With the embarrassing conclusion for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, the American sports landscape as I know it is long gone.
When Major League representatives from the United States cannot even qualify for the semi-final round of an international tournament (played in America, no less) there is something gravely wrong. Not reaching the final four translates to Team USA being no better than fifth best internationally. No way, Jose!
Then again, this U.S. roster was destined to fail. It was comprised of has beens and not yet-to-bes. There are hordes of better players, and you can't tell me they all didn't want to participate or were injured.
Throw in the U.S. basketball team barely making it to the podium in the last Olympics by winning a piddly bronze medal. And if you recall, before that I believe they finished fifth in the World Basketball Championships in Indianapolis. It makes me want to polish off a fifth.
Meanwhile, contrarily, FIFA (that's international soccer's governing body) has proclaimed the U.S. soccer team heading into the World Cup this June as the fifth best squad on Earth. This is almost as unbelievable as our current baseball ranking. To think U.S. soccer has ascended to the the same level internatioonally as our baseball bretheren is out-of-this-world topsy-turvy.
What's next, we won't win the America's Cup anymore? Oh yeah.
When Major League representatives from the United States cannot even qualify for the semi-final round of an international tournament (played in America, no less) there is something gravely wrong. Not reaching the final four translates to Team USA being no better than fifth best internationally. No way, Jose!
Then again, this U.S. roster was destined to fail. It was comprised of has beens and not yet-to-bes. There are hordes of better players, and you can't tell me they all didn't want to participate or were injured.
Throw in the U.S. basketball team barely making it to the podium in the last Olympics by winning a piddly bronze medal. And if you recall, before that I believe they finished fifth in the World Basketball Championships in Indianapolis. It makes me want to polish off a fifth.
Meanwhile, contrarily, FIFA (that's international soccer's governing body) has proclaimed the U.S. soccer team heading into the World Cup this June as the fifth best squad on Earth. This is almost as unbelievable as our current baseball ranking. To think U.S. soccer has ascended to the the same level internatioonally as our baseball bretheren is out-of-this-world topsy-turvy.
What's next, we won't win the America's Cup anymore? Oh yeah.
