No surprise US isn't steamrolling opponents

There are VERY casual observers who might think any team other than the US winning the WBC would be considered an upset. After all, baseball was invented here and it is generally acknowledged the highest caliber of baseball in the world is played here.

But that is not what wins events like the WBC. Just as we have seen with basketball, throwing together a bunch of super stars and then watching them blow away opponents doesn't happen on the world stage. Players who wouldn't be backups on the worst team in the AL are able to rise to the occasion when national pride is involved.

If we believe quotes seen from players and managers in the WBC, they seem to be taking things pretty seriously. In a tournament some were calling a joke, quite a few tears have been shed this spring. As Tom Hanks says, there's no crying in baseball, but there has been far more tension and pressure then originally forecast by critics.

If we look at international competition in general, the US shouldn't win this tournament. The winner is usually a country where the players know each other better, play more games together, and just generally have more invested in the game. Of course talent does matter, otherwise we could just pencil in Cuba and be done with it.

Look for the US to not win the WBC.

And look for that to be yet another reason why it has been a success.