I’m watching Puerto Rico play the Netherlands on ESPN Deportes, and I’m dismayed to see that the Dutch don’t play in wooden shoes.
I’m surprised to see that their starter actually has a pretty live arm.
And the more I look at this tiebreaker situation, the less I like it. If Canada loses to Mexico on Friday, all three teams will be 2-1, and each team will have a win and a loss against the other teams, so the tiebreaker goes to runs allowed, where the U.S. may not be good enough to get through.
If Mexico beats Canada and the US beats South Africa, there’ll be a three way tie for first. Then the tie-break will have to come down to some form of runs differential.
Right now, it looks like Canada would be out, as their RA/9 is 7, while the USA is at 4.00 and Mexico is at 2.25. Of course, it could come down to the final score of the Canada-Mexico game.
Well, the South Africans put up 8 against the Canadians (on Quantrill, Meyers and Reitsma). Thank god we’ve got Clemens coming out for that game. Although, if he gets shelled, I’ll be excited to read Bill Simmons crowing in his next column.
According to foxsports.com, the U.S. needs a win against South Africa, and if Mexico loses at least one more game or scores 3 or more earned runs against Canada we’re in.
So this could get interesting. U.S. fans have to cheer for either a Mexico loss or a huge offensive day for Mexico.
I’m listening to the South Africa-Mexico game right now on XM (I still don’t have cable.) So the US needs to hope for a loss tonight? (Not that that seems likely with Mexico up by 2 right now and runners on the corners and nobody out.)
The US needs a Mexico loss tonight or tomorrow, or for Mexico to score at least 3 earned runs in a win. Then, of course, they have to beat South Africa on Friday.
At least I think that’s right. I’m still not entirely sure how the run differential works, and if that 3 ER is a total thing or if it’s 3 ER more than Canada scores.
Yeah, I just saw that. The game’s at 8 tomorrow night, but won’t air on ESPN Deportes until 2 a.m. Friday and 3 a.m. on ESPN, which means that MLB Gameday, XM radio and/or the WBC webcast package will be invaluable to me.
Now, to hope that Canada can win this game or get blown out.
Watching the World Baseball Classic, I kinda get a feeling of what it must be like for some folks from other cultures to watch the FIFA World Cup. Soccer is a sport I could take or leave, but I really love baseball. And seeing baseball played on the world stage by the very best is really something.
OK, I did a search, so where is the new thread started by a Canadian Doper crowing about them beating the US team? They deserve a moment in the sun. Who the hell saw that coming?
Listen, I love my country (said he, assuming the NSA is scanning this in its spare time), but I have to say I chuckled a bit when I looked at the sports section and saw a picture of Chipper Jones and Derek Jeter (and, I think, Michael Young) staring down a humiliating loss. I’m a Mets fan, and having to cheer for a team that includes those two feels a little, well, off to me. Plus as a Mets fan I gravitate toward the underdog anyway. So I guess I’m pulling for Italy and the Netherlands. And is Clemens supposed to start the game against South Africa? I wouldn’t mind seeing him get shelled either. So I guess I’m a bad citizen and will be deported any day now.
My neighborhood is mostly Dominican and Puerto Rican, and I look forward to seeing some of the later games in a packed bar with some really passionate fans. The Dominicans in particular love them some freakin’ baseball.
I heard that if Mexico scores 3 or more runs, the US is in, regardless of winner. If Mexico wins 1-0, 2-0, or 2-1, the three Yankees once again miss the big dance.
Some corrections: it’s in October (sometimes November these days), there is in fact one team based in Canada (there used to be 2), the “US-only” major leagues have players from all over the world (and will make up the lion’s share of those in the final 4 teams, I’ll bet), and the term “World Series” goes back to various contests in the 1880s and should be viewed as a bit of meaningless braggadoccio by a business trying to promote itself and not as a statement of American imperialism, and therefore should get your dander up as much as sidewalk stand selling “The World’s Best Hot Dogs.”
I don’t think anyone here cares. It’s in the news, but it’s not being treated as a glorious miracle or anything. More of a kinda “that’s kinda funny, eh?” thing. Frankly I think that people in Canada are more interested in who will win the upcoming Brier than they are in who wins this baseball thingy.
I’m listening to Italy-Dominican Republic, and “Psycho” Steve Lyons and Mark Patrick are convinced that sitting a few rows down from the press box is none other than Steve Bartman, in a Cubs hat and jersey no less.
It was mentioned on the front page of almost every major daily newspaper in the country.
Canada could still theoretically miss the medal round, which is why the celebration might be a bit subdued.
Captain Lance Murdoch said:
They look like they’re 98% in shape, at worst. These days pro ballplayers - as well as athletes in most big time sports - work out all year. Spring training is no longer a getting-in-shape thing, except maybe for pitchers. It’s more of an extended audition to see who gets the last roster spots.
I started out as kind of a cynic about this whole thing, but the more it plays out the more interesting it gets. I’m really interested to follow the Japanese team; manager Sadaharu Oh, a legendary slugger, has put together a group of highly technical small-ball players, and as a fan of old school slap-and-run play, I’d like to see them do well.
God help me, I’m actually getting excited. Are we going to have to follow baseball year round now?