Team USA’s run in the World Baseball Classic came to an end last night, as they lost to Japan in the semi-finals.  The Americans fatal flaw, that their pitching just wasn’t as far along as the rest of the top countries in the tourney, was ultimately the reason for their ouster.  Manager Davey Johnson was his usual, terrible self, but ultimately the credit should be given to the Japanese.  They pitched very well and put together some great at bats on their way to victory.  The truth is that the United States probably made it as far as they could in the tournament.  Japan is a superior team and deserves to be in the finals.  Their win over the US was not an upset.  Team USA probably could not beat Korea either.  The two best teams are in the finals, and from that perspective the WBC was a success.  From the perspective of a Team USA fan, it was frustrating.  I will come back later in the week with a final review of the WBC, but for now here are my thoughts on last night’s game.

• Let’s get the Davey Johnson bashing out of the way up front.  As I have said before, any success the US had was in spite of him, not because of him.  Of course, he played Jimmy Rollins at DH and Derek Jeter at SS in an elimination game, which is beyond stupid, but I’ve written about that ad nauseum.  But then, he took things a step further by inexplicably playing Mark DeRosa at 1B, a position he has never started at in the major leagues, and Adam Dunn in RF.  Now Adam Dunn is never in any lineup because of his defense, and he actually has played decently enough in RF in this tournament.  But Dunn actually plays some 1B, and in fact may actually be playing first full time for the Nats this season.  Meanwhile, DeRosa is an above average rightfielder and played there quite a bit last season for the Cubs.  Yet for some reason Davey Johnson insisted on putting the worst defensive team possible on the field for a game to determine who goes to the finals.  Unacceptable.  Listen, a good rule of thumb is that if your firstbaseman has to get a glove FedExed to him before the game by the real firstbaseman of his major league team, maybe you want to look somewhere else.  If Davey Johnson is the manager of Team USA in 2013, I will think long and hard about whether or not I will follow the tournament.
• I’m actually willing to give Johnson some credit for using Roy Oswalt to start the game over Jake Peavy.  Oswalt is clearly further along than Peavy and gave Team USA the best chance to win.  Of course, Johnson let Oswalt get his brains beat in by Japan in the 4th, instead of turning to, say, Ted Lilly, a lefthander who could have gone multiple innings against a Japanese lineup featuring 7 left handed hitters.  The lefthanders out of the US bullpen pitched 3.1 innings of shutout ball and kept it close enough for a potential rally.  But when Johnson had no more lefties (well, except for Lilly) to go to, Japan pulled away against our righty relievers.  Shouldn’t this have been an all-hands-on-deck game?  This just feels like a giant middle finger to US fans.
• It was an interesting move by Japan to bring the infield in with a runner on third and one out in the 8th inning of a 6-4 game.  I can’t actually think of a good reason why they would do this.  However, they were bailed out once again by Davey Johnson, who decided to pinch hit Evan Longoria, a right handed hitter who had just flown in from spring training as an injury replacement, for Curtis Granderson, a lefty.  There was a stiff wind knocking down everything hit to left field, so what was the point of bringing in a righty?  Wouldn’t Granderson or Shane Victorino have had a better chance of hitting a fly ball to right, or hitting a ground ball to the right side that got through a drawn in infield?  And then by taking Granderson out you lose your best defensive outfielder in what was at the time a close game.
• It was also interesting to me that the Japanese 2-5 hitters were all Japanese league professionals, as opposed to playing in the American major leagues.  I don’t know anything about these players, but I’d love to hear from someone familiar with Japanese baseball about what kind of players these guys are.  Are they better than guys like Fukudome and Johjima?  Are there a lot of Japanese professionals who are good enough to play over here but choose to stay in Japan?  I’m curious as to how Japanese baseball compares to American baseball in general.  From what I saw in this tournament, the quality of baseball being played in Japan (and Korea, for that matter) is very high.
• Finally, it was nice to see a decent amount of American fans in Dodger Stadium, as opposed to almost no one showing up in South Florida.  It’s too bad USA baseball chooses to jerk around what loyal fans they have by treating these games like exhibitions when all of the other countries are clearly playing to win.

