Brookes, I just realized I never answered your question regarding the WBC. The answer is pretty easy. There have been four of them and my dad and I have been to 3. And I can honestly say those games are (for the most part) the best live baseball I've ever been to. Sure, you get the occasional clunker like Italy vs Australia, where the stadium is empty. But then you get DR vs Venezuela or DR vs USA, where it makes up for those boring games. Yes, on some level the players can only care so much, and sometimes it's hard to attract good depth, because like Alex Bregman in the last tournament, they just don't get enough AB (and they need it, since it's during spring training). But, rather than the players on the field, it's the fans in the stands who make the difference. Most professional sporting events and crowds in the US are rather staid and tame. But the DR, PR and Venezuelan fans are anything but. They constantly make noise and truly love baseball and their country's players. They're not just rooting for a team, they're rooting for their honmeland, and you can really feel it.

I have so many great memories from the tournaments and I can say that they've definitely gotten better each time. The one in Miami (we always go to Florida) in 2017 was amazing. Adam Jones and Arenado were just so into it. With a few tweaks to the format, and more encouragement to sign up and play, the next one could be amazing. Just imagine a DR team with Castillo, Guerrero, Ozuna, Mondesi, Polanco, Franco, Machado, Sanchez, Tatis, Soto and Robles against a Venezuelan team with Torres, Acuna, Albies, Altuve, Andrus. And imagine fans who don't need super loud music to stay engaged, but are naturally engaged through their love of baseball and country. That's what the WBC is about.