The U.S. Debut
After catching some of the weekend match-ups in Asia...including the dramatic finale of Korea's upset of Japan (with the Japanese Emperor in attendance), I was hoping to catch both the D.R.-Venezuela and U.S.-Mexico games today. I had to settle for WBC's gameday webcast for the former, but caught most of the U.S. debut.
A few observations:
If the U.S. gets knocked out early, it may be symbolic that the first ball put in play against an American caught him (Utley, 2B) off-guard and knocked him on his ass...
So much for the critique that these guys will be out of shape and full of cobwebs. The U.S. turned crisp doublep-lays all night. Chipper Jones stepped off the bench and drove the first pitch for an opposite field homerun. The defense was sharp. If anything, Jeter's first couple throws, forcing Lee to stretch, showed a few (dare I say it?) nerves--and how seriously he takes this competition.
How serious does Griff Jr. take it? He took an extra hour and a half of batting practice. His Dad donated a few weeks in March to serve as U.S. 1B coach.
And Chipper? He said the homerun with a USA on his chest was an instant "career highlight."
I don't know if it's the pitch limit or other factors, but U.S. pitchers are really going after the hitters.
The upbeat tempo [final gametime: "a very manageable" 2:06], crisp D, and U.S. players running off the field show that this team is there to play. This is no lark for these millionaires...what a refreshing energy in contrast to lethargic April ball or deadslow August ball.
At first I wondered about some of the U.S. names, mostly NL players, I had never seen. All of them have impressive stats or real specialties and it's a pleasure to learn about NL stars in a way that the All-Star game would never inspire me to do.
My wife and her Cubs fan posse is quick to point out that the first U.S. run was not generated by Damon, Jeter, or A-Rod, but Chicago 1Bman Derek Lee. Hey, they're all red, white, and blue to me. Go D-Lee.
It may be mostly spring training tourists, but the crowd seems pretty electric from ESPN's tv coverage. Same energy in the DR-VZ game I was told.
What an opportunity this tournament is for international scouts...and international players stuck in the lower minor leagues to perform on a big stage...
Ouch...a classic Jeter foul ball into his ankle. Selig's heart skipped a beat. But someone tell me why would it be any worse for Jeter to injure himself here than in a meaningless split squad game in Florida?
A sure sign that A-Rod takes this mighty serious: He's picked up right where he left off in Anaheim last fall...pressing and failing. Still, kudos for playing. I didn't expect it, waffle or not.
Final: 2-0 U.S. shoutout. Deep pitching staff. A couple of bombs. They'll need to generate more runs to keep pace with the D.R. and who knows about Cuba? Can't wait to get a glimpse of that squad.
Game on.
A few observations:
If the U.S. gets knocked out early, it may be symbolic that the first ball put in play against an American caught him (Utley, 2B) off-guard and knocked him on his ass...
So much for the critique that these guys will be out of shape and full of cobwebs. The U.S. turned crisp doublep-lays all night. Chipper Jones stepped off the bench and drove the first pitch for an opposite field homerun. The defense was sharp. If anything, Jeter's first couple throws, forcing Lee to stretch, showed a few (dare I say it?) nerves--and how seriously he takes this competition.
How serious does Griff Jr. take it? He took an extra hour and a half of batting practice. His Dad donated a few weeks in March to serve as U.S. 1B coach.
And Chipper? He said the homerun with a USA on his chest was an instant "career highlight."
I don't know if it's the pitch limit or other factors, but U.S. pitchers are really going after the hitters.
The upbeat tempo [final gametime: "a very manageable" 2:06], crisp D, and U.S. players running off the field show that this team is there to play. This is no lark for these millionaires...what a refreshing energy in contrast to lethargic April ball or deadslow August ball.
At first I wondered about some of the U.S. names, mostly NL players, I had never seen. All of them have impressive stats or real specialties and it's a pleasure to learn about NL stars in a way that the All-Star game would never inspire me to do.
My wife and her Cubs fan posse is quick to point out that the first U.S. run was not generated by Damon, Jeter, or A-Rod, but Chicago 1Bman Derek Lee. Hey, they're all red, white, and blue to me. Go D-Lee.
It may be mostly spring training tourists, but the crowd seems pretty electric from ESPN's tv coverage. Same energy in the DR-VZ game I was told.
What an opportunity this tournament is for international scouts...and international players stuck in the lower minor leagues to perform on a big stage...
Ouch...a classic Jeter foul ball into his ankle. Selig's heart skipped a beat. But someone tell me why would it be any worse for Jeter to injure himself here than in a meaningless split squad game in Florida?
A sure sign that A-Rod takes this mighty serious: He's picked up right where he left off in Anaheim last fall...pressing and failing. Still, kudos for playing. I didn't expect it, waffle or not.
Final: 2-0 U.S. shoutout. Deep pitching staff. A couple of bombs. They'll need to generate more runs to keep pace with the D.R. and who knows about Cuba? Can't wait to get a glimpse of that squad.
Game on.
posted by LH at 11:12 PM
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