WBC isn't Boxing Anymore

[Greji]

Japan produced in the clutch and had it taken away unfairly. Look, I'm rootin' for America but that's what happened.

BS AK, it was a game. Nobody mentioned when the US had runners on first and 2nd and bunted, the J-pictcher fielded the bunt and threw to third for the force. The replay showed the US runner as safe or close to it. J-TV showed the replay once while talking about the nice play and when they saw the replay the guy said "oh-oh" and they never showed it again. The umpires did not warn the J-Pichers for coming high and tight. The pitcher that hit Jeter should have been warned earlier when he went up high on the left handed batter and then he should have been showered when he stuck it in Jeter's back. It didn't happen so, Same-o same-o!

The J-team was no more robbed then anyone else in the tournament. They had nine chances of three outs each to put it out of reach. They didn't and lost.

Korea played a magnificient game in beating Mexico 2-1. Their pitching was solid all the way through and guess who hit the home run to win it? Mexico played well also, but they just couldn't get anything started. Japan could go home 0-3 for this round, if they don't get their stuff together. The announcers screaming "Nippon, Nippon" ain't going to win any ballgames.

[IkemenTommy]

The bottom line is.. even if Nippon won the game against USA, the rest of the schedule looks grim for them. Deal with it.. move on.. some po' ass country in the Carribean will win a silly little trinket trophy at the end and everyone will forget about this whole tournament in a few days.

[GuyJean]

..everyone will forget about this whole tournament in a few days.

I don't think so.. The arguments posted in this thread assure the WBC memory will last more than a few days. This tournament brings something that baseball rarely experiences]Nobody mentioned when the US had runners on first and 2nd and bunted, the J-pictcher fielded the bunt and threw to third for the force. The replay showed the US runner as safe or close to it.[/quote] Huh? Maybe there was a reason nobody mentioned he was safe. Could it be that he was out?

GJ

[GuyJean]

Red, White and Typical
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ag6UFDPw863SpHMvg9qMf5MRvLYF?slug=jp-wbc031206&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Loosely translated, those characters mean "That is not fair" in Japanese. Based on what transpired in Team USA's 4-3 victory against Japan in the second round of the World Baseball Classic on Sunday afternoon, that's among the most benign things that could be said.

The reversal of a call that would've given Japan the go-ahead run in the eighth inning only lent credence to the thought that tournament organizers are looking for every way possible to ease the United States into the next round.

If anything is going to ruin what has been an otherwise splendid tournament, it's the perception of American favoritism.

In all likelihood, home-plate umpire Bob Davidson, a native of Duluth, Minn., was not thinking about the United States, Japan or any other country when he called Tsuyoshi Nishioka out for tagging up too early. He focused on Nishioka's feet, which he saw leave the base before Randy Winn caught the ball and fired home.

Davidson was wrong. Not by much. Only frame-by-frame replay showed it definitively. In fact, second-base umpire Brian Knight initially called Nishioka safe on the appeal, and Japan led 4-3 momentarily. Team USA manager Buck Martinez stomped out of the dugout and gave a personal plea to Davidson, who reversed the appeal, which sounds like something that should happen in court, not on a baseball field.

No matter the intention, it looked bad...

And this wasn't the first instance in which Team USA resembled the spoiled child. The Americans received top treatment from the Major League Scouting Bureau, according to a Baseball America story, getting detailed reports on all their opponents. Teams like Mexico, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic were not aware they could use the bureau's scouts.

All of this dates back to when the tournament was announced. Commissioner Bud Selig, so proud of the WBC, unveiled the brackets. The doozy: As a member of Pool B, the United States could make the finals without playing a single Latin American team.

Not the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, the tournament's favorites. And not Puerto Rico and Cuba, the teams that beat those favorites Sunday.

Bad. Very bad...

By the end of the afternoon, boos turned to cheers and A-Rod from goat to hero. Yet in the ninth inning, before Rodriguez's game-winning, bases-loaded, two-out-in-the-ninth single, you got a distinct feeling that the bang-bang play at third base involving Vernon Wells would have been overturned had Martinez leaned over the dugout railing and wagged his finger Rafael Palmeiro-style.

He didn't try that, maybe because he didn't have to. As the WBC progresses, it seems more and more that way.

Looking at the quality of the games, the WBC should be classic. It should be , which means "the best baseball."

Only on Sunday it wasn't that, and it certainly wasn't classic.

It was, sadly, typical

GJ

[IkemenTommy]

They should just settle this dispute as a K-1 event.. both countries represented by Bob Sapp vs. Musashi.
Oh wait.. they had that already and that was a shitty bad call too!

[Greji]

[quote="GuyJean"]I don't think so.. The arguments posted in this thread assure the WBC memory will last more than a few days. This tournament brings something that baseball rarely experiences]

Sure didn't look like it! See! That's what happens when you won't buy a round! Your eyes go bad at an early age!

