00:00Okay, speaking of Team USA, they got the Dominican team,
00:04which has been absolutely lights out as well.
00:06Who do you got in this one here?
00:10I got USA just because Paul Skeens.
00:13I mean, it's Paul Skeens going against Luis Severino.
00:15Obviously, you can take Skeens against, you know,
00:17about everybody except for maybe Schugel.
00:19That's a toss-up.
00:21So, you know, I think he'll go, you know, a good five innings.
00:25Who knows?
00:25Maybe he'll have been going to the six with the lights out bullpen.
00:28And, you know, I know the lineup's loaded and everything else.
00:32It'd be a home field for Dominican Republic.
00:33But I just think that that pitching is so good by Skeens.
00:37And at some point, that USA lineup has got to wake up.
00:41Do you think, Bob, that the World Baseball Classic, since it started,
00:45I believe it's over 20 years old now, how do you think this has gone?
00:49And how do you think the evolution of this tournament has been?
00:52Do you believe that it's getting better and better and better
00:55in each and every single year?
00:56Because, again, I'm getting a sense that Team USA wants to be there.
01:00They look like they do.
01:02I hear Aaron Judge say the same thing.
01:04Just give me your sense of the tournament itself.
01:07Yeah, no, it's gotten much stronger over the years.
01:09And, obviously, the USA guys are all signing up for it.
01:13I mean, Judge has never participated in one.
01:15Bryce Harper never has.
01:17You know, Schwarber's been a regular, same as Bob Goldschmidt.
01:20But guys couldn't wait to do it.
01:22They saw how much fun they had in 2023, and they want to be a part of it.
01:26Hey, look, I mean, spring training is so long anyway.
01:28These guys would do anything to get away from spring training, the monotony of it.
01:32And you're staying in five-star hotels, wine and dine,
01:35and playing against great, great competition.
01:38So, they say it kind of, you know, warms you up and gets you ready going
01:40for the regular season.
01:41Obviously, the timing's not good for pitchers.
01:44That's why, you know, Skubold returned,
01:47about four different relievers returned from USA team.
01:50I do think at one point, they'll do it in July.
01:54They'll have extended all-star break, you know, every four years,
01:58almost like you do in the Olympics.
01:59So, we'll see you next time.
Comments