It's called the World Baseball Challenge. And, through various mediums, it will be brought to an international audience.
Most notably, media personalities from Cuba, Japan and the Bahamas will be in Prince George to cover the exploits of their teams. Cuba is sending a radio broadcaster whose play-by-play accounts of all the club's games will be transmitted back to Havana. Team Japan, meanwhile, will be covered by a duo of magazine reporters and Team Bahamas will be followed by a newspaper reporter.
"I don't know that we've ever had international media do much in this city before," said WBC co-chairman Jim Swanson. "I've been around the media a little bit in this town and I don't recall international media spending a whole lot of time here before. And these are people who will be here for the duration of the tournament. That's a pretty special thing -- not only the economic side of having them come to our community but the profile that gives our community. I think that takes [the tournament] beyond a national scale. It's a world tournament and we're pretty excited to have that interest from the media in those countries. It shows what their programs mean to those countries more than anything. Their media isn't following them here if it's some weekend warrior slowpitch team coming here."
All games will also be streamed live through the tournament's website (www.worldbaseball.ca).
TIGERS FIRST TO ARRIVE -- The Beijing Tigers touched down at the Prince George Airport on Tuesday night. They are the most successful team in the China Baseball League, having won league championships in 2003, 2004 and 2005. The Tigers will hold their first practice today, at either Rotary Field or the Northern Sport Centre fieldhouse.
Three more WBC entrants -- Japan, Chinese Taipei and Cuba -- are scheduled to arrive in town today.
TICKETS GOING FAST -- As of Tuesday night, close to 650 full-event passes had been sold. Fans can pick up their passes tonight and Thursday (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) at Citizen Field. Tournament passes will be available at Ticketmaster until Thursday. Then, starting Friday, tickets will go on sale at the park. Single-game and day passes will also be offered. Tournament organizers are aiming for a crowd of 6,000 for Friday's opening game (7 p.m., Citizen Field) between Cuba and the Beijing Tigers.
"We're trying to set a new record of 6,000 people to see a sporting event in Prince George," Swanson said. "With the way the seating is configured and the standing room we have over there and the beer garden, there is a lot of room to put people around that ball park."
The WBC is being presented by the Toronto Blue Jays and the City of Prince George.
