How succesful was the WBC?

[MembersOnlyJacket]

I would like to see this tournament as bracketed double elimination in Round 1 with eight teams per bracket in four regionals (same regionals as this Classic). From Round 1, four teams on either side of the bracket advance to single elimination pool play. Then, onto single elimination semifinals followed by a 3-game Final Series.

 

The best teams should be represented in the Final Series and I think a this structure would help in removing any doubts that the best make it to the end.

[soccer10k]

Korea wasn't the best team in the tournament. The fact they had the best overall record is irrelevant. Were you complaining about Seattle not being handed the world series title in '01 for their 116 wins?

 

Korea WAS THE BEST TEAM IN THE TOURNAMENT, anybody who disagree apparently wasn't watching the WBC.

 

KOR 2, TPE 0

4 Mar KOR 10, CHN 1

5 Mar KOR 3, JPN 2

12 Mar KOR 2, MEX 1

13 Mar KOR 7, USA 3

15 Mar KOR 2, JPN 1

18 Mar JPN 6, KOR 0

 

They beat the HIGHLY more talented USA team---convincingly. They beat Japan---twice in HIGHLY competitive games. They beat the teams they needed to in China and Chinese Taipei. To me...Korea was the BEST TEAM in the tournament, and you have no facts to prove otherwise. On the flip side, being the best team, doesn't mean squat, if you run into a team that "turn the switch on."

 

Cuba is arguably the most talented team in the WBC, but Korea...was hands-down the best team in the tourny, WITHOUT ANY DOUBT.

 

How can you consider Korea to be the best team in the tournament when they didn't play any of the Latin American teams?

[Guest]

This tournament didn't come close to proving anything about who was best.

 

Korea's record in 7 games doesn't prove a thing, neither does their 2 for 3 record against Japan. Neither does Japan's win against Cuba. This tournament proved there is tremendous interest in baseball worldwide despite the euro-centric Olympic belief that it's soley an American sport. It proved that players can still get excited to play for their country, and their countrymen will get excited to support them, and that otherwise ambivalent Americans can pick somebody else to root for if their team falls out.

 

It proved there might be a future for international baseball competition on a larger scale than previously experienced.

 

But it didn't prove who the best team was, or which country was most baseball craved or had the most talent.

Just quoting to say I agree with everything you wrote.

[wastra]

I love the idea of spreading the round robin rounds across several months.

 

It isn't as big a time difference, and it doesn't force these teams to play all the games before pitchers have got their "stuff" back. Plus, owners should be less worried about losing one or two of their players for one game per month or so tops, especially if some of the games are played in the offseason and ST.

 

Just allow a 40-45 man roster with 30 active players to allow for injuries over the course of the year. 10-15 are alternates who only suit up if one of the others can't play.

 

Have a spring weekend where teams play 2-3 games in one weekend, a summer (like around the all star break) and then the tournament at the end. It would kinda be like a season within a season.

[weather2]

While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed following the World Baseball Classic (WBC) I was bothered by

1) the early exit of a team (Canada) after just one loss

2) the need to employ tiebreakers

3) the occasional irrelevant game between two eliminated teams or two teams that had already advanced to the next round

4) the early round rematches (e.g., Japan and Korea)

 

In the following paragraphs, I describe an alternate WBC format that avoids these problems while keeping

1) a one and out format at the end of the tourney

2) the length of the tourney about the same (The champion will play 6-9 games).

3) a 3-game minimum for each team

 

Essentially, the tourney begins with a triple elimination format and ends with single elimination quarterfinals (2 games), semifinals, and finals. Details follow:

 

FIRST ROUND (Days 1-2)

Tourney begins with the random assignment of 16 teams to four 4-team brackets. Each team plays 2 games with winner-winner (W-W) and loser-loser (L-L) matchups in the second game. W-W winners are 2-0 and finish 1st in the bracket while L-L losers are 0-2 and finish 4th. W-W losers and L-L winners are 1-1 and are arbitrarily assigned 2nd and 3rd place, respectively.

 

SECOND ROUND (Days 4-5)

The second round also consists of four 4-team brackets. Bracket A consists of the four 1st place teams, Bracket B consists of the four 2nd place teams, Bracket C consists of the four 3rd place teams, and Bracket D consists of the four 4th place teams. Teams in Brackets A-C play two games with W-W and L-L matchups in the second game. Teams in Bracket D play two games if they win their first second round game.

 

Bracket A 1st place team advances to WBC semifinals. Bracket A 2nd and 3rd place teams advance to Consolation Bracket. Bracket A 4th place team advances to Elimination Bracket-1.

 

Bracket B © 1st place team advances to Consolation Bracket. Bracket B © 2nd and 3rd place teams advance to Elimination Bracket-2. Bracket B © 4th place team is eliminated.

 

Bracket D 1st place team advances to Elimination Bracket-1. Other Bracket D teams are eliminated.

 

THIRD ROUND (Days 7-8)

The third round consists of a 4-team Consolation Bracket, a 2-team Elimination-1 Bracket, and a 4-team Elimination-2 bracket. Bracket A 1st place team has a bye.

