Devoted to ex-pats, exploring resources, challenges, and opportunities

When I first heard about the World Baseball Classic tournament, I thought it sounded like a great idea.  I still think so, but not because I'm an American.  On the contrary, American fans have little reason to cheer.  As soon as I gained a global perspective I began to suspect that the famed "World" Series of baseball was, in fact, just a Local Series that could make great claims for lack of competition.  Now the World Baseball Classic is likely to show that the best of the United States is nothing without the best of the rest of the world.  (I'll gladly eat my words if the U.S. team does well in the end.)  The only thing "World"-ly about the World Series was that it relied on the best players of many countries to make American (and Canadian) teams great.

Is there any buzz abroad about the local teams?  I know from experiences in Mexico that Latin Americans love a chance to humble--if not humiliate--the U.S.  There was a growing interest in the Classic here in the U.S., but I don't think it survived to Canada in the opening round.