"True" World Series

I just can't see the Japanese league (or any other league) play MLB as their equal until they get rid of the foreign player limit rule. I understand that MLB calling their championship series the world series is due to their arrogance and ignorance. However, there are no rules in MLB preventing players of any nationality from playing. So they could make the argument that the best players from the world are fully represented in MLB. I realize that this not true, but it's close enough.

In fact, a true world cup of baseball makes much more sense to me.

Hang on a minute. I thought that the World Series was called so because of its original sponsors or something. This is only anecdotal, and not backed up by a shred of evidence, but that did seem a bit of a harsh thing to say about MLB.

Ok, that probably didn't come out right. I don't know the origin of world series. What I was trying to get at was the general attitude towards MLB "world champs" in the states, which is ignoring all other players and teams around the world and crown themselves world champions.

While any excuse to extend the pro baseball season is fine by me (since no other sports interest me), you might run into a problem with a "true world series" after the MLB championship blowout due to the wear and tear on MLB players from the longer season. Consequently, I think you would see some resistance from MLB teams based on that. I also suspect that Selig would argue that a "true world series" would steal the thunder of what we now call the World Series.

The baseball world cup, which is something I hope and pray will come to fruition, is a different proposition since you will only have a relatively few players from each MLB team participating as opposed to one team taking on the burden of yet another series and it will only be played every so often (I'm hoping every other year, but that is probably too optimistic). I see that as more workable. Plus cities will vie to hold it, which will create more excitement around the event, much like the Super Bowl or the Soccer World Cup. This is also a good way to promote MLB in Latin America, since you could hold it in Latin American cities (though I would like to see MLB impose standards on the
condition of the ballparks there) and Korea, where baseball is on the wane popularity-wise.

While I'm fully aware that it would never be okayed in a zillion years, lopping a few games off the regular season to make way for an "international" section to the season might add some variety to things. Who cares if Orix plays Nippon Ham 15 times instead of 20?

This kind of thing happens in both rugby and cricket: first there is the club season in which local club teams compete; then the representative teams, made up of the best players of the club teams compete in a national league; then finally national teams, made up of the best players in those representative teams (and therefore the best in the country) compete against other countries' teams. There isn't a "world cup" every year: that's once every 4 years. But each country tours a country or two, and hosts a tour by a country or two each year.

Certainly that formula couldn't be forced onto baseball, but the principle seems viable to me. Personally, I'd love to see Japan play teams made up of the best players of countries like the USA, Cuba, Korea, and Taiwan.

Gary: I know that the MLB was on the verge of approving the holding of a World Cup of Baseball. According to a plan the Commissioner's Office had in developoment last year, the Cup was to be held once every four years in the month of March. The first World Cup was to take place at the latest by 2005, with the U.S. hosting it. But then 9/11 happened and other matters took precedence. Still, I believe it will happen some day.

As a whole the NPB is not consistantly as strong as the MLB but the Nippon Champion could compete effectively with a Major League Champion. In a seven game series whichever team that has the better pitching for that week can win.
NPB now has players from Taiwan, Korea, Australia, Latin-America, and North America so is not as insular as in the past.
Since the NPB and MLB teams and champions are already in place, I thought it easier and less disruptive if the respective NPB and MLB champions played rather than the "world cup scenario" mentioned in the reply.

Forget about getting rid of the foreign players in Japan. Let them play. Make it like the Toyota Cup championship in soccer. Best team from Japan and US meet. But I guess the MLB players union won't approve. beeep!!!

The whole concept of a world cup or of the best players of one country playing the best of another country in some capacity is so obvious. It's a travesty that it hasn't come to fruition yet.

Other sports have shown that regular international competition leads to a gradual increase in the quality of the sport in the countries that initially struggle to compete. So, whereas maybe only 3 or 4 countries would have a chance in any early competitions, a decade or so of regular, top-grade international action would see that competitive group grow to include today's minnows. Who knows, perhaps Swaziland might be a baseball powerhouse in the not too distant future.

Looks like there are two main concepts:

(A) Champions from MLB, NPB, possibly KBO and Taiwan meeting every October (with full intact teams) or

(B) World Cup format with nationals representing their respective countries every two to four years.

Either way would be exciting for fans and baseball on both sides of the Pacific and around the world.

Hi dear baseball fans and friends from around the world!

Regarding this interesting topic about the posibility of a "True Baseball World Cup" happening in the near future, I whould say that it is something inebitable in my opinion! After all, there are already more that 100 countries around the world who actually play organised baseball, and they are, in fact, active members of the "International Baseball Federation" (IBAF).

On the other hand, there is the necessity to clearly and once and for all demostrate to Cuba that they are not the true World Champions like they claim to be! Because of the fact that they have been the only country in the entire universe able to send their real all stars to international competition to compete againgst the mediocre competition of the rest of the world, they are actually living based on a "True Lie!"

[Non-native English cleaned up by: Admin on Oct 20, 2002 11:20 PM, JST]

Who's the grand master in baseball, MLB or IBAF? Will baseball be at the Olympics in 2008? And MLB wants to make a "Major League Europe" like NFL did. Who's got the power?

One of my friends goes to Cameroun next month to look at the African cup, with MLBI (International) and not IBAF. Once again there are two sides... or do they work together?

P.S. In August, during the first university world cup in Italy, China (popular republic) beat the USA 4-3.

For a true World Seies, the teams must be Cuba, USA, Japan, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Australia, Taiwan, Corea, Venezuela, Mexico, Holand, Canada, Panama, and Nicaragua.

This Series could be won by the Dominican because Pedro Martinez is one of the best pichers in the world, and the Series ends in one game.