MLB

[philpritchard]

Shit happens, why even use Trout in the regular season, just save him for the playoffs so he'll be healthy.

I understand the point you're trying to make, but the whole point is that they need players like Trout to make it to the playoffs. You do see an inordinate number of players taking time off once their teams have clinched... and that's exactly why.

[Chris_H_2]

Why in the World Baseball Classic are there teams from both the United States and Puerto Rico?

[MattA75]

Am I the only Red Sox fan thinking Jackie Bradley needs to be the starting left fielder on opening day?

[numbers]

Am I the only Red Sox fan thinking Jackie Bradley needs to be the starting left fielder on opening day?

no you are not

[Norah]

Am I the only Red Sox fan thinking Jackie Bradley needs to be the starting left fielder on opening day?

no you are not

Definitely not.

[numbers]

there is probably no chance of it happening though, moving his free agency up a year is not worth any wins he might bring as far as the Red Sox front office is concerned.

[Norah]

I don't necessarily disagree with that either. It makes sense.

[numbers]

I guess, but I'm kinda sick of a team with the resources of the Red Sox operating like the A's or D-Rays.

[Norah]

Which is why I made that statement so tentatively.

[E.H. Ruddock]

Why in the World Baseball Classic are there teams from both the United States and Puerto Rico?

I wondered this as well.

[MattA75]

there is probably no chance of it happening though, moving his free agency up a year is not worth any wins he might bring as far as the Red Sox front office is concerned.

We worry about him hitting free agency six years from now, but give 2 years to a guy with an achilles injury that apparently hasn't healed in almost a year...

[numbers]

there is probably no chance of it happening though, moving his free agency up a year is not worth any wins he might bring as far as the Red Sox front office is concerned.

We worry about him hitting free agency six years from now, but give 2 years to a guy with an achilles injury that apparently hasn't healed in almost a year...

This Ortiz injury strikes me as one of these things where he'll end up being out until July.

[Norah]

there is probably no chance of it happening though, moving his free agency up a year is not worth any wins he might bring as far as the Red Sox front office is concerned.

We worry about him hitting free agency six years from now, but give 2 years to a guy with an achilles injury that apparently hasn't healed in almost a year...

This Ortiz injury strikes me as one of these things where he'll end up being out until July.

My thoughts too.

[numbers]

there is probably no chance of it happening though, moving his free agency up a year is not worth any wins he might bring as far as the Red Sox front office is concerned.

We worry about him hitting free agency six years from now, but give 2 years to a guy with an achilles injury that apparently hasn't healed in almost a year...

This Ortiz injury strikes me as one of these things where he'll end up being out until July.

My thoughts too.

It reminds me so much of that time Nomar got hurt in Spring Training and they kept saying he'd be back the next week until he finally came back a week before the trading deadline.

[MadTIGERmaN]

another, GREAT GAME in this WBC...

seriously American fans, youre missing out on some great baseball.

[MattA75]

another, GREAT GAME in this WBC...

seriously American fans, youre missing out on some great baseball.

hard to get in the baseball mindset when it seems like where I am we're getting hit with a foot of snow every week

[Norah]

I've been watching and sure there have been some great games but it doesn't matter when you don't give a shit about the outcome.

[MadTIGERmaN]

I've been watching and sure there have been some great games but it doesn't matter when you don't give a shit about the outcome.

a few things on that Cup...
1 - from the post game interviews from Team U.S.? it seems they gave a shit...
Brandon Phillips "do you think we wanna go back to spring training games?"

2 - until the American fans give a shit, and start putting pressure on the best American players... or will the American fans not give a shit until the Best American players go? (chicken an the egg)

3 - I did not hear team Japan ONCE utter the excuse "wed dominate this if we had Ichiro, Aoki, Yu, Kuroda, and are other greats." (the first 3 played a major roll in their win back in 2009)

4 - did you see the look on Team Japans Coach after that botched double no steal? and the look on the player who fucked it up? they cared, they cared ALOT. That has to be one of the worst flights home lol

5 - Who cares that the U.S. is out of it? its still great baseball? most of the D.R. team is major leaguers so its like watching an allstar team? theyll be out for revenge as the Nederlanders eliminated them the last go-round...

6 - the FANS! we need to learn something from the Asian / Caribbean...

[numbers]

I dont have much of a problem with the players that played for the US. First off, they played, which is more than can be said for the first 25 guys that Torre probably asked. They seemed blasé during the first couple games, but appeared to be more emotionally invested as the tournament went on. As for the US fans, you cant make people care about something just because they should. The US team has to give american fans a reason to care, and thus far after 3 of these things they havent. If the US is going to send a C team out there, how can you expect the majority of fans to take this thing seriously? One major issue I have with how that team was put together is their choice of manager. Joe Torre is an awful choice to manage a team like this, he's a guy who likes to take it easy and let things work themselves out. That's fine when you have the most talented team in the major leagues over the course of a 162 game season, but it doesn't work when you have an under talented team that needs to win games immediately. Say what you will, but Bobby Valentine would have been a much better choice. We've got to get to a point where players like Trout, Harper, and Heyward are dying to get into this thing, rather than trying to find excuses to get out of it. I cant tell you how aggravating it was to see Trout sitting in the stands watching a game he should be playing in.

I love the WBC and I'm still watching as much as I was when the US was still in it. I love baseball, and this is good baseball. It's certainly much better baseball than any spring training game is going to offer. I dont necessarily care who wins, but I'm still looking forward to the remaining games as much as ever.

[Fuck You Jobu]

Because this thing has the potential to be like the World Cup or Olympic hockey. It could be something really cool for the fans and the players if it were taken more seriously, specifically by American players.

Not a chance. As long as the tourney is in spring training, and as long as you don't have the best of the best playing (and those that do participate do so for teams that only have a tangential relationship with the players (Anthony Rizzo playing for Italy? Really?)), it will never be as big.

I didnt say as big, just similar. The best of the best not playing is what I'm complaining about, and in soccer players playing for nations of heritage happens all the time. There's like 4 German born german speaking players on the US team right now.

The other problem is that the MLB season already is so long. The last thing that some players want is to prolong an already long season.

Plus, there is the injury aspect. If I'm the owner of the Angels and Trout is playing and breaks his leg, I'm pissed at Bud Selig.

Pretty much this.

Shit happens, why even use Trout in the regular season, just save him for the playoffs so he'll be healthy. I know this thing will never mean near as much as a world series, but I still think it could be something on par with what olympic hockey is if done right. Spring Training is the only time it came be done, teams would never ever sign off on taking a couple weeks off midseason, and players wouldnt be even less inclined than they are now to play in it after the season ended. The other nations, for the most part, take this thing very seriously. I'm not just talking about Japan here either, the Dominican and Venezuela all have players with as much to lose as the American players and do alot better job turning out a team and their players take it much more seriously.

Huh? The regular season actually means something in MLB...