 

Teams in the Consolation Bracket (Bracket A 2nd and 3rd place teams and the 1st place teams from Brackets B and C) play two games with W-W and L-L matchups in the second game. Consolation bracket 1st place team advances to WBC semifinals, Consolation bracket 2nd and 3rd place teams advance to the quarterfinals, while the Consolation Bracket’s 4th place team is eliminated.

 

2-team Elimination-1 Bracket: Bracket A 4th place team vs. Bracket D 1st place team. Winner advances to Quarterfinals. Loser eliminated.

 

4-team Elimination-2 Bracket: Bracket B 2nd (3rd) place team vs. Bracket C 3rd (2nd) place team. Winner of W-W matchup advances to Quarterfinals. All others eliminated.

 

The final three rounds are single elimination and could be held on days 10-12 or at a later date (perhaps the All Star break as suggested by Stark and others)

 

Quarterfinals: Consolation bracket 3rd place team vs. Elimination-1 bracket winner (Q1)

Consolation bracket 2nd place team vs. Elimination-2 bracket winner (Q2)

 

Semifinals: Q1 winner vs. Bracket A winner (S1)

Q2 winner vs. Consolation Bracket winner (S2)

 

Finals: S1 winner vs. S2 winner

[soccer10k]

While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed following the World Baseball Classic (WBC) I was bothered by

1) the early exit of a team (Canada) after just one loss

2) the need to employ tiebreakers

3) the occasional irrelevant game between two eliminated teams or two teams that had already advanced to the next round

4) the early round rematches (e.g., Japan and Korea)

 

In the following paragraphs, I describe an alternate WBC format that avoids these problems while keeping

1) a one and out format at the end of the tourney

2) the length of the tourney about the same (The champion will play 6-9 games).

3) a 3-game minimum for each team

 

Essentially, the tourney begins with a triple elimination format and ends with single elimination quarterfinals (2 games), semifinals, and finals. Details follow:

 

FIRST ROUND (Days 1-2)

Tourney begins with the random assignment of 16 teams to four 4-team brackets. Each team plays 2 games with winner-winner (W-W) and loser-loser (L-L) matchups in the second game. W-W winners are 2-0 and finish 1st in the bracket while L-L losers are 0-2 and finish 4th. W-W losers and L-L winners are 1-1 and are arbitrarily assigned 2nd and 3rd place, respectively.

 

SECOND ROUND (Days 4-5)

The second round also consists of four 4-team brackets. Bracket A consists of the four 1st place teams, Bracket B consists of the four 2nd place teams, Bracket C consists of the four 3rd place teams, and Bracket D consists of the four 4th place teams. Teams in Brackets A-C play two games with W-W and L-L matchups in the second game. Teams in Bracket D play two games if they win their first second round game.

 

Bracket A 1st place team advances to WBC semifinals. Bracket A 2nd and 3rd place teams advance to Consolation Bracket. Bracket A 4th place team advances to Elimination Bracket-1.

 

Bracket B © 1st place team advances to Consolation Bracket. Bracket B © 2nd and 3rd place teams advance to Elimination Bracket-2. Bracket B © 4th place team is eliminated.

 

Bracket D 1st place team advances to Elimination Bracket-1. Other Bracket D teams are eliminated.

 

THIRD ROUND (Days 7-8)

The third round consists of a 4-team Consolation Bracket, a 2-team Elimination-1 Bracket, and a 4-team Elimination-2 bracket. Bracket A 1st place team has a bye.

 

Teams in the Consolation Bracket (Bracket A 2nd and 3rd place teams and the 1st place teams from Brackets B and C) play two games with W-W and L-L matchups in the second game. Consolation bracket 1st place team advances to WBC semifinals, Consolation bracket 2nd and 3rd place teams advance to the quarterfinals, while the Consolation Bracket’s 4th place team is eliminated.

 

2-team Elimination-1 Bracket: Bracket A 4th place team vs. Bracket D 1st place team. Winner advances to Quarterfinals. Loser eliminated.

 

4-team Elimination-2 Bracket: Bracket B 2nd (3rd) place team vs. Bracket C 3rd (2nd) place team. Winner of W-W matchup advances to Quarterfinals. All others eliminated.

 

The final three rounds are single elimination and could be held on days 10-12 or at a later date (perhaps the All Star break as suggested by Stark and others)

 

Quarterfinals: Consolation bracket 3rd place team vs. Elimination-1 bracket winner (Q1)

Consolation bracket 2nd place team vs. Elimination-2 bracket winner (Q2)

 

Semifinals: Q1 winner vs. Bracket A winner (S1)

Q2 winner vs. Consolation Bracket winner (S2)

 

Finals: S1 winner vs. S2 winner

 

Dude that is way too complicated. Bud Selig would get a headache if he read that.

[Soul]

It was successful----that's a bad thing though.

[weather2]

I think it sounds complicated because I used so many words. Its actually straightforward.

 

1) A 16-team single elimination bracket is used to determine WBC semi-finalist one.

 

2) A second single elimination bracket consisting of one-game losers is used to determine WBC semi-finalist two.

 

3) A third single elimination bracket consisting of two-game losers is used to determine WBC semi-finalists three and four.

 

Reality check. Does anyone understand the format I proposed?