World Baseball Classic

The inaugural World Baseball Classic ended with Japan triumphing over Cuba. There were a lot of problems with the WBC but overall it worked. When I was traveling I encountered a Puerto Rican bus driver who was so into it, he and I talked for about five minutes about it. He knew the players on the teams better than I did (except for a few wrong first names) and he said the people of Puerto Rico were really enjoying it. I definitely think it should stay, with a few changes:

1) Should be moved up two weeks. That would allow the national teams to have a longer camp before spring training. It would get the games away from March Madness. And it would give players more time to be with their teams once its over.

2) They need to have one round of pool play with 8 teams. It would add only one extra game, if you eliminate the second round of pool play. But it would decrease the need for tiebreakers like the one that sent Japan into the semifinals.

3) Expand the pitching staffs so that each team has 4 or 5 starters so that they don't need pitch counts.

4) No ties.

Remember, baseball is out of the Olympics after 2008 so this competition is needed to help grow the sport. The Latin countries love it. The asian countries love it. Maybe they can extend that into Europe. Maybe we can send Mike Piazza to live in Italy permanently as baseball's goodwill ambassador.