Nether Regions FTW! (UPDATED)

I've been a big fan of the World Baseball Classic ever since they announced the idea. I've always been a fan of making lineups -- the best in the NL/AL, the best switch-hitters, best under-25 team, etc. -- so the idea of breaking down the best players in the world by nationality had me at hello. Then, in 2006, I was unemployed (what else is new?) at the time of the inaugural tournament, so I was able to lounge about, watching the games at all hours of the day.

That initial tournament was intriguing, and there were some great sights and sounds -- most notable for me was the scene in Florida when the Dominican Republic and Venezuela opened their against each other, and the performance of Daisuke Matsuzaka for eventual winner Japan -- but there was something a little lacking. namely, classic games. There were a couple of close games -- Mexico's 2-1 win over the U.S. to eliminate the American team, and a japan/Korea game come to mind -- but the tourney was sadly lacking in drama. I still enjoyed the experience and looked forward to this year's installment, but I wasn't sure the WBC quite lived up to its name. It delivered the World, and it delivered Baseball, but it wasn't quite Classic.

That may have changed on Saturday, when the string of four games -- including two nail-biters and one major upset -- felt like another tradition from this time of year: March Madness. The day started out with a Cinderella story -- the team from the Netherlands taking down the vaunted Dominican Republic squad. The Netherlands only have one real major league pitcher, and even that's Sidney Ponson, not exactly a world-beater (as Giants fans know all too well), and even less quality help on offense. So there was no way to think they could hold down the D.R. team -- even one without A-Roid, Manny, Pujols, Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, and Adrian Beltre. They still had David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez, Miguel Tejada, Robinson Cano, Willy Aybar, Jose Guillen, etc, and even manager Felipe Alou lamented, That was a team we should have trounced 9-0". More amazing is that the Netherlands managed to win 3-2 despite only getting three hits, all of the infield variety.

The upset can only be truly understood when looking at the number and quality of major league talent on the two rosters. here's a quick look:

MLB players -- D.R.: 23, Netherlands: 2
2008 All-Stars -- D.R.: 4, Netherlands: 0
Career wins -- D.R.: 518, Netherlands: 95
Career HR -- D.R.: 1,801, Netherlands: 82
2008 salaries -- D.R.: $83.4M, Netherlands: $0M

As Rick Sutcliffe said, "That's like Appalachian State beating Michigan". I rarely listen to Sutcliffe when he's not completely hammered, but when he's right, he's right.

The second game of the day was the best matchup on paper -- the U.S. vs. Canada. The Canadians gave the Americans a great game, taking it right down to the wire before losing 6-5. There were some especially impressive performances from several Canadians: Russell Martin and Joey Votto each had a double and a HR -- Votto getting four hits -- and reliever Phillipe Aumont was truly filthy in getting out of a bases-loaded, no-outs situation. But in the end, the Americans prevailed behind HR's from Kevin Youkilis, Brian McCann, and a opposite field bomb from Adam Dunn, which provided the eventual-winning runs. The game ended dramatically as U.S. closer J.J. Putz retired Canada's 4 and 5 hitters, Justin Mourneau and Jason Bay, with Votto on second base representing the tying run. With the home fans on their feet cheering for their guys to come through, and the players on the bench really into each pitch, if you squinted just right, it kind of looked like October.

There were two more games after that -- Panama vs. Puerto Rico and Italy vs. Venezuela -- but neither offered the kind of thrills the first two games did. (Though it was a lot of fun to say the names of Italy's starting lineup over and over just to hear them -- Davide Dallospedale, Valentino Pascucci, Guisseupe Mazzanti, Mario Chiarini.) Still, it had that same electricity, unpredictability, and rah-rah enthusiasm that's made the NCAA tournament must-se entertainment for sports fans for years.

But to become a tradition, the WBC has to have drama, and signature moments -- much like it did on Saturday. To foster fans, all it takes are great stories and highlights. Before long, there's enough history that what was once a revolution is now part of the establishment. That's how it works. There once was a time, not that long ago, that the wild card in baseball felt new and illegitimate. But after a few years, and some great moments, it's now as second nature as the World Series. And unlike some other newfangled traditions, like interleague play, I don't think this will get old. Sure, some star players may participate once, then beg off. But I think many more could feel like they're missing out on the fun (I bet a few U.S. stars saw the highlights from the Canada game and felt like it might've been fun to be a part of that -- can spring training be that much better?)

I also think new rivalries will be born, existing ones will be enflamed, and soon, more and more baseball fans (and hopefully players) will look forward to the WBC, and take pride in how their country performs. Especially now that baseball is no longer in the Olympics, this seems to be the only real way to represent your country on the field.

UPDATE: I'm watching the Dominican Republic/Panama game on Sunday and was reminded of something I forgot to mention last night (yet more evidence writing in the wee hours is a sketchy proposition): Willy Tavares was a major goat for the Dominican squad in their opener. In the 5th, he failed to score from 3rd (and tie the game at 3) on a passed ball, when it was clear he was unprepared -- heading back to the bag -- as the pitch got away. In the 7th, he led off and tried to bunt for a hit, but failed. With his team still down one run in the 9th, Tavares opened with a walk, and advanced to 2nd on an out. Then, inexplicably, he was thrown out trying to steal 3rd base with Hanley Ramirez at the plate. This gift out allowed the Netherlanders Netherlandians Netherlandites Dutch to pitch around Hanley and go after Jose Bautista, who struck out looking to end it while Hanley was stealing 2nd. Dominican manager Felipe Alou confirmed today, Tavares was not given a steal sign, and took the (bad) risk on his own.