All these games and not a single defection. All these days and hardly a protest against Fidel. All these innings and Cuba have ousted Puerto Rico, one of the darkhorse favourites of the WBC, in a tight 4-3 game despite their manager, Higinio Velez, getting tossed from the game in the 7th inning for arguing a call.
In the 7th, trailing 4-1, Puerto Rico third baseman Jose Valentin led off the inning with a double. Alex Cintron followed Valentin with a single and pinch-hitter Ricky Ledee hit what appeared to be routine double play groundball.
Cuba second baseman Yulieski Gourriel fielded Ledee's ball and threw to shortstop Eduardo Paret, who was moving toward second base and preparing to turn two.
Only, second base umpire James Hoye ruled that Paret was pulled off the bag when he caught Gourriel's relay and called Cintron safe. Valentin scored on the play to cut Cuba's lead to 4-2.
This set Cuba manager Velez afire. He raced out of the dugout like a man possessed whilst his female translator chased behind and began first to argue the call. Even starting pitcher Ormari Romero charged out of the dugout, his well spent pitching arm tucked on the inside of his jersey, barking mad and waving his only free arm in protest.
Velez was ejected a few minutes later and continued to vehemently plead his case all the way to the dugout. Fortunately for Cuba, the baseball gods corrected yet another hideous mistake by minor league umps in this charade as Bernie Williams hit into a double-play that doused the rally.
In the ashes of Puerto Rico's chances, Carlos Beltran can now return to the Mets after hitting .286 and driving in 5 runs including an impressive 12 pitch showdown with Cuban pitcher Yunieski Maya that ended in an RBI single. Fading Yankee Bernie Williams, DHing and batting leadoff, had two hits, including a homer, to finish with a .250 batting average. Luis Matos, who according to some in reports I listened to from the O's-Mets exhibition game the other night, has just about blown his chances to start for the O's this season by playing for PR instead of facing the significant challenge from newly acquired Mr Patterson in the centerfield race, went Oh for 3 with a strikeout but finished with a .333 average. Another Met, Carlos Delgado, made an appearance, getting a hit in his only at-bat to keep his Spring average at 1.0000.
The Cubans will now face the daunting Dominicans and their Caribbean All Stars in one of Saturday's semifinals.
*****
Korea Tops Japan; USA Still Alive
Chan Ho Park gives Korean manager In Sik Kim the old knuckle knocker in celebration at the end of the 5th inning.
For the second time in this tournament, Korea knocked off Japan, this time, eliminating them entirely from the WBC and giving Team USA a chance to atone for the miserable performance of Dontrelle et al. the other day.
Despite only a meagre three hits, they got a clutch two-run double in the eighth inning from Jong Beom Lee on the way to a 2-1 victory over Japan in a beautifully pitched game Wednesday night at Angel Stadium.
Full story here
Once again it will be Roger Clemens taking the mound for Team USA, this time against Mexico, with USA's future on the line.
MARCH MADNESS
Even though I haven't seen a single game this season, the NCAA Tournament Bracket is one of those sporting event freeforalls which allow everyone, from the inexperienced to the completely oblivious, to partake on equal footing with the alleged experts.
Thus, Sports Amnesia, infinately qualified by virtue of all the same qualifications as Moms at home, reveals the following:
SWEET 16
Duke
LSU
W VA
Cal
Memphis
Pitt
Indiana
UCLA
Connecticut
Utah St
Murray St
Tennessee
Villanova
Nevada
Oklahoma
Ohio St
******
Duke
Cal
Pitt
UCLA
Connecticut
Tennessee
Villanova
Ohio St.
****
Duke
Pitt
Tennessee
Villanova
*****
FINALS:
Duke 78
Villanova 82
There, I've said it...
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