Is It Any Surprise to Be in Anaheim?: Absolutely not. The United States had one of the most developed talent pools to draw from, and as such, the Americans certainly should be where they are, save possibly as a higher seed, depending on who you ask. In the eyes of some of Team USA's players, making it to Anaheim as the second seed is embarrassing enough, but if America's second-round play resembles that of a sleeping giant being roused, it will have been worth it, and they should have enough firepower to outgun any of the three teams they will play this week.
Team USA's Roger Clemens
struck out six South Africans, making sure Group B's
supposed weak link was nowhere near upsetting the
Americans on Friday in
Scottsdale, Ariz.
What Must Change to Go to San Diego?: This is the first WBC, but by default, Team USA is the establishment in the tournament, and clearly they must have believed the same thing. A narrow win over Mexico and the loss to Canada should have served as wakeup juice to break the team out of its overconfident fugue.