I’m not a journalist and I have no aspirations to be.  But tonight I learned a lesson about not writing the story before it happens.  The story I thought I was going to write was a retrospective on what I liked and didn’t like about the WBC, what the United States needs to change in order to be more competitive in 2013 (obviously I assumed we would lose tonight), and why Davey Johnson is deliberately antagonizing me.  And then David Wright plopped a bases loaded hit into right field to cap a 2-run rally in the bottom of the ninth, followed by Team USA pouring from the dugout to celebrate.  With that everything changed.  To quote some old movie, “Just when I thought I was out…”, well, you know the rest.  Here are my thoughts on tonight’s game.

• If the US wins this tournament, it will be in spite of Davey Johnson and not because of him.  I will say this over and over until somebody listens.  Jimmy Rollins needs to be at shortstop in every important game in this tournament.  I understand Derek Jeter needs to get ready for Opening Day too, but he can play short against teams like the Dutch and in the upcoming meaningless game against Venezuela.  I also understand that Jeter is a great player and he deserves to be in the lineup every game too.  He just needs to DH the important ones.  This egregious failure on Johnson’s part cost Team USA two runs today.  In the top of the 6th Alex Rios hit an RBI grounder up the middle on a play that Rollins makes and Jeter could not.  In the top of the 9th Ramon Vazquez hit another grounder up the middle that Rollins at least keeps in front of him and Jeter could not.  Another run scored.  I will not let this issue die.
• In other terrible managing news,  once again Johnson left the starting pitcher in too long (see also: Peavy, Jake), and allowed a spent Ted Lilly to give up a 2-run homer to Delgado in the top of the 4th to tie the game.  So why are Jeremy Guthrie (if you want to go the multiple inning route) John Grabow, Matt Thornton, and JP Howell (if you want to go the lefty on lefty route) on the roster again?  And speaking of lefty on lefty, why would Johnson allow Brian McCann to hit against JC Romero in the 8th with the tying run on base when he had Chris Iannetta on the bench?  I understand the backup catcher issue, but that’s a pretty big spot in the game to just shrug your shoulders and sing Que Sera.  Davey Johnson will be the death of me.
• It was cool to see Ryan Braun on the bench with the team even though he is hurt and won’t play until at least the next round, if at all.  The thing that keeps bringing me back to the WBC is the fact that the players seem to care, even if the manager doesn’t.
• I enjoyed the bit of craftiness by Shane Victorino in the bottom on the 7th, allowing a throw from right field to deflect off of him while he was standing at 2nd base.  The ball kicked away and allowed him to advance to third.  He wasn’t able to score, but its things like that that make me love Shane.  He defines scrappy.  Even the Met-loving teenagers that I coach here in New York don’t dispute that.
• Speaking of the Mets, it was certainly their night in South Florida.  Carlos Beltran robbed Brian McCann of a solo homer that would have given Team USA the lead in the top of the 4th.  This, of course, after Delgado tied it with a 2-run homer in the top of the inning.  Nelson Figueroa, Pedro Feliciano, and JJ Putz all pitched well in relief.  And then there was David Wright winning the game in the ninth.  I would never say this out loud, but from watching Wright play in this tournament, he doesn’t seem like such a bad guy.  Anyway, enjoy it while it lasts Mets fans.  April (and then September) will be here before you know it.
• I’ve enjoyed the new MLB Network so far, but the announcing team of Matt Vasgersian, Harold Reynolds, and Al Leiter doesn’t really work.  And it’s because of Harold Reynolds.  I’m not saying he’s a bad guy, and he doesn’t personally annoy me, but I think that the problem is that he annoys the other two guys that he works with.  I’ve never heard so many awkward silences and unfinished stories in a single broadcast.
• Finally, Chipper Jones is a jackass.  He may have a valid point in his criticism of the WBC format, but his comments about Toronto were unnecessary and kinda just stupid.  He says that Toronto is “no Vegas” and if by that he means that Toronto is not just an over-caffeinated strip mall then I guess he’s right.  Toronto is one of the three best cities in North America and if Chipper couldn’t figure out a way to entertain himself there for a week I don’t know what to tell him.  It’s no wonder the rest of the world hates us when all they hear are the poorly conceived thought abortions from the uncultured rednecks among us.  But then again, I hate Chipper Jones for no apparent reason as well.  I guess what I’m trying to say is that if anyone wants to pay me to take a vacation in Toronto you know where to find me.

