World Baseball Classic

[jwpeer 0]

Wow. This guy from Korea has a NICE swing. 4 hr's already...and this one came against a decent MLB pitcher too, he seems to have a decent eye too, taking some close pitches.

[naiwf 0]

Dominicans 1 and Puerto Ricans 0 after a homerun from Beltre

 

Puerto Rico 7, DR 1

[Bored 0]

The t.v. scheduling of this tournament is so bizarre. Tommorrow the U.S./Korea game will only be available on ESPN Deportes (and who has this channel?). So they are going to have a game between Americans and Koreans only available in Spanish. Ya.

[Guest Princess Leena]

ESPN2 may still show the game live... like today, they dumped Indian Wells tennis to the Tennis Channel for the baseball. And as a tennis fan, I'll gladly take that happening every day.

[Vern Gagne 0]

I watched the whole game and neither Fuentes or Nathan looked close to ready to pitch at a high level. If Buck Martinez is going to count on them at the end of games, forget it.

 

Nathan's fastball is normally only in the high 80s during spring training and the early part of the season. He takes a month to hit his stride.

[mike546 0]

The t.v. scheduling of this tournament is so bizarre. Tommorrow the U.S./Korea game will only be available on ESPN Deportes (and who has this channel?). So they are going to have a game between Americans and Koreans only available in Spanish. Ya.

 

Those living in NY get the game on WWOR which is channel 9 for me.

[Angel_Grace_Blue 0]

Just turned on Deportes (Not sure why I've got it), and Tejada knocks in two with a double in the 3rd.

[Angel_Grace_Blue 0]

Shitty throw by the Cuban 3rd baseman, and it goes over the 1st baseman's head, so Tejada and Pujols score, Alou on first, two out.

[Angel_Grace_Blue 0]

And Beltre gets plunked in the hip. The Cuban pitcher is deteriorating it seems. Thrown a few that, had the catcher not been playing well, would have been wild pitches, and then a balk to get Moises to 2nd.

 

Edit: I don't know how many people are watching/can watch this game, so if you'd rather not have my crappy running commentary, let me know. To the max.

[Angel_Grace_Blue 0]

Ortiz crushes a solo homerun, 6-0 top of the 5th. Sadly, this now means that the Dominican Republic team has more hits than the Cuban team.

[jwpeer 0]

Ortiz crushes a solo homerun, 6-0 top of the 5th. Sadly, this now means that the Dominican Republic team has more hits than the Cuban team.

 

 

 

This is gonna be a tough pool to come out of... Dominican and Cuba will both be 1-1 after this game, say Puerto Rico loses to Venezuela, then all 4 teams are 1-1 going into the last 2 games.

 

That's something.

[Angel_Grace_Blue 0]

So, Tommy Lasorda just gave an interview in Spanish. With a few English words thrown in. I didn't understand most of it, but it was interesting.

[naiwf 0]

PR just needs to win one game to end up at least in a 3 way tie assuming Venezuela goes 0-3. Assuming this score stands every other team would have at least one win, so it would be more beneficial for PR to beat Cuba than Venezuela, although they would effectively eliminate either by handing them their second loss. If it's a three way tie between Cuba, DR & PR. . .

 

Cuba's already given up 4 ER so far to DR.

 

DR's given up 0 to Cuba, but gave up 3 to Puerto Rico so even with a shut out in this game they'd still be second in that tiebreaker.

 

PR gave up 1 ER to DR, so they're in the driver's seat especially if the Dominicans continue to beat up on Cuba. The more runs the Dominicans score, the wider a margin the Ricans have should they need it.

[Angel_Grace_Blue 0]

Oh no, controversy!

 

Cepeda hits it to center, Taveras scoops it up and throws to second. Cepeda reaches base before the Dominican makes a tag, but, his foot comes off the bag, and it damn sure looked like he was tagged while not on the base. Called safe, and is still safe.

 

DR 7

Cuba 1

[naiwf 0]

Cuba's cut it to 7-3 in the 9th. The ER count (to date DR 5, Cuba 4, PR 1) is helping Puerto Rico a bit since they can make it through by beating Venezuela and not giving up 4 ER to Cuba. To be fair though this game should have been over a while ago if the DR could have converted on all the walks they received early in the game.

[jwpeer 0]

BAD call by the ump on that check swing, he never went. Should have been a walk.

 

I'm really hating the announcers with their anti-cuba shit. Just announce baseball.

[naiwf 0]

BAD call by the ump on that check swing, he never went. Should have been a walk.

 

I'm really hating the announcers with their anti-cuba shit. Just announce baseball.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought he didn't go. If it's 7-4 with a .400 hitter coming up with the bags juiced, that would have been a hell of a finish to that game either way. DR deserved the victory, just not on that call.

[jwpeer 0]

Exactly. I want to see their .400 hitter up at bat with DR only up by 3 runs...say he hits a grand slam, it goes to the bottom of the ninth with DR down 1...AWESOME game

 

 

And he didn't even come close to going, it was clearly chcecked, and the ball was nowhere near a strike. Just bothers me, (Even worse that it happened to cuba, too)

 

 

Clearly not the best umpires working between that and the HORRIBLE japan call.

