Ichiro decides not to play in 2013 WBC

Right decision, "Toshi ni wa katenu" (to feel the age).

Gives space to the next generation to step in and show off their stuff.

Japan has the weakest national squad ever without Darvish or Ichiro.

HiroicciNov. 20, 2012 - 09:21AM JST Japan has the weakest national squad ever without Darvish or Ichiro.

Japan still has Matsuzaka and Fukudome.

South Korea field their top side and the rest will be just making up the numbers.

I don’t feel that this year’s Japanese baseball team is giving us the Energy and motivation like in the past.

Yankees put the brakes on Ichiro, they know who pays the bills.

Thpoil thport!

Yankees put the brakes on Ichiro, they know who pays the bills.

Ichiro is currently a free agent and isn't in any team.

Ichiro is currently a free agent and isn't in any team.

Yankees my man, they have both expressed mutual desire to play in 2013, thats why no WBC, its 51 showing his commitment to his team.

In ichiro's case he's at the end of his career and wants to finish it with the Yankees if possible. He doesn't need to be participating in the WBC. Darvish is being paid big money to play for the Texas Rangers and they want to protect their investment. The Rangers don't want him to run off and play in the WBC and maybe hurt his arm like Matsuzaka did back in 2009. Matsuzaka has never been the same since.

Would imagine the US team to similarly end up consisting of non-top caliber players. WBC organizers should be held responsible for their inability to have MLB fully respect the cause and encourage their best players to represent their respective nations. Good indication that MLB will never be FIFA and baseball will never be soccer. All unfortunate.

The problem with the WBC is that it is held in March about the time MLB teams are finishing up spring training and getting ready for the start of the regular season. IF the WBC were to be held in late October or early November after the end of the season I think more MLB teams would be willing to allow their players to represent their respective countries. If player gets hurt during the WBC he still has a few months to recuperate prior to the start of the season. But when it is held in March an injured player could be out for a large portion of the regular season. Holding the WBC in the late fall poses a problem with finding warmer climates to play in. Australia would be a good venue as would California, Arizona, Hawaii to name a few.

mdepaiava: Surely the schedule factor must already have been thoroughly discussed and most appropriate conclusions would have been reached sooner if everyone was seriously thinking about setting up baseball's own version of the world cup. Rather, what WBC has turned out to become is an efficient means for MLB scouts to assess the world's best baseball talents all in one tournament, period. While this should in itself be in the best interest of MLB, believe it has taken a completely different course from WBC's original cause and mission, if there ever actually was one.

alliswellinjapan: I am going to make an assumption that you are not a baseball fan as much as your as a soccer fan. There are MLB scouts all over the world and new talent is being assessed 360 days a year. Many of the star players who participate in the WBC for their respective countries already come from MLB teams. Many baseball fans in the USA including myself are not happy with the WBC being held at the time of year that it is.

mdepaiva: Being a fairly passionate fan of both, nonetheless had to draw this comparison to hopefully make my point clear. The schedule issue was a big question mark and debated from the get go. Japan initially in 2005 opposed to participation going against the March schedule. WBC organizers seemingly unable to arrive at anywhere reasonable on this through the years despite the clear negative implications indicates the limited degree of commitment on the part of the whole MLB organization to make this event as exciting as the soccer world cup which is an obvious benchmark. Agree MLB scouts are watching everywhere 24/7 but that is aside my point, and was only being cynical in suggesting efficient means of new talent assessment as the only benefit MLB may see in this whole event. I too am certainly unhappy with where things are going on this. Any friendly matches involving the Japan national soccer team played in Japan can have the 60K+ capacity stadium packed. Meanwhile, the recent friendly against Cuba played in Japan in prep for the WBC had attandance of only 20K tops. WBC should be all about healthy nationalism (beyond compensation as a replacement for Olympics, remember?) and should thus require top calibers to participate from all parts of the world. Everyday J-people are already seeing through the MLB's business calculations far from alignment with WBC's original cause and mission (again if there ever was one) and unfortunately the loss of enthusiasm is already showing here.

If I am Japanese player, who has to choose between trying to make first team in the MLB, with a huge contract a possiblity, or going off to play in the WBC, I think I stay with the MLB on this one. The WBC should give a chance to the younger players, What does Ichiro or Yu Darvish have to gain aside from Nationalistis praise and pomp? And that goes for any foriegn player in the the MLB. I understand the desire to want to represent ones country, but let's be honest here, 'They made it to the Bigs' what's left for them but to enjoy that? Let the domestic players hammer it out and show their stuff.

Chris Lowery: That in itself is OK, only that it would never enable WBC to come close to what the soccer World Cup has become, the biggest driving force behind the true globalization and success of the sport and the FIFA organization both conceptually and economically.