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World Baseball Classic: The Best March Madness Out There


The Frankish Reich

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We don't have a lot of serious baseball fans here. But even if you don't ordinarily care about baseball (or don't care until the playoffs, which is kind of where I am most seasons), there's some fantastic entertainment there. Baseball has been slow to recognize the opportunities here, including the best proposal out there: dispense with the All Star game, shorten the season a bit, and do a true World Cup tournament in July. But the product out there now is really good, and particularly players from non-USA teams really care about winning, sometimes a little too much:

 

 

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, The Frankish Reich said:

Couldn't happen to a nicer hedge fund manager. 

(too bad for Edwin though)

 

How does Diaz's injury have anything to do with anyone "wanting to win too much?"

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This was a reader comment on a FB post about the Diaz injury:

Quote

This is the Metsiest thing to ever happen to the Mets--our closer is out for the season before he throws a pitch.

 

Word of the day: Metsiest.

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14 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

Guy explodes his patellar tendon after leaping 6 inches off the ground.

 

As a group, is there a more poorly conditioned major sports league  athlete than the MLB player in March?

 

 

johnkruk1-2x.jpg

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USA-Cuba tonight. Winner gets the winner of tomorrow's Mexico-Japan game.

Yesterday's USA-Venezuela was a fantastic game. Back and forth, and then former Red Sox/now Rockies close Daniel Bard almost blew it all by himself as the yips that almost ended his career with the Red Sox came back. (Is it a coincidence that this is the most meaningful - actually ONLY meaningful game he's played in since his comeback?) Broke Jose Altuve's thumb with a wild fastball. But then Trea Turner launched a grand slam and USA moves on.

Electric environment in Miami, where fans apparently care about baseball, just not about the Marlins. Seriously excellent baseball being played, and as I mentioned before ... this means a lot to fans in most of the baseball-playing world. Japan-S. Korea broke some kind off all time viewing record in those parts of the world. Watch it! Leave the bogus March Madness behind.

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3 hours ago, The Frankish Reich said:

USA-Cuba tonight. Winner gets the winner of tomorrow's Mexico-Japan game.

Yesterday's USA-Venezuela was a fantastic game. Back and forth, and then former Red Sox/now Rockies close Daniel Bard almost blew it all by himself as the yips that almost ended his career with the Red Sox came back. (Is it a coincidence that this is the most meaningful - actually ONLY meaningful game he's played in since his comeback?) Broke Jose Altuve's thumb with a wild fastball. But then Trea Turner launched a grand slam and USA moves on.

Electric environment in Miami, where fans apparently care about baseball, just not about the Marlins. Seriously excellent baseball being played, and as I mentioned before ... this means a lot to fans in most of the baseball-playing world. Japan-S. Korea broke some kind off all time viewing record in those parts of the world. Watch it! Leave the bogus March Madness behind.

 

I'm a big baseball fan but the timing of this tournament doesn't work for me. Probably didn't help that I saw a God-awful game in the first round between two bad teams that took over two hours to get through 4 innings  - it was a complete joke. On the other hand my teen son has been all aboard which is cool and the attendance/crowds have been pretty good so I'm happy that others are enjoying it more than me.

 

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2 hours ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

I'm a big baseball fan but the timing of this tournament doesn't work for me. Probably didn't help that I saw a God-awful game in the first round between two bad teams that took over two hours to get through 4 innings  - it was a complete joke. On the other hand my teen son has been all aboard which is cool and the attendance/crowds have been pretty good so I'm happy that others are enjoying it more than me.

 

The timing would be ideal in mid season instead of the All Star break. Let’s face it, that’s what this is: the real All Star tournament, but weirdly held in the middle of spring training. 

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20 minutes ago, The Frankish Reich said:

The timing would be ideal in mid season instead of the All Star break. Let’s face it, that’s what this is: the real All Star tournament, but weirdly held in the middle of spring training. 

 

100%. It's also hard to imagine it as ever be a 100% All Star tournament since it makes little sense for pitchers to risk their arms.

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4 hours ago, The Frankish Reich said:

The timing would be ideal in mid season instead of the All Star break. Let’s face it, that’s what this is: the real All Star tournament, but weirdly held in the middle of spring training. 

 

3 hours ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

100%. It's also hard to imagine it as ever be a 100% All Star tournament since it makes little sense for pitchers to risk their arms.

The world All-Star tournament maybe

 

Let’s be real…. If 100% of the best American baseball players played top to bottom at every position

 

They would win gold easily

 

They’re still probably going to win gold and they don’t have the top three at every position as Americans

 

The Japanese are amazing at baseball… So are the South Korean’s and Mexicans and Colombians and Cubans and Puerto Ricans and Venezuelans

 

Major league baseball has done an amazing job bringing the game to the world…. Who for the first three world baseball classic’s outpaced us

 

Bot then it was time to show the world…. Who really invented baseball… Who are the kings of baseball

 

And when USA wants it

 

Nobody and I repeat nobody can take us in baseball

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Rather see Altuve in April than March, but yeah, I believe there’s a lot of country pride for many of these guys playing.

 

At least it’s baseball still, not the all-star nonsense variant displayed in the NFL, NHL or even the NBA all-star game.

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1 minute ago, The Frankish Reich said:

Another Classic game in the WBC - walk-off Japan win over Mexico.

If you watch one baseball game before October, it really ought to be USA-Japan tomorrow night. Next time the WBC rolls around I am definitely attending in person.

What a great game 

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