Proud to be an American

By Chad Garner
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff



I'm sick and tired about hearing how there's nothing good about the World Baseball Classic (WBC). If you watched the United States baseball team rally for three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to stun Puerto Rico, 6-5, Tuesday night, you're probably thinking twice about bashing the WBC.

It's hard not to be patriotic, especially when you see the American flag and the red, white and blue color scheme being worn on a baseball diamond and in the stands. When David Wright drove in the game-winning runs with a two-run single down the right-field line and the American dugout erupted onto the field, the cameras quickly cut to Wright who was being attacked by Derek Jeter and Kevin Youkilis at the head of the pack.

They all had an ear-to-ear smile after that great comeback. The loser was eliminated from the WBC, and the winner earned a trip into the semifinal round. 

But for these multi-million dollar ballplayers to show that much emotion and passion for the win, but more importantly their country, this is why the WBC was created.

You can talk all you want about the negatives -- injury concerns, flawed format, lack of reps and too much down time (that's Chipper Jones' latest excuse), poor talent level on some teams, etc. -- but something has got to be said for representing your country and trying to develop and showcase our game to the entire world.

The Americans accomplished that Tuesday night.

Yes, I'm proud to be an American!!! Go USA!!!