Despite Team USA’s embarrassing performance last night against Puerto Rico, the over-matched squad from The Netherlands would need to play a perfect game to beat the Americans and avoid elimination from the World Baseball Classic.  The Dutch were unable to pull off such a feat, losing to Team USA 9-3.  The Netherlands pitchers just weren’t as sharp as they had been in previous upsets of the Dominican Republic, their fielding was sloppy at times, and their hitters just didn’t have the bat speed to catch up to the American pitchers.  The Netherlands hitters did a good job making USA starting pitcher Roy Oswalt work and throw a lot of pitches, and ultimately they may have succeeded in getting him out of the game an inning early but they failed to scratch a run across and once Team USA got into the Dutch bullpen things got out of hand.

After my rant yesterday, it was nice to see manager Davey Johnson manage this game like he actually cared about winning, putting some runners in motion early when it was still a contest.  It remains to be seen whether the US will have the wherewithal to be competitive in their next game against the Venezuela/DR loser.

Congratulations to The Netherlands for putting up such a fight in the WBC and making it further than anyone could have expected.  I caught three of their five games in this tournament and they were by far the most fun team to watch, winning with pitching and defense and finding runs where they could.  I look forward to seeing the progress they make in the next WBC.  Here are my other thoughts on the game:

• I cannot emphasize enough that Jimmy Rollins needs to be in the lineup every game from here on out.  Team USA is much better when he is in there.  Witness his diving double play in the top of the 2nd to keep runs off the board, and his 2 for 4 at the plate with a HR, 3B, and 4 RBI.  He should never, ever be on the bench for this team.  Now that Chipper Jones has been sent home and Derek Jeter can DH, let’s hope that Davey Johnson comes to his senses.
• Brian Roberts had a terrific day for the US, in his first game in the lineup replacing Dustin Pedroia.  He went 3 for 3 and scored 2 runs.  I sort of indirectly criticised him yesterday, but I was more angry about the kid glove treatment the team was getting than Roberts himself.  He’s good, and I like what he brings to the team.  I can’t believe he’s stuck in Baltimore.
• Randall Simon made a terrific diving, rolling catch and sort of heaved the ball home in the bottom of the 5th with Team USA up 6-0.  Simon isn’t the most athletic guy around and the play wasn’t as pretty as it was gritty, but it was a microcosm of how the Dutch played all tourney.  If he doesn’t make that play, The Netherlands probably gets mercy-ruled in this one.
• Adam Dunn hit another HR in this one, and his defense has been better than advertised in this tournament.  He’s made some nice plays out there in right.  I continue to enjoy his work.  I’m not looking forward to seeing him play the Phillies 19 times a year with Washington, not so much because he is a really good player as that I don’t want to see him depressed in a Nats uniform.
• Things got a little heated in the 8th, after Dutch leftfielder Bryan Engelhardt hit Matt Lindstrom’s first pitch into the rightfield seats for a HR.  Lindstrom did not appreciate Engelhardt’s posing and promptly fired his next pitch two feet behind the following hitter.  Several of the Dutch came out of the dugout and did some screaming and posturing, but things didn’t really escalate.  That was fun.  The Netherlands actually seemed fired up after that, but the deficit was too much to overcome at that point.
• Brian McCann played an inning in leftfield for Team USA in the ninth.  I’m sure the Braves were thrilled about that.

So will it it be worth it to watch Team USA in their next game Tuesday night, or will I end up disappointed like I was last night.  I guess there’s only one way to find out, but let’s just say I’m hoping for the best.

I feel foolish.  I got sucked into the World Baseball Classic, and specifically to this United States team, thinking that while this tournament would be played during what is normally spring training for these players, this would somehow be different.  But after watching Team USA get mercy-ruled by Puerto Rico, I’ve learned my lesson.  Team USA is not going to win this thing.  It’s not because the guys on the team don’t care or don’t want to win.  It’s because the powers that be are more worried about guys getting in their reps than putting the best team on the field and trying to win.  And I allowed myself to be captivated.  Screw you Bud Selig.

