World Baseball Classic 2013

[WhiteSox5187]

Originally Posted by DSpivack

For Konerko, a hitter? Not as much of a ****storm. I hope he plays in it.

I agree, it seems like hitters are less likely to get hurt than pitchers. I also don't mind the injury risk of the WBC. I know I am in the minority but it seems to me if a guy is going to get hurt in March I don't really care if he is wearing a White Sox jersey or the jersey of his native country.

[WhiteSox5187]

You know one of the great things about the WBC is it is so nice to wake up early and turn on a baseball game.

[doublem23]

Originally Posted by amsteel

I hope he does too, for a guy on the backside of his career who already has a ring I would think representing your country would be be pretty cool.

Plus, I'd love to get a Team USA Konerko jersey

[DSpivack]

Originally Posted by doublem23

Plus, I'd love to get a Team USA Konerko jersey

No dice. Eric Hosmer named to the team.

[amsteel]

Originally Posted by DSpivack

No dice. Eric Hosmer named to the team.

Interesting choice, my guess is they want a younger guy with more star potential. Otherwise...I have no clue...why not Fielder or Konerko?

[DSpivack]

Originally Posted by amsteel

Interesting choice, my guess is they want a younger guy with more star potential. Otherwise...I have no clue...why not Fielder or Konerko?

I think I read that Fielder turned them down, or that the Tigers didn't want him to go.

[guillensdisciple]

Just finished watching the Cuba Japan game. All good until the end.

But, just like any game with Cuba- it is soooooo looooooonnngggg. I watched a game between my hometown municipality (Matanzas) against Villa Clara last time it was in Cuba and the game took about 4 hours to finish. Same deal here. Cubans take so long in between pitches.

Either way, I am glad to see that Cuba might be the best team out there.

[KenBerryGrab]

Viva Italia!

[cub killer]

Ok, so the 1st tiebreaker is basically run differential, but it also factors in innings batted and pitched. So winning by slaughter rule will help, and extra innings will hurt.

Korea needed to win by 6 to advance. Don't know if they'd've had the tiebreaker if they won by 5.

But what's interesting is if they would have advanced if they won by 4. Then, they could have let Chinese Taipei tie the game in the 9th, with the hopes of winning by a grand slam in the bottom of the 9th. I wonder if that was the case, if the manager would've been keen to that, and planned accordingly.

We could have had a situation where Korea refused to win the game unless by grand slam. Meaning base runners would hold at third no matter what until the bases were juiced. And if a HR wasn't hit when they were loaded, I guess they'd just stay on their bases, and let the hitter would just retire himself by running to the dugout.

[cub killer]

Go Italy! Makes you wonder how Italy would have fared back in the day with Dimaggio, Berra, Lazzeri...

Abbondanza!! Italy wins by slaughterrule. Wow. Time to celebrate by singing Volare!

[KenBerryGrab]

Or dancing the Tarantella!

[Lip Man 1]

Konerko said he told Torre if he was named to the team at the start he'd be happy to play but he didn't want to participate if named as an injury replacement.

Said he wanted certainty in the spring of what he'd be doing not have to suddenly leave Sox camp because someone got hurt.

Lip

[SI1020]

Originally Posted by cub killer

Go Italy! Makes you wonder how Italy would have fared back in the day with Dimaggio, Berra, Lazzeri...

Abbondanza!! Italy wins by slaughterrule. Wow. Time to celebrate by singing Volare!

Yes let's do it.

[cub killer]

A-Ri's team just defeated Spain 3-0.

If Spain's best athletes (Xavi, Iniesta, etc.) played baseball...

[Foulke You]

Being baseball starved, I watched 3 innings of last night's USA/Mexico tilt and found it a curious choice by Torre to start R.A. Dickey in that game. The light air in Phoenix tends to cause the knuckle ball to flatten out and not dance quite as much. The pitch Adrian Gonzalez blasted out of the park was just sitting on a tee. Not that I'm losing sleep over USA's loss. It was just an observation.