Major League Baseball Cheats Spring Training Fans

I would like to add my voice to that of the letter writer who complained that so many major league baseball players were nowhere in evidence at spring training games where tickets cost $20-30 to attend. Where are the players? Well they are playing in the World Baseball Classic, another invention of Major League Baseball to extract more dollars from its fans.

This exhibition series, won by Japan in its first airing in 2006, will, thankfully not be seen again until 2013. For the next three years, fans will have some expectation of seeing a few more major league players when they attend spring training games where a hot dog and a beer can cost you $10 to 17 dollars. Bud Selig, the Major League Commissioner, tells us in the story below that The Netherlands, a country not known for baseball, did very well this year. He failed to mention that 12 of the 28 Netherlands players were from the American major leagues. He also failed to mention that most of the players that spring training fans paid to see turned out to be minor leaguers no-one ever heard of.

Selig: Classic to get 'bigger and bigger'

WorldBaseballClassic.com (Excerpts)

LOS ANGELES –“ Accentuating the benefits of the event and addressing various questions, Commissioner Bud Selig left no doubt Saturday night that the World Baseball Classic has carved out an important global presence, shows tremendous promise and is poised to become all the more exciting when it returns in March of 2013.

The event, which uniquely showcases Major League players at a time of year when baseball revs up the engines for a new season, is nearing the end of its second running and is slated to be staged every four years. The inaugural event was unveiled in 2006….

"I know we have some GMs who are somewhat reticent -- I'm going to be as kind here as I can," Selig said. "Look, the clubs hear this all the time, but I'm going to say this to you as directly as I can:

" 'This is a time in life where I know how important your individual club is -- this is a time to put the best interests of the game ahead of your own provincial self-interest.' "WBC.com