The World Baseball Classic

Okay, in the name of disclosure I’ll get this out now.  I can’t stand Bud Selig.  I’ve always said, if I ever meet Dave Roberts I’d immediately have to give him an enormous hug.  Well, if I ever meet Bud Selig, my plan is to give him an enormous wedgie.  I will never accept an owner as Commissioner and I think Bud has done more harm than good for MLB.  Now that you know how I feel about Selig…I’m going to rant a little about the WBC.

As far as I can tell, old Bud came up with the idea for the WBC because of the semi-permanent black eye MLB has with all this steroid scandel stuff.    Maybe not.  I haven’t studied the history of it…but it’s all smoke and mirrors to me.  Let’s involve the world in MLB so that way people can see how much fun baseball is.  I’m all for that, I suppose.  But, personally, I’d much rather the guys from my team were in Florida in March working out and getting strong for the upcoming season and playing in games that don’t matter, instead of playing in this "classic" series.  Call me kooky that way.

Team USA has released their initial roster today.   It’s a laugher.  Not the roster itself, just the entire idea.  I mean, come one, we all know the Dominican Republic is going to wipe the floor with every country involved…why not US?

Mike Timlin and Jason Varitek are on the roster for the US.  Which pretty much guarantees I’ll be watching the dam thing.  (To quote from a favorite movie of mine, "my hipocrisy knows no bounds").)  Heck, I’d watch if they weren’t playing.  I love baseball and am desperate for some diamond action.  But I’m irritated that they felt the need to generate some "excitement".  The truth is, real baseball fans don’t need this junk.  Real baseball fans want freaking Spring Training to start so we can see what our team has.  (Except for Red Sox fans.  We’d like a dam centerfielder please sometime before Spring Training begins.  That would be good.)  Instead, we’ll be rooting against teammates.  Doug Mirabelli playing for Italy against Varitek for the US…what the heck is that? (Okay, a bad example since Mirabelli is no longer on the Red Sox, but still…)

I hate being told to get excited about baseball.  During my first and only trip to  Yankee Stadium last year, I was honestly surprised at the basketball game-like experience.  Techno music between each inning…scoreboards lighting up to tell me to "make some noise"…two things you don’t get at Fenway.  The music runs from country to classic rock…no techno thanks…and there is NEVER the need for the fans to be told to make some noise.  I sense this would be the same at Yankee Stadium if someone dared not put the sign up one night.  I don’t think Yankees fans need to be told to get happy when Mariano Rivera is walking out of the bullpen.  

I’m so desperate for baseball, I’m taping "classic" games off of NESN (even games when the Sox lose) just for my fix.  I’ve watched every DVD of the Red Sox released…and even watch a dvd of the back to back Blue Jays World Series wins.

I want baseball for crying out loud!

But I don’t want it shoved down my throat just for the sake of MLB making another buck.

I’m a complex chick, huh?  🙂

Oh well…go team USA…even if I’ll be watching under silent protest.