The 2013 World Baseball Classic, the Giants, and rooting interests

First point of order: You like the World Baseball Classic.

Second point of order: If you don't, well, enjoy the BORSCHT you're having for LUNCH.

Third point of order: Because you're from RUSSIA.

Great, we've settled it. You either like the WBC, or you're from Russia. And as if I needed more reason to be excited for the WBC, various Giants beat writers tweeted a variation of this pic on Friday morning:

The 10 #sfgiants going to #WBC are posing for a photo, in uniform with their flags.twitpic.com/c5xl81

— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) February 22, 2013

Yep. That's pretty badass.

Lemme see if I can get this right. From left to right: Ryan Vogelsong and Jeremy Affeldt (USA); Santiago Casilla (Dominican Republic); Tyler LaTorre (Italy); Sergio Romo (Mexico); Angel Pagan and Andres Torres (Puerto Rico); Pablo Sandoval, Marco Scutaro, and Jose Mijares (Venezuela).

And it took this picture to make me realize something: I'm not rooting for the United States. I'm rooting for Giants.

I guess I'm rooting for the US in general, of course. I'm not from RUSSIA like those people who already left the thread. But I'll root for the home team with the same passion as I'll root for, I don't know, the US Curling Team in Sochi. The rooting interests are clear, but they aren't the kind that will overshadow A-Team reruns if my DVR isn't working. I'll watch the entire WBC with more interest than curling, of course, but I can't see myself getting that into it, if that makes sense.

But Scutaro against Gio Gonzalez in the ninth inning of the championship game? I don't see how that's even a question. Maybe there would be a conflict if Vogelsong pitched the first eight innings, and he'd get the win if Scutaro popped out. Oh, man, that's a dilemma, actually. Brother against brother, like the War of Northern Aggression!

Maybe this is the most obvious post on the site since the last "Buster Posey Is Good" article, but it was a legitimate epiphany this morning. The Giants have more players in the WBC than any other organization than the Brewers and Phillies, but the difference is that the Giants have nine players from the major-league roster, which no other team comes close to.

The best part will be the potential for Giants players at the finals at AT&T Park. Imagine Romo coming in to close the ninth for Mexico before a raucous crowd, or Sctuaro up trying for his second championship-winning hit in the last five months. That excites me more than Mark Teixeira hitting a double for the US or some crap.

You might disagree. The important part is that we both know that the people who don't like the WBC are awful and seditious.