View From the Couch - We are the World.

Ever since Bud Selig first announced that baseball would hold its own version of the World Cup, the professional skeptics who are the baseball writers, have dedicated forests to blasting the notion.

They couldn’t help themselves. The World Baseball Classic was such an easy target.

First off – anything Uncle Bud comes up with deserves intense scrutiny considering his almost perfectly consistent inconsistency. Also, baseball – a North American invention – was clearly attempting to mimic soccer’s international success. That’s even after North American fans have demonstrated again and again that they would rather be kicked in the head than embrace anything to do with soccer.

Then there was the timing, March, when baseball players are supposed to be in training. As in, the hitters won’t be very good – and the pitchers won’t be able to last longer than an inning.

And could it really be a “World” wide tourney considering so few countries actually play baseball? Kicking off the tourney in North America, Italy put the beat on Australia, winning 11-0. I don’t know about you – but when I think baseball – those two don’t pop to the front of my cranium as baseball playing powers. Also - I also don’t think of Mike Piazza as an Italian either, considering he’s a Pennsylvanian.

Another kick at the tournament is who wasn’t going. The likes of Vladamir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Billy Wagner, Mark Prior, Mark Mulder, Jose Vidro, Tim Hudson, Melvin Mora, Barry Zito, Hideki Matsui, Gary Sheffield, CC Sabathia and John Smoltz, are all in absentia.

Not all teams are embracing Selig’s international adventure either. The Yankees posted a sign at their spring training facility apologizing to their snowbird fans for the absence of stars including Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon. Hey, I wonder if George Steinbrenner will post an apology at Yankees stadium for not winning a World Series in five seasons – despite having spent more than half a billion dollars in the attempt?

Regardless, this fledgling tournament has its detractors and its problems.

Yet Selig insisted this marketing ploy to grow the game globally would work. A few days in – he may just be right. (I know – I can’t believe I wrote that either!)

The things all those who lined up to swing for the fences at the WBC forgot these little facts: its spring (well, almost), it’s baseball and there is a lot of national pride on the line.

Combine those three after a long hard winter, and falling just after the Olympics, where nationalism reigned supreme and we fans long for another taste for it, even Selig would be hard pressed to blow it. The ticket sales are surprisingly good and those who are going to the games appear to be having a blast.

This week everyone’s favorite baseball player Kirby Puckett died and Barry Bonds was outed for being what everyone knew he was. Baseball needed a good story desperately.

Seeing 30,000 Mexican’s going gaga over their team after they lost a close one to the heavily favored American’s was one. Another was South Africa almost taking out Canada. This tournament should promise to have many more.

In 1896, a new sporting event appeared on the world stage, and virtually nobody showed up to watch. Fortunately for us Pierre de Coubertin wasn’t discouraged – and the modern Olympics survived its less than spectacular debut.

The next scheduled “Classic” is set for 2009.

Maybe you should start thinking about booking your tickets now.

Cheers - Gavin McDougald - AKA Couch

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