is Tony LaRussa managing Cuba?

We asked this in Brooklyn too.

Verducci in SI.com, pretty good except for the lame Bonds dig:

WBC winners and losers

Sure, Japan may have won the first World Baseball Classic, but find me a bigger winner in the tournament than Peter Moylan, a 27-year-old pharmaceutical salesman from Australia who hasn't pitched professionally in seven years -- and who promptly signed with the Braves for $30,000 after the WBC.

Moylan's story is made-for-Disney stuff. The guy signs with the Twins in 1996 but after two years in rookie ball is run out of baseball, in 1999, with an 88-mph fastball and immaturity issues. He goes home to Australia, gets a job, gets married, undergoes two back surgeries and plays for a local club team. Six months ago, while tossing a baseball in the outfield, he tries throwing sidearm and -- voil?! -- suddenly he is throwing 96 mph, a development for which he has no possible explanation.

Fast-forward to the WBC: He whiffs Magglio Ordo?ez, Bobby Abreu and Ramon Hernandez of Venezuela, and suddenly the scouts are scrambling to sign the guy. Fast-forward to October and ... well, picture a guy with glasses, a goatee, sideburns and tattoos -- his Australian manager called him "Wild Thing" after the Charlie Sheen character in Major League -- on the mound in a tight playoff game for the Braves. At this cinematic rate, why not?

"He's got real good stuff,'' said former major leaguer Pat Kelly, a coach for Australia and a scout for the Seattle Mariners. "He's a real character, but the key is if this time he really works at it and stays focused. He's got a shot if he does.''

OK, maybe Moylan isn't exactly what Bud Selig had in mind when he starting selling the WBC, but just try to find me a better story out of the tournament. While Moylan can't be topped, here are the other winners and losers to come out of what was a three-week spectacular showcase for all of baseball -- not just major league baseball.

Winners

Bartolo Colon
The Angels were rightfully concerned about their Cy Young Award winner getting game-ready in early March after leaving his last postseason start last year with shoulder trouble. But Colon looked terrific (0.64 ERA), dominating Cuba in the semifinals until he was forced out of the game by the pitch-count rule and a blister.

Koji Uehara
Japan's pitching staff faced 267 batters in the tournament and walked only 11. How good was Uehara's control in shutting out Korea for seven innings in the semifinal? The right-hander threw only 18 balls to 24 batters -- and he's not even rated as highly as his teammate ...

Daisuke Matsuzaka
The right-hander hit 95 mph with his fastball and showed he is a major league ace of the near future, perhaps as soon as next year with the Yankees. Matsuzaka, not yet a free agent, would have to go through the posting process, in which a team will have to bid likely more than $20 million just to earn the rights to negotiate a contract with him. And the early word is he is being advised by Scott Boras.

Akinori Otsuka
The former Padres reliever, now with Texas, called San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman on Sunday morning and asked if he could use his signature Hell's Bells song if he had a chance to close the championship game. Hoffman gave his blessing, and Otsuka did him proud with a five-out save.

Infield Drills
Remember the team fielding drill major league teams used to conduct before every game? Not unless you're over 30. Lazy managers and players let it lapse out of practice. But slick-fielding Asian teams did it with such elan -- they cheered for one another during it -- it deserves a comeback. Ditto the pepper games, which were performed by Cuba in its pregame warmups.

Ichiro Suzuki
He showed an iron will and true passion for his country and the tournament while suddenly revealing an outspoken side.

Canada and Mexico
The Americans' border buddies got just what they needed from the tournament: milestone upsets of the U.S. that raise the profile of baseball in their countries.

Jae Weong Seo
The Mets, with age in their rotation, look even worse for trading this young starting pitcher after the right-hander allowed only one run in 14 innings.

Chan Ho Park
With the help of a redesigned slider, Park threw 10 scoreless innings, striking out eight and saving three games. The Padres suddenly have themselves a more confident starting pitcher.

