What You Need to Know About the World Baseball Classic

As my Dad dangled the prospect of going to a World Baseball Classic game to me, several obstacles had to be overcome first.

He had to explain to me: the teams in each pool of the WBC, the locations and rounds of the WBC, and how many of the WBC games in San Diego/Petco Park (the games we'll potentially be attending) are on school nights. Those were just a few details we had to get out of the way before I could comprehend the brackets, elimination process, and finally, what this all meant to me, Mom of a 9-year-old boy who is itching to see a WBC game live.

The phone conversation between Dad and I carrying on, his frustration level with me grew, and the thinning patience was evident by his sighs and long pauses. My "whole life", he tells me, if I can't "grasp something right away", I "stomp" my feet and "throw a tantrum."

"You say that like it's a bad thing", I replied.

This illicited no chuckle from my Dad. Uh-oh. 

I better be a good Veruca, I promised my son he would be able to go to a game, courtesy of his Granddad. I need that Golden (WBC) ticket.

"Dad? Are you still there?"

Even though we were on the phone, I knew my Dad was either shaking his head in my-poor-clueless-daughter-disapproval or resigning himself to laughter-as-a-coping-skill, similar to the times when...
a) He tried to teach me how to drive stick shift when I was 15 in my high school parking lot on an overcast Sunday, and I stalled the car 200 times and gave him whiplash.
b) I lost 75 fishing lures in the reeds at age 13 on the Owens River during a family fishing trip in the Sierras.
c) He tried to explain the stock market to me when I was 10 as we waited for our Egg McMuffins at McDonald's (my cousin, age 8, understood perfectly and she is now a successful Investment Specialist, I sometimes call myself a writer, when I grasp it).
d) He tried to explain the infield fly rule to me.
e) He observed my husband, Pete try to explain the infield fly rule to me.
f) He observed my husband attempt to explain the League Championship Series to me.

"Put Pete on the phone" my Dad said. Oh, WHATEVER! "Honey!? My Dad wants to talk to you!" 

I handed the phone to my husband and I walked away. Halfway down the hall, I realized I was stomping my feet. Dad was right again. *?!*!!?*!!?!!*

When my husband got off the phone, since he is the one who has to live with me now, he had figured out a way to tell me (only) what I needed to hear. Just like the infield fly rule and the League Championship Series, I magically got it when my husband explained it (actually, that is not completely true, the infield fly rule still kind of eludes me but I pretend to understand it.)

What I need to know about the World Baseball Classic is this: baseball comes around again and accepts everyone. Even those of us who stomp our feet, bring our children of all ages to games, lose patience, show reverence, eat hot dogs and nachos...everyone.

No wonder I love it so much.

Finally (thanks for hanging with me), here is some info on the World Baseball Classic.

2009 UNITED STATES ROSTER (from www.http://web.worldbaseballclassic.com/index.jsp)

Bell, Heath	99	San Diego Padres	R/R	6'3"	240lbs	09/29/1977
Bisenius, Joe		Philadelphia Phillies	R/R	6'4"	205lbs	09/18/1982
Broxton, Jonathan	51	Los Angeles Dodgers	R/R	6'4"	290lbs	06/16/1984
Fuentes, Brian	40	Los Angeles Angels	L/L	6'4"	230lbs	08/09/1975
Grabow, John	34	Pittsburgh Pirates	L/L	6'2"	205lbs	11/04/1978
Guthrie, Jeremy	46	Baltimore Orioles	R/R	6'1"	195lbs	04/08/1979
Hanrahan, Joel	38	Washington Nationals	R/R	6'4"	250lbs	10/06/1981
Hawkins, LaTroy	42	Houston Astros	R/R	6'5"	215lbs	12/21/1972
Howell, J.P.	39	Tampa Bay Rays	L/L	6'0"	175lbs	04/25/1983
Lilly, Ted	33	Chicago Cubs	L/L	6'1"	190lbs	01/04/1976
Lindstrom, Matt	29	Florida Marlins	R/R	6'4"	210lbs	02/11/1980
Oswalt, Roy	44	Houston Astros	R/R	6'0"	185lbs	08/29/1977
Peavy, Jake	22	San Diego Padres	R/R	6'1"	195lbs	05/31/1981
Putz, J.J.	23	New York Mets	R/R	6'5"	250lbs	02/22/1977
Shields, Scot	62	Los Angeles Angels	R/R	6'1"	180lbs	07/22/1975
Thornton, Matt	37	Chicago White Sox	L/L	6'6"	235lbs	09/15/1976
Ziegler, Brad	31	Oakland Athletics	R/R	6'4"	205lbs	10/10/1979
CATCHERS
Iannetta, Chris	26	Colorado Rockies	R/R	6'0"	225lbs	04/08/1983
McCann, Brian	16	Atlanta Braves	L/R	6'3"	230lbs	02/20/1984
INFIELDERS
DeRosa, Mark	7	Cleveland Indians	R/R	6'1"	205lbs	02/26/1975
Jeter, Derek	2	New York Yankees	R/R	6'3"	195lbs	06/26/1974
Jones, Chipper	10	Atlanta Braves	S/R	6'4"	210lbs	04/24/1972
Pedroia, Dustin	15	Boston Red Sox	R/R	5'9"	180lbs	08/17/1983
Rollins, Jimmy	1	Philadelphia Phillies	S/R	5'8"	175lbs	11/27/1978
Wright, David	4	New York Mets	R/R	6'0"	208lbs	12/20/1982
Youkilis, Kevin	21	Boston Red Sox	R/R	6'1"	220lbs	03/15/1979
OUTFIELDERS
Braun, Ryan	18	Milwaukee Brewers	R/R	6'1"	200lbs	11/17/1983
Dunn, Adam	17	Washington Nationals	L/R	6'6"	275lbs	11/09/1979
Granderson, Curtis	28	Detroit Tigers	L/R	6'1"	185lbs	03/16/1981
Victorino, Shane	50	Philadelphia Phillies	S/R	5'9"	180lbs	11/30/1980

COUNTRIES REPRESENTED:
USA, AUSTRAILIA, CANADA, CHINA, CHINESE TAIPEI, CUBA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, ITALY, JAPAN, KOREA, MEXICO, NETHERLANDS, PANAMA, PUERTO RICO, SOUTH AFRICA, VENEZUELA

GAMES FOR MONDAY, MARCH 9TH:
Korea vs. Japan on MLB.TV
Pool B Game 1 Loser vs. Pool B Game 2 Loser (South Africa, Cuba, Austrailia, Mexico) on MLB.TV
Italy vs. Canada on MLB.TV
Netherlands vs. Puerto Rico on MLB.TV

ROUND 1 ENDS ON MARCH 11TH
ROUND 2 BEGINS MARCH 14TH
SEMIFINALS AND FINALS BEGIN MARCH 21ST

All games can be watched live on worldbaseballclassic.com.

Happy Baseball!

~ Samantha Gianulis
http://samanthagianulis.typepad.com
www.samanthagianulis.com

Comments

[Paula]

You, my dear amiga, are THE QUEEN of baseball ;)

[Suzanne]

We've been watching this in Japan! My husband is a high school baseball coach, but I don't understand the infield fly rule, either.