Friday was a bad day for Team USA, but Saturday was much better. Canada's win over Mexico and the American team's 6-2 win over Italy mean that the winner of Sunday's USA-Canada game will qualify for the second round of the World Baseball Classic, with no tie-breakers necessary. ...more

Believe it or not, they've brawled before. Not these Canada and Mexico players, the ones who fought at the World Baseball Classic on Saturday. But 22 years ago, in a Pan American Games tournament played in Cuba, the baseball teams of Canada and Mexico had a brawl so severe that the game was suspended and a coach from each team ended up in the hospital. ...more

Canada's big win over Mexico Saturday afternoon means that underdog Italy is guaranteed to advance to the second round of the World Baseball Classic. It also means that Team USA likely needs to win both of its remaining games to advance. ...more

Finally, the World Baseball Classic has made it into the North American sports landscape. All it took was a brawl. Mexico and Canada fought in the ninth inning of Canada's 10-3 win Saturday afternoon, after Mexican players took offense to Canada trying to run up the score and win a possible tie-breaker. ...more

The WBC format is far too complicated. Team USA lost its opener to Mexico Friday. Strangely, the Americans could potentially miss the second round even if they win their final two games, or could still qualify by going 1-1, depending on other results and final scores. Yes, it's complicated. ...more

Team USA was able to assemble an All-Star lineup. But all the top American-born starting pitchers turned down the chance to pitch in the World Baseball Classic. Not surprisingly, it was a bad outing by a starter (R.A. Dickey giving up four runs) that cost the Americans in their opening 5-2 loss to Mexico. ...more

In Bud Selig's dreams, the World Baseball Classic gets bigger and bigger, and so does baseball. In Selig's dreams, the globalization of the game goes so far that it leads to a real World Series, pitting the champions of MLB against champions from around the world. ...more

Team Italy knows where it stands in most people's minds, and also where baseball stands on their country's sports ladder. They hope to change it, and two big wins in two days at the WBC can't hurt. If nothing else, Friday's 14-4 win over Canada gave the Italians a moment they'll never forget. ...more

After playing behind Kyle Lohse the last four years with the Cardinals, Skip Schumaker never imagined Lohse would go into March without signing somewhere as a free agent. ...more

Carl Crawford hasn't had the smoothest spring, as he slowly recovers from Tommy John surgery. But Crawford says anything is better than what he went through in Boston, where he says his experience with the media was 'the worst thing I've ever experienced in my life.' ...more