Bob Davidson
And you thought the Koreans played some sharp defense? The Americans' best defensive weapon, Davidson, took two runs off the board all by himself. Oh, wait. Right. He's an umpire.

Losers

Byung Hyun Kim
Brosius, Martinez and now Fukudome. Let's just say the man has some performance-anxiety issues.

Alfonso Soriano
He went 0-for-the-tournament, was rightfully benched in favor of Placido Polanco and made the last out of the Dominican Republic's run by -- does this sound familiar? -- flailing at a slider off the plate. And with the WBC over, he returned to the Nationals for an episode of gross insubordination, refusing to play left field when entered into the starting lineup.

Barry Bonds
Any reason he could not have taken those oh-so-important spring training at-bats in Tempe and Scottsdale as a DH in the WBC instead, for the good of his country and the sport?

Hideki Matsui
If Derek Jeter, the Yankees' captain, could sign on to ditch spring camp for a couple of weeks, so could Matsui, who may lose his status as Japan's favorite player to Suzuki. Well, at least George Steinbrenner loves Matsui for being "a true Yankee.''

United States
The U.S. players suffered from a lack of timing, being less game-ready than most of their competition. It won't happen again. The U.S. already has plans to conduct an earlier training camp, give more thought to roster construction and manage games with more play-to-win urgency, rather than using a "script" to "get people work.''

Julian Tavarez
Only insomniacs and Yankees fans appreciated his dreadful pitching in the decisive seventh inning against Cuba in the semifinal. And the Red Sox think this guy is going to be reliable pitching in the pressure of East Coast baseball?

Higinio Velez
The Cuban manager whined about the umpires after his team lost 10-6 in the final. Call it the World Baseball Classless. The umpires had nothing to do with the outcome of a game in which Velez used five pitchers to get the first 14 outs, falling behind 6-1 despite only six balls leaving the infield, or the four-run ninth-inning blowup that put the game away for Japan.

Luis Ayala
Gee, Steinbrenner was right. Somebody got hurt. Ayala blew out his elbow in a six-pitch outing in the WBC, as if that would not have happened if he were in Florida with the Nationals. Yes, Washington preferred he not pitch in the WBC, but Ayala wanted to pitch for his native Mexico. Give credit to the players' association and the owners for allowing the players to make the final call on participation. If anyone tells you, "Hey, I wanted to play, but my team wouldn't let me,'' please disregard such talk as cowardly spin.

i'm not convinced this would've been "good for the sport."

This would be so sweet. Maybe Tom Hicks's head would explode.

it looks like the cuba & dr ballcaps i ordered way back when are finally ready to ship! yay!

While we've got a couple days off, this is coming up again, March 5-23, 2009:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_World_Baseball_Classic

Pool A (Tokyo Dome, Tokyo):

China
Chinese Taipei
Japan
South Korea

Pool B (Foro Sol Stadium, Mexico City)

Australia
Cuba
Mexico
South Africa

Pool C (Rogers Centre, Toronto):

Canada
Italy
United States
Venezuela

Pool D (Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan):

Dominican Republic
Netherlands
Panama
Puerto Rico

Second rounds at Petco Park and Dolphin Stadium, semis and finals at Dodger Stadium.

ESPN and the MLB Network will air all 39 games next spring, including a "World Baseball Classic Selection Show" introducing the rosters and nightly wrap-up studio coverage. No announcements yet on rule changes/pitcher usage restrictions etc, although I doubt they'll change much vs. 2006.

I can't find any projected lineups offhand, so if anybody wants to engage in pointless roster speculation, let's go.

Cuba/Japan/USA/DR

Are they pitting Cuba vs. Japan in the semis this year? Weak sauce if so.

Venezuela's still pretty good. US's entire bracket minus Italy is pretty tough.

"Spring break" in Toronto is looking pretty good.

Ordoñez made clear that he respects Sojo, but added, “I made my decision. I told them from the beginning that I’m not going to play if they don’t change.”

