Results tagged ‘ Derek Jeter ’
WB-See it
Monday was like picture day at school for the World Baseball Classic, the day when most of the mini-camps filled with players all dressed up in their new duds, the ones they’ll wear — they hope — until March 23, when they get ‘em all soaked in celebratory champagne.
Of course, only a select few of those clubs have that actual opportunity, but they were all out and all spiffy as camps opened, with A-Rod switching USA for Dominicana on the front of his jersey, Jeter still going with the Captain America look and everybody north of the border now knows where they can get them some Stubby Clapp.
Over in Tokyo, they’ve already moved on to exhibition games and roaring crowds, cheering their Samurai. Heck, even Ichiro has gotten a 3-for-23 slump out of the way. (Which probably means about a 15-for-23 is coming as Pool A begins.) Japan’s already gearing up for the title run — and we mean the country, not just the squad – and it’s kind of hard not to peg them as a favorite as they kick things off at 4:35 a.m. ET on Thursday.
Best of all: It’s ball, folks. It’s like a bonus to Spring Training, a soft and creamy center to the chocolate goodness you get every year.
And it’s enough to keep you up real late Wednesday night or up real early Thursday morning to watch it all begin.
Yakyu Haiku
That’s the American tradition of baseball in Japanese, and here’s an Americanized version of a Japanese tradition:
Samurai, put up
your swords for a springtime duel –
they’re all after you
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
Party like its 1999, Seattle
Leave it to a guy nicknamed Junior to make going home look so good.
The reunion of Seattle and superstar on Wednesday just fits, always has, and probably should have happened some time ago. All you needed to see was Ken Griffey Jr.’s homecoming two years ago when he was with the Reds and the continued adoration last year while with the Sox to know: This is how it should be.
Yes, he’s a senior Junior with a recent medical log that doubles as his locker stool. No, he’s not the Kid anymore who spiked the wall and pushed 50 homers every year. Guess what? This isn’t the move to put the Mariners over the top. The top’s a bit beyond his reach right now, even back in the day.
Call it marketing, call it whatever you want. The Kid is back, and if there’s something wrong with that, there’s something wrong with this picture.
For one thing, it’s been a hard, hard sports year in the Northwest, don’t you know? The Mariners didn’t do so hot, the state’s two major college football teams went historic in a bad way, it’s hard for anyone outside Seattle to tell you much about the Seahawks and, well, the Sonics simply live in Oklahoma City now. And they’re as bad as their uniforms, so maybe it’s spreading.
But the Mariners are trying to start anew with GM Jack Zduriencik, who’s bringing in a rebuilding process from within and from the outside. With Ichiro as a cornerstone, they’re remaking themselves, but ready for King Felix to go all royal on the AL for a season and for a few others like Adrian Beltre to deliver the goods. If they succeed in 2009 and compete in the AL West, they will have surprised us all — and themselves.
It’s a pretty good guess right now that Junior’d be a big reason why. And wouldn’t that be something?
What’s wrong with a little flashback, back, back to the wall in center? Didn’t your mind flash back to that dog pile with the laughing kid at the bottom, or that smooth swing in its prime? Doesn’t it now? The No. 1 pick whose rise through the ’90s in the Kingdome led to Safeco Field, returning to the scene of the prime. It’s a good thing.
And so Wednesday was about stars returning, whether it’s to that place where it all started, or that place where it’s always been — see: Derek Jeter, holding court in the dugout in Tampa. They’re filing in to camps, one by one and in bunches. They’ll all be there soon.
That includes Junior heading back to Peoria, en route to Seattle.
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