World Baseball Conference

[JstaRebel 48]

Puerto Rico humble Japan to reach WBC title game..

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Giant-killers Puerto Rico ended Japan's World Baseball Classic reign on Sunday, combining a strong pitching effort with the power of Alex Rios to win their semi-final showdown 3-1 at AT&T Park. Rios crushed a towering two-run homer in the seventh inning off reliever Atsushi Nohmi to break open a taut pitchers' duel and give Puerto Rico a 3-0 lead as Japan lost a chance to extend their domination of the world's top international tournament.

I was pleased to see PR beat Japan. I'm not a big fan of organized sports, but I have been enjoying this baseball series. I'm looking forward to the DR playing Netherlands tonight in hopes that we will see an "ALL CARIBBEAN FINAL".. Vivo Santo Domingo!!

Yeah Yeah I know.. But my wife is Dominican! jejeje.

[X Factor 1,112]

Japan is usually very good. Puerto Rico beat them and also eliminated the US. BTW what is "jejeje"

[JstaRebel 48]

Japan is usually very good. Puerto Rico beat them and also eliminated the US. BTW what is "jejeje"

he he he.. But Dominican.. Sorry, sometimes Spanish overcomes my english. I'm American, but I have lived in the Caribbean for awhile now..

Now speaking from my Montana roots... "I'm fixin to watch me a baseball game". I wanna see the Dominican Republic beat up on The Netherlands tonight in San Francisco so that the World Baseball Conference final will be entirely made up of Caribbean countries!! FYI everybody, the Dominican Republic is the only undefeated team in the conference.

Have a good night Mr. Smiley!! Post more tomorrow!

[Darnell 8,478]

BaseBall !

[JstaRebel 48]

I'm pretty excited that this years World Baseball Conference final game will be all Caribbean. Puerto Rico & Dominican Republic really take their baseball seriously, and you can go out any weekend to the ballpark with the family and watch a game. Ballparks are in every city on these two islands. They still have "little leauge" here so the kids grow up playing baseball as used to be the case in the USA before lawyers and insurance companies made it all but impossible for cities / states to even have little leauge. I know that the majority of the players on both of these teams play MLB, but really isn't that saying something about the amount of top baseball players that come from these two small Caribbean nations? Santo Domingo (DR) has more major leauge baseball players in MLB than any other country in the world. I know I'm ranting, but I'm not into watching organized sports because of how "corporate" everything is, and I've found myself enjoying watching these games and this conference.

Dominicans beat Netherlands 4-1, reach WBC final:

Fernando Rodney surprised his teammates in the middle of the game when he pulled out a lucky plantain, sent from a family member back home in the Dominican Republic just in time for Monday's World Baseball Classic semifinal.The quirky Tampa Bay closer sure found the perfect motivational prop.

Late lineup addition Moises Sierra hit a tying RBI double in the fifth, Jose Reyes added a go-ahead single two batters later and the spirited Dominicans reached the WBC championship game with a 4-1 win against the Netherlands on Monday night.

The banana will be around for another day.

''Keep it, why not?'' winning pitcher Edinson Volquez said. ''It's like we have this one mission as a team, winning and winning.''

Edwin Encarnacion had an RBI single as the undefeated Dominicans survived a rocky start from Volquez, who benefited from Sierra's catch over the left-field wall in foul territory to end a first-inning threat.

Now, it's the Dominican Republic vs. Puerto Rico, for the title. The teams will play for a third time this tournament Tuesday night at AT&T Park just three days after the Dominicans (7-0) won Saturday in Miami before each club flew West.

One of these proud island nations will get to throw quite a party.

''Whoever wins the Classic is really the Caribbeans,'' Dominican manager Tony Pena said. ''It could be Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic, but it will belong to the Caribbeans.''

[X Factor 1,112]

Nice win for the Dominician team

[JstaRebel 48]

Nice win for the Dominician team

Indeed it was. They went through the entire series undefeated. This was a first for the series as even two time winners Japan never went through the series without a loss.

So my wife is really rubbing it in, and I've been replying... "IT WAS THE LUCKY PLANTAIN"!! :rofl:

[X Factor 1,112]

Indeed it was. They went through the entire series undefeated. This was a first for the series as even two time winners Japan never went through the series without a loss.

So my wife is really rubbing it in, and I've been replying... "IT WAS THE LUCKY PLANTAIN"!! :rofl:

Speaking about plantain - my wife cooked some today; very tasty

[JstaRebel 48]

Speaking about plantain - my wife cooked some today; very tasty

Green Plantains and Yucca are my potatoes. Gaby makes pasteles every year at Christmas. Thery're wonderful. http://latinfood.about.com/od/puertorico/r/pasteles.htm Ripe plantains are my favorite desert. wrap ripe plantain with a little chocolate sauce in an egg roll wraper. Freeze and deep fry... serve with ice cream.. excellent!!

[X Factor 1,112]

Green Plantains and Yucca are my potatoes. Gaby makes pasteles every year at Christmas. Thery're wonderful. http://latinfood.about.com/od/puertorico/r/pasteles.htm Ripe plantains are my favorite desert. wrap ripe plantain with a little chocolate sauce in an egg roll wraper. Freeze and deep fry... serve with ice cream.. excellent!!

Interesting - have to try it. She had also cooked a few days back fried sliced ripe plantains and served it with shredded chicken breasts, diced sweet peppers, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce - so yummy

Edited March 21, 2013 by Mr Smiley