Puerto Rico, like Venezuela last game, won tonight because they wanted it more than we did.  Their manager managed to win the game, and the players played to win the game.  Our manager managed to let everyone get their work in and our players played in handcuffs.  Let me repeat, I believe that our players want to win and are giving maximum effort.  But when it was clear tonight that Jake Peavy just did not have his best stuff, acting manager Barry Larkin left him in there to get beat around rather than lifting him for Ted Lilly or Jeremy Guthrie because it wasn’t their day to pitch.  Meanwhile, Puerto Rican pitcher Javier Vazquez cruised through 5 innings and when it came time to turn the game over to the bullpen, manager Jose Oquendo played the matchups and pitched the guys he thought gave them the best chance to win.  The same thing happened against Venezuela.  Both Venezuela and PR have a roster full of major leaguers who presumably need to be babied as much as the Americans.  But those teams, along with every other team in the tournament except us, are playing to win.  We, for some reason, make sure all of our pitchers stick to a schedule and continue with the Rollins/Jeter debacle at shortstop.  You know what?  If these guys care about this tournament as much as they say they do, move Rollins or Jeter to 2nd in place of the injured Dustin Pedroia instead of bringing Brian Roberts in to an environment he isn’t used to.  But then again, maybe coming from Orioles spring training, he already is.

Now there’s a decent chance that Team USA can beat The Netherlands tomorrow, and even a chance they could knock off the loser of the Puerto Rico/Venezuela game and advance to the semi-final.  But unless the way they are managed changes, they can’t win.  All the effort in the world can’t make up for a manager that is going through the motions.  And it’s a shame, because for those of us who were desperate for baseball in March and were sucked into this exhibition under false pretenses, all we are going to be left with is disappointment.  How soon is April 5th?

The Venezuelans just seemed like they wanted it more tonight, and behind terrific games by a couple of Blancos (Gregor and Henry) they got it, defeating the US and winning Pool C.  Both teams will advance to round 2, beginning Saturday in Miami.  The bigger question of course, is how the hell is it that this game determines the winner of Pool C?  The US and Venezuela each went 2-1 in pool play, and each won a game against the other.  Call me crazy, but that seems like a tie from where I’m sitting.  Why wouldn’t there be a round robin in each pool where each team plays the others once?  Well anyway, both teams advance to a Round 2 pool with Puerto Rico and The Netherlands.  I looks like Team USA will play Puerto Rico and Venezuela will play the Dutch.  Ultimately I suppose the seeding doesn’t matter, but it’s the little things like this that keep me from completely enjoying the WBC.  On to my thoughts from the game:

• The US lost this game because for some reason they couldn’t get to Victor Zambrano.  They realize that guy is terrible, right?
• Speaking of terrible, I certainly hope Team USA doesn’t get into a situation where Ted Lilly or Jeremy Guthrie have to start a meaningful game.  Neither one of those two looked very good tonight, each catching too much of the plate with too many pitches.
• It was nice of Davy Johnson to take my advice and DH Derek Jeter.  I hope this continues into the next round, but I’m sure it won’t.  Chipper Jones is due back, but he didn’t hit anything in the first round.  By the way, did you see Jeter sell that he got hit by a pitch that replays showed was fouled off in the 7th inning?  It’s the little things like that that earn Jeter the reputation he has around the league.  The guy just wins. (Well, except tonight.)
• The Venezuelan fans sang Happy Birthday to Bobby Abreu during his first at bat.  That was a nice touch.  I thoroughly enjoyed the way the Venezuelans supported their team during the first round.  Can’t say the same for the Americans.  Hopefully that will change in Miami, but I can’t imagine it will.
• If you told me Marco Scutaro was in the WBC and made me bet my life on which country he represented, I absolutely would have guessed Italy.    I mean, Marco Scutaro.  That has to be Italian, right?  Right?  Fine, let’s just move on…
• Finally, this doesn’t have anything to do with USA/Venezuela, but how great was it to watch Jose Reyes and the Dominicans choke against the Netherlands?  Twice.  Actually I don’t have anything against any of the other Dominicans, I just love watching Jose Reyes lose.  Also, If K-Rod is seriously going to celebrate like that when he saves games for the Mets, he and I are going to have problems this year.  So many hatable guys on that Mets team.

