My wife and two daughters left several hours ago to go visit family in Utah. So how am I handling it? Not well, but I will watch enough sports in the next 10 days that I'll probably be sick of them...nah.
So I've sat here watching the basketball and am now watching the WBC. So here are some diary thoughts, Bill Simmons style.
- BOILER UP!
- Why is it that teams forget how to play defense in the last 15 seconds? I'd feel bad for Western Kentucky if they hadn't let a wide-open drive beat them at the end. Guys, even an open three pointer is harder to make than a wide-open layup.
- What does Coach K have in common with Vlade Divac, Danny Ainge and Tim Duncan? Whining. As I say to my two-year-old: Stop whining! You get all the calls anyway (including two weak calls at the end of the Texas game).
- Why on earth did I pick West Virginia to go deep in the tournament? Oh yeah, because I'm an idiot. Thanks chokin' Bob Huggins.
Now, on to the World Baseball Classic matchup between Korea and Venezuela.
1st Inning
- Really Luis Sojo? You start Carlos Silva over Felix Hernandez in an elimination game? You deserve to lose this game. Silva got hit around more last year in Seattle than Don Flamengo in the old Mike Tyson's Punchout.
- Five of the first hitters for Korea are named Kim or Lee. I'm pretty sure Joe Morgan will get someone confused before this game is over.
- OK, I promise I wrote the first point before Silva got lit up like a Christmas tree.
- The Yankees let Bobby Abreu go for several reasons, but a lot of this had to go with his defense. Nice catch and throw, slick.
- After the top of the first, 5-0 Korea, a team which has pitched brilliantly in this tournament. I agree with Steve Phillips. Felix Hernandez better start the second.
- And the Venezuelans go down quietly in the first.
2nd
- Luis Sojo is a winner. He was an unimportant part of like ten World Series champions. He just knows how to win.
- Yes, Silva starts the inning, and Felix is not even warming up in the bullpen. Sojo is a moron. What are you saving Felix for? Seattle's playoff run?
- One of the Kims hits it out. 7-0. Several thousand Korean children this year will be named Luis Sojo Kim or Luis Sojo Lee.
- There are pitch limits in the WBC? Really? I hadn't heard about that.
- Another Venezuelan error. Yikes. Too bad there's not a mercy rule this round.
- Managing is actually pretty easy. You just need to not over think it. Like batting Ordonez 6th or starting Silva just because he's pitched a little better the last couple of weeks.
3rd - I really like listening to Jon Miller. He is one of the best around. I wish he could do the World Series instead of Joe 'I'm not as good as my dad' Buck, and Tim 'I suck' McCarver. - Are the Venezuelans getting something going? Two on, one out. - Mora's RBI single puts Venezuela on the board, 7-1. This game isn't over, even with the handicap of having Sojo in the dugout. - A defensive replacement in the 3rd? I've never seen that before, but it's a great move. An American (or Venezuelan) manager would never do anything that smart.
- Cabrera ends the inning with a loud out.
4th
- And of course the defensive replacement launches a double.
- Had to look it up: Sojo was on 4 Yankees championship teams. His teams won 11 of the 13 postseason series they were in. His career postseason batting line: 257/284/317. He's a winner.
- Nothing's better than a pick-off move to second when both SS and 2B cover.
- Another bad play by the Fat Cat at 1B, the team's 4th error. 8-1 Korea.
- Joe Morgan just told us that the Venezuelans are in trouble after giving up the 8th run. I'm pretty sure the trouble started before that when Sojo wrote Silva's name on the lineup card.
5th
- The Venezuelans get robbed on a close play at first. I was hoping Sojo would get thrown out. It might have helped their chances.
- Well, they get the call right back after Scutaro dives into first. I'm with Joe Morgan. Diving into first is pointless. Kind of like voting Democrat.
- Wow, Sojo couldn't do any worse. Yes, you're down seven runs. Send the runner and waste your precious outs.
6th
- And Venezuela trots out the corpse of Victor Zambrano. All 10 Tampa Bay fans are smiling at this moment. Mets fans just threw their Darryl Strawberry bobblehead at the TV.
- Thunderstix were invented in Korea, and they've cloned a dog? I am now rooting for Venezuela.
