World Baseball Classic

The World Baseball Classic started tonight at 5:30 pm. 16 teams (including baseball powerhouses Australia, Italy, South Africa, the Netherlands...oh Canada, too).

Website is here:
http://web.worldbaseballclassic.com

Every game of the tourney will be broadcast on either ESPN Asia or Star Sports...not all of them live...so if you like baseball, you can get ESPN/Star via cable, your local sports bar, or one of the Internet TV sites.

Play ball!

P.S. The first game was China vs. Japan which started at 5:30 pm China time tonight. I'm waiting to watch the broadcast on ESPN at 1:00 am so please don't post the result here until tomorrow morning.

Lots of baseball fans here, huh?

FWIW, Japan beat China 4-0 in the opener but other than a three-run homer by Japan, the game was pretty even.

Then today, China beat "Chinese Taipei". That was their second loss (they lost to Korea) so they're eliminated. Tomorrow at 5:30 pm China plays the loser of tonight's Korea-Japan game (which Japan is currently winning 11-2 in the fifth. So it looks like China-Korea tomorrow at 5:30 pm. If China wins, they advance to the second round in the U.S.

Fun facts: the shortstop for China is Ray Chang who was born and bred in the U.S. and plays minor league ball there. He hit a 3-run homer in today's 4-1 victory. He's eligible (and tried out) for China's team because his father, a cook from Hong Kong who had emigrated to the U.S. He met and married a Shanghai woman who was visiting the U.S. She stayed, they married, moved to Kansas City, opened a restaurant, and had Ray.

The new manager for China's team is Terry Collins. Jim Lefevbre, the ex-Expo, had been their team manager for a long time but his contract was up last December. China's team had been prepping in the U.S. So Collins, the new manager, has never set foot in China. Beating Taiwan in their second game pretty much made him a national hero among the (few) Chinese baseball fans. Or maybe it will make more baseball fans among the "da lu ren".

UPDATE: Japan 13 - Korea 2 ...6th inning. BTW, the WBC has a "mercy rule".

Australia beat the Seattle Mariners in a warm-up game.Don't know how significant that is.

Depends on who Seattle put on the field. They're in Spring Training now so they may not have thrown their A team against them. Still, anytime you can beat a major league team it feels good. Actually, looking at Aussie's roster, about 70% are afiliated with some major league team 6 with big league experience. Pretty impressive and much more brag-worthy than having 2 punters in the NFL.

Two problems for the Aussies: (1) they're in the same pool as Cuba and Mexico andMexico is supposed to be the sleeper in this tourney, and; (2) their uniforms...they're wearing the "green hats". You better hope Australia and China don't meet up in the second round (if they both get there). Everyone in China will be  .

Did you ever play ball, George?

I've had two Aussie teachers here work out with my team and both were surprisingly good. I had thought you guys were only good with your feet and shoulders. These guys could catch, throw, and bat.

Did you ever play ball, George?

I've had two Aussie teachers here work out with my team and both were surprisingly good. I had thought you guys were only good with your feet and shoulders. These guys could catch, throw, and bat.

Australians play cricket.  LOTS of catching, throwing and batting.

I'm in Canada with snow on the ground so feels odd for baseball but I enjoyed the last one in 06 a lot.

Would love to see China beat Korea but it would be a shock. Korea have been training like an army unit for this thing----I can hear the crying all the way from Seoul after Japan stomped them.

A lot of US stars arent there so could be Cuba-Japan again. BTW why does THAT nation call themselves Taipai? To prevent a war?

I had thought you guys were only good with your feet and shoulders. These guys could catch, throw, and bat.

Never played baseball, but everything else worth playing...cricket, football, volleyball, tennis, golf, basketball...stuff like that. Just a normal childhood, like every other kid.

and; (2) their uniforms...they're wearing the "green hats". You better hope Australia and China don't meet up in the second round (if they both get there). Everyone in China will be  .

 

"Green hat". Schnerbs, is a Chinese metaphor for cuckold.

Lots of baseball fans here, huh?

I've tried to get up a fantasy baseball league here for years. It never works; these slack-jawed foreign yokels just don't appreciate the good stuff. I've finally stopped throwing pearls before them.

I love baseball and did play one year with ya 

However, the baseball season is over the summer when I go home and don't have the same time and internet access I do here 

Rename the current World Series "The Fall Classic".

Rename it the "Interleague Championship"

Italy, ITALY!...a team with only 2 of 28 players whose names end in a consonant, defeats Canada 6-2...IN CANADA...to elimnate the Canucks from the tournament. Oh Canada! 

Whattya expect? The plural of Leaf is Leaves! Can't spell, can't play hockey, can't beat Italy!