USA....It's a Good Feeling

I say "U"...you say "S"....I say "A".....USA....USA....USA! You gotta be kidding me. A three run rally in the bottom of the ninth? Say it ain't so!

I feel like Tony in West Side Story...."We beat the Puerto Ricans!"

After the PR's beat the crap out of us this week and we walked off the field beaten by slaughter rule, all I wanted was another crack at them. I watched the game last nite that had Venezuala vs. Puerto Rico and I rooted for Puerto Rico to lose so we could face them again. Vindication was all I wanted.

Let me regroup for a moment. David Wright's double tonite made me a little on the giddy side of life.

I live in Chicagoland. Every fan of every team in this town believes they are on the team they root for. When the Cubs win a game, my friends all say the same thing, "Did you see how well we played?"

When the Bears win a game it's, "Did you see how well we played on defense today?"

When the Blackhawks win a game....of course it's not against the Red Wings....it's always the same thing, "We played so well on both ends of the ice!"

The World Baseball Classic has actually brought me closer to my Chicago fan friends. This is a team I can call we with all my friends.

I'm not from here originally. My ties are to my Detroit teams that I grew up with. This doesn't go over too well with my Chicago fan friends. They understand, but the rivalries of our teams is rooted beneath our friendships.

The beauty of the WBC is that we can all say we when we talk about our team in this tournament. We're rooting for America. And that my friends is the ultimate we.

I had to have corned beef and cabbage at our friends house tonite because I don't have the MLB network at home. It was all good. I did feel a little like an outsider as I didn't participate in the nice outdoor weather on the patio, but I was watching the game. What a game it turned out to be!

As my wife was leaving in the top of the ninth, she noticed the score and said she was sorry we weren't winning. I told her it wasn't over yet. She grinned and took the kids home. I know she was thinking, "Keep hoping babe. Just don't be too late." She didn't say it and that's probably why I love her because she really does know when to keep her mouth shut when it comes to my sports passions.

My nephew, who was "texting" the whole freaking game was actually in the same room with me so I said to him, "We've got good guys coming up in the ninth, this game isn't over." He grunted at me so I knew he was alive which was more response I had gotten from him the whole game to this point but I was starved for attention.

Single....single....stolen base....out....walk....walk(run)....double....GAME OVER!

I was screaming from my chair. Move over Rover and let Jimi take over. Let's move to the next round.

Everyone said we were dead.

Say what you will about the WBC. It causes injuries. Players don't get enough consistent work. I don't care. What I do care about is that I'm enjoying competitive baseball in mid-March. The best part is that I'm cheering for us!

Team USA seems to have adopted a spirit that we can all take to heart. They are playing for us. These are guys who battle each other on the field during the regular baseball season but have come together and built unity regardless of otherwise feelings.

We are headed to the next round. I couldn't be more happy for us!

It's nice to be rooting for the USA with my friends!

Funny, I root for the USA every day.....baseball or other.