The US Olympic Basketball team was composed of college players until 1992, when the Olympics stopped pretending that only amateurs were allowed to compete, and thus was born The Dream Team, which while it made for a very nice and even more lucrative marketing concept, made for some of the dullest basketball games I’ve ever seen.
The Olympic Baseball team was also composed of college players and a number of future professionals, including B. J. Surhoff played in the Olympics. As for why there is no US Olympic baseball team equivilent of the Dream Team, I’ve heard a couple of reasons:
The players just aren’t interested. They already play 162 games a year, not including spring training and many feel they would burn out.
The players are selfish. Apparently, a number of players said they would only play if they were paid a good deal of money, upwards of $500,000. This was in addition to the salaries that their teams pay them.
MLB as a whole doesn’t like the idea because they feel it would screw up the season.
Try #3. When would they play the games? During the summer. Right in the middle of the season NBA players have the summers off, so they can play in the Olympics.
So which owner would let his star player(s) go in the middle of the season? And risk getting hurt? For no monetary gain for themselves? Absolutely none of them. Oh yes, and which pitchers are going to throw more innings and risk hurting their arms or just throwing them out? Not many.
keith–the guys on that team dogged it practically every game. They couldn’t be bothered to be there, and played accordingly. If the stakes were as high or important as the NBA playoffs, it would have been an entirely different story.
BTW, Coldfire, how about some love for Bert Blyleven? 287 wins and 3701 strikeouts. Not too bad. He’s from Zeist.
The NHL has problems, but they don’t seem to stem from pausing the season once every four years. I say, go with the Olympic concept; it’s quicker than the World Cup and would provide more exposure for MLB.
Having Pedro and Sosa on the Dominican team is a nice front line, but once you get deeper into the rotation or the order it’s gotta be either USA or Japan winning.
Blyleven’s name is new to me, but I have heard of Eenhoorn. I’m not a huge baseball fan, so for all I know these guys might be complete heroes in my country, though.
The complete roll call of players born in the Netherlands:
Rynie Wolters (1871-1873) from Shantz
John Houseman (1894-1897) birth city unknown
Bert Blyleven (1970-1992) from Zeist
Win Remmeswaal (1979-80) from The Hague
Rikkert Faneyte (1993-94) from Amsterdam
Robert Eenhorn (1994-97) from Rotterdam
There have been five players from Curacao:
Hensley Meulens (1989-98)
Andruw Jones (1996-present)
Ralph Milliard (1996-98)
Randall Simon (1997-present)
Ivanon Coffee (2002-present)
There have been four players from Aruba:
Eugene Kingsale and Sidney Ponson and Calvin Maduro (who are still active) and Radhames Dykhoff, who pitched one inning for the Orioles in 1998.
The funny thing is, all those players from Curacao and Aruba are eligable to play in the Dutch national team, and sooner or later they all do (especially if they reach MLB!). Often, their first visit to the Netherlands is when they report for their first training with the national team!
If Tommy Lasorda can win the Olympics in baseball using only college kids, IIRC, then the U.S.A. would have veeeery little competition in a big tournament like this. EVERY SINGLE top American player is in MLB, while only a very select few players from Japan and Korea have generated much interest at all from American teams.
Sure, you have some Dominicans and Venezuelans, etc. in the majors, but where is the rest of the batting order and pitching rotation for them, using players who have made it into the American majors? Don’t tell me they haven’t bothered because they don’t want to play there. Of course they do. It’s easily the top league in the world, and more importantly, the best way to make a lot of money.
I think a good way to look at is: Who are the top three players at any position in the majors? Are any of them NOT American? What other countries are they from? Is there any way to try to field a full team from any other country using these top three lists? I admit there are some Japanese players locked into strict contracts that don’t let them come over, and maybe a couple Koreans have elected to stay, but this isn’t much give in the system.
A bit off topic, but who would these three be at every position right now?
