I know I am in the minority. From the conversations I have had with different people in the last week, the general public is not interested in the World Baseball Classic. Heck, the crowds at Marlins Park in Miami for the second round of play have not been as full as I would expect. In the games not featuring the United States, there appears to be just a few thousand in attendance. I am sure the number is larger than that, but there are lots, and I mean LOTS of empty seats. Give me a ticket, and I will be there for every one of the games.
I have never been that interested in the tournament, but something about the 2013 World Baseball Classic drew me to it. Whether it was the excitement of new teams in the tournament, like Brazil, or the idea that someone would make a Netherlands-type run in 2013, I do not know, but for whatever reason, I am more into this than anything else at the moment.
Look at Pool D in the First Round, where Italy jumped out to a 2-0 record and advanced to the Second Round of the tournament. Who saw that coming? Italy came from behind to beat Mexico, and then run-ruled Canada before losing to the United States. The United States lost their first game to Mexico in embarrassing fashion before knocking off Italy and Canada to reach the Second Round as the Pool D winner.
Or what about the fight between Canada and Mexico? Sure, it was ugly, but it garnered some attention by the mainstream media and it probably will force the WBC brass to change the rules regarding tiebreakers in pool play for the 2017 tournament.
But there was lots of more action besides the drama in Pool D. How about Pool A, where Brazil nearly knocked off Japan in their opening game, but finished with an 0-3 record. Japan cruised through the competition after that opening game, knocking off China and Cuba en route to a 3-0 record. Cuba earned the second spot out of Pool A, advancing to the Second Round along with Japan in Tokyo.
Pool B was considered the most competitive First Round pool, and the four countries involved did not let us down. The Netherlands started things off with a huge win over the 2009 runner-up Korea, before falling to host Chinese Taipei. Korea bounced back to beat Australia, as did the Netherlands. Korea knocked off Chinese Taipei to force a three-way tie at 2-1, but Chinese Taipei and the Netherlands advanced to the Second Round.
And what a Second Round it was, with the two powerhouses from Pool A, Japan and Cuba, facing off with an upstart Chinese Taipei team and the team who became famous for knocking off Cuba in 2009, the Netherlands. The Netherlands started things off with a win over Cuba, after which, Cuba manager Victor Mesa told reporters that the Netherlands team was not that good, and that they should not have lost to them. Japan and Cuba knocked off Chinese Taipei to eliminate Taipei from the tournament. Japan knocked off the Netherlands to earn a berth in the Semi-Finals, meanwhile setting up a rematch between the Netherlands and Cuba for the second Semi-Final spot.
The Netherlands was undermanned, losing five players out of their regular lineup, but stayed the course, scoring a walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Kalian Sams, who had committed an error earlier in the contest to allow Cuba to score two runs. The emotions were high, with Andruw Jones of the Netherlands becoming very animated with the Cuban dugout after the win.
While those four were battling for two spots in the Semi-Finals, Pools C and D were kicking off First Round action. Pool C featured the most explosive team in the tournament, the Dominican Republic, as well as two powers in Venezuela and Puerto Rico and an upstart team from Spain. The Dominican Republic swept pool play as expected, but Puerto Rico stole the second spot after knocking off a Venezuelan team that appeared to be out of playing shape.
And now here we sit with just two games left in the Second Round before we play the first Semi-Final on Saturday. Italy was eliminated on Wednesday night after blowing two leads in the Second Round, first a 4-0 lead against the Dominican Republic on Tuesday, and then a 3-0 lead against Puerto Rico on Wednesday. The United States knocked off Puerto Rico on Tuesday to earn the right to take on the Dominican Republic on Thursday night with a berth in the Semi-Finals on the line.
Want a reason to watch the game? How about David Wright, who is the hottest hitter on the planet right now. He has accounted for 10 RBI in the United States' four games, more than anyone in the tournament. He hit a grand slam last Saturday against Italy that got the anemic offense back on track after losing to Mexico.
Or, you could tune in to see 2012 National League Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey, who will use his knuckler to try and neutralize the powerful Dominican Republic lineup, which features Jose Reyes, Nelson Cruz, Carlos Santana and perhaps the best baseball player alive right now, Robinson Cano.
True, the United States roster is filled with guys you probably will not recognize, such as Eric Hosmer of the Royals or Willie Bloomquist of the Diamondbacks. But trust me, these guys are playing hard and have a legitimate shot of winning the World Baseball Classic. I cannot tell you who will win on Thursday night, but I can guarantee you that if you tune in, you will wish you had been watching all along.
My prediction? The United States stays hot and David Wright leads the team to a victory over the Dominican Republic. Adam Jones will go deep for the United States and R.A. Dickey will be masterful before turning it over to a strong U.S. bullpen.
Nothing better than meaningful, October-like baseball in mid-March!
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