world classic baseball. why does team usa stink?

[hamato_yoshii]

Ok, maybe I'm missing something but, team USA didn't stink. If they would have won yesterday they would be in the Final. If thats stinking, then I guess we have different definitions.
There are a lot of guys who aren't playing that would make their team better, but for who they have (specifically pitching) I thought they did fine.

 

[pdbrady]

i'm glad usa lost. they didn't seem like they were playing their hearts out, unlike other countries. Maybe the embarassment of losing will spur us to take this seriously. Well...maybe not

Nope, the embarrassment means nothing. This is the second year of the classic, US knocked out both times. I think they actually went out a little quicker last time.

Ok, maybe I'm missing something but, team USA didn't stink. If they would have won yesterday they would be in the Final. If thats stinking, then I guess we have different definitions.
There are a lot of guys who aren't playing that would make their team better, but for who they have (specifically pitching) I thought they did fine.

Anything short of the finals is meaningless for the US. This is the one sport the US has zero heart in. When the US lost in basketball, it was on. There was nothing keeping them from redemption. Not the case here. They lose a game, they shrug their shoulders...."Oh well, now we go home, play spring training, and make millions......" They still had the roster to beat anybody. The game yesterday was utterly pathetic. Stupid errors, lackluster hitting when it was needed, runner on 3rd -1 out- he doesn't score....multiple times.....hell, Dunn had a ball hit nearly right at him, and he jogs PAST IT to let Victorino run back to the wall to get it. Just a sad letdown.

 

[Pyramid_Party]

The US uses college players and maybe 1 or 2 actual pros. And the pros they do use arent REALLY great players. All other countries use the BEST players in the whole country. Now, if we were to make an all star team of all top players like other countries do, no one would stand a chance.

 

[Pyramid_Party]

Also in soccer, USA isnt very good. And every country uses the best they have. And even though soccer isnt a sport Americans are good at, they manage to beat some countries whos national sport is soccer, and they been playing for centuries. Same thing with Hockey, its a canadian sport and Americans beat them too sometimes.


So it has nothing to do with playing your heart out or playing for money. Its a whole pride thing, America wants to make people think we are fair, they dumb down the players so that other countries have a chance. In the olympics they dont even use our pro boxers for the same reason. Some country will throw in their best heavyweight and we will throw in some no-name. What if we threw in Tyson or Holyfield, or Lennox Lewis?

 

[Delhezi222]

The US uses college players and maybe 1 or 2 actual pros. And the pros they do use arent REALLY great players. All other countries use the BEST players in the whole country. Now, if we were to make an all star team of all top players like other countries do, no one would stand a chance.

I agree 100%...
Although I might add that Derek Jeter is on the roster, and calling him not really great is like calling Tiger Woods a decent golfer.

 

[fobrinkle]

I agree 100%...
Although I might add that Derek Jeter is on the roster, and calling him not really great is like calling Tiger Woods a decent golfer.

And Ryan Braun, David Wright, Jimmy Rollins....but notice I didn't name any pitchers. Pitching wins championships. They need better pitching to compete.

 

[Delhezi222]

And Ryan Braun, David Wright, Jimmy Rollins....but notice I didn't name any pitchers. Pitching wins championships. They need better pitching to compete.

Very true...
Not to say that all of the pitchers on the team aren't great. I definitely respect Jake Peavy, but most of the other pitchers are only kind of good. I agree that pitching is always of utmost importance, and trust me, I've had first-hand experience with that.

 

[pdbrady]

The US uses college players and maybe 1 or 2 actual pros. And the pros they do use arent REALLY great players. All other countries use the BEST players in the whole country. Now, if we were to make an all star team of all top players like other countries do, no one would stand a chance.

I agree 100%...
Although I might add that Derek Jeter is on the roster, and calling him not really great is like calling Tiger Woods a decent golfer.

