The Other March Madness

When the U.S. baseball team was selected for the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006, it was a starry array, boasting players with Hall of Fame credentials such as Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones and Roger Clemens. Still, nobody called it "The Dream Team," as they did the first NBA all-star team—with Michael, Magic and Larry—that went to the 1992 Olympics. There wasn't much disappointment when the U.S. baseball team flopped—certainly nothing to rival the abuse the U.S. basketball team took after settling for bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Perhaps it was the difference between an Olympic showcase and a new, unfamiliar event. And now, as the American baseball team prepares to open the second WBC Saturday against Canada in Toronto, nobody has dubbed it "The Redeem Team," as they did the Kobe Bryant– and LeBron James–led NBAers last summer in Beijing.

Nevertheless, the U.S. players should have a whole lot of redemption on their minds. While nobody thought the 2006 WBC would be a breeze, not with the juggernaut that was the Dominican Republic lineup, the Americans were still expected, at the very least, to make it to the finals. The team didn't get close. It fell behind Canada 8-0 and lost, committed three errors in a thumping by South Korea, and then, with a semifinal berth on the line and Clemens on the mound, lost to a lightly regarded Mexican team to finish the tourney at .500—three wins, three losses—and, ingloriously, out of the money.

Now, baseball glory is a more precarious proposition than in, say, basketball or football. A single hot pitcher, a bad-hop grounder or a bloop hit can sway the outcome of any game. Baseball fans witness that all season long. While the reigning NBA and NFL champions, the Boston Celtics and the Pittsburgh Steelers, won 80 and 75 percent of their regular-season games, respectively, the World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies won less than 57 percent of their games last season. Moreover, there was an unwarranted arrogance about the first American WBC squad. "The U.S. didn't take it as seriously [as other countries]," says Atlanta Braves star Chipper Jones. "Some guys thought we were just going to throw the bats and gloves out on the field and crush everybody with the names we had on the team."

On the way to their comeuppance, the American ballplayers discovered that there is outstanding baseball being played in a number of other countries. South Korea was a particular revelation, defeating both the U.S. and Japan in the second round of pool play. "I was a little surprised," concedes Jones, one of the few holdovers from the '06 squad on the '09 team. "They took it to us."

Instead of a U.S.-D.R. showdown, the finals wound up pitting Japan against Cuba, two teams that were in better condition, fielded more-versatile lineups, appeared exceptionally well schooled in fundamentals and showed far more team cohesion on and off the field. Japan won 10-6, and this country got an early introduction to Daisuke Matsuzaka. Japan's pitching ace won three games with a stingy 1.38 ERA and set off a bidding war—won by the Boston Red Sox—when he decided to cross the Pacific the following season. (Japan defeated China 4-0 in the opening game of the tournament today in Tokyo.)

This year's U.S. team appears to have learned some lessons. The players were urged to upgrade their winter conditioning and reported to spring training earlier. They will play three exhibition games—compared with just one three years ago—before their WBC opener. The team is better balanced, with less emphasis on slugging and more on speed and defense in the lineup. Cohesion is a bit trickier, given the intensity of some MLB rivalries. It is strange, though not necessarily strained, when the American infield may feature the Red Sox's Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia playing with Jeter or the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins alongside the Mets' David Wright.