Among Major League Baseball managers, the World Baseball Classic is not necessarily popular. Some would like to do away with it. They dislike having their players leave camp to join their national teams, and they dread injuries.
New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, however, has a plan how make the tournament more attractive. In connection with this year’s edition in South Korea, Girardi stated: “Obviously, there’s value to the W.B.C. So can we make it work?”
According to The New York Times, his basic idea is: Make it a summertime event. Move the first two rounds of the W.B.C. later by a week in March, so that the players — especially the fragile pitchers — are stronger and more prepared to play competitively. Then the semifinals and the final would be held during an extended weeklong All-Star Break in July.
This story first appeared in the blog, The Sport Intern. The editor is Karl-Heinz Huba of Lorsch, Germany. He can be reached at ISMG@aol.com. The article is reprinted here with permission of Huba.