Niagara Falls, NY – Happy Monday. Happy Monday to everybody. Rough morning this morning because of daylight savings time. I can’t believe we were so close to getting rid of it, and then people couldn’t agree on where the hours should land. With that said, let’s get into today’s topics: the World Baseball Classic, the New York Knicks, and Six Nations rugby.
The World Baseball Classic
This is baseball’s version of the World Cup. It’s actually better than the Little League World Series in that it’s not just one side for the US while the rest of the world battles it out. We’re in the early stages, and that’s when you get all these countries you’re not even sure play baseball showing up.
The Brazilian team is out there with Manny Ramirez’s son playing for them, a starting pitcher still in high school, and a team with a vast number of Japanese players—which opened people’s eyes because they didn’t realize that Brazil has the largest population of Japanese people outside of Japan. I was surprised to see Jazz Chisholm of the NY Yankees playing for Great Britain, but this is one of the good things about the World Baseball Classic.
When I have the time, I’ll talk about how baseball’s popularity outside of America is very much contingent on America’s image, and how baseball in the US has lost African-Americans—which is a shame because it’s healthier than football and the money is much more guaranteed.
Anyway, there haven’t been that many upsets yet. The favorites have been doing what they do: Puerto Rico won, The USA took care of Brazil, and Japan, of course, is winning. Japan is the team to beat.
I think a huge factor that helps is some of these bigger teams are playing at home, drawing huge attendance. But it also helps in another way—maybe they should actually think about flipping it and let the lower-seeded teams play at home, giving those fans and casual observers a chance to come to the ballpark and see a big-name player in person.
I’ll be back next week—or whenever—covering this weekly until the winner is decided.
NY Knicks
The Knicks lost to the LA Lakers last night, ending their hot streak. They had been performing very well despite being on the West Coast. The main concern is that the Knicks were closing in on Boston for the number two seed. There’s still plenty of time, but that is incredibly important for the Knicks because they have no answer, based on the regular season, for the Detroit Pistons. They need to avoid the Pistons until the conference finals.
I don’t believe Detroit has enough in the tank to make the finals this year, but you never know. Up-and-coming powerhouses usually struggle for about one or two seasons before they assert themselves. So I’ll be interested to see what happens, and as long as the Knicks stay healthy, I think they have a chance.
Rugby 6 Nations
I know you guys aren’t rugby guys, but the quality of the matches I was watching this weekend—I have to say something.
Everybody on McCarthy’s Show, The Rugby Odds, got a game wrong; some got two of three wrong. Ireland had to hang on for dear life to get by Wales on Friday night. Scotland shocked everybody by stomping a mudhole in France, who previously looked unstoppable. And Italy, on their 35th try, finally knocked off England.
But it’s not just this weekend—it’s been this whole tournament. We’ve seen Italy come close against Scotland, Scotland hanging on for dear life and not getting by Wales until the 79th minute, and then just the upsets. I think although Wales is on a bit of a downswing in talent and ability, they’ve turned the corner and are actually able to play competitive matches. Meanwhile, Italy is on the upswing and is actually going to be a team that takes two to three wins every year now. So there are going to be no easy games.
Thanks for reading, the Big Aristotle is up tomorrow. Make sure to leave a comment below.
