The WBC and fear of injury

So it continues, this random excursion into the unknown. There are so many topics to speak on that it seems I do not have the time to deal with them all. With that in mind, I would certainly like to take this chance on posting my thoughts on the World Baseball Classic.

There have been many nay-sayers, some legitimate, and some who are just Baseball-haters who take any and every opportunity to act negative towards it. The legitimate nay-sayers certainly have valid points and grievances, the biggest one of course being the time of year it is being conducted is distracting for team preparation, and poses the risk of injury. No doubt someone will get hurt in this tournament and it may affect the 2006 MLB season. For that matter, a Japanese player (3B) already has gotten hurt and is out 3 months (he jammed his shoulder diving into 1st base in attempt to beat out the throw).

Some people will look at the 3Bs injury as vindication. I for one must concede it will happen. But guys get injured all the time. Jeff Kent got hurt "washing his car". Lance Berkman got hurt in a pickup basketball game. Clint Barmes claims to have gotten hurt carrying deer up a few flights of stairs! Is this really the most bizarre injury? And is it not worth the gains?

The question than is what are the gains. First and foremost, is money. MLB, as well as local shop-keeps are making pretty pennies on merchandise, tourism, amid the overall excitement of this tournament. I for one am traveling 3,000 miles to a city I have never had interest in going to (LA) to see Japan play the USA. The Venezuela vs. DR game had thousands of travelers spending money at Disneys "Wide World of Sports" complex. San Juan, Puerto Rico is abuzz with news of the local Puerto Rican team.

The second affect is the promotion of the game. True, Australia, Italy, China, Netherlands and South Africa may not be at the same level as other nations in the tournament, but they are big markets all with varying degrees of exposure to Baseball.

For example, the Netherlands has a couple of legitimate Big Leaguers, and the Dutch Commonwealth includes superstars like Andruw Jones. Australia had a couple of All-Star calibre players in the 90s, and Italy has some serious talent (albeit first-generation players, not actual Italians...other than Jason Simontachi). Still, is it not worth trying to tap into these places? Is it not worth trying to get a foot-hold into the Chinese market by playing to their "National Pride" in getting beat by arch-rivals Taiwan, Japan and Korea? Watching Korean fans with their "thunder sticks" go crazy when Seung Yeop Lee hit a 2-run homer to take the lead over Japan was worth staying up that night to watch the 4AM-8AM game.

Still, South Africa seems to stick out in my opinion. True, South Africa too could be a gateway to a region of the World: Sub-Saharan Africa. The US is starting to get a stronger foothold on this region of the World (read about Angola), and the promotion of Baseball certainly could be a unifying factor (hey it worked with Japan). But look deeper and you may find the third reason why this tournament is worth doing. Australia and South Africa are big CRICKET nations. Cricket is the obvious direct competitor to Baseball since it has a similar setup/style. Cutting into Australias and South Africa's populace may have the indirect effect of promoting Baseball at Cricket's expense. Certainly not a bad move, though not a significant factor I assume.

The fourth factor is important too, and it is homage. Homage to all those Latin players past, and present who have made Baseball into an international sport. Homage not only to show them respect, but also to remind Americans how much we used to feel for this game. The passion of Latin players is so very evident, and the crowds are fervently crazy. I saw on tv a guy start yelling at his friend cause while the two of them were shaking the Dominican flag one end touched the ground. He could not fathom allowing that to happen and seemed irate. Such passion for nation and Baseball was evident years ago here in the States, and hopefully (especially after this humiliating loss to Canada) it can be revived.

As stated, there are many naysayers, but the tournament marches on, and with every game I watch I realize it is a great idea. Promoting the sport elsewhere will only increase the talent pool in the World and therefore in the US (Major League Baseball). Sure, it is not perfect, and the tournament was rushed this year (it was supposed to be in November of 2005, thus the second one is scheduled for 2009). Sure, it will indirectly affect teams for the upcoming 2006 season, and sure there will be an injury or two. I can not disagree with what is probably true.

Still, Risking injury this year is worth the price of enjoying Venezuelan dancers prancing about with flag-tshirts, or watching Dominicans jump up and down as "Big Papi" sealed the game. The risk is worth watching Ichiro Suzuki get hit by a pitch because of his ridiculous commment (he stated: "I want to beat them -referring to Taiwan and Korea- so bad that they feel they will never beat Japan for another 30 years"), and is certainly worth watching Korean fans "go crazy" when Ichiro made the last out in the Korean upset over Japan. Succinctly, Injury risks are worth the entertainment, as well as, worth the longer stability and popularity of the game of Baseball...of course unless, a New York Met gets hurt. :p