There is talk of our US World series champion playing Japans World Series champion....

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4803999

I would love to see this. I already watch the Baseball Classic which Japan has won both times.

A) Why would the owners agree to this? I certainly wouldn't send a pitcher I'm paying 15-20 million over 6-8 years to the mound for 2-3 more starts after likely pitching many extra innings in the playoffs.

B) Why would the players agree to this? With today's free agency demand, I certainly wouldn't have my players (or clients, in an agent's eyes) playing extra meaningless games. I say meaningless because their checks will be written from an MLB team, so what they do in this type of series wouldn't be beneficial to them getting paid.

C) Why would many fans care after their team wins the World Series? I know if my team just won the World Series, I could care less about watching them play this series. The ultimate goal was already achieved.

It would be a great idea if winning this replaced winning the current MLB championship in importance to the teams, players and fans. However, it won't. Therefore, it will become just an extra series that players will be forced to play in, many will find a way to not participate, and it will become a half-assed series that Japan will likely win and then try to sell themselves as equal to the MLB.

When the top, top notch players start going to Japan to play pro ball and their major leagues become equivalent to the MLB's in talent, then we can talk. You can say what you want about the World Baseball Classic being won by Japan, but we all know that's only the case because many of the other countries, many of whom have their elite players in the major leagues, don't put the best on the field. A fully-stocked Dominican Republic or United States team would win every WBC if they wanted to. The problem is, like the WBC, this would just be something nobody cares about. Don't waste people's time.

If they want to integrate Japanese baseball into the MLB, plan to put a team or two from over there in the majors at some point. I'm not saying right now is the right time, but that would be a more logical idea than a spectacle like this.

Intresting..........

i think luxembourg is a building baseball power................

Just more baseball I wouldn't be watching.

Japan can win in the WBC because all of the talent is on one team. However, there is no way a Japanese team with 2-3 players from WBC team and then a bunch of scrubs could beat a MLB team. The talent would be too watered down. Dumb idea.

Let's say the Japanese could beat a MLB team... what does MLB stand to gain from all of this?

If an MLB team were too lose, it would be a huge joke. I don't think the MLB would ever live it down, especially if it would end up being the Yankees.

Sounds pretty lame. That is what we have the WBC for. Cuban teams are probably better than Japanese teams anyway.

already a thread on this....

The current World Series IS the World Series as you already have the best players from all over the world playing in the Majors. About the only ones missing might be the Cubans. MLB scouts scour the globe already, and until some other team in another league starts starts spreading the cash to lure away the A-Rods, Manny's. CC's and Halladay's....Baseball in the USA is where it's at.

stupid idea