[Greji]

Red, White and Typical
[url]http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news]
GJ

According to the interview by ESPN of Davidson after the game, he said that the Second base umpire had quickly made the call and it was not that guy's call to make. Davidson said that it was Davidson's call and that he had decided that he was going to call the runner out on the challenge (he may have decided this Friday but that doesn't matter).

When Martinez came out about, it was about why was the second base umpire was making the call, that was Davidson's opportunity to call the other umpire over chew his ass for mistaking who should make the call and only then did Davidson overrule it and call the Japanese runner out. He also claimed that after the game, he had watched two different replay angles and one view indicated he was right and the other looked like the runner was safe in his tag up.

(He also said that the main reason he called the Japanese runner out was it looked like it might be his only chance in the game to piss off GJ!)

If you were listening to the Japanese call on the Wells play, that was the point I was making. They were talking about the great play the pitcher made fielding the ball ant throwing out Wells in the force at third when the replay came on showing him from the home side and a straight on view from behind third and it looked like Wells got to the base before the ball in both views. The announcers cut off in mid-sentance with an "Oh" and a couple of "Saa's" and the camera quckly switched to another view. The play wasn't mentioned again.

In summation USA 4, Nippon 3!

[Greji]

Guess who just hit a home run for Korea? 1-0 Mighty Chosen in the bottom of the first. USA had the bases loaded in the top of the inning, but Varitek struck out.

In a bench interview, Seung-Yeop Lee said he hit the home run for GJ to help him get over his depression caused by the Nippon loss!

[Greji]

Guess who just hit a home run for Korea? 1-0 Mighty Chosen in the bottom of the first.

Make that 2 zip!

[Greji]

Make that 2 zip!

Correction. A three run homer. 6-1 Coorea in the 4th!

[Greji]

Correction. A three run homer. 6-1 Coorea in the 4th!

Korea wins over USA 7-3. Now it becomes interesting for Nippon! If they can win over Mexico, what if Korea send them home? Mass stomach slicing?

USA has a must against Mexico again! But be that as it may, it looks like all the action is going to be favoring whoever is coming out of the Atlantic Ocean side!

[gaijinzilla]

Yes, that win by the Koreans does make it an interesting situation. If everyone ends up with the same record, are the tie-breaking rules the same ones used during the first round?
For some perverse reason, unbeknownst even to me, I want to see Cuba win it all.
I really think next time they hold this WBC, it should be done in November, just after the World Series is over.

[Mulboyne]

MDN: Japan files official protest over controversial baseball call
Japanese World Baseball Classic representatives have sent a protest to the World Baseball Classic headquarters, demanding answers over a controversial call in Japan's loss to the United States on Sunday that wiped out a 4-3 lead for Japan...The question that Japanese officials sent suggests the reversal violated section 9.02(c) of the official rules of baseball, which state that no umpire shall seek to reverse another umpire's decision unless asked to do so by the umpire making it. Officials are seeking a response from the World Baseball Classic association...more...

[Greji]

...The question that Japanese officials sent suggests the reversal violated section 9.02(c) of the official rules of baseball, which state that no umpire shall seek to reverse another umpire's decision unless asked to do so by the umpire making it. Officials are seeking a response from the World Baseball Classic association

Typical. If my read on what happened was right. That is why the umpire Davidson could not make a call until Martinez the US Manager challenged the call. Davidson, whose call it should have been, went to the second base umpire who had mistakenly made the call, then came back and reversed the call. What they talked about, who knows, but whether the call was right or wrong, it would appear the over-ruling call was conducted in accordance with the rules.

Japan has several issues here. Face of course is always their concern, having started by demolishing China and Taiwan, two non-baseball entities at this level, they lost at home to Korea and then to the USA and now face elimination with a tough Mexican team tomorrow, not to mention facing Korea again.

The other issue is that they have been lobbying for this event and have wanted more to say in its operation and number of officials in control. This has been intensified by the decision to drop baseball from the Olympics. I think they may well be afraid that if they get eliminated, badly beaten and forced to return home with their tail between their legs without making any noise about the management of the tourney (read that if we were better represented the WBC would be improved), they will lose a lot of the clout they have gained internationally to date.

Heaven forbid, but they could be reduced to a subservant role to Korean baseball officials in the Asia pool! Whichever might be true, Japanese baseball officials (not players) have never been known as gracious winners, or for that matter, good losers.

[AssKissinger]

They didn't show the game with Korea live here.

If the Korean team was playing in Korea they would probably be able to sell out Seoul Olympic Stadium.

[Greji]

They didn't show the game with Korea live here.

