USA! USA!

Yesterday was the finals of the World Juniors Hockey Championship between Canada and the USA. This is a tournament for players 20 years old or younger and features prospects galore. Many of the kids on the ice have already been drafted and will be playing in a NHL hockey rink near you within a short few years.

Anyway, if you don't know already, Team USA won in overtime 5 to 4 to take home the gold. This is a nice little prelude to the upcoming Olympic games in Vancouver later on this year. Check out the post game Team USA victory chant and game highlights below.

Team cheer.

YouTube Link:

Game highlights.

YouTube Link:

Team USA Are World Cup Champions

Team USA did the incredible. They beat the powerful Cuban team 6 to 3. Cuba had previously won 9 straight titles. Rockies prospect Jason Nix belted a homerun and finished the day with 2 RBI's. He was named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player. Andy LaRoche and Delwyn Young had 2 hits each in 5 at-bats. Overall, Andy LaRoche went 11 for 33, batting .333, hit 3 homeuns, 3 doubles, scored 8 runs, 10 RBI's, 5 walks and a stolen base. Delwyn Young, unfortunately, struggled. He went 6 for 31, batting .194, 1 homerun, 4 doubles, 5 runs scored, 4 RBI's and 7 walks.

Watch the game online here.

Box Score: Team USA 6, Cuba 3.

USA vs. Cuba

This is the game I was hoping for. It's a battle between the team that represent the country that invented the game versus a team who has won the nine past World Cups. USA vs. Cuba is a Baseball matchup that never gets old.

Cuba has always been a Baseball breeding ground. They have produced stars such as Orestes Minnie Minoso, Jose Mendez, Martin Dihigo, Tony Perez, Louis Tiant and Cristobal Torrienti. They have won 25 of 37 World Cups, including the last nine. It's like they're the Yankees of international play. A force to be reckoned with no doubt.

Team USA, on the otherhand, has only won 2 World Cups. Of course, they have never fielded an All-Star caliber team, instead focusing on youngsters. Nevertheless, today's team consist of some of America's best and brightest Major League prospects. These are kids are hungry and full of promise.

The gold medal game starts at 12:30AM PST or 3:30 AM EST. That's tonight in about 2 hours. If your still up check out the game live a this link.

Current Team USA stats:

LaRoche Helps Team USA Advance in Win Over Korea, 3-1

LaRoche did all the offensive damage Team USA would need in defeating Korea to advance into the semifinals.

USA jumped out to a 2-0 lead after Jayson Nix singled and Andy LaRoche crushed a 3-2 pitch into the left field seats for his third homerun of the tournament.

He finished up the day going 1 for 3 with a homerun, 2 RBI's and a walk. Delwyn Young went 0 for 3 with 2 strike outs and one walk.

Box Score: USA 3, Korea 1:
Game Notes:

Team USA Continues Its Winning Ways

Team USA wins four in a row and earns the top seeding in the quarterfinals as they edge past Chinese Taipei, 10 to 7. If things continue on this track we may see a Cuba vs. USA match-up.

Dodger Andy LaRoche had 1 hit in 5 at-bats while recording 2 RBI's.

Colby Rasmus walked to lead off the (5th) inning and Nix followed with a single. Rasmus and Nix then pulled off a double steal of second and third and Andy LaRoche ripped the next pitch into the right-center gap scoring both base runners. Two batters later Longoria ripped a single to left scoring LaRoche and giving the U.S. a 6-3 advantage.

Delwyn Young hit 2 doubles, going 2 for 4 for the day, and scored 2 runs with 1 RBI. Young has been just as impressive this winter as LaRoche. The Road to Beijing Blog adds,

"Delwyn Young is just plain fun to watch. Whether it's the 3-run bomb, the facial-Jim-Edmonds-esque catch in left, the wide open jersey a la David Wells, or the, what has to be 74 in. bat he swings at the plate, you get your money's worth."

I hope these 2 kids get a chance to prove themselves with the Dodgers.

Game Notes Link:
Box Score: USA 10, Chinese Taipei 7:

LaRoche Is On Fire!

Team USA clinches a quarterfinal spot as they defeat South Africa, 4 to 2, to extend their winning streak to 3 games. Dodger rookie, Andy LaRoche, continues to whack the ball. He went 3 for 3 with 1 run and 3 RBI's. Delwyn Young went 0 for 3 in today's win.

