00:00So let's get to the Dominican team.
00:02And you want to talk about fun?
00:03You want to talk about pomp, circumstances, celebration, bravado?
00:06They have it all on the field and their fans in the stands, Craig.
00:10Look at their four games here.
00:11Nicaragua, 12-3.
00:13Netherlands, 12-1.
00:14Israel, 10-1.
00:15A battle with Venezuela, 7-5.
00:17The bats are fun.
00:18The team is fun.
00:19And this is going to be an unbelievable game on Sunday night, Craig.
00:23But the Dominican, superstars up and down their lineup.
00:26Yeah, the hitting is obviously out of control.
00:29If they get to a championship scenario, I would assume that they could even have the best pitcher in the
00:34championship game if Sandy Alcantara ends up pitching that one on Tuesday night.
00:39But, yes, Donnie, I'm certainly excited to go to the game.
00:42I'll be going tonight to see this game between Team USA and the Dominican Republic.
00:46So I'm excited for it.
00:48I've seen them play in all the games that they've played.
00:51And, look, that game against Venezuela, I know it was a close one in the end, 7-5.
00:54But you never got the sense that the DR wasn't going to win.
00:57So they've been the most dominant team in the World Baseball Classic.
01:01And if their bats stay alive, then who knows?
01:05Maybe they could end up winning the whole thing.
01:06Because I do think that, you know, and I think most people think that the winner of Sunday night's game
01:11between USA and Dominican wins the whole thing.
01:13You know, because Team USA, Craig, and I thought you brought up a great point here.
01:17In the past, like, yeah, sure, I'll go now.
01:19But now you're seeing players actively.
01:21And this is why we got so excited about this World Baseball Classic.
01:23The true superstar is like, I got to get there, I got to play in this, I have to experience
01:27it.
01:27And now we're going to get that.
01:28But in other countries like the Dominican, no fault, no shame here.
01:32And I think it's the correct move.
01:33Asking them questions about how do you feel about winning the WBC as opposed to the World Series.
01:37It means so much to these small island countries here and the pride that they have that this really is
01:42their World Series.
01:43Of course they want to go back to Seattle and their teams and win World Series.
01:46But I just love the passion.
01:47Like, we're here, we're brothers.
01:48And this feels like the greatest two weeks of our lives here.
01:51And the Dominicans feed off that.
01:52And understand this, you watch games in Houston, Craig, where the crowd's very good for the U.S.
01:56Yes, they are.
01:57But just on a different level in Miami with the spectator support along with the team providing it on the
02:02field.
02:02It's so much fun to watch.
02:04Yeah.
02:05And I went also last Sunday night to Israel versus Nicaragua.
02:09And I got to tell you, I mean, both teams, Israel and Nicaragua, very well represented.
02:14Nicaragua, it seemed like, had maybe 70, 80% of the crowd in that game too.
02:18So, you know, you're absolutely right.
02:20I think that what's going on now, Donnie, is that there is this narrative that why can't we turn what
02:27we've seen over the last week into Major League Baseball.
02:31And it's like, I don't understand why people want to do anything that's just simply not going to get done.
02:35Like, we can't just be happy with what we're seeing.
02:38Like, an NBA player scores 83 points, can't be happy with that either.
02:41No one wants to be happy with anything going on.
02:43The reason why is because they're playing for their country.
02:46It's just a different way to play.
02:49It's very similar to soccer in the World Cup, too.
02:53Why can't we just be happy with what we're seeing these days, Donnie?
02:56It feels like it.
02:57You're right.
02:58And also, like, coming off, let's just say the Olympics and hockey.
03:00Like, oh, I could never get that excitement in the NHL.
03:03It's the best players at every position playing each other here.
03:06It's the same thing that WBC.
03:07Like, of course, there's 30-plus teams in Major League Baseball where you can't get a night-to-night where
03:11Skeens is going toe-to-toe with your best.
03:13And everybody's an all-star up and down the lineup.
03:16And we're okay with that.
03:16But if we keep it here, lining up for that game tonight again, Korea did have a pretty good group
03:20stage.
03:21Two and two here.
03:22Advanced Chechia beat 11-4, lost to Japan, lost to Taiwan, beat Australia 7-2.
03:27And then, Craig, you saw the Dominican.
03:29And the story, Uncle, after seven innings, Craig, 10-0 victory.
03:34Only allowed two hits, man.
03:35You want to talk about Mercy Rule heading into the knockout stages and doing damage.
03:39Boy, did they do that.
03:40Yeah, and poor Hunjin Roo, who hadn't pitched in Major League Baseball in a long time, pitched in the game.
03:47They got 10-run ruled.
03:48And then yesterday morning, it says, I'm retiring.
03:51That's not heavy.
03:52Unfortunately, that's the worst way you got to go out.
03:54But, look, credit to Korea.
03:55Honestly, Donnie, you win a couple of games in the WBC.
03:58It qualifies you for the next one, gets you into the Olympics.
04:01I mean, those are the things that they're looking for.
04:02I don't think anybody expected Korea to win it all.
04:05No, certainly didn't.
04:06But the Dominican team, it's fun because, you know, they didn't really have that so much as the U.S.
04:10team lost to Italy.
04:11Oh, no, we got to recenter ourself.
04:13And now it's out of our hands.
04:14We're going to move on.
04:14Now we feel lucky, maybe re-energize.
04:16The Dominicans are putting on a show, style, all those points are adding up.
04:20And it's not just easy victories that they're getting.
04:23They're absolutely clubbing teams like they did 10-0 here.
04:26Let me ask you this question, Craig.
04:27We get this sometimes.
04:28And, hey, don't want to go through the regular season undefeated.
04:31You want that adversity and take a loss, which I always think is nonsense here.
04:34But was it a good thing that the U.S. was like, oh, no, it's out of our hands.
04:38I hope we can get through the next stage and get reinvigorated?
04:40Do you think that matters at all?
04:43I have not.
04:44I still do not see that with Team USA.
04:46I mean, obviously, being, you know, American, this is the team that I want to win.
04:49But I just – it's not about fire or intensity or lack of intensity or anything else.
04:54They just have not looked right from the very beginning.
04:57The good news for them is they got the best pitcher going.
05:01But it's going to come out of the game eventually, you know.
05:05So, look, Team USA is still the most talented team.
05:09But I personally think it's just who they are and the way that they're playing.
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