3/16 WBC: U.S. (Clemens) @ Mexico (Perez) 6:30 CT on ESPN

[Balsa]

Normally every four years, but they want to skip ahead only 3 years next time to avoid complications with Winter Olympics.

[Balsa]

YES!! USA is eliminated!! Now Lee and Barret can come back to play with the Cubs where they belong!!

 

Yeah, that's the good news. Barrett needs to get his ABs

 

And learn the new pitchers....still....just disappointing.

[BCVM22]

YES!! USA is eliminated!! Now Lee and Barret can come back to play with the Cubs where they belong!!

 

You don't feel the slightest twinge of regret that, Lee and Barrett coming back or not, Team USA just lost? To Team Mexico, no less?

[OleMissCub]

This better not end on a DP

 

Those things to end of the game just are plain heart-breaking.

 

Ugh. Hopefully in 2009 'Team' USA comes ready to play.

 

It's every 3 years? Why?

 

I think it's every 4 years...they are just doing it 3 years this time so they can get in the odd number years to avoid clashing with the olympics

[Yeti]

ok, even though i already have tickets and plane tix im not going to SD! :^o

[Monco]

YES!! USA is eliminated!! Now Lee and Barret can come back to play with the Cubs where they belong!!

 

You don't feel the slightest twinge of regret that, Lee and Barrett coming back or not, Team USA just lost? To Team Mexico, no less?

 

And I thought losing to Canada was embarrasing.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Welcome back Barrett and Lee.

[Blueheart05]

YES!! USA is eliminated!! Now Lee and Barret can come back to play with the Cubs where they belong!!

 

You don't feel the slightest twinge of regret that, Lee and Barrett coming back or not, Team USA just lost? To Team Mexico, no less?

 

I feel bad for the US but don't diss the Mexican team. The US really didn't deserve the opportunity to play them tonight.

[Brian]

well my country just dissapointed me...

countdown to my team dissapointing me begins NOW...

[Shilzzz]

microcosm anyone?

[BCVM22]

I feel bad for the US but don't diss the Mexican team. The US really didn't deserve the opportunity to play them tonight.

 

I'm not so much dissing Team Mexico as I am Team USA and the way they played tonight. The cold, hard fact of it is that Team Mexico brought the pitching tonight, and Team USA left their bats at home. That said, I feel like if the team that beat you isn't advancing to the next round, then you have no business losing to them if your advancement is contingent upon winning.

[ToupeeOnFire]

I've already got my excuse for the US losing: they missed D-Lee. :x

[Derwood]

am I ever meant to have a baseball team I root for win anything?

[abuck1220]

YES!! USA is eliminated!! Now Lee and Barret can come back to play with the Cubs where they belong!!

 

You don't feel the slightest twinge of regret that, Lee and Barrett coming back or not, Team USA just lost? To Team Mexico, no less?

 

not me. now i get to see lee, barrett, teix and street when i go to spring training. maybe i'm a little selfish...or a lot selfish.

 

the worst part is how we're going to have to listen to people saying the us didn't bunt enough.

[Drew Doughty]

Chipper should've let the grounder hit him. That would've only been one out, right?

[Blueheart05]

I've already got my excuse for the US losing: they missed D-Lee. :x

 

I think that's legit. DLee was batting .357 with three homers and eight RBI (only Griffey had more RBI-10)

 

Lee, Griffey, and Jones had the only live bats in the lineup (from a power perspective). ARod's power game was missing and Teixeira was a horrible replacement for Lee.

[Blueheart05]

I feel bad for the US but don't diss the Mexican team. The US really didn't deserve the opportunity to play them tonight.

 

I'm not so much dissing Team Mexico as I am Team USA and the way they played tonight. The cold, hard fact of it is that Team Mexico brought the pitching tonight, and Team USA left their bats at home. That said, I feel like if the team that beat you isn't advancing to the next round, then you have no business losing to them if your advancement is contingent upon winning.

 

Fair enough!

[Andy]

The sad part is that Selig rigged this for us from the start by purposely not putting the US anywhere near Venezuela, DR, or any of the other Latin American teams that are probably beyond our level, then hiring umps that would screw all the American opponents at every opportunity.

