[The Toninator]

I’m sick of all this WS tripe. $5000 dollar tickets, don’t wear socks, $30 team support bill boards (t-shirts) etc.
I’m not going to undermine peoples enthusiasm about the ‘game’ but there are a LOT of people who have lost track of reality. Most specifically I’m offended by the term ‘World Series’ when at best it’s the ‘North American’ Championship.
Players are over paid, owners are over paid and the public lets them get away with it AND ‘we’ give them extra money by allowing public funds to be used to buy them stadiums.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Okay Ton, who made poopy in your Cheerios this morning?

 

[MMike]

Yeah... inviting another country to the "world series" would be nice.

Stupid game....

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Yeah... inviting another country to the "world series" would be nice.

Stupid game....

Canada SUCKS!!!!!!!!

 

[Westy]

An American champion would just kill any other countries team so there is no need to invite any one else. Just look at what US basketball did at the olympics......

 

[I Are Baboon]

There will be a world baseball tournament next Spring (baseball's answer to the World Cup). Teams from USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Japan and Cuba (to name a few) will be competing. Most of the players will be from MLB (except with the last two countries I listed).

 

[Brian HCM#1]

But technically it is the "World series" They have players from all over the world, don't they?

 

[Brian HCM#1]

An American champion would just kill any other countries team so there is no need to invite any one else. Just look at what US basketball did at the olympics......

Good example

 

[I Are Baboon]

An American champion would just kill any other countries team so there is no need to invite any one else. Just look at what US basketball did at the olympics......

HAHAHA....

Actually, no other country can match the US's depth of pitching. Good pitching always beats good hitting.

 

[The Toninator]

But technically it is the "World series" They have players from all over the world, don't they?

no not even technically because only north America teams compete.

 

[-dustin]

i always wondered why "World" was in there.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

no not even technically because only north America teams compete.

We have players from Cuba, Dominican Republic, Japan and from Iowa That's world enough from me.

 

[I Are Baboon]

World Baseball Classic

 

[Crazy Sweeper]

I'm pretty sure when a team wins the superbowl they get called world champions as well...

and speaking of dream team, we tried the same thing with the hockey in the olympics and we didn't get anywhere.

I kind of agree with Ton, is baseball really that expensive?

 

[I Are Baboon]

and speaking of dream team, we tried the same thing with the hockey in the olympics and we didn't get anywhere.

Well the problem there is that every other country also sent their pro hockey players. If the US sent pros and everyone else sent amateurs, maybe we would have medaled. The USA does not produce the best hockey players. Not by a long shot.

 

[Echo]

An American champion would just kill any other countries team so there is no need to invite any one else. Just look at what US basketball did at the olympics......

If Cuba fielded a team of their best players, they would crush any MLB team.

 

[ummbikes]

If Cuba fielded a team of their best players, they would crush any MLB team.

Crush? The cubans had their hands full and split with an average MLB team in Baltimore a few years back.

It would be intresting to see a Havana Sugar Kings MLB team when Castro goes away.

Cuban baseball is beatiful to watch though, great execution of fundamentals and all.

 

[Kopiklokoli]

An American champion would just kill any other countries team so there is no need to invite any one else. Just look at what US basketball did at the olympics......

You do realize the US finished 3rd in the olympics in basketball right?

http://www.usabasketball.com/history/moly_2004.html

 

[bluebug32]

What's the logic behind not wearing socks? Is it a security issue or do Astros fans wearing white socks get a public flogging by fellow Houston fans?

 

[Changleen]

Only the countries previously listed actually give a **** about Baseball. Actually it's quite interesting that the sports that America loves the most are largely ignored by the rest of the world, and vice versa.

How's the football (soccer) team coming on? That's a truly international sport . I hear your girls team is quite good...

 

[Slugman]

You do realize the US finished 3rd in the olympics in basketball right?

http://www.usabasketball.com/history/moly_2004.html

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=Sarcasm

 

[narlus]

Only the countries previously listed actually give a **** about Baseball. Actually it's quite interesting that the sports that America loves the most are largely ignored by the rest of the world, and vice versa.

team sports only.

the USOC usually needs to charter a cargo plane for the medal haul at the olympics.

 

[jimmydean]

The main problem is, a large part of the good players ARE from other countries, so if we go into a "world series" and loose all our players to home countries, we're screwed.

Do have have some good pitchers though. Too bad our good hitters are on the juice.

 

[gschuette]

I’m sick of all this WS tripe. $5000 dollar tickets, don’t wear socks, $30 team support bill boards (t-shirts) etc.
I’m not going to undermine peoples enthusiasm about the ‘game’ but there are a LOT of people who have lost track of reality. Most specifically I’m offended by the term ‘World Series’ when at best it’s the ‘North American’ Championship.
Players are over paid, owners are over paid and the public lets them get away with it AND ‘we’ give them extra money by allowing public funds to be used to buy them stadiums.

The Players get paid because the owners don't mind paying them. The owners usually are already wealthy. They pretty much have to be to buy a pro sports team. The team is more of a business. They took the risk to own it so why can't they reap the rewards of running a successful business? The players usually make the business successful so why shouldn't they get a cut?

