Team USA wins World Baseball Classic - A Hunt and Peck

For me there was mixed feelings about seeing the United States celebrate an 8-0 win over Puerto Rico to win the country’s first World Baseball Classic Champion title. There is a lot of nationalism and pride involved in seeing one’s home country succeed in anything for reasons that are both very easy and quite difficult to explain. In the case of the World Baseball Classic, the United States finds itself in the rare position of being almost an underdog - or at least not an outright favorite - which should add to the satisfaction of the victory. But it didn’t. Not really.

Maybe it is because the nature of the Classic: the fun, the excitement, the passion involved that makes it different from other tournaments of its nature. Maybe it is that fans have grown to know and love many of the players representing all different parts of the world that make the natural nationalistic urge less strong. Maybe it is just seeing the crushed faces of team Puerto Rico:

Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images

Whatever the reason, despite the excitement of seeing the United States win, it is difficult to escape the fact that for every winner, there is someone that finished second, someone that finished second that wanted to win just as much.

The great thing is, though someone must, the World Baseball Classic was never just about winning. It represents everything great about baseball... and life. It is different cultures coming together to play the same game, by the same rules, on the same field, showcasing their different styles and talents, but more importantly, their passion. That passion - for baseball, for country, for a job, for another person, for anything - despite being the root cause of the agony of defeat - whether it is losing a baseball game, or a job, or a loved one - is one of the purest things we as humans can feel. Watching that on full display, embodied in a sport so cherished is what makes the World Baseball Classic so great and so heart-breaking. It is beautiful. And it is ours - all of ours. Maybe that is corny to say.

But I don’t really care because I love it.

Now, off my soapbox and to the links!

what else is going on in baseball...

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC

• USA beats Puerto Rico for first Classic title | MLB.com
• USA's Marcus Stroman shuts down Puerto Rico | MLB.com
• USA, Puerto Rico enjoy 2017 Classic time | MLB.com
• Marcus Stroman was dealing (and dancing) in his dominant MVP outing against Puerto Rico | MLB.com
• Yadier Molina, Eric Hosmer on All-Classic team | MLB.com
• USA vs. Puerto Rico final score: United States wins 2017 World Baseball Classic | SBNation.com
• The World Baseball Classic is over, and now we wait for more | SBNation.com
• There was Legend of Zelda organ music in the WBC, and it should be a trend | SBNation.com
• USA celebrated the World Baseball Classic win with a giant eagle statue | SBNation.com
• Marcus Stroman proved himself with elite performance in WBC final | SweetSpot | ESPN
• Here's a look back at the best moments of the WBC. | SweetSpot | ESPN

what the cardinals are up to...

• Yadier Molina, Eric Hosmer on All-Classic team | MLB.com
• St. Louis Cardinals pick Carlos Martinez to pitch on opening night vs. Chicago Cubs | ESPN
• Cardinals expect Martinez to 'dominate every time he gets the ball' | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com
• Martinez swats aside Nats with five scoreless innings | Cardinal Beat | stltoday.com
• Wainwright will try to get right | Cardinal Beat | stltoday.com
• Don't mind standing? Buy a pass, attend 80 Cardinals home games | St. Louis Cardinals | stltoday.com
• The 2017 Cardinals: In Only 675 Words, Here Are 30 Things That Can't Happen | 101Sports.com
• Remember When the Cardinals Dressed as Camels on Hump-Day? Here It Is Just in Case. | 101Sports.com

KNOW THINE ENEMY...

the nl central

• David Ross scores high in 'Dancing with the Stars' debut | ESPN
• Cincinnati Reds to start Scott Feldman on Opening Day vs. Philadelphia Phillies | ESPN