Wheaton Wire

Issue date: 2/25/09 Section: Sports

Japan celebrates defeating Cuba 10-6 in the championship game of the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.

Next week the second World Baseball Classic (WBC) will kick off, with double-elimination, Round 1 play in four sites across the globe: Tokyo, Mexico City, Toronto, and San Juan, P.R. Round 2 will be played in Miami, Fla. and San Diego, Calif. with the semi-finals and championship at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

The inaugural WBC in 2006, while a disappointment for the U.S. squad, proved to be an overall success, with Japan edging out Cuba in the championship game at PETCO Park in San Diego. Feeding off the momentum built in 2006, this upcoming 2009 edition of the WBC figures to be even more successful.

For one, fans of the American side should take heart that Major League Baseball has appropriately reacted to their miserable showing in 2006 by putting together a much better team this time around. Perhaps the most important change is at the helm, where international baseball veteran Davey Johnson has taken over as manager, replacing the lackluster Buck Martinez. Johnson was bench coach for Team USA in 2006, so he certainly has familiarity with those players returning for a second WBC stint.

Team USA should often feature an infield which will play to the typical rooting interests of Wheaton students, with 3B David Wright (New York Mets), SS Derek Jeter (New York Yankees), 2B Dustin Pedroia (Boston Red Sox), and Kevin Youkilis (Boston Red Sox). And when Jeter is out, another popular player around campus will see time, SS Jimmy Rollins (Philadelphia Phillies).

Team USA is paired-up again with Canada in Round 1, where they will be joined by Venezuela and Italy.

Playing for Italy is former Wheaton standout and current Oakland Athletic OF Chris Denorfia '02. Teams such as Italy, as well as the Netherlands and Mexico, boast several players who are eligible to play for these teams because they have either a parent or grandparent who was born in that country.

One of the more interesting factors heading in this year's edition of the WBC is the number of marquee players who, even with Major League clubs beginning spring training, are still currently free agents.
These players are using the WBC as an audition of sorts, as an effort to attract the attention of a MLB team in the hope of getting signed.

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