 

[hooples3]

HAHAHA....

Actually, no other country can match the US's depth of pitching. Good pitching always beats good hitting.

yeah but all the pitchers are from different countries.. what if they pitched for there own country???

 

[TheInedibleHulk]

How can you say baseball tickets are too expensive?? Have you ever been to a hockey or football game? I went to half a dozen baseball games this summer and never paid more than 8 bucks for a ticket. That combined with the fact that no baseball player does a dance after getting a hit or making a catch makes baseball still the great american pasttime. If you dont like it you dont have to watch it.

"World Series" may be a bit of misnomer but theyve been calling it that forever so it's a little late to change it now. Sounds good to me.

 

[The Toninator]

What's the logic behind not wearing socks? Is it a security issue or do Astros fans wearing white socks get a public flogging by fellow Houston fans?

it's because we're playing the 'white sox' it's pretty stupid. i'm going to wear 2 pair today roll up my pant legs so everybody can see.

 

[I Are Baboon]

How can you say baseball tickets are too expensive?? Have you ever been to a hockey or football game? I went to half a dozen baseball games this summer and never paid more than 8 bucks for a ticket. That combined with the fact that no baseball player does a dance after getting a hit or making a catch makes baseball still the great american pasttime. If you dont like it you dont have to watch it.

"World Series" may be a bit of misnomer but theyve been calling it that forever so it's a little late to change it now. Sounds good to me.

Just curious, what park did you go to? The cheapest Fenway ticket is $12, and that is for deep center field bleachers.

 

[narlus]

fenway's a clear abberation, because

1) it's the smallest park
2) it's got a very successful team
3) it's got a rabid fan base to support prices
4) it's got a huge payroll and needs the revenues

 

[jacksonpt]

An American champion would just kill any other countries team so there is no need to invite any one else. Just look at what US basketball did at the olympics......

I dunno man... you take all the central/south american players out of MLB and the quality of the game goes waaaay down hill.

I think a US team would be the favorties, but I don't think it would be total anhillation of the world like it was with the NBA (and still would be, if players cared about it at all).

World hockey play is still the best sporting event going.

 

[I Are Baboon]

yeah but all the pitchers are from different countries.. what if they pitched for there own country???

I was referring to American born pitchers. No other country could match a US pitching staff. The US would have All Stars in every slot, from starting pitching to middle relief to closer. No other country has that depth. The US is going to have a hard time choosing it's starting rotation because there are so many good pitchers to choose from. Our #5 guy (if we go with a five man rotation) will be a Cy Young candidate.

 

[narlus]

I think a US team would be the favorties, but I don't think it would be total anhillation of the world like it was with the NBA (and still would be, if players cared about it at all).

i'm not so sure about that. the NBA game is substantially different from the international game, in terms of how it's played. it's not 4 guys standing around, waiting for Iverson to drive to the hoop or pull up for a jumper.

World hockey play is still the best sporting event going.

not a chance. football (soccer) definitely has this beat. i really couldn't care less about it, but watching the Euro Cup (on TV) when i was in Sweden and France was definitely engaging.

 

[jacksonpt]

i'm not so sure about that. the NBA game is substantially different from the international game, in terms of how it's played. it's not 4 guys standing around, waiting for Iverson to drive to the hoop or pull up for a jumper.

I agree... but I still think that if you took the best 12 NBA players, somehow got them to care about the games (so that they acutally played defense, maybe???), they would still dominate any world team You might even be able to have a US team versus a world team (much like they do in golf), and the US team is still goign to be the favorite.

not a chance. football (soccer) definitely has this beat. i really couldn't care less about it, but watching the Euro Cup (on TV) when i was in Sweden and France was definitely engaging.

I'll take world soccer over any sport except hockey. IMO, hockey is more exciting over the entire game than is soccer (though soccer does have more drama)... plus, in world play, NHL players play against people they play with in the NHL - that's cool to watch.

 

[narlus]

i think the b-ball team for the olympics should be a TEAM, not a bunch of all-stars. hell, if the NBA champs don't want to go, send the runner up, or on down the line. for the most part, the national teams stay together and practice as a unit; how many germans other than nowitzski are in the NBA? probably not all that many.

i defintely like watching hockey, but there aren't as many world type competitions other than the olympics, are there? is there still the Canada Cup?

 

[I Are Baboon]

is there still the Canada Cup?

It's now known as the "World Cup of Hockey." Canada won the last one in 2004, but nobody seems to care.

 

[jacksonpt]

It's now known as the "World Cup of Hockey." Canada won the last one in 2004, but nobody seems to care.

Yea, what he said. Hockey people care, but it doesn't draw the casual watcher like the "bigger" sports do. There are a couple of other smaller scale internation events, but the world cup is the big one.

 

[jacksonpt]

i think the b-ball team for the olympics should be a TEAM, not a bunch of all-stars. hell, if the NBA champs don't want to go, send the runner up, or on down the line. for the most part, the national teams stay together and practice as a unit; how many germans other than nowitzski are in the NBA? probably not all that many.

That's an interesting idea... I'd love to see how things played out if they went that way.

Would you do the same thing with baseball, if there was some kind of world competition that players actually cared about?