FanHouse Davey Johnson

LOS ANGELES -- Davey Johnson spent the past week eloquently explaining how desperately he wanted Team USA to win the World Baseball Classic, figuring a title would sooth America's sense of entitlement over the sport and silence some of the tournament's grumbling naysayers.

So how to explain Johnson's head-scratching managerial moves Sunday night, decisions that led to Japan beating the U.S., 9-4, in an elimination semifinal game? Why did Johnson keep starter Roy Oswalt in for a brutal pounding even after it became clear the Japanese had his number? Has the bumbling Adam Dunn mastered the vagaries of Dodger Stadium's right field yet? And any regrets over starting Captain America at shortstop, leaving Jimmy Rollins to DH?

LOS ANGELES -- The U.S.' rollercoaster ride at the World Baseball Classic is finally over -- halted by relentless reigning champion Japan and perhaps also some questionable managing by Davey Johnson.

The Americans jumped out to an early lead in the second semifinal, but starter Roy Oswalt was battered for six runs as Johnson watched from the U.S. dugout, only pulling Oswalt with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning after he had surrendered five runs in the frame.

LOS ANGELES -- It's easy to mock the World Baseball Classic, to deride it as nothing but a money-making machine for MLB, a global monstrosity that has little to do with forwarding the game and everything to do with padding a few select wallets.

And then you plop down in section 106 Saturday night in Dodger Stadium and in one tremendous burst of an inning, all the negativity dissipates. Korea's Yong-Kyu Lee opens the WBC semifinal game with a walk off Venezuela pitcher Carlos Silva, a pitcher described in the Korean media as "a mighty, ferocious giant," and just like that, tremors start rocking the ballpark on the hill.

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They are supposed to be out of game shape, at the very least. This is, after all, their Spring Training. Worse yet, they are supposed to be spoiled millionaires, indifferent or nonplussed at the honor of playing for one's country, participating in the World Baseball Classic on a lark as they prepare for the major league season.

At least, that was the story we were fed during the last WBC in 2006, when the U.S. bowed out in embarrassing fashion in the second round of the tournament after losses to Mexico and Korea. It was the story we were about to be fed all over again with Team USA three outs from elimination against Puerto Rico Tuesday night.

Maybe you saw jubilation, the pile of humanity in the infield, the joy of Team USA rallying in the ninth inning and advancing to the semifinals of whatever event they're pretending to stage. Me? I just sighed Tuesday night, like others who realize the World Baseball Classic is a contrived farce that compromises the major-league season ahead, the only baseball that matters to the game's true cognescenti.

Ever seen an event so blindly self-important expose so many flaws, cracks and detriments in the big picture? As if the WBC wasn't diluted enough by mass player defections before the tournament, the predominant theme this month has been injuries -- and how they ultimately could hamper or ruin the seasons of 30 franchises impatiently waiting for this ill-timed marketing nonsense to end. The messages are mixed and the priorities askew, hardly a surprising development when the architect of the event is none other than Bud Selig, who told a thin U.S. media contingent that things are going wonderfully.

The Daily Jolt is a dose of baseball reality every weekday morning.

Believe it or not, the World Baseball Classic is a little over a week away. The final rosters for each team, including the U.S., were released Tuesday afternoon. There is plenty of American star power of course -- depth is the U.S. team's biggest advantage over every other country in this tournament, at least theoretically -- but this isn't exactly baseball's answer to the Dream Team.

On Wednesday, Josh Beckett officially announced he wouldn't pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic and John Lackey announced that he would. Another day, another pair of players announcing their intentions for the WBC.

Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins has come out and said he will play for the U.S. this spring, should he "make the final cut." Given the dearth of quality American-born shortstops, Rollins should be a slam dunk, though it might be an uphill fight for his rightful starting spot with team captain Derek Jeter blocking the way. (Here's a hint to manager Davey Johnson: Take the great glove over the great intangibles.)

