Two Different Takes on the World Baseball Classic

[OFFNY]

o

 

I believe that this is Orioles-related, since the WBC always has at least 1 or 2 Orioles players involved in it.

If not, please move it to the MLB section.

 

 

World Baseball Classic Needs Serious Committment - - - or Just get Rid of It

(By Buster Olney)

http://www.espn.com/blog/buster-olney/insider/post/_/id/16344/world-baseball-classic-needs-serious-commitment-or-just-get-rid-of-it

 

 

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Bring on the Drama! USA vs. Puerto Rico Makes for Exciting WBC Final

(By David Schoenfield)

http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/78202/bring-on-the-drama-usa-vs-puerto-rico-makes-for-exciting-wbc-final

 

o

[incubus]

I'm enjoying it. I've watched more games than in years past. I've been following Manny and AJ for the most part. If there weren't any Orioles playing, I not care so much. I think they should make sure at least a few players from each team play to keep interest.

[25 Nuggets]

Haven't been watching every game but I am definitely tuned in tonight.

Still a good amount of empty seats but at least the stadium is mostly filled.

[mdbdotcom]

Glad the O's will soon have Machado, Jones, Castillo, Schoop, and Givens back for what's left of spring training, and very glad they are all healthy. Was surprised Castillo caught an 11-inning game. Shouldn't be allowed.

[Can_of_corn]

1 hour ago, mdbdotcom said:

Glad the O's will soon have Machado, Jones, Castillo, Schoop, and Givens back for what's left of spring training, and very glad they are all healthy. Was surprised Castillo caught an 11-inning game. Shouldn't be allowed.

How many innings do you think Molina caught?

Posey and Lucroy caught four games each.

[mdbdotcom]

Just now, Can_of_corn said:

How many innings do you think Molina caught?

Posey and Lucroy caught four games each.

The fact that they are all overused doesn't make it right that one is overused.

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, mdbdotcom said:

The fact that they are all overused doesn't make it right that one is overused.

Huh?  You quote me saying the team USA split the workload in half and then state they are all overused?

How many catchers did you want them to carry?

[OrioleMagic79]

I'm sorry, but I am not buying the "it's not interesting if the USA doesn't get its best players" crap ... the US team had all stars all up and down its roster and beat 4, maybe 5, teams that were so loaded it made your jaw drop just looking at the lineup.

If you look up and down this roster, it is full of superstars ... it's ridiculous to me that people think you need to have Kershaw and Trout on the roster or it's a sham ...

[Frobby]

It seems to me there was far more interest this year among US fans than in past WBC's.     Maybe it's just because I was paying more attention due to all the Orioles who were involved, including several who had high-profile moments.     

[jtschrei]

Absolutely loved the WBC this year. I wonder if it's because the US did well. I think it was slightly politicized by Chris Archer, which also drew me in. I'm just stating something that was true for me, not everyone. And maybe it's also some sort of patriotism because I love when the US wins anything. I do indeed love a winner.

I thought Leland and Torre but put together our team really well. I loved the mix of defense and power, along with a focus on tough, unknown relievers. Plus, they brought in "chemistry guys" like Jones and Hosmer. Say what you want about Jones (he strikes out too much, gets himself out, blah, blah). The guy plays the game hard. He wants to win badly. And he's a great team-mate. The US team seemed like a bunch of guys who genuinely liked each other. Winning certainly helps that.  

[VeveJones007]

5 minutes ago, dan-O said:

Not saying it is, I'm saying other players have been equal or worse. And it makes no sense to single out Adam Jones in a tiny sample spread arbitrarily over the course of 5 years. 

I can pick 63 plate appearances during the regular season for anybody on the Orioles and come up with worse numbers. It's meaningless. 100% meaningless.

"Meaningless" depends on the context.

1) Adam OPSing .413 did hurt the Orioles chances to win the games in which he accumulated those 63 plate appearances. His performance had a meaningful impact on those games.

2) Looking forward, his .413 OPS is not predictive of how he will perform in future postseason games. Thus, it's meaningless when trying to predict future performance. 

[VeveJones007]

4 minutes ago, dan-O said:

And what was Davis' OPS? Hardy's? Wieters? Markakis? Pearce? Trumbo? 

It doesn't matter. Hitting is an individual skill and an OPS of .413 is bad in 63 plate appearances.

You're arguing the wrong line of this one. Just stick with, "it doesn't matter than Jones OPS'd .413 in those 63 plate appearances because his line will average out with a larger sample size."

[ChrisP]

I enjoyed this WBC , but I also paid more attention than the past due to the number of Orioles participating. My biggest complaint is the 9pm ET start times for the final games. I can't make it past the 3rd inning because I need to be functional at work the next day.

[Ripken]

It's fun but it's the NIT to me.  When the US pitching staff doesn't have guys like Kershaw, Scherzer, Verlander, Britton, and bunch more, it's not our best team.

[PaulFolk]

26 minutes ago, Ripken said:

It's fun but it's the NIT to me.  When the US pitching staff doesn't have guys like Kershaw, Scherzer, Verlander, Britton, and bunch more, it's not our best team.

It's still a pretty damn good team regardless. The WBC certainly wasn't lacking in star power.

I'm a big fan of the WBC. It's a welcome distraction from slogging through 30+ meaningless spring training games. I'd want the WBC to happen every year if it could.