Hi 75 / Lo 59
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Hi 75 / Lo 59 |
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Volume 71, Issue 71,
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Sports WBC will ravage America's pasttime Super Fan Seth Mintz Baseball is almost back. Our national pastime is just weeks away from players reporting to Spring Training. The excitement is starting to grow for all loyal baseball fans. But there is a problem that is quietly brewing within this great sport: the World Baseball Classic. On the surface, the WBC is a great idea. Baseball fans from all over the world get a chance to see their favorite players represent the country that they come from (including America, Japan, Canada and 13 others from across the globe). The world will find out which country has the best baseball talent. America's team should be one of the best. The roster includes stars such as Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeria and Derek Jeter, as well as Lance Berkman, Brad Lidge, Dontrelle Willis and Andy Pettitte. Other teams are equally impressive, at least in terms of star power. MLB players representing the non-American teams include Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Miguel Tejada and Pedro Martinez. These teams are unlike anything baseball has ever seen, and unless you are a Yankees fan, teams that have this kind of star power up and down the lineups are rare. So what's the problem? The WBC is scheduled to be played during Spring Training and before the regular season begins. That time of the year should be for MLB players to get ready for the long grind of baseball's 162-game season. Meanwhile, the players who participate in the classic will have to play like they would in playoff games. What if perennial MVP candidates such as Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez get hurt in what should be an exhibition game because they were playing like they were in the Game 7 of the World Series? Fans would be furious. Major League teams would be even angrier. Owners, led by George Steinbrenner, have become increasingly worried about their players competing in the WBC because all contracts in baseball are guaranteed, making injuries costly. The Astros could be greatly affected as well. Players scheduled to play in the WBC from the Astros include Lance Berkman, Lidge, Morgan Ensberg and Roger Clemens. Would Astros fans, or any teams' fans, like to see their players at risk when they are looking to defend a pennant? This should not even be a question -- the WBC will never be more important than winning a World Series. The tournament doesn't even have a television deal yet. If no one is able to watch it, there is no point for it to exist -- the WBC is solely for the fans. The U.S. government has also said it will not let Cuba participate in any games that take place on U.S. soil because of the embargo against Cuba (the U. S. Treasury Department has already denied the permit for Cuba). The International Baseball Federation, which is sanctioning the WBC, will pull its support of the tournament if Cuba is not allowed to play. It should not have to come to hoping that bad television deals and problems between governments will stop the WBC from happening. This tournament is a huge risk, and there will not be enough interest in it to sustain it. Baseball does not need these games to help extend its global reach. Get rid of the World Baseball Classic and let's get ready for what matters -- another exciting year of Major League Baseball. Send comments to dcsports@mail.uh.edu |
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