True. It'll be more like the World Club Cup of soccer which is ... well .... a joke. I think you have to start with countries playing each other (like in the WBC) and wait until that is fully established and popular before you even think about international club tournaments.
There is a significant international club competition, the Caribbean Series, with the champions of Venezuela, DR, Mexico, and Puerto Rico competing. It wouldn't make sense to try to have a competition involving MLB teams as well, since those Caribbean leagues are winter leagues that have a good number of MLB players participating already. The only international club competition involving MLB clubs that would make sense would be a series between the World Series champion and the Japan Series champion. But that would only be worthwhile if anybody cared.
Uh, no, you do. I know my baseball history (international and otherwise) very well, thank you. When's the last time MLB players were allowed to play in the Olympics?
The South Koreans and Japan playing a good tight game as expected. 1-1 in the 5th. I hope South Korea wins, they deserve it. Some "small" fixes if this tournament takes place in 2013. -In 2012 a year before the tournament proper, have 16 teams play for the last 8 spots in the 16-game field for the 2013 tournament. This "play-in round" can get national baseball games played at stadiums in smaller countries (Netherlands although I imagine they would have an automatic invitation being in the Top 8, Italy, the Dominican, Taiwan) to try and promote baseball there, and also invite some countries that have been frozen out of the first two editions (Nicaragua, Colombia, Netherlands Antilles, Phillipines et al). I think they're planning on going up to 24 teams regardless. So based on this year's results and what I can determine of international baseball's best non-WBC teams, you could get a regionalized makeup something like this: Pool 1 in Santo Domingo: Dominican Republic, Canada, Honduras, Australia Pool 2 in Bologna: Italy, South Africa, Spain, Britain Pool 3 in Taipei: Taiwan, China, Philippines, Thailand Pool 4 in Panama City: Panama, Colombia, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua -Get rid of the seeding game if keeping the double elimination format. So instead of each pool having six games it'd only have five. This will mean six less games for the 16-team tournament. -Give South Korea some home games. Put Australia in their pool if they get there so that Aussies at home that are interested can watch their national team's games at a decent hour. -Thus, put South Korea and Japan in different pools in the interest of a more balanced draw. I know why they're in the same pool in 2006 and 2009, but just have Japan start play out in L.A. or something instead. -Have a crossover from the first round to the next. In other words, the first place team in Pool A does not go into the same second round pool as the second place team in Pool A, but instead with the second place team in Pool B. I think the reason they didn't do that this time was because you couldn't risk Cuba playing in Miami. -A suggestion to consider Wrigley, Fenway, New Yankee Stadium, or New Shea to play some baseball games there. Yeah, the weather may suck but it just may be worth the risk to get some of the majors' traditional powers to accept the tournament. -Try to work out a "pre-spring training" training regimen for players interested in participating to help alleviate teams' early season development concerns.
I really can't see that happening. Anything north of Atlanta that time of the year is going to need a roof due to the unpredictability of weather in March. It could be 75 in New York, or there could be 6 inches of snow, March is a tricky month. Frankly, when looking at some of the attendance numbers you could probably use AAA stadiums in the opening round. Sacramento has a field that seats 14,680 people and Fresno a stadium that seats 12,500. Perhaps a city like Memphis is far enough south that their 14,320 seat stadium would be appropriate, and Albuquerque has a 12,215 seat stadium.
I would love a potential matchup between the Mets and the Chiba Lotte Marines. Bobby V. vs. the old club would rule.
Congrats to Japan. Tough, tough game and a bitter defeat, but it was a good one. I thought the biggest difference in last night's game was plate discipline. That and you don't pitch to Ichiro with 2 RISP. Ugh. Still, Korea has much to be proud of. DAE HAN MIN GUK!
MLBers have always been allowed to compete in the Olympics. You just haven't even bothered to read the fine print. Its the same tactics that allowed NHL players to go the Olys before Nagano. Besides, your claim tournamnets are only worth it based on a player being in MLB is dumb. What you suggest is the same as a woman choosing her future husband based on the length of his wanker. As we saw with Canada, the Dominicans, and the US, being in MLB accounts for squat in international play. The way the pitching works in the WBC isn't different from the Baseball World Cupor the Olympics. You would need 7 games just to get out of the Round Robin alone. The reason Korea and Japan are able to reach the finals is because their players are experienced in international play. You just showed your own ignorance on the topic of international sport.
The correct answer is never. MLB has never sent players to the Olympics. Some teams let their Minor Leaguers go, but never Major Leaguers. The closest to that I think has ever happened was when a recently-retired Pat Borders played for the 2000 U.S. Olympic team.
To clarify... MLB has never allowed players to go to the olympics. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/aug/14/olympicsbaseball.ussport They wouldn't shut down mid-season and allow players to compete. Of course... I myself speculate that it may have more to do with MLB and the olympic standard of drug testing. The last thing MLB wanted is to have a bunch of superstars kicked off their teams for not passing the olympic drug tests, then coming straight back and playing as if nothing happened... Oh well, we don't have to worry about this in 2012 anyways.
Well done, Japan! I just wish I could have seen the game live... ...or find their merchandise in Toronto.
That's not the reason. The WBC has the same drug-testing standards as the Olympics. Actually the opposite happened. J.C. Romero (Phillies/Puerto Rico) failed an MLB drug test and is about to serve a 50-game suspension, but he was still allowed to play in the WBC because he never failed an international drug test.
I'm getting a laugh out of you calling anyone ignorant. MLB players have never been allowed to play in the Olympics not by the Olympics but by the MLB clubs. Also, your analogy is . . .unique, but not really relevent. A better analogy is if all the clubs who are in the Champions League could keep their players from playing in the World Cup. You'd still have an interesting international tournament, but everyone would know that most of the best players in the world weren't playing in it.
I was answering the question. MLB players have always been allowed to compete in the Olympics as long as they allowed professionals to compete. It's not the IOC's fault that they haven't bothered. The thing is, WBC is a legit tournament, with or without full cooperation from MLB clubs. Yeah, there are kinks to be worked out, but if Americans don't want to take it seriously, that's their problem. The 1938 World Cup isn't any less legitimate because England couldn't be troubled to send a team over, nor is the 1950 World Cup dubious because a jet-lagged English team wasn't fully prepared. And FWIW, the US had more talented players than any other team in the tournament. The problem was the management (and by extension, execution).
Yet by your answer, you state that MLB allows were allowed to compete in the Olympics. Clubs are a far different matter than from a league. Since teams in the World Cup wouldn't be dependent on Champions League players, you would be wrong. You still don't have an understanding of international baseball, mostly due to you being an American. Hence, you make excuses for why the Americans couldn't win the WBC.
Nah. Japan was out for blood. 10 of the players on the WBC roster were part of the Japanese team that lost the Bronze at the 2008 Olympics. Who beat them? The United States.
Huh? Huh? OK, I reckon that English isn't your native language (if it is, you're a terrible communicator), but in any case, I can't rebut you because I don't understand you. You assume that I was making excuses for the US, which is based on the presumption that I wanted the US to win. Never make assumptions, since they make an ass out of, well, you.
Woulda been awesome if Korea (choo shin soo/Tribe the only MLBer) had beaten them in the final then even though we beat them 2wice before.
