Many Big Name MLBers Steering Clear Of World Baseball Classic

Final rosters for the World Baseball Classic (WBC), which will take place March 5-23, were announced yesterday, and it is “understandable to a large degree that there are probably more big names that will not wear the Stars and Stripes than will,” according to Ted Keith of SI.com. The WBC is a “pale imitation of the Olympic Games (to say nothing of the regular season) and neither its inaugural event in 2006 nor its sequel this spring could convince enough superstar players to sacrifice their time -- and possibly their bodies.” Rangers CF Josh Hamilton, Twins C Joe Mauer, Astros 1B Lance Berkman and Phillies 2B Chase Utley are among the '08 MLB All-Stars not participating for Team USA. Also, many pitchers will not compete in the tournament because their MLB teams are “unwilling to risk lending their high-priced and vital talent at such a delicate time in their body clock’s resetting” (FANNATION.com, 2/24). BLEACHERREPORT.com’s John Botelho notes instead of seeing marquee pitchers such as the Red Sox’ Jonathan Papelbon and the Blue Jays’ Roy Halladay, players like the Cubs' Ted Lilly and the White Sox' Matt Thornton will represent Team USA. Botelho: “The tournament is supposed to be a collection of each country’s finest -- the stars of respective nations aligning for a world war of baseball.” The problem with the tournament is it is “ultimately an exhibition,” as the event “counts for very little and proves even less about baseball superiority” (BLEACHERREPORT.com, 2/24).

Pujols Withdraws From Team Dominican Republic Due To Insurance Issues

TAKING PRECAUTIONS: ESPN.com’s Keith Law notes Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols withdrew from Team Dominican Republic due to “insurance issues related to his recovery from major elbow surgery in the fall.” Meanwhile, Mets P Johan Santana will not pitch for Team Venezuela because the country’s baseball authorities “would not pay for insurance on Santana’s contract if he participated.” Law notes the Mets also “didn’t want their ace to pitch meaningful games in March” (ESPN.com 2/25). MLB Net’s Barry Larkin: “If I’m the owner or the (GM) of the team, I’m certainly looking at the injury factor. … There’s a tremendous amount of money invested in these guys, and we’re not going to take that chance on letting them go out there and injure themselves” (“MLB Tonight,” MLB Network, 2/23).

DIFFERENT MENTALITY: MLB Net’s Larkin noted there is a “different mindset” for players participating in this year’s event compared to the inaugural tournament three years ago. Larkin: “In 2006, when they put together this team, it was like, ‘Yeah, I’d like an opportunity to go out there and represent my country.’ The difference is now you’ve got players that have been calling, saying, ‘Listen, I want to be on that team.’” MLB Net’s Victor Rojas: “Everybody has kind of signed on as far as that mentality is concerned before agreeing to play for Team USA. Everybody understands that the focus is the name on the front of the jersey and not on the back of the jersey, as it probably was in 2006.” But Larkin noted if players "fall on their face early in the season," MLB teams "are going to be looking at this WBC opportunity as, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have my top-flight athletes go out there" (MLB Network, 2/24).

LACKING BUZZ: In St. Louis, Bernie Miklasz wrote the “timing of the WBC is horrible. It is a much bigger deal to the Latin and Pacific Rim nations than it is to the U.S.” MLB teams are “impacted most by the disruption of crucial preseason preparation. And that’s wrong.” The WBC is about “international marketing, with the goal of depositing more cash into the MLB vault.” Miklasz: “That’s why I won’t watch one inning of it” (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 2/19). In Detroit, Jamie Samuelsen wrote there is “no history nor tradition to international baseball tournaments like there is for hockey and basketball,” and “any attempts to create such history are artificial.” There is “no outcry nor passion for this event” (FREEP.com, 2/18).

Roger Dean Stadium GM Expecting A-Rod, Dominican WBC Team To Boost Attendance

STAR ATTRACTION: Team Dominican Republic will play two exhibitions and hold their training camp at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, and stadium GM Joe Pinto expects the presence of Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez to "boost attendance." Pinto: "I still think people are going to want to see him play, especially in spring training. Ticket sales aren't where we want them to be, but I think we'll see a spike once people realize who's on the (Dominican) roster. I mean, these guys could start on any All-Star team" (PALM BEACH POST, 2/24). Meanwhile, an exhibition game last night at Kyocera Dome Osaka drew a sellout crowd of 33,611 as Team Japan defeated Team Australia 8-2 (MLB).

TICKET SALES LIKELY TO EXCEED '06: SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Eric Fisher reports ticket sales to date "have surpassed 500,000 for the tournament," and with the use of "larger venues in several instances for this year's event compared with 2006, surpassing the previous turnstile mark of 737,112 is likely." Merchandise sales for this year's WBC "began late last year, with wholesale orders compared with 2006 being significantly higher." Sponsorship sales are "projected to be up by more than 50[%], and overall tournament revenue is expected to be up to a similar degree compared to the first WBC," though MLB Senior VP/Int’l Business Operations Paul Archey "declined to provide specific figures" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/23 issue).