Job Discussion Forums

[sushi]

I watched the Japan Korea game and in particular the behaviour of Ilchiro
the seattle outfielder. He was sure irate when they lost. If mexico beats the U.S. by 3 points then Japan advances to the semi finals. If not then it's curtains for Japan.

[angrysoba]

Mexico won by one run

and Japan have gone through

http://ww2.worldbaseballclassic.com/2006/index.jsp

[Hoser]

They only won by one run?? I thought they had to win by 2 for Japan to make it? Mexico sure pulled their collective a$$es out of the fire.
Gotta be depressing to be Japanese. Nothing ever seems to go right after 1945. They just cant win. Horrible olympics, between twice in a row by their backwater neighbours.

[canuck]

[mrjohndub]

Evidently, Canuck is still bitter about Team Canada's inability to score even one goal in Olympic men's ice hockey competition in Turin.

He or she feels the need to take up the Japanese banner in Canada's stead. Canuck, few if any Japanese who watched the Olympics will tell you that the one gold medal in figure skating made up for the absolute failure of their more seasoned athletes to win in events that they themselves consider to be marquee. Figure skating is not the most prestigious event to them. They rightly hold warm feelings toward the Japanese figure skating victor, but most I've talked to regard that competition--like many people--as more of an artistic, subjectively judged competition rather than a typical Olympic sport. This is not to say that I personally regard figure skaters as anything less than world-class athletes.

The fact is, your comment that the women's figure skating gold mutes or even subsumes the other failures for the average Japanese is, in my opinion and experience in discussing it with a broad range of people, short of authenticity.

note: Canadians invented the sport. Wayne Gretzky, the greatest ever hockey professional, under investigation for promoting gambling, was their coach. One of their players (Bertuzzi) has been convicted of malicious assault on the ice (first of its kind for the NHL) for a cheap and vicious blindsided attack on another professional, but was selected anyway by the win-at-all-costs Team. The combined NHL payroll of Team Canada is about $94 million (American).

*To other Canadians on this site, I mean no offense by mentioning this.

[SEndrigo]

OK, so why did this become a lash out at Canadian hockey thread?

I think we were originally talking about the baseball tournament, yes?

how about the Japan vs. US match, where we had the opportunity to see the most blatant bullying and cheating ever?

the US invented baseball, right? So they should still be in the tournament, rather than watching from home.

[Nismo]

South Korea for the win!! Hangook! Hangook!

The response from Japanese is great. I hope they go down again.

[mrjohndub]

[Sweetsee]

Brother SE,

Baseball originated in England and was called rounders, wasn't it?


Let us know hermanos,
s

[alexrocks]

I've been watching the WBC and I have to say I've been LOVING it! The competition has been great, in that the countries with teams people assumed to be the strongest have had to put in a complete effort to be competitive. Though I'm American, I've been rooting for Japan because I like the style of baseball here better.

And though I think the WBC is great, there have of course been problems, namely Bob Davidson, the umpire who screwed over the Japanese in their game with the U.S. and who also denied a home run to the Mexican team, again when the opponent was the U.S. While that looks bad, he has also made bad calls against other teams, like an incorrect third strike against Ken Griffey when playing against Japan. So umpires are human, and they all make mistakes occasionally, but for a world class tournament they should have world class umps, not those who officiate in the Minors like Davidson (though he was previously a Major League ump before a labor dispute in '99 or so). Also, the majority of them in this tournament are American because the organizers ignored the pleas of other countries to have a more balanced array of umps. Hopefully next time they'll fix that up. I have tons of other info on that stuff but if you really want to know, you guys know how to use Google and find it yourself. (I recommend www.newsonjapan.com if you're interested in the Japanese side of the Davidson controversy.)

Anyway...I've really been enjoying the games, though watching the last two when Japan barely lost to the U.S. and Korea were disheartening. I guess my feelings now are: Way to go Mexico!!!

The semi-final between Japan and Korea will start at noon, Sunday the 19th (tomorrow as of this posting) Japan time (10 pm EST), though I don't know yet which channel it'll be shown on. All the previous games have been on the major networks, so you fortunately don't need satellite or cable to view them.l

For all the details, check out www.worldbaseballclassic.com/2006

[canuck]

Let's deconstruct your misinformation, and show how ignorant you are while trying to take jabs, shall we?

[alexrocks]

Yes, let's get back to baseball.

[angrysoba]

I think the WBC has been excellent (apart from that balls-up by Davidson) and alot of the games have been really close contests. The last game between Korea and Japan was really exciting.

I have a problem with the format though. I've heard rumours that the USA were deliberately kept apart from the Latin American countries so that they would have an easier route to the final (if that was the thinking then it backfired spectacularly). But the format means that Korea and Japan will play each other three times. Although I want Japan to win it would seem unfair on Korea to be knocked out by a team which they had already beaten twice.

[mrjohndub]

[canuck]