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A20 SPORTS
Friday 3 March 2017
World Baseball Classic growing slowly, but far from mature

RONALD BLUM Baseball prefers preseason,
AP Baseball Writer even though it means pitch
NEW YORK (AP) — The limits in the WBC because
World Baseball Classic re- arm strength is still building.
turns Monday for its fourth “Every time you start to drill
edition, growing slowly yet down into a particular time
still far from rising to the of year and look at the lo-
prominence of soccer’s gistics and look at the pros
World Cup or the Olym- and cons, what sounds like
pics. an easy fix suddenly be-
South Korea hosts Israel at comes a lot more compli-
the opener of the 16-na- cated,” Penny said.
tion tournament in Seoul, A postseason tournament
and the Dominican Re- that starts in early-to-mid
public starts its title defense November would leave
March 9 against Canada pitchers from eliminated
in Miami. “The tournament clubs waiting around to re-
remains very much in the sume competition.
early innings of its devel- “You don’t make the play-
opment,” Chris Park, Major offs and your last game is
League Baseball’s senior Oct. 1 — you have to wait
vice president of growth, around for five weeks to
strategy and international, keep throwing to get ready
said Thursday at a Yankee In this March 23, 2009, file photo, Japan’s Ichiro Suzuki gets tossed around by teammates during for a WBC that you’re not
Stadium news conference. a clubhouse celebration after their 5-3 victory over South Korea in the championship game of the going to want to embar-
“Our ultimate ambition is World Baseball Classic, in Los Angeles. rass yourself,” Leiter said.
to watch and supervise this Associated Press “Impossible.”q
tournament as it matures
into a truly global platform MLB Network and ESPN De- repeated as champion in Missing Mexican baseball man-
for our game and a real portes. 2009, but no current Japa-
competitor with the top “Let’s see if their success nese in MLB will be at the ager Estrada found ‘unharmed’
international tournaments will translate to more peo- WBC.
around the world.” ple watching,” said broad- “It comes down to a per-
First-round games also are caster Al Leiter, a pitcher sonal decision, and they
being played at Tokyo and on the 2006 U.S. team. have all of these compet-
Guadalajara, Mexico; and The tournament is run by ing interests that they have
second-round games at MLB and the players’ asso- to contend with in terms
San Diego and Tokyo. The ciation and games will be of their own preparation
championship round is at televised in the U.S. on MLB and length of the season,”
Dodger Stadium in Los An- Network and ESPN Deport- players’ union senior labor
geles from March 20-22. es. In total, 171 countries counsel Ian Penny said.
The United States, which will receive WBC broad- Major leaguers on 25-man
failed to finish better than casts, and more than 50 rosters were not allowed
fourth under manag- sponsors have reached at the last Olympic base-
ers Buck Martinez, Davey agreements. ball tournament in 2008
Johnson and Joe Torre, is Revenue is forecast to and they aren’t likely to be
led this year by Jim Leyland top $100 million for the first at the 2020 Tokyo Games,
and starts play March 10 time. Still, that is less than 2 given MLB’s unwillingness
versus Colombia in Miami. percent of the $5.5 billion to interrupt its season. That In this March 4, 2006 file photo, Team Mexico manager Fran-
The 2013 championship projected by FIFA for next leaves the WBC as the cisco Estrada, left, and pitching coach and former Los Ange-
les Dodger great, Fernando Valenzuela, right, look out over the
on the MLB Network av- year’s World Cup in Russia. sport’s international show- field as the team works out before the start of their spring training
eraged 843,000 viewers; While the World Cup is soc- case. baseball exhibition game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at
it was the most-watched cer’s ultimate event, many Soccer’s World Cup usu- Tucson Electric Park in Tucson, Ariz.
sporting event in the Do- players decline to partici- ally is played at the end of Associated Press
minican Republic in at pate in the WBC, which is most European club sea- MEXICO CITY (AP) — Fran- as manager of Bravos de
least a decade, averaging played while their clubs are sons — the 2022 tourna- cisco “Paquin” Estrada, Leon.
an 11.2 rating on CDN. And at spring training ahead of ment in Qatar will be an the manager of Mexican Earlier in the day, Mexican
in Puerto Rico, there was a season openers that start anomaly, shifted to Nov. League baseball team Bra- League spokesman Ga-
combined 39.0 rating for April 2. Japan won the ini- 21-Dec. 18 because of the vos de Leon, was found briel Medina said the last
telecasts on Telemundo, tial tournament in 2006 and summer heat. Thursday hours after his known contact with Es-
club and league officials trada had been Tuesday
reported him missing. night. He said the manager
Guanajuato state chief missed a scheduled news
prosecutor Carlos Zamar- conference the following
ripa announced via Twit- morning.
ter that Estrada had been Bravos de Leon issued a
located by state authorities statement saying it did
and was “unharmed.” He not know whether Estra-
gave no further details. da might have suffered
Estrada is a former star a medical emergency or
catcher in Mexican base- been “the victim of some
ball who is in his first year crime situation.”q