- After DH Lee almost hits it out, he pokes it to left, 9-1 Korea. I'm starting to get sleepy.
- They just showed a graphic of Korean players missing from the 2006 WBC team, including BK Kim, who's had a perpetual pouty face since the 2001 World Series.
- Man, the Venezuelans (who've looked so good in this tournament) look like a high school team. Throw home, catcher misses it, pitcher throws ball to third and luckily it's snagged by the SS backing up 3B. I'm pretty sure that only Magglio Ordonez will be safe from the wrath of Pres. Chavez when they get home.
- A wild pitch results in the third out. What a crazy game. 10-1 Korea.
7th
- Carlos Guillen hits a bomb. 10-2.
- In each and every WBC game, the announcers debate the format of the WBC. Guess what: it's fine how it is. Jayson Stark at ESPN has a solution, which is just as bad as the rest (doing it over the All-Star break). There's not perfect way to do this. People need to stop whining. Just like Coach K.
8th
- I'm pretty sure someone will sign TK Kim, big 1B dude for Korea. And I'm pretty sure he'll hit .230 with 20 bombs and a lot of Ks.
- They keep showing international soccer scores. Why? US baseball fans suddenly care about the English Premiere League? (Yes, I'm getting really bored.)
- The Koreans finally make an error. And it doesn't matter.
9th
- Game over. This was fun. I'm going to bed now.
Showing posts with label world baseball classic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label world baseball classic. Show all posts
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
World Baseball Classic: Round 2 preview
The World Baseball Classic excites me for several reasons. First, I'm a baseball junkie. Baseball and football are by far my favorite sports, with basketball a distant third. Second, ever since I was a kid, I've envisioned a tournament like this with the best players in the world participating. And third, I'm a baseball junkie.
Yes, I understand all the criticism surrounding the tournament. In 2006, many pitchers who participated were either injured later in the year or had bad seasons. Of course, this happens every year to pitchers; injuries are a part of an unnatural motion repeated over-and-over. But if teams believe this early, intense pitching leads to a higher chance of injury or ineffectiveness, than you can't blame them (or their fans) for wanting to protect their pitchers.
Jake Peavy was part of the disappointing 2006 squad, and according to several announcers, he was a cheerleader to get guys on the team. He takes a lot of pride in putting the USA jersey on, and he enjoyed his experience from three years ago. But in 2006 in his MLB season, Peavy was an average pitcher, when he's usually one of the best starters in the NL. He went on to win the Cy Young in 2007.
But despite that, he came back. And I guess that's another reason I love the WBC. The national pride adds another intriguing piece to the competitive puzzle.
So without further adu, I've ranked the final eight teams and given my predictions.
Mexico. Truth be told, Adrian Gonzalez could get hot and carry Los Mexicanos into the final round, but otherwise the lineup is thin and the pitching is thinner. And once those hitters get to sea level, don't expect more double digit explosions (I'm talking to you, Karim Garcia).
Puerto Rico. This one was tough, as I chose Venezuela over Puerto Rico. I just don't think they have the pitching. They don't have a single pitcher who strikes fear in anyone. Yes, Delgado and Carlos Beltran could get very hot and win some 10-7 games, but anytime the artist formally known as Bernie Williams is involved, let's just say I don't think they'll be waving him home again anytime soon. He looked like a beer-leaguer who had been shot rounding third.
Korea. This is a tough team for me to analyze because I don't really know much about the key players. That being said, from what I watched in the first round, I think they're pitching will be unable to beat Cuba. They need to pray for Cuba to lose against Japan and then possibly Mexico. That could carry them in.
3. Cuba. Not as much juice as the 2006 team, but man there are some good players. The batters were probably inflated at 10,000 feet in Mexico City, but some of their pitchers looked awesome, including 6-3 lefthander Aroldis Chapman.
2. Japan. Japan's pitching has been fantastic, and though their lineup lacks the power of Cuba, Venezuela and the USA, their pitching, defense and beyond-solid fundamentals will carry them far, maybe even to a second consecutive WBC title. The player to watch is 6-5 righty Yu Darvish, who is like a foot taller than everyone else on the team.
