GOOD OVER EVIL:

Cuba falls to Japan in final (Jack Etkin, March 21, 2006, Rocky Mountain News)

The possibility of players from Cuba rolling around American soil in their distinctive red uniforms and celebrating could have sent shudders through the State Department and made commissioner Bud Selig and others in Major League Baseball's hierarchy a bit uneasy.

Japan prevented that outcome with a 10-6 victory, but not before Cuba came roaring back Monday in the final of the World Baseball Classic and a crowd of 42,696 at Petco Park was treated to an abbreviated, and somewhat muted, late-inning touch that was distinctly American and very local.

After Cuba cut the lead to 6-5 on a two-run home run in the eighth by Frederich Cepeda, Akinori Otsuka came out of Japan's bullpen. He spent the past two years in a setup role for the San Diego Padres before being traded to Texas in the off-season.

As Otsuka ran onto the field, Hells Bells - the AC/DC song that blares out to theatrically accompany the appearance of closer Trevor Hoffman - was played for Otsuka, who pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to earn the save and had asked the Padres reliever for permission to use the song. He retired the two batters he faced in the eighth, and Japan, able to exhale, broke the game open with four runs in the ninth.

Those are 50 dry feet on the other side....

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 21, 2006 6:48 AM