Said Guillen: “The organization in Venezuela, they don’t do a good job. ,” Guillen said. “They don’t care about the players. They just care about the publicity, their own buisness.... They don’t respect.”

From an early August article. Guillen's ailments are legion anyhow.

Recent

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hQ_rGYOIBuNKk4sMQ5gb6Y9oOPmA

U.S.-based stars Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera and Johan Santana were among several top players who believe local officials are ignoring them regarding the Classic. Others are unhappy over the reappointment of Luis Sojo as manager.

"We haven't been consulted regarding the important issues," Cabrera told The Associated Press on Monday. "We only want Venezuela to go to the Classic with the best coaches and players, but it's necessary that we work together."

The dispute has drawn resignations from some of Venezuela's organizing officials.

wait, does the Rogers Centre have a retractable roof?

Anyway, I'm all for promoting the WBC, but not this month.

Coleman Stove promotion to keep everyone warm, eh?

I've only been in wintertime Toronto once, and was happy to leave for Cuba after one day...

http://beck.mlblogs.com/archives/2008/11/guillen_venezuelan_stars_likel.html

Guillen: Venezuelan stars likely for WBC

Talked on Tuesday with Carlos Guillen, who confirmed reports that a meeting last month between a contingent of Venezuelan-born Major Leaguers and the country's sports minister resolved a lot of issues surrounding the country's preparation for the World Baseball Classic. Guillen now expects many of the country's big-name players to take part in the WBC next spring.

"We made a big step," Guillen said. "It's a lot better. A lot of players, they're happy. We have a new administration, new general manager. Everything's good. Luis Sojo is going to be the manager. We made big changes -- the general manager, the administration, other stuff. We want to play. I want to play. I think Miggy's going to play. Magglio's going to play. Everything's going to be better."

That's huge news for Venezuela, which a few months ago was looking like a major question mark as far as what kind of team it would field. It's almost as big news for the Tigers, which accordingly will have several of its star players involved in the WBC soon after Spring Training opens in February. On top of Guillen, Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera, Armando Galarraga was already expected to participate before this.

awesome. i am always amused at the "o noes spring training absences!" hystrionics that always develop over things like this, and things like boston going to japan. as if the world baseball classic isn't training and competition at a very high level. as if these guys aren't tough men at the peak of their physical prowess.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/12/sports/BBI-WBC-Japan.php

TOKYO: Japan is hoping to tap its samurai spirit when it defends its title at the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Japan baseball officials announced on Wednesday that the national team for the 2009 WBC will be known as "Samurai Japan", named after the country's former warrior nobility.

"It's a name that we know our fans will appreciate," said Ryozo Kato, the commissioner of Japanese professional baseball.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3747305

A-Rod to represent the Dominican Republic.

Haha it's like he just wants to be hated, isn't it?

Davey Johnson to manage US, Felipe Alou the DR.

Captain Pump-a-Fist as US team captain.

TOKYO -- Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners and Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox were among seven major league players named Monday to a 34-man preliminary roster for Japan's team at the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Other major league players named to the provisional squad by manager Tatsunori Hara were Kenji Johjima of the Mariners, Hiroki Kuroda of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Akinori Iwamura of the Tampa Bay Rays and free agent relief pitcher Takashi Saito.

Kosuke Fukudome of the Chicago Cubs was also on the list but New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui, who is recovering from a knee injury, was not included.

Japan won the inaugural WBC in 2006 and will defend its title in the 2009 tournament which begins on March 5 in Tokyo.

Notable players from Japan's professional leagues included on the squad are pitcher Yu Darvish of the Nippon Ham Fighters and 21-game winner Hisashi Iwakuma of the Rakuten Eagles.

i just heard a radio ad for the WBC which said, "come watch the best baseball players in the world compete! ichiro suzuki, derek jeter, jorge cantu, chan ho park. the world baseball classic!"

