Vladimir Guerrero, Aramis Ramirez, Barry Bonds, Billy Wagner, CC Sabathia, Mark Buehrle, Nomar Garciaparra, Joe Mauer, Tim Hudson, Jon Smoltz, Vladimir Guerrero, countless others. Those are just people who have withdrawn, and many of them are in the top five of their positions or are easily recognizable/marketable, etc. Is someone going to pull out mid-game? Mid-at-bat? At the rate people are withdrawing, I wouldn't be surprised if some of these teams can't even field an all-professional league roster. Al Leiter sure isn't a professional anymore, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
Pitchers are on pitch counts. Pitchers aren't going to be giving it 100%, because they can't at this point, since their bodies aren't going to be ready early enough. This was supposed to be a match-up of "The best players for the best teams in the world." How can it be the best players if they aren't going to be able to pitch to their fullest extent? If pitchers are giving 80%, 85%, while only pitching 65 pitches (in the first round), what is there that exists in that which is equivalent to "best"?
And the biggest thing, for me, is that they announced... ties will be allowed. After 14 innings, if scoreless, the game will go down as a tie, and each team will get a half-win. This isn't the All-Star Game, so why are they treating it as such? I just don't get it.
I have lost my desire to watch this. Sure, it's "competitive" baseball in early March. About as competitive as spring training. Except with a much greater talent differential, many more players who aren't all that good or exciting to watch.
They chose the wrong timing for this, they are putting some awful rules and restrictions on it, and all the while they are marketing it as something they are not. This is not the best, and it probably never will be if they insist on making it in early March. I predict this will be the first, and only, year of the World Baseball Classic. And then maybe the MLB will realize why the Olympics removed baseball, when they see how many people weren't interested in it, and how many teams couldn't put together competitive rosters, and just how many people pull out. Go baseball; go past spring training, and the World Baseball Classic, and give me something competitive and exciting. This isn't going to be that.