World Baseball Classic
Are you watching this? I played baseball all my life, and honestly I have never enjoyed watching the game from the stands. I loved playing it, but I have never understood how fans can sit through 9 innings everyday. However, I am LOVING every minute of the World Baseball Classic.
Finally, we may see a day soon when there is a true World Series Champion.
Commissioner Bud Selig and others concocted this brilliant idea despite the ridicule of owners not wanting to let their superstars participate . I think the owners now see their selfish and shortsighted view was wrong. Attendance at the games has been high and the TV ratings are better than expected. The future of branding the sport of baseball is extremely bright and profitable.
I would love to be in Puerto Rico watching the games in person. To see Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico going head-to-head has been beautiful to watch on TV. There are no prouder baseball players on the planet than Latino players, and they play the game hard every single day with only one speed - all out. Not only that, but Latino fans have always been the most passionate, loud and demonstrative in the stands. Baseball is their life, no exaggeration.
Imagine you're a pitcher and you've got to face Miguel Tejada, Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, Adrian Beltre and Moises Alou all in a row. That's just not fair to a man standing only 60 feet 6 inches away. That's like saying go beat a team with Lance Armstrong, Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso, Tom Boonen and Alessandro Petacchi all on the same roster. Seriously, those aforementioned Latinos are that good.
So if you've been waiting around to watch games where only the USA team is playing, don't waste your time. USA has been a huge disappointment, but it really shouldn't be a surprise. We are not fielding the best team possible, but all those players who opted out are regretting their decision.
Chipper Jones said it best the other day, "It's the best baseball experience of my life. Period. Bar none. It beats any World Series win, any World Series loss, any All-Star Game." Get it now?
I guarantee you the next time USA is looking to fill the roster they will actually have to say no to some outstanding players because Americans will be lobbying to play. That wasn't the case this time around, what a shame.
The cycling parallel here is the USA Cycling World Championship team has the same problem. Our racer's attitudes are like "whatever", while the rest of the world lines up waiting for their chance to represent their country. Why is that?
Have top Americans become so selfish that they cannot put others ahead of themselves for a greater goal? I don't think it's that everyone else has more pride either, or is it that Americans have too much of it?
Finally, we may see a day soon when there is a true World Series Champion.
Commissioner Bud Selig and others concocted this brilliant idea despite the ridicule of owners not wanting to let their superstars participate . I think the owners now see their selfish and shortsighted view was wrong. Attendance at the games has been high and the TV ratings are better than expected. The future of branding the sport of baseball is extremely bright and profitable.
I would love to be in Puerto Rico watching the games in person. To see Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico going head-to-head has been beautiful to watch on TV. There are no prouder baseball players on the planet than Latino players, and they play the game hard every single day with only one speed - all out. Not only that, but Latino fans have always been the most passionate, loud and demonstrative in the stands. Baseball is their life, no exaggeration.
Imagine you're a pitcher and you've got to face Miguel Tejada, Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, Adrian Beltre and Moises Alou all in a row. That's just not fair to a man standing only 60 feet 6 inches away. That's like saying go beat a team with Lance Armstrong, Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso, Tom Boonen and Alessandro Petacchi all on the same roster. Seriously, those aforementioned Latinos are that good.
So if you've been waiting around to watch games where only the USA team is playing, don't waste your time. USA has been a huge disappointment, but it really shouldn't be a surprise. We are not fielding the best team possible, but all those players who opted out are regretting their decision.
Chipper Jones said it best the other day, "It's the best baseball experience of my life. Period. Bar none. It beats any World Series win, any World Series loss, any All-Star Game." Get it now?
I guarantee you the next time USA is looking to fill the roster they will actually have to say no to some outstanding players because Americans will be lobbying to play. That wasn't the case this time around, what a shame.
The cycling parallel here is the USA Cycling World Championship team has the same problem. Our racer's attitudes are like "whatever", while the rest of the world lines up waiting for their chance to represent their country. Why is that?
Have top Americans become so selfish that they cannot put others ahead of themselves for a greater goal? I don't think it's that everyone else has more pride either, or is it that Americans have too much of it?
posted by NashvilleCyclist.com at 3/14/2006 08:19:00 PM
3 Comments:
"The cycling parallel here is the USA Cycling World Championship team has the same problem. Our racer's attitudes are like "whatever", while the rest of the world lines up waiting for their chance to represent their country. Why is that?
Have top Americans become so selfish that they cannot put others ahead of themselves for a greater goal? I don't think it's that everyone else has more pride either, or is it that Americans have too much of it?"
Huh?
"I played baseball all my life"
Oh, yeah. Never mind.
Selfish pride versus patriotic pride (which is what I should have said initially). So completely wrapped into themselves they can't for once set aside their own agenda and compete for the sake of something bigger than themsevles.
As far as the baseball reference, another "huh" from me.
He's saying parts of what you're saying make no sense and it's probably connected to the fact that you played baseball all your life.
This part makes no sense to me: "I don't think it's that everyone else has more pride either, or is it that Americans have too much of it?"
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