Haha it's like he just wants to be hated, isn't it?

it's almost like he makes $27.5 million a year

What does that have to do with waffling in a way that's just guaranteed to get him more negative press?

it's gabbnerd

it might suggest that he could not possibly give a shit

i might suggest ban

"it might suggest that he could not possibly give a shit"

It's hard to know exactly what A-Rod thinks, but doesn't give a shit what people think doesn't exactly jibe with my impression of him.

u get a lot of things wrong tho, rite?

gabb, it's fairly well known by anyone who watches baseball that a-rod worries a lot over his public image and what people think of him

that's why he hung out with madonna while married and said he basically didn't give a shit what people think?

I'm Cantu

http://www.deathrow-usa.us/PeterCantuBild.jpg

xp: has no idea what he's talking about

"u get a lot of things wrong tho, rite?"

Sure. Doesn't everyone? And I could be wrong about this too. Maybe dude doesn't care at all. But for someone who seems to affect an air of "why they hate me" this just seems like providing more ammo to be hated about.

maybe he is just clueless beyond words. has that occurred to anyone?

For the last WBC, didn't A-Rod make a huge public display out of his decision about who to play for, snowballing it into a "Sophie's Choice" type of scenario in order to satisfy his ego? As if he needed to look deep within himself and canvas the people in order to find where his true loyalties lay?

Yeah, so I'd say he gives a shit what people think of him.

maybe he realizes that dominican baseball players have the most fun of anyone in the world and decided that he'd rather play with vlad and ortiz instead of joe mauer and dustin pedroia

or maybe in his desperate attempt to win something/anything he foolishly figures that he has a better chance to win playing for the dr

^^^ dingdingdingdingding

maybe he is a complex moral giant, an Augustine for our age. didja think of that, huh?

I don't think anyone (else) thought of that.

http://jezebel.com/5112300/alex-rodriguez-2-guys-1-cup

lol

http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/2009_World_Baseball_Classic_(Rosters)

Granderson for Italy USA.

ordered my tickets last night :D

Aces! Two Rockies (Grilli & Ianetta) in the Italy team makes my support even more guaranteed.

Balls. Ianetta thinks the USA is more worthy.

Henderson said he would love to play in the World Baseball Classic for Team USA. If Bernie Williams can come back, why not Rickey?

"What is (the WBC), wrestling?" Rickey said when asked if he would like to play in the WBC. Told it was the World Baseball Classic and games will be played in March, Rickey said, "Can I get in?"

Bro loves baseball. We all love baseball.

WBC "roster special" on MLBN tonight.

Bro loves baseball. We all love baseball.

Adam Dunn doesn't love baseball.

the 'who HAVE BASEBALLS BEATING IN THEIR CHESTS' line made me lol, but poz's thesis of YOU'RE EITHER A DUNN GUY OR A BLOOMQUIST GUY is bs

Yeah, but those guys as two extremes makes some sense to me. It's hard not get the impression that Adam Dunn (who I actually quite like) doesn't try terribly hard. </JP Ricciardi>

damn. canadian starters be dropping like flies!

http://www.npbtracker.com/2009/02/ichiro-working-out-as-a-pitcher/

oh man I wonder how the Mariners feel bout that

http://mlb.mlb.com/wbc/2009/schedule/

Barry Larkin says there will be CHARACTER GUYS on the USA roster! M Emmet Walsh? William Forsythe?

looking fwd to seeing this Yu Darvish:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/sports/baseball/20classic.html

Barry Larkin says there will be CHARACTER GUYS on the USA roster! M Emmet Walsh? William Forsythe?

http://blog.squeezeplaycards.com/wp-content/uploads/mickey-hatcher-big-glove.jpg

thermo when you said canadians were dropping like flies, was it out that jeff francis is out for the season? there will be no upset of the us this year!! i hope so though (c'mon STUBBY CLAPP!)

Out w/ Sizemore (groin pull), in w/ Victorino

"I'd love to have [Granderson's] speed at the top of the lineup," Johnson said, "but I've got a guy named Jimmy Rollins who's pretty good in that spot."