 

And our team was still crappy enough to lose.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

The sad part is that Selig rigged this for us from the start by purposely not putting the US anywhere near Venezuela, DR, or any of the other Latin American teams that are probably beyond our level, then hiring umps that would screw all the American opponents at every opportunity.

 

And our team was still crappy enough to lose.

 

None of that is true. What sense would it make to put the US in one of those pools with Canada and Mexico bordering us, and South Africa having to go somewhere? Umpires that screw American opponents at every opportunity? That's ridiculous.

[A New Era]

YES!! USA is eliminated!! Now Lee and Barret can come back to play with the Cubs where they belong!!

 

You don't feel the slightest twinge of regret that, Lee and Barrett coming back or not, Team USA just lost? To Team Mexico, no less?

 

No not really. I don't care for the WBC one bit. Barret needs to be in camp and catch our new picthers. And Lee needs to be needs to be back to get some at bats. Actually I'm hapy we got everybody back. Zam, Blanco, Barret, and Lee. I'd rather see them with their team mates. You know, building chemistry, friendships, and learning to play together. Than I do this stupid, new contest. Idiotically placed in the WRONG time. Guys need to be with their teams in Spring. Not playing some olympic style compitition.

[BCVM22]

No not really. I don't care for the WBC one bit. Barret needs to be in camp and catch our new picthers. And Lee needs to be needs to be back to get some at bats. Actually I'm hapy we got everybody back. Zam, Blanco, Barret, and Lee. I'd rather see them with their team mates. You know, building chemistry, friendships, and learning to play together. Than I do this stupid, new contest. Idiotically placed in the WRONG time. Guys need to be with their teams in Spring. Not playing some olympic style compitition.

 

I respectfully disagree. Partially, anyway. I agree that the first responsibility of all the players is to the teams paying their salaries, and that Barrett and Blanco do now need to get to work learning the new pitchers on our staff. But certainly you can admit there's at least some benefit to Barrett getting to catch guys like Clemens and Lidge. Even if, at its basest application, it gives Barrett a better scouting report on Lidge to pass along to his teammates in the season to come.

 

As for D. Lee, it's certainly not as if he was languishing on the Team USA bench for the duration of the team's stay in the Classic. He didn't get the work he would have if he were in Cubs camp, to be sure, but in 14 ABs, Lee hit .357, with 3 home runs and 8 RBIs. Small sample size, I realize, but at least he was able to make the most of it. If anything, I would be more focused on Barrett getting at-bats the rest of the spring, as he started only when Clemens did, and went hitless in the Classic.

 

And beyond the practical, consider how much the players seemed to have enjoyed it. How pumped do you think it made Big Z to put on a Venezuelan uniform and go out there and represent his country? His first outing, in relief of Santana in the first game against the DR, he was a little shaky, but in his start against Puerto Rico on Tuesday he looked pretty darn sharp, to the tune of 4 innings pitched, 2 walks, 2 hits, and 5 strikeouts. Again, I agree it wasn't the work he'd get if he were in Cubs camp, but he was still out there, getting the arm loose and throwing against guys like Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, Ivan Rodriguez, and Carlos Beltran.

 

And how do we know this didn't help out guys like Barrett and Z? Maybe Zambrano picked up a thing or two from being around Johan Santana, or Barrett got a few pointers on controlling the running game from Brian Schneider. Every indicator, from every player on every team that's been asked so far, from the Dominican team awaiting the semifinals, to the South African team that knew its chances coming in and just wanted to make the most of being here, is that they loved it. Loved it. They loved representing their countries, they loved being around their countrymen, and they loved the opportunity to go out and show the world what baseball is all about.

 

You're right that the first priority of a player in spring should be getting himself into season condition, and getting to know his team and opponents. But if these players want to go out and represent their countries, and they know themselves well enough to know that competing in the Classic will still allow them to prepare for the season, then I say godspeed to them. Or that's what I said before both Venezuela and the USA lost and sent our guys back to us. Now I say, job well done, gentlemen. Come on home. Your countries are proud of you and so are we.