The World Baseball Classic?

And so ends the first World Baseball Classic – which is really no more than “Bud Selig’s X-games”. MLB and the commissioner would tell you it was a huge success. Of course he’ll also tell you steroids are not a big problem and he doesn’t sleep in his suits. So did you care? Or did it just seem like an ESPN event? Excuse me -- ESPN-2 event. In the LA TIMES Sports section on Monday even the Lakers came before this story.

Here are some thoughts:

There are a lot of Yankee haters like me who found it hard to even root for the US team. The biggest fans of the WBC have to be the Red Sox Nation because Johnny Damon hurt his shoulder.

Bragging rights are nice but for real incentive, the winning team should replace the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the American League.

Great that the championship game was held at Petco Park because there’s a huge Cuban and Japanese population in San Diego, California.

Maybe I’m a little bitter because I couldn’t get a job announcing for Finland.

If a Cuban player is missing I would check George Steinbrenner’s house first.

Most of the big All-Stars passed on the event. It’s like putting on Woodstock with Herman’s Hermits as one of the headlining acts.

Canada beat the US team. As comic Elayne Boosler said, “they weren’t even wearing skates”.

Please don’t let the final game of Roger Clemens’ storied career be the US vs. Mexico at Angel Stadium.

My favorite moments were watching managers and umpires yelling at each other in different languages.

All any major league ballplayer had to do to be eligible to play for Bhutan or Cameroon was fly over their countries once.

I’m surprised Pete Rose didn’t try to latch on to some country’s team. Even if it meant defecting TO Cuba.

There were ties in the WBC. That’s sac religious. Crying is allowed in baseball before ties.

There could also be suspensions if the pitching staffs got depleted. It’s the “World Kissing Your Sister” Classic.

And then when they DO have an exciting game -- that kid pitcher from Panama hurling a no-hitter -- they stop it after 7 innings because of the ten run mercy rule they’ve instituted.

There’s an expression that applies here – “Bush League”, meaning small time, inferior thinking. It was inspired by our President.

Here’s a wacky idea: schedule the tournament in January or early February when baseball fans really need a fix, not during March Madness and the return of PRISON BREAK.

Oh, by the way, Japan beat Cuba 10-6. At least there’s a Disneyland in their country to go to.

Let’s now get back to baseball that has some REAL meaning – the Cactus League and Grapefruit League results.

Tomorrow: How we broke stories on CHEERS.