The World Baseball Classic wrapped up this past Wednesday night without the Team USA victory that I had hoped for but on the bright side, their final game which Venezuela won by a score of 3-2 was watched by 11 million viewers in the States. That's a staggeringly large number for an "exhibition game" and I expect viewership will continue to grow in the coming years.
I have never considered baseball to comply with the do-or-die format of tournament play but I admit it was a refreshing change for each game to have meaning as opposed to the drawn out nature of a months long season followed by a succession of best-of playoff series. Still though, if Team USA hopes to win it all ever again some changes need to happen.
For starters, we need more starters but credit is due to Paul Skenes and Logan Webb who were both lights-out in their final starts against the Dominican Republic and Canada, respectively. Without the full commitment of another elite starting pitcher like Tarik Skubal, the chances of the States winning this thing will not improve next time.
They could try loading the roster with top-of the rotation level arms to work as middle relievers but that would require an ego adjustment for some pitchers. I am sure they understand what is at stake so maybe they'll be up for it! I also think the Classic's timing conflicts with the preparation needed for the regular season however this could be addressed a few different ways.
From a purely selfish view, I want the World Baseball Classic to begin no later than two weeks after the conclusion of the World Series which would allow it to end right before Thanksgiving. Baseball enthusiasts like myself would be thrilled at the opportunity to travel to cheer on their country at ballpark that is situated someplace warm.
One drawback to this approach is players entering free agency would almost certainly opt-out, especially ones anticipating a huge payday and sadly those are the ones we want on that team. In this case, we could consider replacing the All-Star game and its days-long break with enough time for the Classic to occur.
I imagine most MLB owners would balk at that proposal because as it would mean lost revenue during the middle of the season which players already complain is too lengthy. Players in mid-season form might be less injury-prone but there is never a time where that risk is fully mitigated and losing a star player getting hurt during a playoff run would be a devastating blow to a team.
Also, the All-Star break provides a nice mid-season respite for everyone with just one game and a home-run derby for the stars to tend to so giving most of the league two weeks off while putting the screws to your best players seems counterintuitive.
Something else defying logic is writing 500 words before even mentioning a word about this week's Fresh Fitted Friday selection which honors Paul Skenes's magnificent WBC performance!
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| This Hat Club exclusive features the iconic Charleston Charlies logo in the classic black and yellow colorway that represents their time as the Pittsburgh Pirates Triple-A affiliate from 1971 to 1976. The design has long been associated with the Charlies but never featured on their on-field cap during that time. |
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| Having a black, yellow and red on the MILB batterman to match the design on the front was a beautiful choice. |
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| Grey undervisor is another nice touch as it provides the proper vintage vibes. |
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| And speaking of vintage, I just wanted to share this image of a team photo featuring the 1974 Charleston Charlies in all of their Pirates-coded glory. I'm glad they made sure to print their amazing logo on the bottom right corner. |
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| While the Charleston Charlies of the 1970s never featured this glorious design as a cap logo, the West Virginia Power made sure to pay some tribute to it with their on-field as well as during at least one game in which they fully paid tribute to the Charlies upon joining the Atlantic League in 2021. To read more about that new chapter of Charleston baseball, check out this article from milb.com |
Looking back in the archives of the blog I've written about the Charlies on multiple occasions so if you'd like read up even more on that I recommend checking out those posts. And for those of you feeling blue about the US not winning it all in the World Baseball Classic, just know that this time next week the MLB season will have commenced for all teams!
Something else to brighten up your spirits is today is International Day of Happiness. I truly believe it is impossible to look at the smiling face of the logo on this week's cap and not feel a semblance of joy and hope on the first day of Spring with baseball just around the corner!
This week's Fresh Fitted Friday selection is not going on the Trading Block however please don't hesitate to reach out if you want any other cap from that list and you are willing to part with any of the hats on my Wish List.
As always, thanks for coming back to read about baseball hat geekery. If you'd like to discuss a trade or simply just chat about hats, please feel free to connect via the following social sites:
Instagram: @baseballmilquetoast
Twitter: @FittedFriday
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