BCVM22

Bob and Len said it wasn't a save situation and I didn't think it was either. Maybe I'm wrong. Couldn't have been. He pitched one inning with a 4-run lead. That's no sort of save situation.

The Dodgers maintain the nerve in question is just underneath the skin and the rest of his elbow is fine. :? Must be something about the teams in blue and white, I guess...

Was there a new pregame opener today, or are they still using the 2005 season/2006 Cactus League opener?

Absolutely. I saw an attractive woman in an Edmonds shirt the other day, and I said to her "Excuse me ma'am, I find your shirt offensive, I'm going to have to ask you to remove it." :wink:

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_407296.jpg The face of a man who is a god and knows it. http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_117601.jpg Lee's hat looks off...

Why would you hope he's up and down the dl? Why??? I believe he meant that he would hope for Kerry to come back and pitch well enough to be worthy of Comeback Player, and be disappointed but not surprised if he keeps shuttling back and forth between the DL.

My understanding was that the move was necessitated by injuries brought on by Erstad's extremely physical style of defense in the outfield. He only played 66 games, all in center field, in 2003, and I'm assuming he was then injured and moved to first base by the start of the 2004 season to reduce stress on his body. The Dodgers did something similar with Shawn Green in 2004 as he was coming back from shoulder surgery, having him play most of the season at first base rather than his native right field.

Any word on who's starting for the D'Backs since Halsey's been traded to Oakland?

The box score lists the save as going to Federico Baez. Never heard of him. Anyone?

Somebody named Chavez. IF Angel Chavez

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.

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.

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?

A week? We'll be lucky if that's all we get.

CUBS-- er, KOREA WINS! KOREA WINS! Time for Mexico to face the Rocket and a wall of closers. Let's go USA!

K-Oh-rea! (Yeah, I went there. Beat that.)

Ugh. Korea vs. Japan should not feel like a Cubs game.

About damn time! Team Japan drops the ball! :lol:

I wouldn't think so. The World Baseball Classic is an event, operated by Major League Baseball. The World Boxing Council is a governing body/organization. Both the World Wildlife Fund and WWE are organizations, which might explain the name conflict.

Check your listings for tomorrow. The local (Kansas City) WB affiliate is actually carrying the game around here, some network might have it in your area.

I believe 14 innings is the cutoff for a tie game. Transmogrified Tiger is correct, though, in that this game no longer matters to Team USA. Assuming we beat South Africa tomorrow, the conditions for Team USA to advance were either a victory for Canada over Mexico OR a Mexico victory in which Mexico scored 3 or more runs. Mexico is up 9-1 going into the top of the 7th, and thus with a win over South Africa, Team USA will advance regardless of the outcome of this game.

The tiebreaking procedure reads as follows: Assuming the U.S. beats South Africa on Friday afternoon, it will advance to the second round of the Classic if Canada defeats Mexico. However, if Mexico defeats Canada, it gets more complicated. In order for Team USA to advance with a Mexico victory, the Mexican team must score three or more runs. So if Mexico's up 8-0 in the top of the 6th inning, then USA just needs a victory against South Africa to advance. Hopefully Clemens pitches better than Dontrelle did. Go USA!

Dempster was invited and declined, preferring to focus on getting strong for the season. Walker decided his body just couldn't handle playing anymore. If I recall correctly, he tried some baseball-like activities over the winter and even those hurt too badly to continue. He is a coach for Team Canada, though.

Parents really need to be more responsible when it comes to bringing their children to the ballpark. That kid could get seriously injured sitting there. :lol: Gold star.

Journeyman infielder Scott McClain. Played in Japan for a bit, spent some time in the Cubs minor league system, has seen major league time with Tampa Bay in 1998 and the Cubs near the end of last year.