[naiwf 0]

Exactly. I want to see their .400 hitter up at bat with DR only up by 3 runs...say he hits a grand slam, it goes to the bottom of the ninth with DR down 1...AWESOME game

 

 

And he didn't even come close to going, it was clearly chcecked, and the ball was nowhere near a strike. Just bothers me, (Even worse that it happened to cuba, too)

 

 

Clearly not the best umpires working between that and the HORRIBLE japan call.

 

Actually if he had come up and hit a Slam, Cuba would have won 8-7 since it was the bottom of the 9th. Even more of a reason I wanted to see him have the chance to possibly end the game one way or another. I think fans of almost every team could agree that the officiating has been pretty bad all around and changed the outcome of at least one or two games thus far.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I'm really hating the announcers with their anti-cuba shit. Just announce baseball.

 

What's their anti-Cuba shit about, anyways?

 

Chances are it's more incredibly brainwashed and idiotic views on Cuban politics, I bet. People should know that a majority of Cubans HATE the communists in control, thus why a good majority of them are trying to escape life and limb and get to this country. Remember what happened to the last Cuban team who came here to play? They didn't want to leave.

 

For me, it's hard not rooting for the Cuban team, not just because it's my nationality, but considering this is one of the few teams in this thing completely composed of mostly amateurs going up against guys who play in the pros here in the States. They're going up against guys who make millions doing this.

[jwpeer 0]

I'm really hating the announcers with their anti-cuba shit. Just announce baseball.

 

What's their anti-Cuba shit about, anyways?

 

Chances are it's more incredibly brainwashed and idiotic views on Cuban politics, I bet. People should know that a majority of Cubans HATE the communists in control, thus why a good majority of them are trying to escape life and limb and get to this country. Remember what happened to the last Cuban team who came here to play? They didn't want to leave.

 

For me, it's hard not rooting for the Cuban team, not just because it's my nationality, but considering this is one of the few teams in this thing completely composed of mostly amateurs going up against guys who play in the pros here in the States. They're going up against guys who make millions doing this.

 

 

Well one of the announcers was Dominican, so I don't think that helped. It wasn't DIRECTLY anti-cuba, but their tone of voice when they brought up the subject was fairly negative...and it's like, why even bring it up, you can't really understand their situation, most of those people have no real CHOICE to leave/change the way things are there.

 

 

I have to agree with the rooting for cuba sentiment, you can tell those guys have raw talent, but they don't have the experience/training regimens of the pro players. I mean, Castro's son or nephew was the team doctor/trainer that's a bit scary.

[devo 0]

Damn. Venezuela's Victor Martinez blows it wide open in the top of the 8th with a Grand Slam. 6-0 Venezuela.

 

It's almost a definite now that every team in this pool is going to be 1-1 by the end of the night, which is great. Makes the games after this all the more interesting.

[jwpeer 0]

Basically means the next two games are pure elimination games.

 

And guess whjo pitches for Venezuela, my FAVORITE mlb pitcher, Johan Santana, I can't WAIT to see him going up against the D.R.'s power hitters KNOWING that the final round is on the line

[Vern Gagne 0]

BAD call by the ump on that check swing, he never went. Should have been a walk.

 

I'm really hating the announcers with their anti-cuba shit. Just announce baseball.

 

 

It's not anti-Cuba, it's anti-Castro. Huge difference.

[jwpeer 0]

I suppose, but the way they talked, it seemd like they blamed the Cuban players for the situation with not wanting to have anti-Castro signs, etc. They just weren't very sympathetic, I suppose.

 

No chance Puetro Rico wins this game with K-rod coming in...damn is Venezuela stacked at pitching for a short series, if they get to the finals with Zambrano and Santana able to throw 95 pitches and K-rod/Julio in the bullpen.

 

Nasty.

[devo 0]

THESE TACO BELL COMMERCIALS ARE SO GODDAMN ANNOYING. CHRIST.

 

Sorry, needed to get that off my chest. I really wish I could be watching the USA/Korea game right about now, because the Puerto Rico/Venezuela game is all but over.

[Vern Gagne 0]

I suppose, but the way they talked, it seemd like they blamed the Cuban players for the situation with not wanting to have anti-Castro signs, etc. They just weren't very sympathetic, I suppose.

 

No chance Puetro Rico wins this game with K-rod coming in...damn is Venezuela stacked at pitching for a short series, if they get to the finals with Zambrano and Santana able to throw 95 pitches and K-rod/Julio in the bullpen.

 

Nasty.

 

 

I think Destrade did a good job of explaining the players aren't the problem in Cuba.

[Guest Princess Leena]

Lee! Seung! Yeop! continues to crush for Korea. 3-1. Lots more runs, plz.

[naiwf 0]

P.R. screwed the pooch and now have to beat an angry Cuban team who will no doubt be looking to avenge a mercy rule ass whoopin' to advance. Hopefully, Venezuela will at least eliminate the DR so that I can be happy tomorrow night.

[Guest Princess Leena]

Choi! Hee! Seop! with a 3-run ding dong. 6-1! Yay!