World Baseball Classic?

So who out there likes the idea of the World Baseball Classic? In a perfect world, it’s a great idea. To see the best players in the world giving their all for their country in a meaningful international tournament would be a great spectacle. Who wouldn’t want to see the stars from the US play the best from the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela and Japan? Unfortunately, that’s not what we’re getting out of the WBC, and there are a few reasons for that.

First of all, the timing of the event makes it nearly impossible for pitchers to throw meaningful innings without risking injury. Pitchers’ primary concern won’t be winning at all costs; it will be to get themselves ready for the regular season and not to get hurt. Without top quality, committed to winning pitching, the tournament becomes nothing more than spring training all-star games. Maybe that’s fine and acceptable to the Commissioner, but the WBC could be so much more. The ideal timing for the tournament would be July, but that would mean a serious interruption of the regular season schedule. However, that would at least insure that players are in shape when they take the field for their respective countries.

The event also doesn’t have the firm support of Major League Baseball owners and that’s a huge problem because the owners won’t exactly be encouraging their high priced stars to participate. Imagine George Steinbrenner’s reaction if one of his Yankee superstars goes down with an injury while participating in this year’s event. He will be apoplectic, and doubtless, he won’t be bashful with his remarks condemning the tournament.

It’s hard to envision this tournament being successful in the same way that soccer’s World Cup is. While soccer has similar issues now with clubs fighting country over players, the World Cup was established at a point in time where club football was not nearly the money making giant it is today. The tradition of national teams was also well established at the time of the first World Cup in 1930. Another factor in soccer’s favor is that the sport is ruled on a global level by a governing body (FIFA) concerned with the world game. FIFA actually has a say in how soccer is played throughout the world and to run afoul of FIFA could be costly for a national or regional federation. I’m not even sure if there is an international baseball federation, but if there is one, it has no power or jurisdiction to speak of.

Of course, soccer’s World Cup had a few hiccups at first as many of the stronger European nations didn’t participate in the first tournament and England didn’t make an appearance until 1950, when they were humiliated by the United States, 1-0. However, the tournament was able to establish a tradition over time, and it became extremely popular with the fans and the players. By the time club football became a serious business in the second half of the twentieth century, the World Cup was an established institution.

For baseball, the reverse is true. Major League Baseball is well established and the sport of baseball has no real tradition in terms of international play. Can international play become a baseball tradition? Without the support of MLB owners and proper scheduling, it’s unlikely that the World Baseball Classic will ever reach it’s potential.