And so that glorious quadra-annual spring tradition is upon us– no, it is not what you were thinking, if you were thinking leap year, it’s… THE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC.
At first, my approach to dealing with the WBC was to not deal with it at all, to ignore it, which, as every mental health professional will tell you, is the proper way of handling anything that potentially causes you discomfort. I was not going to watch, not going to write about, comment on, or indulge in the games whatsoever, knowing it would just recall the disappointment of losing the qualifier. But I cannot hide from the fact that the WBC started Friday night. Honestly, I am too interested to stay away.
Japan beat Brazil (5-2) in the tournament opener in Fukuoka, Japan. 4 games have been played so far. There are 4 brackets with 4 teams in each. The championship round will be played March 17-19 in San Francisco at AT&T Park. Here are the brackets…
As the Executive Director of the IAB, and, of course, as the King of All Jewish Baseball, I have been offered two tickets to the finals in San Fran. But will not be attending due to an inability to transport myself the 3,000 miles without disrupting the delicate financial flow of the universe. But I will do exactly what I previously promised myself I would not– I will check box scores, highlights, I will watch games, I will report to you and other rabid KOJB fans my most expert opinions on the games, and I will generally participate in this rare and magical planetary phenomenon known in the scientific community as the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Good luck to all the teams…