The worst on-base hitter on the roster -- very smart.

Moises Alou is the Dominican captain; hope he makes it to the second inning.

China-Japan at 4:30 ET tomw morning on ESPN2. I might be able to get up at 6...

Yuuuu

turned it on as soon as he'd left :(

46 pitches in four innings, no hits.

Way to go, team guy Putz (Team USA exhibition vs Blue Jays): (BS, 1)(L, 0-1) 0.2 3 3 3 2 1 0 40.50

ha hahhaa!

Ponson

vs

Volquez

hm

DR's looking rough.

Phillips has just pointed out that, down three runs, the DR has now been backed into the "we need to try" mode.

can't wait - Can/US in two hours! :D

Dutch win! Pedro 3 scoreless

ponson just got himself a job this year

The Canada vs. US game was a gem!

ya, just got home from it.
amazing game. too bad amazingly close losses don't count for anything.

Sutcliffe with a gem after Rollins made that play in the ninth. "Rollins won it in 2007 and 2008 -- just give it to him for 2009... ... THAT'S WHY THE METS GO HOME EVERY YEAR."

Pudge is having a pretty good night.

i know it was so they could set up some force outs and stuff but i had a good lol @ bernie williams being intentionally walked

honkbal > beisbol

hadda leave TV in third inning

Someone plz take Sutcliffe to the pound already.

lol Willy Taveras getting CS at third to sink DR

Also LOL at Jason Grilli.

Looks like Bobby Abreu followed Edgar Renteria's '07/'08 offseason workout regimen.

yhis is on ESPNRadio? fuck Fuckcliffe.

JESUS SHUT UP ABOUT THE ROLLINS PLAY GODDAMN SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP

they didnt even show this Rollins play on the highlights, I havent seen it.

JETER FACE INTO SEATS, NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN ABOUT

Rick Suckcliffe

Has Ricciardi seen what that undesirable Dunn has been doing in his house? Two home runs, four walks, five RUNS, .750/.875/2.250, plus that take-out slide against Canada?

Korea-Japan was great, what I beheld in my breakfast haze. Saw YU throw about 3 pitches.

Andy - i've been seeing it first-hand and believe you me JP will be hearing about it next time i bump into him at a Timmies!

looking forward to the Italy/Can game today. should be fun!
and hopefully a Can/Ven game tomorrow - that should be a good match up.

FERNANDO in Mexican dugout! doesn't look any plumper.

Wow that Korea/Japan game looks like it was quite the pitcher's duel.

i'm watching it rn, it's pretty nuts. anyone know who the American broadcaster is, he played in Japan for a long time?

btw the bumper music when they go to commercial is fuckin koto music or something - it's kinda o_0

it's Oreste Destrade

OresteS

Is this the FSN Florida Community Access play-by-play dude doing the Puerto Rico/Netherlands game?

Ian Snell reppin' Dover PR.

Great job Bernie.

Olestra Detritus

Bernie with the Combustible Huxtable impersonation.

ugh. what just happened??? it was like watching a little league team play the 1998 Yankees. UGH!

Molina's and Pudge's bunt attempts were hysterical.

16-year-old Hein Robb MEET CANTU.

Canada WTF.

anyone want tickets to game 5 or 6 for pool C? i'm suddenly feeling under the weather.

I want them but won't be in Toronto anytime soon.

Too bad K-Rod can't stretch himself out to four innings.

Los Tigres!

Nick Punto is not having a good time.

lol @ dominican republic

Lazo, mi hombre, que sabe?

MarmLOL y E-bar

Yosbany Peraza!

Peraza is 30, and the Pinar del Rio catcher; I might've seen him there in '04.

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2009/0310/mlb_a_simon_300.jpg

uh. is he ok?

