I’d never been staunchly anti-WBC, but it seemed to me as though the timing of the event made the games nothing more than glorified exhibitions with some semblance of national pride supposedly on the line.

I won’t go as far as some have in calling the tournament a farce and a “World Baseball Money Grab by the Joke of a Commissioner.” But I do think there is at least one thing someone is going to have to address if this tournament is going to be the Classic it is billed as being: Injuries.

The main concern I’ve heard teams voice through the media about the WBC is their legitimate worry about players who are just starting their spring trainings going out in a highly-competitive atmosphere before they are ready and getting themselves hurt. And it’s playing out so far this spring.

David Wright got kneed in the head Sunday night, which made him woozy, according to the New York Times. He stayed in the game. But he’s just one of a laundry list for the U.S. alone.

Chipper Jones, Dustin Pedroia, Matt Lindstrom and Ryan Braun have also had injuries – including situations where Pedroia (abdominal muscle) and Lindstrom (elbow) acknowledged that they played on after getting hurt without telling the coaching staff.

Not that what Pedroia and Lindstrom did is out of character for athletes – they’re asked and told they have to play through pain constantly. It’s a badge of courage. But by doing so at the WBC they’re also playing into the fears that teams have in allowing those players to go in the first place.

Adding to the woes the Florida Marlins must be feeling about possibly losing their closer into the beginning of the season, versatile utility player Alfredo Amezaga is expected to be out three to five weeks with a sprained knee earned while playing with Mexico. Stud shortstop Hanley Ramirez was also dinged, though his aches and pains aren’t expected to sideline him into the season.

Sure, critics of this viewpoint can point to Julio Lugo’s torn meniscus, suffered not during the WBC, but during typical spring training activities. But these injuries aren’t an anomaly either. In the piece linked to above, the New York Times cites a site called Baseball-Injury-report.com that says those who played in the World Baseball Classic two years ago spent an average of 15 days on the disabled list during that Major League season.

U.S. manager Davey Johnson had to use backup catcher Brian McCann in left field Sunday as the injuries stacked up. He told the media afterward that if his two catchers got hurt he’d risk elimination and forfeit the game rather than take a chance on injuring a player who was unfamiliar with being behind the plate.

As much as that probably goes against the competitive fibers of Johnson and every player on the team it’s probably the right call to make. Teams have too much money invested in their star players to risk losing them for the regular season, which starts in about three weeks.

As Rich wrote the other day, the World Baseball Classic does not suck. I’ve checked out bits of a couple games and I’ve been impressed with the quality of play and the clear desire the teams are showing to win for their homelands.

But whether it means expanding the rosters and treating the games more like spring training contests, moving the tournament to the All-Star Break or finding some other way to stanch the flow of injuries, something has to be done if Major League Baseball executives are going to continue allowing their stars to get in game shape while representing their respective countries.

Dollar signs will see to that.

Canada was eliminated by Italy last night in the World Baseball Classic. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking.

“So?”

Well, Mr. Cheney, you aren’t alone.  There’s been a lot of criticism of the WBC. That it’s played at a poor time of the year, that it’s not a true showing of international talent, that it’s a superfluous exercise created by the commissioner to do nothing more than line the pockets of Major League Baseball. While it’s hard to argue with some of these points, the critics are missing the bigger picture.
There’s some good ball being played right now. You’ve got mighty rosters loaded with All Stars form the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and the United States. You’ve got underdogs like the Netherlands beating the Dominicans and putting the fear of God into Puerto Rico.  You have the aforementioned Italians, who just dismissed a lineup of Justin Morneau, Jason Bay, Mark Teahan and Matt Stairs.

There are great stories within the tournament. Dutch pitching coach Bert Blyleven, the Rodney Dangerfield of baseball who is on a seemingly endless quest for respect, has taken a group of nobodies (Juan Carlos Sulbaran? Rick VandenHurk? Who are these guys?) and has them competing at a very high – if not the highest – level of the game.

Mike Piazza is doing the same thing for the Italian hitters, especially Chris Denorfia.

Bernie Williams was discarded and dismissed by the Yankees two years ago. It was a classless move made by an organization that prides itself on taking care of it’s players. Williams is playing some outfield for Puerto Rico this spring, because he knows he has a little more left in the tank. He wants to leave the game with a little dignity, and on his own terms.

Beyond the human interest stuff, this is the best way to showcase baseball on an international stage. It’s no longer an Olympic sport, and it would be silly to not have an international competition. Just like soccer. Just like basketball. Hell, even Cricket has a world cup.

Yes, it’s a weird time to hold the tournament, because it screws up spring training. But when would be a better time to play it. November? I don’t think so. And I just can’t see Major League Baseball, the Japanese Leagues, and the various other professional leagues around the world all agreeing to shut their seasons down for two weeks in the middle of July. March is an inconvenient time, but it’s really the only time to do it.

And yes, you don’t have all the best players in the world playing for a multitude of different reasons, and that’s an issue that needs to be addressed. Some players are afraid to risk their health, and I can respect that. But there are rumors that some teams have quietly pressured their players not to play. That falls directly on Bud Selig. This tournament is his baby, and he needs to get his owners and organizations in line. A stronger commissioner could – and hopefully someday will – get that done.

And yes, it’s meant to be a money maker for the various professional baseball organizations around the world. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea. Just because it’s a capitalistic venture doesn’t mean that the guys who are playing don’t feel national pride when they put on a jersey with their country’s name on it.

And that’s the big point, right there. This is about the passion that so many players – Dominican, Korean, Australian, whoever – have for their game and their country. It’s about bragging rights, and civic pride, and showing the rest of the world that your country is the best. It’s really pretty simple.

This is only the second time the tournament has been held. It will grow. It will mature. It will gain some prestige. It needs some time, but it’s going to write its own legends. Like this one: as I’m finishing this article, a bunch of minor leagers and amateurs from the Netherlands just beat the Dominican Republic and its All-Star-at-every-position roster for the second time in four days, knocking the Dominicans out of the tournament.

Unbelievable. This thing is awesome.