I love the World Baseball Classic. LOVE IT! I love everything about watching the global game of baseball played out between countries, rather than pro teams. The players are passionate, and the fans are into it. It's beautiful, but...
Its fucked. Really fucked. The timing is horrible. HORRIBLE! So many of the best players are not taking part because of injury concerns and a lot of super high calibre players who are participating aren't performing like their normal selves because they are not in regular season form yet. These guys are machines and their bodies are accustomed to a light spring training schedule at this time of year to gradually prepare for opening day. To expect them to be able to show up during spring training once every three years and actually play up to their potential is ludicrous.
The general consensus seems to be that there is no other time that this tournament could be held.
Jayson Stark of ESPN.com has some interesting things to say about the WBC, as well as a solution for the scheduling problems. He plans to create the ultimate week of baseball. Check the link: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/worldclassic2009/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=3999459&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines
It really is a bad time for this tourney, but when else? What about in October, where players who won't be in the playoffs with their respective teams can participate? It might be a good way of evening out the playing field a little more.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like this tournament needs to gain some respect among the North America players too. Once it means as much to them as it does to the rest of the nations, I bet we'll hear fewer complaints about the time of year and see more passion and fitness from the players (Canada's pitchers for example).