WBC Pools 1 and 2

So, the first round is over. The second round is almost over. The USA, Venezuela, Japan, and Korea are all going to Dodger Stadium for the semifinals then finals. It is single elimination. I'm roting for the USA for sure, although I worry about the injuries. Dustin Pedroia, Ryan Braun, Matt Lindstrom, Chipper Jones, and David Wright have all either been sent home to the MLB team or have been injured for a select amount of time. I think of those guys, David Wright is the most important to this team. Every time he comes up he seems to get a hit. He hit the walkoff to eliminate Puerto Rico and save the US the other night. If there was a guy who I think should be injured instead, I think it would have the be Derek Jeter. He is the backup to Jimmy Rollins and Mark DeRosa could play short if necessary. The US starting pitching has been OK. I don't think Jeremy Guthrie is the best the US could have gotten there, unlike Roy Oswalt. The US lost the seeding game the other night, so they will play the winner of tonight's Korea and Japan matchup. The US won when they had to, and that's all that matters. If you are going to lose a seeding game, it's not to big of a deal. The US got the credit of eliminating two of the 16 WBC teams. They are capable of going all the way, but must be on their game (no more Adam Dunn at first base, please). USA!

WBC

Sorry, I forgot to put Pool D.
Who wants to listen to my confusing graph? Check out the link.
http://web.worldbaseballclassic.com/schedule/brackets.jsp

It's final in Pool C and Pool D. As you'll see in the link, the Netherlands will play Venezuela in the game at noon on Saturday. At 7, you'll watch our US play Puerto Rico on the same day. I'm really glad that we don't have to play the Netherlands. They are hot now, came out of nowhere, and are dangerous because nobody knows the guys that they have there. I could only recognize former Cubs 1B Randall Simon, Rick VandenHurk, and Sidney Ponson. Puerto Rico is a big challenge, too, with such guys as Carlos Beltran, Alex Rios, Carlos Delgado, Mike Aviles, Ramon Vasquez, Yadier Molina, Geovany Soto, Alex Cora, and Felipe Lopez. Their pitching includes Javier Vasquez, Jonathan Sanchez, and Ian Snell.
I think the US will beat Puerto Rico and Venezuela will top Netherlands, but the US will lose to Venezuela and be forced to play Netherlands in Game 5. The US will win that one and secure a spot in the semifinals along with Venezuela. Pool D will dissolve. As for what happens next, I see Korea and Cuba making it out of the other side. I shall say no more until later.

World Baseball Classic

I became a sports fan in the summer of 2006. Don't ask me why, I didn't like decide that, it just suddenly became really interesting. The first WBC was in that year, and I wasn't really following yet. This year, though, the WBC is amazing interesting. I watched two action-packed USA victories over Canada then Venezuela despite having the home crowd against them. Adam Dunn and Kevin Youkilis hit 2-run homers as the US snuck away 6-5 over Canada, then blew out a close game against Venezuela the next night. If they hadn't blown it open, Mark DeRosa would have been the hero, hitting a two-run triple to give the US the lead 2-1. They went on to win, 15-6. It was surprising, because Venezuela was looked at as one of the biggest powerhouses in the pool, a strong major league loaded lineup. Their bullpen blew it, though, as the same two as before hit homers again. With their second win in Pool C play, the US clinches going to Pool 2 for the second straight tournament. Their next action will be the Pool C Title Game, which will determine who the US will play from Pool D. Complete WBC coverage:

2 win clinches second round berth, 2 losses means elimination!

Pool A: China, Japan, Korea, and Chinese Taipei at the Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan.

Game 1: Japan 4, China 0. Japan 1-0, China 0-1

Game 2: Korea 9, Chinese Taipei 0. Korea 1-0, Chinese Taipei 0-1.

Game 3: China 4, Chinese Taipei 0. China 1-1, Chinese Taipei 0-2, ELIMINATED

Game 4: Japan 14, Korea 2. Japan 2-0 (pool 1 clinched), Korea 1-1

Game 5: Korea 14, China 0. Korea 2-1 (pool 1 clinched), China 1-2 ELIMINATED

Title Game: Korea 1, Japan 0. Korea plays Pool B runner up, Japan plays Pool B winner.

Pool B: Cuba, South Africa, Mexico, Australia at Foro Sol Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico.

Game 1: Cuba 8, South Africa 1. Cuba 1-0, South Africa 0-1.

Game 2: Australia 17, Mexico 7. Australia 1-0, Mexico 0-1.

Game 3: Mexico vs. South Africa-Mon 3/9 Loser is eliminated

Game 4: Cuba vs. Australia-Tue 3/10 Winner clinches Pool 1 berth against Japan.

Game 5:

Title Game:

Pool C: USA, Canada, Venezuela, Italy at Rogers Centre, Toronto, Canada.

Game 1: USA 6, Canada 5. USA 1-0, Canada 0-1.

Game 2: Venezuela 7, Italy 0. Venezuela 1-0, Italy 0-1.

Game 3: USA 15, Venezuela 6. USA 2-0 (clinches Pool 2 berth), Venezuela 1-1.

Game 4: Italy 6, Canada 2. Italy 1-1, Canada 0-2 ELIMINATED

Game 5:

Title Game:

Is LA still a good fit for Manny Ramirez?

I don't know if anyone besides me has noticed, but Manny is not good for the Los Angeles outfield. Don't get me wrong-Manny is an amazing power hitter and LA wouldn't have made the playoffs without him. But the problem is that they had five outfielders who deserved to start every day in 2008. Those were Andre Ethier, Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Juan Pierre, and Andruw Jones. Jones has gone to the Rangers now, but Pierre, Kemp, and Ethier remain. That is a very good outfield and is enough for the Dodgers. If Manny Ramirez is acquired, that's fantastic, but LA should do the rightful thing in trading one of the outfielders, probably Ethier. It looks now like the Dodgers are the only candidate for Manny after the Giants seem to have pulled back their offers. Unless Manny is acquired, San Francisco is not going to contend in the NL West. If Manny is signed, they are favorites to win it. That's how quickly a run-producer can help in a pitching-dominated division.