This year's World Baseball Classic has consumed me more than I expected it to. I have never watched so many baseball games in the month of March, and I am sleep-deprived and exhausted. Two Saturdays ago, I watched part of all 5 games that were televised - from the Cuba game at 6 in the morning to a USA game that started at 9:00 at night with 3 other games in between (mind you, I only watched PARTS of these games - I did go about my regular routine of grocery shopping and errand-running in between). The championship game is tomorrow night, and while I will probably watch the whole thing (since Puerto Rico is in the finals), I will be happy to get a good night's sleep once it's all done.
Before I begin sharing my observations of the WBC with you, let me preface my thoughts by reassuring you that I love living in this country. I like where I live, I enjoy where I work, and I'm glad I'm raising my kids in the United States. But first and foremost, I am Puerto Rican, and I will always root for a Puerto Rican sports team (or athlete) before cheering for an American one (and this is one reason I don't think Puerto Rico should become a state in the Union, but that's a whole other topic, and I won't get into politics on my blog).
OK, now that I have told you that I like "the land of the free and the home of the Braves" and all the freedoms and rights that come with being an American, let me share with you my issue with this year's Team USA. When USA played against the Dominican Republic (and lost), they came up with all kinds of excuses. First, the pitchers were not in mid-season form (neither were the Dominican ones). Then, the players had only practiced together for a couple of weeks (that's what happens when you put together a team of all-stars instead of using a team that has been practicing together for several months, like the other countries). Then they said the crowd was distracting (excuse us for blowing horns and waving flags and showing our team pride - American fans can't even wave a flag right. I saw a guy in the stands during one of the games in Miami trying to wave his flag but instead it looked like he was trying to get rid of something on a piece of fabric, like when you can't seem to get rid of that stray piece of toilet paper that sticks to the bottom of your shoe when you use a public restroom). But their biggest complaint was that the Dominicans were show-offs - that they acted like they were the best players in the world and were just too cocky and obnoxious. Well you know what? I'm OK with that.
This is what I like to call "the Usain Bolt attitude." Jamaica's Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world, and he will not let you forget it. He is flashy and arrogant, but he is also pretty damn fast. During last summer's Olympics, I saw nothing wrong with his showiness because he never bullied another athlete, he never said "I'm better than so-and-so," and he was passionate about his sport. If anything, he bullied and controlled the media, but how many of us don't wish we could do that ourselves? Don't we wish we had his confidence and self-esteem? Who am I to tell Usain Bolt not to be so flashy? Can I run as fast as him? Never.
So I see nothing wrong with Hanley Ramirez clapping when he has a good hit (even though I don't particularly care for Hanley). If Robinson Canó wants to skip around the bases after hitting a home run, by all means, go right ahead (can you play better second base than Canó? Probably not!). If the entire Dominican bench wants to gather at home plate after a pivotal run is scored, I see nothing wrong with that. These are men playing a boy's game. They get excited just like little boys do. They play with passion, hunger, and drive. They're not in their opponents' faces - they're in the cameraman's face showing their country and the world that they're great baseball players and they want to win.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Japanese team did something last night (actually it was VERY early this morning!) that I had never seen before and I'm glad I stayed up to witness it. After having won the first two WBCs in 2006 and 2009, the Japanese lost to the underdog Puerto Ricans in a game that surprised everyone. But while the Puerto Ricans were celebrating their victory with almost as much excitement as the Dominicans do, the Japanese players were all lining up along the third-base line, they removed their caps, and bowed to the fans. Then they turned around and did the same thing in the other direction, facing the Puerto Rican team. Yes, they let down their country by being eliminated, and I'm sure they will come up with some excuses of their own as to why they lost, but they showed grace and dignity and taught us a lesson on losing with pride. Their fans may be weird, but the players were classy and made me smile at 12:40 in the morning.
The winner of tonight's Dominican Republic/Netherlands game will face Puerto Rico tomorrow night in the final in San Francisco. And if Puerto Rico loses, I won't come up with lame excuses as to why they lost. Either the pitchers didn't pitch well or the hitters didn't hit - that's usually the reason a team loses a game. Heck, Puerto Rico wasn't predicted to make it this far, so we'll be OK regardless of the outcome. The championship game will feature two teams with attitude, confidence, and outward displays of passion and emotion. And I will be perfectly fine with that.
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