How can Team USA get good for 2009 WBC

[Americanoutlaw2.0]

Team USA will look to do way better than they did in 2006 but it will take somethings to give them any hope of doing better than last time. One of the main thing that hurt Team USA last time in the 2006 WBC was the low number of good players. There would some good players for Team USA like Ken Griffey, Jr,Jake Peavy, Joe Nathan, and Alex Rodriguez but other stars stay home. The folks who put tougher Team USA need to do a better job this time to get all of the best talents t o help build up the team. One of the main thing team USA need is a better manager I mean let face it Buck Martinez is just a bad manager and hope they don't have him as manager again. There are better former managers and coaches out there who could better job as manager than Buck Martinez. You guys like Don Mattingly,Bob Brenly ,Tommy Lasorda ,Davey Johnson and Gary Carter. The one I think would be the best would be Tommy Lasorda seeing he still has ton of fire in him and could sucker in a lot of the players in who said they wouldn't play for Team USA like Oh did for Team Japen. For filling up the roster maybe try get some top prospects like Matt Wieters ,Travis Snider, Austin Jackson and Matt LaPorta to play along side the MLB players and maybe top college players like Stephen Strasburg or players form Independent teams on team USA.
Team USA will face up hill battle

[DownUnderDodger]

I am wondering if Team USA was given the right tools last time with a lot of managers seemingly against their star players playing in the tournament. If the team had the full support of all MLB clubs and every top player was made available to play the selection of manager would probably not be such an issue, as the all star team that could be selected could almost manage themselves.

[Richard]

I think Team USA will be much better prepared for 2009 and the WBC will be taken more seriously than 2006.

[Americanoutlaw2.0]

I made this idea for the manager and coaches

Manager
Tommy Lasorda

Bench Coach
Davey Johnson

1B&3B Coaches
Ryne Sandberg
Gary Carter

Hitting Coach
Don Mattingly

Pitching Coach
Leo Mazzone

special instructor
Rickey Henderson


I have idea for Bullpen Coach any ideas??

rest of possiable can just be filled out

[Americanoutlaw2.0]

it will come down to the manager

[SamtheBravesFan]

No, it won't. The manager and coaches are mostly figureheads in tournaments like this. It's like an All-Star Game. The Team USA players will mostly end up managing themselves, like DownUnderDodger said.

The only way I can see a manager coming into play is during late one-run games, where bullpens and pinch-hitters are used. I don't view Buck Martinez being much different than anyone else Team USA can trot out there.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Team USA will look to do way better than they did in 2006 but it will take somethings to give them any hope of doing better than last time. One of the main thing that hurt Team USA last time in the 2006 WBC was the low number of good players. There would some good players for Team USA like Ken Griffey, Jr,Jake Peavy, Joe Nathan, and Alex Rodriguez but other stars stay home. The folks who put tougher Team USA need to do a better job this time to get all of the best talents t o help build up the team. One of the main thing team USA need is a better manager I mean let face it Buck Martinez is just a bad manager and hope they don't have him as manager again. There are better former managers and coaches out there who could better job as manager than Buck Martinez. You guys like Don Mattingly,Bob Brenly ,Tommy Lasorda ,Davey Johnson and Gary Carter. The one I think would be the best would be Tommy Lasorda seeing he still has ton of fire in him and could sucker in a lot of the players in who said they wouldn't play for Team USA like Oh did for Team Japen. For filling up the roster maybe try get some top prospects like Matt Wieters ,Travis Snider, Austin Jackson and Matt LaPorta to play along side the MLB players and maybe top college players like Stephen Strasburg or players form Independent teams on team USA.
Team USA will face up hill battle

Every team had key star players missing. Also, the eventual champion Japanese team only had two major leaguers (Ichiro and Akinori Otsuka) on their roster.

[SamtheBravesFan]

Every team had key star players missing. Also, the eventual champion Japanese team only had two major leaguers (Ichiro and Akinori Otsuka) on their roster.

But the fact is that they had a lot of their top players, HWR.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

But the fact is that they had a lot of their top players, HWR.

And so did Team USA in '06. Japan had several of their best players not play in '06 and they still won.

[SamtheBravesFan]

And so did Team USA in '06. Japan had several of their best players not play in '06 and they still won.

True. If they were the same amount of preparedness, which is minimal, then anyone has a shot at it, I guess.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

True. If they were the same amount of preparedness, which is minimal, then anyone has a shot at it, I guess.

Bingo! That's why Team USA did poorly. They spent literally one week to prepare and played one practice game against the San Francisco Giants. Is that anyway to prepare for a major international competition? The Japanese team I think spent 3-4 weeks preparing for the WBC. And it showed.

[dominik]

The USA can win if they prepare.
It's the same as with basketball. They played with minimum preparation and get their ass handed. Ten years ago they could afford this, but the rest of the world has closed the gap.

This year the US Basketball team worked their asses of for months and managed to win the olympics. The same is true for baseball, they need to be in top shape(also mental and tactical) to pull it of.

