the same folks that were complaining about how useless this was 3 weeks ago are now doing an about face.

Had DW been 0-15 with 7 K’s, it would mean nothing b/c this is spring training time.

But b/c he is hitting HR against guys that would be bat boys and has not gotten hurt, we switch it up.

Red Sox vs Yankee games are like church meetings compared to caracas vs magallanes. Korea vs Japan in 2009′s final was one of the best baseball games of the year.

Koshien in Japan is huge for baseball, Venezuelan and DR baseball leagues are huge. Every international fan as always wondered how good would a all Japan, all cuba, all US team compared against the very best. Now we get to see that answer.

Pitchers are going to get hurt most do. I would rather my pitcher get hurt in the beginning then in the end.

The world baseball classic demonstrates that baseball is a very popular sport worldwide and that it will grow. That way MLB teams get better. Every 4 years is not asking much.

Do you not have pride in your country saying “We are the best baseball playing nation”? Major league baseball is great but often boring. The best times to watch it are in september and october. Whereas the classic has amazing games every week.

Korea vs Taipei was great, brazil almost beating japan and keeping a close game with cuba amazing to watch.

Out of all 150 MLB games how many do you really think wow that is a once in a lifetime game. In the 2009 classic I can recall 8 games were I thought man I was glad to see this.

Spring training is hardly entertaining and to people who would rather watch MLB spring training over the WBC. Just dont understand how good baseball can be and how important it is to the rest of the world.

WBC 2013.

The WBC has strict rules in place I understand to guard against overuse of a pitcher in hopes to protect his arm. Personally I like the idea of players playing for one’s country even with the understanding that there is a risk.

And what happens when other winning teams do it? You are just forfeiting a huge advantage to them.

” If I pay them more than anybody else they’ll go where the money is.”

Is that what you want? A guy chasing the dollar?

I thought you wanted creativity and “outside the box” thinking.

Because what you suggest here is the same old same old. And it is a method that digs some very deep holes.

You’re also assuming you’re the only deep pockets in the room.

The problem with that is the deepest pockets in baseball are also one of the most aggressive on the international market. And their first basemen is playing for team USA.

The reality is, it’s 2013 and the game has been moving i nthis direction for a while now. You can either move forward or get left behind.

They’ll bypass that “trailblazing team” faster than you can say domo arigato.

You aren’t interested in the idea of being able to laugh at things like a luxury tax or payroll limits when going after high end free agents?

You’d rather a team like the Nationals have those advantages?

So even if the Mets said “go ahead Johan,” the WBC would need to insure every dollar on his contract.

If i was a ballclub owner i’d want a stipulation in each contract for any player that signs here that they are forbidden to play in the WBC.

If a long-term injury does occur in WBC play, the player’s MLB club is insured at 100 percent for the salary he earns while on the disabled list.

This was something owners like Steinbrenner fought for. The provision is there because that is the protection the owners sought. So you’re correct, they have rights and they exercised them because they care about the bottom line.

From Jayson Stark:
Players who didn’t play in the WBC in 2009 were nearly twice as likely to spend time on the disabled list that April as players who played — 17.8 percent of non-WBC participants versus 9.5 percent of those who did participate. Only 11 of the 115 players on a WBC roster made a trip to the DL.

There were 73 players on the disabled list when the 2009 season opened. Only two of them were players who were involved in the WBC. Just one (Rick VandenHurk, of Team Netherlands) was a pitcher. The other (Ichiro Suzuki) wasn’t actually “injured.” He was out with an ulcer.

In only two of the past eight seasons has baseball started the season with less than 9 percent of active players on the disabled list. It happened to be the two years in which the WBC took place during spring training — 2006 and 2009. Here’s the year-by-year rundown:

2005: 9.5 pct.
2006: 8.1
2007: 11.7
2008: 12.4
2009: 8.5
2010: 9.9
2011: 11.4
2012: 12.5

And don’t think that doesn’t contribute to success on the field.

The only thing I can see is maybe the travel schedule messing guys up before they are fully back in “game mode”.

Absolutely not.

The money I spend is on this team and if the player gets hurt in Spring Training than it is under our watch and he got hurt as my employee which is entirely different than loaning the employee I pay millions go play a pickup game for free for some organization.

No way. The WBC is a thorn in baseball’s side in my opinion and every owner has every right not to allow any of their PAID employees to go.