Three Cheers for China!

by BWoodrum on Mar 5, 2009 10:34 AM EST

Yeah, Yu Darvish was incredible, but China made it a game.

(image via web.worldbaseballclassic.com)

(For those that missed it, Japan beat China 4-0 in the Tokyo Dome this morning.)

I don't know about you guys, but I'm psyched about the World Baseball Classic (WBC). I love to see all the international talent and passion for the sport. Since the 2006 WBC, I have kept my eye on the Chinese team, partly because I visited China around that time and partly because I really want to see the sport flourish in a nation of 1.3 billion potential, um, middle infielders… (Just joking, haha; there are some genuinely tall people in China.) Interestingly, China did not even have a national team before that year (2003). They participated in the WBC in order to prepare for the impending Beijing Olympics.

So, like you guys, I’m sure, I got up at 4:25 this morning to watch as much of the first game of the WBC – before I had to go to rowing practice at 5:45. Anyway, I was simply proud of the Chinese team. These guys really only play a handful of games in their professional leagues, outside of four guys who play outside of China – three in the American minors, and one pitcher who plays in Japan. Only one guy, Ray Chang (who’s in the Pirate’s minor league system), is over 200 lbs.

Anyway, these guys were way overmatched, but – even though they looked absolutely terrified in each close-up – they played quality baseball against a heavy favorite – a team that mercy-ruled them three years ago – and kept the game competitive. Best of all: they did it with pitching and speed (their defense could have been better, and I expect it will do better in its next game). They played a good game against the sport’s most exciting youngster, Yu Darvish, and that’s all that we could ask of them.

Anyway, how about three cheers for the China team?

This post was written by a member of the DRaysBay community and does not necessarily express the views or opinions of DRaysBay staff.

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Comments

I'm sorry, did I miss some kind of inside joke about supporting the Chinese?

by kericr on Mar 5, 2009 10:54 AM EST reply actions

No, I'm serious. They played well.

B Rad the Ray Fan

by BWoodrum on Mar 5, 2009 10:58 AM EST up reply actions

They have to. Or they'll die.

by kericr on Mar 5, 2009 11:30 AM EST up reply actions

Uday Hussein is dead

No athletes playing for their country need fear death now.

Why yes, I am this big of an asshole in person.

by Sandy Kazmir on Mar 5, 2009 11:34 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah I know.

I still think that thinking of enemies of America as unholy embodiments of evil who execute all at their own whim is hillarious.

by kericr on Mar 5, 2009 11:37 AM EST up reply actions

Fuck You Hans Brix

Why yes, I am this big of an asshole in person.

by Sandy Kazmir on Mar 5, 2009 12:32 PM EST up reply actions

We have an embargo on cuba and not china for what reason again?

China is a horrible, horrible, place.

by putupyourDUKES on Mar 5, 2009 12:30 PM EST reply actions

There's two ways to look at this

1. Refusing to do business with them is the right thing to do, because of their horrible human rights record. In many ways, buying their products funds the horrible treatment of their citizenry.

2. Refusing to do business with them altogether can also be counterproductive, because we lose our ability to use market forces to push for reform. Embargoes have also traditionally been considered acts of war under international law, and China isn’t exactly a good country to piss off.

There is merit in both points of view.

by GomesSweetGomes on Mar 5, 2009 6:23 PM EST up reply actions

Not to mention the fact that trade with China keeps prices down at home.

by rglass44 on Mar 5, 2009 11:09 PM EST up reply actions

Eh

It probably supresses wages more than it keeps prices down. Big picture I tend to think it does more harm than good to the economy.

Vogt early, Vogt often.

by Brickhaus on Mar 6, 2009 12:42 AM EST up reply actions

My point was to show that we need to end the embargo on cuba.

by putupyourDUKES on Mar 8, 2009 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Fair enough

If it doesn’t end under this president, and with the end of the Fidel era, I will be pessimistic that it will in my lifetime.

by GomesSweetGomes on Mar 8, 2009 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Actually

China is a wonderful, wonderful place. Same comment you said could be made about almost any country.
vr, Xei

by Xeifrank on Mar 10, 2009 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions

I wonder when Yu will pitch his first game vs the Rays in a Yanks/Sox jersey

by matthan on Mar 5, 2009 2:25 PM EST reply actions

I wouldn't mind that...

…as long as he’s already pitched 5-10 years for the Rays.

B Rad the Ray Fan

by BWoodrum on Mar 5, 2009 2:57 PM EST up reply actions

You mean Durham?

Why yes, I am this big of an asshole in person.

by Sandy Kazmir on Mar 5, 2009 3:34 PM EST up reply actions

It will be a while

A by the time he gets over here, he’ll probably be semi-damaged goods.

Vogt early, Vogt often.

by Brickhaus on Mar 6, 2009 12:59 AM EST up reply actions

Saw Team USA play the Phillies today.

The pitching wasn’t impressive, but they have a pretty scary lineup.

Since the Padres will be awful anyway, can we just have Peavy pitch every game?

by steve-o1285 on Mar 5, 2009 10:00 PM EST reply actions

Didn't China hit like half of our team in the Olympics?

by mittens on Mar 6, 2009 10:09 PM EST reply actions

Team China were total D-Bags to US Team in Olympics.

However, free trade is a net benefit to society, in addition to keeping prices low it frees up our workers to do more advanced/productive activities.

Wage suppression is more a result of our poor reaction to this dynamic: under investment in education & infrastructure combined with lax, corrupting corporate tax law has caused 3rd world like income inequality.

Baseball response: rib balls for everybody.

by Thejeffg on Mar 7, 2009 12:31 PM EST reply actions