[DownUnderDodger]

Bingo! That's why Team USA did poorly. They spent literally one week to prepare and played one practice game against the San Francisco Giants. Is that anyway to prepare for a major international competition? The Japanese team I think spent 3-4 weeks preparing for the WBC. And it showed.

Could not agree more....given the best of the best players and the right preparation it will take a very good team to beat USA in '09. It now remains to be seen if Team USA will get the necessary opportunity.

[bhss89]

Bingo! That's why Team USA did poorly. They spent literally one week to prepare and played one practice game against the San Francisco Giants. Is that anyway to prepare for a major international competition? The Japanese team I think spent 3-4 weeks preparing for the WBC. And it showed.

True dat - I'm sure many on here have read You Gotta Have Wa or The Meaning of Ichiro that both chronicle the Japanese commitment to training, and training the right way. The Japanese certainly know how to train for a baseball tournament, and they won't lose due to a lack of preparation. Ditto that for Cuba and Korea. It's kinda like the "Redeem Team" this past summer at the Olympic basketball tournament: When USA baseball decides to take the WBC seriously, they'll have a serious opportunity to win the tournament.

[dominik]

You must consider the japanese culture. In Japan discipline is the first priority and if you loose you are a shame for your country. Failure is not accepted, there where many cases in Japan where people commited suicide when loosing the job or failing at school, because they think they bring shame to their family. Your main focus there is to fullfill your role in the society.

Of course the US is a whole different thing. In western countries the focus lies on the individuum and self fulfillment and having fun. It's more self centered. You can't explain to Manny Ramirez(use it as an extreme example for the self centered western culture) to train in his free time for a tournament where he is not even paid much.

With Ichiro for example it's a whole different thing. If he's asked to do it he won't even think about not doing this because it's a question of honour. He was drilled to think that way since he was a young child.

A person like Manny ramirez would not be accepted in japan.

[DownUnderDodger]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/sp...1&ref=baseball
Is the the start of many who will decline the invitation. I can understand Sabathia's point, and presume that Burnett is thinking along the same lines....having just signed large contracts with the Yanks.....or is it because of pressure from Steinbrenner?

[Honus Wagner Rules]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/19/sp...1&ref=baseball
Is the the start of many who will decline the invitation. I can understand Sabathia's point, and presume that Burnett is thinking along the same lines....having just signed large contracts with the Yanks.....or is it because of pressure from Steinbrenner?

Every national team will have missing star players. Shoot, in 2006 only two Japanese major leaguers were on the Japanese national team. Tim Lincecum announced months ago he will not pitch in the WBC this time around. And, yes, The Yankees put pressure on their players not to play in the WBC.

[Americanoutlaw2.0]

Roster so far

Starting Pitchers
John Lackey

Catcher
Brian McCann

2B
Dustin Pedroia

SS
Derek Jeter
Jimmy Rollins

3B-
Chipper Jones

OF
Ryan Braun
Grady Sizemore

CL-
Joe Nathan

So far it look hell way better than last wbc roster ever with howard

[SamtheBravesFan]

Hey, AmericanOutlaw, is Davey Johnson better than Buck Martinez? Is he the crucial thing Team USA needs?

As it stands right now, Team USA is going to do essentially the same thing they did in the last WBC: gather during spring training and play a few warm-up games (three this time) before the tournament. It's possible that Team USA could be in the same fix as they were in the previous tourney.

[Americanoutlaw2.0]

Hey, AmericanOutlaw, is Davey Johnson better than Buck Martinez? Is he the crucial thing Team USA needs?

As it stands right now, Team USA is going to do essentially the same thing they did in the last WBC: gather during spring training and play a few warm-up games (three this time) before the tournament. It's possible that Team USA could be in the same fix as they were in the previous tourney.

Davey Johnson is better than Buck but one of biggest thing diffent than last wbc is taking on 3 teams (Yankees,Blue Jays and the Phillies) for warm up than just taking on one team like the giants

[The Fonz]

Davey Johnson is better than Buck but one of biggest thing diffent than last wbc is taking on 3 teams (Yankees,Blue Jays and the Phillies) for warm up than just taking on one team like the giants

so how weird will it be for Jeter to play against the yankees? haha. Anyway, with teh confirmed roster so far, i keep hearing Wright is going to be on the team..is that for fact? when do they announce the full roster?

[Paul Wendt]

I am wondering if Team USA was given the right tools last time with a lot of managers seemingly against their star players playing in the tournament. If the team had the full support of all MLB clubs and every top player was made available to play the selection of manager would probably not be such an issue, as the all star team that could be selected could almost manage themselves.

MLB has no recently retired legendary American manager who might be able to make a difference. If this all happened twenty years ago, and Earl Weaver cared, maybe he could have attracted some players. Yet "the Oriole way" relied on good fundamentals; he might have rejected any call to lead a team that would not practice together, and a pitching staff likely to play Detroit Tigers, 2006 .