Hmmm.....
Derek Jeter - 96 AL ROY
Jimmy Rollins - 07 NL MVP
Dustin Pedroia - 08 AL MVP, 07 AL ROY
Chipper Jones - 08 NL Batting Champ, 99 NL MVP
Mark DeRosa
David Wright
Evan Longoria - 08 AL ROY
Kevin Youkilis
Ryan Braun - 07 NL ROY
Curtis Granderson
Adam Dunn
Shane Victorino
Roy Oswalt
JJ Putz
Jake Peavey - 07 Cy Young
Scott Shields
Ted Lilly
Even McCann and Iannetta at catcher are no slouches, and that's not even the whole roster. Sure, you could throw in a Ryan Howard or Joe Mauer, but it shouldn't matter, this team was still stacked. It DOES have to do with playing your heart out, that goes hand in hand with pride. They have none. Chipper Jones was *****ing about having to stay in Toronto, because, "let's face it, it's no Vegas." WTF!? You're not there to have another illegitimate child, you're there to play ball, and bring some PRIDE to your country. Other teams send their best, and we send college players? Not even close. EVERY player on the US roster is in the majors, no college players here. I'm pretty sure none of the other teams can say that. Yes, Japan, for example, has an all "professional" roster, but they mostly all play in Japan. That's no MLB. Proffesional Japan is all Japan has to offer, MLB is the best the WORLD has to offer.

 

[hamato_yoshii]

Hmmm.....
Derek Jeter - 96 AL ROY
Jimmy Rollins - 07 NL MVP
Dustin Pedroia - 08 AL MVP, 07 AL ROY
Chipper Jones - 08 NL Batting Champ, 99 NL MVP
Mark DeRosa
David Wright
Evan Longoria - 08 AL ROY
Kevin Youkilis
Ryan Braun - 07 NL ROY
Curtis Granderson
Adam Dunn
Shane Victorino
Roy Oswalt
JJ Putz
Jake Peavey - 07 Cy Young
Scott Shields
Ted Lilly
Even McCann and Iannetta at catcher are no slouches, and that's not even the whole roster. Sure, you could throw in a Ryan Howard or Joe Mauer, but it shouldn't matter, this team was still stacked. It DOES have to do with playing your heart out, that goes hand in hand with pride. They have none. Chipper Jones was *****ing about having to stay in Toronto, because, "let's face it, it's no Vegas." WTF!? You're not there to have another illegitimate child, you're there to play ball, and bring some PRIDE to your country. Other teams send their best, and we send college players? Not even close. EVERY player on the US roster is in the majors, no college players here. I'm pretty sure none of the other teams can say that. Yes, Japan, for example, has an all "professional" roster, but they mostly all play in Japan. That's no MLB. Proffesional Japan is all Japan has to offer, MLB is the best the WORLD has to offer.

I'm glad you posted this, when I read the "college players" thing I almost fell out of my chair. I thought maybe I was watching a different team!

Anyway, all I know is that more guys turned down playing for this team than accepted. That sucks and we can say we wish that more guys would want to play (again specificall pitchers) but they didn't, so for who we did have, I thought they played pretty well.
I wished they would have won it all too, and we can be mad at them for their hearts, but really you have to ask yourself what the motivation is for them to want to go out there and give it their all. I know that might sound harsh, but it's not like this is the Olympics, this isn't team USA basketball. This is a second rate tourney, with top rate hype. I heard a guy say it like this, "We already won the WBC", and what he means is, these guys on the other teams come here to play. We are the top league, we know and they know it. The money is in the MLB and so is the fame. Thats where it matters, not the WBC. I like the idea of the tourney, but it's just not going to be what Bud wants it to be, at least not for the USA, because they already are better, and they know it.

 

[ProblEmZ]

So it has nothing to do with playing your heart out or playing for money. Its a whole pride thing, America wants to make people think we are fair, they dumb down the players so that other countries have a chance. In the olympics they dont even use our pro boxers for the same reason. Some country will throw in their best heavyweight and we will throw in some no-name. What if we threw in Tyson or Holyfield, or Lennox Lewis?

Umm, no he's a brit.

And nobody uses pro's in Boxing, nobody. It's known as an amateur event for boxing across all countries. Boxers usually go pro after the olympics (if they even got to go). With an Olympic win the boxer will get a better chance of selling seats and getting exposure on the route to a championship bout.

Tyson lost to berbick i think during US olympic boxing trials. Holyfield, got screwed, and won bronze then turned pro.

*edit Tyson lost to Hillman twice.