The 2009 World Baseball Classic kicked off today with a 4-0 shutout of China, courtesy of defending champion Japan. That game kicks off a tournament entering only its sophomore outing, but also a tournament with the potential to grow into an international competition peered only by the FIFA World Cup. Already, country's are banging on Major League Baseball's (the tournament organizer) door, trying to secure a spot in the tournament or otherwise expand the field or include a World Cup-style qualifying process. As of this second tournament, the format stays the same as the first, but MLB Commissioner Bud Selig has said he's open to ideas regarding the future of the tournament (the next one will be played in 2013). The competition is sure to get only more interesting from here, and it'll be a very interesting 3 weeks to find out who comes out on top. Will it be the United States, arguably the motherland of the sport? Will it be Japan, the 2006 defending champs? How about Korea, gold medal winners from the Beijing Olympics? Or maybe 2006 runner-up Cuba, or the slugger-stacked Dominican Republic... or perhaps someone completely unexpected? In any case, this tournament is sure to further cement the international popularity of baseball, and things will only get more interesting from here on out. GO USA!
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