Results tagged ‘ David Ortiz ’
Partial eclipse
Hmmm. Yanks-Sox. Sox-Yanks. Hmmm, OK.
For those without a rooting interest in it, and therefore an inherent rooting interest against it for some, the renewal of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry obviously isn’t as big a deal as it is to others. It affects the rest of the baseball world differently.
(Yes, there is a rest of the baseball world.)
Perhaps the one thing that’s really interesting about this year’s version is that it’s a little bit less interesting, and that’s interesting. Usually, it blots out everything else in baseball, but this one’s just a partial eclipse. There’s the fact that Alex Rodriguez is missing from the picture, and if all the hype we can get out of it is Big Papi reminding Joba Chamberlain not to crowd Kevin Youkilis’ face, well, it’s not like the circus that used to come to town.
But maybe that’s what’s interesting.
Yakyu Haiku
That’s the American tradition of baseball in Japanese, and here’s an Americanized version of a Japanese tradition:
Birds of a feather,
More wins from north this April,
Blue Jays keep winning
A world of ball — Classic
Ichiro, Papi and Jeter. Bay, Morneau and Peavy.
See you in St. Louis for the All-Star Game?
Well, probably. But, first, see you in San Juan for the World Baseball Classic. And Toronto, Mexico City and Tokyo. And then Miami and San Diego.
Then, finally, in Los Angeles, at venerable Dodger Stadium for the finals.
Baseball’s round-the-world journey of a tourney is about to begin, and the stars are shifting their springs around to play for their countries. The rosters were set Tuesday, and the first games are about a week away.
Can it top 2006? Absolutely not. There’s no way to recapture the newness, the freshness and, for most everyone, the surprising degree of entertainment and competition. From the fundamentals and fire of the Cubans to the wave of Korean fans in Anaheim to Aki’s celebratory shout in San Diego, it was an amazing spectacle — and considering Team USA didn’t exactly set the world on its ear, that’s saying something.
But the 2009 Classic will be something to watch. WBC 2.0 is just brimming with possibilities, starting with possible redemption for the U.S. But what’s cool is that there is a world of possibilities, starting with defending champ Japan’s chances of repeating.
How much has Cuba’s team changed? You know it still has a battery of Pedro Lazo and Ariel Pestano that can stack up with anybody, and a ton of talent throughout. How much better are the teams on the lower end of the totem pole, like South Africa and Australia? And how about China?
Ah, more ball to discuss. More teams, more players to watch in a different setting. It’s the World Baseball Classic again, and it’s a good thing.
What’s not to like?
Yakyu Haiku
That’s the American tradition of baseball in Japanese, and here’s an Americanized version of a Japanese tradition:
Ichiro, sumo
in the sun, just watch him hit!
Some kind of freak, dude
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