IF THEY WERE PLAYING OUTDOORS IT WOULD BE PERFECT:

A Classic beginning with more to come (John Schlegel, 3/08/09, MLB.com)

So this is what October looks like in March.

Huge upsets. Gut-wrenching finishes. Crowds on their feet. Pitchers hugging catchers. Dancing on the field.

Classic Saturday -- a day in which 12 national teams in three international cities played six electric games -- lived up to its billing and then some, with the second edition of the World Baseball Classic putting on a show of surprising intensity and sharp play for what's traditionally been an early date for such things in baseball.

In short, it had it all.

There was a breakthrough: Team China started everybody off with a first -- its first win in Classic play after a lopsidedly losing debut in 2006.

There was an absolute stunner: The Netherlands took a lead and held on to beat the Dominican Republic, 3-2, which might not qualify as the Miracle Mets but certainly ranks as one of the biggest upsets ever seen in international play.

There was a rivalry renewed: The U.S. and Canada thrilled a packed house at Toronto's Rogers Centre with a nail-biting battle that ended with Team USA holding on for a victory that avenged a crucial 2006 loss.

That's only the half of it, and this is only the beginning.

US, Venezuela get ready for showdown: Matchup will feature big names, bats at Toronto's Rogers Centre (Dave Singh, 3/08/09, MLB.com)

Sunday's matchup figures to be interesting in that both lineups are chock full of All-Star Major League hitters. Charged with the task of taming such thunderous bats are Armando Galarraga and Roy Oswalt, the starting pitchers for Venezuela and the U.S., respectively. [...]

The battle begins at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday.

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Posted by Orrin Judd at March 8, 2009 7:13 AM