After years of the Baseball 'World-Series' being nothing of the sort ...

[Busyman]

Eh? Many of the best players on other teams play play MLB.

I don't know about the American team but Americans in general didn't take it seriously. That's why many of our best turned down going (similar to our Olympic basketball team).

America played against many fellow MLB players in the WBC so I'm not surprised they lost. The fact is America always cares about American "leagues" more than world competition 'cause there's no real money in it. Hurt yourself in some world competition that pays nothing and then career at home goes to shit.

I do think that any American player that went over and played needs to STFU, however. You step on the field, you play your best and don't give fucking excuses about it.

It reminds me of Olympic skier, Bode Miller. After HE LOST, he said he didn't care about medals.

Not a very good rod, btw mank

I like your disclaimer, however, it's not a rod. I've been following the competition (on the BBC website) because it interested me that the 'World Series' jokes would have to stop. I find it totally ironic that Team USA have been humbled by part-timers and Minor league players.

Eh? All nationalities play MLB. Our World Series is not just made up of Americans.

What you're saying there is that money > national glory.

Hmmm...one is a person's job, the other isn't. Many say that Americans think that the rest of the world doesn't matter. In some instances that is true. America is a huge country that has it's own competitions. Baseball has a large market and payout in America, not elsewhere. It's the best come here to play. A MLB team made up of mostly foreigners could win The World Series.

You'll find many, if not all, soccer fans disagreeing with you. In the World Cup, the players get paid a pittance c.f. what they get from their clubs but the attention focused on the World Cup will dwarf anything domestically.

...and that's soccer, which has small market here. I do see that The World Cup will be shown here on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC. I probably watch some before I get bored like I did with the World Baseball Classic.

I find it completely strange that you believe the internal competitions are more important than a global one because of money.

Kinda sad, too.

Maybe it's about a person's job versus a country's ego. Look at America last Olympic basketball outing. You do know who Shaquille O'Neal is. He didn't go. Kobe Bryant...absent...them and a host of many other "elite" players over here.

Tbh, I think a poor player from Mexico does have a lot more to play for than say a Roger Clemens who gets to retreat to his gated home and playing for millions of dollars...at home.

Actually Roger Clemens was probably a bad example 'cause he is talking about retiring (don't know many players in the Classic). The Mexico game is feasibly his last baseball game. Maybe a better example would be A. Rod.

My belief, irregardless to your qoute above, is quite logical.

[manker]

That there is a whole vinyard of sour grapes! I've seen you making posts about the Winter Olympics and being proud when America win - and now you're saying that cash is the be all and end all.

Don't make me laugh. You seeing people representing your country being the best in the world is more important than them earning more money playing some internal competition.

Altho' this is something I found interesting enough to post on its own anyway, some misdirected and low-grade pathos is always welcome.

You got stuffed by teams who have minor league players playing for them - and people who aren't good enough to play minor league - but it doesn't matter because the prize money was poor.

Bollocks - see Paul's reaction for how a real American Baseball fan feels.

Note too that he was secure enough to be honest about how he felt about America losing at something

[JPaul]

Everything is about it's monetary value, really is a rather sad outlook on life.

[manker]

Everything is about it's monetary value, really is a rather sad outlook on life.

Even sadder that he doesn't really mean it.

See the GO TEAM USA HOCKEY!!111 (I paraphrase) posts when the Winter Olympics were on.

I doubt they were getting paid a great deal. Certainly not as much as in the NHL, anyhow.

Sad that he feels he mustn't let us think that there is something better than the USA in the whole wide world.

[JPaul]

I genuinely mean it. How culturally redundant do you need to be to argue that international competition is less important than domestic competitions, purely on the basis that there is less money involved.

Like you said, no domestic competition compares to The World Cup, just as an obvious example. The same goes for just about any sport. Except darts obviously.

[Busyman]

That there is a whole vinyard of sour grapes! I've seen you making posts about the Winter Olympics and being proud when America win - and now you're saying that cash is the be all and end all.

Don't make me laugh. You seeing people representing your country being the best in the world is more important than them earning more money playing some internal competition.

