I hope you watched the championship of the World Baseball Classic last night. It marked the end of an exciting two-and-a-half-week-long tournament that pitted the best players from countries around the globe against each other. The WBC is the closest thing to soccer’s World Cup that baseball has, and although it doesn’t have nearly the international appeal of the “football” event that takes place every four years, baseball’s tournament should continue to grow with time. For those people out there still doubting the tournament, let me tell you why I love the WBC.
First, you get to see the best players in the world square off against one another in new and exciting ways. The WBC provided dream matchups in ways that even the MLB All Star Game cannot match. For instance, pitcher Francisco Rodriguez (“K-Rod”) from Venezuela came on to close out a game against the United States, and had to face 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins, 2008 AL MVP Dustin Pedroia, 2000 World Series MVP Derek Jeter and 2008 All Star Kevin Youkilis — in that order. That was, without a doubt, a great inning of baseball to watch.
Then, you get stories like Netherlands catcher Kenley Jansen, a 21-year-old Dodgers prospect that put himself on the radar when he unleashed his laser of an arm in the most clutch situation possible for his country. Jansen threw out 2008 MLB stolen base king Willy Tavares trying to swipe third base in the bottom of the ninth with one out, the Netherlands up only one on the Dominican Republic and MLB superstar Hanley Ramirez at bat. Very few people knew who Jansen was before the tournament, but few who watched will forget the show he put on with his rocket arm.
Now, some people say that the WBC is a nuisance because Major League teams’ star players can get injured. Well, I find that complaint to be a lousy excuse for not liking the WBC. If fans want baseball to grow internationally, the star players from all countries need to play in this tournament. Professional soccer teams across the globe deal with this issue every four years for the World Cup, but they don’t gripe about it like MLB franchises do. Also, who is to say that players won’t get hurt in Spring Training, where they would be if not participating in the WBC? It’s just as easy to foul a pitch off your toe whether you’re playing for national pride or in a meaningless tune-up.
With all that said, however, there are some suggestions I have that could make the WBC more fan-friendly and exciting, especially for fans of the United States. First, and most selfishly, this country needs to change its approach to the WBC. It seems like every country besides the United States is willing — if not eager — to put its best players on the field without regard for their professional teams, but manager Davey Johnson admitted he was concerned whether the United States’ players will get enough work in for the experience to be valuable to their Major League clubs, as if the WBC is just a Spring Training alternative. I knew that didn’t bode well for the United States, and it showed, as Johnson more than once left a starting pitcher in the game while struggling just so he could reach his pitch count. It cost the United States a shot at the title and contributes to the reasons why fans don’t take the WBC seriously. Because the United States is not willing to send professional players to the Olympics, baseball was removed as an Olympic sport. It seems like America is once again ruining international baseball competition by caring more about the MLB than national pride.
And it’s not like the American players didn’t care. I won’t soon forget the dogpile that occurred after David Wright lined a game-winning walk-off two-run liner down the rightfield line in the bottom of the ninth against Puerto Rico to push the United States into the semifinals. His teammates rushed the field from the dugout and swarmed him as he rounded first base, creating a sea of jerseys, showing the players’ pride and passion. I only wish that the rest of the country shared their sentiments.
Baseball is a sport that continues to spread around the globe. I believe that eventually, the tournament will feature more evenly matched teams, as other countries catch up to the high level of play in places like Japan and the United States. We saw evidence that this already started when the Netherlands beat the powerhouse Dominican Republic not once, but twice. I know everyone has been consumed by March Madness, but as far as tournaments go, I hope you gave the WBC a chance as well. If you didn’t in 2009, check back in 2013 for the third installment.
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