Olympics Baseball Tournament
After a flight from one hemisphere to another, the Olympic Team has arrived at the site of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
It’s a sport with its roots deeply intertwined in the United States, but everybody is trying to catch Cuba. The island country just south of Florida is a powerhouse in Olympic baseball, having won three of the four tournaments, which began in 1992 at the Barcelona games. In fact, the United States didn’t even qualify for the tournament at the Athens games in 2004. And, sadly for many, this could be the final Olympics for baseball. It will not be played in London in 2012. But there’s one tournament left. What’s at stake?
The final Olympics baseball tournament could take place in Beijing, and Team USA has plans to make it memorable. “We knew going in that we wanted a veteran club, a team of guys who have been battle-tested, so to speak,” said Bob Watson, general manager of USA Baseball, in a news conference. “But we wanted younger prospects as well, guys with the fire to go out and showcase their talents on the international stage.” Look at some of those players going for the gold medal in China: Matt LaPorta, Dexter Fowler, Stephen Strasburg, Jayson Nix and Brandon Knight.