Diamondbacks ace and 2007 NL Cy Young winner Brandon Webb, on the other hand, has taken himself out of consideration for the team, saying he wants to focus on preparing for the regular season.

If I'm running Team USA right now, I'm getting a little concerned that Webb's decision could become a trend among the top-tier American pitchers. In the age of pitch counts and innings caps, pitchers have become Major League Baseball's most valuable and protected commodity. As such, most teams are probably going to frown on their arms being used in high-leverage innings during an international tournament before the season.

Beckett's shaky health at the end of last season is certainly reason not to participate in the WBC, but Webb doesn't really have a reason like that to not don a U.S. uniform next March -- other than, of course, loyalty to the team that actually pays him.

From the Windup is FanHouse's extended look at a particular portion of America's pastime.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I get pretty aggravated when America doesn't win things we should. For example, I don't even watch the NBA, yet I was one of the biggest Team USA fans for the Olympic men's basketball team in August. America should win the gold in basketball. We invented the game and house the best players. I also believe America should win the World Baseball Classic for the same reasons. (Plus, I'm an ugly American and think we should win everything anyway.)

With this in mind, I'm putting together the perfect team for manager Davey Johnson, in hopes that he takes note.

In my view, there are some things that doomed USA's last WBC team, specifically in the Dontrelle Willis disasters. If you are playing what essentially amount to a bunch of one-game series, you cannot possibly survive with shoddy defense, pitching that gives out free passes, or constantly falling behind in the count. Also, too much reliance on power can hurt you in these games. You need guys who can get on base and "keep the line moving."

Our MLB editor files dispatches from the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas in Notes From Sin City.

There was a long press conference today about the World Baseball Classic, which will return in 2009. Davey Johnson was announced as the manager for Team USA, Derek Jeter was announced as the captain and starting shortstop and a few rule changes were revealed, including a switch from the round-robin format in the opening rounds to a double-elimination setup.

The WBC is very important to Major League Baseball officials because they see it as a way of growing the game internationally, and much of the talk was overwhelmingly positive, but one thing MLBPA head Donald Fehr said stuck with me.

"The competition overtook the skeptics," he said of the inaugural tournament in 2006. "I really believe that ... before too long, before the next decade, this will be regarded as the equal, if not the superior, of any international sporting event."

Really? I guess the previous competition did not overtake this skeptic. There are a number of issues with the WBC -- the time of year it happens, the pitching concerns for major league clubs and my main problem with it, the flukey nature of a baseball competition that is decided by single-elimination contests -- so it's hard for me to imagine that it's suddenly going to be on par with the Summer Olympics or the soccer World Cup anytime soon, if ever.

Indeed, it's only real appeal, at least to me, is that it puts baseball games that actually mean something on the schedule a few weeks before the start of the MLB season, a time of year when I usually find myself fixing hard for some baseball.

Sheesh, I haven't heard that name since ... the last time. And it's been quite some time too. Despite being diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in 2003, Baylor says he's ready and eager to return to managing. And according to The Denver Post, Don Baylor could be a candidate for the Orioles job:

He might get [a chance] after emerging this week as a strong candidate for the Baltimore Orioles' managerial vacancy. Andy MacPhail, who oversaw Baylor's hiring in Chicago, is leading the search as Baltimore's new president. Joe Girardi turned down the job, leaving Dusty Baker, Davey Johnson, Rick Dempsey and Baylor as possible successors to Sam Perlozzo.

Baylor may not have made PostmanE's list of candidates which included Baker, Frank Robinson, Johnson, and interim manager Dave Trembley, but he sure is trying to establish himself as a candidate now. Baker has a cushy gig at ESPN, so he might not be as quick to leave as some people would think. Who knows about Johnson and Dempsey. From the sounds of things, they might not find a more eager candidate than Baylor. And really, how hard is it to manage the O's to a fourth or fifth place finish every year?

Previously at FanHouse:
So, What Do the Orioles Do Now?
Is Tom Kelly a Potential Orioles Manager?