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The full rosters for the WBC have been released, and the Giants are well-represented. We talked a little about Ryan Vogelsong here, and while I'm not wild about him pitching in the tournament (especially considering studies like this), there's a chance that Vogelsong could be pitching in front of a rabid AT&T Park crowd in March, which is better than waiting for April.
The list of Giants in the World Baseball Classic:
Ryan Vogelsong - United States
Jeremy Affeldt - United States
Pablo Sandoval - Venezuela
Jose Mijares - Venezuela
Marco Scutaro - Venezuela
Angel Pagan - Puerto Rico
Javier Lopez - Puerto Rico
Clayton Tanner - Australia
Sergio Romo - Mexico
If you're wondering why the United States can't cobble together its best possible team, I wrote a little about it for Baseball Nation. But this is another great way to explain it: Who are you rooting for in the WBC this year? I'll tell you who I'm rooting for: Pablo Sandoval, Jeremy Affeldt, Ryan Vogelsong, Marco Scutaro, Sergio Romo ... I'm rooting for the Giants to do well. And maybe for Brazil to make the finals just because.
I guess if the U.S. were in the finals, and if they were playing, I don't know, Canada or something, there might be a slight tinge of rooting interest. But nothing that a nip of bourbon wouldn't take care of. Does this make me a bad American? Probably. But where I could see going goofy with national/regional pride with the United States playing in the World Cup, there's absolutely no way I'm going to care about the wins and losses of the U.S. team in the WBC.
Instead, I'll root for the Giants. And for Sergio Romo's elbow to emerge stronger than it was going in.
I'm totally fascinated by the WBC, even if I know I probably shouldn't be. And there will be some Giants representation this year, which is nice. Imagine Jeremy Affeldt pitching to Pablo Sandoval with the bases loaded in the 12th inning of the deciding game!
(Pablo Sandoval is actually in the hospital right now because of stomach issues, which is more than a little scary, but he's probably fine.)