WBC
The WBC, otherwise known as the World Baseball Classic, is no longer a mystery. Here are my personal opinions. Overall, the tournament was a great idea. It really put baseball on the international stage. Also, there was only one major injury to a major league player out of the 150+ who played (a pitcher on the Nationals who is gone for the season). But that injury will hurt the Nationals. Beforehand possible injuries had been a major concern and the major criticism of those against the WBC.
Team USA's early exit helped point out many of the problems with the way the tournament was played.
Team USA's early exit helped point out many of the problems with the way the tournament was played.
- pitchers were limited to 50 pitches: that isn't real baseball, if a pitcher is dominant over seven inning the a team can go strait to its best releivers to close out the game, but with this rule another starting pitcher can come in, stink, and cost them the game
- March is too early for MLB players to compete at a playoff level after only a week on spring training: of the 2 teams that made it to the finals, japan and Cuba, there was only one major laegue player, Ichiro; most of the other teams in the tournament had been playing the whole winter or started spring training earlier
- the weird formula for the tie-breaker that does not necessarily favor the better team
- baseball cannot be played as a series of one game playoffs: anything can happen in one game and it does not prove who is the better team, the World Series is a best out of seven, a pitcher can have a bad day, players may not be able to hit a certain pitcher but clobber the others....
There is also no seemingly great time to play the WBC. March is hard for MLB players who are not ready, and pits the Classic against March Madness. A-Rod suggeted the time may work if Team USA and others could have their own spring training and start preparing in February. If the WBC took place in middle of the MLB season during a 2 week break, any injuries could ruin a team's stretch run. The final option would be in November, after the season is over and players are still performing near their peak.
posted by bellanny at 5:28 PM
3 Comments:
True, but the point of the WBC was to root for your country and forget about team loyalties. But for the record the teams the Met players played on did not make it to the finals either. And you forgot to mention the two subway series in the regular season. There are definitely bragging rights up for grabs then.
Thanks for the comments. It's nice to know someone appreciates it. I am a die hard yankee fan so it will be a lot more fun to debate. Although I would love another subway series so we could beat you again. The Mets have a great team this season so the competition will be a lot more fun.
yup. looking foward.
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