The hype is building, the political intrigue simmering.
In a couple of months, national teams from two countries mired in a five-decade relationship of bad blood and mistrust will meet on a Prince George baseball field when the United States plays Cuba at the World Baseball Challenge.
Organizers of the six-team tournament have been working on bringing that matchup to Citizen Field ever since the the biennual event first came to the city in 2009. The U.S. and Cuba are scheduled to meet on Day 8 of the 10-day tournament on Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 3 p.m., just before Canada takes the field against Chinese Taipei.
"There's no better drama in the tournament than to see the U.S.A. play Cuba," said WBC chair Jim Swanson. "The politics are longstanding, going back 50 or 60 years. It might as well be the baseball version of Canada-Russia in hockey back in the day. The U.S.A. and Cuba rarely play each other. The tension will be there and you'll need a knife to cut it. "
This year's tournament is set for Aug. 13-22, with a rain date set aside for Aug. 23, if needed. Having the event in August will suit the travel schedule of Chinese Taipei and allow Japan to determine its national league champion to represent the country at the WBC. The Bahamas will be back for its third WBC in Prince George.
"We have the strongest tournament we've ever put together with this year's event," said Swanson.
"It's five of the same six teams from 2011, but the Beijing Tigers were unable to fit it into their schedule this time. They're being replaced by the USA, which everybody recognizes as having a stronger program."
The U.S. team will be an elite college team, to be announced later, Swanson said.
Baseball Canada will field a team of the country's top senior and college-level players. Canada and the U.S. meet on opening night, Thursday, Aug. 13. Other games scheduled for Canada include Cuba (Aug. 15), Bahamas (Aug. 16), and Japan (Aug. 19). The two playoff semifinals are scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 21, with the consolation game and final set for Thursday, Aug. 22.
Tournament passes are now available at Ticketmaster outlets or at ticketmaster.ca for $199 for each reserved seat ($205.50 including service charge) or $150 for a bleacher seat ($156.50 with service charge). Individual game tickets for adults will cost $10.
n Baseball fans who were there at Citizen Field for the 2009 World Baseball Challenge might remember Team U.S.A. pitcher Gerrit Cole.
Back then, he was a tall pitcher right out of high school in Newport Beach, Calif., capable of chucking a 98-mile-per-hour fastball. By the time he left Prince George, he had a WBC gold medal around his neck as a tournament all-star.
Tuesday in San Francisco, the six-foot-four, 240-pound righthander made his Major League debut at PNC Park as the starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cole needed just three pitches to strike out Giants centrefielder Gregor Blanco, the first batter he faced. His third pitch was clocked at 99 miles per hour.
Cole, 22, was a first-round draft pick of the New York Yankees in 2008 (28th overall). He went unsigned by the Yankees and reentered the draft sweepstakes, playing for UCLA. The Pirates selected him first overall in the 2011 amateur draft.