After Yurendell DeCaster's hard-hit ground ball glanced off Dominican first baseman Willy Aybar's glove, allowing Gene Kingsale to score the deciding run in the Netherlands' 2-1, 11-inning win, Simon raced from the dugout to a spot behind third base. There, he got on his knees and said a prayer of thanks to his mother, and began to sob uncontrollably. He soon was mobbed and buried by a crowd of his teammates.

aawwwww

lol @ dominican republic

― mayor jingleberries, Wednesday, March 11, 2009 12:27 AM (13 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i didnt wanna say it, but... bottom of the ladder!!!

it's cuz they didn't have MAY-ROD or Albert

No excuse.

best part about tonight's US/Venezuela game: Jimmy Rollins getting announced as "Henry Rollins".
i shit you not.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/worldclassic2009/news/story?id=3972122

A senior Major League Baseball official said that tournament organizers are expecting a potentially hostile crowd in Miami this weekend. And that's not the only drama happening with Team Venezuela.

looooooooove it

who in NYC wants WBC FAP

Peavy cold gettin' shellacked.

mrcy ruled!

With CHARACTER GUYS

Japan/Cuba has been pretty fun to watch so far. 3-0 Japan

Sutcliffe is such a douche. Team Netherlands is showing a little excitement and he says they're grandstanding. Pshhhhhhh.

good luck usa

best part of wbc is cuba's jerseys

Good thing Jeter (0 for 3) pouted his way into the lineup.

lol at Newsday account of Rollins plays Jeter "may not have had the range" to make.

Chipper & Pedroia out w/ aches, boohoo

Sutcliffe applauded Rollins picking up Pedroia's slack -- how about the one who actually played 2B, went 3-for-3 with a triple and double, and walked twice?

can someone please post the current deets of who's up, who's down, who has a chance, for those of us who would rather drive forks into their eyes than navigate the WBC site

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/worldclassic2009/news/story?id=3836483

Wish I could find a print story on the conversation between Pudge and Pudge's son after Sulbaran (Netherlands pitcher in the Reds' system) struck out Pudge (told by Thorne last night, I think).

Paraphrasing:

Pudge's son: Remember how you said that high school pitchers can't really pitch yet -- they're not ready for anything?

Pudge: Yes, I remember that.

Pudge's son: That pitcher who struck you out -- he was in high school last year. My school played against his school.

thanks morbs

japan shutting out cuba 6-0 is shocking!

Petco Park was less than half full with an announced crowd of 20,179.

this makes me incredibly sad

but it was DICE-K! xp

Semis and final on Sat-Mon eves oughta be good for one FAP, NY.

"I knew Cuba was a good team, but particularly there was nothing I was too worried about. While I was doing the warming up, did I look so fierce? I thought I had a smile on my face, did I not?"

—Team Japan starter Daisuke Matsuzaka

does cuba have any particular rep as a patient/impatient group of hitters? i only caught the tail end of daisuke's start but damn they were hacking, and he loves lineups like that.

He looked pretty great against them three years ago too.

Cubans tend to play 'conservative' ie fewer walks, more bunting

This dude Cespedes for Cuba is a monster.

Darvish tonight.

Maglio Ordoñez explica el por qué él este 15 de febrero dirá SÍ a la enmienda

First 15 seconds of this are more entertaining:

all this mid-game bunting w/ 0 outs is WACK

PUR for puerto rico makes me lolz

also MLBTV calling the fake to third fake to first gayballs play as the Sutcliffe whereas YES calls it the Nelson. Fite.

could MLB get some more sponsors? CALLAHAN, CALLAHAN

PAST A DIVING JETER

WRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT

Matt Vasgersian said he was having "a hard time picking the Player of the Game." Can you imagine if Jeter had 3 hits including the game-winner? They'd name the trophy after him.

Good game.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9348188/Team-USA-needs-Rollins,-not-Jeter,-at-short

"past a diving Jeter" a+++++ username

at least jetes failings are getting some mainstream media traction instead of handwringing by BBP/HBT et al. I mean it's all valid handwringing but Joey from White Plains KNOWS WHAT HE SEES...

maybe Joey will see the Yanks signing him as a part-time DH for 2011.