Lost in the Madness of March, lost in the four straight days of continuously bad CBS coverage and -- even worse -- Applebee's commercials, lost in the fact that despite the calendar is entering late March and it's still cold, was the re-emergence of America's pastime -- baseball.
The only thing is, America can't claim baseball for itself anymore. And at the conclusion of the inaugural World Baseball Classic, we have all come to realize that this is a good thing. As I sat down to watch Japan and Cuba duke it out in the championship game Monday night, I found myself excited to watch two teams who play baseball for the team, not the home run. I was excited to see two teams who had made improbable runs through a very tough tournament. I was excited to see two very animated fan bases descend upon San Diego. Most of all, I was excited for baseball.
The game itself presented an opportunity to view how different cultures have adopted our American game. The Japanese took an early 4-1 lead in the first inning, but the Cubans battled back to cut the lead to 6-5 going into the ninth inning. Playing opportunistic baseball, the Japanese extended their lead to 10-5 in the top of the ninth before finally winning 10-6.
As you may have guessed, the Japanese played smart, fundamental baseball. They amassed 10 hits (none of which were home runs) en route to scoring 10 runs, gathering six walks, and taking every chance to move a base runner over by laying down a well-executed bunt. Led by methodical left fielder Ichiro Suzuki (one of only two Japanese players on the team who plays in the Majors), the Japanese sliced and diced their way to the world title.
But on the other side of the ball, the Cubans showed their true colors through their style of play as well. Playing with immense pride, fiery determination and animated behavior, the Cubans wouldn't go down without a fight. A close-knit team made up of all amateurs, the Cubans played baseball with as much emotion as any team in the whole tournament, which enabled them to beat highly-touted Puerto Rico and Venezuela, as well as heavy-favorite Dominican Republic on their way to the championship game. And when catcher Ariel Pestano, batting eighth in the Cuban lineup, knocked a two-run home run to cut into the Japanese lead, you could sense the Cubans' energy might be enough to bring home a win. Alas, it wasn't enough, but viewers across the world sure came to notice the passion that the small island's team played with.
It would be foolish to claim that the WBC wasn't a tremendous success. I loved randomly turning on ESPN in the past few weeks and seeing a stadium rocking while futbol-like chants cheered on the Dominican Republic's David Ortiz. I loved hearing Atlanta Braves star Larry "Chipper" Jones say before the U.S.'s first game against Mexico that he "had more butterflies than any playoff game or other game" he's ever played in. I loved that the whole tournament had a mini-World Cup feel to it. Whenever watching, you would wonder if a fight was about to break out because of the sheer passion that fans exuded at all times.
If I had only one problem with the World Baseball Classic, it's that once the tournament enters the final rounds, a team only has to win one game to advance. Unlike football or basketball, the nature of baseball makes it difficult to definitively say that one team is better than another on account of just one win. Maybe a short three-game series could be put in place instead. But even this argument really just proves that I tend to nitpick, not that the tournament has a serious problem.
So maybe it's time we start giving a great deal of credit to Major League Baseball Commish Bud Selig. He might have been the guy who looked the other way while steroids ran rampantly through his league, and he might have been the guy who cut off an extra-inning All-Star game, and he might still be the guy with a terrible toupee, but he got this international baseball tournament dead right.
I, for one, can't wait to see what comes of the World Baseball Classic when it is played again in 2009. More professionals will be aboard, more passionate fans will be back, and baseball will well be on its way to making a permanent space for itself on the international sports scene.
And maybe next time, the United States will be up to the challenge.
Read More
Virginia baseball has an ace up its sleeve and in its bullpen — Dean Kampschror
By Xander Tilock | 7 hours agoThe senior pitcher is exactly what the Cavaliers need to succeed in 2025.
Wrestling gets blown out 34-9 on long road trip to Stanford
By Ryan Weiner | YesterdaySolid performances from its most reliable trio were not enough for Virginia.
Freshman excellence powers No. 5 men’s tennis past Boise State, No. 19 Alabama
By Thomas Baxter | 2 days agoVirginia, unlike many other regional hosts, held serve as its quartet's top seed.