Altho' this is something I found interesting enough to post on its own anyway, some misdirected and low-grade pathos is always welcome.

You got stuffed by teams who have minor league players playing for them - and people who aren't good enough to play minor league - but it doesn't matter because the prize money was poor.

Bollocks - see Paul's reaction for how a real American Baseball fan feels.

Note too that he was secure enough to be honest about how he felt about America losing at something

I'm not a baseball fan so I'm kinda indifferent when they lose. I am a basketball fan and I was pissed when America lost in the Olympics. I can talk about how high our Olympic medal count is yet don't like all the events within it.

I bet it would different in the WBC if there was tons of prize money involved. You'd see all our best players going.

Oh and there is a difference between playing a game for nothing besides country pride and playing for your livlihood.

I'm surprised you can't grasp that.

I can't imagine our football being in the Olympics and all our best players being in it...for little money. In contrast, other countries send their very best players in basketball (and many other sports where there's a local market).

[manker]

I genuinely mean it. How culturally redundant do you need to be to argue that international competition is less important than domestic competitions, purely on the basis that there is less money involved.

Apparently, 'Americans think that the rest of the world doesn't matter'. This must be the reason.

In this instance it can be for one of two reasons, they're scared of getting beaten (like when England stopped playing soccer friendlies against the Welsh in the early 80s) or they think that there is no competition.

Obviously, the latter can't be true because they got beaten three times. For any American to say it now, must be sour grapes, surely.

[JPaul]

I'm surprised you can't grasp that.

People can grasp it, mate. It's just a bit pathetic.

[manker]

That there is a whole vinyard of sour grapes! I've seen you making posts about the Winter Olympics and being proud when America win - and now you're saying that cash is the be all and end all.

Don't make me laugh. You seeing people representing your country being the best in the world is more important than them earning more money playing some internal competition.

Altho' this is something I found interesting enough to post on its own anyway, some misdirected and low-grade pathos is always welcome.

You got stuffed by teams who have minor league players playing for them - and people who aren't good enough to play minor league - but it doesn't matter because the prize money was poor.

Bollocks - see Paul's reaction for how a real American Baseball fan feels.

Note too that he was secure enough to be honest about how he felt about America losing at something

I'm not a baseball fan so I'm kinda indifferent when they lose. I am a basketball fan and I was pissed when America lost in the Olympics. I can talk about how high our Olympic medal count is yet don't like all the events within it.

I bet it would different in the WBC if there was tons of prize money involved. You'd see all our best players going.

Oh and there is a difference between playing a game for nothing besides country pride and playing for your livlihood.

I'm surprised you can't grasp that.

I can't imagine our football being in the Olympics and all our best players being in it...for little money. In contrast, other countries send their very best players in basketball (and many other sports where there's a local market).

Of course there is a difference between playing purely for national pride and your livelihood. Your livelihood is what you do week in, week out and you represent your country a few times a year IF you're good enough.

You try just as hard for both, but when you represent your country, it's that little bit more special a) Because you don't do it that often and b) because all of your countrymen are behind you, wanting you to do well.

Why do you think I can't grasp it and what point are you trying to make

The bit about having to get paid a ton of money to represent your country is also very, very sad to read.

I'm not surprised America sucks at global team sports.

[Busyman]

Everything is about it's monetary value, really is a rather sad outlook on life.

Even sadder that he doesn't really mean it.

See the GO TEAM USA HOCKEY!!111 (I paraphrase) posts when the Winter Olympics were on.

I doubt they were getting paid a great deal. Certainly not as much as in the NHL, anyhow.

Sad that he feels he mustn't let us think that there is something better than the USA in the whole wide world.

Wanting your team to win based purely on that it's your country playing is an entirely different matter. Hell I wanted the US Curling Team to win and I think it's shit sport. I thinks darts is a shit parlour game but if there was a World Darts Championship, I'd want the US to win.

I'm more of a fan of individual sports than my country playing in sports.

Again, you still don't get that their is a difference between job and competition. America is THE biggest market for basketball, football, and baseball.

Millions of dollars > Global competition. Fact