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.

john smoltz does not know the words to a single song. i like that about him though

two scoreless innings in the Canada/Colombia game so far - unthinkable!!

excited to see this Edouard Julien kid make the bigs. some seriously great looking ABs these last three games.
Young, Caissie and (to a lesser degree) Robson all look promising too.

and how could i forget future Blue Jays legend, Otto Lopez!!!

welp. unless the US loses by 12 runs tonight, Canada is out.

big game between Puerto Rico and Dominican Republican tonight, with the winner advancing. wish i could watch!

venezuela was the only team besides japan to go 4-0 in "pool play" (still having trouble saying or thinking "pool play")

I enjoy the atmosphere of WBC but please sir i beg you bring on the pitch clock

PR/DR game was great. still not sure how/when diaz fucked up his knee, appeared to be after the game ended

Looked like the mildest celebrating is ever seen. I guess he just landed awkwardly?

uhh early report js that Diaz may miss the entire season :/

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35873349/mets-edwin-diaz-expected-miss-season-torn-patellar-tendon

@VanHicklestein Yadi is handling the managerial stress well pic.twitter.com/CCdJpfkOeP

— Ben (@badiguess) March 18, 2023

This US/Venezuela game has been a fun one.

it really has. that trea turner HR was a bomb!

finally got the kids in bed just in time to see it.

seems a little unfair they have to play again tomorrow

ts: daniel bard vs martin perez

RANDY AROZARENA. 😎

No hay más.

pic.twitter.com/RXfT2ijRAo

— Playdoit México (@playdoitmexico) March 21, 2023

WHAT AN END

heartbreaker

God damn this has been great, sorry it has to end

That was one of the best games I've ever watched.

lfg Team Japan

so uhhh why isn't regular MLB like this??

I was pulling for Mexico last night but I can't deny this has the makings of a classic final, go USA!

my gf is leaving town for a while late tonight, and we are scrambling trying to find a restaurant or bar that might be showing the final that's near the train station (this seems to be impossible)

what about Real Sports?

Leafs (barf)

Doc Ellis is. But nowhere near the station

hey i didn’t say it’d be pleasant to be in there lol

I haven't watched any of these games and was getting excited about tuning in tonight until I realized it's on Fox Sports

John Smoltz, you were my hero when you pitched for the Barves, but god DAMN man could you PLEASE shut the fuck UP

Update: watching at hoops

Sitting in the “Japan” section - so this will be fun

Schwarbomb

So - Ohtani innthe 9th?!

ohtani vs trout should be fun

Another amazing ending

was hoping they'd meet in the middle and hug like on that hockey episode of the Simpsons

That was a good game but imho the Mexico game had a bit of everything any real baseball fan could ask for.

Also, not looking forward to the incoming hazing for the next couple weeks haha. Already getting taunted 3.5 days before arrival.

Ohtani and Trout going back to lose 92 games with the Angels after the most exciting game of their lives pic.twitter.com/MmHwXxh2pI

— Richard Staff (@RichardStaff) March 22, 2023

what a ninth!!!

also just want to say i love schwarbs so much.

but man ohtani. fuckin a. the dream.

While Sandy Koufax was striking out Willie Mays last night in the AB of the century, I was sitting with my brother-in-law at a G League basketball game--I'd gotten us tickets for his birthday--watching the Raptors 905 try to secure a 15-15 record in their last game of the season. They did. It was thrilling.

lol are you really shitting on that at-bat

i mean i'm happy that you had a good time at a basketball game but read the room dog

Look at this legend.

The country has also fallen in love with Nootbaar’s pepper-grinder celebration, a move nearly every Japan player now does after big plays. Pepper-grinder sales in the nation have actually increased by 15% over the past few days. Fans bring them to the ballpark or shake them at sports bars while tuned into the WBC.

The MLB Japan store has Ohtani & Nootbaar Pepper Mill t-shirts https://t.co/28b1w8DxVU#STLCards #WorldBaseballClassic #GrindThePepper pic.twitter.com/JPcMRQJObU

— Dan Chibnall (@bookowl) March 19, 2023

Tracer: I thought the self-deprecation was obvious there. I'll include emojis and arrows next time, promise.

no need! the sarcasm on “AB of the century” came across loud and clear!

That was not meant sarcastically at all. Surprised I have to explain this, not surprised you'd feel the need to make an issue of it.

well i'm surprised and delighted you consider that the AB of the century. it was pretty great.

in other news how good was Yoshida?? most ribbies in the tournament. looking forward to watching him out in from of the Monster with his flashy throws back to the infield.

The Red Sox Instagram has been posting highlights of him all tournament along with all their other guys on teams! Incidentally, I thought of you when I saw that someone in one of the games had no hits but an orr bee eye on account of having hit a sac fly.