Way Way OT: World Baseball Classic

[Sean Miller Fan]

It begins in a couple week and its always bothered me that the Italy team is a bunch of MLB Americans who aren't even Italian citizens but have Italian ancestry. Now, Israel has also has a team full of American MLB and minor league players who are not Israeli citizens.

I mean in soccer, many countries use players who may have never set foot in that country but hold citizenship through a parent. For years, the US team has relied on Germans that hold American citizenship through their military fathers. But at least they have US citizenship.

What the WBC is doing is like having a Cricket World Cup and getting a bunch of Brits to represent USA because they had a grandparent or great grandparent born in the USA.

I also think its stupid they play this thing in the beginning of the season when pitchers can only throw a few innings instead of after the World Series when risking injury isnt as much of a concern because you have 3 months to recover.

 

[KennyTheKangaroo]

Most normal people would realize that baseball really isn't much of an international game. Most normal people would realize that places like Italy, the Netherlands, and Israel wouldn't be able to field competitive teams unless they made special exceptions. Most people would recognize that the world baseball classic is just kind of a fun thing and that it shouldn't be compared to legitimate worldwide competitions like the world cup or the Olympics.

it is just a silly tournament for a sport that doesn't have other noteworthy international tournaments. don't worry about it

 

[Swervin27]

It begins in a couple week and its always bothered me that the Italy team is a bunch of MLB Americans who aren't even Italian citizens but have Italian ancestry. Now, Israel has also has a team full of American MLB and minor league players who are not Israeli citizens.

I mean in soccer, many countries use players who may have never set foot in that country but hold citizenship through a parent. For years, the US team has relied on Germans that hold American citizenship through their military fathers. But at least they have US citizenship.

What the WBC is doing is like having a Cricket World Cup and getting a bunch of Brits to represent USA because they had a grandparent or great grandparent born in the USA.

I also think its stupid they play this thing in the beginning of the season when pitchers can only throw a few innings instead of after the World Series when risking injury isnt as much of a concern because you have 3 months to recover.

dude, it's Italy. if they don't dip into the US players, they wont be able to field a team.. Hey SMF, let me introduce you to the US Ping Pong Olympic team.

 

[Pitt79]

Same thing in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Orioles owner Peter Angelos who is of Greek decent searched the minors and the few major leaguers of Greek descent to make up a team for them, Greece didn't even have a single baseball field before that tournament let alone a player.

But for this world cup, it's stupid to make up teams, baseball isn't that worldwide, but you can get enough legit teams between Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Canada that you don't really need to invent fake teams from Europe, although I think Netherlands could field a legit team, between them and their former colonies Aruba and Curacao.

USA
Mexico
Dominican Republic
Cuba
Puerto Rico
Canada
Venezuela
Panama
Netherlands
Japan
China
S.Korea

There's your legit World Cup right there.

 

[Panther Holla]

WBC is a harmless pickup tourney with very little downside.... until Italy's Cervelli hits a fly ball to the gap, Dominica's Polanco and Marte coverge, collide, rip up their knees, the ball pops loose and Cervelli sprains an ankle sliding into third. End of Pirates' season.

Other than that, no worries!

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Most normal people would realize that baseball really isn't much of an international game. Most normal people would realize that places like Italy, the Netherlands, and Israel wouldn't be able to field competitive teams unless they made special exceptions. Most people would recognize that the world baseball classic is just kind of a fun thing and that it shouldn't be compared to legitimate worldwide competitions like the world cup or the Olympics.

it is just a silly tournament for a sport that doesn't have other noteworthy international tournaments. don't worry about it

Then don't have a 16 team tournament. Obviously, European teams would not be competitive enough without Americans but then they dont need to be in it. I doubt our friends in Italy are going to tune in to watch their Italian national team play in this thing anyway.

To me, it kind of defeats the purpose. Maybe they should have a WBC of true national teams and also have an "ancestor tournament." But its just silly to have national teams playing against other American teams who just call themselves another country. I mean the USA has 3 teams in this thing. But 1 is called Italy and 1 is called Israel. Its just stupid, thats all.

 

[Pitt79]

It's all for the money, to artificially draw Italian and Jewish viewers to the TV. They can sell rights to those countries because there's a team named after said countries. and maybe ISPN or ISPN2 will broadcast it there and get a 0.1 rating going up against Juventus vs. AC Milan soccer.

 

[TempleBAPittMPA]

dude, it's Italy. if they don't dip into the US players, they wont be able to field a team.. Hey SMF, let me introduce you to the US Ping Pong Olympic team.

What, are you suggesting that they don't look American?

By the way, the sport is properly called table tennis.

 

[Swervin27]

What, are you suggesting that they don't look American?

By the way, the sport is properly called table tennis.

just saying that sometimes, to field a competitive team, you need to stretch the rules a bit on ancestry/citizenship for eligibility. Good call on table tennis, my bad.

 

[Panther Holla]

Native Americans underrepresented and not pleased.

 

[Pittx9]

Piazza and others played on Italy. They are Italian citizens. Literally all you have to do is go get dual citizenship, which anyone can do if you can prove you have any ancestry from that country. It's definitely odd, but technically they're dual citizens, which is a citizen as far as they're concerned.