Monday, February 11, 2013

World Baseball Classic Preview: Puerto Rican National Team











     It's hard to believe a team with names such as Carlos Delgado, Jorge Posada, and  Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez in its lineage has yet to win the World Baseball Classic, let alone place in the top three. With a fifth place finish in each of the past two WBC tournaments, improvement is certainly the mission.

     As mentioned earlier on The Fitted Diaires, The World Baseball Classic will begin in early March. Pools A and B will begin play on the second, while teams in pools C and D, such as Puerto Rico will start on the seventh. Along with Puerto Rico, Pool C consists of the fore mentioned Dominican Republic team, Venezuela, and newcomers Spain. All things accounted for, Puerto Rico should be able to advance to the second round of the tournament, but as the old adage goes, don't count your chickens before they've hatched.

     It has been a star-studded affair for the P.R. team, but as this Yankees fan will tell you, that doesn't always result in championships. This year, the other-other red, white, and blue team enters play in the 12 spot of the IBAF rankings; not exactly ideal in a field of 16, but results may vary (Official Rankings).

    Although, the days of Roberto Clemente and Bernie Williams are long gone, there are still some names in the program you're likely familiar with:

 Pitchers: 
Nelson Figueroa of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Javier Lopez of the Giants, J.C. Romero formerly of the Phillies, and well traveled starter Javier Vasquez.

Catchers:
Jose Molina of the Tampa Bay Rays, Yadier Molina of the St Louis Cardinals, and Martin Maldonado of the Milwaukee Brewers. 

Innfield:
Mike Aviles of the Cleveland Indians.

Outfield:
Carlos Beltran of the St. Louis Cardinals, Angel Pagan of the San Francisco Giants, and Alex Rios of Chicago White Sox. 

     Puerto Rico will play its first game of the tournament against Spain on Mar. 8th, followed by a contest against Venezuela on the 9th, and concluding Pool C play on the 10th against the always difficult Dominican Republic team. The one thing going for Puerto Rico, is that all games are essentially home games, despite the necessary designation; this is of course becuse San Juan, Puerto Rico is one of the 4 hubs of pool play this year. All games will be played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium; a modest 18,000 seat park, named after the first Puerto Rican born player to reach the Major Leagues. If the humble island-commonwealth can pack the local setting for 3 games, Puerto Rico should have all the support they need to compete and advance. 

     The cap features a red crown and brim, with a white overlapping "P" and "R" outlined faintly in blue located across the front panels. On the left side of the cap, the Puerto Rican flag is featured. On the back, the WBC logo is centered across the 2 back panels. This is a really clean looking cap, which I originally added to my collection during the first Wolrd Baseball classic in 2006, in its alternate blue colorway, no longer being used. The cap can be found HERE at the official site of the WBC shop. 

     Next, we will feature a recently debuted cap representing a rebranded NBA franchise for the 2013-2014 season. Stay tuned.




  

     


13 comments:

Anonymous said...

of course like your website but you need to test
the spelling on several of your posts. A number of them are rife
with spelling issues and I in finding it very bothersome to tell the truth nevertheless I will certainly come back again.



Look into my web-site ... cheap mac makeup

Anonymous said...

Greetings! Very useful advice within this post! It's the little changes that will make the biggest changes. Many thanks for sharing!

My page; fake ray ban sunglasses

Anonymous said...

This is my first time pay a quick visit at here and
i am truly pleassant to read everthing at single place.

My blog chi flat iron official website

Anonymous said...

Hi there, I believe your web site may be having browser compatibility problems.
When I take a look at your web site in Safari, it looks fine
but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping issues.
I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Apart from that, excellent
site!

Look into my site - fake ray ban sunglasses

Anonymous said...

Every weekend i used to pay a quick visit this web page, because i
want enjoyment, since this this web page conations in fact pleasant funny stuff too.


Here is my blog post :: cheap mac cosmetics

Anonymous said...

Ahaa, its nice conversation regarding this paragraph at this place at this
weblog, I have read all that, so at this time me also commenting at this place.



Also visit my web-site Nike Air Max 1

Anonymous said...

First off I want to say superb blog! I had a
quick question that I'd like to ask if you do not mind. I was curious to know how you center yourself and clear your mind before writing. I've had trouble clearing
my thoughts in getting my ideas out there. I do take pleasure in writing however it just seems like the first
10 to 15 minutes are generally lost just trying to
figure out how to begin. Any recommendations or tips?

Kudos!

Also visit my site :: fake ray bans

Anonymous said...

I am really loving the theme/design of your blog. Do you ever
run into any web browser compatibility issues?

A few of my blog audience have complained about my website not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Safari.
Do you have any advice to help fix this
problem?

Here is my homepage: Louis Vuitton Bags

Anonymous said...

Have you ever thought about adding a little bit
more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is fundamental and all.
However imagine if you added some great pictures or videos to
give your posts more, "pop"! Your content is excellent but with pics and videos,
this site could certainly be one of the greatest in its field.
Fantastic blog!

My website ... polo factory store

Anonymous said...

When someone writes an article he/she retains the thought of a user in
his/her mind that how a user can be aware of it.

So that's why this article is outstdanding. Thanks!

Also visit my webpage - chloe バッグ

Anonymous said...

Asking questions are really good thing if you are not understanding anything totally,
but this post provides good understanding even.

my page :: http://slc-wireless.com

Anonymous said...

Sweet blog! I found it while searching on Yahoo News.
Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News?

I've been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Thank you

My website Louis Vuitton Bags

Anonymous said...

I know this if off topic but I'm looking into starting my own blog and was curious what all is required to get setup? I'm assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty
penny? I'm not very web smart so I'm not 100% certain.
Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Appreciate it

My web blog :: Evgeni Malkin Authentic Jersey