The World Baseball Classic Is a Pile of Hot Garbage

Apparently in January, I get angry more.  But as long as people keep adding fuel to my fire, I will be happy to make poopie on their cause.  Next up is the dumbest sporting competition since full contact chess: the World Baseball Classic (WBC). 

The World Baseball Classic is an excellent idea on paper.  But in case you were unsure, my idea for a bedside retractable urinal that folds out of your wall was also an excellent idea on paper.  Then I tried creating it.

In creating the WBC, Bud Selig failed miserably.

You see, a number of things need to happen in order for an athletic competition to be as competitive as possible.

First, the owners who are paying the players need to be on board with the idea.  Second, the event needs to take place at a time that won’t interfere with anything else major.  Last, audiences and fans worldwide need to know they are watching first class competition between athletes who will do anything to win.  Alas, that is the spirit of good competition.

Except in the WBC, where it isn’t.

Bud Selig opted to hold this tournament literally weeks before the start of the major league season.  Owners and players alike took serious issue to this.  I would actually argue that the lack of a salary cap has something to do with it, because the MLB players raking in the fictional amounts of money (sans Derek Jeter) seem to have no interest risking anything by playing in this tournament.

So immediately, two of the first three requirements for serious competition lie unfulfilled.  The owners don’t want their great players playing, and a lot of their players agree.

To solve this, Bud Selig decided to lay down a series of rules that literally made the WBC stricter than that of the Little League World Series.

Don’t believe me?  Well, chew on this.

- In every round of the tournament, there is a limited pitch count.

- The number of pitches thrown directly relates to the number of days a pitcher is forced to rest...IN WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT.

- The pitcher never has to bat.

- There is a mercy rule.  No, I’m not kidding.  There is a mercy rule in a tournament where nearly every single player is getting paid to do this.

So instead of just taking anyone that was willing to play a serious competitive tournament, Selig catered to the needs of MLB owners and turned the WBC into a POS.  For those of you keeping averages at home, the competiveness factor is now well under the Mendoza Line.

So I assume some of you are wondering, “Why are you writing all of this now instead of three years ago?”  Here’s why...

There are other teams worldwide who are taking this significantly more seriously than the US.  That actually isn’t an issue to me at all.  I could care less who wins this thing because as I just stated, this isn’t a real tournament.  What bothers me is that every sports media outlet is covering this thing like it is. 

When I go onto ESPN.com the morning after the Lakers make a huge statement in the NBA, Wake Forest comes out of nowhere to be the last undefeated team left, Brendan Shanahan returns to hockey, and Coach Bill Self potentially gets himself in serious trouble with the NCAA, I don’t want the headline to be that rivals Jeter and Dustin Pedroia may be sharing the infield in the WBC.

P.T. Barnum is rolling over in his grave right now.