Why They Should Dump The WBC
February 25th 2009 20:28
When the World Baseball Classic was introduced three years ago it was a way for countries to come together and to market the game around the world. Teams were comprised with the best players in the game, but the atmosphere was more like an All-Star Game than a tournament. The United States team rotated position players to give everybody the opportunity, very similar to what you would see in the mid-summer classic. I was a fan of idea three years ago and even when a magazine wrote an article in 1996 projecting the rosters if major leaguers were allowed to play in the Olympics, but now the tournament needs to be dumped and here are the Top 5 reasons.
1. The tournament has a pitch count. The best pitcher for each country can go about four innings before having to be removed, and therefore the game becomes a battle of the bullpens instead of a starter dominating the game.
2. Some of the most talented players are declining to play for their countries. Some of these decisions have been either made by the player or the organization that owns his rights. Not every team is supportive of the tournament.
3. World Baseball Classic will be criticized if a star player gets seriously injured in this tournament, especially if it is a pitcher. The manager of the country will be criticized for overworking the pitcher and media outlets won’t stop talking about how the tournament is bad for the sport.
4. The two week tournament could setback players if they aren’t playing everyday for their countries. United States manager Davey Johnson has expressed he is going to play the players that are hitting well at the time, and not going to substitute like an All-Star Game. Therefore players like David Wright and Jimmy Rollins might not get many plate appearances if Chipper Jones and Derek Jeter start hitting the ball well early-on in the tournament.
5. The WBC takes away from the spring training atmosphere. Fans take trips to Florida and Arizona to get an up-close look at their favorite players, but their favorite players are in Canada or Mexico during the second week in March and then in California for the third week of the month. If you want to see your favorite players you have to either go down at the end of February or the first week of March when WBC teams are playing exhibition games against major league opponents. They should look at this and see if spring training ticket sales decline during WBC years.
1. The tournament has a pitch count. The best pitcher for each country can go about four innings before having to be removed, and therefore the game becomes a battle of the bullpens instead of a starter dominating the game.
2. Some of the most talented players are declining to play for their countries. Some of these decisions have been either made by the player or the organization that owns his rights. Not every team is supportive of the tournament.
3. World Baseball Classic will be criticized if a star player gets seriously injured in this tournament, especially if it is a pitcher. The manager of the country will be criticized for overworking the pitcher and media outlets won’t stop talking about how the tournament is bad for the sport.
4. The two week tournament could setback players if they aren’t playing everyday for their countries. United States manager Davey Johnson has expressed he is going to play the players that are hitting well at the time, and not going to substitute like an All-Star Game. Therefore players like David Wright and Jimmy Rollins might not get many plate appearances if Chipper Jones and Derek Jeter start hitting the ball well early-on in the tournament.
5. The WBC takes away from the spring training atmosphere. Fans take trips to Florida and Arizona to get an up-close look at their favorite players, but their favorite players are in Canada or Mexico during the second week in March and then in California for the third week of the month. If you want to see your favorite players you have to either go down at the end of February or the first week of March when WBC teams are playing exhibition games against major league opponents. They should look at this and see if spring training ticket sales decline during WBC years.
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Comment by Andrew Aigner-Muehler
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Good story, but you have to think as well. What is more important these days your country or your club? I know your club pays you the big bucks, but still, when you are young you will do anything to play for your country.
As well, the sport needs a higher profile competition, as you said, the olympic competition, professionals are not allowed to play, the world championships, again, the professionals are not allowed to play. If you look at basketball, the professionals are allowed to play, what is the difference between basketball and baseball. The world baseball classic is the only way, to see who is the best country. The birth of baseball started with the Americans, but in recent years, baseball has belonged to the Cubans and the Japanese. All the major league has to do, who have owner rights to the competition is to bring in a rule, if your chosen and you dont play, they are suspended from the major league. When you look at it, it is mainly the U.S.A team who does not field their best team, and the U.S.A have to stand up and realise the major league competition is no longer the elite competition. The major league has to also get away for calling the major league winners the world champions, because they are not the world champions, they are not even the club world champions. I also know the Cubans do not field the professionals, and it is not because they dont want to play, it is political.
What the major league has to do is to take a leaf out of the English Premier League. Those players will do anything to represent their country. They play so many different competitions per week or fortnight.
I think the FA and FIFA have done it right.
So, I think world baseball classic should stay or dump the competition along with the world championships and have a baseball world cup, and keep the baseball like football in the olympics for under 25s.
Good story though. A story for debate.