# baseball & foreigners **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 11, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-foreigners/167955 "2003-04-11T03:11:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![summerbreeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@summerbreeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/summerbreeze)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-foreigners/167955/1 "2003-04-11T03:11:53Z")
What I want to know is why the hell do we have to endure foreigners like Canadians et al playing Our National Pastime at anything except an amateur, trivial, for-their-own-amusement level? C’mon, friends, this is the World Series we’re talkin’ about. Why involve foreigners?? (This rant has absolutely nothing to do with the foreign Expos beating the Cubs because of course they didn’t since they can’t really play with us.) ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-foreigners/167955/2 "2003-04-11T03:17:42Z")
You do realize that every team in the Majors has players from different countries, correct? For example, the Chicago Cubs have 6 players from other countries, mostly the Dominican Republic, although they have players from Germany and South Korea. Just because teams play in Montreal and Toronto doesn’t mean they are any more “foreign” than the New York Yankees. ---
**Author:** ![mrweebles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@mrweebles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrweebles)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-foreigners/167955/3 "2003-04-11T03:34:29Z")
Get a grip man. Americans play hockey, an historically Canadian game. And soccer, another traditionally non-American sport is growing in popularity. What’s wrong with sharing the wonders of one of the greatest sports in the world (IMO) with people from other countries? And where would your precious Cubbies be without Sammy Sosa, a Dominican? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-foreigners/167955/4 "2003-04-11T03:49:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mrweebles \* > \*\*And where would your precious Cubbies be without Sammy Sosa, a Dominican? \*\* Out of the playoffs. Oh, they are anyway… ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-foreigners/167955/5 "2003-04-11T05:33:22Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by summerbreeze \* > What I want to know is why the hell do we have to endure foreigners like Canadians et al playing Our National Pastime at anything except an amateur, trivial, for-their-own-amusement level?_\* Seems pretty easy to me. What’s so hard about it that you have to “endure” it? > [@](#): > > C’mon, friends, this is the World Series we’re talkin’ about. Why involve foreigners? Because _foreigners play Major League Baseball_! > [@](#): > > (This rant has absolutely nothing to do with the foreign Expos beating the Cubs because of course they didn’t since they can’t really play with us.) If that means the Expos suck, then you do have a point there. But saying the Expos suck makes a bit too much sense… ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-foreigners/167955/6 "2003-04-11T06:01:05Z")
Heh heh heh. “World Series.” Heh heh heh. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-foreigners/167955/7 "2003-04-11T11:24:17Z")
The Expos finished 2nd in the NL East last year. Currently share 1st place. ---
**Author:** ![Pebbles131](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eada6e/32.png) [@Pebbles131](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pebbles131)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-foreigners/167955/8 "2003-04-11T12:22:52Z")
**2trew** beat me to it!! ---
**Author:** ![Pebbles131](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eada6e/32.png) [@Pebbles131](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pebbles131)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-foreigners/167955/9 "2003-04-11T12:24:05Z")
**2trew** beat me to it!!:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-foreigners/167955/10 "2003-04-11T12:24:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by summerbreeze \* > **C’mon, friends, this is the World Series we’re talkin’ about. Why involve foreigners??** I’d say the name “World Series” is a tad off to begin with, what with it being an American (North American?) competition rather than a global one, but if you suggest that only US citizens play the game, then it _really_ is time for a name change. Either that, or we’re gonna call the Dutch [korfbal](http://www.kinea.nl/fotointrosite.gif) competition “World Series” as well. ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-foreigners/167955/11 "2003-04-11T12:29:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by summerbreeze \* > \*\*What I want to know is why the hell do we have to endure foreigners like Canadians et al playing Our National Pastime at anything except an amateur, trivial, for-their-own-amusement level? C’mon, friends, this is the World Series we’re talkin’ about. Why involve foreigners?? (This rant has absolutely nothing to do with the foreign Expos beating the Cubs because of course they didn’t since they can’t really play with us.) \*\* Why do you call it the World Series if you don’t want anyone else in this same world to play it? Wierd. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-foreigners/167955/12 "2003-04-11T12:29:43Z")
You mean there are actually non-Americans involvéd with that children’s pastime masquerading as a sport? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-foreigners/167955/13 "2003-04-11T22:13:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Floater \* > \*\*You mean there are actually non-Americans involvéd with that children’s pastime masquerading as a sport? :rolleyes: \*\* I don’t get it. Why would you think non-Americans wouldn’t play soccer? Heck, Americans don’t even care about the game that much.