The WBC comes of age as Canada goes to second round for first time

Joy of Vlad and the Dominicans vs. hard-to-like attitude of U.S.A.

Griff and Mal discuss the satisfaction and pride of Team Canada advancing further than it ever has in the five previous World Baseball Classics. Pride is the domineant emotion despite a 5–3 loss to the United States. We break down the pros and cons of the Friday night quarterfinal loss and why the Americans remain hard to like.

With the Americans, is it the attitude of players like Cal Raleigh refusing to shake hands, or is it manager Mark DeRosa and his refusal to acknowledge he was wrong almost causing a disaster by not knowing tourney tiebreaker rules? Good news is there is hope moving forward for Canada’s program. Should Ernie Whitt be brought back as manager? Who were Canada’s best players? They discuss the joy of the Caribbean nations and whether the World Series and a dominant WBC will propel Vlad Guerrero Jr. into the upper echelon of MLB hitters.

Looking ahead, is there hope for Canada and should Ernie Whitt return as manager? Griff and Mal also highlight Canada’s best players, the infectious joy of Caribbean teams, and whether Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s dominant WBC and World Series performance pushes him into MLB’s elite hitters.

Finally, the focus shifts back to the Toronto Blue Jays with Opening Day less than two weeks away and injury concerns for José Berríos and Shane Bieber. This and more.