World Baseball Classic
The schedule is set and tickets are now on sale .
The field includes Australia, Canada , China, Chinese Taipei, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, South Africa, the U.S. and Venezuela.
Baseball is considered to be a world sport and I would have to agree. Interest is global and the only huge difference seems to be the money paid by MLB teams, as shown during the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas.
Round 1
Pool A- China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea. They will play at Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan. March 5-9 2009.
Pool B- Australia, Cuba, Mexico, South Africa. They will play at Estadio Foro Sol, Mexico City, Mexico. March 8-12 2009.
Pool C- Canada, Italy, United States, Venezuela. They will play at Rogers Centre, Toronto, Canada. March 7-11 2009.
Pool D- Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico. They will play at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico. March 7-11 2009.
Round 2
Teams: Pool A Winner and Runner Up- Pool B Winner and Runner Up. Pool 1- Played at PETCO Park, San Diego Calif. March 15-19, 2009.
Teams: Pool C Winner and Runner Up- Pool D Winner and Runner Up. Pool 2- Played at Dolphin Stadium, Miami, Florida. March 14-18, 2009.
Finals
Teams: Pool 1 Winner and Runner Up- Pool 2 Winner and Runner Up. March 21-23, 2009. Played at Dodgers Stadium, Los Angeles Calif.
Tickets are on sale now, online at worldbaseballclassic.com
In 2006, 486 players participated. Also in the first classic 740,000 fans attended from 48 states and 15 countries.
Spring can never come fast enough and this year with baseball at this level starting in early March it may be just right!
Team USA will have Davey Johson as Manager and Derek Jeter as the main face of Team USA. Now Johnson and USA Baseball will have to build their team around Jeter. Should be very interesting to see. Wondering how many players will play for their birth countries instead of Team USA. See, money is not everything!
Enjoy Your Day!
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