SAN DIEGO -- The baseball giant who couldn't and the world-class unknown that almost wasn't allowed are getting ready to play for the World Baseball Classic championship. How perfect.
When Japan and Cuba go at it Monday night at Petco Park, it isn't the battle Major League Baseball wanted when it set up the WBC's brackets, but appropriately enough, two of the teams with the most obstacles to overcome are playing for first place.
Japan spent much of the time leading up to pool play in Tokyo answering questions about how it would be able to compete without Hideki Matsui and Tadahito Iguchi, who had previously committed.
Once the big-namers backed out, Japan officially fell off the list of favored teams, outside Sadaharu Oh's clubhouse anyway. In the eyes of the world, Japan was on the outside looking in.
Even if the Japanese did make it to San Diego, the United States would nip the upstart Asians in the bud anyway, or so it must have sounded off-the-record in a stuffy boarding room somewhere in the United States.
But a funny thing happened on the way to Petco. In short, Team Japan somehow blew away everyone else's expectations, although not as dominantly as South Korea did. But the Koreans are headed for Seoul, so Japan had the last laugh. Would Team Japan have scored more runs with Iguchi and Matsui? Probably, especially against Taiwan and China, but what does it really matter?
Would the team have been better with the pair of major-leaguers? Maybe not, and even probably not. It would have been better for ticket sales at Tokyo Dome, but it is hard to complain about Team Japan's success without them.
With a 4-3 WBC record, Japan could have won more games, but viewed within John Wooden's definition of success as a journey, the Japanese have found success, even if they did take the scenic route. Maybe Matsui would have come with a road map, but why bicker at this point?
Talent makes things easier, but it does not guarantee results, and Japan has plenty of talent without the major leaguers.
Think about the impact Matui and Iguchi would have had on the lineup with their presence. With Iguchi at second base, how much of Tsuyoshi Nishioka's WBC brilliance would we have seen? Probably not much.
And with Matsui in the outfield, would there have been much room for Hitoshi Tamura? Again, I doubt it.
Tamura and Nishioka are as much a reason for Team Japan's being in the WBC finals as Iguchi and Matsui could have been, and with a chip on its shoulder, Japan has pushed, pulled and jumped through hoops to get where it is. With a little motivation, Japan has managed to overcome a loss of top talent and a bogus call that potentially cost it a win over the United States.
Bob Davidson's botched up call, which cost Japan an eighth-inning lead against the Americans, wound up being more of a rallying point than a breaking point for Team Japan. And once Mexico's win over Team USA gave the Japanese a second life in the WBC, they finally got over the hump and beat South Korea.
Now they have to face a team which has already trumped the toughest opponent involved in any level of the WBC: the U.S. government.
Initially, Cuba was denied permission to play on U.S. soil in the WBC because of complications hindering financial transactions between the United States and the communist country.
After some jockeying and a reapplication, Cuba's baseball federation got the stamp of approval, after Cuban ruler Fidel Castro said he would donate WBC proceeds to Hurricane Katrina victims.
Stress relieved and crisis averted for the WBC. At that point, all that remained was to play the tournament.
Cuba traveled a tougher road to get to the finals than Japan, and with its team of amateurs going up against teams heavily composed of MLB players, the Cubans have done very well, just like they always have internationally.
Cuba and Japan have played 37 times in international games, and the Cubans have won 33 of the meetings, something Team Japan obviously will look to change.
Given what Japan and Cuba have already overcome to get here, it should be no surprise they leveled the Dominicans and Koreans to set up the meeting.
They have cleared all the other obstacles, and now all that remains is each other.
How perfect.
Related story:
Cuba confident going into WBC final against Japan
By STEPHEN ELLSESSER
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