Come anticipate the World Baseball Classic with me

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.