Welcome to the E-List, home of integrity and baseball, although the two are one in the E-List's mind. And the List does have a mind of its own, which brings me to the next point.
Yakyu is the emphasis herein this weekly Web-exclusive tome, although the List reserves the right to give some loving to baseball across the Pacific, TV across the continental land mass or the Mister Donut across the street. Whenever the chance to venture outside the diamond presents itself, the List will head down that road, but for the most part, we will be coloring inside the lines.
With all the third-person references, the E-List may have to grease the doorway to get back home before long, so now, the time has come to make sense.
Play ball.
A FORTNIGHT LATER, Team Japan's World Baseball Classic victory still shines, but with the Central and Pacific leagues already into the groove, the world has moved on. But before we say farewell to the 12 million blue-and-red Ichiro jerseys floating around greater Honshu, the List would like to hum a few bars into the WBC's megaphone.
Five Swans
1. The Big Picture -- The WBC needed to happen, and that it did is a good thing for the game. I do think the WBC has legs, and if Major League Baseball is diligent to address the concerns of all parties involved and not to focused on the bottom line (a necessary evil, granted), we will all look back on 2006 and feel the weight of history.
2. Bring on all comers -- South Africa and China, among others, filled out the ranks to give the first WBC a nice, round 16 teams. As MLB Japan Managing Director Jim Small told the E-List earlier this year, even if those teams play and lose 20-2, it is better than their not playing at all. The E-List shared a plane with Team South Africa after it had wrapped up pool play with a 17-0 loss to the United States, and the vibe of the flight was not one of shame or disappointment. Derek Jeter and the Americans signed autographs for the South Africans, and the WBC planted seeds of growth. Just swap out cricket bats for Louisville Sluggers and give it 20 years. We'll wait.
3. People still cared -- Thankfully American sports fans still packed into Petco Park, even though the domestic product wound up going bad long before its shelf life had expired. Anyone who rolled into Petco for the semifinals and finals and left without feeling electricity has no soul. Or perhaps just no sensory awareness.
4. March madness -- Come on, try to say it wouldn't have been kind of boring if the Dominican Republic and United States had made it to the finals. Sure the product would have been good, but upsets are so much more fun. Although the Netherlands feel short against Puerto Rico, South Africa made Canada sweat, not to mention Cuba upsetting the loaded Dominicans. The unexpected went down in the WBC about as much as can be hoped for given the disparity between top-tier baseball countries and the rest of the world.
5. San Diego -- I know Japan thinks it should host the second round or the championship round in 2009, but after a few days in San Diego, the E-List would like to formally endorse Padretown. Richmond, Va., aside, is there a more perfect town in the United States?
Five Ugly Ducklings
1. Preseason tournament -- The WBC wound up laying the hurt on a couple Japanese players and knocked Washington Nationals pitcher Luis Ayala out for the season. If MLB bit the bullet and stopped the season for two weeks to play the WBC in the summer, the players would be in better shape (so you wouldn't have American hitters complaining about timing being off) and the chance of injury would be lower.
2. Pitch Counts -- Nothing smacks of a lack of credibility in the WBC quite like this one. You're telling me that Daisuke Matsuzaka is supposed to be at his best in the first round on a 65-pitch limit? This guy throws 65 pitches while Mrs. Matsuzaka is warming up the tempura and eggs in the morning. Again, having the tournament during the season would minimize the need to have pitch counts.
3. Umpires -- Having the WBC with mostly American umpires whose day jobs are in the minor leagues was something like having the world spelling bee with Dan Quayle as the spellmaster. He may mean well, but when it comes time for a judgment call, isn't there someone better to ring the bell? Bob Davidson managed to screw up twice (even if he did follow proper umpire protocol; give him a cookie). Do whatever is necessary over the next three years to get the pros involved.
4. Jacked-up brackets -- While the initial pools were solid, it was pretty nonsensical to place teams who played in the first round in the same second round group. Japan and South Korea made it out of the second round in Anaheim, but they had a much easier go of it than the folks in the inferno down in Puerto Rico. With four pools in the first round, take one from each pool and place it at one of the second-round venues. Then a rematch between Japan and South Korea means a heck of a lot more, namely that the teams actually had to beat someone to bring it about.
5. Ridiculous secretiveness -- South Korea manager Kim In Sik refused to discuss his starting pitchers, a card Team Japan manager Sadaharu Oh and Cuba manager Higinio Velez played later in the tournament. This is not Let's Make a Deal, and there is no Honeywell range behind Door No. 3. Quit with the shell game already. What is this, the CL?
THE DEAL OF THE CENTURY fell through just last week, but it didn't make headlines. Tuffy Rhodes' career with the Cincinnati Reds came to a screeching halt when he was released short of Opening Day in the Queen City.
Rhodes was at Tokyo Dome last year on Opening Day, and the List was holding down the fort at Great American Ball Park, overlooking the Ohio River and Northern Kentucky (a separate territory, say many locals).
A year later, the List was rocking out at the Big Egg for the Koji Uehara Show, and Rhodes was all set to kick off the season in his hometown, the most magical place in all of the majors on Opening Day. But with Rhodes' release, the Japan-Ohio swap fell short. The E-List is still standing, and whether Rhodes strolls into retirement, winds up playing for Orix (as Japan Times baseball columnist Wayne Graczyk has suggested) or finds another diversion, the cosmic connection has passed.
THAT IS ENOUGH for one week. Much love to the Web readers, and for those with questions, comments or criticisms, send a note (via E-Mail, of course) to the E-List at [email protected]