FanPost

WBC: November?

Holding the World Baseball Classic in March is idiotic.  It's just inviting disaster.

Someone please explain the reason for not holding the WBC in November.  Players would still be in shape (or could easily stay in shape) after the season.  Players not in the playoffs could use October to get healthy and rejuvenated from the long season.  WBC Teams could use October as sort of a "fall training".  But most of all, you'd get to see players and teams as they actually are.  At the top of their game.

The competition would be better because the stars would play 9 innings or throw 100 pitches.  Players wouldn't bow out because they need to be in spring training.  Teams wouldn't discourage players from attending in fear of an injury that would effect the upcoming season (cough-Yankees-cough).

You could also have it be a longer tournament because you wouldn't have to squeeze it into spring.  If you played a double round-robin in the first round of pool play, that would give teams at least 6 games instead of a lowly 3.  Perhaps more.

There are only a few knocks on holding it in November.  Some players would be injured following the rigorous season and would be unable to participate.  I still believe that this would be fewer players than currently remain out because of the impending season.  And I'd be much happier with injuries in the Major League season effecting the WBC than the other way around.  And anyone who would worry about players getting hurt in November and having it effect the following MLB season needs only to look at when it is being held now.

Winterball and fall leagues might be disrupted.  But it's still far better than distrupting spring training and maybe the actual Major League season.

Some people might say that it would take away from the World Series if you hold the WBC right afterwards.  I don't think so.  You could make sure you waited at least a week before the WBC begins so the baseball world could recognize the winner of the Fall Classic.  Look at the NFL.  The All-Star game takes place a week after the Super Bowl, but it is not deminished.

I really think that something like this is inevitable for the WBC.  All it will take is someone like Jeter to suffer an injury that keeps him on the DL until August.  However, we shouldn't have to wait that long.  Selig should never have tried to schedule the WBC during Spring Training in the first place.