WBC shocker # 2 -Australia creams Mexico

…..a hell of a lot more interesting than Women’s College Basketball anyway. Plus, I find it much easier to nap during the WBC too.

That was a HUGE stunner for me just because Korea held Japan to no runs. But I guess it’s all better for the US so it’s fine with me.

Do you think this will cause a growth in baseball in Australia?

I happened to turn on MLB Network last night just in time to see the Aussie’s sixth inning rally. Gutsy stuff – none of the hitters were trying to do too much. Just lacing singles and running aggresively. The Mexican pitcher was throwing some chin music, too. I haven’t gotten too many opportunities to watch the WBC yet, but this was definitely exciting stuff that makes me want to try a little harder.

Upsets and exciting games. Let’s hope at least the latter continues for the rest of the tournament.

an absolutely wonderful article about a wonderful man.

… that there were almost as many major leaguers on the DR roster as on the USA roster.

that you can sort by date. So I present to you:

The 1984 World Baseball Classic!

The US team would just look like the All-Star game.

The Dominicans would be mostly major leaugers: guys like Pedro Guerrero, Alfredo Griffin, Cesar Cedeno, Mario Soto, Joaquin Andujar, etc. They wouldn’t be as strong as they are today, but they’d be good. Lots of “good-glove/no-hit” people.

Puerto Rico would probably be stronger back then than they are today. An outfield of Jose Cruz, Sixto Lezcano, Danny Tartabull and Juan Beniquez. Jose Oquendo, Ivan DeJesus and Tony Bernazard up the middle. Carmelo Martinez at first base. Pitching would be more of a problem although they’d have AL MVP Willie Hernandez closing games for them.

If you were an expert in NPB, you could probably put together a team for Team Japan, or you could just track down one of those post-season All-star tours of Japan and see who played. But there weren’t any Japanese in the majors then.

Don’t even ask about Korea. Taiwan would probably be better off sending one of their Little League teams.

Venezuela would have some recognizable names like Tony Armas, Davey Concepcion, Bo Diaz, Luis Salazar and Manny Trillo, but it would have a lot more marginal talents like Gus Polidor, too. Their pitching would be a mess, too. After Luis Leal, they’d be in trouble. Heck, they’d be in trouble with Luis Leal.

Mexico would have a strong pitching staff with Fernando Valenzuela, Teddy Higuera (a top prospect), Salome Barojas and Sid Monge closing games out of the pen. Offensively they’d be more challenged with Jorge Orta, Alex Trevino, and crap.

Panama would have Rod Carew, of course. Toss in Ben Oglivie, Omar Moreno. Rennie Stennet had retired, but was still young enough to play. Juan Berenguer would have a very, very tired arm on the mound.

Canada would be Terry Puhl, Doug Frobel, Fergie Jenkins (just retired),Kirk McCaskill (still in the minors but a top prospect) and whatever ringers or guys out of retirement they could get.

Cuba could still put together a team with old veterans like Tony Perez and Bert Campanaris, combined with young players who had fled Cuba as children like the Cansecos and Rafael Palmeiro. Toss in Barbaro Garbey, who came over in the Mariel Boat Lift in 1980 and you could maybe field a team. This assumes that Reagan and Castro wouldn’t agree to let the regular Cuban National Team compete.

Italy would still have the same ringers. Maybe they’d get Lenny Randle, who was playing professionally in Italy around about then. Bert Blyleven would be very lonely on the Dutch team.

Or would Hopper manage their arch-rivals, the team consisting of players born at sea on the Pacific Ocean?