It’s almost time for another World Baseball Classic, when countries of the world come together to celebrate baseball and all its greatness and blah, blah, blah.
I’m sorry. Forgive my lack of enthusiasm. The WBC has never excited me. I don’t know why. I just don’t care about it at all. If it pumps you up, don’t let my indifference bring you down. But, man, it sure doesn’t do much for me.
The WBC seems like something I would like. It’s live baseball featuring elite talent, and the first good, live baseball since the World Series. A placeholder to help pass the time until MLB’s opening day. What’s not to love? Well, apparently everything.
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I don’t want to overstate my feelings. I certainly don’t hate the World Baseball Classic. I’ll probably even watch a little out of curiosity. But it’s just not compelling, despite the hype MLB tries to give it.
I realize it’s still a relatively young event. It’s nowhere near as established as the World Cup or the Olympics. There’s nothing at stake. No real history. No coveted prize for which to strive. Which means the WBC is just glorified exhibition baseball. Truth is, it’s just slightly more compelling than a random spring training game. And random spring training games usually aren’t that interesting.
But MLB is determined to make this a premier global baseball showcase. Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters this week that he still believes the format has potential to grow, rejecting the idea that MLB might not be committed to the concept, and saying there’s no reason to think the 2017 incarnation will be the last one.
“I am always open to the idea — whether it’s timing, structure — that we could make the WBC or anything else better, but the idea that this will be the last WBC is not one I’d be supportive of,” Manfred said.
Timing might be the biggest drawback, and the reasons are familiar: It’s right in the middle of spring training, taking MLB players away from their usual teams to represent their home countries, going into the tournament baseball-cold and potentially putting themselves at risk for season-affecting, or season-ending, injuries. Fans of some teams are likely to watch with bated breath, not because of game tension but rather over concern that their favorite team’s star could wreck his season before it begins.
Some have proposed moving the WBC to November, perhaps a week or two after the World Series. That makes much more sense, from a player-readiness perspective and a fan-interest one. Spring training games are enough to feed the crushing hunger for baseball after a long offseason. A fall-based WBC would be a good way to keep the good times going for fans not ready to face the baseball-less winter.
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But even with a schedule change, I don’t know that the WBC would get any more interesting or compelling. Maybe baseball just isn’t a sport that can make for good tournament-style play. This is probably why it’s been on and off as an Olympic sport for a long time. Even the College World Series has limited appeal beyond the participating schools, with nowhere near the wide interest and enthusiasm of the NCAA basketball tournament or even the College Football Playoff.
With respect to Manfred, I would be fine if the 2017 World Baseball Classic was the final one. I suspect a lot of others feel the same. I’ve seen no indication of a swell of enthusiasm among MLB fans, and I don’t think the tournament affects baseball’s international appeal either way. The whole thing is just kinda “meh.”
As for the games set to start March 6, I’ll take a peak every now and then. But real baseball starts on opening day.
