My other observation about the World Baseball Classic is this: Baseball is simply not a sport that lends itself to the tournament format. The Major League Baseball season is perfect, because baseball is meant to unfold gradually over many months, during which a team finds itself. Players go through slumps and hot streaks, managers play around with lineups and rotations, the front office makes trades and waiver pickups and minor league callups; by September you know who your team is, and what it can do. That's the beauty of the sport, a beauty you won't find in a contrived tournament taking place over three weeks in March with a hastily-assembled roster of guys whose grandparents might have been born in Italy.

And now that I'm done trashing a thing that ended two weeks ago, it's time to concentrate on the more important things, that is, the impending home opener. I remain confident in this team, who I believe shall defend their title nobly.

By the way, I've taken to writing these entries in the early morning as a way to train myself to get up early and write, and it's been semi-successful so far. But there comes a moment when I really have to go get ready for work, even if I'm in the middle of a thought, and that time has arrived again. More tomorrow, unless I sleep in.

On Sunday, for the first time since April 8, 1981, and for only the second time in human history, the Phillies will take the field on Opening Day as defending World Series champions.

That sound you just heard was me flinging a chair across the room in excitement.

And now I'd like to apologize for using the very lame and tired "that sound you just heard" trope, which is second only to "there is no truth to the rumor that" on the list of incredibly bad, hacky, unfunny cliches used by terrible sportswriters.

Anyway, I hadn't thought about Opening Day or even the season much until very recently, because I've been busy with other things, following other sports, working, and so on, plus the Phillies are in the very interesting position of still being really good, so I haven't had to spend the offseason worrying about how terrible they're going to be. I'm quite confident that they aren't going to be terrible at all. Confidence is a wonderful, liberating thing, you should try it some time.

The lineup, I'm not worried about the lineup just yet. The starters look okay, especially Blanton - who knew? The bullpen should be solid. They have plenty of decent options for the bench. There you go, I just described a very good baseball team. The NL is up for grabs, and the AL is filed with overrated scumbags. One thing leads to another, and I get to take another day off for a parade, and buy another 8-disc World Series DVD box set. Accolades all around!

So, here are my problems with the World Baseball Classic:
1. In theory, I wouldn't mind rooting for the US team, but it's filled with guys like Chipper Jones and Kevin Youkilis and David Wright, men who I literally refuse to root for in any situation - I don't care that we were born on the same landmass within the same political divisions, it isn't going to happen.
2. The WBC uses the same idiotic, fake-baseball extra innings rules that they use in the Olympics, plus they have a "mercy rule". Mercy rule. What is this, Little League? If you're down 10-0, you take it like a man. Brush a guy back or something. Come on, South Africa, grow a set.
3. One other observation, but I have to take a shower and go to work. Back in a bit.