Big baseball news in my life: I recently found out that I will be working as the Press Liaison for Team Italy at the 2009 World Baseball Classic, set to begin next week.
In the second-ever WBC, 16 teams representing countries in all continents other than Antarctica – from the 2006 WBC champion Japan to Australia to the Republic of South Africa – will vie to be crowned true World Champions of the game of baseball. (One could argue that the World Series is something of a misnomer.) With baseball not scheduled as one of the events at the 2012 Olympics in London, the WBC is an opportunity for players to represent their countries on the big stage.
Among players participating in the WBC are Derek Jeter and Dustin Pedroia (USA), Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz (Dominican Republic), Ichiro Suzuki and Daisuke Matsuzaka (Japan), Russell Martin and Justin Morneau (Canada), Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran (Puerto Rico), and Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Zambrano (Venezuela).
It may surprise you that Italy is one of the 16 teams in the WBC, but since the rule stipulates that a player is eligible for a team if at least one grandparent is born in the team’s country, a few major leaguers of Italian descent are on Italy’s roster. Frank Catalanotto (Rangers) and Nick Punto (Twins) are the most recognizable names out of Team Italy’s 28 players, but the team’s hitting coach – Mike Piazza – will likely draw the most attention.
The team will train in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and play exhibition games against the Nationals, Marlins, and Mets before taking a charter flight to Toronto next Friday. Italy is in a first-round bracket with Venezuela, Canada, and the United States and will face Venezuela in its opening game at the Rogers Centre, home of the Blue Jays. Thankfully for everyone involved, it is a domed stadium.
Depending on Team Italy’s success on the field, I may not be able to post in two weeks. Either way, the next time I do post I should have a lot to say about the WBC games.
O’s Notes
The Orioles hit the jackpot in their trade with the Cubs that brought them young lefty Rich Hill. Hill may not be the next Randy Johnson but he’s a huge upgrade in the rotation. (Sorry, Brian Burres (6.04 E.R.A.) – congrats on your new job with the Blue Jays.) Now the team will have three starters (Hill, Jeremy Guthrie, and Koji Uehara) who can be counted on to throw six effective innings on a regular basis. Unlike last year when the team’s starting pitching was absolutely horrendous, this year’s rotation should fall closer to the middle of the pack in the American League. I don’t usually think of being as far from the top as from the bottom as an accomplishment but when it comes to the O’s it’s nothing short of a moral victory.
Keywords: Baltimore Orioles, Mike Piazza, Port St. Lucie, Press Liaison, Rich Hill, Team Italy, Toronto, World Baseball Classic, World Champions
