WBC

So, last night the United States team in the World Baseball Classic reportedly lost to Mexico, 2-1, and apparently is now out of the tournament. It is conceivable that I could care less about this event, but I'm not certain how...


But I do have one comment to make. I've seen a bunch of comments from people about how "embarassing" or "disgraceful" the US performance was in this tournament. Comments from people who are allegedly baseball fans. It's nonsense - utterly preposterous. Baseball does not work that way. The better team may win more often than the worse team (that's certainly the way to bet, if you have to), it cannot "impose its will" upon the other team, not the way a basketball or football team can. Baseball just doesn't work that way. A lined shot at an infielder goes for a double play, a weak swing at an excellent pitcher's pitch results in a bloop double. That's life. The 1998 Yankees won 114 games, but started the season 1-4. Last season, the Devil Rays were very bad and the Yankees were very good, but Tampa Bay was 11-8 against the New York. It's the nature of the beast. The fact that the USA lost to Canada says absolutely nothing about the relative talent levels of the two teams, and it certainly doesn't mean that anyone "choked..."