The USA national youth team just today took a mercy rule win against Japan 15-2. And will next face either Australia or Cuba.
Here is an recent article concerning a world team:
WBC title on line, US stars confident
With prestige on line, Americans could field Dream Team
By Barry M. Bloom
DETROIT -- Major League Baseball and its players association came up with this plan. They've devised it. They're producing it, and taking most of the risk. So it must be a win-the-championship-or-bust attitude for Team USA in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, the unveiling of which formally took place here Monday morning on the eve of Major League Baseball's annual All-Star Game.
The U.S. is one of 16 nations that will take part in the 18-day tournament between March 3-20, 2006, scheduled to be staged in Japan, Puerto Rico and at two U.S. sites. The landmark field of countries invited also includes Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, South Africa and Venezuela.
Team USA is slotted for the tough Pool B, and will compete in the first round at a site to be named in Arizona against Canada, Mexico and South Africa, beginning on March 8.
The National Basketball Association has sent its "Dream Team" of Americans to every Olympics since 1992, but this is the first time that Major League Baseball is clearing out a portion of the schedule -- albeit Spring Training -- to send its best players into the international arena. The possibilities are mind-boggling -- Randy Johnson of the New York Yankees and Roger Clemens of the Houston Astros on the mound; Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter of the Yankees playing the left side of the infield. Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants smacking a few balls out.
"There would be a lot of good players on a lot of teams, but I don't see any reason why the U.S. couldn't win," Jeter said. "If things worked out, no question I'd like to play. I think it would be fun. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be a 'Dream Team.' The difference for the NBA is that the Olympics are during their offseason, so it may be easier for them to play."
Thus far, Major League Baseball has resisted the temptation of taking a break in the season to send Major Leaguers to the Summer Olympics, using Minor League players from Nos. 26 to 40 on each big-league roster.
That plan, which began with the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, met with success back then when Team USA defeated Cuba to win its only baseball gold medal. Two years ago, it didn't work out as well. Mexico, winless at the time in pool play during the Americas Qualifying Tournament at Panama City, Panama, stunned the then-undefeated U.S. in a single-elimination quarterfinal game.
But the World Baseball Classic, targeted to be held again in 2009 and then every four years after that, is the first international tournament to include Major League players on the 25-man rosters from each of the 30 Major League teams, thus giving Team USA a chance next year at redemption.
The stakes are especially high for the Americans. After all, baseball was invented in this country, it is regarded as the "national pastime," and the term "World Series" has been used for more than a century to define that pastime's signature event. With all rosters stacked with Major League talent, this will be an interesting test for the sport's originators.
The event will begin with the Asia Qualifying round on March 3 and end with the title game on March 20. The Americans' Pool B will play its six-game schedule from March 8-11. The two teams with the best records go on to the second round, also in the U.S., beginning on March 13, against the top two teams in the Asia Qualifying round, which includes Japan, Korea, China and Chinese Taipei.
The single-elimination semifinals and finals are slated for the U.S. at venues still to be determined.
There will be four pools of four teams each, with two teams emerging from each of the four Qualifying rounds to the second round. Two teams from each of the remaining pools move out of the second round and play each other in the semifinals.
Each of the 16 teams in the tournament is guaranteed a minimum of three games, with the two finalists playing as many as eight.
Each team will be allowed a roster of 27 players with a minimum of 12 pitchers. Major League players are expected to fill 270 of the 432 roster spots. A maximum of nine players from each of Major League Baseball's 30 teams will be eligible to play in the tournament.
Any player signed to a Major League contract must be approved to participate in the event by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association. But any other player in the world is eligible to play for his nation if he is a citizen or if that nation is his country of origin.
The baseball federations of each nation will select their teams in conjunction with Major League Baseball, the players association and any existing professional league in a particular nation.
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Originally Posted by Tikibonbon
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