World Baseball Classic Update or "Wash my Truck"

Ben Godar

In less than a month, the World Baseball Classic has gone from a star-studded championship to a Double-A All-Star Game. Well, that may be an exaggeration. But give it a couple more weeks.

America’s Sweetheart Barry Bonds was the first domino to fall, but he won’t be the only one watching the games on ESPN. The WBC DNP list will now include Lance Berkman, Robinson Cano, Tim Hudson, Nomar Garciapara, Mark Buehrle, Eric Gagne, Mariano Rivera, Jimmy Rollins … The list just keeps growing. Carl Crawford and Joe Mauer bowed out today, and it’s been widely reported that studs like Andy Pettite and Pedro Martinez will opt to stay home.

There’s still talent to spare on the provisional rosters, but I’ll take the team not on the field against the one that will be. Team USA’s outfield has gone from Bonds, Berkman and Crawford to Ken Griffey, Jr., Johnny Damon and Vernon Wells.

The excuse du jour is fear of injury, and America’s sports pages seem to agree with this wisdom. I don’t.

A ballplayer can be injured during a game, in Spring Training, at practice, even washing their truck. Many players even believe the risk of injury is greater when they're going half speed. Latin American players regularly play in the Caribbean Series, and they somehow manage to survive and play for their Major League clubs. So the idea that these players are putting their careers in jeopardy is more than a bit overstated.

What’s going unsaid is that these hypothetical injuries are only half of the risk/reward analysis. Players and Owners are implicitly announcing that they don’t give a damn about the World Baseball Classic, and that is death for the event.

Everyone’s publicly towing the company line, but it’s clear few people outside the commissioners office are really excited about this tournament. Despite the lip service and Super Bowl commercials, that apathy is seeping into the fans.

If you don’t believe me, check the availability of tickets. Let’s just say you won’t have to find a scalper to get yourself a seat at the World Baseball Classic. In fact, if things continue in the direction they’re already moving, you might be able to get a seat on the bench.