WBC

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The World Baseball Classic is has already embarked on it's second effort to capture the attention of all and is about to kick into it the second round of the elimination tournament. The was much fanfare for the first go around of the WBC, but there seems to be less this time around. The players seem to be enjoying the experience as they would normally be sitting through meaningless spring training games right now anyways. At least now they are on a bit of a more competitive stage, and they aren't going from city to city in either Arizona or Florida on buses. On the other hand, many major league baseball organizations are holding their collective breath right now as they hope, wish and pray that these players that they have to pay millions of dollars to do not get hurt while representing their country in this tournament. The idea of the classic is a novel one as the hope is that one day it can reach at least close to the level of popularity worldwide that the World Cup has established in soccer. The classic does help raise the awareness of baseball worldwide as the winning teams have money donated to baseball academies that are run in their home countries. The goal of these academies is to tutor younger children on baseball and to develop their skills to the point that they can possibly have a playing career in MLB someday. The classic can be fun to watch, but to this point most Americans do not look at it as anything more than just an exhibition tournament. The risks for the players involved can be great as well. Can you imagine how the Yankees would feel if Derek Jeter were to have a season ending injury while playing in this tournament? No team wants to say it, but they would rather see the classic go unsuccessful and wiped out at some point. As of right now, it is only held every three years so people are just dealing with the situation when it arises. I personally enjoy seeing competitive baseball at this time of year. At times it is almost like watching an all-star game that matters. Of course this depends on the two countries that are playing, but it is fun nonetheless. I would be disappointed to see it go away.

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