Showing posts with label wbc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wbc. Show all posts

Saturday, March 28, 2009

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Catching Up On The Mailbag: WBC Reactions

SS

As we leave the WBC behind (good) - some mail came in through a Mets Police posting on Bleacher Report.    Saturday afternoon seemed like a good time to catch up.

Danny Perez writes:

ah yes, american ignorance towards international competition continues. and as most cotinue to live in a bubble they call america, the rest of the world will continue to catch up and pass us in the sport we call ours, baseball, until we can wake up and embrace a true international competition which will only make baseball better in the big picture.

until good ole team USA proves it, we will continue to be second fiddle to the real asian champions. but it's cool, because our good ole boys definatley took it more seriously this time around as opposed to 2006, and will continue to do so until team usa eventually and rightfully wins this tourney.

japan vs korea will not be exciting to many people, especially americans, and it's not their faults! too bad team usa, and venezuela, shit the bed in their last games. usa vs venezela or venezuela vs japan, or team usa vs korea, would have been a more exciting final match for the westerners.

haters will hate, wbc is here to stay..
He's right.  I will hate, and it is here to stay.  

Setay writes:


As much as I'd like to see the WBC catch-on, it has the distinct disadvantage of being a competition between countries. While this is a great concept based on the Olympics and World Cup, when the average American doesn't watch soccer and couldn't name three Olympians or even the leaders of Canada and Mexico, it's not surprising that sporting events focused on foreign countries fall flat on their face. Hell, you can barely get Americans to pay attention to hockey. The answer isn't to make the WBC compete with football (both NFL and NCAA), but teach us geography (is no one else embarrassed that a larger percentage of Japanese can find the US and Canada on a world map than Americans?). 

Profile the countries playing and their teams, nominate of a couple stars (give them Beckham status), or even have them play in smaller cities where marketing would be cheaper and the local population would be thrilled to have the attention and would certainly show. But, simply hoping that people are craving baseball enough at the beginning of March isn't going to work. Their forgetting that baseball is losing popularity in the states in the first place.
As much as I'd like to see the WBC catch-on, it has the distinct disadvantage of being a competition between countries. While this is a great concept based on the Olympics and World Cup, when the average American doesn't watch soccer and couldn't name three Olympians or even the leaders of Canada and Mexico, it's not surprising that sporting events focused on foreign countries fall flat on their face. Hell, you can barely get Americans to pay attention to hockey. The answer isn't to make the WBC compete with football (both NFL and NCAA), but teach us geography (is no one else embarrassed that a larger percentage of Japanese can find the US and Canada on a world map than Americans?). 
Profile the countries playing and their teams, nominate of a couple stars (give them Beckham status), or even have them play in smaller cities where marketing would be cheaper and the local population would be thrilled to have the attention and would certainly show. But, simply hoping that people are craving baseball enough at the beginning of March isn't going to work. Their forgetting that baseball is losing popularity in the states in the first place.
Orange King says:


The World Cup wasn't taken very seriously the first few times out either, for much the same reasons the WBC hasn't been. It does take time to build these things. Right now, I still enjoy it as a fun event, even if it doesn't have as much juice as it should. I've seen enough Spring Training injuries not to worry about players getting hurt in the WBC.

The best part about this post is that I'm not the only person I know who is excited for this game tonight, so I assumed the title was serious. 





www.metspolice.com

Saturday, March 28, 2009

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Omar Minaya Puts WBC Ahead of Mets

From Newsday:

"I just don't believe in denying a player the opportunity to represent his country," Minaya said. "I could never stand in the way of that. That's something that's very special. We're all committed to it. Oliver Perez is the best pitcher in Mexico right now. How can you tell a player, the best pitcher in the country, that he can't participate?"


Like this.

We pay you $36 million dollars to pitch for the Mets.  Not Mexico, not your friend's softball team, not even on the Wii.  Protect that arm.

I wonder if Omar truly believes what he said, or if the Selig mafia got to him.

"We always have to take into consideration what's in the best interest of the game, what's in the best interest of the players. We just can't think about ourselves only. That's just not the right attitude."

I would prefer to have a General Manager who puts the Mets first.

www.metspolice.com

Sunday, March 15, 2009

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A Four Out Save For K-Rod Is Not A Big Deal

SS

,

Everyone relax.

Believe me, I know as well as anyone that it can be hard to fill your blog some days.

A four out save by K-Rod is not a big deal.

22 pitches.

22 pitches is not 140 on a rainy cold day in Chicago (for you older Mets fans who love Doc & Leary).

