Diamond Deliberations: Some 2009 'What Ifs' for the Average Fan

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

It's almost July. That means we have almost three months of MLB highlights, wins, losses, and data at our disposal. From this we can draw conclusions, project outcomes, and try to figure out the Rubik's Cube that is the 2009 baseball season.

Some may find this exercise pointless seeing as how three months and more 90 games of baseball remain. Well, if NBC can find substance and an audience while airing the abomination that is "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here," then nothing—I mean NOTHING—is pointless.

Here are some what-if scenarios that got me thinking as we approach the dog days of summer and the onslaught of pennant races:

1.   What if the World Baseball Classic did not exist? Would we be seeing a different baseball landscape in 2009?

I’m inclined to say yes, and I feel that a few specific teams and players have been adversely affected by that particular nonsensical March exhibition.

Red Sox, for one, surely have felt the wrath of the Classic. Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia both suffered injuries while playing for Team USA, and two-time WBC MVP Daisuke Matsuzaka now looks like a Double-A pitcher trying to sweat out innings late in September.

Dice-K has been a certifiable disaster for Boston this year thanks to his lofty salary and corresponding dead arm—the latter of which is directly related to the WBC. Matsuzaka geared it up a bit too early for the love and pride of his homeland, and because of that the Red Sox are looking at a financial investment that’s about as healthy as downtown L.A. after a major sports championship.

Lacking command of any kind and the zip of his heater, Dice-K is on the DL for the second time this year, a stint that manager Terry Francona described as “much more than a two-week deal." Super.

You may ask, “What’s 14.2 innings in March? Wouldn’t Matsuzaka have thrown those innings in spring training anyway?” You’re missing the point.

The WBC has a sentimental, nationalistic pull that prevents teams from protecting, conditioning, and—at times—limiting the early work load of their stars. Quite simply, the games mean more and the athletes exert themselves further than they would in Florida or Arizona.

You can’t tell me Houston wanted Roy Oswalt throwing three times for Team USA in early March, or that the Reds are particularly happy that their prize gem Edinson Volquez—last year’s NL All-Star starter coming off his first season of 200-plus major-league innings—has had a litany of arm and back injuries. Those have perhaps stemmed from an early acceleration into meaningful games.

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