WBC: Why's Bud Cuckoo?

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The Bald Truth

Commish/jalopy salesman Bud Selig says the intensity of the competitors (the non-American competitors, anyway) and the excitement of the fans (the non-American fans, anyway) prove that the WBC is a great thing. Did he watch Wednesday's NIT hoops game between St. Mary's and San Diego State?

I'm guessing not. And I'm guessing you didn't, either. Neither did I, but I did see the closing seconds. That was enough for me to see San Diego State hold off St. Mary's in the final seconds to win a three-point game and earn a trip to Madison Square Garden for next week's semifinals.

After the final horn, gleeful San Diego State fans stormed the court, and the Aztecs players celebrated as if they had just won the national title.

Hey, that gives me an idea for the perfect marketing slogan for Bud's main event ...

The WBC: Almost as big as the NIT.

THE BALDEST TRUTH

Several ballplayers who sacrificed much of spring training to compete for Team USA have voiced displeasure upon hearing Selig say they weren't intense enough. They weren't thrilled with the Commish's demand that the country's true stars take part four years from now, when the event again rears its needless head.

Beautiful, Bud. Rip the guys who did volunteer to turn out for the cause. That's quite a way to recruit top players for the 2013 WBC.

Can't spell Kosuke Fukudome without lots of K's

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The Bald Truth

Japan's manager benched Kosuke Fukudome for the WBC championship game after the flailing $48 Million Cubbie had batted .200 with no extra-base hits and seven strikeouts in seven games. Japan won the title without him.

Great to see that spending the winter back home and most of spring training with his compatriots has straightened K-Fu out just in time for the season.

THE BALDEST TRUTH

Congratulations to Chris Roberts, whose last-second, 75-foot fling lifted Bradley into the semifinals of the EverybodyGetsATrophy.com tournament.

The coach of the losing team, Oakland's Greg Kampe, has filed a formal protest, claiming that Roberts couldn't possibly have gotten the inbounds pass, taken two or three steps and released the basketball within the 9/10ths of a second that was on the clock after Oakland had scored the go-ahead hoop.

"The video will show," Kampe said, "our kids won the game."

Though there's no way his protest will prevent Bradley from advancing, our sources say college hoops honchos will create yet another tournament just for Oakland: The One Team One Title Tourney.

Thank goodness for WBC

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Down goes Chipper Jones!

Down goes Ryan Braun!

Down goes Dustin Pedroia!

Down goes Marlins closer Matt Lindstrom!

Yes, this World Baseball Classic sure is fun for kids of all ages.

Bud Selig and the handful of other proponents of this unnecessary crock would argue that these players very well might have gotten hurt had they been participating in spring training with their teams. They would argue that injuries are part of the game.

They can argue whatever they want. All I know is that it is the players are paid handsomely by their teams to play for their teams. And they are best served by being with their teams, preparing for the season at a reasonable pace, not trying to wow the world at full speed in overhyped exhibition games.

It only took me an hour or so of research to discover that 12 of the 13 pitchers who worked at least an inning for Team USA during WBC I back in 2006 went on to have higher ERAs - significantly higher, in many cases - that season than they had in 2005. And that doesn't count all of the non-American pitchers and all of the position players who were adversely affected.

And now, here is Lindstrom - the new closer for a young, talented Marlins club that is expected to make some noise in the NL East - straining the rotator cuff in his pitching shoulder in Sunday's game against the Netherlands.

Lindstrom had felt a little soreness while warming up but decided to pitch through it. Of the injury, he said: "It could happen anywhere."

Maybe, but it did happen in the WBC - quite possibly because he felt actual pressure to actually perform in an actual game. Yep, they don't get any bigger than USA-Netherlands.

That the injuries to All-Stars Jones, Pedroia and Braun aren't considered as serious is beside the point.

Lindstrom is the second Marlins player to suffer a physical setback in the WBC, joining valuable utility player Alfredo Amezaga on the list of key contributors who are out indefinitely.

It sure would bite if those injuries cost the Marlins the division title. 

But at least they'd be able to take a little solace in the fact that Team USA scored a huge victory over the Dutch.

Woo-hoo!

Brackets Ahead 

I'll be back Wednesday in The Baldest Truth with my NCAA tourney picks, so get ready to play those million-dollar parlays.

Soft Harden, a Dutch treat and T.O.'s new folly

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The Bald Truth

This can't be a good thing for the Cubs:

Just about every time a team official discusses the long-term health prospects of ultra-fragile fastballer Rich Harden, the phrase "knock on wood" gets used.

I'm not making that up. Really.

The Balder Truth

Wow, what a day at the World Baseball Classic. I'm so proud to be Dutch!

What's that you say? My name doesn't seem very Netherlandy?

OK, you got me there. It's not as if Mike Nadel has the same kind of classic Dutch sound to it as Sidney Ponson does.

Anyway, we Netherlanders would have been in trouble had Alex Rodriguez and Aramis Ramirez been in the Dominican Republic lineup. 

A-Roid and A-Ram absolutely would come through in the clutch - just as they always have in postseason play for the Yankees and Cubs.

THE BALDEST TRUTH

Young QB ... inexperienced offensive coordinator ... Dick Jauron, a coach who speaks softly and carries no stick at all.

Oh yes, absolutely, Buffalo sounds like the perfect place for a receiver who habitually blames everybody but himself when things go wrong.

And things will go wrong for T.O. and the Bills next season.

Should be fun ... for all of us who aren't in Buffalo.