If I may echo MSTI, I think the other option available to the Dodgers at thirdbase may be right in our own house. Andy LaRoche is doing his best to force people to take notice. In fact, Mark Timmons of LA Dodger Talk, is paying attention and believes he has outshined the other highly touted prospect Evan Longoria of Tampa Bay during the IBAF World Cup.

Game Notes:
Box Score: USA 4, South Africa 2:

The Italians Can Play- Upset Team USA

Wow. Of all the teams we could lose to the Italians were not on top of that list. This morning Team USA lost to undefeated Italy, 6 to 2.

USA started Josh Outman didn't start off as he'd planned, walking the first two batters that stepped to the plate for Italy but a quick 5-4-3 double play and a strikeout quickly erased the threat and pushed Team USA's scoreless inning streak to 19. It would end there. In the second inning after two quick outs back-to-back singles gave Italy runners at the corners. Outman got Italy's ninth place hitter Leonardo Zileri on a grounder to short but Brian Bixler booted the ball giving Italy a 1-0 lead; two singles later and the Italy lead stretched to 3-0.

Team USA bounced right back in the top of the third when left-fielder Justin Ruggiano led off the inning with his first homerun of the tournament, a 3-1 blast into the left field seats. Two batters later, Brian Bixler laid a perfect bunt down the third base line for an infield hit but was picked off first with Colby Rasmus batting. Rasmus then doubled to left and after Jayson Nix was hit by a pitch Adam LaRoche doubled to left-center scoring Rasmus and cutting the Italy lead to 3-2.

Italy struck for three more runs in the bottom of the 4th. Lefty Jerry Blevins relieved Outman and after SS Brian Bixler second error of the game on a tough chopper up the middle Blevins handcuffed first basemen Andy LaRoche on a pickoff attempt for Team USA's third error of the game. Steven Shell then relieved Blevins and after a groundout plated a runner Shell gave up back to back hits to Maximiliano Di Blaise and Mario Chirini and Italy extended their lead to 6-2 on five unearned runs. Shell pitched shutout ball through the eighth but the damage had already been done. Six Italy relievers pitch six shutout innings while striking out six as the U.S. managed just two hits the rest of the way as Italy beat the heavily favored Team USA 6-2.

Of special note: Former Dodger manager and current Team USA manager, Davey Johnson, was placed on the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee ballot.

Again, watch all future games live or taped at this website.

Also, The Road to Beijing Blog provides excellent coverage of this tournament. They add that former Dodger farmhand

(Justin) Ruggiano has come to play. Not sure if you could fill a stat sheet any more than he did today: 2-2 with a HR, RBI, SB, R and 2 BB.

Story Link: USA Baseball Game Notes:

LaRoche And Team USA Kicked Some Butt Today, 7-0 over Panama

Team USA easily handled the Panamanian team as they routed the Central American foe 7 to 0. Andy LaRoche did much of the damage as he finished up going 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI's.

In the first, with two outs, Andy LaRoche singled, Delwyn Young walked and Evan Longoria ripped a single to center scoring LaRoche. In the second Tyler Colvin led off with a double then after two quick outs centerfielder Colby Rasmus knocked in Colvin with a single to center, Jayson Nix was hit by a pitch and LaRoche ripped a double to right scoring Rasmus and Nix to make it 4-0 USA. The score remained the same until the bottom of the sixth when after singles by shortstop Michael Hollimon and second baseman Jayson Nix, Andy LaRoche once again provided the power by doubling off the centerfield wall, scoring both runners and making it 6-0.

Delwyn Young went 0 for 2 with one walk. Tomorrow, Team USA faces off against undefeated Italy.

Update: Watch the game right here.

Story Link:
Box Score: 7-0 over Panama:
Pic Link: TeamUSA:

Player Updates

Diamond Leung let's us know how the rest of the Dodgers are doing.

• Jeff Kent is still undecided about playing next season.
  
• Chin-lung Hu is no longer playing in the Arizona Fall League due to a strained hamstring.
• Tony Abreu is on the mend. He is starting a rehabilitation assignment in Florida.
• Yhency Brazoban will begin throwing next week.
• Jason Repko will begin working out soon.

Also, I'd like to add that Andy LaRoche and Delwyn Young are playing for Team USA in this winters 2007 IBAF World Cup Tournament in Chinese Taipei. Check out the "Countdown to the Olympics" Baseball Blog for updates about how Team USA is doing.

Team USA played their first game of the tournament today against Mexico and came out on top with a 3-0 victory. Both LaRoche and Young went 0 for 4. LaRoche was the DH and Young played leftfield, batting #3 & #4, respectively.

Story Link: Diamond Leung: