So how good is the Japanese league? As Patriot points out, it's good, but the proof of how good is in the larger sample: MLB is clearly superior. Of course, MLB is the cream of the crop from (increasingly) all over the world. I'd still take team USA in a do-over, as it was stocked with high caliber MLB talent at every position. But Japan's clearly no slouch team either. I'm sure we'll continue to see more and more Japanese players heading directly to the states rather than working their way over via the NPB.
So, time for the final reckoning on the 'ole bracket. It's not pretty.
Oh well! I did successfully "predict" (guess) the semifinal game between the USA and Japan, even if the path I took to get there wasn't correct. I'd tally it up if anyone else cared, but given the interest my other WBC posts have gotten (zero), it's probably not worth it.I do wonder a bit whether Japan's repeat actually hurts the WBC. They clearly will be the team to beat in four years, no matter who is on the team (and Ichiro, perhaps, may not be). But if the WBC starts to get the reputation as "their" tournament, I can't help but wonder if the interest of other countries may start to fade a bit. And somehow, a second victory for a team featuring so few MLB players just seems to further emphasize that it is a small sample size crapshoot. I knew that before, of course, but now it's bugging me a little bit more than it used to. Maybe I'm just a sore loser.
That all said, this year's WBC was vastly better than the last one. The double-elimination format might be confusing at times, but it's so much more BASEBALL than the ridiculous round-robin + tiebreakers we saw in '06. And while Team USA ran into some major defensive breakdowns, not to mention injuries, it seemed like the guys on that team really played hard. And usually, they were managed to win. That made everything--even the defensive implosions we saw late in the tournament from team USA--a lot easier to take.
I'll leave you with a fun fact: my first daughter was born just a few months after the first WBC. And my second daughter will be born just a few months after this year's tournament. :)
One thing I hope they fix in four years is splitting the pool winners from the first round.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why it shouldn't have been,
Pool A winner to pool 1
Pool B winner to pool 2
Pool C winner to pool 1
Pool d winner to pool 2
and reverse it for the 2nd place teams.
That would have made it feel more like a tournament than the same three teams playing each other over and over
Michael,
ReplyDeleteI think that's a great idea. I agree, seeing Japan play Korea yet again wasn't as riviting as it would have been if they'd been in different pools during round two.
-j
I do wonder a bit whether Japan's repeat actually hurts the WBC. They clearly will be the team to beat in four years, no matter who is on the team (and Ichiro, perhaps, may not be). But if the WBC starts to get the reputation as "their" tournament, I can't help but wonder if the interest of other countries may start to fade a bit. And somehow, a second victory for a team featuring so few MLB players just seems to further emphasize that it is a small sample size crapshoot.
ReplyDeleteI think the optimal outcome would have been a Latin American team winning it all. But a Japan victory is better than the U.S. winning. If the object of the WBC is to market the game globally, you don't want to have the U.S. dominate its own event. Plus, it gives the rest of the nations hope that they can contend, as Japan has several major leaguers but not an overwhelming roster.
I suppose a victory by any team other than the U.S. could be considered a fluke, but looking at the lineups for the final game shows two fairly even teams. Japan had significantly better defense at SS and probably 1B, and about as big of a defensive advantage as you can get in RF. They don't give anything back in pitching with Matsuzaka and Darvish. They certainly do give a lot back on offense, but not at every position (RF and 1B). Reasonably close teams for a one-game matchup.
I love the WBC and I love the fact that it might promote the game and we can rent those players ofr our Major Leagues. Beating the Americans, seeing the Koreans arrive ahead of schedule, and watching all those team without MLBers outplay my favorite spoiled professional athletes was awesome.
ReplyDelete