March Madness

And I don't mean NCAA Basketball. I'm talking the WBC.
It's been a while since I've posted. Not for lack of thoughts or ideas, but for lack of an internet connection. I moved recently and it look a little long for my DSL provider, who shall remain nameless, ehh Verizon, to switch my service, just over 3 weeks to be exact. I'd go into more detail but who wants to read that.
I am totally hooked on the WBC. It's been fantastic to watch and I'm pumped to watch the US take on Mexico tonight, hopefully winning and moving us on to the Final 4 in San Diego. With the Rocket on the mound, my hopes are high. I don't know how many of you saw last night's game between Japan and Korea, but it was awesome. Korea has been quite the surprise and they definitely hooked the US up last night with the victory. I had the pleasure of watching it live, which is saying a lot because it ended at 1am, and being on the east coast that didn't leave me with much sleep. I'd stay up again in a heartbeat. A lot of the games have been shown on a local public-access type of channel called WNGS. I'm not sure why they're showing the ESPN feed of games, but I'll take it over waiting for the replay any day of the week. I guess I have Adelphia to thank for that. Finally, they've done some good. I've even watched a few games on ESPN Deportes, which was kind of fun, since the entire broadcast is in Spanish. I was hoping that there'd be SAP, but nope. But it was neat nonetheless.
It's amazing to see how players from other teams are so excited about the WBC. I haven't seen, and don't expect to see, this kind of enthusiasm from the US or its fans. When Jong Beom Lee from Korea stroked the two-run double in the 8th I was pumped. It amazed me to see his reaction. He's running down the first base line with his arms up in the air as if he'd just won the game with a walkoff single. To see that kind of excitement in the 8th inning was mind-blowing. I was on the edge of my seat during the bottom half of the ninth, especially after Japan led off the inning with a solo HR. Thankfully for the US, a second run never crossed the plate. Even the Puerto Rico/Cuba game was chock full of excitement. To see the entire Cuban team standing outside the dugout in anticipation of the final out was something I didn't expect to see. It showed how much these teams want to win. I'd be surprised if the US team showed as much enthusiasm. Quite frankly, it's kind of what I want to see.
The fans of these teams definitely are excited. You can definitely sense their excitement. It's amazing to see so many flags and to hear all the sounds that go along with that nation's culture. I haven't seen an overabundance of US flags at any US games. And attendance definitely looks higher at the other venues. There were 39000 plus on hand for last night's Japan/Korea matchup and I'm pretty sure the Puerto Rico game was a sell-out. It'd be nice if the US fans showed as much enthusiasm for the event. It probably doesn't help that most of the games aren't on TV until 1am. From what I gather from listening to MLB HomePlate on XM, baseball fans are enjoying it, but I don't get the sense that there is any national pride at stake for us. I for one am extremely excited. I've got a USA Baseball T-shirt and hat on order. I had to order it from the MLB shop because no apparel stores in Buffalo stocked any WBC merchandise. I'm disappointed in that also.
Well, it's almost time for Mexico/US so it's time to get settled in front of the TV. When we moved we bought a nice big screen LCD projection TV and ordered the HD pack from Adelphia. The game is in HD, which is awesome!! It's an entirely different viewing experience. If you don't have a big TV with HD, go get one. You're missing out!!
USA!! USA!! USA!!
J