It's 22 pitches against Kingsale, deCaster & Schoop.

You should be (slightly) more worried about this sentiment from Jose Reyes,  "I need BP. I need to get my timing."


They'll all be OK.   Like Santana and Pelfrey were.  Everyone remain calm.


Root for the Dutch against the USA so we can get more of our guys back to camp.







www.metspolice.com

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

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Batting Third For The Mets, Rob Mackowiak

SS

A cool column... on ESPN by Jayson Stark, observing that Spring Training sucks this year.

Jayson writes:

So I made a list of some of the hitters who have been spotted occupying the middle of the order just this week:

CLEANUP HITTERS -- Jake Fox (Cubs), Jesus Guzman (Giants), Geoff Blum (Astros),Ramon Castro (Mets), Mike Hessman (Tigers) and Nick Evans (Mets).

NO. 3 HITTERS -- Rob Mackowiak (Mets), Micah Hoffpauir (Cubs), Jose Valentin (Mets),Shane Costa (Royals) and Wes Helms (Marlins).

No disrespect to any of those fellows, obviously. But they're not going to be confused with David Wright or Miguel Cabrera, either.





www.metspolice.com

Monday, March 02, 2009

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In Defense of the WBC

SS

An insightful post from The Mets Police message boards from Thomas.

To say that *nobody* cares about this thing is not quite true. As a baseball fan from the UK, I find that the first thing people say when you bring up the sport is 'oh, that's an American thing. Why would you care about that?' It's as if you are betraying cricket or something!

Matt Smith writes for the Baseball GB Blog and summarizes quite well why the WBC is important internationally:
http://www.baseballgb.co.uk/?p=1825
What is good for baseball around the world will in the long run be good for MLB (since all players of any quality gravitate to the States.)

Take the two players signed by the Pirates last year from 
India:
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090220&content_id=3854160&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
With over a billion people, promoting baseball in India could see more new talent make its way to the majors. I think the WBC is integral to that effort, especially now that baseball is no longer an Olympic sport.

I agree that it could be held at a better time than during 
spring training, but that still wouldn't resolve the problems of franchise fans worrying about the potential injuries their players could sustain playing for their country. Nevertheless, I think the benefits of the WBC outway the disadvantages.


I'm not against some sort of international play, but pulling folks out of spring training doesn't make sense to me.

There's probably some solution that uses the champions from the Japan series, and some sort of nationalization from the teams that play in the Caribbean Series - I just don't know how you get "Derek Jeter" to show up some place in January.


It just doesn't seem right to me to play it here at the start of a season.  Maybe November would make more sense.  I'd be up for some Seibu Lions vs Phillies action.

www.metspolice.com

Monday, March 02, 2009

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Fantasy Baseball Examiner: WBC players by MLB team

For those who seek a reference for such things:

Fantasy Baseball Examiner: WBC players by MLB team

I am not excited by the WBC at all.  I'd rather watch the Mets play the Tokyo Giants for no reason.

Monday, March 02, 2009

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Hope You Enjoyed Spring, It Resumes March 23rd

SS

,

Well Spring was fun while it lasted.   No not the snow, the WBC.

15 Mets out of camp.   Fifteen.

No small names.   OverReyes (always good to put him in a show-off environment), Wright, Delgado, and Beltran.

Wondering if Alex Cora can push Castillo?  You'll have to wait.  Cora's out of camp.

Wondering if Jerry can craft a bullpen?  So is Jerry, but he'll have to do it without K-Rod, Putz, Feliciano and Figueroa.

I don't get it.   Nobody cares about this thing, why have it?


www.metspolice.com

Friday, January 23, 2009

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Angels Smarter Than Mets (WBC)

The Angels aren't going to let Vladimir Guerrero play in the WBC because he had an off-season surgery.  This isn't Vlad deciding not to play, the Angels won't let him.   They also aren't going to let  pitcher John Lackey and catcher Mike Napoli play.

Good for them.  The Angels are putting the Angels first.  The Angels aren't worried about MLB's desire to market something in March that nobody wants.

Meanwhile the Mets, who would be crazy to let Santana play (and I don't think they will) are going to head into the spring with Reyes, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, K-Rod and maybe Santana all not in camp.....or as I like to call that list "the whole team."

Spring is a time for team building.   Camaraderie.   Get to know each other.   Try out some lineup combinations. Feel like a unit.

Why jeopardize your season so Team Italy can win a made up tournament?   Good job out of the Angels.



www.metspolice.com