Team USA used an 8 run sixth inning to pull away from Venezuela in a game that probably should have been much closer than it was.  As I mentioned yesterday, I was a little concerned about the Americans once we got into the bullpen (and I still am, especially once we play a team that doesn’t have to baby their pitchers like Japan or Cuba), but it turns out that most of the other teams have bullpens that are worse than ours.  This was the case tonight, as Team USA jumped all over the Venezuelans as soon as we got into their relief corps.  I kinda knew it was over as soon as Victor Zambrano got in the game.  Here are my thoughts as Team USA prepares for a meaningless game Wednesday before heading to Miami for Round 2:

• I mentioned yesterday how this tournament would be lots more fun if the pitchers were in midseason form.  I feel even more strongly about that today.  Both Roy Oswalt and Armando Galarraga were gassed by the fourth inning, and pitch counts be damned I would have much rather seen the two pitchers duke it out in an old fashioned 3-2 duel than a 15-6 slop fest.  I like the WBC idea so much that I actually think it would be cool to take 2-3 weeks off  every 4 years during the regular season (like an extended all-star break) and have everyone participate in top form.  It works for hockey with the Olympics, but nobody in baseball will ever go for this.  Eh, C’est la vie.
• Even though the hitters are pissed off about it, I like that the umps have a generous strike zone in these games.  Anything that enhances the possibility of a starter going deeper in the game is okay by me.
• Watching Jimmy Rollins in a different context makes me appreciate him even more.  He had three terrific at bats tonight and is the best defender on the field for Team USA.  He is the most charismatic and likable guy on that team.  Just as with the Phillies, he is the catalyst for the United States.
• That being said, this nonsense with the shortstop position has to stop.  Derek Jeter has looked really good so far and deserves to play too, but let them each play nine innings a game.  Coming out after their third at bat has to be frustrating for both players, and is especially impractical because Rollins is a much better defender than Jeter.  You want Rollins in there late in games.  Hopefully Davy Johnson changes this as the stakes are raised in Round 2.
• With Chipper Jones scuffling a bit (and now possibly injured), why not have Jeter DH?  He deserves to be in the lineup, but Jimmy is the superior defender.  I think our best lineup is this:  Rollins SS, Jeter DH, Youklis 1B, Wright 3B, Dunn RF, Braun LF, McCann C, Victorino CF, Pedroia 2B.  This the is lineup I’d use in the championship game.  Late in the game I’d put Granderson in CF and move Victorino to RF for defense, and possibly replace Braun with DeRosa late as well.  But that’s just me.
• I don’t get to see these guys every day, but I love watching Kevin Youkilis and Adam Dunn.  I’m pretty sure they coined the expression “full of piss and vinegar” for Youkilis.  He always seems to be scowling and muttering curse words under his breath.  I love it.  But what’s up with that facial hair?  It’s a neatly trimmed goatee, but then there is a horrendously long soul patch.  It looks like he lost a bet.
• Dunn, on the other hand, is the exact opposite.  He seems to always be making jokes and keeping everybody loose.  His passion for the game has been questioned at times, but he really seems to be enjoying himself.  I guess I’d lose some of my passion for the game too if I spent almost my entire career in Cincinnati.  I think he’d be great on a good team.  Too bad he just signed up to play in Washington for the next two seasons.  Yikes.
• The US might have played the toughest first two games of anyone in the tournament.  It seems like all the other contenders got at cupcake in one of their first two games.  Canada and Venezuela have legitimately good lineups but will be undone by their pitching.  I’m interested to see their game on Tuesday to see who advances.  Provided, of course, that Canada can get by Italy.  I’m betting they do.
• Though the crowd was not nearly as robust as it was when Canada played, Venezuelan fans traveled respectably well and made the game exciting when the outcome was still in question early.  I think there were four college kids getting drunk and chanting USA! USA!  This is unacceptable.  I don’t know how much tickets cost, but you’re telling me there weren’t people in Western New York with nothing better to do than spend a weekend in Toronto and enjoy some baseball?  Toronto might be the third best city in North America!  Hopefully Team USA will be better supported in Miami for round two, but this is doubtful considering how well Marlins games are attended.  Support our boys South Florida!

