The [Shreveport] Caucasian, June 12, 1913:

Richard C. Klegin has announced an international baseball league in Europe.

Teams have already been formed in London and Paris, and the proposed league will include also Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Monte Carlo, Milan, and Nice. Klegin has leased the stadium in London. The players hail from the United States.

This is a terrific idea, Mr. Klegin. I suggest you start in, say, the summer of 1914.

Also, yes, the newspaper really was called “The ...

Robert Ripley (yes, that Robert Ripley) discusses a baseball-ish game played in Egypt, via the El Paso Herald, June 3, 1913:

...they only had eight men on a side, short bases, and a very narrow bat, like a curtain pole…The baseball used is about the size of the usual indoor baseball, except that it is a little “faster”.

Each side is entitled to eight outs, one for each man, and is not retired as a side until the full eight men have been put out…To score a run a player must make a complete ...

Wrestling, squash and baseball-softball made the IOC short list Wednesday for inclusion in the 2020 Olympics.

Three months after being dropped from the 2020 program, wrestling took a big step toward keeping its Olympic status.

Eight sports were vying for a single opening in the lineup.

Eliminated from contention were five sports — karate, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and the Chinese martial art of wushu.

The tournament drew a record 781,429 fans since it began in Asia on March 2, played to huge international television audiences, and Brosnan said it will certainly be back for its fourth running in 2017.

“The Commissioner is 1,000-percent committed,” Brosnan said.

....
Mainstream baseball countries Mexico, Canada, Venezuela and Korea were all knocked out in the first round, but only Mexico will have to qualify for the tournament in 2017.

In that matter, Brosnan promised more teams and more ...

Pesqueira and David Gonzalez, who also acts as the player’s agent, are now involved in a potentially historic lawsuit against Major League Baseball that could change the signing system for Mexican players and complicate efforts for a worldwide draft. At the crux of the fight is whether Pesqueira was willfully aware that he finalized a contract with the Diablos Rojos, or if he and his father were tricked into signing away his free-agent rights—or if the young player had ever even signed a ...

That was fun. Is it 2017 yet?

8:00 PM- Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico

WBC FINALS.

On MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.

9:00 PM- Dominican Republic vs. Netherlands
Winner faces Puerto Rico in finals.

All games on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.

9:00 PM- Japan vs. Puerto Rico

Winner to finals.

All games on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.

Just a seeding game today:

1 PM: Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico (Winner faces Netherlands, loser faces Japan)

All games on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.

7:00 PM- USA vs. Puerto Rico (ELIMINATION GAME)

All games on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes

7:00 PM- USA vs. Dominican Republic (winner advances, loser faces PR in elimination game)

All games on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.

7:00 PM- Puerto Rico vs. Italy (ELIMINATION GAME)

All games on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.

6:00 AM: Japan vs. Netherlands (seeding game)
1:00 PM: Dominican Republic vs. Italy
8:00 PM: USA vs. Puerto Rico

All games on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.

Honk, Honk.

12:30- Venezuela vs. Spain
4:00- Canada vs. USA
7:30- Puerto Rico vs. DR
6:00 AM (Monday)- Netherlands vs. Cuba (ELIMINATION GAME)

All games on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.

11:00 AM- DR vs. Spain
2:30 PM- Mexico vs. Canada
5:30 PM- PR vs. Venezuela
9:00 PM- USA vs. Italy
6 AM (Sunday): Netherlands vs. Japan

All games on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.

Day 7 isn’t all done yet, but, hey, better to be early than late.

Today’s games:
Italy vs. Canada, 2:00 PM
Puerto Rico vs. Spain, 5:30 PM
USA vs. Mexico, 9:00 PM
Cuba vs. loser of Taipei/Japan, 5:00 AM (Saturday) ELIMINATION GAME

The WBC really gets going with four games across three countries!

3:00 PM- Mexico vs. Italy, Pool D
6:30 PM- Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela, Pool C
10:00 PM- Cuba vs. Netherlands, Pool 1 (2nd round)
5 AM (March 8th)- Taipei vs. Japan, Pool 1 (2nd round)

All games on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes (or wherever you find it in your country).

Only one game tonight/tomorrow morning:

5:00 AM- Cuba vs. Japan

Winner gets top seed.

All games on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.

Is this the end of the Honkbal heroes? Which Fukuoka pool team will avoid likely relegation to the qualification rounds in 2017? Will Taipei send the hometown fans home with pool sweep?

FIND OUT TONIGHT!
11:30 PM- Netherlands vs. Australia
3:00 AM- China vs. Brazil
6:30 AM- Korea vs. Taipei

All games on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes.

Tonight’s games (okay, technically tomorrow morning):
Cuba vs. China, 2:30 AM
Australia vs. Korea, 5:30 AM

All games on MLB Network and ESPN Deportes

Day 1 isn’t fully done yet, but I’ll submit this now. All times ET:

10:30 PM- Brazil vs. Cuba
1:30 AM- Taipei vs. Netherlands
5:00 AM- Japan vs. China

Pool B: Taipei vs. Australia, 11:30 PM EST, MLBN and ESPN Deportes
Pool A: Brazil vs. Japan, 5:00 AM EST, MLBN and ESPN Deportes
Pool B: Netherlands vs. Korea, 6:30 AM EST, will be on Tape Delay MLBN and ESPN Deportes later

Chatter up!

MLB Network’s exclusive English-language telecast of the 2013 World Baseball Classic in the United States begins this Friday, March 1 at 11:30 p.m. ET and continues with all 39 games of the tournament through the Championship on Tuesday, March 19 at 8:00 p.m. ET. MLB Network’s Bob Costas, Jim Kaat, Joe Magrane, Harold Reynolds, John Smoltz, Matt Vasgersian, Tom Verducci and Matt Yallof are among the group of announcers scheduled to call the tournament, produced by MLB Network in the United ...