1. USA. Listening to Rick Sutcliff (one of my least favorite announcers in any sport), you'd think the 2006 team was filled with a bunch of losers, but this year's squad all loves each other, goes to dinner together, and will all be naming their next son Derek. I think that's a load of crap. The USA will win behind the pitching of Peavy and Oswalt and a superior lineup (as long as Davey Johnson starts Rollins over Jeter at SS and leaves DeRosa and Granderson on the bench where they belong). The Achilles heal of Team USA is a weak middle relief corps. If they can get the ball to Putz, they will win. But it could be a bumpy ride to get there.
Yes, I understand all the criticism surrounding the tournament. In 2006, many pitchers who participated were either injured later in the year or had bad seasons. Of course, this happens every year to pitchers; injuries are a part of an unnatural motion repeated over-and-over. But if teams believe this early, intense pitching leads to a higher chance of injury or ineffectiveness, than you can't blame them (or their fans) for wanting to protect their pitchers.
Jake Peavy was part of the disappointing 2006 squad, and according to several announcers, he was a cheerleader to get guys on the team. He takes a lot of pride in putting the USA jersey on, and he enjoyed his experience from three years ago. But in 2006 in his MLB season, Peavy was an average pitcher, when he's usually one of the best starters in the NL. He went on to win the Cy Young in 2007.
But despite that, he came back. And I guess that's another reason I love the WBC. The national pride adds another intriguing piece to the competitive puzzle.
So without further adu, I've ranked the final eight teams and given my predictions.
Round 2 Losers
Netherlands. That clincher against the DR was one of the coolest games I've ever watched. It had the tension of MLB playoff baseball, with the added intrigue of the fact that the Dutch team had no business beating the DR All-Stars once, let alone twice. I thought once A-Rod was taken off the roster, the DR would loose it's choking reflex. I was wrong. Regardless, I think the Dutch run has come to an end. I think Venezuela will beat them, and then they'll lose to the loser of the Puerto Rico-USA game. Still, what a run.Mexico. Truth be told, Adrian Gonzalez could get hot and carry Los Mexicanos into the final round, but otherwise the lineup is thin and the pitching is thinner. And once those hitters get to sea level, don't expect more double digit explosions (I'm talking to you, Karim Garcia).
Puerto Rico. This one was tough, as I chose Venezuela over Puerto Rico. I just don't think they have the pitching. They don't have a single pitcher who strikes fear in anyone. Yes, Delgado and Carlos Beltran could get very hot and win some 10-7 games, but anytime the artist formally known as Bernie Williams is involved, let's just say I don't think they'll be waving him home again anytime soon. He looked like a beer-leaguer who had been shot rounding third.
Korea. This is a tough team for me to analyze because I don't really know much about the key players. That being said, from what I watched in the first round, I think they're pitching will be unable to beat Cuba. They need to pray for Cuba to lose against Japan and then possibly Mexico. That could carry them in.
The Final Four
4. Venezuela. I like a couple of their pitchers and the lineup is well-rounded and solid (even if it's dominated by Detroit Tigers). Their middle relief is a little weak, but that's a weakness most of the teams share. I guess I just don't like any of these pieces enough.3. Cuba. Not as much juice as the 2006 team, but man there are some good players. The batters were probably inflated at 10,000 feet in Mexico City, but some of their pitchers looked awesome, including 6-3 lefthander Aroldis Chapman.
2. Japan. Japan's pitching has been fantastic, and though their lineup lacks the power of Cuba, Venezuela and the USA, their pitching, defense and beyond-solid fundamentals will carry them far, maybe even to a second consecutive WBC title. The player to watch is 6-5 righty Yu Darvish, who is like a foot taller than everyone else on the team.
1. USA. Listening to Rick Sutcliff (one of my least favorite announcers in any sport), you'd think the 2006 team was filled with a bunch of losers, but this year's squad all loves each other, goes to dinner together, and will all be naming their next son Derek. I think that's a load of crap. The USA will win behind the pitching of Peavy and Oswalt and a superior lineup (as long as Davey Johnson starts Rollins over Jeter at SS and leaves DeRosa and Granderson on the bench where they belong). The Achilles heal of Team USA is a weak middle relief corps. If they can get the ball to Putz, they will win. But it could be a bumpy ride to get there.
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