2013 World Baseball Classic

[wbcno1fan]

But the FIFA didn't let England hold the WC three times in a row and let English referees in England's games just because England claims it invented the sport. (I think England bailed out the first couple of times, but anyway...)

No matter how the FIFA is accused of corruption, they bear the duty of being fair to every country, at least on the surface, whereas the MLB is ultimately a private company. The WBC will not turn into the FIFA's World Cup ever.

Ever is a pretty strong word,but it will be an uphill battle for the WBC,first they have to globalise like soccer is,and even then the odds are stocked up against them.

[Mischa]

Well, Israel might not be as bad as people thought. They nearly beat Great Britain in the European Championship Qualifier that wrapped up today - true, they did have home field advantage and Britain is a worse team than when they won the Silver Medal in the 2007 Euros (no more Brant Ust, Mike Nickeas), but Britain has been competitive in the Euros. Israel beat Georgia, 11-1, lost to Britain, 8-6, beat Lithuania, 13-2, beat Britain, 7-0 and lost to Britain, 5-2. So overall, they outscored the Brits, 15-13 in three games. And they did it with a fair number of born-and-raised Israelis, not an equivalent of the 2004 Greek Olympic team. OTOH, their depth is deplorable. Shlomo Lipetz had to start the final two games against Britain, both held today, due to the lack of another ace pitcher, and tired after 12 shutout innings. They might not be a total joke in the WBC qualifiers.

For details on the 2011 European Championship Qualifiers, see http://www.baseball-reference.com/bu...fiers#Tel_Aviv

[desslok]

Ever is a pretty strong word,but it will be an uphill battle for the WBC,first they have to globalise like soccer is,and even then the odds are stocked up against them.

Forget external factors for a minute and think of "ever" in this context.

Will the MLB "ever" be comfortable with saying the winner of the World Series is really not the world champion?

[quinnystar27]

I think the WBC is better then the olympics for baseball. One the timing makes it very difficult for MLB to send it's top players. Two the olympics never took baseball seriously and they didnt want to keep it. Even national programs never took it seriously the dominicans, venezuelans and puerto rican never sent their top players for qualifiers.

Also the olympics didnt allow for the best baseball best nations to play. Only two from the americas went usually US and Cuba. So Venzuelan, DR and PR couldnt go.

THE WBC IS BETTER. It sparks a lot more interest and it can work. Once the event generates more revenue it will become one of the top international events. It has a strong market already.

[Paula59]

Well, Israel might not be as bad as people thought. They nearly beat Great Britain in the European Championship Qualifier that wrapped up today ..... but Britain has been competitive in the Euros. Israel beat Georgia, 11-1, lost to Britain, 8-6, beat Lithuania, 13-2, beat Britain, 7-0 and lost to Britain, 5-2. So overall, they outscored the Brits, 15-13 in three games. And they did it with a fair number of born-and-raised Israelis, not an equivalent of the 2004 Greek Olympic team. OTOH, their depth is deplorable. Shlomo Lipetz had to start the final two games against Britain, both held today, due to the lack of another ace pitcher, and tired after 12 shutout innings. They might not be a total joke in the WBC qualifiers.
....

I am sorry I still do believe that Israel does not deserve a spot at the WBC Qualifiers - sure they can field a team out of MLB players who can be competitive at the Main tournament BUT there is no real domestic league, the MLB players with Israel heritage do not give an insight of the level of Israel BB - I believe most of them never ever have been in Israel. From my point of view only teams should have been invited to the Qualifiers that are competitive at their continental championships. Bying a team together -like Israel, GB and others can do- that will be competive at the WBC does not really help the game to establish in those countries.

If you have a look at these ec qualifier you can clearly see that Israel does not deserve to play the WBC Qualifier - even if they can field a team of MLB AllStars. GB with nearly the same team (4 "new" players McQuary, Rosen, Sims, Young) got demoted as 8th ranked team at the EC 2010 and still kind of easily won this tournament. If a team is not even able to beat a EC demoted team in 3 games they should not be invited to the WBC Qualifier - besides that there is no mentionable BB in this country

[wbcno1fan]

Forget external factors for a minute and think of "ever" in this context.

Will the MLB "ever" be comfortable with saying the winner of the World Series is really not the world champion?

I m waiting for the MLB stops referring to the winner of the OCTOBER CLASSIC as ''world champions'', i think that moniker is nothing more than a farce,to be a true WORLD CHAMPION you have do defeat teams from other nations,and by that i don't mean Toronto.As far as i m concerned the true WORLD CHAMPIONS of the world of baseball is JAPAN,the two times WBC WORLD CHAMPION.

[wbcno1fan]

I think the WBC is better then the olympics for baseball. One the timing makes it very difficult for MLB to send it's top players. Two the olympics never took baseball seriously and they didnt want to keep it. Even national programs never took it seriously the dominicans, venezuelans and puerto rican never sent their top players for qualifiers.

Also the olympics didnt allow for the best baseball best nations to play. Only two from the americas went usually US and Cuba. So Venzuelan, DR and PR couldnt go.

THE WBC IS BETTER. It sparks a lot more interest and it can work. Once the event generates more revenue it will become one of the top international events. It has a strong market already.

