Phil Lowry

Japan as Host for World Baseball Classic (WBC) Games in 2009

by Phil Lowry

Japan, as the reigning champion of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), would

seem to deserve a very fair and full hearing from the WBC's organizers, MLB and

the MLBPA, on Japan's capability to host the Semi-Final Round and the Final

Game in 2009.

However, there is no getting around certain facts: Japanese baseball fans

failed the test of attending WBC games not involving Japan in 2006. Observe

these drastic differences:

SAN DIEGO

Average Attendance Petco Park for three Semi-Final Round & Final WBC games

NOT involving USA: 42,201

ANAHEIM

Average Attendance in Angel Stadium for three 2nd Round WBC games NOT

involving USA: 33,083

Average Attendance in Angel Stadium for three 2nd Round WBC games involving

USA: 30,823

TOKYO

Average Attendance in Tokyo Dome for three WBC First Round games involving

Japan: 29,090

Average Attendance in Tokyo Dome for three WBC First Round games NOT

involving Japan: 4565

Tokyo admittedly was hosting 1st Round games, whereas Anaheim was hosting

2nd Round games, and San Diego was hosting the Semi-Final Round and the Final

Game.

But Tokyo attendance was more than six times higher when Japan was playing

vs. when Japan was not playing. San Diego attendance, with the USA not playing,

was 45 % higher than Tokyo attendance with Japan playing. Anaheim

attendance, where whether the USA was playing or not did not make much difference, was

10 % higher than Tokyo attendance with Japan playing, and seven times higher

than Tokyo attendance with Japan not playing.

So Japan definitely has a problem in attempting to secure the WBC Semi-Final

Round and Final Game. However, in my opinion, there are two things that

Japan can and should do immediately to successfully convince MLB and the MLBPA

that the Semi-Final Round and Final Game can and should be played in Japan.

First, intensive ticket-selling in advance with Japanese corporations and

unions could sell out each game, right now, a full 14 months in advance. Second,

Japan should abandon its forlorn love affair with the sterile antiseptic

ugly Tokyo Dome.

Japan should offer to hold the Semi-Final Round in Tokyo's beautiful ancient

Meiji Jingu Stadium, a REAL baseball park with grass and no dome, and the

Final Game in Japan's most majestic cathedral to the sport, Nishinomiya's

Koshien Stadium, home to the most passionate baseball that has ever been played

anywhere on the planet, Japan's annual high school championship tournament.