Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage, and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn’t easy. It’s okay, though, we’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning, and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network, as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end, or at least until after you subscribe to the newsletter.
Friday features 4 World Baseball Classic games
Friday’s Say Hey, Baseball includes day two of dual WBC qualifiers, the fallout from the Adam LaRoche situation and the shape of the Dodgers’ rotation.
Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images
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Day one of the dual World Baseball Classic qualifiers is behind us, meaning we’re a day closer to finding out which two teams are going to advance to the pool of 16. In Panama City, both France and Spain lost (to Panama and Colombia, respectively) and will now face each other -- whoever loses this game has no chance at making it to the World Baseball Classic in 2017. Colombia and Panama, Thursday’s winners in Panama City, will also face off -- whoever wins here has the inside track to Sunday’s finals, as that game is between the two teams who end up with a pair of wins by the end of Saturday.
Meanwhile, in Mexicali, host nation Mexico took their first step toward a return to the WBC proper with a victory over the Czech Republic, and now see fellow 1-0 squad Nicaragua in their path. The Czech Republic and Germany are the pair that can’t afford to lose, or else the WBC dream is dead for another four years. You can follow along all day long, as the games start at 2 p.m. ET with France vs. Spain, and the final game of the day doesn’t begin until 10:30 p.m. when Nicaragua and Mexico go head-to-head.
MLB is streaming the games live at their site -- the World Baseball Classic Twitter is sending out those streaming links as they go live -- so don’t worry: you can keep up with March Madness and these qualifiers at the same time. Plus, they’re sending out gifs and Vines of baseball that counts, so, really, why aren’t you following them already?
- You knew it was coming: these are the unwritten rules of bringing your kid into the clubhouse.
- The decision about Adam LaRoche's son, Drake, has sparked a clash in the White Sox clubhouse. Even though there isn't an obvious Bad Guy in this situation, it's clear that White Sox management are becoming the villains.
- Ryan Howard is desperately fighting against the platoon this spring, and that's not just a dramatic reading of his hits off lefties: the dude is saying it himself.
- Goose Gossage's comments have our friends at Pinstripe Alley understandably upset, given his ties to the Yankees.
- Dave Roberts has confirmed the first four Dodgers' starters, and Julio Urias isn't one of them. He also won't be the fifth starter, as he's headed back to the minors.
- David Freese helped changed the narrative of the post-2000 Cardinals, and maybe no one knows this better than the Rangers.
- The Mariners were able to trade Carson Smith for an inexpensive, dependable starter in Wade Miley because breakout relievers are staying broken out these days.
- It's worth wondering what's next for Major League Baseball -- and how the sport is watched -- as cable continues to change and mobile dominates more and more of our lives.
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