by Peter Ferak, reporting for Mister-Baseball from the second round of the Baseball World Cup in Italy
The difference in the Netherlands Antilles Team and the US Team is best described by something not directly on the field, but ever so slightly off-the-field: The third base coach.
It has nothing to do, with if the US coach should’ve sent the runner who tried to take out the NA catcher but failed to do so and was called out, and nothing to do with the fact that the third base coach for the Netherlands Antilles had way too little work. In the end the scoreboard does speak for itself, Netherlands Antilles was “Smoaked” out of the ballpark by a strong US Team led by Justin Smoak whose two homeruns summed up the physical dominance of the US players and athletic power that Netherlands Antilles simply lacked. The final score was 11–1 after seven innings, and only two hits for NA underline how big the difference between these two teams was.
But let me paint this picture for you: When NA struck first in the second inning there was a man coaching third base who may have been a strong player back in the day. Maybe he hit .300 consistently or struck some 100 balls out of the park over the course of his career. However, not much of that shaped his appearance anymore. He wore a saggy mashed shirt with three big letters across his chest that hid a big belly but not the silver necklace around his neck. White baseball pants, white sneakers, and a blue hat that was adjusted to his head with a stripe in the back.
On the other hand the third base coach for the US club was a sharp looking elder man with trendy baseball gear, matching pants and shoes, and a skull-cap to protect his head.
How a country decides to dress up the third base coach doesn’t say much about the country, or the third base coach, but it does define the character of a team and with that the approach to baseball that a country displays. Watching the teams (and results) of this World Cup made it brutally obvious that not many countries take a highly professional approach to the game. Some lack the economy, some the talent, and some the experience to put it all together. But I have gathered a growing respect for the European teams. With all that’s been said about the rapid growth of the game during Baseball’s campaign to make it back into the Olympic program it has been forgotten that growth requires time, patience, and focus.
So let baseball take it’s time. The effort is there. Keep it going!