I agree with you a 100 percent,the olympics were never taken seriously by the national federations,(many times they didn't have the funds to send their players). The WBC is the ultimate international baseball event,and it will continue to grow,and get more prestigious as time goes by;however baseball does need to get back in the olympic programs,their financial support is well needed for the growth of national federations.

[USA101]

Let's settle down a bit. If Selig is still around in five years the WBC isn't going away. This is Selig's last big project, he wants to be remembered as the man who created the greatest baseball tournament and in 30 years hopefully, one of the top 3 tournaments in the world. First, he has to take Puerto Rico out of the draft.

[jalbright]

Forget external factors for a minute and think of "ever" in this context.

Will the MLB "ever" be comfortable with saying the winner of the World Series is really not the world champion?

The World Series could be redefined and I think would be if the money were there for MLB. The problem is getting things to the point where MLB can see the potential profits as worth the slight devaluation of the regular season. Right now, I think it's almost undeniable that the potential gain is nowhere near the risk.

[desslok]

First, he has to take Puerto Rico out of the draft.

I don't know about Selig's personal feelings, but there is a proposal to include the Dominican Republic and Venezuela in the draft. That would help the "World Series" be not bought with money and force young kids in those countries to go to high school.

[SouthwestAmAZins]

I can only speak for the Dominican Republic, they don't have Athletic Programs throughout their school systems. The only organizations that have helped develop talent in the country are MLB's clubs not MLB itself. MLB International does a lot of promotional and instructional work in places where baseball is not as developed. I am opposed to an international draft because it removes the incentives for the clubs to develop players that they may not be able to keep. Puerto Rico's domestic league is dying slowly and there is no relief in sight, because they cannot showcase their young talent to the fans. Canada doesn't even have its own pro league, the Canadian Baseball League failed miserably in 2003. MLB is a U.S. based league with a token Canadian team, they should only be able to draft U.S. players. The Dominican government is also opposed to the International draft and it would not surprise me if they would automatically grant players rights to the domestic clubs and let MLB teams negotiate for those rights like it's done in Mexico. Ultimately, MLB is trying to solve several problems (PEDS, buscones, age tampering, etc) with one solution and the international draft wouldn't necessarily fix it all. They should try to address each issue individually and see how those changes work.

[USA101]

Clubs don't spend money on Puerto Rico anymore cause they can grab players in the draft. It would fix the High School issue in a lot of countrys and the age issue, but for the development of the game certainly not.

[SouthwestAmAZins]

It would fix the High School issue in a lot of countrys and the age issue, but for the development of the game certainly not.

I disagree, how exactly would an International Draft help create scholastic/athletic programs? I attended Private High School in the second largest city of the Dominican Republic and they lacked the resources, expertise or desire to start a simple basketball tournament with three other schools. If a group of private schools weren't organized enough to do it, the public school system has less hope. Many governments are just too corrupt to develop athletic programs on their own. The clubs invest their money and run the operation themselves. Can MLB do more to help develop youth leagues and educate parents and families about the dangers of PEDS? Baseball fans here, are unaware of just how big baseball gambling is in the Dominican Republic; its proliferation would make Starbuck's jealous. The International Draft does not resolve any of those issues. The media is pushing for it, but isn't aware that it does more harm than good. Some clubs are already starting to look for alternatives; Tampa Bay is building an Academy in Brazil and Atlanta has a facility in Spain. If its implemented in the Dominican Republic, then it will be the beginning of the end for baseball there.

[quinnystar27]

I disagree, how exactly would an International Draft help create scholastic/athletic programs? I attended Private High School in the second largest city of the Dominican Republic and they lacked the resources, expertise or desire to start a simple basketball tournament with three other schools. If a group of private schools weren't organized enough to do it, the public school system has less hope. Many governments are just too corrupt to develop athletic programs on their own. The clubs invest their money and run the operation themselves. Can MLB do more to help develop youth leagues and educate parents and families about the dangers of PEDS? Baseball fans here, are unaware of just how big baseball gambling is in the Dominican Republic; its proliferation would make Starbuck's jealous. The International Draft does not resolve any of those issues. The media is pushing for it, but isn't aware that it does more harm than good. Some clubs are already starting to look for alternatives; Tampa Bay is building an Academy in Brazil and Atlanta has a facility in Spain. If its implemented in the Dominican Republic, then it will be the beginning of the end for baseball there.

I agree the draft wont help this problems. The draft is going to be very complicated in international terms. I work here in Venezuela in recruiting and scouting for various sports and there is a lot of corruption. And even when not corrupt things are dont according to law or to the system. International draft dont work in most global sports. They should be avoided.

But if they can make it work i will admit I am wrong but I dont think it will.

[SouthwestAmAZins]

I work here in Venezuela in recruiting and scouting for various sports and there is a lot of corruption. And even when not corrupt things are dont according to law or to the system. International draft dont work in most global sports. They should be avoided.

But if they can make it work i will admit I am wrong but I dont think it will.

I can only imagine a Hugo Chavez speech on the topic being peppered with "imperialistas" all over the place, so I won't ask about how the government feels about it. How do the local Baseball Authorities feel about Venezuela being included in the International Draft?