JayWay Posted August 21, 2004 Share Posted August 21, 2004 Once again, two on, none out. They'll have to score at least one this time if they hope to mount a come back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayWay Posted August 21, 2004 Share Posted August 21, 2004 One out single scores two. 4-2 Cuba. Get in there, boys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayWay Posted August 21, 2004 Share Posted August 21, 2004 Japan downs Taipei 4-3, meaning Canada is through to the knockout round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argh1 Posted August 21, 2004 Share Posted August 21, 2004 The girls softball team didn't get through to the final 4 . Too bad except that one game against the Amurikans the were very competitive. I want more womens beach vollyball on tv.Let's petition somebody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayWay Posted August 21, 2004 Share Posted August 21, 2004 Final score: 5-2 Cuba. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoyleG Posted August 21, 2004 Share Posted August 21, 2004 quote:Originally posted by JayWay Japan downs Taipei 4-3, meaning Canada is through to the knockout round. Took them an extra inning to get it done. Japan was behind for much of the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew Posted August 22, 2004 Share Posted August 22, 2004 Well the Greeks are all American (or mostly American) and the Dutch have a lot of guys from Netherlands Antilles, so there was some decent baseball from those two clubs. Japan were just a joy to watch. I could watch those guys play all day. I hope I get to watch them lose to us in the medal round. I believe the World Cup of Baseball is supposed to be a go for 2006. http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd=20040819&content_id=832284&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp The canadian team could be competitive. Even some of our weaker areas seem pretty capably covered at the Olympicans (Laforest is no Ivan Rodriguez or Mike Piazza, but I don't think he'd be a liability) and we have a good staff, a great outfield and some very good infielders. cheers, matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC supporter Posted August 22, 2004 Share Posted August 22, 2004 It's unfortunate that baseball interest in Canada is declining at the same time the number of Canadians in the majors is at an all-time high (17 so far this year, with Jeff Francis scheduled to make his debut August 25 and the possibility of an additional 1 or 2 in September call-ups; hopefully, someone like Pete Orr). Harden, Bay, Morneau and Bedard have really solidified their ML careers this year. If everyone's healthy and willing to play in a 2006 World Cup, we'd be competitive, I think -- only behind the plate and in the middle infield are we lacking solid major league talent. But talent alone isn't the only thing; when you look at the spirit and camaraderie of the Canadian baseball Olympians, you can see what a "team" can accomplish. (And, though I'm loathe to mention hockey, that ability to bond and work together has always been a strength of Canada's participation at the annual world championships.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted August 22, 2004 Share Posted August 22, 2004 Ok, who are your starting nine? 1B - Morneau 2B - Stubby? SS - Klassen? 3B - Koskie C - LaForest RF - Stairs CF - Walker ( I know, but I can't really put Matt Stairs in center can I?) LF - Bay Starter - Harden Closer - Big Smile, Eric Gagne Blair quote:Originally posted by BC supporter If everyone's healthy and willing to play in a 2006 World Cup, we'd be competitive, I think -- only behind the plate and in the middle infield are we lacking solid major league talent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC supporter Posted August 22, 2004 Share Posted August 22, 2004 Yours is (with a few tweaks), pretty much the line-up I'd see today. But being the World Cup wouldn't be until 2006, I'd look at some changes as young players develop. (Just two righthanded hitters is a big problem; maybe Russ Martin, a catcher in the LA chain at high "A" ball, will develop.) C - LaForest 1B - Morneau 2B - Pete Orr (this has been his principal position at Richmond) SS - Klassen? 3B - Koskie LF / CF - Aaron Guiel and Bay, or possibly Bay (LF) and Adam Stern (CF) RF - Walker DH - Stairs Starter - Harden / Francis Relievers - Quantrill, Reitsma, Cormier Closer - Gagne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argh1 Posted August 22, 2004 Share Posted August 22, 2004 Hey........why did no-one put Dickson or Rheal Cormier ( Phillies ) in the line up . New Brunswickers not welcome [)] oops BCSupporter did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted August 22, 2004 Share Posted August 22, 2004 Doesn't including Stairs mean that NBers are welcome? I wasn't going to go into the bullpen, I just meant to do a starting nine (excluding DH) and then I decided to include Gagne. Cormier definitely makes the bullpen. I would add Ryan Dempster to the rotation also. But, damn that's a lot of slugging power. Walker - 9 HR in 150 AB, slugging pct .613 Bay - 17 HR in 269 AB, slugging pct .569 Stairs - 15 HR in 300 AB, slugging pct .477 Morneau - 12 HR in 164 AB, slugging pct .484 Koskie - 20 HR in 347 AB, slugging pct .537 Blair quote:Originally posted by argh1 Hey........why did no-one put Dickson or Rheal Cormier ( Phillies ) in the line up . New Brunswickers not welcome [)] oops BCSupporter did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew Posted August 22, 2004 Share Posted August 22, 2004 Okay so I found some free time at work. 25-man roster I'd pick for Canada if the World Cup were tomorrow: C Pierre-Luc LaForest — Durham AAA (Tampa Bay) 1B Justin Morneau — Minnesota 2B Stubby Clapp — Syracuse AAA (Toronto) 3B Corey Koskie — Minnesota SS Danny Klassen — Toledo AAA (Detroit) RF Larry Walker — St. Louis CF Aaron Guiel — Kansas City LF Jason Bay — Pittsburgh RHP Rich Harden — Oakland RHP Ryan Dempster — Cincinnati RHP Erik Bedard — Baltimore LHP Jeff Francis — Colorado RHP Eric Gagne — Los Angeles RHP Jason Dickson — Omaha AAA (Kansas City) RHP Aaron Myette — Louisville AAA (Cincinnati) RHP Paul Quantrill — New York Yankees RHP Chris Reitsma — Atlanta RHP Jeff Zimmerman — Texas LHP Rheal Cormier — Philadelphia LHP Paul Spoljaric — Olympic team C Cody McKay — Memphis AAA (St. Louis) IF Peter Orr — Richmond AAA (Atlanta) IF Todd Betts — Columbus AAA (New York Yankees) OF Matt Stairs — Kansas City OF Simon Pond IF/OF Syracuse AAA Will Zimmerman ever be healthy again? No idea. Is Spoljaric a reach? Yeah probably, but we're really missing lefty-handed arms. I don't think Matt Stairs can really play in the field anymore. I know Guiel is sub-Mendoza line, but it's a trade-off I guess. Nearly forgot about McKay, he might be better than LaForest. With him we could field a starting lineup with all MLB experience. cheers, matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted August 22, 2004 Share Posted August 22, 2004 I think most of us would come up with something pretty close to what you've got Matthew. In place of Spolly, by the time that 2006 comes around we might see LHP Adam Loewen. He was drafted ahead of Francis by Baltimore but is younger and throws harder (but apparently, not as accurately at this stage; he's had some arm trouble/control issues this year.) It's too bad about Zimmerman and his arm troubles. I don't know what the odds of him resuming a MLB career are, but if he's done he definitely left his mark as a solid performer for Texas. Actually Pete LaForest was up for a cup of coffee last year with the September roster expansion, so your entire starting group does have MLB experience. As I said earlier lots of power. And your right Stairs is definitely a good hit/no field player now. Aaron Guiel has had a disappointing year this year after really emerging last year. He had some sort of eye surgery a couple of months ago, went down to Omaha for a re-hab stint (KC's Triple A affiliate) and tore the cover off the ball. He's back up now and hopefully he (and his team for that matter) salvages something from 2004. Blair I was going to post the Canada Australia score, but I realize that TSN is going to show it shortly, so I'll refrain. quote:Originally posted by matthew Will Zimmerman ever be healthy again? No idea. Is Spoljaric a reach? Yeah probably, but we're really missing lefty-handed arms. I don't think Matt Stairs can really play in the field anymore. I know Guiel is sub-Mendoza line, but it's a trade-off I guess. Nearly forgot about McKay, he might be better than LaForest. With him we could field a starting lineup with all MLB experience. cheers, matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC supporter Posted August 23, 2004 Share Posted August 23, 2004 I think Matthew's team is basically it, with at least one exception (IMHO). No place for Betts on my team. I like him, but on a team that includes major leaguers there are way too many left-handed hitting, corner infielder/DH-types ahead of him. It becomes a wasted roster spot to pick him. Possibly you take Nicholson, whose professional career is stalled, because he can at last back-up SS and hit righthanded, even though it's unlikely you'll use him in a tournament. Dickson and Spoljaric are marginals (as would be Loewen), since they're more starters than relievers. Possibly take Kusiewicz to come in and face the occasional lefty. Also, I definitely play Pete Orr over Clapp at 2B. Clapp's a sparkplug, and would certainly be on my team, but Orr's solid offensively and defensively, and can run. I expect (hope) he'll have a good ML career, probably as a reliable utility player. Hard to say who to add, until we see how some of the guys in "A" ball develop. Minor leaguers to watch: Shawn Hill, Adam Stern, Russ Martin. (And I love Joey Votto, another lefty hitting 1B; 18 homers and 83 walks in "A" ball.) Be interesting to see if either Orr or Aaron Myette get September call-ups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew Posted August 23, 2004 Share Posted August 23, 2004 Yeah Betts is having a quiet Games too, but it sounds like he was big at the PanAms. The last couple bench spots were total tossups. I've seen Loewen pitch (and I can't remember where, because didn't Baltimore not let him pitch at the Canada Games? or was that the Canada Cup?) and he's very impressive. Still a ways away I think. Mind you Francis made a huge leap this last year, so who knows. I like Clapp's D and he's got a decent bat. But yeah nothing wrong with Orr either. Klassen's really impressing me too. Our middle infield won't hit much at a real elite level, but I think the defensive side of the game is there. cheers, matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argh1 Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Grasshopper Doesn't including Stairs mean that NBers are welcome? I wasn't going to go into the bullpen, I just meant to do a starting nine (excluding DH) and then I decided to include Gagne. Cormier definitely makes the bullpen. I would add Ryan Dempster to the rotation also. Hey , I forgot the pride of Taymouth N.B. Matt Stairs myself ooooppps. As much as I wanna see a World Cup of Baseball . The best vs the best ya know . My more than natural cynicism makes me wonder about MLB hijacking international baseball from the IBAF. Since this seems to be an MLB initiative. As there already is an IBAF World Cup. So why not just make MLB players available to this touney? Back to the Olympics . I'm guessing starting at 5:30 am Atlantic Australia v Japan ( no time on TSN.CA only part of the 2:30 am to 8 am coverage ) Canada vs Cuba looks like 1pm ADT. Yippers my day off wifey works . COUCH DAYYYYYYY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJT Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 Semifinal against Cuba just over. We did very well to lead 3-2 going into the bottom of the 8th. Then, just as Perdita Felicien was falling at the first hurdle, we gave up 6 runs to trail 8-3. In the top of the 9th we scored two, 8-5, and had two men on with two out. Pinch hitter hits a huge fly ball to left... it's going, going... pulled off the wall to end the game. With Australia upsetting Japan, will we even get a medal now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free kick Posted August 24, 2004 Author Share Posted August 24, 2004 quote:Originally posted by DJT Semifinal against Cuba just over. We did very well to lead 3-2 going into the bottom of the 8th. Then, just as Perdita Felicien was falling at the first hurdle, we gave up 6 runs to trail 8-3. In the top of the 9th we scored two, 8-5, and had two men on with two out. Pinch hitter hits a huge fly ball to left... it's going, going... pulled off the wall to end the game. With Australia upsetting Japan, will we even get a medal now? The early result Jpn-Aus was devasting when I first saw it. I knew that realistically we had a good chance against Aus but the japanese are seasoned pros. The Bronze was definitely within sight, After the Australia win, I am not so sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC supporter Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 I really thought the Nicholson shot in the ninth was gone. What a storybook that would have been -- a two-out, two-strike, 3-run pinch homer to tie the game. I admire the spirit of the Canadian team. It'll be tough to get a medal now, but I really hope they can manage it -- not so much for the country, but for themselves. They deserve it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoyleG Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 I think Japan was aiming for a gold medal and nothing more. No doubt they won't have that much energy for a bronze medal game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argh1 Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 The bronze medal game is at 5:30 am my time . No matter how it goes , the team played well congrats . Now let's see who's the most let down by the semi's loss. Japan's made up of 2 players from every Pro team in Japan and Canada has minor leaguers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argh1 Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 The bronze medal game is at 5:30 am my time . No matter how it goes , the team played well congrats . Now let's see who's the most let down by the semi's loss. Japan's made up of 2 players from every Pro team in Japan and Canada has minor leaguers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free kick Posted August 25, 2004 Author Share Posted August 25, 2004 Canada loses to Japan in the bronze medal match. The Aussie lucky victory over Japan really sunk our chances. Imagine that, Australia wins the silver. I am notcomfortable hearing this given that we know that we have better baseball players and team than they do. By the way I wonder how Australia gets qualifying spots for team events in every olympics, do they give oceania auto berths like they were asking for from FIFA a few years ago?. Goes to prove that baseball is not sport where single knockout is the way to go to determine a winner. Then again, Canada really benefit from this in qualifying in the first place Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJT Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Free kick By the way I wonder how Australia gets qualifying spots for team events in every olympics, do they give oceania auto berths like they were asking for from FIFA a few years ago?. For baseball there was a playoff between the Oceanian and African champions. The Oceania championship consisted of a 5-game series between Australia and Guam (I guess no one else entered). I think the African championship involved 8 teams and was hosted by Cameroon. The two champions, Australia and South Africa, played a 5-game series to determine who would go to the Olympics. In retrospect, after getting all excited after we beat the weak teams and Taiwan, it turns out we played 5 games against the top 3 teams and we lost 4 of them by a combined margin of 23 runs. So how well did we really do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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