Canada upsets U.S.
The country where hockey is king stole America’s pastime on a chilly Arizona afternoon in Phoenix.
Adam Stern, a young backup outfielder for the Boston Red Sox, hit an inside-the-park homer, drove in four runs and made two sensational catches in center to lead Canada over the United States 8-6 Wednesday in the World Baseball Classic.
“We were definitely pumped up to play this team,” Stern said.
Jason Varitek’s 448-foot grand slam helped bring the United States back from an 8-0 deficit, but a Canadian team made up largely of minor leaguers held on.
“It’s a very quiet locker room right now,” U.S. manager Buck Martinez said. “I think everybody is feeling like they got kicked in the stomach.”
Chase Utley thought he had given the United States the lead in the eighth, flipping his bat and raising both arms in triumph after he hit a long drive to center with two on. But Stern made leaping catch at the wall near the 407-foot sign to end the inning.
The United States (1-1) must beat South Africa on Friday or have Mexico lose one of its remaining games to stay alive in the 16-nation tournament.
If Mexico, Canada and the United States finish 2-1, the tie would be broken by fewest runs allowed per inning in competition involving only those three teams. In that case, the United States would advance if Mexico scores at least three earned runs against Canada today.
•Cheered by a handful of raucous fans, the favored Cubans nearly lost the game during a ninth-inning meltdown, then bounced back to win their WBC opener 8-6 in 11 innings in Puerto Rico.
Panamanian fans jumped in the stands and waved their flags when their team scored twice in the ninth to tie the game 6-all. Panama nearly won it then, leaving the bases loaded, but couldn’t come back again after pinch-hitter Yoandry Garlobo’s go-ahead single in the 11th.
Selig will review Bonds book
Bud Selig wants to read the book before making any decisions about Barry Bonds.
On a day when Bonds was in California for a child custody hearing, baseball kept buzzing about him – specifically, about an upcoming book that describes in vivid detail the slugger’s alleged steroids use.
Selig has no plans to meet with the San Francisco star. Instead, the commissioner will wait until he reads the book.
The Giants responded to Selig’s comments by saying they would cooperate fully with the commissioner.
Bonds, who has repeatedly denied using performance-enhancing drugs, posted a note on his Web site thanking fans for their support without mentioning the newest allegations.
All around baseball, Bonds was topic No. 1.
Boston pitcher David Wells said Bonds should “be a man and come out and say that he did it” if he used steroids. Wells said Bonds “probably” used them.
New York Yankees manager Joe Torre said Bonds’ Hall of Fame status was up to individual voters. He said the overall steroids scandal had given the sport “a black eye” and watered down the home run marks. “I think right now we have already diluted that,” he said.
Bonds was absent from Giants’ camp because of a hearing that was scheduled more than a month ago. But it certainly fell at the right time to provide him a brief respite, a day after Sports Illustrated released excerpts from “Game of Shadows,” written by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters.
Around the majors
Roger Clemens said it’s unlikely he’ll start pitching at the beginning of the major league season, which would seem to mean he’s angling to return to Houston if he decides to pitch at all past the World Baseball Classic. Clemens, a free agent, can’t re-sign with the Astros until May 1, and many in baseball believe he’ll wait until then to rejoin his hometown team. … Infielder Alex Cintron was acquired by the Chicago White Sox from the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitcher Jeff Bajenaru. A switch hitter, Cintron batted .273 with 19 doubles, eight home runs and 48 RBIs in 122 games for the Diamondbacks last season, when he played second, third and shortstop. Bajenaru, who turns 28 on March 21, spent most of last season at Triple-A Charlotte.