...only it goes by
the name of the World Baseball Classic.
Does anyone in these United States care, other than the people who work
in the commissioner’s office? Not that I
can tell.
The rest of the
baseball-playing world sees the WBC one way, while in the U.S. Mets’ pitcher
summed it up perfectly when he said, “Ain’t nobody makes it to the Hall of Fame
and win the World Series playing in the WBC.”
Amen to that, Thor.
Of course,
Commissioner Rob Manfred would rather we follow his lead on the subject
because, among other reasons, the WBC is “vital to the internationalization of
the game.” No, it isn’t. Nothing Italy or the Netherlands does the
next couple of weeks is going to undo the sports’ supremacy of soccer—or
cycling, for that matter—in Europe. You
know what will, Commissioner? Opening
the national pastime to women players, coaches and executives, that’s
what. The first woman hitter steps to
the plate in a major-league game, and ratings will go through the roof; ditto
the first woman pitcher on the mound.
But I won’t hold my breath on baseball working to make that happen.
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