The World Baseball Classic needs a total overhaul

by Seth Engel, 1L
Law Weekly
March 24, 2009

For those of you who didn't know this, the World Baseball Classic is reaching its epic conclusion as this paper goes to press on Monday, Mar. 23. Reigning champion Japan will be taking on its fierce rival, South Korea, in a battle to determine which nation is the world champion of baseball.

What about the World Series, you ask? Well, despite our American hubris, it seems that the real world champions reside in the Far East. The American team counts American-born all-stars Derek Jeter, Kevin Youkilis and David Wright among its ranks, yet it teetered on the brink of elimination until Japan booted it out of the Classic for good on Sunday night.

While the Classic has achieved Super Bowl-like ratings in Japan and other competing nations, it seemed no one Stateside even knew their favorite players were competing.

Well, almost no one. The managers and owners of MLB teams certainly knew that their players were off gallivanting from stadium to stadium because their players weren't at spring training.

Instead of playing laid-back Grapefruit games where hitters could leisurely find their swings and iron out the kinks in their fielding, they were playing meaningful games in high-pressure situations. During spring training, managers also like to "stretch out" their pitchers, gradually increasing their workload so that they'll be more fully prepared for the rigors of the 162-game season.

Managers relinquish this kind of control the day they sign the waivers allowing their pitchers to play in the Classic. But these drawbacks don't necessarily mean the Classic is per se a bad idea. Baseball is America's classic pastime. The Major League Baseball organization of America has the most exciting players, most celebrated teams, and advanced strategies in the entire world.

The only problem is, the USA Team was far from exemplifying these qualities during the World Baseball Classic. It is obvious that Team USA did not set out to win the Classic. While Japan and Korea had not only the backing of their entire respective nations glued to the TV screen, they also had the best managers and players in their respective countries on their teams.

In America, many players chose not to participate in the classic, whether at the behest of their team management or because they didn't want to risk injury playing serious games before the regular season. In addition, Team USA was subject to the whims and caveats enforced by MLB team executives.

For example, Team USA handed the ball to staff-ace Roy Oswalt of the Houston Astros to play last night's semi-final. In the fourth inning, it was clear that Oswalt was struggling, and Japan soon teed off to the tune of five runs. Instead of removing him immediately, USA manager Davey Johnson kept him in, presumably because the Astros made it clear that Oswalt needed to be "stretched out" during the Classic.

Speaking of Johnson, why was he even the manager? He hasn't managed in the major leagues for nine years. Who cares if he led the Mets to a World Series in 1986? That was 13 years ago! Despite the MLB-enforced handcuffs, his decisions were still questionable. At a crucial moment in the eighth inning, Johnson replaced lefty Shane Victorino of the Phillies with right-handed Evan Longoria against the right-handed Japanese pitcher.

What was his rationale? He wanted Longoria to hit a home-run. Not only was the stadium wind blowing in from left field, but Longoria had just been called two days prior to play in the Classic. The chances of having his home run swing ready after coming off a cross-country trip like that were very slim.

The Classic was so overshadowed by the NCAA tournament that most sports fans didn't even know it existed. Three years from now, when the next Classic is played, the USA will have to make some key marketing and strategy changes if they want an American audience to take notice.