World Party: MLB Announces Plans For Baseball Classic

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, Exec VP/Business Operations Tim Brosnan and VP/Int'l Business Operations Paul Archey, along with MLBPA Exec Dir Don Fehr and COO Gene Orza, yesterday unveiled plans for the inaugural World Baseball Classic, as well as the 16 countries that have been invited to participate. The countries are grouped as follows:

POOL	A	B	C	D
SITE	Japan	U.S.	Puerto Rico	U.S.
COUNTRIES	China	Canada	Cuba	Australia
	Japan	Mexico	Netherlands	Dominican Republic
	Korea	South Africa	Panama	Italy
	Taiwan	U.S.	Puerto Rico	Venezuela

The tournament will feature a total of 39 games played mostly in round-robin format with the victor decided by a one-game final. Venues will be announced soon. The participation of 14 int’l federations has been confirmed. Japan’s Nippon Professional League has accepted but is awaiting completion of labor negotiations with its players union. Cuba has not yet accepted the invitation but is in negotiations to do so. Orza indicated that there are other nations interested in participating should Cuba or Japan back out (THE DAILY). D’Rays P Danys Baez, a Cuban native, “doesn’t expect Cuba to show.” Baez indicated that Cuba “has dominated international competition the past three decades because it has faced inferior competition.” In Miami, Kevin Baxter adds that the WBC schedule has Cuba playing all its games on U.S. soil, “increasing the threat of defections” (MIAMI HERALD, 7/12).

FROM THE EXECS: Selig, on the IOC’s decision to drop baseball from the Olympics: “I don’t know if frankly I consider it a blow. I’m sorry they made the decision, but we’re moving on in a very dramatic way to internationalize the sport” (L.A. TIMES, 7/12). Selig added, “One of my priorities, one of the game’s priorities, is the internationalization of baseball. We’re doing everything we can to move the sport in an international direction” (MLB.com, 7/11). More Selig: “All 30 clubs are supportive of this effort and we expect our players who are chosen by their international federations to play” (THE DAILY). Orza said MLB teams have “waived their rights with respect to allowing their players to participate. There are going to be limitations on the number of players from a given team that can be drafted into use” (DENVER POST, 7/12). In L.A., Brown & Wharton report players will not be guaranteed money for participating, “though they may be paid by their national federations” (L.A. TIMES, 7/12).

Selig Says MLB Moving On After IOC’s Exclusion Of Baseball From 2012 Games

WHO’S IN? Astros P Roy Oswalt: “It was a thrill to go to the Olympics. I think this would kind of [be] like that. I don’t know how it would work out as far as Spring Training, but obviously a lot of guys would probably go for it” (MLB.com, 7/11). Braves P John Smoltz: “I’m afraid that there is no perfect time to have it, but I think it’s a neat, neat thing. I’d love to compete for my country.” Braves CF Andruw Jones: “I think it will be very good for baseball” (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 7/12). Red Sox DH David Ortiz: “It’s nice for players to represent their country. ... It’s not all about just the business, but it’s about pride and I’m pretty sure a lot of players are going to be pretty into it” (MLB.com, 7/11). But Yankees RF Gary Sheffield “criticized the concept and said there’s no chance he’ll participate.” Sheffield: “My season is when I get paid. ... I’m not sacrificing my body or taking a chance on an injury for something that’s made up.” Sheffield added, “A lot of guys feel that way. They won’t say it like I will, though” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/12).

IMPACT ON PITCHERS: In Tampa, Scott Carter writes one of the “major concerns is how pitchers ... will be able to pitch in meaningful games in March.” But Marlins P Dontrelle Willis said, “I don’t think it will be an issue. This is something bigger than us” (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 7/12). Twins P Johan Santana: “I’d be willing to participate, but I have some questions about being taken out of spring training” (WESTCHESTER JOURNAL NEWS, 7/12). Cardinals manager Tony La Russa: “That’s what worries me. How are you going to protect the pitchers?” (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 7/12). Agent Scott Boras: “The hardest decision to be made about this is obviously going to be with pitchers. You’re going to have a lot of players who play in the Latin American countries. They’re going to have the demands of winter ball and now this and (then) the regular [MLB] season. That is an issue that is really going to have to be measured by the winter league owners” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 7/12).

AGENT REAX: Boras said that he will not “advise all his clients one way or the other,” adding that each individual situation “would dictate his advice.” Boras: “Obviously there’s going to be a greater pressure (to participate) on players from the Latin American countries where there’s a smaller pool of players to draw from, but we’ll have to look at each case on its own” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/12). Boras: “There would be less concern with a player in the middle of a guaranteed contract. It would be different for a player who would become a free agent” (WESTCHESTER JOURNAL NEWS, 7/12). While players will be covered by insurance provided by MLB, Boras said that most of his clients “also have their own plans covering injury related to ‘any baseball-related endeavour’” (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 7/12).

World Baseball Classic Part Of MLB Initiative To Internationalize Baseball

THINKING BIG: ESPN’s Peter Gammons said, “12 years from now, this will be a huge event” (“Baseball Tonight,” 7/11). Blue Jays President & CEO Paul Godfrey said the event has “the potential to be bigger, maybe, than the World Series” (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 7/12). Univ. of Oregon Warsaw Sports Marketing Center Managing Dir Paul Swangard: “This is really part of an integrated marketing plan related to the global development of baseball. This was a missing ingredient. ... Nothing else is going to provide that” (L.A. TIMES, 7/12).