(WBC) U...... S.... (SPLAT)

[lungs]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I heard Buck Martinez talking about that over the weekend, basically said that "the Yankees sent him down here & said he'd been looking real good" and they wanted/needed another LHP.

You'd think there would be a better option than Al Leiter though, wouldn't you? He's got name recognition but I thought he sufficiently had proven he is done for by his performance last year.

Roster decisions like carrying Al Leiter and Matt Holliday coupled with options better than those two players skipping the tournament have caused me to ultimately hope the USA gets their ass handed to them in the tournament.

Not because I hate my country but because I am loving this tournament. Other countries are loving this tournament and a lot of American players are acting like it's a pain in the ass (not any players actually on the team though).

I do respect players like Jake Peavey for their enthusiasm for this thing.

[ISiddiqui]

Seeing Steinbrenner's hatred for the WBC, wouldn't him sending a player "down here" be a clue not to take him?

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by TazFTW

65 for starters. If a pitcher starts an at bat under 65, he can continue to pitch until that at bat is complete. For instance, if a pitcher has thrown 63 pitches when an at bat begins, he can throw as many pitches to get that guy out. Once that at bat is over, he'll have to leave.

So much for any interest I had. I thought they were playing professional baseball. Heck, even the Little League world series doesn't have a pitch count limit...

[watravaler]

Hey Buck, give Derrick Lee and Alex Rodriguez at least 3 at bats per game. That is all.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by lungs

You'd think there would be a better option than Al Leiter though, wouldn't you? He's got name recognition but I thought he sufficiently had proven he is done for by his performance last year.

I don't think Leiter is there for any reason other than he's about all that was available on short notice (from the conversation I caught over the weekend, I gathered he was added to the team to replace ... someone. Might be wrong, but that's the impression I got).

[lungs]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I don't think Leiter is there for any reason other than he's about all that was available on short notice (from the conversation I caught over the weekend, I gathered he was added to the team to replace ... someone. Might be wrong, but that's the impression I got).

I do remember Leiter earlier this spring and vouching for a spot on the team, and you are probably correct that he replaced somebody else.

Actually, I'd like to take a step back and say that I actually don't have a problem with Leiter being on the team. Yes, there are probably better options.

What I do have a problem with is Buck Martinez putting him in yesterday at a point where Canada had a chance to build what eventually proved to be an insurmountable lead.

If I was the manager, I'd save a guy like Leiter for a matchup against South Africa. I was probably a little harsh on him, when it should have been directed at Martinez. Leiter should be commended for being enthusiastic about this tournament but the manager should know better than to put him in a situation he was put in yesterday. Canada's lefthanded lineup be damned, there had to have been a better option in that situation.