Sale Says "NO"...

[Lip Man 1]

To the WBC.

Santiago leaning against it.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...,3754866.story

Good. The Sox don't need the issues with their rotation. (or with anybody else for that matter on the roster...)

Lip

[Foulke You]

Originally Posted by Lip Man 1

To the WBC.

Santiago leaning against it.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...,3754866.story

Good. The Sox don't need the issues with their rotation. (or with anybody else for that matter on the roster...)

Lip

Agreed Lip. I cringe whenever an important Sox player participates in the WBC. I was not pleased to read that Jesse Crain will be pitching for team Canada. It is especially troubling when you consider that Crain struggled with health issues last season. I hope there aren't many more Sox players in it:

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...s_mlb&c_id=mlb

[russ99]

Good deal.

Can't believe that more players can't get how useless Bud's World Baseball Craptacular is, and how it can affect their overall health in the season to follow.

[SephClone89]

Originally Posted by russ99

Good deal.

Can't believe that more players can't get how useless Bud's World Baseball Craptacular is, and how it can affect their overall health in the season to follow.

1) I like the WBC and wish more big leaguers would take it seriously, though considering Sale's case I'm fine that he's not participating.
2) Is there quantitative data to support this?

[Noneck]

I dont have a problem with position players playing in this but pitchers are a no no in my book.

[moochpuppy]

I wish they would move the WBC to after the season but that will never happen since they would be competing against the NFL.

[DumpJerry]

Originally Posted by russ99

Good deal.

Can't believe that more players can't get how useless Bud's World Baseball Craptacular is, and how it can affect their overall health in the season to follow.

So, do you know for a fact that it has not increased the interest in Baseball in other countries? That's the main purpose of the WBC, after all.

My only grips with it is how is messes up the MLB post season schedule with the World Series coming after the first snowfall in some cities.

[doublem23]

Originally Posted by DumpJerry

My only grips with it is how is messes up the MLB post season schedule with the World Series coming after the first snowfall in some cities.

They've fully integrated the WBC schedule to work with the MLB schedule now, haven't they? The MLB regular season ends on September 29 this year, which is about the same as normal.

[amsteel]

Because throwing 70 pitches in a WBC game is different than throwing 70 in a ST game.

[beasly213]

Originally Posted by amsteel

Because throwing 70 pitches in a WBC game is different than throwing 70 in a ST game.

I would say it is. The games have a lot more intensity than a lazy spring training game where guys sometimes only throw 1 or 2 types of pitches their whole outing. They might be working on command or location where as in these WBC games pitchers are actually trying to get outs as they would in a regular game.

[Bucky F. Dent]

Thank goodness.

[TDog]

Originally Posted by SephClone89

1) I like the WBC and wish more big leaguers would take it seriously, though considering Sale's case I'm fine that he's not participating.
2) Is there quantitative data to support this?

I too like the WBC. I like the idea of an international baseball competition. I haven't made up my mind yet whether I'll see any games in San Francisco, though.

At the same time, I have no problem with White Sox players not participating, not becuse I believe the competition will render them less effective, but becuase there is always a chance that something could go wrong. There's always that chance, whether it's baseball or tarp sliding or whatever. Pete Ward became a lesser player after riding in a car.

Really, I don't know that participating in the WBC puts players, especially pitchers at a greater risk of performing well in the season than playing deep into the previous postseason.

[russ99]

Originally Posted by DumpJerry

So, do you know for a fact that it has not increased the interest in Baseball in other countries? That's the main purpose of the WBC, after all.

Riiight... And it has nothing to do with all the TV money and marketing and memorabilia sales that go along with it. The idea of Bud doing anything altruistic is pretty naive.

[Falstaff]

Originally Posted by TDog

I too like the WBC. I like the idea of an international baseball competition. I haven't made up my mind yet whether I'll see any games in San Francisco, though.

At the same time, I have no problem with White Sox players not participating, not becuse I believe the competition will render them less effective, but becuase there is always a chance that something could go wrong. There's always that chance, whether it's baseball or tarp sliding or whatever. Pete Ward became a lesser player after riding in a car.

Really, I don't know that participating in the WBC puts players, especially pitchers at a greater risk of performing well in the season than playing deep into the previous postseason.

Ask Mike Sirotka about that. Dude did not get proper rest following 2000 season pitched winter ball and his arm (torn labrum) just about fell off, no more MLB career. Bet he like to have those 70 pitches back!

[Lip Man 1]

Falstaff:

Mike actually hurt the arm originally the last week of the regular season (against Boston I think) then got the OK from team doctors to participate in the series in Japan where he hurt it again.

Lip