Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[hiromichi]

I can not understand a paragraph below. Please paraphrase it.

One international incident later, the World Baseball Classic has earned its global chops. Nothing like a little controversy and the scent of American home-cooking on the breeze to take a preseason baseball tournament to another level.
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Hiromichi

[timtom]

I haven't really been following the tournament too closely, but here's what I can give you from what I understand (There is a lot of implied information in this paragraph).

In the United States (where I assume the author is from) the Baseball Classic was not seen as a big deal. American's have our general *beep* and didn't put much concern in the tournament. I assume the 'international incident' is the game that the US lost to Canada, although I really don't know. So the general gist of the paragraph is that America is now taking the tournament more seriously. (This is all under the assumption it is from an American news-stand)

As for the more colloquial parts of the paragraph, here's a more direct translation.

One international incident later, the World Baseball Classic has grown in respect. There is nothing like a little controversy and <I'm guessing> the chance of American victory to take a tournament of little concern to the next level.

If anyone has a better idea of what the author was trying to convey with 'the scent of American home-cooking on the breeze' I'd like to know. I'm American and I really can't give you a good explanation of it. It either represents national pride (Americans think we are down-to-earth and not fancy <I think we at least aren't very fancy>) or the fact that the American team is about to lose and come home. If I had a full article I could probably give you a better description.

-TimTom

[pavilion]

Timtom, I don't think it was talking about the US loss to Canada, because an "international incident" usually refers to something bad happening. And, although it is bad for us Americans to lose to Canada in baseball, its not an international incident. I looked it up, and I think it is talking about a call in the 8th inning of the US vs. Japan game that favored the US, and since all but one ump was American, that's the controversy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Baseball_Classic#The_Controversial_8th_Inning_Call_during_Japan_vs_The_United_States

In that case, the sentence would be, "One international incident later, the World Baseball Classic has earned its global chops. (I don't know a better way to phrase this, but based on the controversy, I don't believe "respect" is the right word) There is nothing like a little controversy and accusation of American favortism to take a preseason baseball tournament to another level."

[hiromichi]

Both senseis, Thank you. The article is from below.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/0313wbc.html

"earn global chops" is "become important" ?

"American home-cooking on the breeze" , what is it?
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Hiromichi

[timtom]

Your explanation definitely makes more sense. I agree with you that this makes a much better international incident.

I agree that respect isn't the best word, but from what I know 'chops' represents something along the lines of becoming a man. I believe, although don't know, that it has something to do with butchering meat in it's original context, so it probably literally meant a child going off to a industrial-revolution meat factory (probably the same one his father did) and earning his first paycheck. If anyone has a better definition for 'earning its chops,' or even a website that has definitions of weird phrases like this one, I would love to see it.

-TimTom

[pavilion]