Ball 5

Author: Justin Golenbock

What's the deal with baseball fans in this country not buying into the World Baseball Classic?

Okay, yes: it's a blatant MLB pitch designed to promote their product to an international audience. Is that a bad thing? Yes. Many of the top MLB stars from the two favorites (the American and Dominican teams) skipped out on the exhibition. They were quickly replaced by younger stars who might actually care enough to lay out for a ball or two. Who is not more excited to root for a young stud like Jeff Francoeur than an aging crank like Bonds? And with a rotation fronted by Roger Clemens, Dontrelle Willis and Jake Peavy, no one's exactly in any danger of seeing Al Leiter pitch an important game for Team USA.

At best, the WBC becomes baseball's answer to the World Cup. It's not so far-fetched. Baseball has not gone as international as "football," but it's catching up as quickly as any sport in the world. There are at least a dozen thriving leagues scattered around the west and the far east: Mexico, Cuba, the DR, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Canada, Japan, South Korea and of course the U.S. The top MLB teams pay for the top international talent just as the best of the Spanish, English, and Italian soccer leagues do in Europe. At worst, hey, we can still throw steroid accusations at the stars (read: Bonds) who skipped the contest and (coincidentally) its Olympic-style testing regimen.

Admittedly, some of the roster decisions have been a tad curious. Team Italy was forced to reluctantly withdraw its offer spot to Mike Mussina when he informed them his family was actually of Slavic descent. Andruw Jones (Curacao) qualifies as Dutch for the same reasons that Sidney Ponson (Aruba) does, and Vegas is already taking bets on how many innings South Africa will play at all before they cave to the new mercy rule.

For me, the WBC is a chance to watch top American players like Dontrelle, Teixera and Brad Lidge go up against the world's best: Ichiro, Pedro, Pujols, K-Rod and the immortal (Canadian?) Matt Stairs. If you doubt the intensity and competitiveness of these games, watch any non-Red Sox/Yankees game in March, then watch any non-Red Sox/Yankees game in July. Other than the names on the jerseys, think there's a difference? If you do, then you've never seen Jose Lima pitch in March; on Monday his patented angry-dialogue-with-the-imaginary-man-in-my-glove was on by pitch three.

Already, rivals Japan and South Korea breezed through the Tokyo bracket, but not without a tense 3-2 South Korea victory that came down to Chan Ho Park popping up Ichiro with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. So for what's it worth (not very much - thanks, Bode Miller), my money's on Venezuela - Johan Santana against Dontrelle in the deciding game, with Miguel Cabrera walking off just over the outstretched glove of Junior Griffey. Aren't these dreams the very reason for this tourney?