Baseball At Its Best

If you're jaded about the national pastime - steroid scandals, sullen stars, surreal contracts - look no further than last night's World Baseball Classic final at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The game was so compelling that I watched the highlights on ESPN twice.

And why not, it had everything. Japan vs. South Korea. A "soccer outside the US" buzz in the stadium. Hustle plays. Clutch hits. The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat.

That was baseball at its best, on so many levels. Here's hoping it's a fitting entree into the 2009 Major League Baseball season.