So what, exactly is Bud Selig thinking at this moment?After all, Billy Wagner opting out of the World Baseball Uniform Sale/Tournament has our fearless leader figuring out a marketing strategy to either sell Gary Majewski USA jerseys (not quite the star power Selig had in mind) or convince Jennie Finch to pitch for Buck Martinez's Team USA (you want ratings in the United States? That'll do it!)
But the way Selig runs things, pitchers are secondary to the process anyway. You can be sure that Bud wants 12-11 games out of this W.B.U.S.T. They mind as well "self-hit" like we did in the playground.
In any event, the departures of Country Time and Pedro The Toe from the tournament are a welcome relief to Met fans (now if Juan "The Fly" Padilla can be convinced that this is a horrible idea). Because nobody wants to see an important cog in the 2006 season have their arm fall off in a tournament so hokey, one of it's logos looks mysteriously looks like an upside down WHA logo. How can anyone take this tournament seriously?
Jennie Finch, please pick up a white courtesy phone...Ms. Finch, white courtesy phone.
7 comments:
I feel I'm the only that likes this idea. I can't wait till tongiht to see the first game.
I guess the foreigners or people with a certain ethnic background are like a million times more excited than the Americans.
Even the American people that like this only see it as a way to "hope the US gets eliminated in the first round so everyone can be healthy."
No love, no passion.
Hopefully the people that attend the games are buggin' out with flags and stuff.
I personally can't wait for a big name ball player to go with an injury during a Spring Training game.
I mean guys like Brian Lawrence, Troy Percival, Carl Pavano, and Kip Wells didn't have to go to the WBC to get injured or miss the whole season.
Benny, I see where you're coming from. In other places, the buzz is high for this because those fans don't really have a pro allegiance to worry about as well like most do here.
And as for spring training injuries: A pitcher going down in spring training while he's going through his normal routine isn't the same as say, a pitcher blowing out his arm because he's jacked up his arm speed sooner than he's used to for this tournament. And in that case, you always have to wonder if a pitcher injury in the WBT would have happened in the normal routine of spring training. That's what Billy Wagner was worried about since he's not a good spring pitcher and that's why he begged out. I admit that I might be way off...I might be overestimating the chance for injury, but there are a lot of actual baseball people that feel the same way.
And here's my skepticism about the whole thing: obviously, I think it's a money grab...another avenue to sell merchandise. But why is Bud Selig so adamant about this tournament? Why is he calling this a "watershed moment in baseball history"? Why is a tournament that hasn't happened yet being forced into the annals of baseball history? Again, forgive me for being skeptical, but is Bud Selig desperately searching for some sort of legacy? Is he desperately searching for something to make people forget about the 1994 strike, the 2002 almost strike, and the all-star tie? Again, I could be wrong, but I hope that Bud Selig isn't willing to jeopardize careers to save his own legacy.
The good thing about all this is that we're only going to have to hold our breath every four years and not every year.
Now Benny I ask you seriously, since you're excited about it, who are you rooting for? For me, rooting for the USA, with 23 Yankees (seemingly) on the club, and one of them thrust to the forefront as the face of my country, is another reason for me to not care.
Brett, I finally got to read the Franco article. I think Julio might have earned himself a nickname via his diet: "Egg Whites" Franco. (Sounds mysteriously like an old time mob name, no?)
Only liberals trash a PATRIOTIC tournament like the WBC! LIberals would rather root for the commies like Russia to win this tournament because they are agaisnt freedom and demcrca!y
If it was up to liberals iroc would not be a thriving democracy like it is today and saddam insane would still be in power!
Bill O'Reilly is a patriot and likes the WBC!!!
LIBERALS HATE GOD:
YOU NEED TO REALLY PULL YOUR HEADOUT OF YOUR ASS AND PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORLD AROUND YOU. the o'reilly factor is not a good sorce of news. clearly you are compleatly retarded, so i will not totaly rip you appart.you should actually get educated in politics before you talk about them- it makes your down syndrome that much more obvious to others around you.
I don't see it as a big problem to see guys in the MLB offices to be milking this and making alot of money. I applaude them. Good for them for that.
If thier goal is to make tons of money and sell merchandise then they did a good job because I'm going to be a jersye and a hat.
And if Selig has to do this to save his legacy, then that doesn't bother me either. There are tons of situations in life when people would risk something to save thier own asses.
And i do have an allegience to an MLB team. Obviously a huge Mets fan. Like huge. Like big enough to start a fight with a Braves fan at Shea. I don't know a way to prove how much I like the Mets, but just trust me in saying I'm a HUGE Mets fan.
But the team I'm rooting for? The Dominican team. But the second team I would root for is the Japanese team, i just like them.
Benny,
I'm certainly not bringing your allegience to the Mets in question. I hope you weren't thinking that was the direction I was going in.
I just don't think there is a way to do this that is going to make everyone happy. The issue with pitchers will always be there, and the issue with players backing out will always be there. Someone had the idea of having this tournament...or at least having the knockout portion of this tournament...during the All-Star break, which would be extended somewhat. That is an idea which might work, especially since extending the all-star break would make it possible to have more open dates to take care of rainouts. But with as many games that are played and with as many pennant hopes and as much money sunk into these guys, there's just not one formula that is going to make everyone happy.
And yes, people risk something cover their asses, but I don't think it's asking a lot to expect a little bit more out of someone who is in charge of an entity which so many people have a stake in...monetarily, and emotionally.
And for heaven's sake, don't call it a classic if it hasn't existed before...Jeez!
I have no issue with anyone who follows this tournament and gets into it. No problem whatsoever. And to be honest with you, I would have an easier time rooting for my country if the four most prominent and marketed players on the team were three Yankees and a psychopath former Yankee. But that's just me.
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