The only title that matters is the title in October. The WBC is fun, but proves nothing in terms of greatness or ownership of the game. The WBC was spring training for everyone on the US roster including the pitchers. Additionally Matt Cain and Timmy >>>>> Peavy, Oswalt. Did Dice-K also start training in December?

I don’t find it that interesting because so many elite players opt out of the tournament. I don’t know the status of the Japanese team (in terms of who plays and who doesn’t), but the U.S certainly didn’t field the best team possible

The only good thing about the WBC (imo!) is getting PFX data on certain pitchers.

Sorry for the rant to follow, but I think Rhoden has a bit of a point.

If the USA had played in and won the game last night, would people be saying “the only title that matter is the title in October” or “the U.S. certainly didn’t field the best team possible”? Granted, the USA didn’t field the best team possible, and maybe they were Spring Training rusty. People had similar rationalizations when a pretty decent USA Basketball team was humiliated in Athens in 2004. It doesn’t change the fact that other countries have embraced our team sports and now play them fundamentally better than we do, for whatever reason. And when we lose international sporting events, like we’re now doing on a more regular basis, we always seem to have a built-in excuse. It never seems to be that the other team was just flat-out better.

So even though 55,000 people filled Chavez Latrine last night (and my friend who attended the game and had no rooting intereset described it to me as a "masterpiece") and millions of fans overseas watched the game, all I heard on the radio this morning were jokes about how no one cares that Japan won (the WBC was the last sports item, after St. Mary’s win over Davidson and Bradley’s last-second win in the freakin’ NIT). IMHO, it’s a bothersome, myopic, and sadly prevalent American attitude.

You don’t have to love the WBC, but don’t discount the fact that it’s produced some incredibly memorable baseball played at an extremely high level. Which, as people who love baseball, we should all embrace.

But that was some damn good baseball. First real baseball game of the season. At this point I don’t think I care that much about the WBC, but I would love to see the winner of the World Series go up against the Japanese/Korean league all stars.

Move over USA, there are new baseball world powers. While the USA wants to give excuses and opt out of playing in this great tournament other teams around the world now school us. There are 48% of players in the minor leagues are foreign born. And that number will continue to rise.

As a major douchebag once said: “It’s going to happen, whether you like it or not”

When I found out that the Puerto Rico vs. USA game was only on ESPN Deportes, my first thought was “Damn, I really wanted to see Jonathan Sanchez pitch.”

Ahem.

To me, it’s the same kind of whining that the Big Three automakers were throwing out when they needed government money to stay afloat. Make better domestic cars, and there would be no reason to buy foreign. Maybe if the USA didn’t play piss poor baseball next to the other great teams of the world, they wouldn’t be bitching and complaining about losing.

Personally, I love to see how the game can be shared by a world of top notch teams. But it’s still bullshit for the US to act like they’re owed anything in international play. Wise up guys; send your best or go home. It’s not our game alone anymore.

When Jeremy Guthrie is on the mound and Adam Dunn is at first base, the US is not putting its best out on the field. Period. The WBC has a lot of good baseball and its fun to watch and other countries obviously have good players.

But please don’t pretend that the US is inferior to other countries in baseball because they beat up on Guthrie or Ted Lilly or Matt Lindstrom. When they beat up on Lincecum, Webb, Halladay, Sabathia and Hamels, then we’ll talk.

Obviously, the US team is disorganized, but that’s an off the field matter.

I don’t blame Lincecum one bit for not wanting to participate. He hasn’t signed a huge contract yet and the only one taking a risk would be himself.

Webb, Halladay, Sabathia and even Hamels to a lesser extent have less reason for holding out.