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David Wright and Derek Jeter of Team USA laugh at a translation during a news conference at the World Baseball Classic. (AP/Mark J. Terrill)
Two of New York’s favorite baseball players are currently representing their country in the World Baseball Classic and nobody seems to notice or care. David Wright and Derek Jeter are followed by legions of fans, but apparently only when they play for the Mets and Yankees respectively. It was Wright who delivered the biggest hit of the tournament for Team USA, a game-winning single that capped a thrilling comeback in the ninth against Puerto Rico. Wright was mobbed by his teammates, who celebrated like they had won the World Series, but his heroics garnered little attention in the New York area.
The lack of interest in the WBC is coupled with the fear of injury. Teams have been getting back damaged players and they stopped certain players from participating in the first place. C.C. Sabathia was blocked by the Yankees and the Mets kept Johan Santana from participating. The list goes on: Albert Pujols, Manny Ramirez, Mark Teixeira, the best names in the game are not in the WBC and that takes away from the tournament.
Putting the tournament in March is also part of the problem. There is only one tournament in March and college basketball has it. Everything else in sports takes a back seat to “The Madness” for the three weeks it runs. In addition, most players are just getting into game shape in March, their bodies are simply not ready to play at 100% exertion in the first few weeks of March. So, the games toil in obscurity and put the players at risk, a terrible combination.
A sensible change would be to move the WBC to July and hold a weeklong tournament in place of the All-Star Game. But, MLB doesn’t want to do that because it would cut the revenues they receive from the regular season. So, baseball owners will probably continue with the current tournament and the WBC will continue to be an obscure precursor to the baseball season. That’s a stupid decision, but it shouldn’t stop you from watching Team USA tonight when they face Japan. The players are into it and if you like baseball, you should be too.
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The MLB season is long enough as it is.
Anyway, it will never be like soccer where national teams and tournaments are as important as the league play. No point trying to force the issue. That reminds me, how's David Beckham doing in LA? Did he just pick up his huge paycheck and bugger off with nobody even noticing?
Honestly, watching this takes away the luster of opening day. I like opening day to be the first game that matters in the spring... even though technically this year the Mets will be opening with 2 exhibition games.
Not to mention those USA outfits are lame-o.
I think people need to quit whining about how the WBC is interrupting spring training. If you hold the tournament in July there's is going to be just as much if not more concern over player injuries. At that point in the season, loosing a player to injury can alter the course of the season much more easily than during spring training.
I think the goal of the WBC, to increase interest in baseball worldwide, is being forgotten by those who complain about it. It's amazing how much good baseball talent comes from outside the U.S. and the WBC is a great reminder of that. And for anyone who doubts the enthusiasm that the players have in representing their countries didn't see how excited the U.S. players got after coming back to beat Puerto Rico and how humiliated the Dominicans looked after loosing twice to the Netherlands. The players care, and if more support is given to the tournament it will only grow and generate epic baseball lore.
"I think the goal of the WBC, to increase interest in baseball worldwide..."
Why is this being played in the US then? Shouldn't they go somewhere like Europe where the game has no following?
Round 1 had games in Tokyo, Puerto Rico, Mexico City, and Toronto. I'm sure if Tokyo were to host a finals with Japan it would get much higher attendance than if U.S. makes a finals. They have something like 40% of the country watching the games on TV.
I think the biggest problem is all the other countries have way cooler logo and jersey designs than the USA. No doubt they were all designed in the same office on Madison Avenue, of course.
This has been a fantastic tournament. It seems to me that many of the people complaining about it have barely, if at all, watched the games. Besides, where else are you going to see some of the great talents who play for Cuba and Korea on television?
In the end, this tournament has illustrated that, for the most part, Americans do not like baseball as much as people in Japan, Korea, Cuba, Puerto Rico, etc. Evidence of this can be found in Cuba in which the tourmament was considered to be such a large event that all the "companies" agreed to start work an hour late in order to allow their employees to stay up late to watch the game. There was similar interest in Japan, as shown by the 37,000 people who came to the Tokoyo Dome to watch the Japanese team prepare for the WBC.
I gotta tell you, probably the dumbest suggestion to increasing interest in the WBC has to be *move it to July*. A *sensible change*? Are you kidding?
Yes, I'm sure that concern over injuries that was mentioned in the paragraph above this stellar suggestion won't be twice as high in July as it is in March. In fact, I would think *move it to July* would be a brilliant suggestion if one was trying to come up with ideas for how to ensure that no major leaguers participate.
The tourney should be moved to November when players are seasoned. That way it makes a sort of post season an option for players that missed the post season...and also a chance to have players from that years World Series in the picture as well. Now that's exciting. That way i guarantee you see more marquee players. Most teams and players know if their bodies could put up with the added games in the WBC. If not...you go fishing...if you feel alright you play ball. If you injured...well you have the whole off season to get better. This is really an MLB event. So make the decision and play it later. Think of it like the barnstorming they used to do back in the day with people like Babe Ruth. Or just have players from our minor leagues play...