If the Korean team was playing in Korea they would probably be able to sell out Seoul Olympic Stadium.

Not a word in Japan. I had to watch it through MLB!

[Greji]

Everybody happy, happy! Nippon wins over Mexico 6-1! Tomorrow those nasty guys from Korea!

[IkemenTommy]

MDN: Japan files official protest over controversial baseball call

See, I told you so..

[GuyJean]

Everybody happy, happy! Nippon wins over Mexico 6-1! Tomorrow those nasty guys from Korea!

The Korea game should be good. If Japan wins, I think the US is eliminated without having to play another game.. Karma's a bitch, eh? She's fucks me all the time.

The Classic has been pretty damn exciting; more than I expected.. And the 1-game, do-or-die, system has grown on me.. It gives the whole game more a sense of urgency.. It's kind of refreshing.

GJ

[Greji]

The Korea game should be good.GJ

It was if you are from Korea. Korea wins 2-1. Japan can only advance if USA loses to Mexico tomorrow!

[homesweethome]

It was if you are from Korea. Korea wins 2-1. Japan can only advance if USA loses to Mexico tomorrow!

I really don't even like baseball, but I would have loved to have seen this game! With that score! it must have been a real nail biter.

And Korea wins even without a major league umpire miscall?

What will the Japan team protest this time, the 'smell of garlic' was overly distracting on the playing field? They spit 'insect-egg laiden' kimuchi onto the base mounds!



Go! Go! Go!

[Greji]

[quote="homesweethome"]I really don't even like baseball, but I would have loved to have seen this game! With that score! it must have been a real nail biter.

And Korea wins even without a major league umpire miscall?

What will the Japan team protest this time, the 'smell of garlic' was overly distracting on the playing field? They spit 'insect-egg laiden' kimuchi onto the base mounds!

]

Here is what has to happen tomorrow to decide who advances.

Classic scenarios
U.S. advances if:
It defeats Mexico
It loses to Mexico, allowing 1 run in a regulation game (8 innings in the field)
It loses to Mexico, but does not allow a 2nd run until after it has played 8 2/3 innings in the field
It loses to Mexico, but does not allow a 3rd run until after it has played 12 1/3 innings in the field
It ties with Mexico, allowing 3 runs in 14 innings
Japan advances if:
The U.S. loses to Mexico, and allows 2 runs or more before it has played 8 2/3 innings in the field
The U.S. loses to Mexico, and allows 3 runs or more before it has played 12 1/3 innings in the field
Mexico advances if:
It defeats the U.S., 3-0, in 13 innings

[Greji]

It's Banzai Baby time as Mexico eliminates USA 2-1. Japan advances to meet those nasty Korean guys (for the third time) in the semi-finals! Must of been the cheating US umpires!

[GuyJean]

So far, it's seems like 'small ball' is the key.. I think the one-game series forces batters not to swing for the stars..

GJ

[GuyJean]

Mexico 2, United States 1
http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news;_ylt=AuTDivximjOrxtanK5xcLpkRvLYF?slug=ap-classic-us-mexico&prov=ap&type=lgns

Mexico took a 1-0 lead off Clemens in the third on a leadoff double by Mario Valenzuela and a two-out single by Jorge Cantu.

But it wasn't that simple.

A television replay showed Valenzuela's fly ball hit the right field foul pole at least 10 feet off the ground and bounced back onto the field. However, first base umpire Bob Davidson didn't see it that way, and Valenzuela wound up at second.

It was Davidson, umpiring behind the plate, who ruled that Japan's Tsuyoshi Nishioka left third base early in the eighth inning Sunday to negate a sacrifice fly that would have snapped a 3-3 tie in a game Team USA eventually won 4-3.

Maybe he wasn't biased.. He just sucks!

GJ

[Mulboyne]

What does this mean for the future of the WBC? Will this make American audiences less keen on the format or, alternatively, more eager to see the US do better next time around with a full-strength team?

[Greji]

Mexico 2, United States 1
[url]http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news]
Maybe he wasn't biased.. He just sucks!

GJ

As usual GJ, you aiming at the suckers and suckees again! Save that for Roppongi! It was quite simple. After the Japanese filed a complaint against the level of the umpiring and him in particular, he did what any well meaning, fair minded and good spot would do. He attempted to fuck the entire J-team. It wasn't revenge, as soon as he could have got even with them, he was going to forget about it! What sucked was team USA! I haven't seen that many holes in a line up since the last time I was at one of Gilbert's clubs!

[GuyJean]

As usual GJ, you aiming at the suckers and suckees again! Save that for Roppongi!

But I always aim for the women most likely to suck seed.

GJ

[Greji]

[quote="GuyJean"]But I always aim for the women most likely to suck seed. ]
Sometimes, I really like the way you think!

[Captain Japan]

double post