World baseball classic

Here we go. The boys of summer, on a world wide scale, are at play.
I can't help pulling for Cuba (as Bush tried to shut them out).

Panama!!!

Well, Japan and Korea have already clinched their advance into Round 2, sending China and Taipei packing. Both of Japan's games ended early thanks to the mercy rule. The final game of the round will be interesting to see where the two stand against each other, but you have to like Japan to go really deep in this tournament.

Group B should see USA and Mexico go through, IMHO. I like Venezuela and the Dominican Republic in Group D. Group C I just can't figure out who should be favored. I'll take Cuba and Puerto Rico up front, but this looks like a much more even-matched group.

I'd love to see it come down to a Japan-Venezuela final.

Japan/Korea
U.S./Canada
Cuba/Puerta Rico
Ven/Dominican Rep:

I would like to see a Cuba-Dom Rep final or Japan vs Cuba.

Korea upsets Japan

Wow, that certainly qualifies as an upset I would think. These two teams will play again on 15 March. Interesting that, as the first seed out of Pool A, Korea will now play an extra exhibition game when they get to the U.S.
Exhibition Schedule

Yanks send apologies to fans?

Steinbrenner is unbelievable. It's no wonder why people hate the Yankers. That said, I think it's worse that a bunch of Spring Training groupies are b*tching so much about certain players not being in camp that the Yankers had to put up the sign to begin with!

If the US baseball league play for the world series, what title does the winner of this receive?

@JJ, You really ought to be a Bosox fan!

@PES: You know, Boston has always been my favorite "out-of-town" team when the Chicago teams were eliminated. Definitely was happy for them in 2004. Then 2005 rolled around and I met way too many BoSox fans who rooted against the ChiSox in the Series just cause we knocked them out of the playoffs. Win one championship in over 80 years and all sympathy for teams in similar situations goes right out the window. I'll be rooting for Baltimore in that division this year.

Now back to the tournament at hand...

US over Mexico 2:0
Canada over South Africa 11-8

Puerto Rico over Panama 2:1

Italy (full of US players) over Australia 10-0 (finished after seven innings).

Dominican Republic over Venezuela 11-5

This is going to be a tight game!

Play by play here...

Heating up...

extra innings...

Cuba won 8-6 in 11
And this I do not appreciate one bit :
Canada over the US 8 to 6

Mexico beat South Africa: 10-4
Venezuela too much for Italy: 6-0

Kind of you Canuks not to gloat. Or do you know what baseball is?

Hey now. The canucks deserve to win this one.

It's hard to believe Canada was up 8-0 at one point against the US Dream Team. And they still hung on to win...not bad.

tough for Italy...

Now that is better...

Sorry Panama!

Back on the ball!

very bad performance. It should have been better though. Next time.

Cuba looses

Round two...

Hmmm...let me compare the round 2 teams with Post #3.

Exxxx-cellent.

Cuba over Venezuela 7-2
USA downed Japan 4-3
Puerto Rico topped the Domican Republic 7-1

Was Japan robbed??

Cuba struggling against the Dominican Republic. Down 7-1 in the 8th. If Venezuela can beat Puerto Rico, then this pool is completely up for grabs.

Ask the judge, but yeah they got "hosed"

Cuba was shot down by the Domincans: 3-7
Ven. was blanked by P.R. 0-6
And the USA eat humble pie baked by Korea: 1-7

Dominican Republic sends Venezuela packing, 2-1
Japan bounces back against Mexico, 6-1

DR goes to the semi-finals. Venezuela is done. Mexico all but eliminated.

Cuba vs Puerto Rico today for a spot in the semis. Also huge rematch in Korea vs. Japan. Must win for the Japanese.

U.S. Baseball Team Could Be Eliminated

USA breathes a sigh of re-Lee-f as Korea wins
Door is left opened...

Cuba is in the next round with a 4-3 win over Puerto Rico.

I'm really not expecting nor even really rooting for the US team to win this tournament. I think it would have been much more interesting to have Japan, Korea, Cuba and DR in final round. Don't think that will happen though.

Go Rocket! (and then join Boston for your last year!)
Clemens gets the ball one more time -- maybe for the last time

So we can hardly call the World Series the Worlds Series anymore... Hoiw about the U.S. Series? Or North American Series?

Mexico knocks Team USA out of Classic or CNNSI: Adios, Team USA!, Clemens absorbs loss as Mexico throws three-hitter
Cuba moves on!!!

So today it's Cuba vs. Dominican Republic and Japan vs. Korea, with the winners playing for the championship on Monday.

I guess I see why they set it up this way, but I think it would have been far more interesting to see more Asia vs. Latin America matchups prior to the championship game. Hopefully they'll mix the round 2 matchups better the next time they do this...assuming anyone in the US besides Bud Selig is even interested in doing this again.

I look for a Cuba vs. Korea final, with Cuba winning in 10, 3-2...

I think the Dominicans will beat Cuba with Bartolo Colon. You have to like Korea to beat Japan for the 3rd time this tournament, but that's always a tough thing to pull off.

I'll go with DR vs Korea, with Korea winning the final 4-2.

Clemens lost to the Mexicans and you think Bartolo can down the Cubans? Jake, I'll bet ya a beer he can't?

It's a 50-50 proposition for me...if DR was trotting out someone else then I'd probably pick Cuba straight away. Regardless, I'll stick by it. One beer now on the line!

To be settled in the Arc at the FF draft in August! If my memory serves me well (otherwise I will take your word).

@PES - Well, I owe you a beer. Cuba advances 3-1, although Colon did throw 6 shutout innings before the DR bullpen collapsed.

Korea is also gone: shut out by Japan 6-0
So I take Cuba over Japan 4-2

That was a Mass wasn't it Jake?