See you Wednesday.  Or Tuesday.  Or maybe sooner if something happens with the Phillies.

Alright, so I didn’t watch a single pitch of the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.  I didn’t really have any interest, and Team USA’s poor showing only validated my apathy.  I don’t usually get sucked into something out of pure nationalistic pride.  I’m generally not interested in the Olympics.  I don’t care about the World Cup, etc., etc.  I didn’t really intend to watch much of the WBC this year either.  But there was something about today, a lazy March Saturday in which the high reached 67 degrees and spring felt like it could be here to stay (it isn’t).  And there was something about this time of year, a time when I’m always fired up for baseball to get started but this year more than ever as the Phillies get set to defend their first World Series title of my lifetime.  I was headed outside to just walk around and enjoy the day, but when I looked at a clock that read 1:58 it dawned on me that USA vs Canada was starting in a matter of minutes.  And something, I’m not sure what, made me sit and watch.

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I turned on the TV.  I’m not really sure I was expecting anything.  And you know what?  The baseball is sloppy and the pitching isn’t sharp.  But it didn’t take me long to realize that this World Baseball Classic thing is pretty freaking cool.

At a time of year when we are normally subjected to tedious spring training games to satisfy our baseball fix, the WBC is a welcome event.  The games feel like they have some meaning.  The fans (at least the ones at SkyDome for USA/Canada) are passionate.  The players actually care.  It’s fun to watch.

There are drawbacks to be sure, but I’m not sure of a practical way to fix them.  First, it seems like the tournament should be longer.  Unlike March Madness or the NFL, baseball seems unsatisfying when it’s played in a one game, winner take all format.  I know that pool play is double elimination, but even that doesn’t seem like enough games are played to get a real sense of which team is better.  Second, the pitchers just aren’t ready.  I understand the need for pitch counts and protecting the investments of major league teams, but it was a bit disappointing to see Jake Peavy pitch three innings without throwing a breaking ball or having much command of his fastball.  There were 13 combined walks for the American and Canadian pitchers today, which is enough to kill the momentum of any game no matter how exciting.  Again, there would probably need to be drastic changes made to the WBC format to avoid these problems, and the changes are probably impractical.  But I think that just the fact that I was sitting there watching and wishing for ways it could be better instead of just changing the channel and going outside is enough to keep me hooked.  I appreciating the WBC for what it is.

And what it is is quite exciting.  I watched Team USA defeat Canada today 6-5 in a packed SkyDome where the fans lived and died with every pitch.  It was terrific.  Team USA is fun to watch this year, with enough good guys, glue guys, and role players to make you feel like you’re watching an actual team and not an All-Star game.  Actually, they remind me a little of the Phillies.  So will Team USA make up for it’s poor showing in ‘06 and win the ‘09 WBC?

From a talent and team chemistry standpoint, it certainly looks like Team USA could win the Classic.  The problem, as it is in baseball on any level anywhere, might be with pitching.  Jake Peavy and Roy Oswalt are probably the best 1-2 punch of any team in the tournament, but if they are pitching with a pitch count the burden falls on the bullpen to pick up the slack.  I’m not sure I trust our bullpen.  Joe Nathan, BJ Ryan, and Brian Fuentes were all supposed to pitch for the USA but dropped out for various reasons, leaving us with a pretty shaky relief corps.  I’d say the guys I trust the most are Brad Zeigler, Scott Shields, and Matt Thornton, and that would be a great back end if your starters are going 6-7 innings, but not if they are going 3-4.  JJ Putz is now our closer, coming off an injury plagued ‘08 and an offseason in which he signed with the Mets, automatically making him a choker.  And I saw enough of Joel Hanrahan with the Nats last season to know I don’t really want him on the mound in a big spot either.  LaTroy Hawkins?  JP Howell (and his 7.71 ERA and 2 World Series losses)?  No Thanks.

But there are certainly enough good players on this team to make a run, and I am throwing my support whole-heartedly behind my countrymen.  I’m not sure we will be able to get by a team like Cuba or Japan but it will be fun to watch.  I can’t wait for the regular season to start, but in the meantime the World Baseball Classic is enough to wet my whistle.