If you are a baseball fan, chances are you have been paying attention to the World Baseball Classic over the past two weeks, with all its literal bells and whistles. The raucous fan bases that have filled stadiums around the globe are a reminder that baseball has an incredibly strong following internationally, and that our way of enjoying the game is not the only way. Whether you bring drums, vuvuzelas, plantains, or Bud Light, the game is not meant to be fixated on one way of experiencing it. Along these same lines, the game itself should not be fixated on one style of play. The best part of the WBC, at least in my opinion, has been the complete disregard for unwritten rules, and the subsequent enjoyment that a raw, emotional game can provide.
Unwritten rules are just that, unwritten, which means they do not have an official place in baseball. Bat flips, fake archery, and even self-loathing are considered “disrespectful” in a typical regular season game, and are generally punishable by a fastball to the lower-back. If that seems a little extreme and hypocritical to you, join the club. The WBC has eliminated the unwritten rule book and adopted all the emotion that comes with a high-stakes, do-or-die tournament atmosphere. Now obviously players should not be expected to bring the type of enthusiasm they have shown in the WBC into a 162-game regular season schedule just because of the sheer length of an MLB season and the lack of a do-or-die scenario, but the principle of having a loose atmosphere is one that not only should be allowed, but encouraged. You could argue for a full season of high-energy play day-in, day-out and I would not refute that, but the stakes make a difference, at least in my mind.
One glaring omission from the United States’ roster in the WBC is Giants left-hander and chief of baseball police Madison Bumgarner. His absence may have something to do with all the fun antics going unpunished. In all seriousness, his idea of controlling the opponents’ emotions is a perfect example of why some people feel that baseball is so far behind the NFL and NBA in entertainment value. Why is it so bad for someone to admire a home run, flip their bat, or be upset for popping up a belt-high fastball? Acting like a retired wrestler on Adderall every time you take the mound just leads to confusion, anger, and fighting (which is exciting for some, but it gets annoying when it’s the same guy over and over). All of those things would help baseball, not eliminating the intentional walk or trying to shorten games. Emotion is part of the game, just as it is in the other major sports. Attempting to snuff that out is only a detriment to baseball.
As enjoyable as the games have been in the World Baseball Classic, the tournament itself is somewhat confusing given the strange tie-breaker rules both in-game and with regards to team advancement in pool play. Last Sunday’s game between Colombia and the Dominican Republic was one of the best games you will see all year, and after 10 innings filled with highlight reel plays on both sides, the extra inning rules kicked in, placing a runner on first and second for the start of the 11th inning. This raised a lot questions as to the necessity of speeding up these extra innings, and how to treat statistics like the pitcher’s earned runs. The D.R. scored seven runs in that inning after scoring just three in the first ten innings. This was then followed by the debacle with Venezuela advancing over Mexico after losing to them in the “decisive” game, which was just confusing and irritating.
For all its flaws, the WBC is still a better brand of baseball than we are used to seeing. Teams rally around a sense of nationalism, bringing out the best in players that may not play together in the MLB, but can share the common goal of bringing a WBC title back to their home country. That excitement has been fun to watch, but the style of play has been the most enjoyable part, and I can only hope that at some point the major league game can distance itself from the Bumgarner way and transition toward a game that can be more loose and open to celebration. These are grown men being paid exorbitant figures to play a child’s game, so embrace the absurdity of that fact and stop taking yourself so serious, Madison.
The WBC has been a shining example of how little policing baseball needs to thrive, and the world has taken notice. From Japan to Israel to the Dominican Republic, this brand of baseball has helped pack stadiums (even Marlins Park drew over 37,000 for D.R. vs. U.S.) and made people want to be a part of the atmosphere. It starts on the field though, and with the unbridled emotion of each game we are reminded that baseball is just that, a game. So players: flip your bats, shoot your arrows, pull plantains out of your pants, but whatever you do, bring it with you to the majors.