Still, as much as Major League Baseball insists that the WBC is a priority, MLB teams have made little secret of their concerns about risking key players in this preseason tournament. They have used any nick, tug or bruise as an excuse to pull back players slated for WBC duty. Moreover, many players who were already concerned about the season's long haul or who are battling for a place in a rotation or even on a team have gotten the message and declined their WBC invites. (In fairness, every MLB team has contributed players to the tourney; the Red Sox and Mets lead the way, each with 15 players competing for nine and eight different national teams, respectively.)

The result of all this is that while the U.S. team is impressive and would certainly be considered a favorite in any MLB pennant race, nobody would ever confuse it with a "dream team." Starting pitchers Jake Peavy and Roy Oswalt are worthy of spots at the top of the rotation. But the other starters, Ted Lilly and Jeremy Guthrie, are hardly A-list hurlers and would not be wearing the red, white and blue if CC Sabathia, Roy Halladay, John Lackey, Josh Beckett or quite a few others had made themselves available.

Similarly, the Dominican team will be missing Albert Pujols and Vladimir Guerrero from the heart of its lineup and may now lose A-Rod to a hip problem that could require surgery and sideline the Yankees third baseman for up to four months. By contrast, the WBC is a last, perhaps desperate, lifeline to the major leagues for a few standout veterans. Future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, oft-injured in recent years and still hoping to latch on with some team, will, in effect, be auditioning when he pitches for the Dominican Republic. And former Yankees standout Bernie Williams, 40 years old and retired for two seasons now, saw his comeback hopes dampened by a leg injury before he his first game for Puerto Rico.

Whatever the WBC's shortcomings, baseball fans should not be deterred. We are still talking about real baseball games in early March. And if they prove to be only half as entertaining as they were three years ago, we're still in for a treat. By the time the final game is played in Los Angeles on March 23, we may even have witnessed another American tale of redemption. Or not.

© 2009